As Alex and Wanda continued their usual routine of essentially the life of newlyweds on a honeymoon, while at the same time, Alex managed Apex City's development, two days passed since he'd posted the mission of collecting the Infinity Stones for him, and finally, two parties had brought him the good news.
One was Felicia's side. She and her subordinates had gathered two Infinity Stones for him, and a man named Simon who had single-handedly collected the third stone from the ruins of Atlantis. At the moment, both parties were in a large hall in the Tower of Chaos, where Alex sat on the throne with Wanda sitting on the armrest on his side, having put her arm around his neck as if staking her claim over him, yet looking like a Queen in the process.
With a wave of his hand, Alex collected the three stones from their respective magical containments from Felicia and Simon, letting them float toward him.
Time, Space, and Power… Not bad. My authorities are going to be much more balanced now.
Without wasting any time, Alex absorbed the three stones into his soul, letting their authorities course through his being as the three stones merged into their respective main stones, simultaneously increasing the authorities that he had access to.
«Authorities» :: ‹Time (7.5%)› ‹Mind (10%)› ‹Soul (7.5%)› ‹Reality (7.5%)› ‹Power (5%)› ‹Space (5%)›
"Good work, you two," Alex said. "I'm impressed with your efficiency. Tell me, what do you desire? You can claim the Chaos Authority and Apex credit rewards from the mission board. I will fulfill another request if you so desire."
Simon didn't hesitate for a moment before answering. "Lord Apex, Lady Scarlet," he respectfully addressed both Alex and Wanda. "I wish to establish my own group," he said. "A guild similar to Miss Hardy's with a group of my subordinates."
"That so?" Alex said. "Fine, when you claim the reward from the board, I will add a slight modification to the authority and let you receive that of an Avatar of Chaos like Felicia. You may leave now."
The man raised a brow at the sudden dismissal but nodded nonetheless and resolutely disappeared from his spot, likely eager to collect his rewards.
"What about you, Felicia?" Alex asked. "Do you have any specific desires?"
Unlike two days ago, the woman was significantly more reserved in front of Alex. Having been teleported away once before, she was wary of Wanda's reaction. Not only that, Alex had officially introduced Wanda to the city as his wife, giving her the address of Lady Scarlet.
Well aware of Felicia's caution and inhibitions, Alex didn't bother reassuring her. After all, Wanda wasn't exactly wrong in being offended by Felicia's sheer disrespect in ignoring her to her face the last time.
"Lord Apex, Lady Scarlet," she repeated the respectful address that was followed by Simon. "I have a Vice, Liz. She's quite capable and helpful and has been serving me well for the past month. I want to give her the Avatar Authority as well so that she can help me expand our network and further spread access to Chaos Magic to more people."
"Interesting," Alex smiled. "I'll give it to her, but she can't establish a force of her own. She must continue to act as a part of your Thieves' Guild. If, in the future, she performs meritoriously, I will let her form her own guild as well."
"Understood," she nodded before showing a hesitant expression.
"Spit it out. I'm not particularly patient."
"…He just brought a single stone," she said, lowering her gaze a little as her posture turned meek, invoking a sense of pity in Alex.
"Our unlucky Black Cat is a little greedy, I see," Alex smiled, immediately seeing through Felicia's facade. The woman was just as ambitious as his pet cat and knew how to take full advantage of her assets.
"…" She stayed silent, deciding to stay cautious in front of Wanda. Otherwise, she would've already started trying to seduce Alex.
"What do you think, honey?" Alex asked Wanda beside him.
"She did put in more effort. While you've already invested some resources into her, an extra reward doesn't seem far-fetched," she said.
"You heard her," Alex said to Felicia. "I will double the Chaos Authority that you would have received otherwise and add on ten infusion opportunities for the Anti-Age Serum, whether to be used by you or traded away. How's that?"
She seemed to have expected the increased Chaos Authority reward, but the second reward made Felicia whip her head up at Alex in astonishment, consequently making her breasts sway once, visibly straining her bodysuit.
"Satisfied?" Alex asked. "I have another thing in mind aside from these. What do you think, Lady Scarlet? Are you satisfied with her attitude this time?"
Wanda glanced at him momentarily, her eyes conveying her internal annoyance. "Yeah, you can offer it to her. I think she can serve as a fine vanguard."
"Hm," Alex nodded before turning back to Felicia. "Along with the reward, I also offer you an opportunity, Felicia."
"What kind of opportunity?" Felicia blinked, raising a brow while suppressing her smile. Though, she was clearly radiating glee after hearing about the extra benefits. The sheer cost of the Anti-Age serum meant that not a single person could afford it throughout the city. Even every single resident pooled all of their Apex Credits, they still wouldn't have enough to buy a single serum.
"I will bring you to another place for a special training regime," he said. "By the end, I will ensure that you have absolute control over your probability manipulation prowess. Not only that, but both your raw physical and magical abilities will be significantly enhanced by a massive factor. Unlike now, you will objectively become someone only weaker than myself and Wanda among everyone that has joined Apex City. After that, I will deploy you to another planet. A month has already passed, and it's time we add residents from a second Earth to this City."
"So many perks…" Felicia's glee had completely transformed into severe skepticism. "What do I have to give up?"
"A year of your life that I will give back tenfold in the form of ten more doses of the anti-aging serum," Alex said. "What I expect of you is that you submit to some very kinky sexual experiences. Don't worry though, you will have another person for company right beside you."
"…" Felicia frowned, somewhat understanding what was in store for her if she accepted. "Is this person from this city?"
"No," Alex shook his head. "She is the reason that I even bothered to pick you out in the Colosseum that day. Her name is Felicia Hardy, and she's my Black Cat."
Felicia clearly didn't expect those words and was momentarily left speechless.
The silence stretched on until it got uncomfortable for Felicia, prompting her to speak again.
"What if it gets too much for me?" She asked, frowning. "I won't agree to be a lab rat that you do experiments on and torture just for the fun of it…"
"You will have an out," Alex said. "I give you my word. We will designate a safeword that will have me cease everything and send you back here immediately."
"Can I really trust you?"
"If I wanted to force you, do you think I would go this far to trick you? I don't answer to anyone," Alex said. "Time's running out, Felicia. Becoming my cute kitty cat can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on the mindset you go into it with. Choose now."
"If I'm gone a year, what's going to happen to my subordinates? They aren't loyal enough to keep the leader position free for me to return."
"Then ditch them," Alex said, shrugging. "They'll be a liability anyway."
"…" Felicia didn't seem particularly pleased by the answer.
"All right, you don't have to worry. The place I will send you to is operating on a different time factor. By the time a year passes over there, less than a day will pass on this planet," Alex said with a reassuring tone. "Keep in mind, you will be irrevocably changed after this year. My bracelet may occasionally support you during particularly lonely nights, but after this year, your dependency on this bracelet will increase significantly because your body will start craving pleasure on a far more regular basis."
She frowned, not that affected by Alex's words regarding her self-pleasure. She expected this to be the case the first time the bracelet came to life during one of her sessions.
"…It will fulfil my carnal needs, but not my emotional ones," she said. "Will you have any issues if I ever decide to find a partner?"
"That is still to be considered," Alex said. "It is entirely dependent on how much I enjoy our time together. But, in case you wish to separate from me, I will give you my blessing, after getting a sufficient return on my investment in you."
"I understand… Fine, I agree. I'm already completely tied to your boat… Any reluctance on my part is going to be pointless."
"I appreciate your decisiveness. Walk through that portal."
"W-wait, now?" She widened her eyes, looking at the black swirling vortex that had formed on her right, barely reflecting any light and seeming like a part of reality itself had been carved away into nothingness.
"Yes, now," Alex nodded. "You won't even be gone for a full day. I'll inform your subordinates in your stead and take care of anything urgent that might come up. You can claim your rewards when you return as well, though they won't mean much after what I give you."
"…" She fell into deep contemplation for a few moments before her expression turned resolute. "It's just submitting to you sexually, right? I accept. It's a small price to pay for the power you offer."
"That's what you think right now. Once you move on from the embarrassment, you will realize just how enjoyable I can make your life."
"I'll take your word…" Felicia said with some hesitation before resolutely stepping into the portal.
***
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