Later that night, Fiona was soaking in a hot bath with the two elves, whose bodies still bore the marks of their recent activities. Steam filled the stone chamber above the pool of heated water. The two elves slumped over the edge, savouring the human luxury.
They eyed the beautiful advisor, who swept her hair back and leaned against the edge, her full breasts floating just beneath the steaming surface. The warmth flushed her face, making her beauty even sharper.
"Are you his mate?" Eryndis asked, too sore to move. Any slight motion still caused her pain.
Sigh. Fiona rolled her eyes. "You know, everyone asks me that these days. No, I'm not. I'm a widow, with child. Our relationship stops at advisor—not like you two…"
Her gaze drifted to the scars crisscrossing Kaelyra's body. Fiona knew the dark elves' history well. 'Once, they were a great force. But after the long peace, they were hunted, their clans shattered, reduced to scattered camps, their strength broken.'
"Are you his concubines then?" Fiona asked bluntly.
"Concubine? What's that?" Eryndis tilted her head.
"A lord's lover. It's unlawful in the kingdom, but many lords keep them anyway. The True Flame religion punishes those caught with harems." Fiona's tone was sharp, but her thoughts sharper. 'These two could bring down paladins on him if discovered by those true flame fanatics…'
"Oh no. We're Lord Ali's maids," Eryndis replied cheerfully. "He saved us from a company of elf hunters and offered us to serve him. We accepted. Now we enjoy luxury baths like this and live in a castle."
"And experience the most pleasurable sex on the continent," Kaelyra added casually, closing her eyes for a quick nap. The warrior's habits never left her, even here.
Fiona's cheeks burned, her mind betraying her as she pictured Ali—his chiseled body hovering above her, his face framed in the shadow of blankets, his eyes on hers.
"You know he never gets tired. Endless fun… hehe." Eryndis smirked at Fiona's expression, teasing her more.
Fiona snapped out of it, flustered. "Oh, stop it…" She closed her eyes for a moment, then shifted her tone. "Girls…" she said seriously, "if you want to stay with him for long, never act against him. Even if you think you're alone around here—you're not. He might seem like a dream to you two, but I'll tell you now…"
She rose from the bath, water streaming down her flawless skin as she wrapped a towel around herself.
"He will get rid of you with his own hands without thinking twice about it." Fiona's warning cut like steel.
Eryndis stared at the ceiling. Kaelyra, half-asleep, still listened.
Meanwhile, up in his cleaned office, Ali sat sprawled in his chair, feet propped on the desk. In the mirror before him, Miles's face flickered into view.
"Will you tell me the details?" Miles asked.
"We can make a deal for them," Ali replied coolly.
"Does that include your details too?"
"No. Only about Mateo—and the powers he obtained from his god." Ali's slow, measured words made Miles stiffen. The mention of a god always did.
"What are you asking for?" Miles pressed.
"An AI. One that can assist me in any modern world I travel to."
Miles frowned. "That's a very big ask for information about an apostle. I have records of dozens of fights involving apostles."
"But none like Mateo. You saw the destruction yourself. Most of it was caused by him, not me." Ali's tone was flat.
Miles hesitated. He knew the worth of his AIs—they were treasures, valued at more than forty thousand PC each.
Finally, he spoke. "My oldest AI. I'll give you that—for every detail of the fight. Every move, every item. Everything."
"Deal."
The glass phone on Ali's desk glowed blue. A woman's robotic face appeared on the screen and spoke.
"Hello. I am your new Artificial Intelligence Assistant. I am ready to process any request."
Ali picked up the phone and immediately switched it off.
"She's wiped. I have no connection to her anymore," Miles assured him. "You'll see for yourself after you teleport to another world. Keep the phone in your inventory if you don't trust me."
"I will."
Ali sent the phone into his inventory. Then, true to his word, he recounted every detail of the fight against Mateo, every technique and item used. Miles's reactions told him the trade was worth far more than what he'd paid.
"You were right," Miles said finally. "Mateo was special. None of the apostles in my records could wield power like that."
"Makes you wonder what a true apostle, a competent one, is really capable of," Ali murmured, his eyes narrowing. "Like you, for example."
"The Mech Guild is different from the elemental guilds. Don't expect the same from my god."
Ali stood, pulling a freshly cut cloth from the desk. He tied it over his eyes, blocking out the light.
"How much time do you think we have left?" he asked.
"From my estimates, four months," Miles said. "But it could be sooner with interference. The continent is overflowing with opportunities for demons and their followers to harvest demonic energy quickly. And with players joining them, the pace could accelerate. The Demon War could begin in three months even."
"Have you made a decision yet?" Miles asked.
Ali opened the window. Cold air washed into the room.
"I have a suggestion," Miles continued. "The demi-human priestess opened up great opportunities for us. It could shape the war effort."
Ali nodded. "I'll have the priestess and Seraphina grow quickly. There's still more to uncover in this dukedom. Look what I already found in the barren lands of the kingdom." His fingers brushed the tattoo on his wrist. The Origin Finder would aid him in that.
"Do you have a mission yet for IronPeak?"
"No. We'll see once I get there."
With that, Miles ended the call. They both knew when nothing more needed to be said.
Ali stepped into a black portal that opened behind him. When he emerged, he stood between two dragons lying on soft grass beyond Obidos's walls. Their slow, heavy breaths made the grass ripple like waves.
"Master." Eldora stirred, sensing him instantly, while Abeloth remained deep in slumber. Ali rubbed the soft feathers on her head and patted her emerald-scaled neck until she calmed, laying her head back down.
"I'm going to fix myself up. Make sure nobody sees me, nobody disturbs me.", he said a he sad down between his dragons.
"Yes, master." Eldora stretched her massive wing over him, then coiled her tail to seal him in shadow, hidden from all sides.
Four hours passed.
Ali now sat half-naked, dried blood dissolving into air from his skin. Sweat trickled down his brow as he finished reconstructing his body and made strong progress tempering his nerves, using his own Force Lightning as a hammer.
'My Spirit is up to 70% now', he thought. His gaze turned to the star-formation of his magical abilities. His Fire spell burned on the first star. Now, next to it, a dark dot pulsed along the line of light toward the fog.
'I added Shadow Step into it. It only costs 0.1 for every two uses now—perfect.'
Then his Golden Circle appeared. He reached into the blinding light, and when his hand passed through it, the brilliance followed, sinking into the third slot where it radiated bright gold.
Ali tested the new spell immediately.
'One Spirit instead of two now…' A smile crept across his face. 'So this Mage Power lets me add my own spells into it and halves the cost. Maybe it even strengthens them.'
His attention shifted to the Dragon Gate. The massive stone arch loomed in his Spirit Realm. It wasn't fully shut.
It stopped at an inch. His hand pressed against the rough stone, his gaze narrowing at the small opening. 'This should be for the eyes. Which I can now use freely—without drawing from the gate, without using Spirit.'
His left eye burned violet—Bahamut's eye. His right eye ignited silver, cosmic and majestic.
'One lets me see dark emotions, illusions, and trickery, to see through even the deepest shadows. The other reveals all forms of energy—mana, aura, even Spirit itself, like when Mateo used his spells. I can even see through fire. I tested it with a torch in the castle…'
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