After their bath and change of clothes, the three went out to explore the markets and city hand in hand.
"Best fried skewers in the word, Hahahahaha," they heard a boisterous voice with a loud laugh. It was Veldora.
Aaric glanced in the direction and saw a bronze-skinned man with blond hair laughing loudly with his hands on his hips as he sold fried skewers.
Aaric grinned and moved towards the direction of the skewer stall with the girls clinging to his arm. The stall was an open kitchen with a bar like dining area with places to sit and eat.
"Three of your best, please," Aaric said after they sat down, getting a loud laugh and a nod from Veldora.
Aaric noticed a blonde pixie flying around Veldora; she had a grin on her face as if she was the one doing all the work.
"You are the new guy Rimuru was talking about, aren't you?" Ramiris asked with her hands on her hips when she noticed Aaric.
"I'm just a guy on a date," Aaric said with a shrug.
"Oh! Well met. Enjoy the skewers, they are the best in town," Veldora said as he served the skewers on three plates.
"Thank you," the three thanked Veldora and started feeding each other.
Veldora gave Aaric a thumbs up and a sly smirk. Aaric noticed that and smirked back, getting a pinch on the thigh from Daphne.
"So... you're from another universe, huh?" Veldora asked, leaning in as if he was asking for some secret information.
Aaric played along by leaning in and looking around before answering. "What's it to you?" Aaric asked with a raised eyebrow.
Luna and Daphne looked at each other and shared wry smiles.
"Nothing," Veldora said, leaning back before looking around and leaning back in. "Well... there's word in town that someone is searching for ways to another universe," Veldora added in a low voice.
"Is that someone's reason... boredom?" Aaric asked, matching Veldora's tone.
Veldora scratched his cheek in embarrassment before shaking his head. "Maybe... they wish to help around," Veldora said with a fist on his palm, as if he had found the perfect response.
"I wonder what would happen if a certain slime found out," Aaric muttered and ate a bite of food with a smirk on his face.
"Why are you guys whispering? There is no one around," Ramiris suddenly asked, floating between their faces.
"This is how important discussions take place. I read it in some mang... uh, sacred texts of wisdom," Veldora said with a cough before swatted Ramiris away lightly.
"He was going to say manga, wasn't he?" Luna asked Daphne, who nodded and sighed with her hand on her head. She could not hide the little shake of her shoulder when she tried to control her laughter, though.
"And... about Rimuru. We are doing it for him. Yes, to make more allies in different worlds," Veldora said with a nod but not looking Aaric in the eye.
"Don't you have a certain Dimensional Gate?" Aaric asked, remembering the side story 'Visit to the Unknown.'
"Well... that is... let's say not an option after our last trip," Veldora said, rubbing the back of his head.
"If I give you the means to enter a different world, how can I be sure you will help the people there?" Aaric asked seriously.
"You have my word," Veldora said sincerely and directly, without the flare he was using before.
"I am being serious right now. I will send you to a full universe that has a lot of suffering and death. And I expect you to help with your full strength," Aaric said, getting nods and salutes from Veldora and Ramiris.
"Why?" Aaric asked directly.
"Because I am a True Dragon. The most powerful species in this world, and with the help of my best friend Rimuru, I am more powerful than I ever was, and I wish to do... something with it," Veldora said with a frustrated expression.
'Can I?' Aaric asked in his mind, even though he knew the answer.
{It is the law} was the reply from his skill, making him smile.
Aaric raised two fingers and flipped them to show a card between his fingers. He presented the card to Veldora, who accepted it and read something that was written on it.
"Warhammer 40K?" Veldora asked with a tilt of his head.
"Yes, a galaxy full of cruelty and mad gods. And I am sending you there as a ray of hope and not some game," Aaric said with a nod.
Veldora nodded and put the card in his pocket.
"How much are we talking?" Veldora asked, leaning in, with a raised eyebrow and his usual grin.
"A drop of blood," Aaric said, raising one finger.
"I'll do you one better," Veldora said with a grin before forming a spatial rift beside him and taking out a bag from it. "It has the scales I have separated from myself. I wished to make a cool weapon with them. But... I can always make more," Veldora said with his signature loud laugh.
Aaric accepted it, and a cowboy hat appeared on his head, which he tipped with a smile.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Aaric said and got up from his seat.
He then took a step back, and he and the girls were gone with a gust of wind, as if they were never there.
"I think I found a new way to make my exits," Veldora said with a grin. "Will you and Beretta be coming with me?" He asked, looking at Ramiris, who shrugged as if it was obvious.
Meanwhile, Aaric was looking proud of himself while his girls cringed beside him.
They had teleported to a lake in Tempest and were standing in front of a bench.
"That was fun," Aaric said with a grin.
"Your exit was utterly mortifying and pompous, if you ask me," Daphne said, casually brushing away Aaric's devastated expression.
"So that is how Dad felt. Forgive me, Father," Aaric muttered under his breath and looked at the ground in guilt.
Luna giggled at his expression and lifted his face before giving him a hug.
"There, there. My Love. I am here for you," she said, and Aaric just hugged her tighter.
Aaric stopped his skit and sat on the bench with Luna sitting on his lap and hugging his neck. Daphne rolled her eyes before sitting beside Aaric as well and placing her head on his shoulder as he held her by the waist.
"Why don't we just enjoy time with the new friend I made and get back to our world?" Aaric suggested, and the girls nodded at the suggestion.
Aaric concentrated and formed a mental link with Rimuru. 'About that invitation... it is still on?' Aaric asked Rimuru in his mind.
'Wha—How did you?' came Rimuru's reply.
'Well, yes. Just come along when you wish,' Rimuru added after some time, probably after a chat with Ciel.
The three enjoyed the view of the lake for some time before going to Rimuru's palace.
"Welcome, I am happy you accepted my request," they found Rimuru standing there with open arms and some people standing around him.
"Diablo, you can leave," Rimuru added as he glanced at Diablo after the three shook his hand.
"M-My Lord. Such cruelty," Diablo whispered, slumping on the ground, utterly devastated.
Rimuru nodded to Shion, who dragged Diablo out with a grin on her face.
"I was waiting for a chat with you, man," Rimuru said as the party started and Aaric was sitting beside Rimuru.
"Yeah? About what? By the way, Miss Shuna, the food is delicious, thank you," Aaric asked before thanking Shuna for the delicious food.
"That pleases me, please enjoy," Shuna said, smiling politely and giving Aaric a bow.
"Well, you are from a different universe and all three of you are so powerful I cannot even sense your strength. Of course, I wanted to talk to you. Is there a possibility more people may arrive here from your world and... not for a date?" Rimuru asked seriously.
Rimuru's words made Benimaru, Shion, Shuna, and the other powerful monsters around them pause.
The monsters and beings around Rimuru were the pinnacle of the world and would be worshipped as deities if they wished to.
But, Rimuru was absolute strength in their eyes, and if someone could challenge Rimuru; three people, in fact. That was a cause of concern for them.
"Well, we are special cases and not everyone in our world is as powerful as us," Aaric said, patting Rimuru's shoulder in assurance.
"And I don't think anyone else will be coming here," Aaric added, leading Rimuru to let out a visible sigh of relief, even though he did not breathe.
Just as Rimuru relaxed, so did everyone else in the room, and they started enjoying again. Aaric, Luna, and Daphne talked to Rimuru about this world and his story as they enjoyed the party.
"Well, thank you for everything, man," Aaric said and shook Rimuru's hand as they were ready to depart.
The three bid farewell to Rimuru and his people before Aaric made a portal and the three entered it.
They arrived back in their world, in Aaric's room, and looked out of the window.
"Well, it seems exactly like the moment we left," Aaric said, getting shrugs from the girls.
|After the three went to sleep|
"Why did you bring us here?" Daphne asked Aaric, because he had brought them to the realm of the Olympian Gods when they entered the Dreamlands.
"I am here to get a gift for a friend. I will go see Lord Hades for a bit," Aaric told the girls before giving each a kiss and going to see Hades.
A/n: Well, give me your thoughts on the chapter.
And power stones, all of them.