AO 5 Ch 26

Chapter 26

I was on the way back from battle with my anchors, having taken a number of small, high-value items with us. Meanwhile, I had put on a show of taking some larger bulk goods, only to bury them underground in the forest. We would come back for them later when the military wasn’t looking for them and I didn’t have to cart them around with magic.

I even helped move the stone of the estate to allow the bandits to rifle through everything and collect what they could. However, getting it wherever they wanted was their responsibility. 

Maribelle glanced over her shoulder, giving me a wicked smile. She was carrying me through the woods in her arms, and the proximity she was running to trees and large objects was making me anxious. But I knew she would never put my safety at risk. She had insisted on carrying me, and I was not going to argue after she put herself at risk by showing her healing abilities.

"What do you want? Name it," I said to her as we were running. 

“Ard.” Emlyn’s tone was full of warning.

I understood. Emlyn did not want me to give Maribelle a blank contract. But I was feeling rather fond of my maid after what had just happened. I crossed my arms while being carried like a princess.

"Ard, you just can't do that with Maribelle," Emlyn hesitated, glancing at the maid. Some silent communication crossed between them, only for Emlyn to swallow and look away.

Maribelle bit her pretty pink lips, her blonde hair streaming behind her as we raced faster than a galloping horse. 

"I want lots of things, Sir," Maribelle said.

"You can have lots of them. I'll give you this, Maribelle, once we get to Fargo, the night will be all yours. Anything you can imagine, anything you can dream up between now and then, is on the table." I smiled.

There was a very dangerous smile that split Maribelle's face, and Emlyn smacked her palm against her forehead. 

"What? I am rewarding her for a good job," I scolded Emlyn. “She saved me from having to reveal my fourth sphere in front of Lady White.”

I was sure she was noble in some regards here in Garrish

“Fine, but nothing tonight," Emlyn said, choosing her words carefully. "Maribelle, we need to get back. We need to rest up as much as we can and pretend to be human beings tomorrow morning. I think we've spent enough time in this town.”

“I completely agree," I nodded. “Even if we hadn’t just hit the supply depot, I think we've stayed in one place too long for our cover as a merchant.”

Eva snorted from where she clung onto Aurelia's shoulder. The Virel woman held her thighs to keep her on her back. 

"I don't think our ruse was very convincing," Eva said. 

"I mean, Clarence clearly has an astute mind and sharp eyes," I said, trying to defend myself, only to get a glower from the Zenovian princess. "You know, you have been spending far too much time around Emlyn," I narrowed my eyes. Sometimes Emlyn’s humor was like a disease.

"No, I just naturally act like a princess," Emlyn shot back, always as quick as a whip. 

"I think Ard's the princess at the moment.” Eva said, staring at me and how I was carried. 

"What? I held my hands up. Maribelle's too short for me to go on her back, and she insisted on carrying me.” It had nothing to do with the fact that there were very comfortable and buoyant pillows for me to rest against in this position. I wiggled, settling into my soft chariot.

"Uh-huh," Zuri sounded unconvinced. 

Meanwhile, Maribelle just hugged me closer, forcing my head to be pressed into her breasts. 

"Yes, that looks absolutely terrible," Emlyn sniggered. 

"The things I do for all of you," I sighed, waving a weary hand and tucking myself into Maribelle. 

"Careful there, Maribelle, or you just might get him hooked," Eva added.

"That's the whole point.” Maribelle replied with a refined tone that didn’t belong as we rushed through the woods.

“It's hopeless. He already is," Emlyn just shook her head.

Eva grabbed at her chest for a moment her brows pressing down.

"Princess, the goal isn't for you to try and be like one of us. You need to be your own person.” I instructed.

“Don't worry, she's nothing like me," Maribelle shoved her chest into the side of my face again, causing the Zenovian princess's forehead to tense up as she grit her teeth. 

"Are you trying to say something?" Eva asked.

"Just that we all have our own strengths," Maribelle squeezed me again, nearly smothering me. 

"They could be larger if I wanted to," Eva frowned. "It's just that I don't need two giant bags weighing down my shoulders. Do you know how much those would hurt my back?"

"Nope, not a clue," Emlyn said, her sentiment echoed by Aurelia.

That statement made Eva glare at both of them in turn. "That's right, stupid frickin' anchors with your stupid frickin' tough bodies. Well, for those of us that merely wield the mighty magic rather than being half-monster," she gestured at them, "we don't get the same benefits. And so, yes, actually most of you would probably hurt my back." 

My anchors all had smug grins on their faces at her statement.

"See? You can find your place," Emlyn tried to console her. 

"Quiet," Zuri held a hand up, slowing her pace. "We're getting close to the town. I think we should put a pause on the banter and the topics that we still need to discuss," Her gaze landed pointedly on me.

I felt the tension between me and Zuri. "Let's leave it until tomorrow. It's been a long night.”

“Even I feel like it's not a time to discuss anything serious." She said.

"Oh boy," I said. "Even Zuri's tired of being serious." 

"It was a long battle," Zuri sighed. "My mind is a little weary from watching what they did to all of those people." 

I grimaced as the image of the abomination flashed into my mind, making me want to shiver.

Maribelle held me tight as we landed at the edge of a large line of shrubbery that opened up to a field just outside of town. Maribelle placed me down carefully. "Plan?”

“Emlyn, Zuri, Eva, sneak yourselves back. I think it's time for this young lord to put on one last act." 

With my feet on the ground, deposited from Maribelle’s princess carry. I had a fistful of her rear in my hand, a lecherous grin on my face that was not hard to fake. What I did fake, though, was the next wobbling step.

Maribelle pulled off the act perfectly as she tried to stabilize me while I groped her. Hard. 

Emlyn wiped down her face. "Really?”

“Who's going to even think the drunk young merchant's son, who's spending all his time drinking and playing with ladies, has anything to do with what we actually just did?" I smiled, proud of my brilliance.

"You three sneak in. Aurelia, since you're my anchor, I wouldn't have been there without you. Just... I don't know, linger menacingly." I added.

She swung her battle axe over her shoulder, having put Eva down. "Like this?" Even if I changed her hair color, that did nothing to diffuse the sense of danger she put out.

"Perfect," I replied, giving her a once over.

She was in a fresh outfit after changing in the woods halfway back. Showing up with scratched and cut armor would have been a dead giveaway. Maribelle was the same, as was I, all having changed back in both appearances and equipment to the image we had used in the town so far.

Zuri, Emlyn, and Eva disappeared a moment later, and I swayed back and forth while Maribelle did her best to get me back to the inn. I played up the act, pointing at one of the ladies in town. "She's pretty." 

"Young master, please, this way," Maribelle tried to guide me towards the inn. The two young village women quickly hurried out of my way, not wanting to get caught up between a drunk rich boy and whatever fantasies he held that night. 

The guards at the end of town thankfully were few and far between. The town itself didn't need much guarding from people; it was about as poor as you can imagine. They were just on the lookout for monsters and keeping the town safe from such threats. 

"I hope you had a good night and I will see you tomorrow." Uncle Valken pushed himself out of the shadows of the inn where we were staying. His hood was up, his voice echoing from beneath the dim light that illuminated underneath the hood.

I clenched my jaw and glared at him before smiling. "Who are you?" I asked, then hiccuped again.

Uncle Valken quickly switched into character. “Trevor, always getting drunk.” Uncle Valken shook his head. "Thank you, Aurelia, for making sure he doesn't get into too much trouble," Uncle Valken said. His eyes slid over to Maribelle, pointedly looking at my naughty hand still wandering around her hip.

Not that Maribelle minded, in fact. I could feel she was enjoying the touch. 

"Is that Papa?" I said, opening my eyes wide, peering through the darkness. 

"You're so drunk you don't recognize your own father?" Uncle Valken scolded me. I had to use all my strength not to crack up laughing in the middle of the street and ruin the whole act. I saw his eyes shift around to see if there was anyone in particular that was causing the act.

"Please, please, I just need to get back and get some sleep. It's been a long night," I said, trying to clue him in. It seemed to be enough; he gestured his head towards the door. 

"You wouldn't happen to be mad at me, would you, Trevor?" He asked, 

"Mad? At you? No. You're just my absentee father who disappears." I could see him sniff the air, checking to see if I was actually drunk. 

"Careful there," he said, giving me the most kind, grandfatherly smile that had quite a bit of malice hiding behind it. "I'm getting quite a bit of trouble from that mouth of yours, Trevor." 

"I was busy," I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"You may not know this, but in order for us to move safely across the kingdom, it requires information. It requires that information to be flowing. I went to see why it appears I have a growing hole in my information. A hole that has the city Fargo directly in the center." He spoke in a low voice so as not to be overheard.

Well, now he got my attention. I raised an eyebrow at him, asking him to continue. 

"Oh no, you are far too drunk for us to have a reasonable conversation, Trevor. Really," he pinched his nose and tried to waft the air away from him. "Let's go sober you up and maybe we can talk tomorrow." 

I was going to make him pay for the brushoff, but right now was not the time. Because, in fact, it was the time to go back and sleep.

Now that we had stopped running to the woods, and I was this close to safety, I could feel my body relax. And with that came the undeniable desire to put my head down and close my eyes. 

"Maribelle, let’s go back to my room," I said, continuing the act of a domineering, spoiled brat. Maribelle helped me as I staggered to the inn, drawing a few stares.

When we reached my room, I found that Zuri, Emlyn, and Aurelia were already in the room. 

Emlyn had made herself comfortable, disrobing and tucking herself under the covers. Zuri was brushing out her hair, getting ready for bed. Aurelia closed the door behind us and put her battle axe by the head of the bed, where the rest of my anchors all kept their weapons.

"Baths in the morning. The lot of you," I said, wrinkling my nose and falling into bed only for Maribelle to work off my boots, pants, and then my shirt. 

"You really let her pamper you too much," Aurelia commented. 

"I know. One of these days, I'll have to set her straight. Good thing it's not today," I shot back, closing my eyes, and feeling the rest of them pile into bed. No one was going to be doing anything that required more energy than getting a good night's rest.

***

I could have sworn I had just put my head down when I woke up in Soulguard. I was sitting at the top spire of the central castle, overlooking it like a king overlooking his kingdom.

The walls gleamed with bluesteel. Several large swaths were entirely made of the magically conductive metal, whereas other parts were cracked stone filled with veins of bluesteel. All along the cracks, my own magic swam in the bluesteel like a shimmering aura. I looked up and realized I had another one of the northern lights situations happening in my soul.

All of the soul juice that Missy had so kindly squeezed for me was floating above. The air was so filled with potential that it shimmered in shifting colors. 

"Kind of beautiful, isn't it?" Missy appeared next to me, her body wreathed in twilight, hiding her features. Though, it was clear she was a very feminine form, one that might even compete with Maribelle, though certainly much taller. 

"Yeah, I don't know how my mind makes it like that." I gestured up at it.

"Maybe some part of you has a bit of an artist soul, Ard." Missy was in a rocking chair, swaying her feet back and forth as she watched.

I channeled the potential that had been added to my soul down into the walls of Soulguard.

The cracks of bluesteel, the veins of bluesteel that filled the stone walls swelled ever so slightly, more of the magic entering them. 

"Is that what you're gonna do with all of this power?" Missy asked. 

"Well, it's not as if anyone's given me a guide, but the bluesteel wall has been very effective at helping me channel more magic through my soul and add a touch of soul mojo to some of my spells." I told her.

I noticed that even though I couldn't see the expression, I could tell she was smiling.

"I wasn't sure how much attention you were paying between trying to kill King Martin through those connections.” I probed.

“The connection was interrupted, though that's probably for the best” Missy mused. 

"Oh, for the best?" I asked. 

"Yes, it seems he's completed whatever preparations he has been working on these last few weeks. He had gone somewhat dormant, and I don't know what surprises he may have in store for us. I feel the hand of," she frowned, "that big-titted goddess at play.

“That's Freya?" I asked for clarification.

"Yes, she'd make Maribelle look flat. I have no idea why she insists on such obscenely large breasts." Missy frowned.

As a bit of a boob man myself, I shrugged. "No clue. Certainly doesn't help with anything."

Missy turned to regard me, and I just knew she was judging me. "There's appropriate," she gestured at her own figure, "-ly large. And then there's grotesquely large." She waved off into the distance as if speaking about Freya. "But the problem is that whatever hand she's had with Martin will only make this task of defeating him that much harder. As you must have heard, those people outside know that he is the Hollow Mage." 

There was a strange tint to her tone, and it was my turn to regard her as if she was an idiot. "Really? You're really gonna go out on a limb and say that?”

“What?" She put a hand to her chest.