WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 43

 After stepping through the Warp Gate at our main headquarters, Kari and I found ourselves in a large room that looked similar to the one we’d just left. It was a massive space shaped in the semblance of a dome. The floor was made of oddly shaped stone tiles that had a number of Runes inscribed on them. Furthermore, immediately behind us was the gigantic Warp Gate, which looked like a donut embedded into the ground.

Kari and I weren’t quite alone today. Our daughter was with us. I carried her in my arms as we left the room and entered a hallway that ended with a door leading into the entrance hall. As was the case with most standard entrance halls, this one had the same general layout. It was a large room with several chairs and couches where people could sit to fill out requests, and there was a reception counter where our receptionists filed all the requests that came in.

“Oh! Master Veiger! Mistress Kari!” The young boy at the reception counter greeted us with a cheerful wave. “Hello! Do you two have business in Midgard today?”

I was disappointed with myself to know that I couldn’t remember this boy’s name, but there were over 400 members of Brave Vesperia now, and those were just the members who took quests. This boy was not a Spiritualist. He couldn’t take on quests, so he stayed here behind the reception counter and helped people who wanted to request a job for us.

“That’s correct,” I said. “We’ll probably be gone for a little while. Please tell everyone else to hold down the fort.”

“Yes, sir!”

We traveled outside and onto the crowded streets of Midgard. Following the flow of traffic, we took several turns before stopping at a public transportation stop. I looked at the sign detailing the times when the carriages would come. We had five minutes.

“What do you think Erica wants to see us for?” asked Kari as we stood there.

“Don’t know, but it must be important. Given how the war is going so far, I can’t imagine her calling us for anything that doesn’t have to do with it. I’m assuming she has some new information regarding the Sekbeists and is planning on a course of action.”

Kayli stirred in my arms, no doubt roused by the noise surrounding us. She didn’t look like she was waking up, though. That was good. I was a little glad she was such a deep sleeper since it made things easier for me.

“If it really does have something to do with the war, then I hope she’s figured out a way to end it,” Kari sighed.

“That sounds like wishful thinking,” I said at first, then reached out to squeeze Kari’s hand. “But I hope so too.”

As we continued speaking, a large cart being towed along by four struts tied to harnesses pulled up alongside the stop. The driver, a young woman with auburn hair and dressed in a smart skirt and shirt, looked at us.

“You heading to the central plaza?” she asked.

“We are,” I answered.

“It’s fifty valis for one person. Your kid can ride free. Hop on board.”

After handing her ten copper coins, Kari and I climbed into the cart through the back and sat down in the only free seats available. There were already several people present. They stared at us, but then went back to their own conversations after getting over their curiosity. That said, it sounded like some of their conversations were no longer about what they had originally been talking about.

“Hey, hey. Who do you suppose those two are?”

“No idea, but that blonde chick is hot. Think she’ll go on a date if I asked her out?”

“Get real. Look at the kid that guy is holding. They’re obviously a family.”

“That man is such a hunk. I wish he wasn’t with that floozy. Just who is she anyway?”

“Don’t know, but I doubt you’d stand a chance. Just look at how good those two look together.”

We had to deal with comments like that until the cart reached the central plaza, after which everyone hopped off and went their separate ways.

The central plaza had been given that name because it was literally in the center of Midgard. This also meant that surrounding it on six sides were the six towers belonging to the Northern Plains’ most powerful guilds. The central plaza also surrounded the Midgard Spiritual Knight’s headquarters. It was marked by a large fountain of the Midgard Spiritual Knight’s founder. Kari and I spent a quick moment staring at the fountain of the middle-aged man holding a spear with the butt end impaled into the ground, but we quickly oriented ourselves, taking off in the direction of the Battling Valkyries tower.

A young woman was there to meet us. She was thin and didn’t look very strong, but I knew better than to assume as much. She had dark hair and eyes, and she was dressed in full battle regalia. Her chestplate, gauntlets, greaves, and pauldrons were made from sets of overlapping metal that covered most of her body. There were Runes glowing on the surface. It must have been Dwoerg made.

I recognized this woman.

“Karen!” Kari greeted with a vibrant smile. “How are you?”

Karen offered us a polite bow. “Good day, Eryk, Kari. I have been well. Thank you for asking. If you two could follow me, I will direct you to where Mistress Erica and the others are waiting.”

We were directed toward a meeting room on the top floor. It involved taking the lift located in the middle of the second floor. It was a device that relied on a series of levers, pulleys, and monster cores to power it. People could designate which floor they wanted to travel to. The one at the very top, the meeting room, was floor 159.

The meeting room really was quite vast, with a ceiling that was several dozen meters high. This massive space wasn’t quite empty, but it also didn’t have any real furnishings. Aside from a few shelves where a number of tombs and parchment sat, there was the long table in the very center of the room. Several people were already sitting there. I recognized them all.

“Eryk. Kari.” Erica stood up and greeted us with a relieved smile. “I’m glad you could come on such short notice.”

“Considering you would never call us over for something that wasn’t important, we kind of assumed whatever you wanted to see us for wasn’t a trivial matter,” I said.

Kari and I walked toward the table, which had enough space to seat nine people. As we did, I studied the individuals there. There was Ming Shen of the Poison Sect, Cathrine Hildre of the Alchemist Association, Tungsten of the Paladin Sect, Dagan Fauste of the Healer’s Sect, and Morrigan Arsland of the Spiritualism Research Sect. They along with Erica made up the leaders to the six most powerful sects in the Northern Plain.

“Are you okay, Erica?” Kari asked as we came closer. “You look tired.”

Erica gave us a helpless shrug after Kari noticed the bags under her eyes. It looked like she was wearing makeup to cover it up. The fact that the bags were visible showed how hard she’d been working.

“I’ve been better,” Erica admitted. “However, we are hoping to end the war soon. That is why we called you two here.” She paused when Kari and I sat down, her eyes going to the little girl in my arms. “You brought your daughter?”

“We weren’t going to leave her at home without at least one of us present,” I said.

“I see you have become quite the father,” Erica said. I was a little embarrassed by her words, so all I did was shrug.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but could we please hurry this meeting along? I believe what we have to say cannot wait.” The one who had spoken was Morrigan Arsland, a woman of sensuous curves whose pale skin made it seem like she spent most of her time indoors. She wore a dress that had a plunging neckline, which traveled past her navel, allowing everyone a glimpse of her porcelain skin and large breasts. Her dark hair, ghostly skin, and vivid crimson eyes made her seem almost inhuman, but Morrigan was actually an albino.

“You are right, of course,” Erica said as she sat back down. “Tungsten, will you begin this meeting by telling us what the Paladin Sect discovered?”

Tungsten nodded and began talking. “The Paladin Sect has mostly been involved with closing Warp Gates and fighting on the front lines. Some of our jobs have taken us into the Misty Mountain Range. This is where the Dragon Tribe has made their homes. We never hear anything from them, which I assumed was because they weren’t interested in the going ons of the rest of the world. They have always been an insular group.”

I knew very little about the Dragon Tribe, a race of dragon people who were said to possess terrifying strength, capable of destroying cities with a single breath and having the power to defeat S-rank Demon Beasts on their own. Whether any of that was true, I didn’t know. That was just what everyone said about them.

“We’ve recently discovered that the Sekbeists have enslaved the Dragon Tribe,” Tungsten dropped his bomb. “When we went into the Misty Mountain Range, we found members of the Dragon Tribe being captured and mounted with harnesses.”

“Are you telling me the Sekbeists are powerful enough to subdue Dragons?!” asked Dagan Fauste. He was an older man. With his balding head, shock white hair, and numerous wrinkles, it was easy to think of him as a grandfather instead of the leader to a powerful sect. He wore a white robe that covered his entire body.

“I assume they used wave tactics to tire the Dragon Tribe down,” Tungsten admitted. “However, we didn’t actually see the battle. I managed to kill a group and brought the harnesses to the Dweorgs. According to them, the harness is something that forcibly suppresses the will of whoever or whatever wears it.”

“What could they want with the Dragon Tribe, though?” asked Cathrine.

“I believe I have the answer to that,” Erica stated.

Before anything else could be said, Kayli woke up and started crying. The six leaders of the strongest sects in the Northern Plain all turned their gaze on me, or rather, on the wailing child in my arms. I could feel their stares almost painfully drilling into my head, as if asking me what I had been thinking in bringing my daughter with me.

“Sounds like someone is hungry,” Kari said as she stood up and took Kayli from me. “It’s a good thing I brought some food in case this happened. If you all will excuse me, I’m going to go feed her.”

Kari walked off, the eyes of several people trailing her. She soon disappeared into a side room. I wasn’t sure where the door led to, but the sound of Kayli’s crying stopped once she closed the door behind her.

“Why don’t you continue?” I suggested to Erica with a gesture of my hand.

“Right.” Erica took a deep breath and began again. “A little while ago, the Battling Valkyries went on a mission that took us far to the south, past the Rotfang Forest. We discovered a floating island several kilometers out at sea. We have no knowledge of what this island is, how it came to be, or even what’s allowing it to float, but I believe the Sekbeists have been enslaving the Dragon Tribe for the purpose of traveling to that floating island.”

Her words were enough to leave everyone in stunned silence. A floating island? I had never heard of such a thing, and from the flabbergasted expressions on everyone else’s faces, they hadn’t either. The only one not surprised was Tungsten. I was sure he had already been informed of all this.

“I’m guessing you have a plan,” I said at last. “You wouldn’t have called us here if you didn’t.”

Erica smiled. “I do have a plan. Whatever is on that island is obviously important to the Sekbeists, or at the very least, it is something extraordinarily powerful and mysterious. I’ve hired several people from the Monster Tamers Guild to capture and tame some flying Demon Beasts for us. I would like to gather a group of powerful individuals to travel with me to that island, discover what is there, and if necessary, stop the Sekbeists from obtaining it.”

***

I woke up in my bedroom within the Imperial Royal Palace. Staring at the ceiling, I took several deep, calming breaths, and then banished the dream I had into the furthest corners of my mind.

Glancing down, I found a head of golden blond hair resting on my chest, spreading across the bed like an extra sheet. Kari’s naked and warm body brought me a sense of comfort. I placed my hand on her back and slowly stroked the bare nakedness of her skin, following the lovely contours of her spine as it led into a magnificent rear end. Kari mumbled something in her sleep, then settled back down. I found myself smiling as the last vestiges of the previous night’s dream vanished and something else replaced it.

Today was Kari’s birthday.

I imagined someone would come to wake us up soon, but since it was a special day, I believed it would be better if I woke her up instead.

Moving my hands further down, I grabbed a handful of Kari’s butt and kneaded it. My fingers sank into her soft flesh. While her butt was incredibly firm and muscular, it also had the unique softness of a woman. I called it the marshmallow effect. A soft and gentle moan, muffled by her face against my chest, echoed from her parted lips as I kept my current course of action going.

My dick was already quite hard just from this. It didn’t help that it was trapped between Kari’s wonderful thighs. Stuck in the joint where her thighs met her crotch, I could already feel the juices leaking from Kari’s pussy as they trickled onto my cock. When I rocked my hips slightly, a jolt traveled through my body as Kari released a louder moan than before. As Kari arced her spine and lifted her head, I could see that she was still quite asleep.

But I really did need her to wake up.

So after coating my fingers in her own juices, I slid my fingers around her rim and then inserted one into her butthole.

“Hhhnnn!!”

Kari’s eyes snapped wide open as I pushed my finger inside of her butt. Her teeth clenched as drool leaked from between her lips and dripped down her chin. I would have worried about whether I’d accidentally hurt her, but Kari’s pussy began pulsating against my dick.

“Haa… haa… Oh…” Kari’s eyes slowly uncrossed as she came to. Her shoulders and back relaxed as she looked at my smiling face.

“Good morning,” I greeted.

Her lips twitched a few times before they curved into a smile. “You are bad.”

“I don’t know how you can say that. I just wanted to give you a pleasant wake up.”

I leaned forward and kissed Kari, opening my mouth so she could plunge her tongue into my depths, exploring the inside of my mouth much like she might explore ruins. I began kneading her ass again, though I refrained from sticking my finger up her butt. This caused her to begin grinding her crotch against me, coating my dick in a liberal amount of her love juices.

Kari placed her hands on my chest and broke our kiss. A liquid connection remained, stretching out as she moved back before breaking. Now straddling my waist, Kari could no doubt feel my erection nestled between her butt cheeks. Her stomach flexed as she moved her butt against me, rubbing my cock and causing me to clench my teeth.

“K-Kari… that feels…”

“You like that?” Kari asked with a grin.

“Yes.”

“Hm. I’m glad, but now I want to feel you inside of me.”

Kari raised her hips a little later and took my dick in her hands before she slowly, ever so slowly, lowered herself onto it. I nearly threw my head back as her pussy lips spread apart to engulf me. First my head disappeared into her warm, wet cunt, and then the shaft was engulfed, until Kari was resting her thighs and crotch against me. Now skin to skin, she undulated her hips in a gentle rhythm, rocking back and forth several times and biting her lower lip as though to keep from crying out.

“I always… always feel so full when you’re inside of me.”

“That’s because you’re so tight.”

“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”

“I’m saying I love how it feels to be inside of you.”

I grabbed her hips and helped her raise them. My penis, now coated in her sexual secretions, became slightly visible before I thrust my hips up as she slammed her hips down. Kari threw her head back and released a loud cry. Her insides were so wet and tight that it felt like she was milking me. There was an almost suction-like force that kept pulling me back in, and I tried everything I could think of not to grunt and explode inside of her right there.

Kari began moving again, and I timed my thrusts to her actions, waiting until I felt it was just the right moment to drive myself inside of her. I already knew how she liked it. When fucking from this position, Kari enjoyed it when we went hard and fast. In my previous life, she had once said it was because I could reach deeper inside of her this way.

As my dick became buried inside of her once more, her tits bounced several times. The large mountains sitting against her ribcage drew my eyes with their nearly gravity defying theatrics. I became particularly enamored with a trail of sweat that traveled down her breasts and flew off. Her nipples were already stiff from a combination of the cool morning air and her own arousal.

Unable to withstand it any longer, I reached up and tugged on her nipples.

“OHH!! AHN! That feels so good! So… so good! Hyk! AHN! E-Eryk! If you keep… if you keep doing that, I’m gonna—AH!”

Her pussy tightened around my dick as I played with her tits, tugging, twisting, and pulling on her nipples. I made sure to keep my hips moving. Everytime she moved up, I pulled back and then thrust forward as she came down, pushing my cock deeper into her pussy. I could feel the tip of my dick touching something.

“My womb! You’re hitting my womb! Oh shit! Oh shit oh shit oh shit! I—ahn! Ah! Ah! Ah!”

At some point, Kari ceased being able to speak as she continued to ride me. Her breathing became labored and raspy as her breasts heaved and sweat formed on her skin. Her flat stomach tightened as she moved. Not only were her tits bouncing like crazy, but her golden hair moved everywhere as though they were tassels attached to the ends of a dancer’s garment. An increasing flow of love juice leaked from her pussy, drenching my cock, hips, and her thighs.

“Kari! I can’t… hold it anymore!”

“Cum! Cum! Cum cum cum! I’m—OOH!!”

I gritted my teeth, then let out a loud grunt as I thrust my hips one last time, shooting several loads of cum side of Kari’s tight passage. At that instant, Kari screamed as her spine arced backward. Her vaginal walls wrapped around me so tightly I felt like my dick was being strangled, but then they relaxed as she began to fall back. Her hands left my chest, but I caught them and pulled her back into me. As her sweaty, exhausted body fell on top of me, I kissed her sweat covered hair.

“Happy birthday, Kari,” I said.

“Mm.” Kari mumbled incomprehensibly as she kissed my chest several times. I had to take a slow breath to keep myself from getting aroused again. She then set her chin on my chest and smiled up at me. “Was this my birthday present?”

“No.” I shook my head. “This was just me wanting to give you a wakeup worthy of your birthday. My present is something I’ll give to you later, though I suppose you could technically consider this my personal present if you wanted.”

“I think I will call it that.”

Kari sat up and stretched her arms above her head. I admired the way her slender arms moved, the sensual way she curved her spine, and those grand breasts that seemed to defy gravity as they sat perkily on her chest. She released several sensual moans as she continued stretching, which made me nearly groan when I felt myself become erect again.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” I asked.

“Doing what?” Kari blinked and looked at me in general confusion, but then her derriere came into contact with my dick and she grinned. “Ready to go again? Too bad for you we can’t afford to go another round.”

“That is definitely true,” a voice suddenly said seconds before the door opened.

Kari and I froze at the sudden intrusion, but then we saw the two people who entered and relaxed. It was just Fay and Lin. They were both still in their pajamas, so I assume they had come straight here after waking up.

“Pardon the intrusion, Big Sister,” Lin said. “We’re here to help you get ready.”

Lin was the only one among the two capable of speaking. Fay was covering her face with her hands as she blushed right down to the roots of her hair. That said, she was also peaking at us from between her fingers.

“I see.”

Nodding as though she understood what was going on, Kari climbed off me and began searching for her clothes. She hadn’t worn a nightgown to bed last night. Instead, she grabbed a pair of simple pants and a shirt, both made of flanel, and slipped them on. Once she was presentable, she smiled at her two friends.

“Shall we go take a bath?”

Fay, having recovered from her embarrassment, nodded. “That is the plan.”

“After the bath, Empress Hilda says we should meet her in the dressing room,” Lin added. She paused, then turned to me. “Speaking of, Dante, Rainer, and Valence said they want to see you after you clean off. They’re waiting in the east wing closet.”

“Okay.” Kari turned to me as I sat up in bed and smiled. “We’ll see you later, Eryk.”

“Bye, Darling.”

“Um… Pleasant morning, Eryk. Goodbye for now.”

Each girl gave their goodbyes and left, the door closing behind them. I stared at the door for a few seconds, and then swung my legs over the edge of the bed, stood up, and began putting on my clothes. I had to take a bath myself, and then I guess I needed to see what Kari’s fathers wanted from me. While I didn’t know why they wished to see me, I hoped they weren’t going to grill me on my sexual activities with their daughter.

***

“You know…” I grunted. “When I was told you three wanted to see me, I imagined it would be something, I don’t know, more important than this.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Dante. “This is important.”

“Dante is right.” Rainer nodded several times as he tied the brown robes around my body with a red belt that appeared to be made from something softer and less durable than leather. “This is Kari’s birthday, and you are going to be taking part in the parade alongside her. Not only that, but today, we shall be announcing your engagement to her. You have to look at the part so people will admire and respect you.”

“I thought I earned that respect after winning the Grand Spiritualist Tournament,” I sighed.

“Oh, you did,” Dante chuckled. “But that sort of respect only takes you so far. If you don’t act and look the part, even if you have strength that is worthy of respect, no one is going to take you seriously. Hence the reason we’re fitting you in these clothes.”

Even as he spoke, Valence had me slip my arms through a wide overcoat that descended all the way to my knees. Gold lined the hem, and the interior lapels were covered in Runes. Rainer than grabbed a red ribbon, which he tied to either side of my lapels, then moved around and tied to my back, the end result being that I had this weird ribbon going all the way around me.

“There.” Rainer took a step back after he finished. “I think he looks pretty good now. What do you two think?”

Dante and Valence joined Rainer in observing me in my new outfit. While Dante was wearing a smirk that made me feel like punching him, Valence’s completely blank expression, which gave absolutely nothing away, made me feel self-conscious. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. It made me wonder if he approved or not.

“I think he looks fine,” Valence said at last.

“Yeah.” Dante chortled. “He looks downright princely.”

I clicked my tongue. “I feel like you’re asking for a duel.”

“Now, now. There’s no need to get upset like that. I’m not insulting you.” Despite his words, the silver-haired husband of Empress Hilda was grinning from ear to ear.

“Why don’t you check yourself out in the mirror?” Rainer suggested. “I think you’ll approve.”

With something of a sigh, I turned around to look in the full body mirror standing against a wall, surrounded by clothing racks. What I found was a young man with long green haired tied at the end in a leather band, several bangs framing his face to highlight his eyes. Underneath the white coat with gold lining the hem and Rune designs on the lapels was a brown robe over a red undershirt. The undershirt had a long turtleneck and sleeves that went all the way down past my wrists. The outfit was finished with black pants with a scale pattern and red boots.

“I look like a snob,” I muttered at last as I swayed on my feet, making the ends of my coat swish around me.

Dante barked out in laughter. “Yeah, you kinda do.”

I clicked my tongue at the man, but Rainer spoke before I could say anything. “You look nice. It’s not wrong to dress up like this on special occasions. In either event, now that you’re dressed, we should meet up with the others.”

I was led out of the closet by Kari’s three fathers. We entered a long hallway that took us all the way to the entrance hall. Several servants were in attendance there, and they bowed when we entered. I glanced around and recognized some of the servants. Geirolf, Mikkel, and Earland were also present, dressed to the nines in outfits similar to but not as extravagant as mine. However, the people I was looking for weren’t present.

“They’re probably still getting ready,” Rainer said as if he knew who I was looking for. “It takes women a lot longer to get dressed.”

“That… yes, that is true,” I admitted.

With nothing left to do, I crossed my arms and waited. I didn’t know how long the wait was. However, I eventually heard footsteps and the unique sound of something slithering across the floor. I glanced up. When I did, I found four beauties standing at the top of the stairs.

The first one to come down the stairs was Empress Hilda, dressed in a red and black gown that flared out at her waist and wrapped around her upper body. It didn’t reveal any cleavage, but it really didn’t need to. It clung tightly to her skin and showed off the curvature of her thin waists and modest breasts. The sleeves stopped at around the elbows and possessed ruffles.

Behind her was Kari. Her white dress reached so far down it pooled around the floor and hid her feet. It was tighter than what Empress Hilda was wearing, revealing the splendor of her hips, waist, and chest. With no sleeves and a V-shaped gap in the front, it showed off her slender shoulders and just a hint of cleavage. Sitting against her collarbone was a beautiful necklace made of diamonds.

There were two more people behind Kari, Lin and Fay, who both wore gowns themselves.

Fay wore a deep red dress that matched the fiery color of her hair. It appeared to be made of gemstones. As she moved, the gown scintillated and sparkled in the light. Sleeveless like Kari’s, this one featured a large V-shaped gap in the back instead of the front. The gap traveled all the way down to her lower back, almost revealing a hint of her butt.

I think Lin was the real surprise, and not just because I had never seen her wear a dress before. Her dress was a skintight white outfit that conformed to the lines of her body, emphasizing her smallish breasts and toned stomach. It had no sleeves or even shoulders. However, a semi-translucent shawl went around her shoulders and added a hint of mystique to her appearance. After my eyes had traveled past her crotch, which I could see the outline of, I saw how several flower motifs had been stitched into her dress. The white goan finally ended in a fishtail.

“Huh…” I murmured as the four women descended the stairs. While Empress Hilda went over to her husbands, Kari, Fay, and Lin came over to me.

“What do you think, Eryk?” asked Kari as she twirled around a little.

“You three look… stunning,” I admitted, my eyes unsure of where I should look. “Really good. Like, really, really good. All three of you.”

“You don’t think this dress reveals too much?” asked Fay as she glanced behind her. The gap in her back wasn’t something she could see, but I was sure she felt the breeze on her skin.

“Not at all.” I shook my head. “You look amazing. That dress really suits you.”

“This princess has never worn a dress before,” Lin admitted as she moved her hips like a belly dancer, which caused the ends of her fishtail dress to sway. “But… yeah, this isn’t bad. She thinks she can get used to this.”

“We won’t be able to wear these all the time,” Kari told her. “Especially when we’re going on adventures and exploring the Demon Beast Mountain Range, but it might be nice for special occasions and dinner parties.”

“This princess can live with that.”

“So, now what?” asked Fay. “Are we heading toward the parade?”

“Mother?” Kari asked.

Empress Hilda smiled as she spoke to everyone. “You are correct. We must make for the Colosseum. The floats that are to be part of the parade have been stored there.”

With Empress Hilda leading the way, our large group exited the Imperial Royal Palace. Waiting outside for us were two carriages. One was for Empress Hilda and her husbands. The other was a large carriage that looked like it had been specially designed to carry Lin. It was about nine or maybe even ten meters in length. Despite the long size, the inside was every bit as ostentatious as the carriage I first rode in after winning the Grand Spiritualist Tournament.

“Everyone. Please get inside,” Empress Hilda said with a smile. “The parade is beginning in less than two hours, and we need to be ready within at least one.”