The Adventurer Pt. 03

Our journey was to the Southlands, which was separated by an ocean. We had to stop by the only major city in the south held by the Kingdom of Revalia: Stormport.

Stormport was as large as Easthaven, maybe even slightly more so. We didn't have much time for sight-seeing though; Alexis hurriedly shoved us into a small ship that she had rented.

"Woah, you're really in a hurry, aren't you?" Ariel asked Alexis.

"Do I look like I have no other job to do?" Alexis said, sharply staring at Ariel. "Right, gather round kids. I need to brief you all on this, and quick. This ship's got a lot of enchantments, it'll arrive in 15 minutes."

She laid down a beautiful enchanted map, full of details, depicting the Southlands-or at least the more northern parts of it. Monica looked with bewilderment; Ariel with disinterest. "This thing is worth five times the two of you combined, so pay some bloody attention," Alexis barked. "The Kingdom in charge of the Southlands is the Nine-Jewelled Kingdom. We're heading to one of its nine 'jewels', the city of Al-Jins."

Al-Jins? Wasn't that the city of slaves that the old Drow told me about?

"You all don't know the language, and few people speak Revallian there, so leave the talking to me," Alexis said. "We'll-"

Chants. Warcries. Drums. Alexis and I took a glass telescope. A ship was moving towards us-no, we were moving towards the ship. And as we moved further forward, more and more ships came into our view.

"Orcs. It's an orc fleet," Alexis said. "Warpaint-hawthorn wood-leather covering, yup, it all checks out." 9

"What are they doing, Master?" Ariel asked.

"Looks like they're attacking Al-Jins," I said. "I see a couple burned ships with a gold banner."

Alexis sighed. "What do we do?" Monica asked, panic evident in her tone.

"We attack," Alexis said calmly. "Get them from the flanks."

"Are you mad? Four people against a fleet?" Ariel barked.

"Why, seems to be a fair fight. A tad unbalanced on our side, even," Alexis said.

There was no more time to debate Alexis, because our ship was already close to the orc fleet. Alexis drew a small black cube that emitted a loud roar.

We unsheathed our weapons with Ariel cursing under her breath. I could see the whites of the orcs' eyes; the green-skinned orcs were tall and strong and they carried large weapons. "Monica, careful," I said. Two ships of the orc fleet broke formation to outflank us.

Alexis raised her staff. Thick, grey mist swirled at its tip. She swung it, unleashing a cloud of dark mist at an orc ship. The ship rot immediately, its wooden hull collapsing and its crew turned to dust.

The other ship had boarded us. Orcs charged with their warchants and drums. I redirected the shining sunlight at the orcs. "Ariel!" I shouted.

The Elf was a blur in the air as she slew the line of blinded orcs. A hand in the air grabbed her and bashed her head against the wooden deck.

"Ariel!" I screamed. The figure stood tall, perhaps two and a half metres; a gargantuan female orc with a battleaxe to match. Whilst Ariel crawled to safety, the orc and I circled each other cautiously.

"Heah!" I produced a burst of fire hurled at the orc. A lust-powered punch landed squarely on her face.

She shoved me down, my spine slamming against the cold wooden platform. I rolled over like a maniac as she rained down her gigantic axe. I drove my blade upon her exposed leg. She roared in pain.

I bathed her in a tirade of fire, sending her reeling. The fires quickly quelled. "You are strong. You deserve to know my name. Ursa," she said in Revallian. "And yours?"

"Darryl," I said. The pain from my cracked spine was barely bearable.

She looked at the battlefield, and I did too. Alexis had been running around with reckless abandon, burning orc ships with black fire. Allied ships battered their orc foes with rams and soldiers boarded their ship.

"Until we meet again!" Ursa said. She leaped onto the last orc ship, which quickly sailed away.

I shambled upon Ariel. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked.

"Ghh ... broken bones. Gonna be alright," Ariel sighed.

"Ah, it's nice to flex your muscles a little, don't you think?" Alexis asked, her eyes mischievously fixated on Ariel. She drew a small knife and made a small cut on her own palm.

"Here, drink," she said.

She shoved her palm at me. The iron taste of blood filled my mouth. Alexis made Ariel drank her blood too. I could feel my spine repairing itself very quickly.

"What ... what did you do?"

"Blood magic," Alexis said.

"You're evil," Ariel grunted.

"I'm practical," Alexis replied. "I can break your bones again if you want, just in case you hate blood magic that much."

We entered the city. I could feel eyes fixated on us; curious and cautious. Before we could do anything, a man and a company of soldiers blocked our way. The man was dark-skinned and bearded. A small turban covered his head-and I wished I had one too, because the scorching sunlight was burning me (so much for solar magic). He was wielding a long spear and a kite shield. "Let me do the talking," Alexis said.

She spoke a few foreign words that sounded like "ashalam" or something like that. The company leader was visibly shocked before he returned the greeting.

They talked for a short while before the man and his company stepped aside. "What were you talking about?" I asked Alexis.

"The short version is that he agrees to let us meet their leader," Alexis said. "Or rather, their leader has agreed to meet us. Kalimah-she and her Council."

"Are we meeting the Council then?"

"No, just Kalimah for now," Alexis said as we walked the city. Alexis was walking so quickly Monica, Ariel, and I were barely keeping up. "Oh, and careful with your slaves. Everyone in this city is a slave-even the Council members are technically slaves."

"Really? That's quite interesting," Monica quipped. "Never thought a system like that could work."

"Well ... yes ... ah, we've arrived."

We stood upon a tower of white marble. We ascended it through never ending spiral stairs. "Is it so necessary to build this kind of high tower?" Monica complained.

"It's very useful for sieges," Ariel claimed. "It's hard to attack, and you can hurl spells and projectiles from atop. There'd be a magical shield around it too."

"And below it, unless you want it destroyed by earthquake spells," Alexis quipped. "You're quite knowledgeable about military tactics."

"All Shades learn it," Ariel said.

At the top of the marble tower we were met with a brown-skinned woman behind a desk. Her long, wavy, black hair contrasted her sharp eyes.

Alexis and the woman-presumably Kalimah-quickly delved into a flurry of speeches in a foreign language, leaving the three of us dumbfounded.

After fifteen minutes or so, Kalimah, in Revallian, finally said, "I'll continue in Revallian so that your companions can understand."

"That would be perfect, thank you," Alexis said.

"Right ... where do I start? You want to know why shipments of valuables are not reaching the Schauffenbergs' homeland. It is impossible for me to pinpoint the exact reason. There is a possibility that bandits have taken over the farms and mines from which these valuables came from. I understand a number of agents were sent. They travelled to the mines and were never heard of again."

"Bandits?" Alexis muttered. "Hmm. Has that been a big problem?"

"Somewhat."

"Could the shipments be disrupted in Al-Jins itself?" I asked. "I mean, there was an orc fleet when we arrived. Something like that could surely block shipments."

"Yes ... well, truth be told. Raids like that are becoming very common. I can't deny that it could be the cause," Kalimah said.

"That has never been a problem before," Alexis said.

"Correct. Naval raids have increased threefold in the past ... six months or so."

"Can't you ask the King for help?" I asked.

"Pardon me?" Kalimah asked, a brow raised.

"The King."

"Ah, I assume you are not familiar with this 'kingdom' of ours. We have no king," Kalimah said. "It is called the Nine-Jewelled Kingdom, but the official name is the Alliance of Free States-nine semi-independent city states in an alliance. With the raids everywhere, other city states are not willing to help us."

"Hmm, I see," Alexis said. "Thank you. We'll formulate a plan."

"Very well," Kalimah said. "I've arranged for inn rooms for you. On the house, as thanks for helping us. Without you, we'd suffer far more casualties."

We descended down the stairs. There were two rooms for us in a luxurious inn nearby-Alexis took the smaller one and we took the larger one. Alexis wasted no time to barge into our room.

An exhausted Monica on the bed, Alexis, Ariel, and I gathered around a table.

"I don't believe 'bandits' are behind this," Alexis said. "I know one of the dead Shades personally. He will not go down to bandits."

"Demons?" I suggested.

"Probably," Alexis shrugged. "I'll investigate there myself. I think a demon Lord is behind this."

"Mepetra the Scythe?"

"Who knows? Well, I'm ready for anything the demons can throw at me. The three of you should be searching for clues and information in the city itself. There's still a chance the shipments are lost here."

"Alright. When are you going?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Alexis said. "Take care." She left my room.

The three of us rested on the same large bed. "Oh, this feels very nice," Ariel said. "We'll need a bed this large for our house. Then we can have threesomes without worrying about falling to the ground."

"Have you thought about buying a new house, Master?" Monica purred.

"We'll see. It's not going to be Easthaven though. Too expensive there. Maybe Stormport?"

"Anywhere will do, Master," Monica said. "So long as we're together, right?"

"You're right."

"Then, Master, would you like some bed service?" Monica teased. Her hand slipped into my pants.

"You know me very well, Monica," I said.

"Hey, don't leave me out!" Ariel mildly complained.

We all stripped ourselves. Monica and Ariel displayed themselves in their full glory. Monica's plumper body and larger tits contrasted well with Ariel's slender figure. "You like this, Master?" Monica teased. Both of them sat on the bed, seductively spreading their crotches. Ariel was blushing.

I inspected Monica first. Both of the blonde's fuckholes had been stretched-partly by me, partly by her time as a village whore. Her hairy pussy still looked tantalizing, complimented well with her rosy anus, ready to be used anytime.

Ariel was the complete opposite. Her pussy was so tight I wasn't even able to penetrate her without pain on her side. Monica promised to help train her with toys, but so far it wasn't working. Ariel's hands played with my dangling cock.

"Look at me, Master," Monica said. "My cunt is dripping wet, it's like it knows its owner."

"Aw, no fair!" Ariel complained. "What is my anal training good for then?"

"Ooh, right, Master. Ariel has been training her tight asshole," Monica said.

Ariel opened her legs, laying on the bed. My cock grinded against her asshole for a few seconds. "Slowly, Master," Ariel asked.

My stiff cock made its way through Ariel's tight asshole. I bent down and we kissed. "Master ... please stay with me forever," Ariel whispered sweetly.

I kissed her even more ferociously, all the while her ass clamped down on my cock. "You've become quite a cockslut, haven't you, Ariel?" Monica teased.

"I'm a cockslut for Master," she said. "I want to serve Master with my body properly."

"Come here, Monica," I said. "I want to eat your pussy."

Monica climbed atop Ariel's petite body, her large buttocks swinging. I buried my head inside her snatch, my tongue hungrily devouring her loose cunt. Her fumes intoxicated me even as I shook my hips, ravaging Ariel's asshole.

"Master! Master! Master!" Ariel squealed. "I'm coming!"

Ariel blasted a burst of juices from her wet pussy. "Ooh ... I came from being sodomized!"

I pulled out, the tension unbearable. I ejaculated all over Ariel's stomach. Ariel's hands stimulated my cock, springing it to erection again.

"Master, please!" Monica begged, waving around her lewd hips.

"Please what, Monica?" I teased, my cock right at the entrance of her pussy.

"Cock! In my pussy!"

"You really are a lewd sow, aren't you, hm?"

"Y-yes Master!" Monica squealed. "I'm a whore who can't live without my owner's dick up my slutty holes!"

With Ariel licking Monica's nipples from below, I railed the experienced whore from behind. Her warm and welcoming pussy squeezed my cock with its folds.

I switched to her well-used asshole. "Oh! Master! So rough!" Monica squealed.

I switched back to her pussy, and again, and again. "Ooh!" Monica moaned. "My holes-ah! My pussy is aching!"

I unloaded a burst of semen in her stretched pussy. After that, we slept. "Good night, Master," Ariel muttered.

"Good night."

Sleeping on a soft bed with two naked women on my left and right-what more could I have asked for?

Morning came. We got up from bed, took a bath, and had breakfast. "So where are we going, Master?" Monica asked.

"I'm not-"

Drums blared. "We're under attack!" one man shouted, and another man followed, and so on like a wildfire. Ariel and I rushed to the front.

"Who is it this time, you reckon?"

"Can't be the orcs," I said. "Pirates?"

On the shore, a ragtag army of Al-Jins stood with spears and scimitars alongside camel cavalry. It was the orcs again. Ariel and I had the high ground.

"How can they build up another fleet in a day?" Ariel cursed.

One commander gestured us to go to the back. We were probably reserves. It was Ursa who led the charge once more. Beneath the palm trees, men cowered in fear.

Ferocious and ruthless, the orcs smashed the line of the unready men. "Darryl!" Ursa bellowed, her axe on some poor man's head. "Come down here and fight, you and I!"

Everyone's eyes turned at me. The orcs stayed their blades. I drew my own Elven blade-gleaming under the heat of the southern sun.

"Master, no disrespect, she's twice my size," Ariel gasped. "Fighting her head on ... it's insane!"

"Yeah," I said. "That's why I'm not."

"No, I mean-"

The magical Elven blade enabled me to cut a palm tree easily. The tree fell down on Ursa. "Come here then, if you dare!" I taunted.

Ursa held off the tree with one arm.

... Ariel might have been right.

She leaped from the low ground towards me. I directed the brilliant sunlight at her before hurling myself at her, knocking her down. I enveloped her in a blanket of fire.

She recovered, standing up very quickly despite being literally on fire. She grabbed the fallen palm tree and hurled it at me. I barely dodged it. She jumped to the high ground. The fires had extinguished, leaving a few scars.

Ursa roared, swinging her gigantic battle axe. I squeaked, legs squatting as low as possible. I thrusted my sword, piercing her knee. She fell to her knees.

"Grah!" she groaned, her gigantic battle axe bearing down upon my shoulder. A tremendous wave of pain spread like wildfire through my entire body.

I yelled in a fit of desperation-my arm dangling weakly. I swung my sword, slashing Ursa's throat.

The hulking orc fell down. "Master, fire!" Ariel called out. "Kill her with fire, or her regeneration will heal her soon!"

Too late. An orc had leaped onto the high ground. He shot me a look-a scared look. The orcs ran away, chased by Al-Jins' militia. The adrenaline stopped pumping, and I fell to my knees.

One blow was all it took to devastate my right arm that was now jiggly like jelly. Ursa was strong-I was only a shade luckier. Healers quickly brought me to their healing house.

I drank a colorless tonic that tasted a little sweet while the healers bandaged my cracked shoulder. Monica and Ariel accompanied me as usual.

"Heh, not bad at all, Darryl!"

Who else but Alexis shifted through the walls. I merely smiled.

"Indeed. Your protege is quite skilful."

Kalimah entered the room-through the door. "Unfortunately, it is likely they'll return soon enough."

"The orcs?" Alexis chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Hm? Did you find something in your journey to the southern desert?" Kalimah asked.

"Oh, indeed." Alexis drew a small pouch from her pocket. Her hand reached into it and she took a full stack of hundreds of parchments.

How did-spatial magic, of course. Alexis grinned. "Do you have anyone who can read demonic language?" Alexis asked.

The answer came in the form of a nod and a tall woman wearing scholar's robes. After around fifteen minutes of talking, Kalimah concluded, "so demons are helping the orcs."

"Yes," Alexis said. "I destroyed the shipyard where they build these orc ships."

Kalimah handed over the parchments to the scholarly woman, who left the room soon after. "What do you plan to do?" I asked.

"We'll call an army from other cities and launch a counterattack south."

"Alright, sounds like a good plan," Alexis said. "I'll help you, of course."

"Much appreciated."

I healed a few days later. At this point, I was finally able to explore the city.

Al-Jins, in some ways, reminded me of the Den in the Elven Forest. To the left was a brothel, to the right was another brothel. This city was practically a giant redlight district.

Women of all races could be found here. Humans, of course-both local and Revallian, and then a good number of Elves and Drow. Personally, I never understood why anyone would want a Drow prostitute ... but to each their own. I supposed not everyone had had the pain of a Drow orgy. I also saw a few satyrs-goat-headed humanoids.

They ranged from cheap whores who offered full services out in the streets to common brothel prostitutes to high class courtesans. The city also mustered a military force-mercenaries and troops drawn from other cities, though lately the former had dwindled and the latter had left to protect their home cities.

On the western district and the southern district, this giant sea of brothels and amusement houses spanned to no end. Each was differently themed-some offered only Elves, some offered only redheads, some were staffed by only Cathayan or Revallian women.

On the northern district, however, things were a little quieter. This was the home to the Council-a quartet of the powerful rulers of the city.

The eastern district was dominated by a gargantuan temple. It was a temple to Vanaa. Supposedly, Vanaa was among the pantheon of gods worshipped back in Revallia-but she was banished from the pantheon for excessive promiscuity and her loyal devotees fled here.

It took a few days to fully explore the city. During those days, I saw the first signs of Al-Jins' counterattack-a host of soldiers from the nearest city, Al-Fatek, a mirror image of Al-Jins itself, except that Al-Fatek was populated by male pleasure slaves.

"It's quite an interesting place, isn't it, Master?" Monica asked. Ariel, she, and I were walking down the streets.

"It really is," I said. "It reminds me of the Den-but this one is much better."

"Oh, Monica! Is that you?"

Monica's face became pale as she glanced at the man who called her. He looked like a typical Revallian. The bald man wore fancy clothes and had a thick mustache. A slave girl accompanied him. "You!" Monica grunted.

"Now, now, is that how you address a friend?"

Monica looked like she's about to explode. "Excuse me. You are?" I stepped in.

"Ah, apologies. I am Ronald, a friend of Monica's, and you?"

"I am Darryl. Monica is my slave."

"I see," Ronald said, seemingly mildly amused. "Well ... after that debacle ... perhaps it's the best. Good day, Sir."

He left with his slave girl. Monica, Ariel, and I walked away. "What the hell was that?" Ariel asked.