The Eldritch Realms Pt. 03

"How much does this one cost?" she asked the vendor.

"That one ... eight gold coins."

I frowned. I had been shopping cloth for Eliza and Cassy's dresses and clothes, and I knew no cloth was that expensive. Nana was already counting her coins in her pouch when I gently grabbed her waist. "Can I see the cloth?"

"Huh? Sure."

"Hmm. I'm not sure if this is worth eight gold coins," I said. It was imported cotton fabric from Gira, an island nation east of Phantasma. I once bought an apron made of it for Cassy. "For something like this, the price's usually one gold coin to two gold coins and four silver coins."

I glanced at the vendor. The man was sweating. "Oh, er ... ah, sorry, I, er, thought it was a different one. No, for that one the price is three gold coins." Holy shit, even after that he still attempted to gauge the price?

Nana happily gave three gold coins. We continued our walk. "So, tourist trap, huh?"

"Yeah," I said. "Gotta be careful with those."

But Nana was a heavy spender. As we toured the bazaar, Nana almost emptied her pouch. Eventually, she bought so many things she had to call several servants to help load them up to a carriage. "You aren't buying anything?" she asked as we exited the bazaar.

"Err, no."

A second later, Nana came to realization. She said to me, "Don't worry about the money. It's on me."

"Ah, no thanks. I'm just not used to splurging," I said.

"I see. Frankly, you don't seem like someone short on money, owning a brothel and all that. But you seem to splurge on your slaves," Nana said rather teasingly. "Where did you buy them?"

"Oh, I didn't buy them," I replied. "Cassy was given to me as a reward after a successful mission. Eliza swore loyalty to me after I defeated her in combat, which made me earn her respect."

"Huh. Fascinating."

"Don't you have slaves in Seres?"

"We do. Usually as a form of punishment, but some people sell themselves to pay debts. There are formal contracts and laws and whatnot. Kind of similar to Phantasma, really," Nana explained. "I said 'fascinating' because those two seemed very loyal to you."

Nana coughed. "Especially in your bed this morning."

"You saw?" I asked as calmly as possible.

"Oh, I do. And I ejaculated while watching it. Twice," Nana said with a smirk. "Don't get me wrong, I've seen slaves having sex with their masters before. Some tolerate it more than others. But I very rarely see slaves so damn eager to please their master."

"Well, I try to be a good master for them."

We chatted so amicably I didn't realize we were walking into Tar Cavel's red light district. Exquisite perfume scent filled my nose. "Oh, a red light district. Interesting," Nana said with a smirk.

"Given your ... reputation, I don't think it's wise for us to be here," I said.

"Oh come on," Nana replied. "We've got nothing like this in Seres?"

"You aren't telling me there aren't prostitutes in Seres, are you?"

"No, not like that. In Seres prostitution is illegal, technically, so you won't see huge districts like this," Nana said.

Luckily, I somehow managed to convince her not to linger. After a long rest in my house, we were ready to set out in the bright, early morning. Cassy and Eliza had stuffed the carriage with supplies such as food, medicine, tents, and money.

"Alright, we're off!" Cassy said as Eliza and I placed the last of defensive spells on the door of our house. Our horses neighed several times before they began to move.

"Where are we going first, Master?" Cassy asked inside the carriage, which Eliza controlled.

"The Vayla Vineyards in the north as well as the winery nearby. It's close to my old village," I said. "I heard their wine is pretty good. With the carriage's wind magic enchantments, we should reach it by evening."

The weather was friendly that day and our journey had no troubles at all. At three o'clock we reached the vast vineyard. A short chat, a flick of my brooch, and a showing of our documents later, one of the vineyard's people showed us around. He was a green-skinned goblin.

Nana was uncharateristically quiet while the vineyard's employee explained the ripeness of the grapes, the seasons, and whatnot. We sat down and enjoyed the cool wind while tasting wine, some newer and some vintage.

"Gotta say, I don't really get the difference between all these wines," Nana whispered. "All of them taste sweet to me."

"Me neither. Don't worry," I whispered back. I glanced and saw Cassy lecturing Eliza on the apparent difference between vintages.

"No, you see, this one was made with grapes from southern Phantasma. The climate is warmer there, so the taste of the wine is naturally different."

"Okay ... what about this one and that one?"

"... one is red wine, one is white wine. Different."

"Yeah, but how so?" Cassy's palms formed a fist. Half an hour later, she had managed to educate Eliza about wine. Probably. I wasn't sure how genuine Eliza's nods were.

"Honestly, I'm more interested in the employee. You call them goblins? We have nothing like that in Seres."

"Ah, goblins. There aren't a lot of them in urban areas," I said. "They tend to stick together in the forests in Phantasma."

"In Phantasma? In other countries?"

"Let's just say they're not treated well."

Time passed quickly; by eight o'clock we were heading to my old village to find an inn to sleep in.

"You used to live in this small village?" Nana asked while Cassy and Eliza went to book a room in the inn.

"Yep."

"Hey, Robin! Is that you?"

A black haired vampire approached me. It was Kara. "Kara! It's been a long time!" We shared a short, friendly hug. The vampire smiled warmly.

"Your friend?" Nana asked.

"Yeah. Kara, meet Nana. Nana, Kara." They shook hands. Nana excused herself to go to the restroom. Kara and I went to a nearby teahouse.

"Damn, Robin. What have you been up to lately?" Kara asked. "A bunch of guys went in, took your stuff, and said you're working for the High Lord or something."

"That is more or less an accurate summary, yeah," I said. "What about you? Life goes well?"

"Pretty well, I'd say. The village is really expanding, so I make enough money to buy the cottage we used to rent together," she replied.

"The black fireball assault didn't reach you, did it?"

"You know something about that?" Kara asked. "One of the fireballs almost hit us, but a couple mages from Mir Romata repelled it."

"Not much. I can't say anything definitive for now," I replied.

"I see. You're coming here for a mission or what?"

"Yeah. Nana is a foreign noble and I'm escorting her on a tour around the continent."

Cassy and Eliza approached me with a concerned look. They sat next to me. "Your companions, Robin?" I raised an eyebrow at a grinning Cassy. She rolled up some of her long sleeves, revealing my seal embedded on her skin. Eliza did the same.

"Whoa. Interesting life you have there, Robin," Kara commented. "But damn, having them branded on the arm is pretty hardcore. Their contracts are permanent, I suppose?" I nodded.

"Oh, it's not the only place Master branded us on," Cassy giggled.

Kara smirked. "Ah, sorry. I've got to go now." She left.

Eliza coughed. "Well, Master, the good news is that we did find an inn and book the rooms," she said. "The bad news is that there are only two rooms available, each for two people."

"Which leaves us with a conundrum: who will sleep with Master," Cassy pondered unnecessarily deeply. "Well, that should be me. You need to protect Nana, Eliza."

"You're more ... motherly, Cassy. Warmer. Nana should be more comfortable with you than me."

"Enough," I said, shutting down their arguments. Both of them lowered their heads.

"You two can sleep in the same room. I'll be in the same room as your Master," Nana said, surprising us. Cassy raised one of her eyebrows.

"Very well," I said. "Come on, let's have some rest."

We took short baths and prepared our simple beds for sleep. The dragon skin armor I usually wore I placed safely on the floor, but my black blade was beside me inside its scabbard. "Good night, Nana," I said.

"The night is still young," she whispered. I glanced and saw her whole naked body under the dim light of the candles. Her pale yellow skin was beautiful, accompanied with a pair of moderately sized tits. Her pussy was slightly black with some pubic hair. I snapped out.

"No, Nana. I've been forbidden from touching you."

"Tch. My father again, huh," Nana cursed quietly. She coughed. "Well, if you're not fucking me, I'll throw myself at some man outside."

"I'm reasonably sure I'm supposed to stop that," I said flatly.

"Surely we can come to a compromise here," Nana said with a smirk. "Say, why don't we masturbate in front of each other?"

"... fine," I sighed. I undressed while Nana opened her slender legs.

"Shit, that's one fine 'weapon' you're packing there," Nana complimented me. We began jerking off.

"You're naughtier than I thought," I half-taunted. "We've only known each other for a couple days and you're already opening your legs."

"Hell yeah, I'm a naughty slut," she replied. "I've been taking cocks up my ass since I was eighteen!"

"How many have you fucked?"'

"A couple hundred, maybe," she said, still flicking her clitoris. She sighed. "But mostly prostitutes."

"Prostitutes?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I'm tired of this kind of pleasure," Nana said. "To them I'm just another client. To me they're just another cock."

"Why continue then?" I asked whilst stroking my cock and feasting my eyes on her body.

"I don't now," she defended herself. "But I find myself somewhat addicted to the pleasures of the flesh. Maybe I should marry like my family has been nudging me to."

"Ah, right. You're a noble," I said. Nana was practically burying her fingers inside her ass. "Does Seres practice arrange marriages? Phantasma usually doesn't."

"We do, but not extremely. Nobles not marrying out of their own free will is not unheard of. The problem is twofold for me: my family is very prestigious and my sexual reputation is in tatters," Nana grunted.

"So a marriage could help save your reputation and your family's." I could feel my cock getting warm.

"Yeah. I'm not super stoked about it, though," Nana said. "Anyway! What about you?"

"Me? I don't think I have anything interesting to say about myself."

"A young bounty hunter living in a cave with two women who owns a brothel? Come on, tell me a story or two. How did you come to own the brothel?"

"Oh, that? I purchased it with money I earned from selling my share of some mines. The women were Minaria's prostitutes."

"Huh. I expected something more ... grand."

"Like what?"

"Something like the previous owner being a jerk who abuses their girls. The girls then petition the local government or something, then you oust the jerk owner and claim the brothel as your own. You know, much more exciting than buying a building."

I laughed a bit. "Yeah, well, my job recently mainly involves fighting cultists. Cultists of Eris, specifically."

Nana's pupils enlarged. "Eris?"

"Yep."

"Shit, we're also seeing a lot of Eris' cultists running around in Seres and the orcs, their creations. A bunch of terrorist arseholes, all of them," Nana cursed. "I suppose there's nothing exciting about slaughtering those zealots?"

"Hmm, there is, actually. Last mission I posed as one of their Angels. I ended up fucking two of their warriors."

"Ho-"

The sound of arrows flying and fires burning and swords clashing disrupted us. I immediately wore my pants again and harried Nana to safety. I had no time to equip my armor, but my hand swiftly took my blade. The door was broken by sheer strength. Orcs poured in with their heavy axes and broadswords.

I cast a protective bubble around Nana before contending against the orcs. My blade roared in the cramped room, felling one orc after another. I conjured a flurry of arcane daggers, holding them off. "Cassy! Eliza! How's the situation there?" I asked through our telephatic channel.

"We're holding down the fort!" Eliza replied shortly.

Out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind threw the orcs off balance. Nana sent a bolt of water at the orcs, disorienting them. I destroyed them with a large sphere of mana. "You could fight?" I asked in amazement.

"Who said I couldn't? I'm a Knight of the Dragon Order, dammit!"

We pushed outside, where the local militia fought fiercely against the orcs. Eliza had managed to break out with blasts of thunder. "Master!" she roared. "What do we do?"

"Keep killing the orcs!" I replied. Nana's nails turned into long claws, shredding the orcs with terrifying accuracy as she used wind and water magic to pin them, leaving them easy prey for my arcane daggers and Eliza's thunderbolts.

The local militia hurled javelins and fired arrows. They pushed back the attackers outside. A brigade of vampire archers arrived, further pressuring the orcs. "Kyaa!" A pair of orcs floored Kara.

"Kara!" I bellowed, sending a shockwave of energy that knocked them out. More and more of Phantasma's forces waded into the battle: nimble goblins armed with spears, armored guards with maces and axes, and vampire and elven crossbowmen.

"Who dares resist the might of Eris?"

A blinding light appeared on the battlefield. More orc legions attacked the ranks of the vampires. The fanatical cultists, many carrying nothing but a long stick or a rusty weapon, crashed against the disciplined line of men and elves whilst the goblins pelted them with their rocks and spears.

"Jessica?" I gasped. The blinding light took shape. Jessica stood there with strange, glittering white hair and a shining blade on her hand. But how? She was dead!

"Robin!" she challenged me. Her faux divinity melted as a dance of strange, green fire burst around her.

"The Goddess, praise her endless mercy, brought me from near death and basked me in but a fraction of her strength. Now I stand here to kill you!" Jessica roared, sending a jet of green flame at me.

"Hmph!" I blocked her assault with a shield of mana. "I'll handle this one. Take care of the others!"

Jessica gritted her teeth. "Die, heretic!" She swung her great blade at me and I barely dodged it. I threw my entire body weight into a bloody shove, throwing her down to the hard, cold ground. A lightning quick stab of her blade that nearly pierced my throat forced me back. She sprung unto her feet swiftly.

"Heah!" She weaved great, greenish fireballs and hurled them at me. I cast orbs of mana to contend against such onslaught. Eventually I prevailed and my orbs exploded on her chest.

"Grah!" A badly burned Jessica lunged at me. I tried to stun her with lust magic, but she wasn't even dazed. I ducked, barely avoiding her slash.

Gathering all my lust energy, I stared into her fiery eyes. I exerted all my strength and cast the Eye of Ardor. Jessica was paralyzed for a moment. I thrusted my sword into her stomach.

Before I could land the killing blow, a pair of cultists distracted me with their iron shields. I began to chase them. "Ukh!"

I felt my legs weaken. My breath drew short. Darkness took me. "Master!" I heard the faint voices of Cassy and Eliza.

I woke up to a warm feeling down there. "Hello there."

Nana smiled, her hand firmly pumping my cock. "Nana?" I gasped. "Where-what happened?"

"One of the vampires said you exerted too much lust energy. That's why you fainted," Nana explained. Damn it, Ivala! At least teach me properly! How was I supposed to know using too much lust energy could make me faint?

"Er, yeah, I'm talking more about your right hand there."

"I'm giving you a handjob," Nana said almost innocently.

I groaned. Nana certainly had the experience; her hand furiously pumped my cock while her tongue teased the tip. "Where's Cassy and Eliza?"

"A girl is giving you a handjob and you ask about other women? You're going to break my heart, you know," she said with a smirk. "Cassy is helping heal the wounded and Eliza is defending the borders. They allowed me to help you recover."

Nana continued to jerk me off and I objected no further. Her tongue gladly sucked on my balls. "A-ah!" I groaned again, expelling white sperm onto Nana's mouth. She swallowed it.

"Refreshed?"

"Yeah," I said. I woke up from the bed. "What about the attack? And Jessica?"

"Repelled and fled, respectively," Nana answered. "Are you sure you can walk?"

"Tis' but a scratch," I said jokingly. Nana and I left the room. The soldiers were still around. Their captain, a pale vampire, approached me.

"Greetings. You are an agent from the Tower of Mist, yes?" he asked. I nodded twice. "Alright. I need a full report of what had happened ...."

An hour later, I regathered everyone inside the carriage, which thankfully survived the carnage with little damage. "What now, Master?" Eliza asked.

"Well, we can move forward to the north, but I'm not sure how safe it is. Perhaps best stick to our own major cities," I answered. "Well, Nana, you're our guest here. You decide."

"Let's keep going," Nana huffed with her eyes on fire. "Come on now. Cancelling our trip over this is tantamount to handing a political victory to the Cult of Eris."

A few hours of rest later, we went out of the village in our carriage. We embedded more glyphs of protection on it. Cassy and Eliza were on the driver's seat while Nana and I were inside. "So, you said you're a member of the Dragon Order. What is that?"

"Ah, that." A proud grin formed on her lips. "In Seres, we have the Celestial Orders; think a cross between mage guilds and knight orders. The Dragon Order is one of them, and one of the most powerful."

"That's fascinating," I said. "How many of them are there?"

"Around eight major ones and twenty minor ones. Among the major ones the two most influential are the Dragon Order and the Phoenix Order."

"I see. Are there a lot of people in the Orders?"

"Depends on your definition. There are five ranks: Grandmaster, Master, Knight, Apprentice, and Neophyte. If you count everyone, probably 600-ish for the major ones and 100-ish for the minor ones, but half of them are Neophytes."

"So, have you gone to the Eldritch Realms?" Nana asked casually.

"W-what? How do you know about the Eldritch Realms?"

"... er, because surviving it is the test for all Apprentices who want to become Knights? Though we do have a layer of mana shield from our superiors. Why are you shocked?"

Holy shit! "Uhm, yes, I have. A few times. It's not common knowledge here in Phantasma."

Our journey to Lagolach, except for when I had to present our papers, was thankfully very smooth. We soon arrived at Rajina, a large elven town. The elves rarely ever built cities 'properly' from stone and wood; rather, they built treehouses and shield themselves in the forests. Rajina was no different.

Nevertheless, Rajina was fundamentally the same. There were the tourist markets (where Nana almost got trapped by tourist traps again), a mage guild, and others. Soon we went to a teahouse the locals frequented.

"Ah ... this has been fun," Nana said. "Where to next?"

"We'll be swinging southeast to the Baroque States. My Phantasma passport isn't accepted in Maluscia, and even if it is, I'm not going there."

A pair of elves grunted inaudibly at that. I believed they were speaking elvish. Eliza's grip on her cup tightened. "Be careful with your tongues, gentlemen. I hope you have written your wills by the time you speak ill of my Master again."

Eliza's threat was enough for us to be kicked out from the teahouse. Nice job, Eliza. Nevertheless, our carriage marched on to the southeast. Cassy and Eliza were on the driver's seat as usual. "Hey, you guys have some kind of grudge with elves or what?" Nana asked. "I could speak a little elvish. Those two elves weren't very kind, to put it nicely."