《The Protagonist System》


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    <b>Congrattions, idiot. You''re dead!</b>


    I blinked my eyes at the floating box in front of me and it didn''t make any sense. I couldn''t remember anything happening or even how I died.


    <b>That''s because it was too traumatic for your limited brain capacity to parse out. That and we deleted thest six months from your memory to save you from recovering from the trauma. You''re wee!</b>


    I just stared at the box as if it was crazy, because I didn''t want to admit that it was me that was crazy.


    <b>Admitting you have a problem is the first step in embracing your faults!</b>


    <i>Okay, thanks.</i> I thought sarcastically.


    <b>You''re wee again.</b>


    <i>I wonder what happens now?</i>


    <b>Let''s check your Karma Levels and see what wonderful things you will have avable to you.</b>


    <b>Checking... checking... and we have... huh.</b>


    <i>What is it?</i> I thought and asked at the same time.


    <b>You have exactly no Karmic Debt. None. Zilch. Nada.</b>


    <i>What does that mean?</i>


    <b>For your entire life, you have had no positive and no negative gains. Whatever good you''ve done was countered by whatever bad you''ve done. For your entire life.</b>


    <i>You said that twice.</i>


    <b>That''s because it''s never happened before. There''s always some kind of number, positive or negative, no matter how low. Depending on the plus or minus sign, it gives you ess to specific options that you can choose from. With the negative numbers, most of your choices are usually rolled and you get stuck with whatever you''re assigned until you pay off the negative debt.</b>


    <i>And the positive?</i>


    <b>Depending on how low or high, your choices can range from what you look like to the amount of abilities you have. Having no number has never happened before. Ever. I need to go check on something before we can proceed. I''ll be right back. Don''t go anywhere.</b>


    <i>I was thinking about checking the tourist section, so just call me back when you need me.</i>


    <b>Yeah, whatever.</b>


    <i>Lal.</i> I thought to amuse myself and suddenly I was floating around inside a cheap tourist shop with some of the funniest things I had ever seen. A t-shirt with, ''I saved the world and all I got was this stupid t-shirt'' and a mug that had, ''If you had to fight six demon lords in a row, you would be a bitch first thing in the morning, too'' on them.


    I was giggling to myself at the jokes and browsed through keychains that were all famous fighting weapons from a real working lightsaber that was two inches long to Cloud Stryfe''s massive sword in miniature. There were earrings of tiny des of Chaos that Kratos used in God of War and a lighter that worked like the Incendio spell from Harry Potter. It was great!


    I was halfway through the rack of Halloween costumes that simted Wereanimal powers andughing pretty hard at the pink werebunny outfit, when I was suddenly yanked out of the shop to float in front of the nk screen again.


    <b>How the hell did you get ess to the first level of the shop?</b>


    <i>You''re asking me? I thought you were in charge of this ce.</i>


    <b>Sigh. I''m ignoring that for now. I found a supervisor and they were stumped about what to do with you. So, we left it up to a very specific entity to decide what to do with aplete Karmic nk like you.</b>


    <i>Ooo, is it Buddha? No, wait! Ghandi? No, no, he would never want to chose someone else''s fate. It can''t be Jesus, can it? Because I''m pretty sure he died for mankind''s sins and is rxing in Seventh Heaven. Hmm, I wonder... oh! It''s Morgan Freeman! Sure, I''ll let the big man choose for me!</i>


    The box didn''t show anything for several seconds.


    <b>We might have made a mistake with this one.</b> The box shed and flickered. <b>Fate is spinning the Wheel Of Systems for you as you clearly are not in your right mind to pull the handle yourself.</b>


    <i>Is Fate beautiful?</i> I asked.


    <b>Yes, she is. Why?</b>


    <i>Because if I''m going to get screwed by her, I want to at least enjoy the view.</i>


    The box didn''t show anything for several seconds and a smaller and different blue box appeared with very fancy writing inside.


    <b>I''m fixing your average physique to be near godlike. I want a good view, too. Call me.</b>


    Iughed pretty hard, even though I was sure I didn''t have lungs or could breathe at the moment.


    <b>You''re both </b><i><b>hrious</b></i><b>.</b> The first box showed and I could feel the sarcasm.


    The little box showed the word ''giggle'' just before it disappeared.


    <b>Here ites. The Wheel of Fate is stopping on... are you kidding?</b>


    <i>That''s an odd system name.</i> I thought, still softlyughing.


    <b>Shut up. I need to go check on something.</b>


    <b>He''s awfully grumpy today.</b> The little box showed when it reappeared.


    <i>I think me not having any Karma indications is throwing him off.</i> I thought and the little box seemed to nod. <i>Can you tell me what itnded on, assuming he doesn''t change it?</i>


    <b>He can''t. That''s kind of what''s wrong with your Karma. If you had any points at all, he could use them to alter things. As it is, you''re getting what you get and he can''t change anything at all.</b>


    Iughed again. <i>So, he''s relegated to be a mouthpiece with no power.</i>


    <b>Yes, he is! He''s irked and... oops, I better go. See you soon, handsome.</b>


    <i>I was made for you apparently, so anytime I''m free.</i> I thought to her.


    The box showed the word ''giggle'' and disappeared.


    <b>It looks like you''re being given The Protagonist System.</b> The first box showed. <b>You are probably not going to feel this at all, since you have no Karma to influence.</b>


    I floated there and nothing seemed to happen.


    <b>Well, that''s all. Enjoy yourself or whatever.</b>


    <i>Hold on, that''s it? Are you sure?</i> I asked.


    <b>There''s nothing else to do, nothing to alter or change, and no way to fix anything. Move along.</b>


    I blinked my eyes at the box when it nked and disappeared, thenughed when a little blue box appeared and showed a smiley face, the pair of Kratos earrings, and a bill for 100 Credits.


    <i>I was going to buy you those!</i> I thought at the box.


    <b>I know, that''s why I sent you the bill.</b> The box showed the word ''giggle'' again. <b>Bye, Sweetie.</b>


    <i>Bye, Fate.</i> I thought and the little box disappeared. I floated there for several minutes as I waited, not really in any rush, and wondered when the system was going to kick in. A big blue box appeared in front of me and I realized I could have asked for it at any time.


    <b>Wee to The Protagonist System! With this system, you can choose any protagonist that has at any point in their lives, been close to death. You will rece them and can reap the benefits and rewards that they would have gotten, if they had lived.</b>


    <i>That sounds both morbid and awesome.</i> I thought.


    <b>It does! As this is your first time essing the system and your Karma is non-existent, all skills, stats, and abilities will be auto-assigned and you will have no choice of what you get or can do with it.</b>


    <i>Fate, you need to cuddle my balls as you have your way with me.</i>


    The little box reappeared. <b>We need to start off slowly because you would enjoy that too much.</b>


    <i>I really would.</i> I thought as the image of a gorgeous blonde with sapphire eyes gazed up at me lovingly and nuzzled my hard shaft appeared. <i>I''d blow right away if you did that!</i>


    The little box showed the word ''giggle'' and a wink emoji before it disappeared.


    <b>Please choose a starting Protagonist. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Familiar of Zero: Rece Saito Hiraga


    Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?: Rece Bell Cranel


    High School DXD: Rece Issei Hyoudou</b>


    I read the three choices that were fairly limited. That is, I knew a lot more protagonists than those three, so I knew that the warning was justified. It made me wonder what my choices would have been if I did have some Karma to either spend or to make up. Those thoughts onlysted for a few seconds before I made my choice.


    <b>You have chosen High School DXD. Please choose a point in the timeline to be inserted.


    Warning: Karma options disabled. Only three choices are avable.


    Birth


    First Death


    Second Death</b>


    <i>Okay, that''s really difficult choice.</i> I examined each and they gave an exnation.


    <b>Birth: Live the entire life as the Protagonist. No time skips. You will be a mature mind inside of a baby for as long as it takes for you to grow up. You will not be any stronger, smarter, or gain new knowledge if you chose this option.</b>


    <b>First Death: You are a second year student at Kuoh Academy and Yuuma Amano had asked you out. You were a perfect gentleman and she hated you for it, dered that you die for her, and she transformed into a Fallen Angel before killing you. You wake up as a Reincarnated Devil in your own bed and a member of Rias Gremory''s peerage.</b>


    <b>Second Death: Rias Gremory dropped the ball and did not exin anything to you after your First Death or dered that you were her property. You were attacked again by a Fallen Angel without provocation and dered a Stray Devil while walking home. Hijinks ensue.</b>


    <i>Whoa, that was a huge choice to make.</i> I thought and read over the options again. If bing a baby again doesn''t benefit me at all, why would I put myself through years of that kind of torture? Of course, the thought of trying to change Issei''s reputation as a pervert might be worth the effort.


    <b>Karmic Influence nonexistent. Ability to change previous events unavable.</b>


    <i>And that makes my choice for me.</i>


    <b>You have chosen First Death. Memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    <i>Thanks.</i> I barely thought before everything went ck.

 02 Kuoh Academy (High School DxD)

    02 Kuoh Academy (High School DxD)


    I opened my eyes and saw a room I didn''t recognize. There was a poster on the wall with a scantily and yet ssy dressed woman wearing a cross between transformed jet fighter armor pieces and lingerie. It was honestly quite lewd and tastefully done at the same time. I think the term it could be called was ''artsy''. She didn''t really reveal anything and yet also left nothing to the imagination.


    As soon as I tried to sit up, it felt like a heavy weight had mmed into my forehead. I fell backwards onto the bed with a groan as sixteen years of memories, that weren''t my memories, flooded into my head.


    Surprisingly, they filtered through my brain to give me the information they contained and then kind of slunk off into the corner of my mind and settled there. It still hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, though. I wasn''t sure how I could mentally count off the three minutes that the painsted, then it was over.


    <i>That was weird.</i> I thought andid there as I looked at the new information I had in my head. It was an eye-opener to see the life that Issei lived. He was an unrepentant pervert, loved boobs, and it was his life-long ambition to gather a harem of girls that would let him y with their boobs whenever he wanted.


    I had all these facts and figures in my head about boob sizes, sticity of skin, and rtive weightspared to the shapes. It was frightening how much information Issei had packed into his head about his favorite subject. It made me shake my head at how much time he wasted on it.


    ¡°Issei! It''s time to get ready for school!¡± A woman''s voice hollered from downstairs.


    No, not a woman. Issei''s mother... no, my mother, Miki Hyoudou. ¡°I''ll be down after a shower!¡±


    ¡°I''ll have the eggs ready by then!¡± Miki responded.


    I hopped out of bed and with deft movements I never had before, made the bed in only a few seconds. I wasn''t surprised by this, mainly because I was sure it was part of the information I had been gifted. I grabbed a pair of underwear out of a drawer and ran across the hallway to the big bathroom.


    I didn''t have a lot of time, ording to the invisible clock in my head, and I scrubbed and rinsed in only ten minutes. I hopped out, dried off, and slipped on my boxer shorts. I quickly brushed my teeth and stared at the very handsome young man reflected in the mirror. I spit and gargled for my breath and hoped that my mother wouldn''tment on theplete change I had undergone.


    I ran back into my room and dressed in the Kuoh Academy uniform in barely a minute. I still wasn''t surprised by this, because of the information in my head. My body did the motions automatically and I wasn''t hindered by actually thinking about it. It was a little freeing, actually. I didn''t have to worry about making a mistake.


    I ran a hand through my shoulder length brownish-red hair and grabbed my school bag as I left my room. The stairs were fairly short to get downstairs and I hung my bag on the back of my chair as I sat down at the kitchen table.


    ¡°Here you go, Issei.¡± Miki said and put a te full of great smelling food in front of me.


    ¡°Thank you very much, mom.¡± I said with as much gratitude as I could as I looked up into her eyes.


    Miki looked a little startled and then she blushed. ¡°Y-you''re w-wee.¡±


    I beamed a smile at her and dug into the food. I had just over half an hour to get to school and it was only a twenty minute walk. That meant if I jogged, it would only take ten minutes.


    Miki softly chuckled. ¡°Issei, slow down. You don''t have to rush after being so quick in the shower.¡±


    ¡°Can''t talk. Eating delicious food.¡± I said and kept shovelling it in.


    Miki kept the blush on her face as sheughed, touched my shoulder briefly, then she went to the sink to start washing the dishes. I finished up quickly, feeling a little full, and I stood to drain my ss of orange juice. I brought the te, silverware, and empty ss to the sink.


    Instead of cing them on the counter, I had the urge to stand behind her and put the te around her right side and the ss around her left, essentially hugging her as I dipped both things into the soapy water. She was about four inches shorter than me, so she fit perfectly into my three-quarters hug.


    ¡°Issei, you... you didn''t have to... do that.¡± Miki whispered as I cuddled into her back and ced my chin on her shoulder.


    ¡°It''s only fair that I help clean up the dishes I dirtied.¡± I whispered into her ear and washed the te and then the ss. I wasn''t surprised when she leaned back against me to give my hands more room.


    ¡°Issei.¡± Miki said, her face still red with a blush.


    ¡°Mom, you are a beautiful and desirable woman.¡± I said, knowing she liked hearing genuinepliments and not titudes. I finished the dishes for her and dried my hands on her apron while not so inadvertently caressing her upper thighs. My erection grew between us and pressed against her backside.


    Miki''s hands grabbed mine before I could move them or take them back. ¡°You are quite the pervert to practice your girlfriend moves on your own mother.¡±


    She wasn''t actually refusing me and I had the sudden urge to kiss her neck. I didn''t fight it and lightly pressed my lips to her soft skin once, twice, and then nuzzled it.


    Miki let out a little sound of pleasure and pulled my hands up to cup her breasts with my hands. ¡°Here, you greedy boy. Your precious breasts.¡±


    I made a growling sound and dug my fingers info the soft flesh as I gently massaged her breasts through her t-shirt. I nibbled at her neck and Miki moaned and almost melted into me as she held onto my arms. I yed with her for several minutes and kissed my way up her neck.


    Miki turned her face towards me and the conflicted look on her face told me everything I needed to know about the truth of the information in my head.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± I whispered and kissed her.


    ¡°MMMM!¡± Miki moaned and turned around to wrap her arms around my neck. Her mouth opened and her tongue invited me in. I obliged and kissed her deeply as my hands went down to her skirt-covered ass to grip both of her firm cheeks.


    After a few minutes of making out with me, Miki let out a shuddering breath and broke the kiss. The blush on her face was epic in both redness and scale. I let her ass go and moved my hands up her back and over her neck to caress her face with one hand andbed her hair with the other.


    ¡°That... that was... a bit too far... for girlfriend practice.¡± Miki admitted, breathlessly.


    I smiled at her being so flustered. ¡°I can honestly say after a lesson like that, there''s not a girl in the whole city that''s going to be disappointed if they kiss me.¡±


    Miki looked a little faint and her eyes fluttered.


    ¡°Thank you for your help, mom.¡± I said and slowly let her go as I stepped back. ¡°I need to get to school.¡±


    Miki blinked her eyes at me several times and nced at the clock. ¡°You are going to bete.¡±


    ¡°Can the school be upset that I''m getting private tutoring in such an important subject?¡± I asked her with a crooked smile.


    Miki''s blush didn''t fade as she softly chuckled. ¡°Get going and don''t you dare stop at that shop on the way.¡±


    I didn''t even have to think about what she meant. ¡°Mom, do you think they would buy things back?¡±


    Miki seemed to freeze for a moment. ¡°Issei? Are you feeling okay?¡±


    I stepped close to look down at her. ¡°I think real ones are much better than pictures or videos.¡±


    Miki opened and closed her mouth several times. ¡°Issei... we... I...¡±


    I gave her a peck on the cheek. ¡°I think a few things are going to change for me from now on.¡± I said and walked back to the table, picked up my school bag and slung it over my shoulder. ¡°I''ll see you after school unless I have a club or something.¡±


    Miki nodded and then waved as I left the house at a jog.


    As I jogged at a fast pace and went over in my head what just happened, I noticed that I wasn''t sweating and I wasn''t getting tired. I was also easily dodging people, cars, dogs, and guys on bicycles like an expert. I stopped at a shop, and not the one my mother talked about, and I hung the wrapped bundle onto my backpack.


    I ran the rest of the way to school and still had about five minutes left as I approached the gate to Kuoh Academy. I slowed to a walk around the other students gathering to enter the school at thest minute and I wasn''t surprised when the School Council President and her Vice-President was there.


    When I stepped out of line and took off my backpack, the only ones to notice were the two council reps. I tore part of the bundle open and took out two of the things I bought and closed it again. The end of the line approached and I stepped back in with my backpack back over my shoulder and followed the other students to the gate.


    I stopped in front of Sona Sitri and gave her a deep bow. ¡°Honorable President, I would like to sincerely apologize for my previous behavior. I have acted both disgracefully and shamelessly. I also know there is nothing I can do to make up for what I''ve done, except to promise to be better in the future.¡± I held out a red rose to her and to the girl beside her. ¡°Please ept this token of my pledge of honor.¡±


    Both girls looked shocked as they epted the flowers.


    ¡°Thank you very much, President and Vice-President.¡± I said and gave them another deep bow. ¡°I will be giving out roses to every girl I have wronged and I will be making the same apology to them.¡±


    Sona''s face was still showing shock as she nodded and waved me inside.


    ¡°President, Vice-President.¡± I said and nodded to them as I jogged inside.


    *


    ¡°Did that just happen?¡± Tsubasa asked as she unconsciously smelled the flower in her hands.


    ¡°Apparently.¡± Sona responded and hit the button to close the gate.


    ¡°Imagine that.¡± Tsubasa said and took another sniff. ¡°One of the Perverted Trio giving up his ways.¡±


    Sona nodded and led the way back into the school. She had smelled the rose as well and it was surprisingly pleasant. Her thoughts went to the massive amount of respect Issei had paid to her, even though he was one of Rias'' Peerage members.


    On a whim, she intentionally detoured to walk in front of ss 2A and paused to look inside. As she suspected, two members of the Perverted Trio were in the corner crying their eyes out and Issei was in a waist-deep bow in front of the two leaders of the Kendo Club. Both girls clutched the roses in their hands and were also severely blushing.


    ¡°Send word to Rias and let her know what''s going on.¡± Sona ordered and Tsubasa rushed off as Sona continued on to the Student Council Office. She had a few things to investigate about what happened to Issei to cause such a drastic change in him after being reincarnated as a devil.


    *


    ss was both boring and new for me. The perspective from an entirely different culture from where I used to live, gave me quite a bit more enlightenment than I thought it would. I spent the morning pretty much going over what Issei knew and what I knew, only to see that I had a hell of a lot more knowledge about everything than he did, despite his studying hard to get into Kuoh Academy.


    When the lunch bell rang, the ss almost immediately broke up into the groups it usually did when the bell rang. Thankfully, the two perverts I had set straight that morning hadn''t tried to approach me or mutteredments about me betraying them. Just as I started to stand, several girls let out gasps and surprised sounds. I turned to look at the ssroom door and saw Yuuto Kiba there.


    ¡°Issei Hyoudou?¡± Kiba asked and walked over to me. ¡°The head of the ult Research Club sent me to get you.¡±


    I gave the guy a nk look and faked ignorance. ¡°Who runs that ridiculously named club?¡±


    Kiba looked surprised at my question for a moment. ¡°Her name is Rias Gremory and...¡±


    I held up a hand to stop him from continuing. ¡°I''m sorry, I have a previous engagement for lunch.¡± I said and walked over to the head of the Kendo Club and her best friend. ¡°Murayama? Katase? Can you lead me to the Kendo Club gym? I need to formally apologize to all of the members like I promised this morning.¡±


    Both girls gave me joyous looks, because I had dismissed the invitation from one of the two top beauties of the academy. Both of them hopped up out of their seats, grabbed their lunches, and pretty much hauled me out of the ssroom like a g waving in the wind. I had to fight hard to suppress myughter at the shocked looks on everyone''s faces.


    I spent the majority of lunch lightly eating a small bit of every Kendo club member''s lunch as I apologized and gave each of them a red rose. My debasement and my sincerity made each and every member blush and ept my apology and they all smelled the roses as if they had never had a flower given to them before.


    It wasn''t until the bell rang for lunch ending that I realized my errant thought had be true. All of the girls were extremely ttered that I had given them a sincere apology and a flower that symbolized love. I really had meant it from my heart that I was sorry for my previous behavior and they all knew it.


    When I tried to leave, both Murayama and Katase grabbed my arms and kissed the cheeks of my face. I didn''t have to fake the blush that caused, which in turn made the entire Kendo Club make ''aww'' sounds. I was then swarmed with hugs and peppered with kisses on my face by the other girls.


    ¡°You... you girls. You are entirely too forgiving.¡± I said,pletely bashful. ¡°I don''t deserve it.¡±


    ¡°And that proves you do.¡± Murayama said, proudly.


    ¡°I... I...¡± I stopped and looked at all of their happy faces. ¡°If this wasn''t an all girls club, I would join in an instant.¡±


    ¡°AWWW!¡± They all said as one and I was swarmed again to be covered in both kisses and hugs. I happily epted the responsibility for the girls beingte to their first afternoon ss and the hall monitor was more than happy to give me the detention notice for causing such a disruption.


    *


    Rias sat in the old school building and stared at the viewing globe that her familiar was linked to. She had sent the thing to keep an eye on her newest pawn after Sona''s warning and she felt nothing but shock at the change in his behavior.


    Kiba''s return to the club had been met with disbelief, because Issei had refused her order. It didn''t ur to her that she hadn''t ordered him toe to her. She had simply asked her Knight to retrieve her Pawn. That the Pawn had no idea who she was or why she would want him, hadn''t urred to her.


    That was the moment that Rias realized she had majorly screwed up. She had reincarnated someone after a traumatic event and then left him at home without any knowledge about her or about what had happened. As far as Issei was concerned, she was nobody of importance and her request meant less than nothing to him.


    ¡°Akeno.¡± Rias said and turned to look at her Queen. ¡°Please go to Issei''s homeroom at the end of the school day and order him to report to me.¡±


    Akeno opened her mouth to ask something, then closed it. She gave a pointed look to her King, sighed quite exaggeratedly when Rias didn''t change what she said, and left the room.


    ¡°Big mistake.¡± Koneko said as she ate a dango.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rias asked her.


    ¡°Didn''t exin. Left hanging in the wind.¡± Koneko said and finished off the sweet rice treat and picked up another one. She bit into the top ball and hummed in appreciation.


    Rias opened her mouth to refute that, then she sighed. She had thought leaving Issei alone for a few days to let him recover and adjust to being a devil was for the best. She hadn''t thought about what the changes would do to him and she was only just starting to see how her making him a member of her Peerage had altered his personality so fundamentally.


    ¡°I''m sure Akeno can bring him here without incident.¡± Rias said, confident in her Queen''s abilities.


    Koneko gave her a nk stare for several minutes as she ate her dango without tasting it.


    Rias sighed again. ¡°Koneko, you better go help her.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Koneko said and tossed the empty wood skewer into the trash as she walked out of the room.

 03 Occult Research Club

    03 ult Research Club


    I could almost feel the eyes on me as I waited for the end of the day''s sses. I ignored the feeling, mainly because I was pretty sure I knew who was waiting there for me. After rebuffing the Kuoh Prince at lunch to spend it with the normal girls in the Kendo Club, the ult Research Club would send out the big guns, aka Akeno Himejima''s massive mammaries.


    After the bell rang, I wasted a few minutes packing up and exchanged a few words with Murayama, mostly promising to repair the various holes that the perverted duo had made in the gym and locker rooms for the Kendo Club. She hadn''t believed me at first, until I told her that I hadn''t been involved in making them and reminded her of my honor-bound oath to be a better man.


    ¡°Issei Hyoudou?¡± Akeno interrupted as she approached me. ¡°Rias Gremory has ordered you to meet her in the ult Research Club room.¡±


    I felt a pinch in my chest and hunched a little at her words as I felt themand settle into my bones. I stood up to my full height of five foot eight and looked down at her five foot five inches of height.


    ¡°I acknowledge themand in the spirit it was intended.¡± I spat at her, which made her flinch.


    Everyone in the entire ss made sounds of surprise.


    A quite short girl with silver-grey hair kind of skipped over to us. She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down to her four foot five inches of height to whisper in my ear. ¡°I called her an idiot.¡±


    I quickly turned to scoop her up into my arms, to everyone''s shock. ¡°The school''s adorable mascot is here to escort me? I feel so honored.¡± I said and hugged her close as I kissed and nuzzled the side of her neck like I had done to my mother that morning. ¡°Thank you, Koneko.¡±


    ¡°P-p-pervert.¡± Koneko stuttered with a blush on her face.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± I said with a huge smile as I carefully set her back on the floor. ¡°I can''t quite kick the habit of appreciating beautiful girls overnight. I need a few days.¡±


    Koneko looked up at my face and into my eyes to see my sincerity. ¡°You owe me a cake.¡±


    I looked into her eyes and knew she was letting me off a bit too easily. ¡°Well, I''m going to the clubhouse for a meeting anyway. Why don''t we make a cake together afterwards? Or better yet, we can make a bunch of mini-cakes so that you won''t run out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Those are muffins.¡± Koneko pointed out.


    ¡°Nope! Muffin mix is different than cake mix. They react differently and...¡± I paused and chuckled. ¡°I''m not arguing over sweets. You''ll see the difference soon.¡± I said and handed her my backpack.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Konko asked about the half-empty package attached to the side.


    ¡°Those are flowers I''m giving out to all the girls I offended with my behavior. I was nning on handing the rest out after school while I apologized to them, except now I have to wait until tomorrow because I have to go see Miss Gremory.¡±


    Koneko looked from the flowers, to me, and back to the flowers.


    ¡°I don''t remember offending you; but, I already apologized to the School Council''s President and Vice-President for disgracing the school''s reputation. As the school''s mascot, you should get one, too.¡± I pulled one out from the bundle and bowed at the waist, then gave her the exact same apology I gave the other girls and handed her the rose.


    Koneko blushed again as she took the rose and I sincerely thanked her for epting, bowed again, and took my backpack back to sling over my shoulder. With that done, I gave a raised eyebrow to Akeno and then motioned towards the door of the ssroom. Akeno took several moments before she sighed and turned around to lead the way.


    I took Koneko''s hand and followed. Surprisingly, Koneko didn''t try to pull away and walked beside me with her nose buried in the rose I gave her. We left the main school building and walked around to the back, part-way across the school''s grounds, and entered the old school building that was now the property of the ult Research Club.


    Akeno didn''t knock as we entered the official club room on the third floor and Kiba was there and stood by the far wall with his arms crossed. Akeno pointed to a couch for me to sit, so I sat down and dragged Koneko with me. She didn''t protest as Iid my arm across her shoulders and she pretty much curled up at my side and kept smelling the rose.


    I didn''t stare at the free-standing shower in the corner of the room or the naked silhouette that could be easily seen through it. I thought there was either an enchantment on it to let it be partially see-through or there was a small light on the other side to let people see as much as the upant allowed to be seen. The sound of running water was unmistakable, too.


    ¡°Does she do this teasing crap with every male brought to the club?¡± I asked Koneko in a whisper while Akeno went over to the corner of the room to help Rias finish taking a public shower.


    Koneko huffed with a nod. ¡°Told her she was an idiot.¡±


    I smiled and kissed her cheek, then I tucked my face close to her ear and barely breathed out my next words. ¡°I wonder what she would say if she knew I preferred pretty girls like you?¡±


    Koneko blushed and leaned slightly away to look into my eyes.


    I looked right back and let her see that I really liked being that close to her.


    ¡°P-pervert.¡± Koneko whispered and leaned back against me.


    ¡°Mmm hmm.¡± I hummed agreement and gave her cheek another kiss. ¡°I can''t help how I feel.¡±


    Koneko stayed quiet for several seconds before she spoke. ¡°You owe me two cakes.¡±


    I couldn''t stop my snort and coughed to stop the follow-upugh. ¡°You won''t epting two mini-cakes toplete that obligation, will you?¡±


    Koneko shook her head no.


    ¡°Two batches of mini-cakes it is.¡± I whispered and she looked a little smug.


    Akeno helped Rias dry off and get dressed in the female Kuoh Academy uniform. It would have been tititing if I hadn''t known the situation had been specifically designed to be that way. She had intentionally taken an unnecessary shower in the club room to show off what being in her peerage could potentially give me ess to.


    ¡°Just so you know why I''m hard, it was because you gave me an erection.¡± I whispered to Koneko.


    Almost against her will, Koneko''s hand darted down to briefly feel that I really was hard for her and she put her hand back on her ownp. Her eyes widened and she turned her head slightly to look at me, only to see I was looking right at her and not at Rias.


    ¡°I haven''t looked over there yet, so the fake strip show waspletely wasted on me.¡± I whispered and very lightly kissed her on the lips.


    Koneko blushed again, turned her head to face forward, and ducked it to not let anyone else see.


    I waited until the curtain rattled before I looked away from Koneko and saw the nk faces on both Akeno and Rias. They had noticed I wasn''t paying them any attention and Rias didn''t like that.


    ¡°So, what''s this about?¡± I asked, still pretending I had no idea what was going on. ¡°I''ve attended school here for over a year and this is the first time anyone from any club has bothered to pay me any attention, besides the necessary beatings from the Kendo Club and Tennis Club.¡±


    Everyone looked surprised by my words, even Koneko.


    ¡°Now, on the very day I decided to change my perverted ways and to make up with all of the girls I angered by peeping and perving on them, you sent all three of your club members to bring me here.¡± I said and pointed at Akeno. ¡°And you had her <b>order</b> me toe here.¡±


    Rias looked a little horrified at my words. ¡°I... I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°Don''t lie to me!¡± I barked and she flinched.


    ¡°Issei, there''s no need to be hostile.¡± Kiba said as he stepped forward with his hands up to cate me.


    ¡°Are we somehow instant friends? Have we ever said one word to each other before today? Did I give you permission to use my given name?¡± I asked, my voice harsh. ¡°No is the answer to all those questions, so stop being so familiar with me.¡±


    ¡°Issei.¡± Koneko said as she stood up and stepped away from me.


    I didn''t try to hold onto her and remained sitting. ¡°I''m sorry I''m angry about being forced toe here against my will and made to sit through Miss Gremory shamelessly showing herself off to a boy she doesn''t know.¡±


    Rias winced and Akeno looked both sad and angry. It was kind of fun poking holes in their schemes.


    ¡°On the plus side, I got to meet you.¡± I added.


    Koneko didn''t say anything and held the rose in a loose grip at her side and not clutched to her chest.


    ¡°Issei, I asked you toe here to...¡± Rias started to say.


    ¡°Ordered.¡± I interrupted and cut her off. ¡°I was ordered toe here and not given a choice to refuse, even though I had much more important things to do than meet the leader of a club I have no interest in joining.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and let her talk!¡± Akeno ordered as she let her anger override her sadness.


    I felt a smaller pinch in my chest and hunched slightly as I felt my mouth seal shut. I couldn''t even move my lips, so I did the only thing I could do. I red my best re at both her and Rias.


    ¡°You are ruining things.¡± Koneko said.


    I didn''t shift my gaze to see if she was talking to me, because I didn''t want to re at her.


    Rias sighed and sat down on the couch across from me. ¡°Issei, I need to exin...¡±


    I chopped at the air with a hand, shook my head several times, and turned my body enough to rest against the arm of the couch to stare at the wall. When she started talking again, I stuck my fingers in my ears and pretended to not hear anything.


    Rias tried several times to get my attention the normal way, then she sighed loudly and ordered me to face her and to listen to what she had to say. I kept the re up as she told me about Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels, and the supernatural. Since I couldn''t talk and was ordered to listen, I couldn''t tell her I already knew all that crap. The re was to stop anyone from seeing that I recognized everything she said.


    ¡°Now that I''ve finally exined everything, you can speak.¡± Rias said with relief and I felt the restriction on my mouth disappear.


    ¡°Let me get this straight. I died from what Yuuma... no, Raynare did to me, and you used all of your Pawn pieces to reincarnate me into a Devil.¡± I said and Rias nodded, looking pleased. ¡°Then, instead of staying with me tofort me after dying, or exining what happened, or what you made me into... you broke into my home, abandoned me in my own bed, and let me think that it was all just a horrible dream because no one but me remembers the girl that killed me?¡±


    The shocked look on their faces was worth pointing that out.


    ¡°At least now I know how much you care about me, your so called newest family member.¡± I said with as t of a voice as I could. The words alone would hurt enough without me adding any inflections.


    Tears came to Rias'' eyes and I wasn''t moved by them. I also stopped myself from looking at Koneko.


    ¡°I suppose you''re going to order me to be a member of this fake club, too.¡± I said.


    ¡°It''s not fake!¡± Akeno said as her anger returned.


    ¡°Sure it''s not. Do you investigate hauntings? Hunt down spirits? Have a library of supernatural books and things to search through when something odd happens around the city or to one of the students? Hmm? Well? Do you?¡± I asked and none of them said anything. ¡°That''s right. All I heard was that you asionally take out a stray devil after they''ve murdered dozens of people.¡±


    ¡°We do a lot more than that.¡± Kiba said.


    ¡°Do you?¡± I asked him. ¡°If you mean your patrols and the contracts you fill, that''s not ult research.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are to dictate what our club does for activities?¡± Akeno asked, even angrier.


    ¡°I''m apparently no one important, despite needing eight Pawn pieces.¡± I replied.


    ¡°That''s not true! You''re very important to me!¡± Rias eximed.


    I gave her an unimpressed look. ¡°If I was so important, when exactly were you going to admit that you were the one that made me a Devil and exin why I might mysteriously start gaining weird powers?¡±


    Rias gave me a bit of a re. ¡°Only a few days. Maybe a week. I wanted to wait for you to recover before I shocked you by reminding you about what happened and then I would introduce you to the supernatural.¡±


    I didn''t say anything for several moments. ¡°You were going to let me, a brand new baby Devil, walk around the city for up to a week without any protection or any clue about what I was, what killed me, and is definitely still out there hunting me down to finish the job?¡±


    Rias let out a sob and put a hand over her mouth to stop any more from escaping.


    ¡°You aren''t hunting Raynare down to punish her for killing me, are you?¡± I asked and tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°I am really feeling the love and care you have for me. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Stop hurting her and apologize!¡± Akeno ordered as lightning rolled over her palm.


    I felt the small pinch in my chest and growled out. ¡°I am sorry that pointing out some of the things you did wrong is hurting you, King.¡±


    Rias let out another sob.


    ¡°GET OUT!¡± Akeno yelled at me and a tiny bolt of lightning shed out from her hand and hit me on the left shoulder.


    I didn''t let anything but a flinch show that she hit me, then I stood up and quickly strode across the room to leave.


    ¡°S-s-stop!¡± Rias ordered and sobbed. ¡°Akeno, you s-stop, too.¡±


    I stopped mid-stride with my hand reaching for the door handle.


    ¡°Issei, please.¡± Rias said. ¡°Come back and sit down.¡±


    ¡°Only my friends are allowed to call me by my given name.¡± I said and didn''t move. I felt a small hand on my left arm and turned my head to look at Koneko.


    ¡°Don''t leave.¡± Koneko said.


    ¡°Like I said before, the only way I''ll join this club is if I''m ordered to. I wasn''t asked about anything. I wasn''t told about anything. I wasn''t given any choice toe here.¡± I told her. ¡°None of this would have been a problem if someone... anyone... had helped me after I died. No one did.¡±


    ¡°We want to.¡± Koneko said.


    ¡°Why? Because your King said so? Why didn''t she say thatst night? This morning? At school when I arrived? Between sses? At lunch?¡± I asked and Koneko didn''t say anything. ¡°No, it was only when I refused herpletely out of the blue invitation that she couldn''t be bothered to deliver herself.¡±


    ¡°If you hate being here so much, then as soon as I can convince her, Rias will trade you away to the first person that has all of their Pawn pieces free!¡± Akeno almost shouted.


    I turned around to look at her. ¡°Why wait that long? We all know the value of the other pieces. I''m as valuable as you, Queen. Anybination of pieces that add up to eight would do, wouldn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Do... do you really mean that?¡± Rias asked, her crying easing off. ¡°You want to be traded away?¡±


    ¡°How the hell would I know that? She suggested it!¡± I said and and motioned to Akeno. ¡°Should being traded from a stranger I just met to aplete stranger be my goal in my new life?¡±


    ¡°Please stop.¡± Koneko said.


    ¡°Koneko...¡± I started to say and felt her hand make a fist with the sleeve of my jacket.


    ¡°You owe me a hundred cakes now.¡± Koneko interrupted. ¡°Can''t talk about leaving until then.¡±


    I could tell by the look in her eyes that she really didn''t want me to leave. ¡°I''m still not joining the stupid club.¡±


    ¡°As a Devil and a member of Rias'' Peerage, you are automatically a member.¡± Kiba said as the sword he held in his hand dissolved.


    I took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. Koneko took that as eptance and opened her fist and slid her hand down my sleeve. She took my hand and led me back over to the couch. She pushed me down into the corner and then surprised everyone except me by climbing onto myp and cuddling into me.


    I couldn''t refuse such a tempting offer and put my arms around her to hold her tenderly. By the looks on the faces of the other three people in the room, today''s club activities were going to be a lot more awkward than they already were.

 04 Expectations

    04 Expectations


    I sat there for ten minutes and silently cuddled Koneko before Rias let out a sigh and looked at Kiba. With a nod, the blonde Prince of Kuoh went to her desk and picked up several sheets of paper. He came back over to her couch and handed them to her.


    ¡°Akeno, here are your regr assignments for today.¡± Rias said and gave her one of the sheets.


    Akeno took it after giving me a pointed look. ¡°This isn''t too bad. I should be done quickly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my friend.¡± Rias said and I could clearly see that she was staging the scene. ¡°Kiba, these are yours.¡±


    Kiba smiled warmly at her and epted the list.


    ¡°Koneko, if you could do these today, I would appreciate it.¡± Rias said and held out the third sheet.


    Koneko gave me a look, as if I wasn''t going to let her go and she was unsure if she wanted me to let her go.


    ¡°I know you have a job to do, Koneko. I won''t interfere in your life or make you do anything you don''t want to do.¡± I said and gave her another light peck on the lips. ¡°Please be careful. God knows there are people out there that will take advantage of such a pretty girl if given a chance.¡±


    Koneko, Akeno, Kiba, and Rias all winced in pain when I said the word God.


    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry!¡± I gasped as well as I could to cover up my intentional use of a holy word and hugged Koneko to rub the cheek of my face on hers, like a cat would. ¡°I guess mentioning the Big G directly is annoying?¡±


    ¡°Hurts.¡± Koneko said and gave me a pointed look. ¡°Not you?¡±


    ¡°Apparently not.¡± I said and leaned back on the couch as I let her go. <i>Thank you, system altered mind.</i>


    Koneko gave me another pointed look and stood, walked over to Rias, and epted her list. She read it over and nodded, gave me a third pointed look as if to pin me in ce, and went over to the corner of the room and used a teleportation circle to go to the first client on her list.


    ¡°I think <b>you</b> are one of those people trying to take advantage of a pretty girl.¡± Akeno said with an even voice, probably because her anger seemed to have cooled over thest few minutes.


    ¡°Of course I am.¡± I said and the surprise was back on their faces. ¡°That girl is practically starved for someone to love and care for her unconditionally. If I can give her even a few minutes of peace and quiet to just cuddle and feel needed, then I''m going to do everything I can to make her content.¡±


    ¡°Not happy?¡± Rias asked.


    ¡°That''s months or years away.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Feeling contentment is only the second step.¡±


    ¡°What was the first?¡± Rias asked.


    ¡°eptance.¡± I said and didn''t rify anything. I didn''t tell them that both Koneko and I had to ept the situation and by her stopping me from leaving, despite the clear divide between myself and everyone else, she fully epted that she was the only thing keeping me here. It subconsciously gave her a lot of power over the rest of the group and the others would soon realize that.


    Rias held one more sheet. ¡°Iss...¡± She barely stopped herself before shepleted saying my first name. ¡°Hyoudou, this is your limited client list. It is your first time, after all.¡±


    I thought about refusing until she made it an order.


    Rias must have seen it on my face, because she sighed loudly. ¡°You would have been given the same client no matter when you were informed about everything.¡±


    I stood and held a hand out for the paper. She handed it to me and on it was only a single line. A person''s name with an address and nothing else. I looked at her face and raised my eyebrows at her.


    ¡°A Devil''s first client is usually the most important one.¡± Kiba said.


    I ignored him and kept looking at Rias. ¡°This is a regr client?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°They keep contacting you for wishes?¡± I asked and she nodded again. ¡°That means that none of you, including the King, have everpleted a contract with this person and now you''re tossing it at the new kid that doesn''t know any goddamn magic.¡±


    All three of them winced in pain.


    I stood there and stared at Rias for thirty seconds. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Are you going to teach me teleportation magic or are you going to make me FUCKING WALK across half of the city to get to this address and probably get attacked and killed <b>again</b> by Fallen Angels or stray exorcists?¡±


    Rias looked horrified for a moment before she dropped her head into her hands and tears rolled off of her face and onto herp.


    ¡°You are a horrible person, Issei Hyoudou.¡± Kiba said as a sword grew out of the floor beside his hand and he picked it up in a fluid motion to point it at me.


    ¡°Like you didn''t know that before I was recruited by your King!¡± I used and his sword faltered. ¡°I was a member of the Perverted Trio until this morning, so don''t deny it. The whole school knows.¡±


    ¡°I told her recruiting you would be a mistake!¡± Akeno said.


    I didn''t say anything and pointed to my still damaged shoulder with part of my coat and shirt burned away. Her face showed anger and she started to stand again.


    ¡°S-stop. STOP IT!¡± Rias yelled and we all did. ¡°I order you all to be nice to each other from now on. I don''t care what happened or how we got to this point anymore.¡± She sat up and wiped at her eyes. ¡°You will act civilly or you will answer to me.¡±


    Akeno looked shocked at the order, because I was sure she felt as strong of a pinch in her chest as I did that we were so strongly ordered to obey.


    ¡°Akeno, I want you to go to the school uniform store and get a new shirt and jacket for Hyoudou. You damaged it and you will rece it.¡±


    ¡°My shoulder...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°Take off your jacket and shirt. I will handle healing you.¡± Rias ordered.


    I frowned at her making it an order and I didn''t bother unbuttoning anything. I pulled the jacket off and threw it on the floor and then I gripped two handfuls of my shirt and tore it into shreds to throw onto the floor.


    All three of them stood there,pletely shocked, and stared at my rippling muscles and perfectly sculpted figure. The only thing marring my perfection was the inch deep hole in the shoulder muscle and the surrounding burns. Akeno shook herself at seeing the open wound and quickly left to get my recement clothes.


    ¡°Get on with it.¡± I said and watched as Rias licked her lips and walked over to me. ¡°Don''t you dare take any liberties, King. Only Koneko has my permission to touch me familiarly.¡±


    That stopped Rias in her tracks. ¡°Iss...¡± She stopped and sighed. ¡°Hyoudou, I have to hug and cuddle you. It''s how I heal others.¡±


    ¡°Do all Devils do it that way?¡± I asked.


    Rias mped her mouth shut and didn''t answer.


    ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± I said and held a hand up to stop her froming closer. ¡°I thought you said Devil magic was imagination based? Why are you cuddling to heal? Can''t you cast a spell to do the same thing?¡±


    Rias sighed and stepped back. ¡°I never learned how to do it like that.¡±


    I looked at Kiba and at Rias as I waited for them to say something. Akeno came back in and tossed the shirt and jacket onto the couch I had been sitting on. I waited another minute and they still didn''t say anything.


    ¡°You''re not going to mention it?¡± I asked and they looked confused. ¡°Not only did you abandon me in my bed after making me a Devil, you shared my bed to heal me and used me as a cuddle pillow without my knowledge or permission.¡±


    Rias'' face went nk at the implications. ¡°I order you to ept my healing.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t refusing your healing. I objected to thepletely unnecessary method of application.¡± I said and was surprised I didn''t feel that pinch in my chest from her order.


    Rias looked surprised as well. ¡°I can apply healing however I want.¡±


    ¡°No, King. You will not take advantage of me again for your own petty desires.¡± I said and squinted my eyes at her. ¡°You were already naked in bed with me. Are you going to order me to be your sex toy next?¡±


    ¡°N-n-no, I... I w-would n-n-never...¡± Rias stammered and took another step back.


    ¡°You have already crossed several lines you swore you never would with your family members.¡± I pointed out and she started crying again. ¡°Akeno can no longer express her displeasure at me being a waste of your time and I cannot retaliate for her harming me so grievously.¡±


    Rias shook her head several times and took several more steps away from me. She wiped at her face and wouldn''t look at any of us.


    Akeno walked over to the teleportation circle and did something to it, and waited. Barely a minuteter, a silver-grey haired and quite tall maid appeared in a sh of light. The annoyed look on her beautiful face didn''t really bode well for anyone, especially me.


    ¡°Lady Grayfia, Rias is in distress because of him and needs your help.¡± Akeno said and pointed at me.


    ¡°King is in distress over the truth and how wrong she handled everything.¡± I responded to the usation.


    The maid stepped out of the circle and a very strong oppressive power filled the room. Rias, Akeno, and Kiba all froze at the anger they could feel through the power.


    I just quirked an eyebrow at her. ¡°Is whatever you''re doing supposed to mean something?¡±


    The surprised looks on everyone''s faces was worth being flippant to the powerful Devil woman that could squash me like a bug.


    ¡°Do you know a healing spell?¡± I asked before she could attack and moved my shoulder closer to her so she could see the damage. ¡°Akeno attacked me in the middle of a heated discussion about proper procedure when handling a newly reincarnated devil, namely myself.¡±


    Grayfia''s surprise face faded back to a nk one. ¡°I will deal with family before dealing with you.¡±


    Those words made me smile. ¡°I didn''t need more proof that I''m not really considered family as a part of King''s Peerage; but, thank you anyway.¡±


    A loud sob came from the side of the room where Rias had huddled in on herself.


    Grayfia saw the state she was in and raised a hand to strike me.


    ¡°Go ahead and beat me like a dog, whoever you are. Give King even more proof she screwed up with how she is handling things.¡± I said,pletely in defiance of the woman''s authority.


    ¡°S-stop! STOP! STOP IT! STOP IIIIIT!¡± Rias yelled and cried and cried.


    Grayfia sighed and lowered her hand as she red at me. ¡°We will be having words.¡±


    ¡°No, we won''t. You are not my mother and you have no authority over me.¡± I said, still pretending I didn''t know who she was.


    ¡°You need to show the wife of Satan Lucifer the proper respect.¡± Kiba said, his voice calm and his face filled with anger.


    ¡°Respect needs to be earned, my coerced friend. It cannot be given, shared, or stolen.¡±


    ¡°She fought in the Great War and is almost as strong as the Four Satans.¡± Kiba told me.


    ¡°Is that supposed to mean anything to me? I''m a newly reincarnated Devil with no experience with the supernatural.¡± I said, just to tweak him.


    Grayfia ignored us and walked over to Rias and knelt beside her. Rias lunged and hugged her tightly, then she started telling her everything. It was highly biased, as it always was when told from a different perspective, and I stood there without saying anything to refute her version.


    ¡°You two need to get to work.¡± I said in a friendly voice to Akeno and Kiba. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    ¡°You have work to do, too.¡± Akeno said, sweetly.


    ¡°I can''t do it until I can get there and back without dying.¡± I said. ¡°See you when you get back.¡±


    ¡°You think you will still be allowed here after everything you''ve done?¡± Kiba asked as he and Akeno went to the teleportation circle.


    ¡°You said it yourself, I''m automatically a member of the club. I have no choice in the matter.¡± I said and grinned. ¡°On the plus side, neither do you.¡±


    The teleportation circle lit up and they disappeared in a sh.


    I decided to sit down again to wait. I also couldn''t dress until my damaged shoulder was healed. Then again, assuming I was allowed to leave, I could probably heal on my own overnight. I looked at the name and address on the paper and knew who it was they were sending me to. It was their joke client and they were foisting him off onto me.


    Mil-Tan was a twenty-something year old very muscr man that could put the current Muscle Magazine''s Mister Universe to shame. He also had the only wish that Rias and her Peerage couldn''t grant. He wanted to be a sexy magical girl for real.


    I suddenly had a startling thought, even though I hadn''t seen a lick of a game system or notice boxes since I woke up. <i>Show Karma Points.</i>


    <b>Current Karma Points: -360</b>


    <i>Well, fuck.</i> I thought. I knew I was ying a dangerous game with what I was doing with Rias. I just didn''t realize how much damage I was doing by teaching her a lesson about her behavior. I couldn''t do anything to mitigate it at the moment, not with her draped all over one of the strongest Devils in the Underworld.


    Grayfia talked with her for over twenty minutes before she made the mostly recovered girl stand up, cleaned her up with several spells, straightened out her school uniform, and carefully led her across the room to sit her on the couch across from me.


    Rias looked almost lost as she sat there with her head hung down.


    ¡°As for you.¡± Grayfia said to me as she stepped around the coffee table to re down at me.


    ¡°Are you going to heal me, berate me for speaking the truth, or listen to what actually happened?¡± I asked her. ¡°I leave the choice for you to decide on what to do first.¡±


    ¡°How dare you dictate terms to me.¡± Grayfia said and her squinted eyes were the only clue that she was angry.


    ¡°You were summoned to deal with the situation. Are you refusing toplete the verbal contract?¡± I asked her.


    Rias sucked in a sharp breath and Grayfia''s eyes lost the anger.


    ¡°Well? Are you giving up your Devil powers to me or are you going to finish the job?¡± I asked.


    Grayfia softly sighed as she stepped around me and knelt on the couch to ce her hands on my shoulder. They started to glow as a ritual circle formed over my wound. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    I turned my head to face her and to look into her eyes as I exined what happened, word for word, without embellishment. I told her everything as quickly as possible, added details when she asked for them, and finished up with the confrontation with Rias and her peerage.


    My final words stated that I was trying to teach her a lesson about her childish and irresponsible behavior.

 05 Making Up Is Easy To Do

    05 Making Up Is Easy To Do


    By the time I was done talking, my shoulder no longer had a hole in it or was burned. There was also a look of deep respect on Grayfia''s face. She didn''t say anything about her own efforts to try and curb Rias'' behavior; but, I could see it in her eyes. She had tried hard for years and hadn''t seeded in making the Gremory Heir see reason. I also saw her realize the solution to everything.


    ¡°Issei Hyoudou, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the Gremory n for how my sister-inw has handled your situation. Unlike the other four members of her Peerage, you are the first member she has reincarnated on her own and unsupervised.¡± Grayfia said and fully epted the me for Rias'' mistakes. ¡°I implore you to forgive me, and in turn forgive her and how her friends acted in her defense.¡±


    ¡°Lady Grayfia Lucifuge, I respect and honor you for what you''ve done. You do everything you can to protect your family from their mistakes and you have gone above and beyond that by taking the responsibility for this mess upon yourself.¡± I said and reached up to cup the side of her face as my other hand dug into the package attached to my backpack. ¡°Not only do I forgive you, I want to apologize for my behavior as well. It was uncalled for, even if it was necessary to teach a valuable lesson.¡±


    Grayfia didn''t react as I presented her with a bundle of a dozen red roses, thest of what I had.


    ¡°Please ept this token of my pledge to behave better in the future.¡± I said and she took them with a slight blush on her face. I leaned forward and kissed the cheek of her face, then moved aside just enough and kissed her other cheek. ¡°Thank you very much for epting both my humble gift and my apology.¡±


    Grayfia looked slightly surprised. ¡°You know I am married and kissed my cheeks anyway?¡±


    ¡°I also know you have an adorable little boy named Millicas and he takes after his father.¡± I said with a smile as her surprise grew. ¡°Just because you are a mother, that doesn''t mean you stop being sexy or desirable.¡±


    Grayfia''s face changed and immediately went right to nk.


    ¡°I''m sorry I said that out loud.¡± I said and looked deep into her eyes. ¡°When was thest time you were showed any affection?¡±


    Grayfia didn''t look away as she answered. ¡°I am his Queen first, his maid second, and his wifest.¡±


    I knew exactly what I needed to do next. ¡°My aspect is Lust.¡± I said,pletely lying, because I had no clue what it was or how to figure out what it was. ¡°May I give you a proper kiss as payment forpleting the contract?¡±


    Rias sucked in a sharp breath that Grayfia and I ignored.


    Grayfia still hadn''t broken contact with my gaze and nodded exactly once.


    <i>She knows I lied and epted anyway.</i> I thought happily and wrapped my arms around her waist as I leaned in to kiss her. Our lips met and I closed my eyes as I used the knowledge I had from this life, as well as my own experiences beforeing here, to give Grayfia one of the best kisses of her very long life.


    Grayfia put her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly as we made out. I could feel some of my energy flow out through my tongue and into her. She moaned, fairly indecently, and deepened the kiss. It was probably because I was willingly giving her more than what a normal payment entailed, like money, a favor, or something else just as valuable.


    The lip-locksted for several long minutes, not that either of us were going toin about it. Damn, it was a great kiss. Was it because an older woman knew what she wanted from the intimate contact more than what a younger woman did?


    Grayfia slowed her tongue down and pulled back, breaking the kiss. Her face was flushed red and she looked both pleased and shocked from getting lost in the sensations.


    I let her go and reached up to lightly touch my lips with my fingertips. ¡°Are my lips supposed to tingle after such a wonderful kiss?¡±


    That just seemed to make Grayfia look more pleased and shocked.


    ¡°You... you... I can''t believe...¡± Rias whispered.


    ¡°Ah, right. I need to do my part.¡± I said and stood. I didn''t bother dressing in my recement clothes yet, just so Grayfia and Rias could get a better look at me. I walked around the coffee table, knelt on the floor in front of Rias, and held my hands out to her.


    Rias looked surprised for a second and then smiled as she put her hands in mine and held on. She spread her legs enough for me to fit, a clear invitation to get closer, and gently pulled on my hands. I epted and let her pull herself to the edge of the couch to rest her cloth covered chest against my bare one. Her hands let mine go and she slid them up my muscr back to hug me.


    ¡°Heiress Gremory, I apologize for how I reacted. I took things too far. This is all new to me and everything from my senses to my emotions are all over the ce.¡±


    Rias bit her bottom lip as she felt me grow hard against where our lower halves were pressed together. ¡°I can tell.¡± She said and she shifted her hips a little and let out a little moan as she felt even more of me. ¡°I apologize, too. I messed upst night and I kept making it worse by ignoring you. Mistake on top of mistake led to what happened here and I''m sorry. I thought... I assumed...¡±


    ¡°I know. Lady Grayfia said you are usually supervised when doing things like this. You didn''t realize you were doing anything wrong until I pointed it out, and by then it was much toote to calm things down and talk rationally.¡± I said and leaned my face in close to hers. ¡°I hope you can wait until tomorrow for me to get more flowers and to formally ask for your forgiveness.¡±


    Rias wrapped her legs around my waist and slid her hands from my back to reach up to my head. ¡°You can have my forgiveness right now.¡± She said and pulled me in for a kiss.


    I knew she wanted a kiss like the one I gave Grayfia, so that''s what I did. I also felt her heels nudge my backside, so I started grinding myself into her damp panties. Rias softly moaned and kept moaning as we humped each other and kissed like there was no tomorrow. I felt her offering up some of her Devil magic like I had done with Grayfia, so I epted it and swallowed it down, then sent her my own.


    Rias broke the kiss and moaned loudly as she threw her head back. ¡°OHHH!¡±


    I felt her soak the front of my dress pants and slowed my grinding down to a stop to let her recover. Rias was panting lightly and she looked a little out of it with her eyes slightly unfocused.


    ¡°I should stay until the others return from their tasks.¡± Grayfia said. ¡°My presence will let you safely diffuse this whole thing, Rias.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes... of course. Please... stay.¡± Rias said and unlocked her legs from around my waist and set her feet on the floor.


    I leaned back slightly with our waists still pressed together and her hands ran over my chest, lightly caressing my pectorals, and her nails slightly scratched my abs.


    ¡°Perhaps you should get dressed, Issei.¡± Grayfia suggested.


    I nodded and moved back slightly to look down at Rias, only to see her white panties were so soaked that they werepletely see-through. ¡°You look very tasty, Rias.¡±


    ¡°HNNN!¡± Rias moaned through clenched teeth and she twitched down there as more fluid flowed out and dripped onto the floor.


    ¡°Do you want me to clean that up for you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°OHH!¡± Rias gasped andid back on the couch and she twitched pretty hard down there as more liquid dripped onto the floor.


    I nced over my shoulder at Grayfia and saw the jealous look on her face. I motioned to the couch right beside Rias and I swear the older woman teleported from where she sat to where I pointed. I didn''tment about it and moved down to pull off Rias'' soaked panties. They made a plop sound as they hit the wood floor and the small rivering out of Rias was quite thepliment.


    I made sure to keep my eyes locked onto Grayfia''s as I dug my tongue into Rias'' burning hot lower lips and kissed and suckled her nub. I licked her all over and found several spots she really liked and dove into pleasing her with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.


    Grayfia looked caught up in her own lust as I gave Rias some amazing oral sex. Grayfia''s soaked panties dropped on top of the panties already on the floor and she propped a leg up to give herself a lot of room to finger herself and also give me a wonderful view.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡± Rias screamed out her powerful orgasm and then seemingly fainted dead away.


    I stopped working her over and lifted my head from between her legs. ¡°Cleaning spell, please.¡±


    Grayfia obliged and the wetness was gone from my face and mouth.


    ¡°I need someone to teach me transportation magic and that cleaning spell.¡± I said and moved over to between her legs. ¡°I offer another kiss on your lips as payment.¡±


    Grayfia blushed and also looked pleased at my wording. ¡°I ept the contract.¡±


    ¡°My Lady.¡± I said and deeply kissed her soft folds. As long as I stayed in contact with her skin and didn''t move back to break the kiss, I could stay down there for as long as she wanted me to.


    *


    <i>It''s been an hour and he''s still going at it.</i> Grayfia thought in surprise as she came for the sixteenth time. She felt a little guilty for casting a sleep spell on Rias to pretend the girl had fainted. At first, anyway. Now, she was d she had the foresight to remove the only witness to her kissing another man.


    Another orgasm hit her unexpectedly and Grayfia tried to hold back the moan. She couldn''t. She saw the sh of triumph on Issei''s face and she didn''t begrudge him feeling satisfaction from getting her off. It was quite the achievement, she had to admit. Not even her husband was this diligent when they were still trying to conceive.


    <i>I wonder why he lied about Lust being his devil aspect? He really is quite good at it.</i> Grayfia thought and felt another orgasm approaching. She didn''t try to fight the feeling and let out a soft moan as her fluids flowed out. Issei sucked it up as if it was the most delicious thing in the world and it made her blush slightly. She had blushed more in one evening than she had in thest hundred years.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I have to do this.¡± Issei suddenly said and stood up.


    <i>When did he take his pants off?</i> Grayfia asked herself and then froze when the most beautiful penis she had ever seen was presented to her. It stood at attention and was magnificent in both form and structure. <i>Is... is that... a divine tool?</i>


    Issei was ignorant of her thoughts as he started stroking it like a jackhammer.


    Grayfia''s hand shot out and pped his away. ¡°You need to treat yourself with more care, Issei.¡±


    ¡°Another contract. I owe you a favor if you help jerk me off.¡± Issei said.


    ¡°Done.¡± Grayfia said and she used both hands to grip him. She leaned forward and let drool drop out of her mouth to add fluid to the tip, then she ran her hands all over his distinct hardness and started giving him a great handjob.


    ¡°Ohhh... oh, god.¡± Issei whispered.


    Grayfia winced at him, then her eyes widened. ¡°That didn''t hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Not even a little.¡± Issei said.


    ¡°I will need to tell my husband about that.¡± Grayfia said as her hands kept moving.


    ¡°If you swallow, you can tell him you''re using the favor I owe you to make me save Rias from her sham of a marriage to Riser Phenex.¡± Issei promised.


    Grayfia didn''t hesitate and slipped her mouth right over him and sucked for all she was worth. Issei barelysed a minute before he shot an enormous load right down the throat of the wife of Satan Lucifer. She took it all, quite happily, along with a quite generous amount of magic.


    Issei looked weak and stumbled a little.


    Grayfia caught him as he fell and cuddled him close. ¡°You fool. You offered me too much.¡±


    ¡°Most of... what I had left.¡± Issei whispered and his eyes fluttered shut. ¡°Deserve... more.¡±


    Grayfia ignored her own ttered feeling as she shook her head at his foolishness. The young man passed out from magical exhaustion and she held him tenderly and lightly kissed the side of his head.


    *


    I opened my eyes and realized where I was, currently snuggled up to a pair of the most beautiful and forbidden breasts in the Underworld. I didn''t reject them or made any movement that would indicate that I would ever try to shove them away.


    ¡°You really are a pervert, aren''t you?¡± Grayfia asked me.


    ¡°I am particrly turned on by incredibly sexy mothers.¡± I admitted and didn''t try to lift my head from the soft pillows my head was propped on.


    ¡°Is your repentant act merely a ruse?¡± Grayfia asked me.


    ¡°Not at all. I really am sorry for how I acted before I was murdered.¡± I told her, truthfully. ¡°I know that fate made sure I was punished for my perverted ways and I want to sincerely apologize to everyone I have wronged and made them feel like they were objectified.¡±


    Grayfia gave me a quite pointed look. ¡°Your aspect isn''t Lust.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°It could be.¡±


    Grayfia couldn''t stop her smile from forming.


    ¡°Thank you for epting it without proof.¡± I said and lightly kissed her bare nipples, even though she hadn''t been naked when I fell asleep. ¡°These are magnificent.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Grayfia said and pet my hair. ¡°Shall we get to your lessons?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a spell to give me the information or will I have the supreme pleasure of getting to spend many more hours in your presence?¡± I asked her, honestly.


    Grayfia winked at me. ¡°Both, you greedy little bastard.¡±


    ¡°My parents are married, thank you.¡± I said and reluctantly sat up. ¡°However, she is as epting of my affection as you are.¡±


    Grayfia blushed slightly. ¡°You are a horrible person, Issei.¡±


    ¡°I really am.¡± I said and leaned down to lightly suckle on her left nipple and then suckled on the right one. I stood up and felt energy flow through me, as if I had slept through an entire night. I walked over to the other couch and dressed in my clothes and walked back over to Grayfia and helped her get dressed.


    The both of us helped Rias and propped her up in the corner of the couch. She looked quite peaceful with that huge smile on her face and Grayfia and I exchanged amused looks, because we were both sure that Rias hadn''t gotten off anywhere near as well as Grayfia had with me helping her so much.


    After we had cleared a space for my lessons, Grayfia started to instruct me on the proper use of Devil magic.

 06 Club Activities

    06 Club Activities


    Magic was downright easy. Once I learned the main underlying mechanics, that mostly contained pre-designed ritualistic circles, there wasn''t really anything I couldn''t do. The only real limit was my own magic reserves. Learning how to do things was pretty easy, thanks to Grayfia''s extensive knowledge.


    Creating effects with imagination based Devil magic was as simple as imagining what I wanted and building up the magic to do it. With thatbined with my Karma based abilities, I could pretty much do anything I wanted, as long as it benefited me in some way. Karma was a bit funny that way. When I checked my Karma points, they were at a solid +100.


    Considering my previous actions, I had made up a significant amount of lost points and I suspected that when Akeno and Kiba returned, I would gain another smaller amount, considering they were the main pieces of Rias'' Peerage. I already had Koneko firmly in my corner, so there would be no real gains there, besides the benefits of being with a pretty girl like her.


    Two hourster, my contract had been fulfilled and Grayfia gave me a satisfied nod. I bent over at the waist and took her hand, kissed it with as much aplomb as I could, and thanked her with as heart-felt of a voice as possible. The pleased look on her face let me know that I had achieved what I set out to do.


    I walked over to the teleportation circle and used my magic to change the standard destination to the one on my task list, stepped inside, and activated it. It didn''t take a lot of magic to activate an already existing magic circle, so I disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in the bedroom that appeared to be decorated by a teenage girl.


    I didn''t freak out when a mountain of a man stood up from the bed and red at me. ¡°Good evening, Mil-Tan! I am a Gremory Devil and I have been assigned to help you tonight.¡±


    The massive man''s re didn''t lessen. ¡°They sent a new person? I was expecting Kiba-san to spend time with me. The new season of Magical Girl Seven was released and we were going to watch it together.¡±


    I held up my hands and shrugged. ¡°I''m sorry, Mil-Tan. They sent me here specifically because I was new. They thought you would want to meet the newest member that you could summon.¡±


    Mil-Tan''s re didn''t lessen. ¡°Did they also tell you what my constant wish was and that they never fulfilled it in almost two years?¡±


    I smiled and nodded. ¡°You want to be a sexy magical girl with big boobs and an ass that would make men cry when they saw it.¡±


    Mil-Tan looked surprised for a second, then started to cry. ¡°It''s my fondest wish!¡±


    ¡°What would you give to have it be real?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Anything! I would give anything to be what I''ve always wanted to be!¡± Mil-Tan pleaded.


    ¡°Then let''s work out a deal that will benefit the both of us.¡± I said and Mil-Tan beamed a smile at me that had no ce on the face of such a hard-looking muscr man that could fold me into a pretzel.


    When we worked out the contract that was a mutually binding one, much to Mil-Tan''s pleasure, we agreed on what it was actually worth to the man-that-wanted-to-be-a-woman and set the final terms of the exchange.


    Once it was signed, I reached up and touched the muscr man on the shoulder. When I did, I mentally asked for my current Karma Point total. It was at +250 and I asked what I could buy with so much.


    A screen popped up and I didn''t bother trying to read through everything. I mentally chose the search option and looked up both Gender Switch for a Party Member and Customize Character options. I was not surprised that the cost of bothbined was 220 Karma points and the Magical Girl add-on was and additional 30 points. That just seemed how my new life was turning out.


    ¡°All right, Mil-Tan. Show me the drawings and videos of what you wanted to look like.¡± I said as I made him a temporary party member.


    Mil-Tan dug through the many sheets of paper he had and handed over the drawing that he liked the most. We also watched several of his favorite episodes of a magical girl show. Afterwards, I spent a good fifteen minutes tweaking everything in the Customize Character screen to make the new Mil-Tan look exactly like what Mil-Tan wanted to look like.


    ¡°Is anyone going to question why you transformed from a big muscle man into a beautiful and sexy woman?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°No, I have been reclusive after I chose to reveal myself publicly. No one epted me for who I was and I had to hide ever since.¡± Mil-Tan said, sadly.


    I gave his shoulder a squeeze. ¡°I''m sorry that they were too shortsighted to see the person you are inside.¡±


    Mil-Tan gave me a quite intense look. ¡°You aren''t judging me.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not. You are who you are. If you feel like you need to be a girl, who am I to say you shouldn''t be who you were meant to be?¡± I asked him and the intense look increased to be almost oppressive. ¡°When you do be a woman, I can''t let you have sex with me.¡±


    Mil-Tan thought about that. ¡°Would another exclusive contract work for that?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Only after I give my virginity to someone I care deeply about. After that? I''ll be happy to have sex with you after your transformation.¡±


    ¡°Not before?¡± Mil-Tan asked, a little upset.


    ¡°At the moment, you don''t have the right equipment for me to enjoy myself properly.¡± I responded.


    Mil-Tan didn''t need any time to work out what I meant. ¡°You feel about my new form what I feel about it myself. It''s necessary to change it for us to be happy with who I am.¡±


    I moved closer to look up into his eyes. ¡°I didn''t say I couldn''t enjoy it, just that I prefer the fairer sex. Nothing beats how they react to stimtion down there, as you probably guessed.¡±


    Mil-Tan smiled and looked happy at my qualification. ¡°You''re right. I''m ready for the change, Issei.¡±


    I nodded and spent my Karma Points to enact the changes to my chosen party member. Because I had only changed the appearance of his character and the gender, none of his original stats were changed. He was still just as strong, just as fast, and just as powerful as he had been in his other body. Making him magical was like a small added bonus that didn''t really make much difference in the end.


    The bright glow faded and the tall muscr man was now apletely naked five foot six inch tall woman with long blonde hair and body curves that every woman on the would envy. Mil-Tan blinked her eyes, that had ridiculously long natural eyshes, then she looked down to see the massive and quite impressive rack she had.


    ¡°They''re REAL! I have REAL BREASTS!¡± Mil-Tan yelled and cupped them.


    I tried to not watch her grope herself and couldn''t help myself grow hard as she moaned and fondled her veryrge and very real breasts. When one of her hands slid down to between her legs, it didn''t take long for her to cry out in ecstasy and she came with a huge squirt over the carpet. She copsed backwards onto her bed, barely breathing, and she stared at me with adoration on her face.


    ¡°Help... help me.¡± Mil-Tan whispered and held a hand out to me.


    ¡°Another contract. Oral sex and I''ll put you into contact with another Magical Girl that will want to make you a part of her entourage.¡± I said right away and took her hand.


    ¡°You are making me fall in love with you for giving me everything I''ve ever wanted, Issei.¡± Mil-Tan said and pulled on my hand.


    I fell onto the bed beside her and she kissed me deeply, then she pushed me down and spread her legs. I dove in there and she cried out loudly at finally feeling like a woman, then she came, and came, and came again. She was apparently very sensitive and she eventually pulled me away from her drenched opening and brought me up toy beside her.


    ¡°I will... save myself... for you, Issei.¡± Mil-Tan promised.


    ¡°I look forward to it, Mil-Tan.¡± I said, honestly.


    Mil-Tan kissed me and licked the inside of my mouth to taste herself. ¡°I even taste like a woman.¡±


    I couldn''t help but chuckle at that. ¡°Let me guess. You''ve had some liaisons where theyined.¡±


    Mil-Tan nodded. ¡°I know you''re going to say they were not worthy.¡±


    ¡°They weren''t.¡± I said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I''ll have that contact information for you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You already know who will want the new me?¡± Mil-Tan asked.


    ¡°Besides me?¡± I asked and she giggled. ¡°Her magical girl name is Levi-Tan and she can show you how to use your magic properly, since I have no clue how to teach you to use magical girl spells.¡± I said and grinned. ¡°She also produces her own television show and I''m sure you are going to make a ton of money as a guest star and I will get a quarter of your sry.¡±


    Mil-Tanughed and gave me another kiss. ¡°You sneaky little devil! You manipted me!¡±


    Iughed as well. ¡°Of course! I''m not above benefiting myself as I help someone as wonderful as you. Why shouldn''t we both get everything we can from this rtionship?¡±


    Mil-Tan rolled onto her side and easily pulled me up onto my side to face her, which she noticed. ¡°I''m still as strong as I was when I was male? How?¡±


    I reached out and caressed the cheek of her face. ¡°I only changed what you looked like, Mil-Tan, not who you are. You are still you and you always will be.¡±


    Mil-Tan blushed deeply and I could almost hear how loudly her heart was beating. ¡°Issei, I really... I''m really... I''m falling for you.¡± She whispered and looked into my eyes. ¡°I love you.¡±


    I gave her a tender kiss. ¡°You know I can''t confess the same. Not yet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Mil-Tan said and smiled. ¡°I''m just the first to say it.¡±


    ¡°How did you know...¡± I stopped and saw her fighting to notugh. ¡°I''m supposed to be the maniptive one, you sneaky magical girl!¡±


    Mil-Tan giggled girlishly as her hand went down to the bulge in my crotch. ¡°Oh, and what''s this? I think someone is very appreciative of his contract''s fulfillment.¡±


    Iughed and put a hand on hers to stop her. ¡°We have to save that forter, remember?¡±


    ¡°Can''t I have a little peek?¡± Mil-Tan asked, teasingly.


    ¡°I shouldn''t tempt you until you ept Levi-Tan''s offer. After that, you can see what I''m hiding.¡±


    ¡°And taste it? And feel it? And ride it until I pass out?¡± Mil-Tan asked with another giggle. She really was fully embracing her new role.


    Iughed and sat up. ¡°Go to sleep, Mil-Tan.¡± I said without agreeing, even though we both knew I wouldn''t refuse her when it was time. ¡°You have a big day tomorrow with your official debut.¡±


    Mil-Tan nodded and let my crotch go. ¡°Goodnight, Issei.¡± She said and grabbed the nket I handed to her and she pulled it over herself.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± I said and stood, then leaned over the bed to give her another tender kiss.


    ¡°Issei.¡± Mil-Tan said as I walked over to the summoning circle. ¡°Thank you. For everything.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Mil-Tan.¡± I said and held a hand towards the floor to cast the transportation spell. I disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in the ult Research Club. I wasn''t surprised to see that Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko had already returned. Grayfia stood off to the side and looked a little bored.


    ¡°You were gone for a long time.¡± Rias said with amusement on her face. ¡°How is Mil-Tan doing?¡±


    Kiba looked a little embarrassed at foisting his normal client off onto me and Akeno smiled briefly before she frowned.


    ¡°Mil-Tan was a little exhausted after I performed an enthusiastic session of oral sex on my contracted client.¡± I said and walked over to sit down on the couch across from Rias and Akeno. The looks of shock on their faces was worth the misdirection. As far as they knew, Mil-Tan was still male. I let them stew on that for several seconds before I burst outughing.


    ¡°Ha ha, very funny.¡± Rias said and motioned to Grayfia. ¡°My brother''s wife has been waiting for your return.¡±


    I nodded and stood again, walked over to Grayfia, and took her hand. I led her over to the couch I sat on before and sat her down, then I sat beside her. ¡°I assume you know why Lady Grayfia chose to stay here.¡±


    Both Akeno and Kiba sighed and nodded.


    ¡°I exined what happened and what you were doing.¡± Rias said.


    ¡°Being mean to teach her a lesson.¡± Koneko said, cutting to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°I was actually angry at Rias for what happened, then Grayfia took full responsibility and exined Rias hasn''t done this on her own before. I couldn''t in good conscience hold either of them at fault for a mistake that neither of them had ever made before and didn''t realize the consequences.¡± I said and leaned in to kiss Grayfia''s cheek. I stood and walked around the coffee table and knelt in front of Akeno.


    Akeno immediately blushed and I knew Rias had already told her what I had done to her when I was in that same position in front of her. Instead of shying away like I thought she would with witnesses around, Akeno leaned forward to take my hands and pulled herself to the edge of the couch as she spread her legs for me.


    She had a bit more space between her thighs than Rias, so she was wider down there and I easily fit as she pressed herself against me. Her arms went under my school uniform jacket to caress my back.


    ¡°I''m sorry how things turned out today, Akeno.¡± I said with sincerity and hugged her. ¡°I was hurt and scared and Ished out at the person I thought had intentionally abandoned me. You did the right thing by defending your best friend from a verbal attack, one I wasn''t gentle with at all, and Rias should feel honored to have such a strong young woman like you as her Queen to protect her.¡±


    Akeno blushed again. ¡°Issei, I... I overreacted. I didn''t understand why you were being mean and vicious; but, I have never seen Rias so hurt and wanted you to stop.¡±


    I ducked my head slightly. ¡°I know. Lady Grayfia, she...¡± I stopped and lifted my head to look into her eyes. ¡°Like I told Rias earlier, you have to wait until tomorrow for me to get more flowers and for me to ask for your forgiveness.¡±


    Akeno nced at Rias and saw a slight nod, so she smirked at me. ¡°I''m not sure you can handle me forgiving you like that.¡±


    I had to chuckle because I could feel her dampness coating the front of my pants. Instead of speaking, I slid a hand down to below her waist... and then quick as a sh, I hauled my hand back and pped her right on the ass with a loud crack.


    ¡°AH!¡± Akeno gasped and jumped slightly, then she moaned and leaned against me. ¡°Ohhhh!¡±


    I cast the cleaning spells on us both as she recovered from having a nice orgasm, then I carefully let her go and eased her backwards to sit properly on the couch beside Rias. The redhead looked amused at the contented face on her best friend.


    ¡°I guess it''s part of your aspect to understand what we like.¡± Riasmented.


    I shrugged and stood. ¡°I''ve only been a Devil for less than a day. I''m sure I''ll figure things out soon enough.¡±


    Rias nodded and motioned to Kiba.


    ¡°You''ll forgive me if I don''t ept such a close apology.¡± Kiba said to me.


    I chuckled and walked over to hold a hand out for him to shake. ¡°I''m sorry for how I acted. I was trying to keep a personal distance as I argued with Rias. It wasn''t until after I talked with Mil-Tan and gained a very important pearl of wisdom that I realized my mistake in my characterization of Rias'' Peerage.¡±


    Kiba shook my hand. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Most strangers are just friends you haven''t met yet.¡± I said and saw the approving looks on Grayfia and Rias. I walked back to the couch and sat down. I was quite tempted to put an arm around Grayfia to give her a bit of hidden and public affection, then decided against it.


    We had really pushed the boundaries of propriety with what we did and that was without witnesses. I wasn''t going to ruin everything for a one-arm hug.


    ¡°I am d you have all worked this out to my satisfaction.¡± Grayfia said and stood. ¡°Heiress Gremory, I will keep this matter private.¡±


    ¡°Even from my brother?¡± Rias asked, a little surprised.


    Grayfia briefly looked at me and looked back at her. ¡°It was a family matter and it is resolved. No further action or intervention is required.¡±


    Rias stood, so the rest of us did as well. ¡°Thank you, Grayfia.¡±


    Grayfia gave her a quick hug, nodded to Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, and then me. She walked over to the teleportation circle. ¡°Good evening.¡±


    ¡°Good evening.¡± We replied and she disappeared in a sh of light.

 07 Starting To Fill A Promise

    07 Starting To Fill A Promise


    A collective sigh came from everyone and I looked around at their relieved faces.


    ¡°Ipletely missed something significant about Lady Grayfia''s visit, didn''t I?¡± I asked.


    Rias made a snort sound, Akeno did her ''ufufufu''ugh, and Kiba coughed to cover his ownugh.


    Koneko took the opportunity to swat me upside the head. ¡°Pervert missed the obvious.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡± I barked and scooped her up into my arms into a princess carry, spun around, and sat down on the couch with her on myp. ¡°Would you like to exin it to me?¡±


    Koneko did not miss the fact I still had an erection, because it pressed against her thigh. ¡°Cake first.¡±


    I gave her several kisses on her cheek and neck. ¡°Are there enough ingredients in the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°More than enough.¡± Rias said. ¡°I had some delivered.¡±


    ¡°Both I and Koneko''s stomachs thank you.¡± I joked and Riasughed. ¡°Shall we get to it or should we cuddle for a bit first?¡±


    Koneko looked genuinely conflicted at my question.


    ¡°Maybe a few minutes rest, then we cook, and we can cuddle waiting for them to bake?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Pervert.¡± Koneko said and cuddled into me, silently agreeing to mypromise.


    ¡°Are you really going to bake her a hundred cakes?¡± Rias asked with a teasing smile on her face.


    ¡°A hundred batches of mini-cakes, actually. Since I can''t bake them all at once, not that they would stay fresh for that long anyway, I''ll make a batch every few days. Twice a week should be enough to keep Koneko well dosed with fluffy and sugary sweetness for about a year.¡± I said.


    Koneko looked quite happy and nodded as she nuzzled into my neck and nipped at the skin yfully. My squirming under her attention seemed to make her even happier, which the others easily noticed and gave me pointed looks.


    I didn''t try to take advantage of the situation, though. My hand on Koneko''s thigh didn''t roam and my hand on her waist didn''t try to dip down to lightly caress the top of her ass, even though I could easily do both and no one would have med me for it, not even Koneko.


    When the invisible clock in my head clicked at the ten minute mark, I changed my grip and stood with Koneko cradled in my arms, without assistance, and I walked out of the club room. Koneko pointed me where to go and we entered the kitchen. It didn''t take Koneko long to decide that I couldn''t cook and still keep her in my arms, so she reluctantly chose to sit right beside me at the counter to watch me.


    I softlyughed under my breath and gave her cheek several kisses for diligently making sure I wasn''t going to balk atpleting my promise to her. She kept her eyes locked onto me as I turned on the oven and gathered the things needed for the Cherry and Vani cake mix. She didn''t react as my skills made short work of mixing the ingredients and Ibined them into a homemade cake mix batter that smelled delicious.


    Koneko''s eyes widened when I conjured fifteen ceramic rings that were four inches wide and one inch high. I covered a cookie sheet with parchment paper, the baker''s best friend, and set the rings in three rows of five to fill the sheet. I used adle to fill each of the rings and Koneko''s eyes widened when I used the veryst of the cake batter to fill the fifteenth ring.


    ¡°You may now lick the spoon and bowl, my dearest Koneko.¡± I said and handed her the bowl, mixing spoon, anddle. I barely turned around to put the cookie sheet into the oven when I heard her eagerly slurping at the residue in the bowl. I didn''t need eyes in the back of my head to know that she had forsaken the spoon anddle and was using her bare fingers to assault and clean out the bowl.


    After I checked the oven''s temperature and set the timer, I turned around to see Koneko''s face streaked with smudges of batter, her fingers were covered, and she was doing her best to lick all of it off and clean herself.


    I didn''tugh, even though it was pretty funny to watch her struggling. Instead, I joined in to try and help her clean herself by using my tongue as well. I started with the backs of her hands as she licked her palms and then I worked on her face. She really had made a huge mess trying to eat it as fast as possible, so I had a lot of work ahead of me and I looked forward to it.


    *


    Rias and Akeno stood in the doorway of the kitchen and stared at the scene in front of them. Their cute little Koneko, the school''s mascot, was making out with their newest Peerage member as if he was the tastiest treat in the world. Their tongues were all over each other''s faces and inside their mouths, then their tops were suddenly off and Koneko rubbed her batter-covered hands over his chest.


    Both girls watched as Koneko suckled on Issei''s hardened nipples and then licked his chest all over. It was a level of maturity that they hadn''t suspected that Koneko knew about, let alone could implement so effectively.


    ¡°K-Koneko...¡± Issei whispered.


    ¡°Pervert wants a turn?¡± Koneko asked and rubbed her hands over the inside of the mostly empty bowl. She sat up on his waist to rub her hands onto her own small chest.


    ¡°Thank you, my dearest Koneko.¡± Issei said, his voice full of devotion, and he sat up to lick off every little bit of batter off of Koneko''s breasts. Her small nipples looked like little bullets, they were so hard. ¡°You are so beautiful and tasty.¡± Issei said and suckled on each of her nipples.


    ¡°P-p-pervert... can''t have... my cookie yet.¡± Koneko said as she hugged his head to her chest and her hips moved and rubbed herself over his hardness.


    ¡°I know, dearest. I won''t rush you.¡± Issei said and looked up at her face. ¡°When you are ready, you will be the first to have my dango.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± Koneko asked.


    ¡°I refused Mil-Tan and said I couldn''t sleep with anyone until I gave my virginity to someone I deeply cared about.¡± Issei told her.


    Akeno had barely put up a one-way silence barrier just as Rias let out a half-shout and half-growl.


    Koneko looked surprised for a moment, then she pushed Issei down onto the counter to stare into his eyes. ¡°You would do things like that with Mil-Tan?¡±


    Isseiughed. ¡°You don''t have to freak out about it, Koneko. I sessfullypleted Mil-Tan''s most fervent wish, gained a quarter of <b>her</b> current wealth and savings, and will continue to gain a quarter of all of <b>her</b> future ie for the rest of <b>her</b> life.¡±


    Koneko, Rias, and Akeno were shocked to hear that. Almost as if it knew perfect timing, the timer on the oven beeped several times and interrupted the awkward moment.


    ¡°Koneko, I need to take the cakes out or they''ll be ruined.¡± Issei told her.


    Koneko hopped off of him as if she had been burned.


    Issei chuckled at her reaction and didn''t bother with an oven mitt as he opened the oven and took out the cookie sheet. He turned off the oven and ced the cookie sheet on the counter, then a wave of his hand dissolved the conjured ceramic rings to leave behind fifteen perfectly formed four inch wide mini-cakes that were a inch and a half high.


    ¡°Do you want them left as is or do you want a few doubleyer mini-cakes?¡± Issei asked Koneko.


    Koneko looked conflicted. ¡°What kind of icing are you using?¡±


    Issei smirked at her. ¡°Butter Creme.¡±


    ¡°More fits in the middle?¡± Koneko asked.


    ¡°I''ll slightly dig out the middles for filling.¡± Issei agreed.


    ¡°Four of them.¡± Koneko said with a nod. That would use up eight of the cakes and leave her seven to eat normally.


    Issei grabbed a knife and deftly trimmed off the rounded tops of eight of the cakes to make them t and then skimmed a bit more out of the middle. Koneko immediately ate the skimmed parts. Issei nodded at the top parts and Koneko started nibbling on one at a slower pace.


    ¡°I could make them into smaller patties with icing if you don''t eat them all by the time I''m done making the icing.¡± Issei said and Koneko gave him a searching look. ¡°It''s just an idea. The cakes are quite tasty as they are already.¡±


    Koneko nodded and watched as Issei quickly made the butter icing and then he literally assembled four miniature cakes with the two halves, filled the middles, and then covered the outside with icing.


    ¡°They can''t be eaten by hand as they are, since the icing is soft and will make a huge mess.¡± Issei said and snapped his fingers over one of them. The icing smoothed out and then seemed to harden into a crust. He picked it up and smiled, covered the bottom with icing, and did the same thing. ¡°Now they can be carried and you won''t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Love you, pervert.¡± Koneko said and took the finished double cake to start eating it.


    ¡°Love you, too.¡± Issei said with augh and kissed the side of her head. ¡°You''re lucky I cooled it off from the oven already. The icing would melt, otherwise.¡± He said and then did the other three doubleyer mini-cakes and then all seven singleyer ones.


    When Issei was done, he made cake sandwiches with the remaining cake tops with icing in the middle and left them like that without covering them with icing.


    ¡°Room temperature or refrigerator?¡± Issei asked her.


    ¡°Half and half.¡± Koneko decided.


    Issei put two of the doubleyer mini-cakes into the fridge with four of the single cakes and left the rest in the cupboard set aside for Koneko''s snacks. A wave of his hand added signs that said ''Do Not Touch'' and ''Property of Koneko'' on them to add to both the cupboard and the fridge.


    ¡°Another one.¡± Koneko said and pointed at the property sign.


    Issei created another and Koneko immediately pped it onto his forehead. He looked surprised for a few seconds and then heughed andughed. He gave her several kisses and promised to not remove it until he went home.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Koneko said and finished off the cake. ¡°Bring some.¡±


    Issei took two of the singles and the lone double mini-cakes and put them into a paper bag. ¡°Are you sure you want toe along? My mother...¡±


    Koneko tapped the sign and licked her fingers.


    ¡°Good point. The sooner she knows the better.¡± Issei said and used cleaning spells on himself and Koneko before he put on his shirt and jacket, then he helped her get dressed.


    Rias and Akeno left before they were seen, or so they thought. They didn''t see the knowing smiles on Koneko''s and Issei''s faces as they left the ult Research Club building.


    *


    ¡°Thank you foring along, Koneko.¡± I said and handed her a singleyer mini-cake.


    Koneko nodded and took her time as she ate the tasty treat that had been so easy to make that I could have done it blindfolded. The skills I had avable weren''t shown, no matter how I worded the request to have them disyed, which meant I wouldn''t know what I would be good at until I tried it. I also didn''t know how quickly I could master any new skills I gained, either.


    ¡°Well, well, well. What''s this? Two stray devils moving around without their master?¡± A man''s voice asked from down the street. He wore a trench coat and a fedora to partially cover his face.


    ¡°Koneko!¡± I shouted as she shoved thest of the mini-cake into her mouth. I promoted to Rook as I grabbed her left hand with my left and put my right hand on her ass. ¡°Javelin!¡± I said and picked her up to throw her as hard as I could.


    Koneko knew what I meant and she straightened out into a streamlined shape as if she was flying like Superman with her fists straight forward. The guy wearing the trench coat barely widened his eyes and deployed his ck feathered wings to dodge when Koneko''s double-fists smashed into his face and snapped his neck. I could throw really hard, apparently.


    As Koneko twisted in the air andnded a good twenty feet away from the target, I rushed over to check on the creature I knew was named Dohnaseek and saw that a snapped neck was only enough to disable the guy and not kill him outright. He was either tough or normal mortal injuries weren''t as fatal as I thought they should be on supernatural creatures.


    I formed a ck sword with my magic and sliced off the Fallen Angel''s wings to stop him from escaping or recovering too fast. Because of the guy''s snapped neck and his head being at such an odd angle, he only gurgled with pain and his eyes red at me while he tried to heal all that damage as well as his neck.


    Koneko ran over to us. ¡°Feel moreing.¡±


    I nodded and looked at therge wings I held. With barely a thought, they disappeared in a sh of light. Koneko gave me a slightly surprised look and I winked at her before I looked down at the fallen Angel.


    ¡°You''re lucky I memorized the coordinates of the teleportation circle.¡± I said and held a hand out to cast the magic as my other hand formed a note with what happened. Dohnaseek gurgled in protest as the ground lit up underneath him and he disappeared in a sh of light.


    ¡°We need to run.¡± Koneko said and grabbed my hand. I nodded and we ran at our best speed, which matched. She was again surprised that I was keeping up with her.


    ¡°We''re in Enemy Territory and I promoted to Rook.¡± I exined.


    Koneko looked pleased at hearing that and we quickly left the area before the other Fallen Angels showed up. All they should find were a few stray feathers, some blood, and probably some magic residue.


    We took a circuitous route to lose any tails and to muddy any trails we might have left behind, thanks to Koneko''s skills with tracking. We eventually arrived back at my house and I used my key to unlock the front door. I had barely stepped inside when the lights in the hallway turned on and an angry woman red at me with crossed arms and a tapping foot.


    ¡°Before I exin where I was, I want you to meet someone.¡± I said and stepped aside. I opened my mouth to continue when a girlish squeal came from my mother.


    Miki was instantly passed me and had scooped Koneko up into her arms and buried the girl''s face into her cleavage. ¡°A GIRL! You brought a REAL GIRL home!¡±


    I stood there and watched Koneko''s futile struggle to free herself. ¡°Really, mom? You''re starting off with the Full Double Breast Suffocation Hug right away? I thought you needed to work up to that.¡±


    ¡°There was no time for all of that build-up.¡± Miki said with a giggle and eased her hold on the girl. ¡°I''m sorry, dear. You are the very first girl my perverted son has ever brought home, willingly or not.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± I gasped and then chuckled. ¡°Never mind. I deserved that.¡±


    Miki nodded and ced her hands on Koneko''s shoulders. ¡°It''ste, so I insist you stay the night.¡±


    ¡°That''s her way of making sure you can''t escape without exining how I managed to get you here.¡± I said and leaned in to kiss my mother''s cheek. ¡°We''re taking a bath and then we''re going to bed. I''ll make breakfast in the morning, so you can rx and interrogate Koneko then.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Miki said, happily. She let Koneko go and motioned to the stairs. ¡°The spare towels are in the hall closet and I''ll bring you a spare robe to wear.¡±


    Koneko nodded and gave me a look.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Mom would never let me do anything under her roof without her approval. You''re perfectly safe.¡± I promised and took her hand.


    ¡°You really are.¡± Miki said. ¡°Please limit yourself to light kisses and a few gropes, please.¡±


    Koneko looked from her to me with a question on her face.


    ¡°She''s talking to you.¡± I informed her. ¡°Mom knows I haven''t asked you out on a date yet, because I tell her everything.¡±


    Koneko smiled slightly and nodded. I could tell that she liked that she was in control of what happened between us.


    ¡°See you in the morning!¡± Miki said and waved to us as we went up the stairs.

 08 Just A Normal Night

    08 Just A Normal Night


    ¡°She''s happy.¡± Koneko whispered at the top of the stairs.


    ¡°That''s because I''m not covered in bruises andining about girls overreacting about me seeing their panties.¡± I rified for her and she let out a softugh under her breath. ¡°I know, right? Kuoh Academy uniform skirts are so short that even when I wasn''t trying to look, I saw the underwear of at least ten different girls every day.¡±


    ¡°Not any more?¡± Koneko asked when I stopped at the hall closet.


    ¡°It''s not worth the thrill anymore.¡± I said and handed her two towels, took one for myself, and closed the door. ¡°I mean, I will always like seeing girls showing off their panties, especially pretty girls like you. I just think having them willingly show me is much more valuable than sneaking a peek.¡±


    Koneko waited until we were in the bathroom to speak. ¡°You saw mine when you threw me.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± I said and she gave me a nk expression. ¡°I also didn''t look when you straddled me on the kitchen counter.¡± I took off my jacket and hung it on the back of the door. ¡°I can''t even tell you what color they are.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Koneko asked.


    I could hear the doubt in her voice. ¡°I promised to not push you, Koneko. You choose what I see, what I touch, and how much.¡±


    Koneko stayed quiet as I finished undressing and I hung up myplete uniform. I left on my boxer shorts and turned away from the door as I made sure to keep my back to her, so I wouldn''t see anything. It was a bit of a maniption, because I could easily make an educated guess on what she was wearing. I started running the water for the soaking tub and went over to the small washing stool.


    ¡°Issei.¡± Koneko''s soft voice said. ¡°You can look.¡±


    I turned towards her and she stood there wearing just her panties. They were covered in white and blue stripes. ¡°I guessed you might be wearing those.¡± I admitted. ¡°That brand is bothfortable and is difficult to see through when they get wet.¡±


    Koneko blinked her eyes at me. ¡°You really didn''t look.¡±


    ¡°No. Like I said, it''s not worth losing more of a girl''s respect by peeking.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°How about me? Are you okay about seeing my underwear on the floor?¡±


    Koneko looked down at me and back at my face. ¡°Not showing.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I''m fighting it pretty hard, because you are beautiful and half-naked in front of me.¡± I said and turned around. I dropped my boxer shorts to the floor and kicked them over to theundry basket and they went right in. ¡°Score!¡±


    Koneko let out a huff. ¡°Too easy.¡±


    Iughed when her panties bounced off the sink, flipped through the air, banked off the wall, and went into the basket on top of mine. ¡°And we have a winner,dies and gentlemen!¡± I said and lightly pped. ¡°I didn''t know cloth could do that.¡±


    Koneko''s small hands lightly touched my back. ¡°Sit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dearest.¡± I said and stepped around the stool and sat with my towel draped across myp. I stayed quiet as Konekothered me up and scrubbed me all over. She did not dip her hands down to where she could clearly see the bump in the towel and worked around it. Ithered my hands up and did it myself.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Koneko said.


    I moved off the stool and let her sit down without looking at her, then I did the same as her andthered her up from behind and didn''t try to do anything under the towel on herp. Her breasts were fair game, though. We had both enjoyed what we did in the kitchen and Koneko wasn''t shy about it after taking control like that. She washed herself down there and I rinsed her off.


    Koneko turned her head to look into my eyes. Without saying anything, I scooped her up into my arms into a princess carry and neither of us could see the crotch of the other. I stepped into the tub and set her down in the middle, turned off the water, and sat down at the end.


    ¡°Pervert pillow.¡± Koneko said and I nodded.


    I moved my legs apart and she slid backwards to settle her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and I hugged her snugly as my erection rested between the cheeks of her ass. Koneko took in a deep breath and let it out, almost with a relieved sigh. I slowly peppered the side of her face and neck with feather-light kisses and we both settled slightly to rx in the hot water.


    *


    Miki Hyoudou quietly opened the bathroom door and hung the spare robe on the hook after she took both Issei''s and Koneko''s uniforms. Her eyes quickly nced at the tub and she saw the heart-melting sight of her son cuddling a cute girl. She left the bathroom and went to theundry room, dealt with the two uniforms to make them presentable to wear in the morning, and left a new pair of panties for Koneko and boxer shorts for Issei.


    With her essential work done, she went to her bedroom and changed before she climbed into bed. Miki''s thoughts went to Isseiing home and she had been so excited about seeing her only child with a real girl that it made her forget about how angry she was about himing home sote. He hadn''t called and also missing supper.


    Of course, Miki had assumed there was a phone somewhere in whatever club he said he might be stayingte for. It wasn''t until now that she understood why he had been so vague about the details of what he would be doing after school. He was wooing a girl!


    Miki pushed those thoughts aside and giggled when she remembered the sign on Issei''s forehead that said he was Koneko''s Property. She hadn''t had a chance to ask who that was before Koneko was revealed. The girl was so tiny and cute that she had to start off with the big guns, as Issei would say.


    She covered her mouth to muffle herugh. Her son had called her out on that move, too. Koneko''s reaction hadn''t been surprise, though. She had taken it like she expected it and that gave Miki an odd thought to follow. Had the girl been smothered by an enthusiastic big boob hug before?


    Miki drifted off to sleep as she wondered how much girl talk she could squeeze in before the teens had to leave for school.


    *


    After half an hour, Koneko and I reluctantly left the bath and dried off, put on robes, and went to my bedroom.


    ¡°Pervert Heaven.¡± Koneko said as soon as she stepped into my room.


    ¡°I will freely admit that a pervert died here.¡± I said with augh and she smiled. ¡°I''ll be gathering up things over the next few days to pack them up to either sell to my old friends or back to the store.¡±


    Koneko browsed around and looked at a few of the action figures and props that were on the shelves.


    ¡°Some of it is collectible.¡± I said and folded down the nkets on my bed. ¡°I might keep a few things for nostalgia''s sake, like that mecha-girl poster.¡±


    Koneko turned around to look where I pointed. She walked over to the wall and stared at it. ¡°Artsy.¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what I thought the first time I saw it. She''s covered, looks ssy, and still shows off everything to full effect.¡± I said and went to my dresser to dig out two pairs of boxers. I slipped one on under my robe and took off my robe, then handed the second pair to Koneko. ¡°They are from a new pack.¡±


    Koneko nodded and epted them, copied my movements to put them on under the robe she wore without shing me, and she took off the robe.


    ¡°Right side or left?¡± I asked and turned to show off holding my left arm or my right.


    Koneko looked at the bed. ¡°Left. I can leap out to attack easier on this side.¡±


    I chuckled and climbed into bed and patted the spot next to me. Koneko climbed in andid down on my arm and partially on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her to hold her and she pressed her breasts against my side.


    ¡°Goodnight, dearest.¡± I whispered to her.


    ¡°Goodnight, pervert.¡± Koneko said.


    I gave the top of her head a kiss. ¡°I''ll warn you now that I''ll be hard in the morning and that''s normal.¡±


    ¡°Not because of me?¡± Koneko asked, her voice t.


    ¡°Oh, it''s definitely because of you.¡± I said and used my right hand to lightly caress her arm on my chest. ¡°Don''t ever doubt that you''re the reason.¡±


    Koneko nodded slightly and closed her eyes.


    I stayed awake for several minutes as I thought over everything I went through today. On the whole, it had worked out well, despite the huge gamble I had taken with Rias and her Peerage. I hadn''t expected Akeno to call in Grayfia as the supreme authority to handle things and it still worked out positively.


    What was funny was that no one exined what I had missed about Grayfia''s visit. I could guess, however. She was the agent Sirzechs used to do his dirty work. She was the clean-up crew and handled everything that needed to be done out of the public view and behind the scenes. I didn''t miss the fact that Akeno had immediately pointed Grayfia at me and told her to fix the problem.


    That realization exined why my Karma had dropped so low when dealing with Rias and her Peerage. My words apparently had a lot of impact on my own Karmic Debt and I was sure that I was either adding to or subtracting from the people I interacted with, meaning my gains and losses were much more than they would be normally.


    When seen from that perspective, I knew that at the end, I had relieved some of the negative debt that Rias had done in the past and changed how she would do things in the future, which was the entire point of my lesson. Any future members were going to be handled in a much better fashion than I had been. It had also given both her and myself arge Karma boost... that I immediately spent on Mil-Tan.


    I held in myugh at that, mainly because if I hadn''t gambled so much with Rias, I wouldn''t have met Grayfia and brought my Karma up enough to use the points. I didn''t want to think about how I could have screwed all of that up or how I could have died again when I met Dohnaseek.


    Koneko being there with me had changed the conditions of the Second Death option, which proved I was making significant changes to canon. I just had to keep that up and ensure things that happened in the story a certain way, were well and truly off-the-rails.


    I went to sleep with half-formed ns in my head to change the next big event to happen in Kuoh, Asia Argento''s arrival in a few days.


    *


    Rias woke with a start and immediatelymented leaving such a wonderful dream. She had been ravished by her newest Peerage member and he was an absolute beast. He had taken her, over and over, and she had been pretty much drained of fluids. She sat up and saw her bed was soaked. Herugh echoed off her bedroom walls as she threw off the nket.


    Her hand went to between her legs and she cried out with pleasure as she remembered what Issei had done with his magical tongue. Being a virgin, it had been the most intense orgasm she had ever had. Not even Akeno could get her off so well and she was her best friend. Her fingers dug in and Rias moaned and came again.


    After a few deep breaths, she climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. She had a few hours before school started, so she dressed and sat at her desk where the crystal ball was. She felt a bit naughty as she used her familiar to look in on Issei and maybe she would catch him asleep in bed or maybe taking a bath.


    Her jaw dropped open as she saw Issei cooking breakfast and his mother was having an animated talk with Koneko at the kitchen table. They lookedfortable and happy, which was so odd to see on Koneko''s face. Rias wished her familiar had been able to get inside and was close enough to get sound, because she desperately wanted to know what they were talking about.


    ¡°Rias? It''s time to head to school.¡± Akeno said as she entered Rias''s bedroom. ¡°We have some paperwork to fill out about the Fallen Angel attacks and we have to meet with Sona to let her know Issei is fully informed about us.¡±


    Rias didn''t say anything and pointed to what the crystal ball was showing. Akeno walked over to her desk and looked over her shoulder to see Issei serving a very nice breakfast to Koneko and a fairly pretty woman. By Devil Beauty standards, she was almost in-looking.


    ¡°Is that his mother? Their hair is almost the same.¡± Akeno pointed out.


    ¡°They are having breakfast like a family!¡± Rias said instead of answering.


    ¡°That is what family usually does in the mornings.¡± Akeno said and tried to notugh at Rias and how she was acting. ¡°Is my best friend and Club President feeling envy for our school''s mascot?¡±


    Rias opened her mouth to answer and blushed.


    ¡°He made quite the impression on you, hmm?¡± Akeno asked and giggled. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t go down on you and make you pass out.¡± Rias grumbled.


    Akenoughed. ¡°I was pretty close.¡± She said and lightly touched the spot where he had pped her. ¡°I still have a slightly red imprint of his hand there.¡±


    Rias nced down at her friend''s hand and back up at her face. ¡°I didn''t think he hit you that hard.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t. It''s magic residue.¡± Akeno said and Rias'' eyebrows rose. ¡°I think he did it on purpose, because every time I try to sit, it reminds me of what he did and how good it felt.¡±


    Rias could only nod and looked back at the crystal ball. The three people it showed looked like they really enjoyed eating and talking together.


    ¡°Bring it along and you can check it again when we get to the school.¡± Akeno said.


    ¡°Good idea. Let''s go.¡± Rias said and ended the viewing spell and packed the crystal ball into her school bag. She was d that she was eighteen and had already graduated high school and was only taking asional college courses for a few credits. Running the territory she shared with Sona was taking up more of her time than she thought it should.


    Unlike her normal morning walk to school, Rias didn''t find the adoring gazes from the other students as ttering. Her eyes darted to Akeno''s and she saw almost the same thing on her best friend''s face. It wasn''t until they reached the school gates and neared Sona Sitri that Rias realized what the problem was. The looks everyone gave her were shallow.


    The people staring at her and begging for her attention, they didn''t know who she really was. They only saw her as one of the top beauties of the school, along with Akeno and Sona''s Queen, Tsubasa. Rias would never deny that she was beautiful, she was a Devil after all. The problem was that only her friends and family knew what her personality was like and had epted her.


    ¡°You are thinking too hard, Rias.¡± Akeno whispered in her ear.


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Rias whispered back.


    ¡°You are frowning.¡± Akeno answered and turned her head to face forward. ¡°Good morning, School Council President.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Himejima.¡± Sona said and nodded to her. ¡°Good morning, Miss Gremory.¡±


    ¡°Morning.¡± Rias said and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry for not greeting you properly. I''m a little distracted this morning.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have to be a genius to figure out this is about your newest club member.¡± Sona said.


    ¡°I''ll have him sign the official sign up sheet when he arrives.¡± Rias said.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Akeno said instead of actually coughing.


    Rias gave her a questioning look and Akeno nodded at Sona. ¡°Oh, yes. Issei has been informed about all of the club''s activities and the duties he would be responsible for.¡±


    Sona understood. ¡°We can address that during the morning meeting after our paperwork and before school starts.¡±


    Rias nodded and whispered a hello to Tsubasa as she and Akeno entered the school.


    ¡°What do you think she''s going to say when Issei shows up for school with Koneko?¡± Akeno asked.


    ¡°They aren''t in the same ss, so she should assume he is escorting his junior.¡± Rias said.


    Akeno gave her a disbelieving look, then she giggled. ¡°I think you are underestimating Issei''s ability to cause trouble.¡±


    Rias huffed and smiled. After everything that had happened the day before, there wasn''t much Issei could do to cause any real trouble today.

 09 Magic Is Real

    09 Magic Is Real


    As we walked to school while holding hands, I couldn''t stop staring at Koneko. She ignored me for most of the walk until we were near the gate of the school.


    ¡°Stop staring, pervert.¡± Koneko said with a t voice.


    ¡°But... but... but... you gave my mom one of your precious mini-cake treats!¡± I eximed.


    Koneko blushed at me making a big deal about it. ¡°It was only a singleyer one. I ate the doubleyer one myself.¡±


    I just kept staring at her.


    ¡°I can get more at the clubhouse.¡± Koneko said and looked away from me.


    ¡°Koneko.¡± I whispered and she turned back to look up at me. ¡°I knew you liked me; but, for you to do that, I... I don''t know what to say.¡± I bent down and gave her a very tender kiss for several seconds. ¡°You are an amazing girl and I can''t thank you enough for making my mother so happy.¡±


    Miki must have a sixth sense about things like that and she had seen how reluctant Koneko was about sharing, then Koneko gave her the treat and blushed from embarrassment. Another epic boob hug had been given and several cheek kisses were awarded, by both Miki and myself. Miki gave us a nice Bento Box each for lunch and made Koneko swear to visit again as soon as she could.


    ¡°Hey, move it. You''re blocking the line.¡± A guy''s voice said.


    I sessfully stopped myself from punching the guy''s lights out. ¡°I''m sorry that me having a quiet moment with my girlfriend was too much for you to witness.¡± I said and turned away and walked towards the school''s gate with a blushing Koneko tightly holding my hand. ¡°Good morning, School President, Vice-President. Beautiful day, isn''t it?¡±


    Sona looked shocked at my words. When she didn''t speak, I thought it might be because I was holding Koneko''s hand.


    I looked at her Queen''s face and she was just as shocked. ¡°I have a favor to ask and it''s probably going to be a huge one, so I have no problem with...¡± I leaned in close. ¡°...forming a contract for it.¡±


    Sona blinked her eyes several times as my words took a few moments to register. ¡°You will join me for lunch in the Student Council Office.¡±


    I nodded and walked into the school''s entrance. We were fairly early, so there was no rush to go anywhere, except for where Koneko needed to go. We walked around the school building to the old one where the ult Research Club was.


    ¡°Be only a minute.¡± Koneko said and gave me a quick kiss on the lips and ran inside.


    I was tempted to go inside myself, except there wasn''t really a reason for me to do so. I was positive that I would be given more client assignments to fulfill because of my sess with Mil-Tan and that could wait until we met in the club after school.


    Koneko came out with a paper bag with half of her remaining treats inside. She took my hand and led me back to the main school building and showed me where her ssroom was. All of the stares and mutterings were easily ignored, especially when all the sound around us cut off as Koneko pulled me down into a two second kiss.


    ¡°See you at club after school.¡± Koneko said and entered her ssroom.


    I walked through the halls and went up the stairs to get to my own ssroom. I had about ten minutes before the Tennis Club showed up and I could apologize and give them flowers, so I went to homeroom to wait. When I entered, I saw several people were already there and they seemed to freeze when they saw me as all conversation stopped.


    ¡°I know my dick isn''t hanging out, because I didn''t hear any screams as I walked through the school.¡± I said and looked over at Murayama, the head of the Kendo Club. ¡°Can I ask you what the problem is?¡±


    Murayama didn''t say anything and lifted a hand to point at my forehead.


    I reached up and patted it, only to feel a piece of paper. ¡°Ipletely forgot I still had that on my face.¡± Iughed and pulled off the Property of Koneko sign. ¡°I guess that''s why the School Council President looked so shocked.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Katase asked.


    ¡°Definitely. She gave me this long before I asked her to be my girlfriend.¡± I said as an exnation.


    The two girls looked at me, at each other, let out a squeal of delight, and lunged at me. I didn''t try to dodge and let them capture me, then they held onto me to stop me from escaping and bombarded me with tons of questions. I answered what I could betweenughs.


    When that invisible clock ticked over at the right time, I gave each of them a kiss on the cheek to surprise them into letting me go. ¡°I need to get to the Tennis Club for their brief morning meeting to apologize and to give them flowers.¡±


    Both girls held a hand on the spots I had kissed them and blushed.


    ¡°I''ll be back before the bell.¡± I said and grabbed the package I picked up on the way to school. I left the room at a jog and made my way through the school building and left out a side door. I entered the gym and went to the small office that the Tennis Club leader used. I opened the package and knocked.


    The door opened only a few inches and a quite tall girl stood there and stared at me with squinted eyes. ¡°What do <b>you</b> want?¡±


    I pulled out a single rose and handed it to her, then I bowed down at the waist. ¡°I came here to sincerely apologize for my previous behavior. I let my perversion for beautiful girls blind me to the wrongs I have done to you and to your fellow club members.¡±


    There were several whispered words behind the door and the tall girl opened it all the way.


    ¡°The rumors were true?¡± The Tennis Club leader asked. ¡°You apologized to the entire Kendo Club?¡±


    I stood up straight to look into her eyes. ¡°I did, as well as a few girls not in clubs. I would have apologized to you personally after school yesterday if I hadn''t been recruited away by the members of the ult Research Club and had to attend to my new duties.¡±


    ¡°Recruited away.¡± She said and looked at the package in my hands.


    ¡°Unlike the Kendo Club, Tennis Club doesn''t have the ''Only Girls'' restriction.¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Katase couldn''t shut up about you offering to join if they weren''t restricted to just girls.¡± One of the other girls said.


    I nodded and stepped into the room. ¡°I have many interests that were pretty much ignored as I obsessed over...¡± I paused and forced a blush. ¡°I won''t get into that. I promised myself to be a better man in the future and constantly thinking about beautiful girls like yourselves will only lead me to ruin.¡±


    Every single girl blushed, even the one I had already given a rose to.


    ¡°With your permission, I want to personally apologize to each of your members and present a token of my pledge.¡± I said to the club''s leader.


    The other girls looked at her with hope on their faces and the leader nodded.


    I started with her and gave her a more borate apology and gave her a rose. I went to each girl and surprised them all by giving them as much respect as I could while also keeping some dignity. I would have thrown it all away if it was needed; but, I knew it wasn''t. Being humble and being a waste of their time were two very different things.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you all for epting my apology.¡± I said and bowed deeply onest time. ¡°I hope you all have a great day.¡±


    ¡°You too, Issei.¡± The club leader said, her voice sincere.


    ¡°Club President, honorable members.¡± I smiled and nodded to her and the other girls. I left the office and had to jog to get back to ss in time. It was worth almost beingte to make up with so many girls.


    Now I just had to wait through a morning of mostly boring sses to enact the next part of my n during lunch.


    *


    Sona Sitri was a very smart girl. She was also fairly strict. She ran her Peerage like a well-oiled machine and all of the Student Council members were a part of it. At the moment, all of her hard-wonposure was crumbling.


    ¡°You have got to be joking!¡± Sona almost spat at the young man standing in front of her. ¡°That''s not a favor! It''s a disaster! What you''re asking of me... if you knew what I have to go through every single time I allow my sistere here to visit...¡±


    Issei''s hand was on her shoulder and his other hand gently cupped her chin. ¡°Heiress Sitri, Princess of the Sitri n, I formally ask you to contact Satan Leviathan on behalf of Princess Gremory''s Pawn.¡±


    The other people in the Student Council office gasped at the wording.


    Sona''s panic seemed to instantly disappear and her eyes narrowed at him. ¡°Do you realize what you have just done?¡±


    Issei leaned down to look deep into her eyes and his lips were barely a breath away from hers. ¡°I removed your nervousness by making my request through your official channel as the guardian of this territory. You will have to deal with your sister <b>only</b> in an official capacity while she is here, because that is what I am asking you to include in the correspondence. Her presence will be part of a contract that I have with a valuable client and that is the only reason for her to be here.¡±


    Sona blinked her eyes slowly. ¡°She can''t act in a personal capacity if she is here officially.¡±


    Issei smiled and nodded. ¡°As I said before, I know this is a huge favor to ask of you because of the personal danger. We can work out the details of the full contractter if you want.¡±


    ¡°No, I refuse to deliver such a dangerousmunication without working out what I will get out of it.¡± Sona said and unconsciously licked her lips at the thought of what she could get from the handsome Devil in front of her, and her tongue just so happened to lick Issei''s lips as well.


    Both of them stiffened at the contact and Sona blushed. She hadn''t meant to do that and opened her mouth to apologize.


    ¡°I ept the invitation as proof for a potential down-payment.¡± Issei whispered and kissed her.


    Sona let out a sound between a moan and a growl before she wrapped her arms round his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. Everyone in the room stared at them making out like there was no tomorrow and not a sound could be heard except for their kissing.


    Ten minutester, Sona broke the kiss, her face was a deep red and her breaths panting. ¡°I will agree to a future favor, with conditions.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, on conditions.¡± Issei said and stepped back.


    They both nodded and sat down to work everything out before a letter was sent by special delivery.


    *


    I stood there in the Student Council Office and waited with baited breath. Depending on how the missive that Sona had sent was received, I could either be obliterated as soon as Satan Leviathan appeared or I could be embraced like a long-lost sibling.


    When the teleportation circle lit up, everyone in the room with me becamepletely still and seemed to fade into the background, even Sona. I was almost pushed to the front as the sh of teleportation faded and revealed a short woman with pig-tails and she wore a business suit and skirtbo.


    I bent over at the waist to greet her. ¡°Satan Leviathan, I humbly greet you on behalf of the territory''s ruling council.¡±


    Serafall gave me a look that would have frozen a lesser man. As it was, I knew what would cate her and stepped close to look down at her short stature.


    ¡°Both I and my contracted client humbly wee you.¡± I said and took the pose that any fan of a magical girl show would recognize.


    Serafall''s eyes widened at my ridiculous action and then she smiled. ¡°You are distracting me.¡±


    ¡°I am, because Sona must treat you as an official for your current visit.¡± I said and her eyes widened, then she frowned.


    ¡°How dare you dictate...¡±


    ¡°Official channels ofmunication have been enacted, Lady Leviathan.¡± I reminded her and her mouth snapped closed. ¡°Heiress Sitri, please present yourself to be greeted by the Foreign Affairs Minister.¡±


    Sona stepped forward, clearly reluctant, and she held a hand out for her sister to shake. ¡°Wee to my territory, Satan Leviathan. I do hope that you enjoy your stay here.¡±


    Serafall almost looked pained as she was forced to stay within proper protocols and shook the offered hand. ¡°Thank you for the warm wee, Heiress Sitri.¡± She growled out through gritted teeth.


    I stepped forward and took Serafall''s other hand that had be a fist. ¡°Lady Leviathan, I have someone that wants to meet you immediately and that you definitely want to meet immediately, too.¡±


    Serafall gave me a re as she let her sister''s hand go. ¡°Why would I care that a Pawn wants my attention?¡± She asked, her voice full of derision and hatred.


    ¡°Because I have contracted with someone that must be a part of your Peerage.¡± I said and both she and Sona gasped. ¡°If you will allow me, I will bring you there right away.¡±


    Serafall looked at Sona''s surprised face. ¡°You didn''t know.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± Sona said and gave me a pointed look. ¡°I will be asking some very important questions at the first opportunity.¡±


    Serafall smiled and looked at me. ¡°You''ve stepped into it now, Pawn.¡±


    ¡°I will amodate Sona appropriately after I have presented your magical presence to someone that has been desperately wanting someone else that is simr to them.¡± I said and led her back over to the teleportation circle. I changed the destination temporarily and charged it up. ¡°We''ll be back before lunch is over.¡±


    Sona nodded to us and we disappeared in a sh to reappear inside Mil-Tan''s bedroom.


    ¡°IEEEE!¡± Mil-Tan squealed and tackled Serafall. They fell to the floor in a heap and I stared at them as Mil-Tan hugged and cuddled Serafall. ¡°I can feel that you''re full of magic!¡±


    I chuckled and picked the both of them up to stand them on their feet. ¡°Magical Girl Levi-tan, I would like to introduce you to a prospective new member of your Peerage, Mil-Tan.¡±


    Serafall gave me a shocked look and then looked at Mil-Tan. She caught her breath at the magic the other woman was giving off. ¡°She''s really a magical girl!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and she has no clue how to cast any spells.¡± I said and pat Mil-Tan''s shoulder. ¡°You were the first person I thought of that could properly teach her, because you are the premiere magical girl in the entire world. I had to introduce you as soon as Mil-Tan became a magical girl, too.¡±


    Serafall gave me a piercing look. ¡°You set this up to make me avoid my sister, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Avoid? No. Give her a break from having you assault her unnecessarily? Yes.¡± I admitted and Serafall sighed loudly. ¡°It''s all right, Lady Leviathan. I''ll work on her and I''m sure I can convince Sona to give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Serafall asked me.


    ¡°I promise nothing.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°However, there''s nothing preventing me from getting her worked up and then being mysteriously called away beforepleting the coupling.¡±


    Serafall knew what I meant. ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    I turned to look down at her. ¡°You and Mil-Tan are the only magical girls on the. You need each other and I will do everything I can to make Mil-Tan happy. That includes making you happy, too.¡±


    ¡°I already confessed that I love him.¡± Mil-Tan said and hugged my arm. ¡°He promised to introduce me to the only other magical girl in existence and here you are.¡± She said and jumped up to kiss my lips and then smiled happily. ¡°I''m looking forward to learning everything I can from you, Levi-tan!¡±


    Serafall looked from the short blonde to me. ¡°A nk te?¡±


    ¡°With so much enthusiasm for magical girl culture that she might put you to shame.¡± I told her.


    Serafall looked absolutely delighted to hear that. ¡°Mil-Tan, I think... yes, I believe that you can be my Queen.¡±


    Mil-Tan''s face lit up and her entire body glowed. ¡°I would be honored to be chosen by you, Levi-Tan!¡±


    I did not point out the obvious pun and kept my mouth shut. Both women were too happy for me to ruin the moment with a joke.

 10 Change Is Constant

    10 Change Is Constant


    Serafall performed the short ritual with her mutated Queen Piece and Mil-Tan glowed for almost a full minute before it faded. The newly changed magical girl jumped around like a kangaroo and wasn''t tired out at all after doing that for a few minutes.


    ¡°Oh, sweet Lucifer.¡± Serafall whispered at the reaction and the change in the magic that Mil-Tan had.


    My choice to make Mil-Tan into a magical girl first had apparently not been the insignificant thing I had thought it was. Her magical potential was staggering after converting into the Devil race.


    The best part? Mil-Tan was still a temporary Party Member with me and I felt my own magic grow to the point that I received a box saying I needed to do something with the excessive bonus. When I asked inside my head about it, I received a text box that gave me several options.


    <b>Excess Magic/Karma potential detected. Please choose an option to deal with it.</b>


    <b>Alter your own magic potential


    Alter a party member''s magic potential


    Spend Karma points


    Convert to Karma points


    Convert to Store Credits</b>


    That was a huge thing to think about. I looked at each option and they were pretty self-exnatory. Out of all of them, it was the first one that I was the most interested in. I chose that and my eyes widened as more options appeared.


    <b>Sacred Gear Options:


    Twice Critical First Upgrade to Quadruple Critical


    Boosted Gear Unlock (Preliminary) x3, 10 second intervals


    Communication with bound soul fragment (Ddraig - Red Dragon Emperor)


    Sacrifice sleeping bound soul for Karma points (+20,000)</b>


    <i>Oh, my God.</i> I thought at what the system was offering me. Gaining a lot of power right way, gaining more powerter, learning from the bound spirit, and thest gaining a ridiculous amount of Karma. The amount alone let me know that Ddraig had gathered a lot of negative Karma in his lifetime to have that as the reward for sacrificing him to the system.


    The main question I had was if I gave up the bound spirit, what would happen to my Sacred Gear?


    <b>Your Sacred Gear would remain at the first stage of Twice Critical and your inherent magic would increase with each use. You can spend Karma points to upgrade it twice to the maximum of Octuple Critical, a rare Sub-Gear Variant.


    Bonuses apply to all stats with the final upgrade.</b>


    I immediately chose to sacrifice the spirit and gained 20,000 points. I felt myself almost bursting with power and chose the upgrade to change my Sacred Gear to Octuple Critical, which was double of Twice and double of Quaduple, to get 8 times my stats instantly instead of having to boost several times. It only cost 2,200 Karma points, so I was way out ahead this early in the story.


    On the other hand, I gave up the ability for both the Bnce Breaker and Juggernaught Drive of the Boosted Gear, not that I could unlock those without some major personal sacrifices anyway. This way, I changed both my own Karma and changed all of the future antagonists that woulde after me only because I had the rare Boosted Gear that would make me the Red Dragon Emperor.


    I didn''t want to lose anything that I had changed, so I chose to keep Mil-Tan as a Party Member.


    ¡°I can feel it! I CAN FEEL IT!¡± Mil-Tan yelled with joy. Her bat wings deployed and she floated up into the air to hover near the high ceiling.


    Both Serafall and I looked at her with smiles on our faces.


    ¡°Come back down, Mil-Tan. I have a few spells to teach you, the first of which is this.¡± Serafall said and created a magical girl wand in her hand. She waved it around herself and floated up into the air as well and went through a glowing transformation that briefly left her naked and changed her business suit and skirt into a colorful magical girl outfit.


    ¡°IEEE!¡± Mil-Tan squealed and dropped down to tackle Serafall to the floor.


    Iughed at Serafall struggling to stop Mil-Tan from cuddling her to death. ¡°I warned you that she was a magical girl enthusiast.¡±


    Serafall didn''t look angry about it. In fact, she looked almost as happy as Mil-Tan. ¡°Don''t worry, Issei. I''m going to show Mil-Tan everything she needs to know to be the best magical girl she can be.¡±


    I reached down to pick them up off of the floor to stand them on their feet. ¡°I never doubted that, Levi-Tan. You are the Prime Magical Girl, after all.¡±


    Serafall nodded to me and started the first lesson. After several minutes of basic instruction, Mil-Tan easily created her own magical wand and performed her own clothing transformation to give herself a magical girl outfit that she had always wanted to wear and never could. Her cheap store-bought costume had never satisfied her desire for a real outfit.


    Serafall looked inordinately pleased. ¡°Mil-Tan? Can youe with me? We can get started on the rest of your magical education right away.¡±


    ¡°I am yours tomand, Levi-tan!¡± Mil-Tan said and posed like I had when I first met Serafall.


    Serafall gave me an amused look. ¡°Now I know for sure that you intentionally distracted me.¡±


    ¡°Keeping my word seems to be the best course of action for me as I try to redeem myself from my previous behavior.¡± I said and she gave me a questioning look. ¡°It''s too long of a story to share right now. Let''s get back to the school and you can continue on to your own office with Mil-Tan. Lucifer knows we have a lot of work to get back to.¡±


    Serafall couldn''t stop herugh as she nodded. ¡°Here are my contact details. You should only contact me when it''s important, if you get my meaning.¡±


    I nodded and tucked the paper into my pocket.


    ¡°I''ll send the details to you as soon as Levi-Tan hires me to be on her show, Issei!¡± Mil-Tan said to me and gave me another kiss on the lips.


    Serafall gasped and looked at me with her mouth hanging open.


    ¡°That was my suggestion. You could always use another magical girl to spice things up on your show, either as a rival that you convert to goodter on or as an apprentice to help you fight the stronger bad guys that don''t expect for you to have back-up.¡±


    ¡°Those are wonderful suggestions, Issei! Absolutely wonderful!¡± Serafall said and reached out to pull us in close as she activated the teleportation circle. We disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in the Student Council''s office. Everyone there stared at the twovishly dressed magical girls in front of them.


    I stepped out of the circle and bowed deeply to Serafall. ¡°I thank you for epting my valuable contracted client as your apprentice, Magical Girl Levi-Tan.¡±


    Serafall looked more regal as a magical girl than she had as the Foreign Affairs Minister. ¡°This hasn''t been aplete waste of my time, so you get to live for another day.¡± She said and winked at Mil-Tan, whom giggled at the teasing. ¡°Be thankful I am so merciful.¡±


    I dropped to a knee and took her hand. ¡°I am more thankful than I can ever express, Levi-Tan. Perhaps you can bless me with the sole of your shoe?¡±


    Serafall giggled like Mil-Tan and both she and Mil-Tan nted a foot on my chest, intentionally shed the room with their ckcy panties, and strongly pushed me away. I fell back onto the floor and slid across the room to m my head against Sona''s desk.


    ¡°Consider yourself blessed.¡± Serafall said, haughtily.


    ¡°I do.¡± I wheezed and rubbed my chest.


    ¡°Thank you, Issei.¡± Mil-Tan said and waved her wand at me and I felt the bruises heal. I waved to her and Serafall nodded at her sister and activated the teleportation circle. Both magical girls disappeared in a sh of light and the office was filled with silence.


    ¡°Lucifer''s balls, there''s two of them now.¡± One of the girls in Sona''s Peerage said with horror.


    I felt a strong hand grab my uniform jacket and I was picked up to dangle in the air.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Sona asked me as her Queen held me up with my feet off of the floor.


    ¡°I gave your obsessive sister something else to concentrate on.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°I even distracted her by offering Mil-Tan as a co-star of her show. The rewrites for her uing season should take months to work out and then they have to film everything and...¡±


    ¡°You''re a genius!¡± Sona gasped and tackled me to the floor as she tried to kiss me senseless.


    I didn''t mind it at all.


    Her Queen reminded us that lunch would be ending soon, so Sona reluctantly climbed off of me to allow me to eat lunch with her. We sat at her desk and ate while Sona ignored the amused looks her Peerage members sent her way.


    When the bell rang, I quickly packed up and thanked Sona for inviting me to enjoy herpany, brief as it was, and told her that I admired her for her bravery in facing her sister. Sona blushed, gave me a quick kiss, and red at her Peerage members as if to dare them to say something about it.


    I waved to them and left at a jog to get back to my homeroom ss. My free time thest few days had been taken up by me trying to do as much as I could to change things. As far as I could tell, it was working.


    I spent the afternoon half-paying attention to the teacher and wondering if I could hunt down the other Fallen Angels before they could attack me, since I knew Raynare was actively hunting me. Thest thing I wanted was for her to get her evil scheming hands on Asia Argento and steal her Sacred Gear like she did in canon.


    The bell rang to end the school day and I bid the Kendo Club leader and her best friend goodbye, packed up my books, and left the ss at a jog. I easily avoided everyone in the hallways as I made my way out of the school building and went to the ult Research Club.


    ¡°Hello, Issei!¡± Rias greeted me when I opened the door.


    ¡°Afternoon Rias, Akeno.¡± I said and walked inside. I took off my jacket and put it and my backpack on a chair behind one of the desks. I sat down on the couch to rx and the club room''s door opened again.


    ¡°Hi, Koneko!¡± Rias greeted the younger girl.


    Koneko nodded to her and Akeno and walked over to me, hopped into the air and twisted around, thennded on myp in the perfect cuddle position. I obliged by putting my arms around her and kissed her cheek.


    ¡°Sign missing.¡± Koneko said and opened the small paper bag she had and took out a singleyer mini-cake to much on.


    I chuckled and took it out to p it onto my forehead. ¡°People''s reactions were pretty funny this morning.¡±


    Koneko nodded and snuggled in as she felt me grow hard for her and it pressed against her thigh. ¡°Smell magical girl.¡±


    ¡°Two of them, actually.¡± I said and then exined what happened during lunch.


    Needless to say, Rias and Akeno were stunned, as was Kiba. He had entered the club room about halfway through my story. Before they could ask for proof, I did the spell Serafall taught Mil-Tan and a magical girl''s wand formed in my hand.


    Koneko snatched it up immediately and jumped up to wave it over me. My clothes dissolved away, leaving mepletely naked, then I glowed and the same dark blue mecha-girl undersuit appeared from the poster she had seen yesterday and the thin cloth form-fitted around me.


    There wasplete silence in the room for several seconds, then Rias and Akeno burst outughing. Kiba looked like he was fighting from joining in. Koneko softlyughed as well and looked very amused at my current state, probably because the undersuit was just the same as the poster.


    It covered everything like a one piece bathing suit and looked indecent at the same time. It also left nothing to the imagination... including the erection Koneko gave me. Theughing died off and all three girls had their eyes lower down to stare at me. I didn''t really think it was that impressive, then I remembered Grayfia''s reaction when she saw it.


    Instead of shying away or trying to hide it, I stood up and did a magical girl pose and my erection really stretched out the thin cloth. ¡°In the name of Love and Orgasms, I, Sailor Semen, will punish you with my Rod Of Justice!¡±


    There wasplete silence until Akeno did her ''ufufufu''ugh. ¡°I don''t know if I should keepughing or be really turned on.¡±


    Rias looked too stunned to speak. The light blush on her cheeks let me know what she chose. Kiba was pointedly not looking anywhere near me and Akeno''s gaze was appreciative.


    Koneko stepped close and her hand grabbed my erection. The thin cloth provided no protection as she slid her hand up and down my hardness exactly once. I hissed for her and she smiled at the look of desire on my face.


    ¡°Mine.¡± Koneko whispered.


    I nodded and she kissed me, let me go, and stepped back. She waved the wand over me again and the outfit disappeared to leave me naked again, then my school uniform reappeared on me topletely cover me up once more. Koneko looked at me, at the wand, and at me.


    ¡°You can keep it.¡± I said and her eyes went down to my crotch. ¡°Your choice, remember?¡±


    Koneko nodded and tucked the wand into her skirt''s waistband.


    It took Rias a few minutes to shake herself out of her surprise and she handed out several sheets to us. ¡°These are your clients for tonight. Issei, you did great with Mil-Tan, so you have four more clients on your new list.¡±


    I nced at it and didn''t recognize anyone, so I folded it up and tucked it into my pocket.


    ¡°But first, we have had several missing person reports in a nearby prefecture and we are going as a team to investigate.¡± Rias said and stood. ¡°My familiar tracked the incidents to a central location and we are going to head over there first. If what I suspect is there, a stray devil, we are to execute them as quickly as possible. Do not let them transform and power up.¡±


    I nodded along with the others and I thought about the magic lessons that Grayfia had given me. I had imagination-based Devil magic and it was only limited by the amount of magic I had. Since I had a lot of information about various anime in my head and had a massive power boost from my Karma points, I was sure I could easily handle the stray devil by myself.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Rias said and we left the room on an important mission.


    I had actually forgotten about needing to take down the stray devil and I silently berated myself. I needed to be more active and not reactive, which meant I wasn''t going to wait to be attacked first. The stray devil wasn''t going to know what hit it.


    *


    Viser dragged the screaming girl into its warehouseir to feed. It would have eaten her right away, except it could feel strong magical energies approaching. Retreating to its protectiveir would give it enough time to kill the food and eat the essentials.


    ¡°DESTRUCTO DISC!¡± A manly voice shouted and a four foot wide bright energy disc tore through the wall, a pile of empty crates, and cut off Viser''s right arm and shoulder. The food screamed as it dropped to the floor with the severed arm and then both disappeared in a sh of teleportation magic.


    ¡°You need to show me how you did that!¡± A young woman''s voice eximed.


    ¡°Like this.¡± The manly voice said. ¡°Koooo-senko-HA!¡±


    A bright energy beam blew a huge hole through the wall and Viser screamed as its legs disappeared from underneath it. If it hadn''t dodged, its main body would have been obliterated.


    ¡°It''s quick.¡± A short girl said as the group of five teenagers entered the partially wrecked warehouse.


    ¡°Viser will eat you all and be powerful!¡± The stray devil shouted.


    ¡°Well, that rifies who you are.¡± The tall redhead said. ¡°Akeno, finish it off.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡± Akeno said and lightning sparked all over the girl''s arms.


    Viser felt all the hairs on its body stand up. ¡°Oh, shi...¡±


    <strong>*CRACK-OOOOM!*</strong>


    All that was left of the creature was a smoking crater.


    ¡°Great job, everyone.¡± The redhead said proudly and used her Power of Destruction to disintegrate the cut off pieces. She left the various half-eaten dead bodies for the police to find after she called it in. ¡°Let''s take care of the girl we rescued and go eat. My treat.¡±


    The group celebrated and left the scene. The serial killer case would be closed the next day.

 11 Working Things Out

    11 Working Things Out


    I kissed Koneko goodnight at the restaurant and she left with Rias and Akeno to start on their evening tasks. The three of them lived together and Kiba had an apartment not far away from their house. Well, I say house when I meant mansion and it had a small staff of maids and a cook. Kiba went on his own as well, since there was no point in going all the way back to the school, just to leave again.


    I checked my own task list and the first one was a male''s name. At least, I thought it was. I ran at my best speed to get to the library and asked the librarian about maps of the area. She blushed and stammered that she would be delighted to help me, then she proceeded to help herself by rubbing my arms and back after telling me where to look.


    I had to softly chuckle at the maniption, especially when I found the maps I wanted of the city and the surrounding countryside, because she pretty much had me spoon her from behind as she pointed out the city''sndmarks and showed me the best routes to take for dates and to keep a woman happy while sightseeing.


    With real maps, I took out my list again and checked the coordinates for all four names. They matched up with the longitude andtitude of the map, so I knew I wasn''t going to be blind-jumping into a pond or onto a second floor balcony. I also checked the coordinates for the only abandoned church and memorized a good spot near the back of the building.


    ¡°Thank you for your help, Hibiki.¡± I whispered into her ear and she shivered with pleasure. ¡°I would have beenpletely lost if I didn''t have your intelligence guiding me.¡±


    The librarian reluctantly stood up to put the maps away. ¡°Are you sure you have a girlfriend, Issei?¡±


    I pointed at my forehead and the Property of Koneko sign.


    Hibiki looked surprised, then she blushed in embarrassment. ¡°I didn''t even notice.¡±


    I smiled at her and turned her body around to face me, stepped close, and put my arms around her. ¡°She won''t object to a goodbye kiss.¡±


    Hibikitched her lips onto mine instantly and her arms wrapped around me to hug me tightly. The kisssted for several minutes and Hibiki''s blush was now because she was quite turned on.


    ¡°It was nice meeting you.¡± I said and stepped back from her.


    Hibiki put a hand to her chest and gave me a coy smile. ¡°The library will always be... open... for you.¡±


    I did notugh at the tant flirting and only gave her a half bow before I left. I walked around the building to be out of sight and created a temporary teleportation circle for the first set of coordinates. I activated it and disappeared in a sh of light.


    ¡°Oh, hey! You''re early.¡± A guy''s voice said and I turned around to see a teenager sitting in front of a television with a gaming console. ¡°My normal partner bailed at thest minute and the raid starts in half an hour.¡±


    I nodded and walked over to sit beside him and he handed me the second controller.


    ¡°I hope you have some experience with World of Warcraft, because I hate having dead weight along.¡±


    ¡°I''ve yed through thest expansion with one of each ss, just because I wanted to get a feel for the character I liked the best.¡± I said.


    The guyughed. ¡°Awesome! We''re gonna wreck the other teams!¡±


    ¡°If that''s what you want, then that''s what we''ll do.¡± I promised and logged in with my own ID. I loaded my favorite build and showed him how great it was with a mix of close range and AOE attacks. The guy nodded and we opened the character inventories to show off what we had and could share during the raid. Like he said, we were going to kick ass.


    *


    ¡°Do you think he''ll show? Do you? DO YOU?¡± A very excitable young woman shouted.


    ¡°We agreed with his boss for a good price, so if he doesn''t show up in the next ten minutes, we get our money back and a free show when he does show up.¡± Her best friend said.


    ¡°As long as he''s good looking.¡± Another young woman said.


    ¡°I saw a picture of his face and he''s gorgeous.¡± The best friend said. ¡°We''ll have to wait and see if his body is in the same category.¡±


    ¡°Five minutes.¡± The first girl said, anxiously.


    A light came from the other room around the door frame just before the door opened to reveal a five foot eight inch tall young man wearing a short-sleeved policeman''s uniform that showed off a lot of muscles. No one questioned how the music changed from a fast song to a dramatic bad.


    ¡°Pardon the intrusion,dies. There have been anonymous reports of noise ordinance vitions from this room.¡± The police officer said.


    The first girl squealed and leapt to her feet. ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEE!¡± She yelled and jumped at the officer and tackled him to the floor.


    All of the other girls at the partyughed, even her best friend, and they barely managed to haul the enthusiastic girl off of the dancer. His face was covered in lipstick prints and he stood up with a smile on his face.


    ¡°I believe we can add lip assault and excessive groping to the list of charges.¡± He said and took off his hat to toss at the birthday girl. She caught it and hugged it like a teddy bear.


    ¡°Take it off! TAKE IT OFF! All of the girls cheered.


    ¡°Fast or slow?¡± He asked and plucked at a single button on his shirt.


    ¡°FAST!¡± They all yelled.


    The police officer grabbed handfuls of his shirt and pulled it apart in a single motion. The girls screamed and yelled, then whistled and made sexy sounds at his rippling muscr chest and abs. He tossed a piece of the shirt at the best friend and the other at the girl beside her.


    The music changed again and the audience was almost held spellbound as the policeman started dancing. The way he moved was like a jungle cat, dangerous and sensual, and more than a few of them drooled over him as he turned around and wiggled his butt at them, then he tore his pants off with the same move as he did with his shirt.


    The girls screamed again and two more of them had pieces of cloth clutched in their hands. They felt jealous when he danced practically on top of the birthday girl, whom looked a little faint as the gorgeous hunk of a man gave her ap dance. He whispered a few things to her as she rubbed her hands all over him, then she suddenly let out a moan and squeezed her legs together.


    ¡°You did not just get off from that, did you?¡± Her best friend asked her.


    ¡°Her next.¡± The birthday girl said and leaned back on her chair to recover.


    ¡°You really did?¡± Another girl asked and stared at the perfectly formed butt in front of her as the best friend received her ownp dance. Surprisingly, it was not the same one as he did for the birthday girl, and that gave them hope that he was treating them as individuals and not as a whole singr party.


    By the time the birthday party was over, Issei Hyoudou had earned his sry for the night, made twice that in tips, had seven phone numbers and future reservations for birthday parties, and had fingered the birthday girl and her best friend to orgasm. Thest thing was in private, of course. He let the birthday girl keep the policeman''s hat.


    Issei also politely refused the offered blowjob by the birthday girl and a proposition for sex with the both of them at the same time. It wasn''t that he wouldn''t take money for sex, it was because he was saving himself for the girl he liked. That had both girls make coo and aww sounds and they both kissed him passionately several times for being so sweet.


    *


    ¡°You have to get me thetest edition of Big Boob Bitches on Broadway!¡± The teenager eximed, almost in tears. ¡°The store sold out before I could get there and even their autographed copy went to a valued long-term member!¡±


    I didn''t bother trying to convince the guy about the benefits of real life over magazines. If I couldn''t convince the Perverted Duo to give up their ways, I wouldn''t have any chance with someone that didn''t know me personally.


    ¡°What would you offer in exchange?¡± I asked and tried to not look evil when I said it.


    ¡°Anything! I''ll give you anything you want!¡± The guy said and dropped to his knees to beg.


    I used my magic to detect if he had any magic, either for himself or in his bloodline, and there was nothing. I then had an odd thought about Karma and put a hand on his shoulder.


    <b>Spend 1 Karma point to check target''s Karma points?


    Yes / No</b>


    I had never been given that option before, so I chose yes.


    <b>Current Karma points: 426


    Potential Karma points: 0


    Time until expiration: 23 hours 15 minutes 49 seconds</b>


    I blinked my eyes at that, then realized what the expiration of Karma points meant, because the potential Karma was the clue that gave it away. This client was going to die tomorrow.


    I took a deep breath and let it out. I knew I had to do something to stop that from happening and I had to figure out how I was going to be in the area tomorrow night to interfere with it. Even though I promised myself to arrive before then to deal with whatever happened, the potential didn''t change and the time dropped at a steady rate.


    ¡°All right, let''s draw up a contract and I''ll see what I can do for you.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes! Thank you, thank you!¡± The guy said and hugged my legs.


    Ten minutester, I gained 300 Karma and 100,000 Yen from him. I popped home to my room and opened one of my disy cases to take out the autographed copy of the limited edition magazine. The centerfold was in 3-D, too. I knew I could auction the thing off for a lot more than that; but, I also put in the contract that the owner gets it back if the client dies.


    When I delivered it, the guy dropped to the floor and kissed my shoes. He was extremely thankful and epted it as if it was made of gold. As far as he was concerned, it was, because he hadn''t expected for it to be the autographed copy and knew he had made the deal of his life. I didn''t tell him that it was probably thest deal he would ever make.


    *


    ¡°Holy shit! It actually worked!¡± The goth girl almost shouted as she stared up at the fairly muscr Devil she had summoned. She didn''t question why he wore an academy uniform and just assumed it was to make her morefortable with his appearance.


    ¡°You have summoned a Gremory Devil. What is it that you wish for?¡± The Devil asked.


    The goth girl didn''t hesitate to answer. ¡°I want that bitch Yuki Tsumiga dead.¡±


    The Devil slowly held a hand out for her and the goth girl looked at the circle of salt she had made around the summoning circle. ¡°You won''t break the circle by reaching over it.¡±


    The goth girl nodded and took the offered hand.


    The Devil flinched slightly and then his face changed to show a lot of sympathy. ¡°Is her death what you really want?¡± He asked with the sexiest soft voice she had ever heard.


    The goth girl blushed and stepped into the circle to hug him. She cried for several minutes and let him stroke her back and hold her, even though she only wore a thin slip and panties.


    ¡°Shh. Shh. It''s okay.¡± The Devil whispered and lightly kissed the side of her face several times.


    ¡°Why... why do you... care so much?¡± The goth girl managed to ask between sobs.


    ¡°You are one of my precious contracted clients now. Of course I''m going to care about you.¡± The Devil said, his voice sweet andforting. ¡°Once you''ve calmed down, we can talk about what happened and then work out exactly what I can do to help you as much as I can.¡±


    The goth girl looked at his face. ¡°Not murder?¡±


    The Devil chuckled. ¡°My sweet Mei Suzuki, there are much worse things to suffer than death.¡±


    The goth girl blushed at the intense look in his eyes when he said her name. ¡°What... what do you suggest?¡±


    The Devil let an evil grin spread across his face and the goth girl shivered with pleasure. ¡°I think a bit of reverse role ying for about a week would be enough for her to experience things from your perspective.¡±


    The goth girl opened and closed her mouth several times before she realized what he said. ¡°You''re going to make me look like her and make her look like me? How?¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡± He said and looked over at the dresser with arge mirror on it. ¡°Here''s a quick taste of what I have to offer.¡±


    The goth girl stared at her reflection as her short ck spiky hair morphed and became luscious golden locks that went past her shoulders, her odd-shaped eyes changed to be warm and weing, and hercking curves expanded slightly to where she thought her flimsy top and tiny panties were going to pop from the strain. The funny thing was, she still looked like herself, just better.


    ¡°I... I... I want this. I want it so much.¡± The goth girl whispered as her hands caressed herself. Her nipples popped right out at the barest touch and she softly moaned as her panties became damp.


    ¡°Don''t forget, Yuki will be getting the reverse.¡± The Devil reminded her. ¡°We just have to work out the contract and the payment.¡±


    ¡°The only real thing of value I have left is my virginity.¡± The goth girl said with another blush. ¡°Yuki stole or ruined everything else I owned.¡±


    The Devil turned her away from her reflection and gave her that same intense stare. ¡°You would give me something that valuable to you?¡±


    The goth girl blushed and nodded. ¡°You''re the only one that''s helped me in years. I will finally get my revenge and then you can have me.¡±


    The Devil looked thoughtful and then that evil smile was back. ¡°I think your offer is too tempting to refuse, my dear. Let''s discuss the details.¡±


    Half an hourter, the goth girl looked like a sexy Hollywood Valley Girl and had been eaten out expertly as a down-payment to give up her virginity. Her hated nemesis now looked like a stick figure with permanent makeup to make her look sick and gaunt, and half of the girl''s finances had been transferred to an unnamed bank ount.


    As far as the former goth girl was concerned, this would be the best revenge ever. From what her exploring hands had felt, she couldn''t wait for the handsome Devil to collect his full payment.

 12 Hunting Rights

    12 Hunting Rights


    I finally finished with myst client of the night and made my way to the abandoned church. I hadn''t tried to teleport there, just in case they had some kind of magic detection device or spell in the area. When I reached the right spot, I didn''t detect anything, so I marked the spot as safe and went over to the building I ssed as enemy territory and I promoted myself to Bishop for the magic boost.


    I couldn''t detect anything with spells, so it was easy to enter the partially ruined church. I saw two exorcist priests standing guard in the foyer, one of which was smoking a cigarette. It took no time at all to make a spell that created a six inch needle with backward-facing barbs on the end. They had long strings attached, too. I cast it twice and used a propulsion spell to shoot both needles at my targets.


    Both priests gurgled as the needles pierced through their necks and they reached up to the wounds, only for me to haul back on the needles to rip them through their fingers and their necks. Both men dropped to the floor and suffocated into unconsciousness before they could bleed out. I crept over to the bodies and held a hand over both of them.


    I couldn''t use Rias'' Power of Destruction; but, I sure as hell could simte it and duplicate the effect. I had imagination-based Devil magic and could pretty much do whatever I wanted, so the two bodies were quickly covered in a ck miasma and then dissolved away into nothing.


    <i>That''s two.</i> I thought and crept across the main room to the altar, only to see the secret passage to the basement was open and there was arge group of armed men standing at the bottom of the stairs.


    ¡°What are you idiots waiting for! Get your useless asses moving! The devil worshippers aren''t going to kill themselves!¡± An angry man''s voice shouted.


    I had seconds to react and used Octuple Critical as I created apressed ball of energy the size of my head. I squeezed it down even more, to the size of a pinhole, and covered it in a thin ss sphere before I tossed it down into the hole. I ran at my best speed and was halfway across the main room when it bounced on the stairs and I heard it as the ss coating cracked.


    <b>*BOOOOM!*</b>


    I felt like a mule kicked me in the back and I flipped end over end, smashed through the half-closed doors, and flew out into the parking lot tond on my face. ¡°O.¡± I groaned and rolled over as I rubbed my face. I sat up and looked at the church to see what happened, only to see the entire back half of the building was gone. ¡°Umm... oops?¡±


    I had definitely underestimated the power of that attack and thought about investigating to see what other damage I had done, then I felt a small oppressive power approaching. Two more appeared and I knew that a tactical retreat was called for after I was hit so hard. I formed a temporary teleportation circle and jumped across the city to hide where I wanted to actually go.


    I felt my promotion fade and I walked in a random direction for several minutes before I teleported again. I walked a bit more and teleported near the old school building at Kuoh Academy. I entered the ult Research Club to retrieve my school bag, left a note on Rias'' desk about what happened, then used the teleportation circle there to go to the alley beside my house.


    I wasn''t surprised to see my mother was inside the house waiting for me. ¡°Hi, mom. I''m a bit sore and might need your help in the bath.¡±


    ¡°Of course I''ll help.¡± Miki said and walked over to me.


    I turned around to take off my backpack and she screamed. ¡°Mom? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Issei, t-t-take off y-your jacket.¡± Miki said, her voice wavering.


    I slipped off the backpack toy it on the floor and took off my jacket, only to have the thing fall into two pieces onto the floor. All that was left of it were two sleeves and the front panels, because the back waspletely gone.


    ¡°Is it bad?¡± I asked and took off the ruined shirt.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Gas explosion.¡± I said, since it was the closest thing to what happened.


    Miki didn''t say anything as her hands lightly touched the skin and I could barely feel it. ¡°It''s toote to rush you to the hospital.¡± She said and turned me around. ¡°It''s already bruising severely around the burns and you are not going to beying on your back anytime soon.¡±


    I sighed and nodded, then let her lead me upstairs to the bathroom.


    Miki stripped my pants off and then had me sit on the washing stool. ¡°Oh, Issei.¡± She said, sadly.


    I felt her try to carefully wash my back. ¡°You don''t have to be so gentle, mom. I can barely feel it.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a good thing.¡± Miki said and kept working.


    I didn''t say anything as she washed me, then she moved around to the front and I saw that she had stripped off. I sprung right up for her and she blushed. ¡°M-mom, you... wow.¡±


    Miki giggled as her hands washed my chest. ¡°My pervert son likes seeing me naked? I''m so surprised.¡±


    I snorted andughed, which made herugh, and her hands slid down to my erection. Ourughter dropped off as she washed me there, quite diligently, then she rinsed it and kept lightly stroking it.


    ¡°M-m-mom.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°My poor baby is hurt and I want to kiss it and make it better.¡± Miki whispered back. She leaned forward and gave me a brief kiss on the lips, then she lowered her head down and slipped her mouth over the engorged tip.


    ¡°Oh, god!¡± I gasped as she flicked her tongue over me and then plunged her mouth down.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Miki moaned and bobbed her head, licked in a swirl, and bobbed her head again.


    My hands went to her head and I pet her hair as she worked me over. She was really good at it, too. It didn''t take me long to get close, so I warned her I was almost finished. Miki gave me one long slow suck and then knelt in front of me and jerked on me.


    ¡°Coat me, Issei. I want you to see your precious breasts covered in your love.¡± Miki said, sexily.


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± I moaned and came with a huge spurt, then another and another. It sshed onto her breasts each time and it really did coat a lot of her skin, much to her pleasure.


    Miki let me go and used her hands to rub my expulsions all over her breasts. ¡°Look at them, Issei. Aren''t they beautiful like this?¡±


    ¡°They are always beautiful.¡± I said and cupped the sides of her face. ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Miki said and gave me another kiss. ¡°I''ll scrub up and you can use me as a pillow in the bath.¡±


    ¡°Not on my back.¡± I said.


    ¡°No, the front.¡± Miki said and smiled. ¡°I''ll hold and cuddle you like I used to.¡±


    I nodded and helped wash her off, then she climbed into the tub toy down with just her chest and head above the edge of the water. Miki patted her chest and I climbed in with her andid down mostly on top of her as I nestled my head between her breasts and hugged her.


    ¡°My boy. My handsome boy.¡± Miki said softly and pet my hair.


    I cuddled her and closed my eyes. I knew I shouldn''t fall asleep in the bathtub and I did it anyway, because Miki was sofortable and I couldn''t help myself. Being held by someone that loved you unconditionally was the best feeling in the world.


    I awoke with a start and blinked my eyes several times. I was in my bed and couldn''t remember how I went from the bathroom to my bedroom. I was also sandwiched between two women and I wasn''t surprised by who they were. Rias Gremory and Koneko Toujou.


    Luckily, Koneko was the small spoon and my arms were wrapped around her, because my extremely hard erection was wedged tightly between her thighs. If it had been Rias in the front, I would have felt pretty guilty that she had felt it first. Since it was Koneko, I moved my hips slightly and elicited a breathy moan from my beautiful girlfriend.


    ¡°P-p-pervert.¡± Koneko whispered and her hand went down between her legs and her fingertips caressed me.


    ¡°Can''t me me.¡± I whispered and bit her earlobe.


    ¡°Hmmm!¡± Koneko moaned and I felt her slick me right up with her fluids.


    ¡°Dearest.¡± I whispered and moved my hips faster. I was only moving an inch or so; but, it was plenty for Koneko to feel the tip rub over her nub and for my shaft to stimte her lower lips. ¡°I''m going to blow.¡±


    ¡°Wait... wait...¡± Koneko whispered and panted.


    I fought off the feeling for a few more minutes and then she let out a cry that was almost pained. I felt the space between her legs flood and I stopped holding back. I moaned and bucked my hips as I poured myself all over her belly and breasts. The powerful spurts seemed to surprise her, then she started wiping it up with her hands and licking them off.


    ¡°So sexy.¡± I said and took several deep breaths. I felt Rias kiss my shoulder and I turned my head back to look at her.


    ¡°May I?¡± Rias asked, her voice hopeful.


    ¡°I gave it to Koneko, so you have to ask her.¡± I said and she giggled.


    ¡°Koneko, can you give me a hand?¡± Rias asked, teasingly.


    Koneko dipped a hand down between her legs, wiped up a good bit from her thighs and from my tip, and held it up.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Rias said, happily. Her tongue and lips made short work of the offer and her face flushed red. She looked intensely at Koneko and saw the same intense look back. ¡°From the source this time?¡±


    Koneko nodded and I was suddenly on my back and had two young women giving me a double blowjob. One would suck and the other would lick, then they would switch and take turns. A double lick on either side. One yed with my balls and the other tried to deepthroat me.


    It wasn''t really the stimtion that was getting me close to blowing again, either. No, it was the looks in their eyes. Koneko''s was quite possessive because she knew that this wouldn''t be happening without her permission, while Rias looked naughty and like the unrepentant kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar and continued to eat the cookies.


    ¡°I''m close.¡± I warned them and it spurred them to increase their efforts instead of slowing them down.


    From one moment to the next, a veritable fountain of whiteness exploded up and out of the tip as their hands and tongues kept working. Both girls moaned as theypped and licked it all up, even from each other''s faces, then they both gave my erection soft kisses and a few more licks.


    ¡°How can you still be hard?¡± Rias asked, her voice full of wonder.


    ¡°I have two very beautiful girls in my bed and I just had one of the best blowjobs of all time.¡± I praised them and they both blushed. ¡°It''s not the right time for me to ask for more than that, though.¡±


    Koneko looked guilty and turned her head away.


    ¡°Koneko.¡± I said and she looked back at me. ¡°I know you''re not ready. That''s why I promised I would wait for you. We can keep having fun like this, I can do you as well, and we can carry on as much as you want.¡± I said and then smirked at her. ¡°You are the one that gets to choose when you want me to break you in half with this thing.¡±


    Rias barked augh and then giggled. ¡°He is fairly big, Koneko. You might have to practice a lot with his tongue and a few fingers to make sure he can fit.¡±


    Koneko blushed and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll help!¡± Rias enthusiastically offered.


    Koneko and I switched ces and she was moaning loudly after I only did a few licks.


    ¡°This might take more practice than we thought.¡± Rias said.


    So, that''s what we did for the next hour. Practice giving each other oral sex. Lots and lots of oral sex.


    The invisible clock in my head ticked at the right time and we had to stop. I didn''t have to say we needed a shower for school, because Rias was already up and out of the room, naked and without a care.


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Hyoudou.¡± Rias'' voice said from the hallway before I heard the bathroom door shut. A secondter, my mother poked her head into the room.


    ¡°I was just going to holler for you to get ready when I heard thatst mewl.¡± Miki said with a grin.


    Koneko blushed and covered her face. Her popped out cat ears flicked nervously and her tail swished with embarrassment.


    ¡°It''s all right, Koneko. Rias told me you two had to do a few things to heal Issei''s back and I''m grateful.¡± Miki said and gave me a look. ¡°I hope you were being responsible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom. No lower body insertions by the Rod of Justice.¡± I proimed and gave her a victory sign.


    Mikiughed and shook her head. ¡°I guess you won''t need your old mother for girlfriend practice anymore.¡±


    I immediately hopped out of bed and slid across the floor on my knees to end at her feet. ¡°Mom, I will always need you!¡±


    ¡°Issei...¡± Miki started to say.


    ¡°You taught me how to kiss.¡± I said and moved her back against the wall as I slid my hands up her thighs. ¡°You taught me how to properly massage breasts so that the girl enjoys it as much as I do.¡± I said and lifted her skirt and pulled off her panties. I looked up at her face and let her see my devotion. ¡°You taught me how to love.¡±


    Miki cried out as my tongue dove into her depths and she grabbed onto my hair to hold on as she put a leg over my shoulder. That gave me more room and I took full advantage of it. Ipped, and yed, and teased, all whileplimenting her skills as a mother, as a wife, and as a woman. Miki moaned as she came hard, covering my face with her boiling hot fluid, then she bonelessly slid to the floor.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± I said and cradled her in my arms.


    ¡°You are a huge pervert to do that to me in front of Koneko.¡± Miki said and hugged me back. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°Shower''s free.¡± Rias said as she stepped out of the bathroom, still naked, and dried herself off with a towel.


    ¡°Me next.¡± Koneko said and grabbed a towel from the closet and entered the bathroom.


    I helped mom stand up and she was a little wobbly. ¡°I think I should make breakfast today, mom. You go downstairs and rest.¡±


    Miki nodded, gave me a peck on the lips, and carefully walked down the stairs.


    ¡°Do I need to schedule more appropriate clients?¡± Rias asked me with a smile.


    ¡°Right! I forgot to send you that.¡± I said and went into the bathroom and dug through theundry for my pants. I pulled out several pieces of paper and brought one back to Rias. ¡°The bachelorette birthday party was a huge sess and they loved my performance.¡±


    Rias was stunned as she looked at the list for seven more appointments at the same huge fee she had charged for my first client group. ¡°Is this for real?¡±


    ¡°Yup! Shaking my moneymaker had them all panting.¡± I said with augh. ¡°Also, there was no intercourse or oral sex, even though they did offer. You could probably charge a lot more if I did that.¡± I said and Rias nodded absently. ¡°I did finger two of the girls as an apology for saving myself for my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Good pervert.¡± Koneko said as she stepped out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Thank you, dearest.¡± I said and kissed her deeply. ¡°I''ll be quick.¡±


    ¡°You weren''t this morning.¡± Rias joked.


    Iughed and Koneko looked happy.


    After my shower, I made breakfast for the four of us and we had a nice chat about everything before we went to school.

 13 I Can See Heaven

    13 I Can See Heaven


    As we walked to school, Rias filled me in on what had been happening since I had passed out in the bath. My note about what I did at the abandoned church had set off an international incident, because it had revealed a lot of things that shouldn''t have been revealed for weeks.


    I hadn''t quite intended that when I went to the church to clear out the rogue exorcists and only wanted to make them disappear without anyone finding out that it was me. My... ah... explosive mistake had changed that somewhat because I had obliterated 30 of the 50 or so exorcists in the basement and wrecked most of their stored equipment and supplies that they had smuggled into the city.


    Unfortunately, I did not kill any of the remaining Fallen Angels that lived there. I had to assume the three presences I had felt approaching the churchst night were Raynere, Kwarner, and Mittelt. If the three of them continued to move around together and not individually, I was going to have a difficult time against them. Dodging one or two light spears is easy. Dodging six or more? Not so much.


    Not only had the Fallen Angel''s secret base been revealed because of me, the half-ruined sacred gear extractor had been found by Sona and her Peerage. The undamaged light pistols and light swords were just icing on the cake, as the old saying goes. It showed that the Fallen Angels were preparing for war and that was not sitting well with the other factions.


    When we arrived at school, we were brought right into a Student Council meeting. Sona exined that scouts had been set up at different entrances to the city to stop anyone else from entering or leaving without Sona''s and Rias'' permission, which meant the one she had sent to the airport saw a particr emunicated nun stepping off the first ne tond that morning.


    ¡°I''ll go get her.¡± I offered right away.


    Everyone''s eyes went right to me and I gave them a huge smile.


    ¡°I was going to skip ss to hang out in the clubhouse anyway, so you might as well have me run errands.¡±


    Sona looked from me to Rias.


    ¡°He was severely hurtst night. I won''t hold it against him if you don''t.¡± Rias said.


    Sona gave me a pointed look. ¡°This does not count as the favor you owe me.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, you had to rify it.¡± I said with a chuckle and her lips twitched to smile. ¡°I''ll transport over ande back the long way to give you all the time you need to keep working.¡±


    ¡°That is thoughtful of you, Issei. Thank you.¡± Sona said.


    I gave Koneko a kiss on the lips and Rias a kiss on the cheek, then I winked at her and gave Sona''s cheek a kiss, too. ¡°See youter.¡±


    ¡°Pervert.¡± Koneko said, fondly. Rias chuckled and Sona blushed.


    I went over to the teleportation circle and saw the coordinates on the wall for the scout locations, adjusted the airport one to be out of sight, and activated the spell. I disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in the corner of a parking lot between two trees.


    I cast a magic detection spell and nothing came up, so I walked across the parking lot and entered the airport. I silently kept casting the detection spell until I had a hit. I followed it to the baggage im area and easily saw the short girl wearing a nun outfit, because she stood out in the crowd like a lone penguin on an ice shelf. It would have been difficult to avoid seeing her.


    ¡°Hello, there!¡± I said with enthusiasm and the young woman startled slightly. ¡°I''m sorry, Miss Argento. I didn''t mean to scare you.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It''s all right.¡± Asia said and waved her hands. ¡°I just didn''t expect anyone around here to speak Italian...¡± She paused and looked up at my face. ¡°...wait a moment. How did you know my name?¡±


    ¡°As soon as I heard you had arrived, I offered toe here to pick you up.¡± I said,pletely truthfully.


    Asia beamed a smile at me. ¡°That''s so nice of you.¡± She said and then her smile disappeared. ¡°When they shoved me onto the ne and told me to make my way here, I thought I would be all alone.¡±


    I reached out and ced a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Miss Argento... Asia... no matter where you go or what you are doing, you are never alone. As long as you keep your faith close to your heart, even if it wavers during trying times, it will never fail you.¡±


    Asia gave me a surprised look.


    ¡°Oh, look at me! I''m such an idiot for preaching about faith to a nun!¡± I said with a huge grin and she softlyughed. ¡°My name is Issei Hyoudou. My friends call me Issei.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Issei.¡± Asia said and looked startled. ¡°I''m sorry! Can I... I mean...¡±


    ¡°Of course you can call me Issei.¡± I said and pointed to the luggage carousel. ¡°I hope we can be good friends for years toe.¡±


    Asia beamed a smile at me and looked at the carousel. ¡°That one''s mine!¡±


    I grabbed the small suitcase when it was close and it felt suspiciously light. It was then that I remembered she was a reclusive nun for years and didn''t have a lot of personal possessions like clothes. I offered her my elbow to escort her and she blushed prettily as she epted it.


    ¡°We have a lot of time before we need to report to the rulers of the territory, so why don''t we drop this suitcase off and we can explore around for a bit?¡± I asked her as I led her out of the airport. ¡°I recently had an in-depth lesson on the local tourist spots and the best routes to take a date to keep a woman happy while sightseeing.¡±


    Asia stumbled slightly and blushed hard. ¡°A d-d-d-date?¡±


    ¡°Purely tonic, of course. I would never suggest doing anything untoward with a woman of the cloth.¡± I said and gave her a warm smile. ¡°That doesn''t mean we can''t enjoy spending some time together, maybe eat some greasy fast food, and talk about everything under the sun.¡±


    Asia looked a little stunned. ¡°I... um... I''ve never...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about a thing, Asia. I''ll take care of everything.¡± I promised and led her across the parking lot to the teleportation coordinates I had used.


    ¡°Th-thank you, Issei.¡± Asia said, gratefully.


    ¡°Believe me, it''s my pleasure.¡± I said and stepped between the trees. ¡°You might want to close your eyes for a second. Teleportation circle.¡±


    Asia nodded and I created a teleportation circle to jump to a random spot, then used it to jump again near my house.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± I said and Asia opened her eyes.


    ¡°This is a very nice house.¡± Asiaplimented as we walked around the corner to enter it.


    ¡°Thank you. We try to take good care of it.¡± I said and opened the door. ¡°Mom! I''m only here dropping off a friend''s suitcase as I show her around the city!¡±


    ¡°You can leave it in the living room by the couch!¡± Miki shouted back from the kitchen. ¡°I thought you went to school!¡±


    ¡°I''m skipping with permission!¡± I shouted and put the suitcase in the living room and set a small barrier around it. ¡°See you tonight!¡±


    ¡°Bye, sweetie!¡± Miki shouted back.


    I led Asia outside and locked the front door.


    ¡°She seems nice.¡± Asia said.


    ¡°She''s the best.¡± I said and we walked down the street. ¡°If I remember the map''s orientation right, our first stop should be the duck pond at the park. It should be that way.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t done this before?¡± Asia asked, slightly concerned.


    ¡°Nope! This is my first time, so please be gentle.¡± I joked andughed.


    Asia blushed and thenughed, too.


    *


    Sona Sitri did her best to not react as her older sister, Serafall Leviathan, pretty much took over the investigation. Her sister''s incessant questioning wasn''t helping to move things along and Sona spent more time than necessary as she regurgitated the answers that her sister already knew. It was quite irritating and she fought it down. They examined all of the evidence several times, including the damaged items.


    It took most of the morning to get through it all and Serafall nodded when they were done. ¡°I need to talk to Issei about his attack on the abandoned church and what he did to cause that much destruction.¡±


    ¡°He told me about that.¡± Rias said.


    ¡°A second-hand ount won''t work because a description of a description isn''t admissible during an official investigation.¡± Serafall responded.


    ¡°You''ve been watching those police procedural shows again.¡± Sona said with a sigh.


    Serafall gave her a knowing smile.


    Sona looked at her friend. ¡°Rias? Where is he? He said he would give us some time and that was hours ago. It''s almost lunchtime.¡±


    ¡°I''ll send my familiar out to find him. It shouldn''t take long.¡± Rias said and left the room briefly to send her bat-like familiar to Issei, because it could find all of her peerage members easily. When Rias returned to the office, she brought her crystal ball with her.


    ¡°I haven''t used anything like that in years.¡± Serafallmented as Rias set it up on Sona''s desk.


    Rias cast the remote viewing spell on her familiar and the three women watched the crystal ball. The scene it yed made all three of them feel some envy, because they watched Isseiughing and carrying on with a beautiful blonde girl while they ate at a fast food restaurant. They also had small food fight with french fries being tossed back and forth with a lot ofughing.


    ¡°Familiar, please transform and go inside to ask Issei to bring the nun here to the school.¡± Rias ordered and the view moved up and down in agreement.


    The familiar flew around the side of the building, there was a puff of smoke, and the familiar looked like a woman as it went back and entered the restaurant. ¡°Hello, Issei Hyoudou. Rias Gremory has asked for you to return to the school with your guest.¡±


    ¡°Already? It feels like we just started the tour.¡± Issei said with a sigh. ¡°Tell Rias we''ll be there as soon as we finish eating. It''s Asia''s first time eating out like this and I don''t want to rush her.¡±


    Asia softlyughed. ¡°It''s been wonderful and I''ve never had so much fun, Issei!¡±


    ¡°I''m d.¡± Issei said and looked at the familiar. ¡°Maybe another ten to fifteen minutes. I boughtrge milkshakes and they''re delicious.¡±


    ¡°If it gets him here faster, he can bring them.¡± Rias said to the crystal ball.


    ¡°You can bring those along. Rias Gremory approves.¡± The familiar repeated in a much better way.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Issei said and looked thoughtful. ¡°I wonder if I should get some for everyone?¡±


    ¡°We don''t want any!¡± Rias snapped.


    ¡°Speak for yourself. I wouldn''t mind a chocte milkshake.¡± Sona whispered.


    Koneko nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°It will dy him if he orders something for everyone. Just get him here!¡± Rias ordered.


    The familiar let out a soft sigh. ¡°Two chocte shakes for Koneko and Sona. You must hurry.¡±


    ¡°I''ll order right now and finish eating!¡± Issei said and ran over to the counter, ced the order and paid, and ran back to the booth. ¡°They''ll be done in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of time.¡± Asia said and picked up her half-eaten hamburger.


    ¡°I will wait outside.¡± The familiar said and quickly left. It''s time for transforming wasing to an end and it needed to be out of sight before it changed back. It went back to the window and watched. Issei and Asia did eat quicker than they should have, saving some of their french fries forter, and picked up the two new shakes and carried their own out of the restaurant.


    The familiar joined them and they walked around to the side of the building. Issei cast the teleportation circle and they disappeared in a sh of light to reappear in the Student Council office.


    ¡°Oh! Lady Leviathan!¡± Issei gasped and bowed deeply. ¡°If I''d known you were here, I would have picked up another milkshake for you.¡±


    Serafall looked happy at the admission. ¡°That''s all right, Issei. I''ll share Sona''s.¡±


    ¡°You could ask first.¡± Sona griped.


    ¡°I could.¡± Serafall teased and Sona sighed.


    Issei chuckled and handed a chocte shake to Koneko and the second one to Sona. Koneko looked pleased at the order he had handed them out and started sucking on the straw right away. Sona took a sip and handed it to Serafall, whom also took a sip. Tsubasa took it next and the chocte milkshake was quickly passed around to the rest of Sona''s Peerage.


    ¡°I have a few questions aboutst night.¡± Serafall said, her voice going serious.


    Issei nodded and took a long suck on the straw of his own milkshake and handed the drink to Rias. ¡°Can you hold this for me? It''s strawberry.¡±


    Rias held it and blushed a little as she looked at it longingly.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Issei said and ignored her delighted squeal and Akeno trying to cuddle up to her and begging for a sip, too. Issei started to eat the remains of his fries and turned to face Serafall. ¡°I''m ready for the interrogation, Lady Leviathan.¡±


    It took half an hour for Serafall to be satisfied with his answers and the milkshakes were long gone. It took her another few minutes to think about something and nodded.


    ¡°All right, I think I have the whole picture.¡± Serafall said and pointed a finger at Issei. ¡°A Fallen Angel murdered you and you were upset and sought revenge. You found out that the church was their hideout and went there to confront her, only to blow up a bunch of stray exorcists instead.¡±


    I opened my mouth to refute that.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Serafall ordered. ¡°You have pissed off two biblical factions with what you did. It doesn''t matter if Raynare was following orders or not. A Fallen Angel killing a human is easily covered up, as the multiple deaths from stray devils easily proves.¡±


    ¡°You''re assuming all of the deaths are by the stray.¡± I said instead of exining my reasoning.


    ¡°Rias saved you and made you a Devil, which means you are under much different restrictions than if you had remained human. Your actions caused a lot of problems for me and our entire race. We have rules andws...¡±


    ¡°...that you easily ignore whenever you want.¡± I interrupted.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Serafall asked with a frown.


    ¡°I don''t see you ordering Sona and Rias and their Peerages to clear out the illegal upation of their territory by the Fallen Angels and the emunicated Gregori priests pretending to be exorcists.¡± I said.


    Sona and Rias gasped while their Peerages looked surprised.


    ¡°They were building up a huge force that could easily take over the entire city and cause untold destruction, and you''re standing here and using me of a crime when I revealed their entire operation to murder innocent people and steal their sacred gears.¡± I added, almost unnecessarily.


    ¡°That... is beside the point.¡± Serafall said.


    ¡°No, what''s beside the point is that you are looking for a scapegoat to make both Heaven and the Fallen Angels back off from taking responsibility for their own mistakes.¡± I used.


    Everyone gasped this time and Serafall couldn''t hide the guilt from showing on her face.


    ¡°So, are we having a big showy trial or was this it? No defense for me? No public showing of the evidence? No admission of guilt by anyone but me?¡± I asked and Serafall stayed quiet. ¡°Well, I have only one thing to say in response to that.¡±


    ¡°Issei, don''t!¡± Koneko eximed.


    ¡°Cover your ears, dearest.¡± I said and smiled at her using my name instead of calling me Pervert. I deployed my four wings, that shocked everyone, and I took a deep breath as I looked up towards the ceiling. ¡°Dear God, our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± All of the devils in the room cried out and dropped to their knees with hands over their ears.


    ¡°Issei! You''ve been blessed by GOD!¡± Asia eximed and pped her hands together in prayer as she dropped to her knees in supplication.


    ¡°I call upon the Arbiter of Heaven, the High Angel Gabriel, and pray that she will grace us with her divine presence! So shall I ask, so shall she deliver, in God''s name, AMEN!¡± I shouted.


    After a few seconds, a swirling golden portal appeared in the ceiling. Sandal-covered feet came through, sexy calves, cute knees, thighs that went on for miles, hips to die for, an epic chest the old Issei would have bled out from a nosebleed for, and a cherubic face that every other angel was envious of. The toga she wore covered everything and hid nothing.


    Gabriel, the most beautiful woman in Heaven softlynded in front of me and her twelve gold wings fluttered behind her. ¡°Issei Hyoudou. Reincarnated Devil. Repentant Pervert.¡± She said as her nk face changed to show a teasing smile. ¡°You have gained my interest.¡±

 14 Believe What I Say

    14 Believe What I Say


    Normally, gaining the attention of any powerful being was a Bad Idea. However, this was exactly what I had nned for. Well, not really. I did n on having Serafall contact the Heaven Faction to arrange a meeting with a representative that waspletely unrted to the church fiasco. This just happened to hasten the process by several days.


    ¡°Thank you for heeding my prayer, Lady Gabriel.¡± I said and bowed deeply to her.


    ¡°Now, now. None of that.¡± Gabriel said and waved her hand to get me to stand up straight. ¡°I can honestly say I have never met a Devil that could use Father''s name like that without being in excruciating pain.¡±


    ¡°Without being sphemous, you mean.¡± I said with a grin.


    Gabriel giggled. ¡°Yes, exactly. If they curse, it only causes a mild headache. Calling out with genuinely pure intent like you did would probably make their heads explode.¡±


    I couldn''t help butugh at that. ¡°I believe you. Even Lady Leviathan cried out in pain when I started.¡±


    Gabriel turned around briefly to look at all of the Devils that were on their knees and groaning in pain. ¡°Oho, hearing it second-hand can cause this much damage if one of their own says it? How enlightening!¡±


    ¡°It truly is a miracle.¡± Asia said as she stared at Gabriel. ¡°A Devil has called upon an Angel and they answered.¡± She said in awe. ¡°Will the wonders never cease?¡±


    Gabriel ced a hand on her shoulder and Asia glowed brightly. ¡°You truly are a devoted follower.¡±


    ¡°She is, even more than your church''s bishops and possibly the pope himself.¡± I said and both the Angel and the nun gasped. ¡°She was emunicated from the church because they discovered her Sacred Gear called Twilight Healing can heal any being under Heaven and not just normal humans, as long as she believes that she can help them. Since she believes she can help everyone...¡±


    Gabriel slowly knelt on both knees and looked into Asia''s eyes. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Asia started crying. ¡°I didn''t know he was a Devil when that man stumbled into the church and was bleeding from multiple wounds. I only saw someone that was hurt and needed help.¡± She sobbed. ¡°I did what I could for them and the church threw me away! Waahhhhhh!¡±


    Gabriel wrapped her arms around Asia and whispered sweet nothings to calm her down. It took several minutes for it to work and Asia soon thanked her profusely for allowing her to beforted by her divine presence.


    ¡°You are one of His flock, Asia. I''m the one that should thank you for not giving up on your faith after such a trial.¡± Gabriel said and wiped the girl''s face off with the edge of her toga. ¡°I will wear your tears of grief and sorrow until such time as you no longer feel the need to shed them.¡±


    Asia bowed her head. ¡°Th-thank you, High Angel Gabriel. I feel so honored!¡±


    Gabriel stood up and looked at me. ¡°Is this why you called me? To correct such an injustice?¡±


    ¡°I was going to.¡± I said and her eyebrows rose. ¡°Through proper channels, of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gabriel said with a smile. ¡°Then why did you call me here?¡±


    With her focused on me, I exined what happened. Being murdered and everyone ignoring that a rogue Fallen Angel had done it. Serafall''s excuse that those kinds of murders were easily covered up and no one looks into them to hide them from the rest of the poption. How no one was hunting or punishing the Fallen Angels for all of the people they killed and the sacred gears they sent back into the Heaven System.


    I also told her how the emunicated priests were still going around the city pretending to be exorcists as they murdered the contracted clients of Devils without provocation, merely because they were sinners. They didn''t even offer forgiveness or tried to convince the sinners to repent. They just killed them because they were worthless.


    Everyone in the room was horrified, especially Gabriel and Asia, because Asia had been offered sanctuary by those same Fallen Angels and would have been included in their crimes.


    ¡°Because of what I did at the abandoned church and Serafall''s choice to make me the scapegoat, I assumed I was going to be handed over to the Fallen Angel Faction for punishment and the Heaven Faction would be told that the situation had been dealt with.¡± I said and Gabriel started to frown again. ¡°I couldn''t let that happen without telling someone else about it, because I doubt I would be allowed to speakter.¡±


    Gabriel''s frown changed to anger and she started to turn to face the Devils.


    ¡°GABRIEL!¡± I shouted and Gabriel turned back to me. Seeing her cherubic face twisted by anger made me do something impulsively stupid. I stepped forward and nted a kiss right on her lips. I kept my lips together and didn''t try anything like slip her my tongue or moved my lips. I also stopped after only a second.


    The shocked look on Gabriel''s face was exactly what I wanted to counter the anger that had been there.


    ¡°What... what... what did you just do?¡± Gabriel asked as she put a hand up to cover her mouth.


    ¡°That was as tonic of a kiss I could give you. I needed to distract you from making the worst mistake of your long life.¡± I said and the shocked look didn''t fade from her face. ¡°What I said made you angry and I apologize for not ounting for that. Even righteous anger can sometimes cause someone to fall and I didn''t want you to suffer like that because of me.¡±


    ¡°But... but, you... you stole my first kiss.¡± Gabriel whispered.


    I blinked my eyes for several seconds. ¡°I didn''t expect that.¡± I whispered. ¡°I mean, you''ve been alive for thousands of years and you''re the most beautiful woman in Heaven. I just assumed you''ve... that is, even y kissing with friends, as a dare, or someone you cared about...¡± I stopped talking at the severe blush on her face.


    Gabriel stared at me as I reached out to gently move her hand from her lips.


    I looked deep into her eyes and let her see my sincerity. ¡°Lady Gabriel, this lowly mortal... now Devil... made a choice to save you from losing yourself to your emotions, only for other emotions to rece them. I sincerely apologize for taking from you what I thought you had already rewarded hundreds of others with, because who wouldn''t want a kiss from someone as loving and caring as you?¡±


    Gabriel''s blush didn''t lessen as she looked into my eyes. ¡°You are telling the truth. You''re not thinking perverted thoughts about me after... after...¡±


    ¡°I would never sully my mind with thoughts like that about you, one of the holiest of holy angels.¡± I said and intertwined my fingers with hers. ¡°Just like when I called out to ask you toe here, I had the purest of thoughts when our lips met. To stop you from potentially falling. It wasn''t lust, hunger, envy, or any other sin that I felt in that moment. All I wanted was to save you.¡±


    Gabriel nced down at our sped hands and back at my face. ¡°Even now...¡±


    ¡°Nothing but thoughts of stopping you from falling.¡± I said, truthfully.


    ¡°Then... then I must do what I can to forgive you.¡± Gabriel said and moved slightly forward to press her considerable chest to mine. ¡°Will you ept my blessing in return?¡±


    ¡°I would be honored to ept anything you offer, Lady Gabriel.¡± I replied.


    Gabriel''s blush deepened, then she closed her eyes and started to glow as she leaned in to kiss me.


    <b>High Angel Gabriel has initiated a Karma points transfer as well as a Blessing of Fortune.


    Do you ept? Yes / No</b>


    <i>Yes, please!</i> I thought and felt her lips touch mine as a significant amount of power flowed into me.


    <b>Karma Points transferred: 1,000


    Blessing of Fortune: You have been the first being ever blessed by the High Angel Gabriel. For the next two weeks, all events that happen around you will be in your favor. Odds will always be on your side, no matter how stacked against you they are.


    Games of Chance have a 75% increase to benefit you.</b>


    Gabriel broke the kiss and looked both embarrassed and very happy, even though the kiss had beenpletely chaste, just like the one I gave her.


    ¡°You really have been blessed!¡± Asia gasped.


    I wasn''t sure what she meant, until I looked down at my hand that still held Gabriel''s. It was glowing as much as hers was.


    ¡°Why are you not burning to death from a Divine Blessing?¡± Serafall asked from seemingly far away.


    I turned my head to look and saw that all of the Devils in the room had somehow squished themselves against the far wall of the Student Council office to get as far away from Gabriel as possible.


    I smiled and looked back at Gabriel. ¡°I believe that Lady Gabriel is the cause. Like what I did when I gave her a kiss, her intent is to save me, so her blessing will never harm me.¡±


    Gabriel smiled brightly. ¡°I am very d that it worked and you''re not screaming in pain and dying.¡±


    I couldn''t helpughing at that and it made her smile even brighter. ¡°You almost expected it and you''re still holding my hand while pressed against me?¡±


    Gabriel''s smile changed to a smirk. ¡°Wouldn''t being here with me be the bestst moments to have if you did die?¡±


    ¡°Ha hahaha!¡± Iughed andughed. ¡°I''m trying to... heh heh... stop you from falling... ha ha... and you''re trying to make me ascend to Heaven the hard way! Hahaha!¡±


    Gabrielughed, Asia looked rapturous, and the Devils looked shocked.


    It took me a few minutes to calm down. ¡°You''re lucky I have a girlfriend or I would seriously consider your offer.¡± I said and Gabriel looked pleased at almost recruiting me. ¡°But, since you gave me the idea, why don''t I offer you an alternative?¡±


    ¡°Issei!¡± Koneko gasped.


    ¡°Not like that.¡± I said, in case she thought I meant giving her up. I reached down with my free hand and took Asia''s hand, helped her stand, and put her hand on top of Gabriel''s that I held. ¡°Like you said, a great injustice was perpetrated on this holy person. If anyone in this world deserves to be weed into the ranks of the Angels of Heaven, it is this wonderful and devoted young woman.¡±


    Asia blushed and ducked her head. ¡°N-n-no, I... I''m not worthy.¡±


    Both Gabriel and I spoke at the same time, as if we practised it. ¡°That means you are.¡±


    The two of us exchanged amused looks, softly chuckled, and I unwound my fingers from Gabriel''s and let her take Asia''s hand in my ce.


    ¡°Will you ept the offer, Asia Argento?¡± Gabriel asked and pulled the nun close. ¡°Will you shed this mortal shell and join us in Heaven for all eternity?¡±


    ¡°Will... will I be able to help?¡± Asia asked.


    Gabriel smiled. ¡°There is so much work to do that you will quickly be one of our most called-upon and revered saints.¡±


    Asia smiled back and nodded. ¡°Then I ept, Lady Gabriel.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Asia. Wee to the family.¡± Gabriel said and leaned forward, gave me a wink, and nted her Blessing kiss on Asia''s forehead, which let me know she had kissed me on the lips on purpose.


    The both of them glowed and Asia let out a low sigh as she seemed to fade, as did her clothes, then she faded back wearing a toga and gasped as a pair of golden wings popped out of her back.


    ¡°Your wings are gold right away!¡± Gabriel eximed and hugged the girl. ¡°I''m so happy!¡±


    Asia had tears in her eyes and she looked happy, too.


    ¡°We need to leave before we cause the Devils any more headaches.¡± Gabriel said and let Asia out of the hug. ¡°Issei, be good and don''t abuse my blessing.¡±


    I gave her my best evil smile. ¡°Would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°In a second!¡± ¡°Does today end in ''Y''?¡± The Devils across the room said at the same time.


    Both Gabriel and Asiaughed.


    I shrugged and didn''t deny it. ¡°Lady Gabriel, take good care of your new sister.¡± I said and looked at Asia. ¡°Asia, please continue to be the person you were always meant to be.¡±


    Asia beamed a smile at me. ¡°Today has been wonderful. I met you, went on a date, ate food I''ve never had before, and I met my new family.¡± She said and stepped close to me. ¡°Thank you very much, Issei. If it wasn''t for you, this might have been the worst day of my life. Instead, it was the best.¡±


    ¡°I can''t take all the credit. Those burgers were delicious.¡± I joked and she giggled.


    ¡°I will keep an eye on you when I can.¡± Asia said and looked at Gabriel.


    ¡°There''s a lot to learn; but, I can help with that.¡± Gabriel offered.


    Asia nodded to her and looked back at me. ¡°Can I chance a kiss with you without falling?¡±


    I chuckled at her wording. ¡°I only have pure thoughts about you, so I think with Gabriel''s blessing, we can get away with a second or two without tempting fate.¡±


    Asia smiled and closed her eyes with her lips puckered as she stood on her toes with a light p of wings to keep herself steady. I leaned down and puckered as well, then gave her two quick pecks on the lips. Asia''s face flushed red at the contact and opened her eyes to look at me with embarrassment.


    ¡°You are just too cute.¡± I said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Goodbye, Asia.¡±


    ¡°G-goodbye, Issei.¡± Asia said and took Gabriel''s hand.


    ¡°Goodbye, Issei.¡± Gabriel said and created a golden portal in the ceiling. ¡°Serafall. Other devils.¡±


    ¡°Gabriel.¡± Serafall said, curtly.


    Gabriel and Asia lifted into the air, gave me amused looks, then they turned around and flew up into the portal. My eyes widened at the sight, because it was apletely unnecessary move, unless they specifically wanted me to see that they weren''t wearing panties under their togas and werepletely bare of hair down there.


    <i>I just had a glimpse of divine pussy!</i> I thought in shock as my brain kind of short-circuited.


    My thoughts were no longer pure about Gabriel after seeing that, then I froze at realization that Gabriel''s Blessing of Fortune was already working overtime to benefit me. All I could think was that I was grateful it hadn''t worked in that capacity while Gabriel was still present, because that would have been embarrassing.


    ¡°Pervert.¡± Koneko said from beside me and pped me upside the head.


    ¡°Ow! Thanks, I needed that.¡± I said and rubbed the spot. ¡°Wait a second, how did you know...¡±


    Koneko''s hand went down to my waist and rested on the tent pole there.


    ¡°Oh. I guess it was kind of obvious.¡± I said and put my hand on hers and didn''t move it off.


    Koneko gave me raised eyebrows and didn''t move her hand, either.


    ¡°You''re willingly touching me and I''m never going to say no to you.¡± I exined.


    Koneko looked conflicted for several seconds before she moved in front of me and pulled me down into a searing kiss that shouldn''t be given to others in public. ¡°Thank you for the milkshake.¡±


    I needed a moment toe up with an appropriate response. ¡°Keep kissing me like that and I''ll buy you all the milkshakes. Hell, I''ll try to buy a machine to put in the clubroom for you.¡±


    Koneko gave me a huge smile, which waspletely uncharacteristic for her personality. Before I couldment about it, she reached down with both hands and undid my pants, expertly rearranged me so that I wasn''t making a huge tent pole for everyone to see, and zipped me back up. Since she had stood in front of me and blocked the view, no one else saw anything.


    ¡°Thank you, dearest.¡± I whispered and gave her a searing kiss right back.

 15 Nothing To Hide

    15 Nothing To Hide


    ¡°Well.¡± Serafall said as she tried to regain control of the meeting. ¡°With that out of the way, we can finish dealing with this mess.¡±


    Koneko stepped back to stand by my side as we waited for Serafall''s decision.


    ¡°Rias Gremory, I''m sorry. I have to take your Pawn into custody for his crimes.¡± Serafall said.


    ¡°No!¡± Rias gasped and put a hand over her heart.


    ¡°Issei was right?¡± Sona asked, surprised. ¡°You''re going to hand him over to the Fallen Angels?¡±


    ¡°They were the ones that killed him in the first ce and you''re going to let them do it again!¡± Rias eximed. ¡°You are sentencing MY Peerage member to DEATH!¡±


    Serafall''s face went stony for being yelled at. ¡°Your Pawn murdered over half of the priests in that church. Abandoned or not, it was still consecrated ground when he defiled it with murder.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn''t.¡± I said.


    ¡°Your opinion on this longer matters.¡± Serafall said.


    ¡°I''m going to tell you anyway.¡± I said, defiantly. ¡°I cast a magic detection spell before entering the grounds and there was nothing. I expected a barrier of some kind to stop anyone from going to the church to find them, especially Devils, and I didn''t pick up a single tingle of magic. They didn''t even have a general sensing ward active to find intruders.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they didn''t want anything they put up to be found so easily?¡± Sona asked. ¡°Keeping themselves defenceless makes sense to avoid discovery.¡±


    ¡°Hiding in in sight would have been far easier.¡± I said to her. ¡°How many priests did they have? It would have beenughably easy to have the church go active again with only the priests themselves as members. They could have set it up as a private institution and no one would have questioned it, because everyone would think it had the backing of the Church, and through them, the Heaven Faction.¡±


    The surprised looks on everyone''s faces let me know that no one would have ever thought of that.


    ¡°You should probably forget I said that.¡± I said with a straight face, knowing full well that they wouldn''t. ¡°When am I supposed to be handed over to my murderers?¡±


    ¡°I''ve scheduled a meeting for 8 o''clock tonight with the leaders of their faction to disclose what happened.¡± Serafall said. ¡°I will hand you over to them afterwards.¡±


    ¡°No, you can''t! That''s too soon!¡± Rias gasped.


    Serafall kept up the stony look. ¡°I can''t give you time to have your brother attempt to interfere. I am the Foreign Affairs Minister and my decision to protect our entire race is final.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidnapping me right away or will I have time to go say a final goodbye to my mother?¡± I asked, almost sure of her answer, and prepared for it because I believed I was in enemy territory.


    Serafall gave me a stern look. ¡°You have already caused enough grief and I can''t let you out of my sight.¡± She said and then shrugged. ¡°Besides, she won''t remember she had a son after tonight.¡±


    I promoted to Queen, activated my Octuple Critical, and was across the room instantly. A ck sword of disintegration magic formed in my hand and easily slid right into Serafall''s chest and through her heart, because of my intention to sacrifice her.


    ¡°You will <b>not</b> harm my mother!¡± I said with a deep voice.


    ¡°ISSEI!¡± Rias and Sona yelled, shocked.


    ¡°I have no problem paying for what I did, because I went there and intended to kill them all. I would have gotten away with it if I hadn''t made a mistake with how powerful my magic was and hurt myself.¡± I admitted, which surprised everyone. ¡°However, my mother loves me. If Serafall removes the memories of me always being there for her, it will destroy her.¡± I said and twisted the sword to shred her heart. ¡°I can''t allow that, no matter the cost.¡±


    Time seemed to slow down as a familiar box appeared in front of me.


    <b>The being known as Serafall Leviathan has been mortally wounded by your hand. You have lost 500 Karma points for killing an unarmed and unprepared opponent.</b>


    <b>The First Strike and Backstab skills have been learned.


    Spend 20 Karma points to upgrade skills to mastered? Yes / No</b>


    <i>I want to spend points to master all of the skills I have. I think 10 points per skill is fairly cheap and would save me a ton of time from having to do it the long way.</i> I thought and felt a huge drain. I assumed that all of the skills I had, that I didn''t really know I had until I used them, were upgraded to mastered.


    <b>Because your opponent was much more powerful than you, a rare opportunity has presented itself (Blessing of Fortune).


    Do you wish to attempt to harvest Serafall Leviathan''s magic and abilities as her corrupted soul is consumed?


    Chance of sess: 16%. Karma cost: 14,355.</b>


    <i>Yes, take everything you can, even her Karma Debt if she has any.</i> I thought to the system. <i>I can''t believe the chance is still only 16% with the Blessing''s 75% increase bonus!</i>


    <b>Karma Debt was included in the cost to harvest. A note has been added to the system for your willingness to ept the full Karma Debt of another, despite not knowing the amount.</b>


    Another little blue box appeared that I knew was from Fate.


    <b>Damn, You are really making me work hard.


    I haven''t had this much fun in ages.</b>


    <i>I''m sorry and you''re wee.</i> I thought to her and then stopped breathing as an immense amount of magic flowed out of Serafall and into me. We both glowed with a red aura and I could feel the affinity for water and ice burn through my veins.


    The little box showed the word ''giggle''. <b>Things are going to be changing a lot for you now.</b>


    <i>That wasn''t ominous or anything.</i> I thought and started breathing again when a red King Piece slid out of Serafall''s chest. I snatched it up and shoved it into my pocket before anyone could see it. <i>I suppose I have a few things to take care of before I''m handed over to the Fallen Angels.</i>


    <b>You do and good luck.


    By the way, your idea will work if you choose to sacrifice enough Karma toplete it.</b>


    I mentally nodded and the boxes disappeared as time resumed the normal flow.


    ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Sona gasped as she saw the red aura around Serafall and myself. She didn''t try to grab me or her sister to try and stop me.


    ¡°I have to absorb the debt that all of Serafall''s actions have caused ever since she became a Devil.¡± I said truthfully, just in case anyone could tell I was lying or had a spell up to detect it.


    No one moved or said anything as I held Serafall in my arms. I stared into her eyes and watched as both her power and her life seeped away, the power into me and her soul into the system. I let the sword go and it lost its form as it started to flow over the body.


    ¡°No!¡± Sona gasped as her sister''s body started to dissolve away. ¡°I call in the favor you owe me! Let me keep her body!¡±


    I nodded and waved a hand over the damage and it stopped. To everyone''s surprise, the dissolved parts started to reform and fill in. It cost quite a bit of magic to repair the damage that disintegration magic caused and I didn''t bother keeping track of it, since I had so much magic now that it didn''t matter. I did have to fake exhaustion, though.


    I copsed to the floor with Serafall''s body on top of me. ¡°That cost... a lot of magic... to stop.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sona said and picked up her sister''s body. She hugged it close and sat down beside me and started to cry.


    ¡°I''m... sorry.¡± I said and didn''t say what I was sorry for. It was the easiest way to lie.


    ¡°I think a lot of us would do the same for our mothers if given the choice.¡± Rias said and only Akeno nodded. Sona''s Peerage gathered around her and knelt to hold her and let her cry as they whispered words of sorrow andfort to her.


    Koneko walked over to me and picked me up in a princess carry. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°I still have to go to the meeting.¡± I said Rias, Koneko, and Akeno shook their heads. ¡°Serafall already told them she was handing me over. It''s the only exnation for why she wasted so much time this morning.¡±


    Sona let out a loud sob and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Koneko, I need you to stay with mom. I don''t want anyone going there to make her forget me.¡± I said.


    ¡°You, too.¡± Koneko said.


    ¡°I need to rest for about an hour to recover and then I have a few things I have to do.¡± I said and gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°I''m going to depend on you to keep my mother safe while I''m gone.¡±


    Koneko gave me a nk stare. ¡°Issei...¡±


    ¡°I need you to do this. For me. Please.¡± I said and closed my eyes. ¡°Rias, after you talk to Sirzechs and tell him what happened here, arrange for Lady Grayfia to pick me up just before the meeting tonight. Your conversation should take about two hours, soe to the house after that.¡± I let out a long sigh. ¡°I have something... very important... to give to you.¡±


    ¡°Issei, are you...¡± Rias looked down at my sleepy face. ¡°Please don''t give up.¡±


    ¡°Not... giving up. epting fate.¡± I mumbled and forced a yawn. ¡°Help you...¡± I pretended to fall asleep and went limp in Koneko''s arms.


    ¡°Koneko, take him home and don''t let him do anything stupid.¡± Rias said and sighed. ¡°Not that any of us could stop him. Lucifer knows he''s done a lot of stupid things already.¡±


    ¡°You need to make that call.¡± Sona said through her tears.


    Rias nodded and left the room to do so as Koneko carried me over to the teleportation circle. When the circle lit up, I heard Tsubasa''s words and agreed with them.


    ¡°He killed one of the Four Satans.¡± Tsubasa said. ¡°He is nevering back from that meeting.¡±


    Koneko and I disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared beside the house. She carried me to the front door, braced me over her shoulder, and dug through my pocket. Her hand might have groped me a few times before she found the key and I didn''t mind. She unlocked the door and brought me inside, then shut and locked the door again.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Miki asked and walked over to us. ¡°What happened to my baby?¡±


    ¡°Exhausted.¡± Koneko said and I felt mom run her hand through my hair.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing him home.¡± Miki said and her hand touched my neck, my wrists, and then my ankles. ¡°He''s rtively clean and doesn''t need a bath, so you can take him upstairs and put him right into bed.¡±


    ¡°Okay, mom.¡± Koneko said and carried me up the stairs. She entered my room andid me down, then took her time as she stripped me down to my boxer shorts. To my surprise, she only hesitated for a moment before she pulled them off and tucked me under the nket. A minuteter, Koneko slid in under the nket with me and she was just as naked as I was.


    ¡°Love you, Issei.¡± Koneko said and kissed me.


    I felt her tears drop onto my face and couldn''t pretend to be asleep anymore. I fluttered my eyes as if I was waking up and kissed her back as I hugged her. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    Koneko climbed on top of me and look scared and determined. ¡°Going away present.¡±


    ¡°I will treasure this for the rest of my life.¡± I whispered.


    Koneko let out a sound of loss and then lined me up to her entrance. I reached down to cast a numb pain spell on her and nodded, so she sat down without taking it slow. She gasped and moaned at the forced intrusion, probably because the feeling was so different than any she had ever felt before.


    It took her a minute before she feltfortable with the feeling, then she started to move. Her ears and tail popped out from concealment and she started to mewl. I helped her along and caressed her small breasts, tweaked the nipples, and grabbed her hips to help her get some height and pulled her down hard.


    ¡°MRRROOOOWWW!¡± Koneko yelled as she came and a little squirt came out. She both tightened up after that and also slicked up more, so it was better for the both of us as she kept moving.


    I didn''t try to roll us over, because I didn''t want to potentially damage her tail by doing it missionary style. After she came again, I sat up and pulled out, turned her around to put her on her knees, and lifted her tail. Koneko''s hands acted like she had cat ws as she dug into the nket multiple times.


    ¡°Look at that beautiful sight.¡± I said and licked her dripping slit.


    ¡°MEEOOWWW! Do me MEOW!¡± Koneko ordered and wiggled her ass at me.


    ¡°As my dearestmands.¡± I said and carefully positioned myself before I shoved my rock-hardness inside of her.


    Koneko howled at the sharp angle and then buried her face into the torn up nket as I pounded into her. Her sharp teeth tore at the fabric and she growled. ¡°Harder! More! DEEPER!¡±


    I did not need convincing to give it to her the way she wanted it and I did everything she asked.


    *


    Miki stood in the doorway and stared as her son''srge cock somehow fit into one of the smallest openings she had ever seen. On an intellectual level, she knew they could stretch to impressive levels to give birth; but, that took months of growth and expansion for a baby to fit through. What she was looking at now just seemed to be impossible.


    <i>I think I can see it pushing out her stomach.</i> Miki thought and kind of admired the sight.


    Before she realized what she was doing, she had stripped off and was naked on the bed beside Koneko in the same kneeling position, just as Koneko let out an ungodly howl of pleasure.


    ¡°Please make me howl next, Issei!¡± Miki begged.


    ¡°Koneko?¡± Issei asked.


    Koneko barely managed to nod before she rolled onto her side and passed out.


    ¡°That''s good enough for me.¡± Issei said and plunged himself into Miki''s eager opening.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Miki moaned and came, then she felt her son lean forward to press her into the mattress as he jammed himself into her all the way to the hilt.


    ¡°Scream for me, mom.¡± Issei whispered into her ear. ¡°I have to go away for a while and I need to know how much you love me.¡±


    ¡°ISSEI! I LOVE YOU! I LOOOOOVE YOUUUUU!¡± Miki yelled at the top of her lungs.


    Issei eased the pressure on her and then pounded into her just as hard as he had Koneko.


    Miki kind of lost the sense of time as her son made her orgasm so many times that her voice was hoarse from screaming his name. It seemed to suddenlye to an end and sheid down beside the pretty Koneko as her vision wavered. She was close to passing out and she blinked her eyes to try and fight the sensation.


    ¡°Mom, I hope you can forgive me.¡± Issei whispered into her ear as he kissed her earlobe. ¡°I made sure that Koneko was pregnant.¡±


    Miki gasped and she turned her head to look at her son with wide eyes. ¡°You... why...¡±


    ¡°I love her like I love you.¡± Issei said and gave her a tender kiss.


    ¡°But, if that''s true... then why didn''t you...¡± Miki couldn''t finish the sentence or she would start to cry.


    ¡°Don''t worry, mom.¡± Issei said and gave her another tender kiss. ¡°I made sure that you are, too.¡±


    Miki gasped at the realization, felt the tears start to flow, and passed out from her brain overloading.

 16 Promises To Keep

    16 Promises To Keep


    I sat on the side of the bed and stared at what I had done. Koneko and my mother. The joy on their faces gave me a warm feeling inside and I knew that my decision to make them remember me forever was the right one. Now I just had to do it again for a certain Gremory Heiress.


    I cast several cleaning spells on myself to sterilize my still hard erection and started to masturbate at the sight on the bed. Two beautiful pussies that dribbled out what they couldn''t absorb. I fought the temptation to clean them and to start licking them again, because that wasn''t what I needed to do.


    When I felt close to blowing another load, I created a container to capture it. I aimed and ejacted into the receptacle, careful to not spill any of it, and panted when I was empty. I closed it and sealed it, cleaned myself with another spell, and lifted the mostly-full container.


    <b>Container of weak sperm. Chance of Pregnancy: 0.01%</b>


    I already knew what to do, thanks to Fate''sment about it working.


    <b>Do you want to spend Karma points to enhance the sample and change the odds of sess?


    100 points: 10% to 20% increase


    200 points: 20% to 40% increase


    400 points: 40% to 60% increase


    600 points: 60% to 80% increase


    800 points: 80% to 100% increase</b>


    I looked over the table of chances that were significantly different when used outside of my body and quite a bit more expensive. I knew that I could game the system, especially with Blessing of Fortune. I could possibly get away with only spending 500 points to get the sample to 100% by using the 100 point one once and the 200 point one twice.


    However, I didn''t want it to somehow get screwed up because I wasn''t applying it with the proper tool, namely my penis, so I did the sensible thing. I spent 1,000 Karma points to enhance the sample to the maximum. It seemed fitting that it was the same cost as the Karma that Gabriel had given to me with her Blessing.


    The container glowed briefly with a golden light and faded away just in time, because I felt someone enter the house through a teleportation circle and I turned to look at a resigned Rias Gremory.


    ¡°I told Koneko to <b>not</b> let you do something stupid.¡± Rias said with a sigh.


    I stood up and her eyes dropped to my bobbing erection. ¡°You came here exactly when I needed you.¡±


    Rias lifted her eyes from what she wanted to have and looked at my face. ¡°Issei, I... I can''t. I want to. I really really want to. I just... I''m under contract. A marriage contract, actually. It has a virginity use that if I break, it could destroy my family and...¡±


    I lifted my hand to stop her from ranting. ¡°I know. Lady Grayfia exined.¡±


    Rias looked surprised. ¡°She did?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to make sure to protect the family, so I promised her to help you get out of it.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°She said that there are only two ways to get out of the contract without suffering any penalties for either side. One is for both parties to mutually agree to end the engagement and the second is a Ratings Game and the winner chooses.¡±


    Rias nodded. ¡°That''s what I''ve been hoping for. I wanted... I needed to find some strong members to help me fight Riser''s Peerage and win.¡±


    ¡°Well, considering what''s happening to me tonight, I don''t think I can help you with the Ratings Game.¡± I said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°Don''t cry, Rias. It''s not all doom and gloom.¡± I said and walked over to her.


    Rias couldn''t help but look down at me. She let me take her hand and lead her over to the bed.


    I sat her down and knelt in front of her. ¡°I haven''t read the contract''s wording; but, I''m sure that there is a way to get out of it that no one expected.¡± I lifted my other hand and showed her the container with the enhanced white fluid inside.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Rias asked.


    ¡°This, my dear Rias, is the most potent sperm on the.¡± I said and her mouth dropped open. ¡°It has a pregnancy guarantee of 100%. No guesswork, no waiting. Just instantly pregnant.¡±


    Rias looked from the container, to my face, and back to the container. ¡°Issei, do... do you know how much something like that is worth?¡±


    ¡°It''s priceless.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°That''s why you''re going to spread your legs and I''m going to insert it inside of you.¡±


    Rias gasped and then blushed. ¡°Issei, I just said... I want to, I do... I... I love you.¡± She said as tears came to her eyes. ¡°But, we can''t have sex.¡±


    I smirked at her as the container changed into a long needle-like shape. ¡°My dear Rias, you are still going to be a virgin and also be pregnant. As far as everyone is concerned, it will be an immacte conception, which is going to shock the hell out of both your family and Riser Phenex.¡±


    Rias looked too stunned to speak.


    ¡°Is the rat bastard going to want to marry a woman carrying someone else''s baby? Because he can''t kill it or order it removed, because natural Devil births are so extremely rare.¡± I said and she stared at me. ¡°You will also have a new Gremory Heir with the Power of Destruction without having to marry.¡±


    ¡°But... but, you are the father!¡± Rias finally managed to say.


    ¡°We didn''t have sex, so your chastity and virtue are intact. The only ones that will know I was involved are you and me... and probably Koneko, because she will recognize any child I helped create.¡± I said and then chuckled. ¡°Mom too, for that matter. She loves me too much to ignore the obvious.¡±


    Rias took several minutes to think about that. ¡°If I do this...¡±


    ¡°If?¡± I asked with a smile.


    Rias smiled back. ¡°You have to promise to do everything you can to stay alive.¡±


    I had to think about that. ¡°I can promise that no matter what happens, I will continue on for as long as I can. Any more than that, I have to leave up to fate.¡±


    Rias nodded and pulled off her panties, then sheid back and spread her legs for me.


    ¡°Thank you for offering me another meal.¡± I said and dove into her with my mouth and tongue.


    Rias cried out and wrapped her legs around my head as I worked her over. As soon as she came and her body tensed up, I waited for her to rx and easily slid the needle-like device inside of her. I used magic to guide it to the right spot and squeezed the plunger to inject it directly into the best spot.


    ¡°Ohhhhh.¡± Rias softly moaned as I filled her up and her hands rubbed her belly. ¡°So that''s what it would feel like?¡±


    ¡°After skipping the lengthy fun part, yes.¡± I joked and sheughed. I dissolved the device and ced a small barrier over her opening, because I was sure she wanted to keep my fluid inside for as long as possible.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Rias asked as Iid down beside her.


    ¡°Wey here for about twenty minutes to let the three of you recover, I make supper for thest time, then I wait for Lady Grayfia to show up.¡± I said and she cuddled into my side.


    ¡°I thought I asked you to...¡± Rias started to say.


    ¡°I will. I just doubt I''ll be allowed toe back here, which is why I asked Koneko to stay here to protect my mom.¡± I said and she nodded.


    Weid there for about twenty minutes and both Koneko and mom started to stir, so we brought them into the bathroom and washed them up, washed ourselves, and we all went downstairs to cook supper. It was a fairly lively affair as we talked, carried on like a family, and ate great food.


    When the meal was over, I told them I had a couple of things to do before Grayfia showed up and went to my room to prepare. The first thing I did was go online to sell my gaming ounts for an obscene amount of real money and deposited it into my mother''s ount at the bank. I then teleported to the nearest store to buy a bunch of scratch tickets and lottery tickets.


    *


    Mei Suzuki was surprised when her Devil showed up unexpectedly in her room. She had her new group of friends over for a slumber party and him showing up naked and wearing a bow on the end of hisrge dick had all of the girls giggling.


    She wasn''t surprised when her new friends helped her unwrap her present, then she was screaming in ecstasy as her Devil took her maidenhood andpleted the payment. Her altered form became permanent and she told him that she could never thank him enough for everything.


    He gave her the ount number for where half of her bully''s money had been transferred and told her to live her life as best as she could. She was more than happy to agree to that, now that she was rich.


    Her new friends begged for their own contracts with the handsome Devil for permanent body alterations and they offered the same payment or whatever else he wanted. He agreed and took each of them on her bed, with her eager help, and all of her new friends became buxom beauties that would make everyone jealous.


    *


    Kuoh Academy had a sudden and miraculous upgrade to the walls, doors, and windows. The walls were all fully repaired of all holes and cracks and then reinforced with interior steel beams that would survive arge explosion. The doors were given the same treatments and could also be secured with locks, bolts, and steel bars to keep the doors shut from the inside, like an old wartime bunker.


    The windows had been changed to be easily seen through if you were inside looking out and the outside had be a mirrored and reflective surface. There was no way to see inside to peep or steal a look at whomever was inside. The ss was also reinforced like bulletproof ss and couldn''t be easily broken or cut through.


    The ult Research Club had received several upgrades as well and the local McDs would never discover how one of its Milkshake Machines had been stolen or where the stock of voring disappeared to.


    *


    The guy that owned the limited edition magazine jerked off to it for the tenth time, because the 3-D foldout centerfold was too awesome to not do it. He didn''t react at all as the Devil he had summoned appeared and handed him something called a sex simtor. When he opened the box, inside was a silicone vagina in the shape of his favorite pop star! It was AWESOME!


    The Devil didn''t tell him that he only had two hours left to live or that the Devil had left a little explosive something for the personing to kill the guy. The Devil knew he couldn''t be there to prevent the death, so he made sure to take the murderer with the victim. He also reimed the magazine. The guy wasn''t going to need it anymore.


    *


    I returned home and gave the lottery and scratch tickets to my mother and told her to have fun, then handed her the bank statement about how much money she already had because of me. I also told her to pack up my paraphernalia to either store or sell. She hugged me tightly and told me that I was the best son she could have ever asked for and she didn''t regret how I turned out. My things would stay exactly where they were and no one would touch them.


    Grayfia showed up half an hour before the big meeting was to start, so I excused myself and dressed in my best suit. When I came back downstairs looking my best, mom was crying as she clung to Koneko. Rias looked sad and Grayfia did her best to ignore the drama around her.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± I said and kissed her passionately, which only made her cry harder. I kissed Koneko next and she promised to stay with her new family forever. I gave Rias just as passionate of a kiss and she was crying by the end of it as she promised as well. I walked over to Grayfia and she put a hand on my shoulder.


    We disappeared in a sh of teleportation magic and reappeared in a kind of receiving room. Grayfia kept her hand on my shoulder, as if I was going to try and escape, and she led me out of the room and down a hallway.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry, Lady Grayfia. I''ll behave.¡± I said.


    ¡°You murdered a bunch of priests and a Satan.¡± Grayfia said and her hand gripped me tighter.


    ¡°She threatened my mother.¡± I countered. ¡°The only reason her body still exists is because Sona called in a favor and I had to reverse her partial disintegration.¡±


    Grayfia didn''t seem to react, except for a small twitch in her right eye.


    ¡°By the way, I fulfilled my favor to you. Rias is still a virgin and she''s also pregnant.¡±


    Grayfia stumbled and came to a stop to stare at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°It was the best solution to an unsolvable problem. She didn''t break the contract, so no penalties can be enacted.¡± I said and Grayfia stared at me without saying anything. ¡°Both families can walk away from the embarrassment that the forced engagement has be and the Gremory n gets a new heir.¡±


    Grayfia needed a moment topose herself. ¡°I will inform the Gremory n as soon as I can.¡± She said and eased the tight hold she had on my shoulder to slide her hand down my back to rest just above my butt.


    I held in my smile at the brief struggle that had shown on her face. ¡°Just so you''re not surprisedter, Koneko is also pregnant. I did her the old fashioned way and she tore up the bed as she howled.¡±


    Grayfia made a sound low in her throat and her hand slid the rest of the way down to grip my butt cheek hard.


    I let out my smile and walked towards the meeting room with her hand on my butt the whole way.


    *


    Sirzechs tried his best to keep his temper in check as he had to sit through yet another perverted story that Azazel was regaling the room with. He was sure that no one was really listening, not even the two other Fallen Angels that he was supposedly telling the story to.


    It wasn''t easy to keep calm after talking to his little sister for almost two hours about the absolute shit-storm that her new Pawn had caused, and wasn''t that a surprising realization. He had absorbed all of her Pawn pieces to be resurrected, which meant his magic potential was through the roof.


    Then again, the idiot had almost restarted the Great War all by himself by killing so many priests. His murder of Satan Leviathan was almost anticlimactic inparison, except for the fact that it fell to him to do the woman''s job temporarily until Grayfia could be trained up to fill the spot. She was the only real candidate, because she had been the one to almost defeat Serafall for the post two hundred years ago.


    Sirzechs looked over the other people in the meeting room. <i>At least none of them suggested the Pawn be the one to take over.</i>


    The Heaven Faction only had two representatives, Michael the actual Head Angel and Ezekiel, one of his upper echelon Angels. It made Sirzechs wonder why Gabriel wasn''t one of them, then Azazel''s loud fakeugh cut through the air.


    <i>Never mind.</i> Sirzechs thought and looked over at the door of the meeting room when it opened.


    Grayfia walked in with a quite handsome Devil with shoulder-length brown hair and a physique that was concealed in a very nice suit. It gave him the feeling of funeral attire and that seemed appropriate.


    ¡°I see you''ve brought the brat.¡± Kokabiel, the vampire-like Fallen Angel said with a re. ¡°Don''t even think of trying to attack us like you did with that moron, Leviathan. We aren''t that gullible to fall for such a simple trick.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s a pity. I thought it was a brilliant surprise move to perform on an enemy.¡± Issei said and raised a hand, then snapped his fingers.


    That half of the room froze instantly and covered everything in an inch-thickyer of ice.


    ¡°I love the First Strike ability.¡± Issei said and walked over to Kokabiel and seemed to freeze in ce for a second before he flicked his fingers at the back of the creature''s neck. ¡°Backstab.¡±


    The head of the Fallen Angel snapped right off and fell to the floor, proving the Fallen Angel had been frozen solid. Issei turned to the middle Fallen Angel and did the same thing. Thest one, Azazel, he snapped his fingers and the ice started to melt. It took the Fallen Angel leader a few moments to move and he started shivering uncontrobly as he stared at Issei.


    ¡°You''re wee. Here''s the cause of all our problems and not just what happened at the abandoned church.¡± Issei said and picked up the frozen head of Kokabiel to ce on the table in front of the leader of the Fallen Angels. ¡°I want Raynare dead for murdering me and while you''re at it, you might want to start cleaning up your faction full of traitors and thieves.¡±


    Azazel didn''t say anything as he watched the Pawn pick up Baraqiel''s head and tucked it under his arm.


    ¡°If you want to keep the other two Fallen Angels that listened to this traitor and killed innocent people for having sacred gears, recall them from your illegal surveince mission in Kuoh or I''ll clip their wings and make them my bitches.¡± Issei said and walked over to Grayfia.


    No one in the room said anything, because they were too shocked by what just happened.


    ¡°I expect to have Raynare''s head delivered to my home by tomorrow. You don''t have to do it personally, since you''re toozy for that. Just have someone drop it off on the porch and address the box to Rias Gremory.¡±


    Azazel nodded and kept shivering.


    ¡°Michael, it was nice to meet you. Gabriel is an absolute delight and I hope she introduced you to her newest sister.¡± Issei said and nodded at Sirzechs. ¡°Your Queen has some interesting news to share with you in privateter.¡± He said and gave a little wave to the still living upants of the room. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your meeting. Let''s go, Lady Grayfia. I have onest delivery to make tonight.¡±


    Grayfia nodded and followed Issei out of the room.

 17 One Last Hurrah

    17 One Last Hurrah


    ¡°You realize that when they recover from the shock, you will be the most hunted Devil in the three realms.¡± Grayfia said when we entered the transportation room.


    ¡°Not for the reasons you think.¡± I said and nodded at the teleportation circle. ¡°Can you set that to Akeno''s room?¡±


    ¡°It would be easier to go to Rias'' mansion first and walk up the stairs. Knocking first would be the polite thing to do.¡± Grayfia said.


    ¡°Good point. Make it so.¡± I said and and stepped into the circle.


    ¡°I could set this for the moon.¡± Grayfia said as her magic altered the coordinates.


    ¡°I''m leaving this world anyway, so all you''ll do is disappoint Akeno if you do that.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°Before you ask, I changed too much too quickly. The ripples are going to alter... well, everything. I only have about an hour or so before I explode from magic overload.¡±


    Grayfia opened her mouth to speak, shook her head, and stepped into the circle and activated it. We disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in a nearly identical room. ¡°This way.¡±


    I followed that great ass out of the room and up a grand staircase to the west wing of the mansion. She pointed to a door and I knocked.


    ¡°EEP!¡± Akeno''s loud voice came through the door and then there were several thump sounds.


    ¡°And that is why we knock.¡± Grayfia said with a small smile on her face.


    I chuckled and waited patiently. I wasn''t exaggerating, either. I really shouldn''t have harvested Kokabiel''s and Baraqiel''s powers. I now had three different and very strong aspects of magic fighting for dominance inside of me and it was pretty much tearing me apart. If my own magic wasn''t holding me together and regenerating the damage, I might have died already.


    The bedroom door opened and a dishevelled Akeno stood there with wide eyes as she saw who it was that knocked. She didn''t bother covering up her near nakedness in the see-through nightie. Theck of panties was slightly distracting me, though.


    ¡°Ufufufu. Are you getting a good enough look, Issei?¡± Akeno asked, her teasing manner taking over from her surprise.


    ¡°I''m not sorry.¡± I said and looked up at her face. ¡°You''re very pretty.¡±


    Akeno blinked her eyes several times. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I want to bury my face between your legs, because you look good enough to eat, and I want to make you scream before I die.¡± I said and she looked stunned. ¡°I brought you a going-away present.¡±


    Akeno''s mouth dropped open when I handed her an ice-covered head. It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at and gasped. She let it go and it fell to the floor, bounced once, and rolled to a stop at my feet.


    ¡°Yes, it''s your father''s head. I just harvested it during the meeting.¡± I said and reached down to form it into a solid square block of ice and made it permanent. ¡°Hang it on your wall, take a sledgehammer to it, piss on it. You can do whatever you want to it.¡± I picked it up and handed it back to her. ¡°You''re wee.¡±


    Akeno stared at the thing and lookedpletely lost.


    ¡°Well, I think she''s too shocked to ept my offer. Let''s go, Lady Grayfia.¡± I said and walked down the hallway.


    Grayfia followed me and Akeno didn''t call us back. We made it back to the teleportation room and Grayfia gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°I''m sure I read it somewhere that there are wild areas in the Underworld that are full of terrifying and ravenous mutated beasts that could devastate the poption if they ever made it to civilization.¡± I said and Grayfia nodded. ¡°Could you find the coordinates to one of the biggest ones and drop me off there? I''m not sure how much damage I can do; but, I''d rather take out as many of them as possible before my time is up.¡±


    Grayfia looked very conflicted. ¡°Issei, I don''t think I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Serafall sentenced me to death with the Fallen Angels for killing 32 fake exorcists. I actually killed three faction leaders today, so you don''t have to feel guilty about it.¡± I said and then remembered something important. ¡°Dammit, I almost forgot about that. We need to make a quick trip back to the house, discreetly of course, and then we need to go to Sona''s.¡±


    Grayfia was all for dying me killing myself by monster breeding pit and we teleported into my room. I dug through my normal pants pockets and pulled out the red King Piece and Grayfia sucked in a sharp breath when she saw it.


    ¡°This was inside Serafall.¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course that''s how she beat me.¡± Grayfia whispered and teleported us to Sona''s mansion.


    We left the room and announced to the maid in the lobby that we were there. Barely a few minutester, Sona and most of her Peerage had surrounded us.


    ¡°How dare you show your face here!¡± One of the girls spat at me.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡± I responded and they all looked shocked. ¡°I came here to give Sona the only thing Serafall had that was as important to her as her little sister was.¡±


    Sona stepped forward and her re was tinged with sadness. ¡°I can''t imagine what that was.¡±


    I stepped close and looked down slightly into her teary eyes. ¡°Power and her Peerage, my dear.¡± I said and wrapped an arm around her and kissed her deeply.


    Grayfia created a barrier around us to stop the other girls from attacking us and it obscured us from sight. I took the King Piece and ced it on Sona''s chest as we kissed. The bright glow as the piece sunk in changed slightly as it adapted to a new host.


    Thankfully, it had been designed for a Sitri, so Sona''spatibility with it was very high. I had to go another 1,500 Karma points into debt to ensure that it worked; but, I was already 32,160 points in the hole anyway, so it was cheap inparison.


    The glow settled and Sona''s eyes changed slightly as the power boost increased her own inherent power by five times. Her pupils almost looked like deep ocean pools of water and the warm smile on her face when I broke the kiss, told me all I need to know about this being the right decision.


    I stepped back to bow deeply to Sona. ¡°Please take care of Mil-Tan. She needs someone as strong as you to keep her safe and to look after her as she runs Levi-Tan''s media empire.¡±


    Sona reached out to lift my chin and made me stand up straight. ¡°You''re leaving for good, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I have no choice.¡± I said and wrapped my arms around her to hug her, then I whispered in her ear. ¡°Imagine what you just felt, only a hundred times worse, and with no one to stabilize it like I did for you.¡±


    Sona''s breathing sped up and she leaned back to look into my eyes. ¡°Your body can''t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe in a hundred years I wouldn''t have had a problem. Since I''m a newly reincarnated Devil, I apparently bit off more than I could chew.¡± I joked and she frowned.


    ¡°How are we supposed to y chess for my hand in marriage if you''re dead?¡± Sona asked.


    I chuckled. ¡°Something so valuable shouldn''t be so easily won.¡±


    Sona blushed and gave me another kiss, this one soft and full of feeling. ¡°I hate you for killing my sister.¡±


    ¡°I hate having to kill people to make them see reason; but, I still did it. I want to keep the people I love safe.¡± I said and gave her a long and tender kiss. ¡°I hope you can forgive me someday.¡±


    Sona nodded. ¡°Maybe. Someday.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Princess Sitri.¡± I said and stepped back from her. ¡°Lady Grayfia, a hasty exist.¡±


    Grayfia dropped the barrier, picked me up and threw me over her shoulder, and ran. Magical attacks followed us down the hallway and we ducked into the teleportation room. A sh of lightter and we were back in the Underworld.


    ¡°Stay here. This is the Gremory n mansion. You do not have permission to be here.¡± Grayfia said and left the room at a fast walk.


    I had to wait for a long twenty minutes before Grayfia returned, so I used the time by carefully dismissing my party members and paid the Karma cost to stop any negative effects. Grayfia had a piece of paper in her hands and I saw that it was a hastily drawn map of the demon monster breeding pits.


    Because there were no actual map coordinates for the area, she had taken the time to reference a few things around the area to find proper coordinates near where I needed to go.


    ¡°I really don''t want to do this.¡± Grayfia whispered as she altered the teleportation circle''s destination.


    ¡°Neither of us has a choice now. It''s toote to go anywhere else.¡± I told her.


    Grayfia sighed and finished, then she stood to re at me. ¡°I give my word to keep an eye on your children for you.¡±


    I stepped close to her and gave her a passionate kiss, grabbed her ass, and pressed my erection into the front of her skirt. ¡°I''d fuck you and get you pregnant if I had the time.¡±


    Grayfia let out a growl sound. ¡°Why didn''t you offer before?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, there wasn''t enough time to fuck you properly.¡± I said with a smirk and stepped back to the middle of the circle.


    ¡°You bastard.¡± Grayfia said with a smile and added magic to the teleportation circle.


    ¡°My parents are married, thank you.¡± I said and blew her a kiss as the circle lit up. ¡°Just wait twenty years and one of my sons should be happy to give you a child. They''ll love you as much as I do.¡±


    Grayfia gasped just as I disappeared in a sh of light. Iughed at her shocked look when I appeared in the air above some kind of canyon and dropped down twenty feet to the ground below. There was a light rumbling sound as a giant six-legged creature with three horns came out of a cave in the wall. It was half-lizard and half-fuck-knows-what and it breathed fire.


    I pointed a finger at the thing and an iceberg formed from the tip of my finger and froze the thing and covered the cave entrance. I was surprised when I received 200 Karma points for killing the thing and started to smile. I had about 45 minutes left before I went critical. If I worked hard to gather as many creatures as I could to be as close as possible when I blew, I mighte out of this whole thing ahead.


    ¡°Let the ughter begin!¡± I shouted and twelve bat wings popped out of my back.


    *


    Rias sat at the kitchen table and stared at her crystal ball. She had snuck her familiar under Issei''s cor to watch what happened at the meeting. Everything that happened to him since then had pretty much made her catatonic. She hadn''t even noticed when Akeno showed up a crying mess and hadtched onto her,menting that she hadn''t epted Issei''s offer when she had the chance.


    Thistest thing, fighting the monstrous abominations that inhabited the wastnds of the Underworld, made her feel numb at the sheer power he was unleashing. Icebergs the size of high-rise buildings, bolts of Holy Lightning that outshone Akeno''s strongest attacks, and bright beams of Light that seared the wings and limbs off of city block-sized creatures.


    If Rias had looked closer, she would have noticed that Issei''s arms and legs were slowly shredding apart. The amount of power he was discharging wasn''t helping his desperate situation and it seemed to only hasten the speed at which he was losing integrity.


    There was a sudden surge of creatures as a wave of them, car-sized andrger, swarmed Issei''s position. She could see the happiness on his face as he was quickly overwhelmed, felt sad that he wanted to die like that, then the crystal ball glowed a bright white and nked out.


    ¡°He''s gone.¡± Koneko whispered and hugged Miki beside her. She picked the woman up, cradled her in her arms, and carried her out of the room and up the stairs.


    Rias felt a tear run down her cheek and wiped at it. She didn''t say anything as she packed the crystal ball away, took Akeno''s hand, and brought her upstairs to Issei''s room. The two of them crawled into bed and quietly cuddled.


    Many of the women that Issei had known, thought about what their lives were going to be like without the man they loved tofort them.


    *


    <i>Whew! Now I know what adrenaline junkies go through when they get their fix.</i> I thought with augh as I floated in nothingness.


    <b>Why did you kill yourself instead of spreading all that Karma Debt around?</b>


    <i>Spread it around? I was absorbing it to get rid of it.</i> I thought with a chuckle. <i>It was bad enough I was taking it on and trying to do good at the same time, only that wasn''t how everything came about.</i>


    <b>There is just one problem with that. You murdered all those innocent creatures that never harmed you. They were just living their lives and...</b>


    <i>Actually, I culled them. They''ll breed for a few hundred years, maybe a thousand, and be back to the same levels. Well, assuming someone doesn''t go in there to maintain the much lower levels they are at now.</i> I thought, quite pleased. <i>Plus, I gained a stupid amount of Karma at the end. I didn''t get the popup with the total, though.</i>


    The box didn''t show anything for several minutes.


    The smaller blue box appeared with the word ''giggle'' on it. <b>One point. After all of that, you have a single positive point.</b>


    I couldn''t help it andughed andughed. I had thought I would still be a few thousand points in debt and would be forced to go to a murder-world like a constant war zone, or a zombie apocalypse or something, to make up enough Karma to go to a normal world. Instead, myst hurrah had somehow let me break even.


    <b>Please choose a starting Protagonist. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Familiar of Zero: Rece Saito Hiraga


    Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?: Rece Bell Cranel


    <span style="text-decoration:line-through">High School DXD: Rece Issei Hyoudou (Completed)


    Dragonball: Rece Goko</b>


    <i>Wait, wait, wait! How did I get another choice? I only had one point!</i>


    Only the smaller box responded. <b>It''s run on percentages. If you hade back with a hundred points, you would have five new choices. More points, more choices, bigger worlds.</b>


    I blinked my eyes at that. <i>So, you''re saying if I had somehow died after I had over 20,000 Karma points, I could have gone anywhere I wanted?</i>


    <b>If you had shown up with that much, you could have gone to Marvel or DC and picked any of the characters there and created a singr instance to be the Protagonist of your own story, including one of the viins. The bad guys have be poprtely for some reason.</b>


    I suddenly had the image of bing a charismatic Doctor Doom, stealing that super-hot babe Sue Storm from her idiot husband Reed Richards, and then saving the world with magical technology.


    <b>That''s a nice fantasy, especially the reveal when you open your armor and show off that body.</b> The little box said and showed the word ''giggle'' again. <b>Dammit, now I''m imagining it, too.</b>


    I chuckled. <i>The infection is spreading! Ha ha ha!</i>


    The ''giggle'' word appeared yet again. <b>Go ahead and make your choice. Your normal minder isn''ting back for a while.</b>


    I looked over my choices and I was really tempted to pick Dragonball. To go through Goku''s early life while growing up with Ki powers would be great, not to mention the wishes with the Dragonballs every year. Oh, and Bulma. Milf before the milf.


    I shook my head at that thought as I realized my short time as Issei had really changed my thoughts about things like appropriate behavior. I would need to keep a close eye on that to make sure I didn''t screw things up for myself in whatever world I chose.


    The Familiar of Zero was a decent choice, except for the whole being summoned as a peasant and being made fun of. Then again, I did spend a lot of Karma points to master tons of skills. I wonder if they would be prominent during the summoning ritual?


    In any case, being branded as a ve wasn''t high on my priority list after experiencing Rias'' Peerage, even if Louise was cute. I was not sleeping on the floor on some hay, unless I''d fucked her senseless on it first, then it would be okay.


    <i>Whoa, I really needed to roll back on those kinds of thoughts.</i> I thought and shook my head again. <i>I guess that makes my choice for me.</i>


    <b>You have chosen ''Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?''. Please choose a point in the timeline to be inserted.


    Warning: Karma options avable. Five choices are avable.


    Birth


    Surviving in the City - First Death


    Second Death


    Third Death


    Fourth Death</b>


    <i>Okay, that''s a lot more than I expected.</i> I thought. <i>I won''t bother asking about the birth thing, since one point of Karma won''t let me change much, except probably how old his grandpa was when he died.</i>


    <b>How did you know that?</b>


    I chuckled at the first box finally responding. <i>It''s the only real event that impacts Bell''s journey to the city to look for a Familia to adopt him. Everything else in his life is circumstantial and meaningless.</i>


    <b>That was well reasoned. I kind of feel bad that you''re going to be on the verge of starvation when you enter the story.</b>


    I thought about that. <i>All of the insertion choices have that caveat, don''t they?</i>


    <b>He never eats well, despite Hestia giving him more of their meagre food. It''s not shown, because having an emaciated lead isn''t conductive to a good story.</b>


    I nodded at that. <i>I would have to work hard to change that as soon as possible. I chose Surviving in the City - First Death.</i>


    <b>Memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    <i>Thanks.</i> I thought and everything faded to ck.

 18 Dungeon Diving (DanMachi – Is it Wrong… Girls in Dungeon)

    18 Dungeon Diving (DanMachi ¨C Is it Wrong¡­ Girls in Dungeon)


    I woke up, cold and shivering, huddled in on myself in a less used back alley. My chest was sore from being kicked and my stomach felt like an endless ck hole. I didn''t try to move or react to my situation, because I was preparing for the memory injection.


    I felt the familiar heavy weight hit my forehead and I groaned as 14 years of memories that weren''t my own, were shoved into my head. Just like before, they were filtered for essential information and slunk off to the corner of my mind where they settled and became a part of me.


    I almost immediately saw Bell Cranel''s simple life sh before my mind''s eye. He was a simple boy with a simple joy. He wanted to be an adventurer so he could pick up girls in the dungeon. I was sensing a bit of a theme here, considering who my first protagonist was.


    I pushed that thought aside and saw Bell enjoy spending time listening to his grandpa''s stories about being and adventurer. I also saw him be severely depressed when his grandpa mysteriously died and left him all alone. When he realized he couldn''t survive on his own, he came to the main city of the world where the dungeon existed to look for a Familia to be adopted into.


    He spent several weeks starving as his savings ran out and he begged for help. Every single Familia he tried to go to had said he was too weak and too poor to be epted. It was heart-wrenching to see them ignore that they all started out the same way and had only seeded because they had been epted into a Familia that gave them a chance.


    That was the extent of the information. There was nothing about the city, the dungeon, the descended gods, the people, or the adventurers. He was almostpletely ignorant about the rest of the world, because of his limited life spent in a mountain cabin where he was taken care of by someone else.


    ¡°Hey, you there.¡± A female voice said from down the small road. ¡°The back alleys are dangerous. You shouldn''t use them.¡±


    I blinked my eyes and lifted my head from my knees to look. Walking towards me was the tiniest and sexiest goddess to ever exist, Hestia. She also hated her nickname, The Big-Boobed Loli-Goddess.


    ¡°Are you looking for a Familia to join?¡± Hestia asked and came to a stop beside me. ¡°Well, I just so happened to be looking for an adventurer to add to my Familia. It''s quite the coincidence for us to meet like this, isn''t it?¡± She asked as she held a hand down to me.


    I had to hide my smile at the awkwardness she showed, even though she was a goddess. I slowly reached up to take the offered hand. ¡°I would be honored to join your Familia, if you''ll have me.¡±


    Hestia beamed a smile at me. ¡°Then we should introduce ourselves! I am the Goddess, Hestia!¡±


    I shook the hand and smiled back. ¡°I am the poor orphaned boy, Bell Cranel.¡±


    Hestia giggled. ¡°All right, Bell. Follow me! We need to make your induction into my Familia official.¡±


    I slowly stood up and Hestia''s eyes widened and stared at my head as it went up, and up, and finally stopped at 5 foot 8 inches of height. Considering she was only 4 foot 7 inches tall and right in front of me, her neck was cranked right back and she was almost looking straight up.


    ¡°T-t-tall.¡± Hestia whispered.


    I chuckled and motioned down the alleyway.


    ¡°R-right, let''s get to the ce our story will officially start!¡± Hestia said and kept hold of my hand as we walked through more back alleys to reach a shop that looked like a rundown bookstore.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Hestia. If this is about joining your Familia, I still have to say no.¡± The man behind the counter said as soon as he saw Hestia.


    I thought that was kind of rude and decided to hold my tongue. I didn''t want to sour any rtionships Hestia had by trying to make them be nicer to her.


    ¡°Oh! No, it''s not about that. Do you mind if we use the upstairs reading room?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°Ah-ha, that''s no problem.¡± The man said, clearly relieved. ¡°Make sure to put the books back on the shelves when you''re done reading them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hestia said and led me through the shop and up the back stairs to a room that was covered with bookshelves. There were so many books that some were piled on the floor.


    ¡°Okay, take off your clothes and sit here.¡± Hestia said and indicated the lone chair in front of the small table.


    I turned the chair around so I could sit on it backwards, then quickly pulled off my shirt and pants to leave myself in just my underwear. Briefs were not good for longterm wear and I would be changing that as soon as I could. I just needed to make a bit of money first.


    Hestia''s eyes bulged out of her head as she stared at my muscr form. I might have been reduced in age by a couple of years; but, that didn''t change the body that Fate had modified for me. It was weird having my hair color change to white and my eyes to red, though. I suppose I needed to resemble the person I was recing, so the changes were understandable.


    I straddled the chair and leaned my chest against the back of the chair as I sat down. ¡°I''m ready, Hestia.¡±


    Hestia stood there and stared at my naked back for about five minutes before she shook herself like a dog and then stood behind me. She poked a fingertip with a nail file and spent several minutes engraving her Falna, or Blessing, into my back.


    ¡°Bell, why did you want to be an adventurer?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°Ever since I was young, my grandpa read me stories about the greatest adventurers from the book Dungeon Oratoria, including himself. When he diedst year fighting a monster, I decided I had to honor his memory by bing an adventurer and making a name for myself, too. I left home and travelled across the country toe here to The Labyrinth City, Orario.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great reason, Bell. I''m sure he would be proud of you.¡± Hestia said. ¡°Now, let''s see what your Excelia... your experiences... will describe about your history and fill in your status.¡±


    I sat there and waited for her to speak, and waited a bit more, then I heard a soft thump sound. I turned around to look and saw Hestia was unconscious on the floor. I held in myugh at the sight, because whatever she read on my back had made her faint. It did make me curious about what skills or abilities I had avable and would have to wait for her to tell me about them.


    I could also see up her dress. in white panties never bothered me, especially since the cloth was usually thin and sometimes formfitting. Getting them wet was almost always a good show to see, and depending on the source of wetness, also pretty fun.


    I shook my head at those thoughts, especially since we just met and she had inducted me into her Familia. I had nothing to do but wait until she woke up, so I picked up a book from the closest stack and opened it. As luck would have it, it was a history book for how The Labyrinth City came to be built above the dungeon. I braced it on the table and started reading.


    *


    Hestia slowly swam back to consciousness. She couldn''t remember what happened, only that she had been so shocked by something that her brain had shut down. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, as if trying to clear them, then her eyesnded upon arge expansion of muscled back. His status wasid out before her and written in her ancient hieroglyphs.


    Her body locked up as her eyes saw the information that was written there and it sent shivers down her spine. It wasn''t theyout that unnerved her, however. It was the ridiculous status that had appeared and the number of skills it listed. He was only Level 1 and he had a list!


    Bell was the first member of her Familia and was the first human to receive her blessing, her Falna. A few of her friends that still spoke to her, had told her a few things about how blessed children grow; but, she wasn''t an expert by any means. She didn''t know any tricks on how to make them gain experience quickly, or how to unlock new skills, or how to release the magic within them.


    All Hestia knew was that the status on his back was not normal. At all. Almost against her will, she mentally poked the very first skill called Blessing of Fortune. She knew that it wouldn''t be what she thought it was, because skills were never that forthright.


    <b>Blessing of Fortune:</b> You have been the first being ever blessed with this skill. All events that happen around you will be in your favor. Odds will always be on your side, no matter how stacked against you they are. Games of Chance have a 75% increase to benefit you.


    Hestia stared at the utter nonsense she had just read. <i>Where in the upper and lower worlds did he get a blessing like that?!?</i>


    It took her several seconds to push those thoughts aside and checked the next one.


    <b>Magic Maniption:</b> You have foolishly acquired power beyond your body''s ability to use it. For every rank of magic cast, you will take a lower rank in magic damage.


    Hestia was almost bing numb from the shocks and checked the next one.


    <b>Minor Regeneration:</b> Your superb body can heal one rank of damage every hour. Can be sped up by consuming food.


    <i>That''s a minor regeneration skill?</i> Hestia asked herself and read the next one.


    <b>Normal Ability Mastery:</b> Your unfettered mind has ustomed itself to every aspect of normal life. If it can be done by a person, you can do it expertly. Cooking, cleaning, fighting, farming, building, etc.


    Hestia almost didn''t want to read thest one and did it anyway. She needed to remind herself of what she had unknowingly unleashed upon the world.


    <b>Mind Block:</b> Your mind is your own. No kind of influence, be it internal or external, can affect you. Mental maniptions of any kind will not work on you and you can detect any attempts.


    That was what gave Hestia shivers. As far as that skill was concerned, anyone lying to Bell would be instantly caught and he would know it. It was both good and very bad, because the gods and goddesses around the city yed word games all the time, and a lot of their children did the same.


    Lastly, Hestia was reluctant to look at Bell''s status again. It had made her faint, because a Level 1 shouldn''t be starting with those kinds of numbers for stats. With an inaudible sigh, she read them once more.


    <b>Bell Cranel</b> - Level One


    <b>Strength:</b> E-420, <b>Defense:</b> C-692, <b>Utility:</b> E-439, <b>Agility:</b> D-525, <b>Magic:</b> B-770


    <b>Magic:</b> (Basic, Ice, Light, Holy Lightning)


    <b>Skills:</b> (Blessing of Fortune, Magic Maniption, Minor Regeneration, Normal Ability Mastery, Mind Block)


    Hestia barely stopped herself from passing out again. It was almost too shocking to see those kinds of numbers on a newly blessed child, even if he had met... and far surpassed... her expectations. Now she had a problem. A huge problem. Could she tell him about his ridiculous stats? Should she?


    She knew she couldn''t lie to him, not with that mind skill. It was just that knowing you were strong, usually led to overconfidence and then to arrogance. She didn''t want her child to be a braggart like some of the others that let their powers go to their heads. Arrogance led to carelessnes and that always led to death.


    For several moments, Hestia''s mind warred between trusting her new child and worrying about what he would do when he found out. In the end, she had to trust him. It was the start of their life together and she couldn''t... no, wouldn''t... start it with a lie by omission.


    *


    I felt Hestia stir and didn''t say anything as I continued reading. The book was fairly interesting, especially finding out that the gods and goddesses were not the first to venture into the dungeon to plunder it for treasure. They had been bored in their realm and chose to descend and partake of the human existence, which in turn changed the city and eventually the world, into their yground.


    I heard a piece of paper rustle and felt it pressed to my back, then magic flowed over my skin. I knew she was copying it directly and not writing out only what she wanted me to see, and I appreciated that. It took a couple of minutes for her to finish and then she stood, walked around me, and she closed the book I had just about finished reading.


    ¡°Bell, I... I''ve finished blessing you and copying it out.¡± Hestia said, her voice soft and hesitant. ¡°This is what your Falna says.¡±


    I took the paper and read the numbers. ¡°Huh. That''s all?¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± Hestia asked, shocked.


    ¡°I thought the numbers would be higher.¡± I said and tried to not smile as her mouth dropped open from shock. ¡°The skills are a little surprising.¡± I said to distract her and didn''t tell her that the Blessing of Fortune was only supposed to be temporary. Then again, I died while it was active. Even though it had increased the odds in my favor, especially considering the situation I had been in, I still died.


    I also thought the Magic Maniption skill was both appropriate and disappointing. I wondered if I could find something like an artifact or a magic focusing object that could absorb some of that bacsh damage? Or better yet, negate itpletely. I could do some serious magic spells if I didn''t suffer so much damage while casting them.


    I chuckled under my breath. I really had gone all out at the end, regardless of my physical condition. Burning myself out had been pretty fun and it was only fair that now I had to pay for it. Oh, well. I would deal with it when it became an issue.


    I handed the paper back to Hestia. ¡°I''m not sure if you keep those or destroy them to stop anyone else from trying to reading them.¡±


    Hestia smiled as the paper turned to dust in her hands and disappeared. ¡°You don''t mind hiding what you can do?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It''s no one''s business but yours and mine.¡±


    Hestia''s smile grew and she nodded several times.


    ¡°So, is this our secret base or something?¡± I asked and stood up as I nced around the room.


    ¡°No, I live somewhere else. I just enjoying here to read and rx and the shop owner was nice enough to not make me buy the books first.¡± Hestia exined.


    ¡°That''s kind of smart. He can im that he has a goddess visit asionally to read his wares.¡± I said and her eyes widened at my words. ¡°Why don''t you suggest that to him before we head home?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Hestia shouted and leapt at me to hug me tightly. Her face cutely squished against my chest and her firm breasts pressed against my abs.


    It took her several seconds to realize I was still mostly naked and her face turned bright red. Before she could pull away in embarrassment, I wrapped my arms around her and held her tenderly.


    ¡°Thank you for the enthusiastic hug, Hestia.¡± I said, my voice full of warmth.


    Hestia looked up at me, probably to see if I was joking.


    I moved one of my hands up from her back to cup the side of her face. ¡°You know, you''re really cute when you make a face like that.¡±


    Hestia''s blush went to epic proportions and I could almost see steaming out of her ears.


    I didn''t want to push my luck with her, even with Blessing of Fortune permanently active, so I bent down to kiss her forehead and eased my hold on her. ¡°Why don''t you go downstairs to give the shop owner that suggestion to increase his business prospects while I get dressed?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes, th-that... that''s a GREAT IDEA!¡± Hestia yelled and ran.


    Iughed and pulled my cheap pants on, then the shirt. I tucked everything in and thought about my magic limitations. If the wording was right, then I could cast any spell and use up to 99 points worth of magic and I would suffer a rank lower in damage, namely none. The downside would be that any spell that used 100 points to 199 points, would give me 99 damage.


    I tried a basic cleaning spell on myself and it used up 30 points, so three cleaning spells could be cast before I suffered damage. Now, did that mean at one time or to a cumtive 99 points? I cast a repair spell on my shirt and it used 55 points. That was a total of 85. A cleaning spell on my pants was another 30 points... and I didn''t take any damage, despite spending a total of 115 points.


    A smile grew on my face as I cast repair on my pants and left the room. I just had to be careful about casting too quickly and possibly chaining the spells together. As long as I made sure to cast them independently, and they were all lower than 99 points to cast, I was all set.

 19 Home Sweet Home

    19 Home Sweet Home


    Hestia looked both proud and nervous as she led me through the streets of Orario. The various types of people it contained was pretty eclectic. Humans, elves, part-animals like catgirls, dwarves, halflings (called prums for some reason), and a bunch of other beings, were scattered all over the ce... and all of them were staring at me.


    The best part? I recognized at least five of the people checking me out as the ones that kicked me out of their Familiapounds for not being strong enough or rich enough to join. They hadn''t even gone to their gods or goddesses to have me vetted and just chose to be assholes and denied me entry.


    Boy, oh boy, was I going to show them.


    Hestia''s hand touched my arm and I looked down at her to see her worried face. She had noticed all of the attention I was drawing, too.


    I gave her my best crooked smile. ¡°Keep your knees together, Goddess Hestia.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Hestia asked and then let out a loud, ¡°EEEK!¡±, when I scooped her up and sat her on my left shoulder.


    I held her steady with my left arm mped over her shins, which just so happened to keep her knees locked together, and I grinned up at her shocked face. ¡°How''s the view up there?¡±


    The shock on her face faded and was reced by a matching grin. Her head was ten feet above the ground and she loved it. ¡°I can see everything!¡±


    Iughed and patted her calf as I kept walking. ¡°Let me know if you see anything interesting.¡±


    Hestia dug a hand into my shoulder-length hair and held on. ¡°I will, Bell.¡±


    I let her continue to guide us as we stopped at several stalls for a bit of food. It wasn''t much, considering there was two of us; but, I wasn''t going to let either of us suffer starvation for long. I would be going to the Guild in the morning to register and then I would search out the best scraps of equipment to grab and repair.


    With the limited shopping done with what little money Hestia had, she led me through the city again to near the outskirts. We ended up in a kind of cul-de-sac, a street that ended with no exit except back the way we came, and there was an old rundown church there that was basically ruins. There were no front doors and the ce was falling apart with most of the roof missing.


    The oddest thing was that it had a life-size statue of Hestia above the main doors and it was crumbling to pieces. Half of the face was missing and there were holes all over it, like Swiss cheese. A feeling of sadness seemed to fill the air around the building.


    ¡°You can put me down now.¡± Hestia said, her earlier enthusiasm fading.


    ¡°No.¡± I said and she looked down at me with wide eyes. ¡°I like feeling how happy you are up there.¡±


    Hestia gave me a pointed look. ¡°Are you sure it''s my happiness you''re feeling and not my butt?¡±


    I gave her a tooth-bearing grin. ¡°Did you just tell me that happiness is inside your panties?¡±


    Hestia looked startled for a second and thenughed as she shook her head. ¡°I can''t fit through the open doors while sitting on your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± I said and carefully lifted her down, because she held the bag of food we bought. I followed her inside the building and we walked past the mostly okay pews to the altar. We walked around that and entered a small storage room behind it.


    Hestia gave me a knowing look, as if she was conveying a great secret, and pulled on the mostly empty rack of shelves on the back wall. It opened up to reveal a stairway going down. She waved ahead and shut the wall behind us, then she motioned for me to follow her. We went down the stairs and it was like a small apartment. It had arge square room with a bed and two couches, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen.


    ¡°A friend of mine set this up for me when... well... I had a falling out with the friend I was staying with.¡± Hestia said, sadly.


    I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder for support. I also cast the truth spell that Grayfia had taught me. I was surprised that it was only 9 magic points and resolved to spam the hell out of it.


    ¡°It was my own fault, really. I was arrogant and selfish. I was getting bored and wanted to start my Familia, so I pushed things too far and she kicked me out for being an ungrateful brat.¡± Hestia said and then seemed startled that she had said so much.


    ¡°That can happen between friends.¡± I said, wisely. ¡°If you want, I can go to her and apologize on your behalf, then set up a meeting where you can do it yourself in person.¡±


    Hestia blinked her eyes several times before she gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°Sometimes it''s easier to work through others at first to fix a problem.¡± I said and slid my hand around her shoulders to give her a one-arm hug. ¡°I don''t mind being an errand boy for my Goddess.¡±


    ¡°That''s...¡± Hestia took a breath and let it out. ¡°Thank you for the offer, Bell. I''ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Then sit right down and do that while I make us a great homemade stew that shouldst us a few days.¡± I said and took the bag of food from her.


    ¡°But...¡± Hestia started to say.


    ¡°Your happiness? What about it?¡± I interrupted her, then Iughed at her pouting face. ¡°I got this, so trust me.¡±


    Hestia nodded and plopped down onto one of the couches to watch me.


    I wasn''t going to show off, though. I knew I had to downy what I could do, so I kept it to the bare minimum of magic use. I increased the size of the stew pot to make it huge and just that small thing earned a squawk of surprise from her. I held in my chuckle at the simplest things doing that and started to bring the water to a boil on the stove.


    I chopped up some of the ingredients and added them when appropriate, then took the small amount of meat we had and tossed it into the oven in a pan with a bit of water. I used some magic to cook it faster, just so we weren''t waiting all day for it to finish.


    I added a few things to the pot to thicken the broth and let it boil. I created a mechanical timer and turned the dial to set it for half an hour, then walked over to the other couch and sat down across from Hestia.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°Basic magic.¡± I said with a smirk.


    ¡°That was only ''I'' ranked magic?¡± Hestia asked, unsure.


    ¡°Yep, and so is this.¡± I said and held a hand up to form a single long-stem red rose. It only cost 3 points. I leaned across the space and handed it to her. ¡°Thank you very much for adopting me into your Familia, Mother Goddess.¡±


    Hestia''s epic blush returned as she epted the flower and she buried her nose into it to take a huge breath in through her nose. ¡°You are quite wee, Bell. My... my child.¡±


    I smiled and leaned back against the couch. ¡°I''ve been here in the big city for about two weeks. How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°A few years. I honestly lost track a while ago.¡± Hestia said and took another long sniff of the rose.


    I nodded, because I knew that long-lived races always seemed to lose track of time. The only thing they seem to measure were significant events, like wars and bringing new family members into the world.


    We sat there in silence for a while, because I wasn''t dumb enough to ask her what she did for fun around here. I knew that my definition and hers would bepletely different. She lived in a medieval society with swords and magic, while I usually lived in a world with multiple types of media entertainment.


    The timer dinged and I walked over to pull out the meat from the oven, stirred therge stew pot, and then used a cutting board to chop up the meat. I also cheated a little by increasing the chunks in size, because they only cost half-a-point of magic each.


    I added them to the stew pot and looked at the drippings from the meat. ¡°I can''t decide if I should save this forter to make gravy or add it for vor to the stew.¡±


    ¡°We''re not always going to have the money for meat.¡± Hestia said, a bit sadly. ¡°You should save it and we can dribble it over the potato treats I can get from work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I know we splurged today and I''ll get that money back tomorrow, I promise.¡± I said and Hestia looked over at me. ¡°I''m registering at the guild tomorrow.¡±


    Hestia''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re going into the dungeon to hunt for magic crystals?¡±


    ¡°After I dig up some cheap equipment.¡± I said and stirred the pot.


    ¡°Bell, even as strong as you are, you can''t go in there without any protection.¡± Hestia said. ¡°Solo adventurers don''tst long, because sometimes the monsters swarm.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll figure something out. You can count on me.¡±


    ¡°Bell...¡± Hestia started and sighed. ¡°We just started our Familia and I can''t put all the pressure on you like that. What kind of a goddess does that make me?¡±


    I chuckled and turned the stove down to lightly simmer the stew to keep it hot. ¡°Put the pressure on me? I''m taking it from you and you''re going to like it.¡± I said and pulled two bowls out of the cupboard and erged them, then filled them with the stew. I carried a bowl over to Hestia and conjured a nice fluffy towel to put on herp.


    Hestia stared at me with her mouth open at the casualness I had done it with. I put the bowl on herp and went back to the kitchen to pull out the small loaf of bread we bought. I broke it in half and gave one to her, dropped the other half into my bowl, and sat on the other couch with my own fluffy towel on myp.


    I pped my hands together in prayer and bowed to her. ¡°Thank you Goddess Hestia for the food. Amen.¡±


    Hestia caught her breath as she glowed slightly. Apparently, genuine prayers of thanks gave her a rush. ¡°But... but... you made the food!¡± She gasped.


    ¡°Goddess only helps those that help themselves.¡± I said, wisely. ¡°Your money bought the ingredients and you helped choose what to buy. We have enough food tost for several days because of your smarts. If that''s not you providing for the Familia, then none of what the other gods and goddesses do counts.¡±


    Hestia blushed and ducked her head as she mumbled something that I couldn''t make out. She used a spoon to scoop up a piece of meat and broth from the bowl and blew on it, then she tasted it. Her entire body stiffened up and her eyes locked onto mine. The disbelief was clear on her face.


    ¡°Normal Ability Mastery.¡± I said as an exnation and tried some of the stew myself. Holy hell, it was gourmet delicious! I could probably open a stall in the market and make a fortune... as long as no one else with a restaurant tried to kill me for breaking into their business and stealing their customers.


    Hestia gave a full body shiver and took another spoonful, only to freeze up again. Her gaze became re as she chewed and then she dipped the bread into her soup like I was and she let out a satisfied sound as she sucked up the broth and ate the bread.


    We ate in silence for about ten minutes and emptied the bowls and finished off the bread. We sat back and stared at each other for a full thirty seconds before I lifted my bowl and pointed to therge pot.


    ¡°YES, PLEASE!¡± Hestia yelled and threw her bowl at me.


    Iughed and easily caught it, went to the stove to refill both bowls, and came back to give her a second helping. I sat beside her this time and she leaned against me slightly as she took her time and ate the stew. I did as well and the second bowl was just as good as the first.


    ¡°Bell, that was... that was...¡± Hestia paused and looked at me.


    ¡°I can do better.¡± I said with a straight face.


    Hestia raised her eyebrows at me and thenughed.


    ¡°Go ahead and get a shower while I clean up. Tomorrow''s going to be a good day, I can feel it.¡± I said and stood as I took her empty bowl that she had licked clean.


    Hestia picked up the towel and felt how fluffy it was. ¡°So that''s what this was for? A shower?¡±


    ¡°And to protect those beautiful and heavenly thighs of yours.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°I''ll shower after you do, so pass out your clothing and I''ll clean them.¡±


    Hestia nodded and went into the bathroom while I walked over to the small kitchen. While she was busy, I cleaned up, washed the dishes, and stripped off my clothes to leave them on the couch. I didn''t really need a shower after using a cleaning spell; but, appearances were everything.


    I watched a nervous Hestia leave the bathroom with therge towel wrapped tightly around her. She was so short that the towel covered more than her short white dress did and she blushed as she passed me her clothes. I checked and it was everything she normally wore. The white frayed dress, the frayed gloves, the various ribbons, and her panties.


    ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed, Hestia.¡± I said with a soft voice and very lightly touched her panties. I cast clean and repair on them and they glowed slightly. ¡°There you go. All clean.¡± I said and handed them to her.


    Hestia stood there with her mouth open and stared at her panties that looked brand new.


    ¡°I do have a question about your dress and gloves, though.¡± I said and held up the ends of the gloves. ¡°Is the frayed look on purpose, like a fashion choice to make it look like icicles, or is the dress too damaged and frayed to be sewn back together?¡±


    Hestia blushed from embarrassment and turned away. ¡°It''s my only dress. I can''t afford to rece it and...¡±


    I chose to spend a full 99 points when I cast the repair spell on the dress, even though the spell shouldn''t have let me alter the cost. The dress reformed to be an elegantly cut cocktail dress that any woman would pay through the nose for. The frays around the neck and back had previously been interwovence attachments with tiny bows holding it together.


    I waited a few moments and did both gloves at the same time and spent the same amount of magic. They reformed to be copies of the dress with interwovence and little bows at the ends of the gloves. I cast a normal repair on the ribbons as a whole, because there was almost nothing to them, then did both of the small bells that hung on her pigtail ribbons.


    ¡°Goddess Hestia? I''ve done what I could and I hope this makes you happy.¡± I said.


    Hestia turned back to look at me, only to gasp and stare at what I had in my hands. ¡°That... you...¡±


    ¡°I let the magic guide me to fix what was needed.¡± I said and handed her the bundles of cloth. ¡°After we get some money tomorrow, we can go shopping and we''ll buy you some other clothes, like nightclothes, and you only have to wear the dress when you leave home.¡±


    ¡°M-money? How?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°I''ll find some cheap things like scrap weapons and repair them, then sell them for two or three times what I paid for them.¡± I said.


    Hestia looked unsure. ¡°Bell, isn''t that... kind of dishonest?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I''ll be getting it for cheap or even for free. Stuff that nobody wants or can''t use. I''ll see what I can do with it to fix it or alter it, then take it somewhere else to sell it.¡±


    ¡°You won''t be selling it right back from where you bought it?¡±


    ¡°No, because they would recognize it and my secret would be out.¡± I said and then thought about it. ¡°Maybe I could do some harvesting in the dungeon, too. I''m sure there are lots of poor or broken weapons that I can repair and bring back to sell.¡±


    Hestia nodded. ¡°That sounds more like an honest living than scavenging garbage and selling it at a marked up price.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen how much they charge for basic equipment at the market? It''s a huge rip-off for new adventurers.¡± I said and she kind of shrugged. ¡°I bet the Guild charges a high price for basic equipment that people have to pay off before they can get the higher payouts for crystals.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t know. You''re my first child.¡± Hestia said and looked a little sad.


    I stepped close and cupped the side of her face with my hand. ¡°Hey, don''t make that face. It''s not your fault that no one could see how valuable being a part of a new Familia is.¡±


    ¡°What... what do you mean?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°We all have to start somewhere, even the most powerful Familias started right where we are right now. With the first member being blessed.¡± I said and smiled as my thumb stroked her cheek. ¡°So, let''s make this the best damn Familia the world has ever seen!¡±


    Hestia beamed a smile at me and nodded. I let her face go and went to the bathroom to quickly shower and returned toy down on the couch that was designated as mine. I conjured a nket for myself and tucked it up to my neck before I drifted off to sleep.

 20 An Adventurer’s Life For Me

    20 An Adventurer¡¯s Life For Me


    I woke up and wasn''t surprised to feel another source of warmth inside my nket. I had suspected Hestia would be a cuddler after learning she had a falling out with her longtime friend. I knew it was Hephaestus from my previous knowledge, because she hadn''t mentioned it.


    Then again, I didn''t really know a lot about the story, just the overall plot and a few of the events that happened. It wasn''t something that had caught my attention before, which was why I chose it. It was almost all new territory for me, so I couldn''t wreck everything by mistake like I had in thest world.


    I folded the edge of the nket back and revealed Hestia''s sleeping face. She had snuggled right into my chest and looked reallyfortable. When I checked the invisible clock in my head, I saw that it was barely past dawn and I wrapped my arms around the sleeping Goddess. I could easily waste an hour or two like this as I waited for the various shops to open.


    Hestia murmured my name and how hot I was, then her lips kissed my pectoral right by the nipple. It hardened for her, as if she asked for it, then she moved slightly and mped her lips right onto it and started to suckle.


    I couldn''t fight against how good that felt and my erection grew right up between her legs. She let out a soft moan at me pressing against her panties and she wiggled her hips a little, probably trying to either feel more or to stop feeling pressure down there. Either way, it felt great on my end.


    Hestia was about the same height as Koneko and that made me feel even hornier. What were the odds that I would find another woman that was the same size as thest girl I was falling hard for?


    As soon as I thought that, I had to smile. Blessing of Fortune was definitely at work again. I reached down and gripped Hestia''s ass and she let out a fairly indecent moan and sucked even harder on my nipple. Her thighs pressed together and gave me a great spot to work with, so I did. I dry-humped her and made sure to rub over her, just like I had with Koneko, to give her a great orgasm.


    ¡°Ohhhh... ohhhhhhh... ohhhHHHH!¡± Hestia moaned and gasped. Her thighs squeezed me tightly and I blew my load all over the inside of the nket and over her panty-covered ass.


    We were both panting after the exertion and Hestia stopped suckling to give my chest several kisses and started to softly snore.


    I didn''tin that she didn''t thank me for getting her off, because the 600 Karma points certainly did. I wasn''t going to question the value of a ''semi-conscious orgasm'' when it involves a virgin goddess, especially because I knew she would be freaking out if she realized what had happened wasn''t just a dream.


    I cast a cleaning spell to clean myself of the mess, one for her because of her own mess, and one for the nket for both of our messes. As far as she was concerned, it was just a pleasant dream. I wasn''t going to ruin her powers by taking advantage of her, because she had been a virgin goddess for centuries for a very specific reason.


    I closed my eyes and dozed away for the next couple of hours. I wasn''t sure if Hestia had to work today, so I waited for her to wake up before I asked. She started to stir and made a few odd sounds, almost like disappointment, then she stopped breathing andpletely stiffened because of the position she was in.


    I thought about pretending to be asleep and chose to get the confrontation over with. ¡°Good morning, Mother Goddess Hestia.¡± I said and kissed the top of her head, since that was the only spot I could reach with my lips.


    Hestia didn''t rx as she lifted her head from my chest. Her eyes almost bored into mine as she blushed from embarrassment. ¡°G-g-good m-morning, B-Bell.¡±


    I gave her a warm smile and provided her with a convenient excuse. ¡°I need to thank you for looking after me so well, Hestia. It was my first time sleeping in a strange ce and you took it upon yourself to make sure I was okay.¡±


    Hestia''s eyes almost lit up at my words. ¡°Y-yes! Yes, that''s exactly what I was doing! I wasforting you, my new child. It was my responsibility to take care of you like this. Yes, it was.¡± She said and nodded her head several times.


    I barely held in myugh at how much she was jumping on that excuse. ¡°Now that you''re awake, are you working today?¡±


    ¡°I have half a shift today.¡± Hestia said and looked over at the clock. ¡°And I have to be there in fifteen minutes.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem! I''ll help you.¡± I said and threw the nket off and picked her up.


    ¡°EEP!¡± Hestia let out at me seeing her wearing only her panties and she cupped her hands over her breasts. It was funny, because by her doing that, it gave me an even better view than what I had.


    ¡°It''s okay, Hestia. We live together now. I was going to see your big beautiful breasts bare at some point anyway.¡± I said and her eyes went impossibly wide.


    Iughed at that and set her down on her bed, quickly dressed her in her new dress and gloves, and looked at her bare feet. I had to risk the pain and conjured a pair of stylish calf-high white tform boots with little blue bows on them to match her gloves.


    I grunted at the pain of 115 points being spent and I took 99 damage. <i>Maybe I should have created a basic version first and then transfigured them? </i>I asked myself, then I berated myself silently as I slipped them onto her feet. It was worth a little pain to make something so nice for her.


    Hestia seemed to marvel at the things that fit perfectly onto her usually bare feet. I grabbed my own clothes, slipped them on in only a moment, and thought about what to do next. We hadn''t eaten breakfast, so I did up a small bowl from the still lightly simmering stew. She gobbled it up in only a few moments and gave me a huge smile.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and picked her up in a princess carry. She let out another ''eep'' sound at that and almost lookedfortable as I ran up the stairs. I used my back to ease the wall of shelves open to slip out and used an elbow to close it, then left the storage room. I ran outside and came to a stop and hefted her up to sit her on my shoulder. ¡°Okay, where am I going to drop you off?¡±


    Hestia blinked her eyes at me. ¡°You''re going to run with me sitting on your shoulder?¡±


    ¡°I would have kept you in my arms if I knew where to go, so we can save that for the next time you''re working.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°So, where to?¡±


    Hestia pointed in a direction and I mped my arm over her calves to hold her steady. ¡°Head for the market square and I''ll tell you were to go from there.¡±


    ¡°Grab on and brace yourself.¡± I said and she hunched as she dug a hand into my hair to get a good grip and her other hand grabbed a handful of my shirt at the shoulder. I used a few points of magic to stick her to me, just in case, and then ran.


    I thought I could hear a distant giggling and wondered where it wasing from, then realized it wasn''t getting any farther away as I ran through the back streets. I briefly nced up at Hestia and saw her ecstatic face. She wasughing under her breath as her hair in twin pigtails whipped around behind us.


    ¡°Left at the middle street, right, back alley, left again, third street, second shop at the end.¡± Hestia''smentary led us right to the shop she needed to get to and we arrived with two minutes to spare.


    I undid the spell to stick her to me and carefully put her down. I cast several cheap spells to make sure she looked immacte and fixed her messy hair. ¡°Have a good day at work, Goddess Hestia.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Bell.¡± Hestia said with a smile. ¡°You have a good day, too.¡±


    I opened the shop door for her and the other people in the shop looked stunned as she walked in wearing her repaired clothing. The click-ck of her boots also drew their attention. I closed the door when I heard her softly giggle at their reactions. Now that I knew where to go, I could get there faster and could carry her in my arms.


    It also gave me an idea and I wasn''t sure if it would work here or not. It wouldn''t hurt to try it, however. I would need to make a few carving tools and would need to pick up some silver dust or maybe some liquid silver. A cksmith would be a good idea, assuming he would sell to a civilian.


    I sighed at that, because I was pretty sure he wouldn''t even look at me if I wasn''t an adventurer and could pay him, probably upfront. I walked down the street and barely looked at the storefronts that were there. There was no point, especially without a significant amount of money in my hand.


    My idea would have to wait until I could get some coteral, so I took a back street and ran at my top speed. Without Hestia''s weight on my shoulder and having to protect her, I could go all out. I didn''t sweat or felt tired, which meant fighting in the dungeon was going to be downright easy and I would only have to rest after taking a lot of damage to recover.


    I made it home and ignored the dpidated state of the outside and went inside and down to the small apartment. I ate a bowl of stew and it settled my stomach. I knew I would need a lot more time and good food, for the both of us, to fix the long bout of starvation we had both suffered through. I was sure that was why my stat numbers were so low, despite what I looked like.


    On a whim, I created a thermos for 80 points and put a bowl''s worth of stew into it. I was sure I could use it as leverage to negotiate a favorable loan with the Guild, then I chuckled. I created another one and filled it, and secured both to my belt on either side. I turned the stove off and left the apartment and went upstairs to look over the inside of the church.


    I chose a good spot off to the side of the altar for my experiment and cleared enough space for it. With that done, I looked at the ruins of the church. It hurt my eyes to see the sad state of it and there wasn''t much I could do about it, not without taking significant damage as I tried to repair it with magic. It would have to stay as it was for now.


    I left the church and cast a detect magic spell. It cost 15 magic points and briefly lit up a 100 feet around me. I couldn''t tell if it was only for my eyes or if everyone would see it. If that was the case, it might cost more to lose the glow. I didn''t bother trying to expand it by spending more points and just started spamming it. I could cast it 6 times before I had to stop briefly and cast another chain.


    I took my time to walk back to the shop that Hestia worked at and the people around me still seemed interested in staring at me. I was really tempted to jump at them and yell ''boo!'' to scare them, then chuckled and ignored the temptation. I stopped and looked into the shop that was almost like a cafe that served food.


    Hestia looked inordinately pleased as everyoneplimented her on her new dress and she served everyone with a bright and happy smile. I watched her for about ten minutes before there was a lull in her work and I entered the shop.


    ¡°Hello! What can I do for... Bell!¡± Hestia gasped.


    ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you at work. You forgot your lunch at home and I brought it right over.¡± I said and unhooked the full thermos from my belt to hand it to her.


    Hestia winced slightly at the double lie and I smiled at her. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± She said and epted the thermos, then stared at it and wondered what it was.


    ¡°Like this.¡± I said and popped the top off to show her it was like a bowl and unscrewed the top to pour a small amount of still hot stew broth into it for her.


    Hestia drank it immediately without prompting, so I screwed the top back on and she popped the top onto it, understanding its function, and grinned at me. ¡°Thank you, Bell.¡±


    I bowed to her and left before anyone couldin that I wasn''t a paying customer. I would be eventually because the food smelled good. Buying it fresh was much better than buying it at the end of the day after it had been picked over. However, food was food, and I wasn''t going to turn anything down.


    I made my way across the city to therge Guild Hall and went inside. I spent a few minutes looking around and wondered how they could have the main adventurer hall be so... in. Wood was everywhere and nothing really stood out to show that it was the most important and most used building in the whole city.


    I walked over to the main counter and a woman with a moderatelyrge chest was there doing paperwork. I say woman, except I meant she was a quite pretty half-elf with a slim body, shoulder-length brown hair, pointy ears, and emerald colored eyes behind very thin sses. She wore a uniform of white shirt, ck vest, and ck pants.


    ¡°Good morning, ma''am.¡± I said softly, trying to not startle her.


    The woman lifted her gaze from the papers she was working on and her eyes widened when she looked at my face. Her eyes darted down to my chest and back up, then down to my waist and back to my face, this time with an added blush.


    I smiled to stop my chuckle at her actively checking me out. ¡°Could you advise me about how to join up as an adventurer? I''m aplete novice about such important things and need to rely on an expert like you to handle me properly.¡±


    Her face flushed to a deeper red at my innuendo. ¡°I... I would be happy to help you, mister...¡±


    ¡°Bell Cranel, Prospective Adventurer.¡± I said and held a hand out for her to shake.


    ¡°Eina Tulle, Advisor.¡± She said with a smile as her blush faded and took the offered hand.


    I didn''t shake it and bent over it to kiss it instead. ¡°It''s very nice to meet you, Miss Tulle.¡±


    Her blush rushed back and she looked a little faint.


    ¡°Do you have an office or something where we can talk things over? I have some concerns about money and earnings...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°Y-yes, I... if I can have my hand back, I can lead you to a meeting room.¡± Eina said.


    I chuckled and let her hand go, then motioned for her to lead the way.


    Eina smiled at me and called for another cute woman to take her ce as she picked up a pile of different papers than what she had been working on. She walked around the counter to join me in front of it and led me to a small side room.


    I couldn''t help but admire her nice ass in tight dress pants as she walked. I just hoped that my peace offering would be epted as it was intended, a tant bribe to not be so harsh with me at the negotiation table.

 21 Negotiations And Payoffs

    21 Negotiations And Payoffs


    Eina sat down at the small table and looked across it at the ridiculously handsome young man across from her. For some reason, she knew that he was going to be trouble. That tant hand kiss in front of all the other employees had been the first hint. The second was him mentioning money and earnings. That did not bode well for the Guild''s immediate profits or for her bncing the books.


    ¡°Mister Cranel...¡± Eina started to say.


    ¡°Please, call me Bell.¡± He interrupted and gave her a warm smile.


    Eina did her best to ignore it, even if she really liked that smile. She was supposed to be in negotiation mode right now. ¡°Bell, you mentioned a few questions about money.¡±


    Bell sighed and nodded. ¡°I only arrived in the city a couple of weeks ago after travelling across the country. After searching all this time for a Familia, I finally found one yesterday. The problem is, I am her first child and we used thest of our avable money on buying enough food to make stew.¡±


    Eina was a little surprised that he offered up so much information. ¡°I''m not sure why you are telling me all of that.¡±


    Bell had a sheepish look on his face as he unhooked that odd cylinder from his belt.


    Eina''s eyes widened as he broke the top off with a ck and set it onto the table upside down, then he unscrewed a kind of cap from the cylinder and the room was quickly filled with the most delicious smell she had ever smelled.


    Bell carefully poured out some of the stew and broth into the top, put the cap back on the cylinder, and handed her the broken off top. ¡°Go ahead and try it. It''s still hot.¡±


    Eina wanted to refuse, because this was a tant bribe if she ever saw one. Her mind was still trying to decide if she should throw him out for insulting her as her hands moved on their own and brought the top to her lips.


    <i>AMBROSIA!</i> Eina''s mind yelled and she moaned as she sucked in some broth and a nice chunk of tender meat. She chewed it up in seconds, even though she wanted to savour it, and tipped the top up to get the vegetables and the rest of the broth. It warmed her insides unlike anything ever before and it settled in her stomach to continue giving her warmth.


    Bell took the top back from her and surprisingly popped it back over the cylinder with a ck and it stayed there. ¡°As an opening gambit to negotiating a loan, I offer this to you.¡±


    <i>Oh, you rotten bastard of a human!</i> Eina thought and her arms tensed up as he slid the thing towards her. She wanted to cradle it in her arms and hug it and never let it go.


    ¡°The cylinder is called a thermos and it keeps things hot for a long time. Thermal. Heat.¡± Bell exined.


    Eina blinked her eyes several times as she thought about that. ¡°Can you make it bigger?¡±


    Bell looked thoughtful. ¡°Maybe. It depends. I suffer magical bacsh if I cast too much magic.¡±


    Eina wasn''t sure why that mattered. ¡°And the stew?¡±


    ¡°It only took about an hour of cookingst night.¡± Bell said.


    ¡°<b>You</b> made it?¡± Eina asked, surprised.


    Bell smiled. ¡°I can''t expect my Goddess to cook, so someone had to do it.¡±


    Eina knew she was being teased. ¡°How much of this stew do you have left and do you have any more of these thermos things?¡±


    ¡°There''s about three-quarters of arge stew pot left and I only have two thermos containers.¡±


    Eina thought about that for several minutes. ¡°The fee for signing up as an adventurer is 1,000 Valis.¡±


    Bell looked surprised and then sighed. ¡°That''s probably going to take a while to pay off.¡±


    Eina held in her smile at sucking him in. ¡°I will pay you 2,000 Valis for this thermos and I offer the same if you bring me the other one.¡± She said and the young man''s face brightened with a brilliant smile. ¡°I am only offering this deal because of your offer of the delicious stew.¡±


    ¡°I knew starting off with a bribe was the right choice.¡± Bell said out loud and then pped a hand over his own mouth.


    Eina had to pinch her lips closed to muffle herugh. ¡°Just for that, when you bring me other thermos, it needs to have the same contents as this one.¡±


    Bell ducked his head slightly and nodded.


    ¡°All right. Let''s get this paperwork filled out and I''ll bring you over to the exchange counter for your payment.¡± Eina said and Bell nodded again.


    *


    I rushed home and created another thermos and filled it with a bowl''s worth of stew, the same as the one I gave Eina, and ran back to the Guild. I knew I was underselling the thermos, especially when the stronger people in the guild find out what it does. It had beenpletely unexpected that she would offer to buy the thing when I had been giving it to her with the stew inside and not just the stew.


    I entered the Guild Hall and wasn''t surprised to see all of the workers had gathered around Eina''s desk and were sharing the stew. It really was delicious and now she was going to have another serving of it. I waited until someone noticed me before I waved and held up the new thermos.


    Eina was across the office area and around the counter in only a moment. ¡°I didn''t expect you toe right back with it, Bell. Thank you.¡±


    I handed it to her and she hugged it. ¡°I didn''t want to make you wait and worry that I wasn''t going toe back.¡±


    Eina smiled at me and brought me over to the exchange desk and signed off on the payment of another 2,000 Valis for me.


    ¡°Thank you for this.¡± I said and piled the money into the small pouch she had given me that was secured to my belt. It had a small expansion charm inside and it could only hold money, so I didn''t have to worry about it spilling out of my pockets or anything. ¡°Having this much money so soon means a lot to me.¡±


    Eina led me back over to the counter and tucked the thermos under it. ¡°I assume you''re going to buy some light armor and maybe a dagger or something?¡± She asked and slid a piece of paper across the counter with a list of items and their prices.


    I read them and remembered myment to Hestia about people ripping off new adventurers, because just starting out meant a lot of cost to get outfitted. Since most of the average adventurers stayed at Level 1 and only a few managed to go above that to break Level 2, they would eventually have enough money to buy much better equipment. If they lived.


    The sellers had to get as much money as possible out of the new people, as quickly as possible, or never get it. Reliability wasn''t really a word that these people knew.


    ¡°Not right now, thank you. I have a few errands to run and preparations to make before I think about going into the dungeon.¡± I said and the smile on her face grew. She apparently liked that I wasn''t rushing in.


    ¡°Well, if you ever need anything, like floor maps and advice about the monsters you''ll face, you cane to me. I''m your official advisor, after all.¡± Eina said.


    ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± I said and held a hand out to her.


    Eina mped her lips together to muffle herugh and took my hand. I gave her a warm smile and kissed the back of her hand, to her delight, and I waved at the others in the office before I left the hall. I could hear the tittering andments from the others as they teased Eina about me.


    I chuckled and went to the closest tailor for clothing. I didn''t go inside because I was only wondering what the clothing was like. I would need to visit an armorer or a cksmith to see if they wore specific underclothing for their armor. If they did, I would need to examine it and maybe buy one. I would also have the chance to ask for scraped weapons or damaged items.


    I looked through the expensive shops on the main thoroughfare and mentally nodded at the outrageous prices for their things. There was no doubt that some of them would help an adventurer reach a lower floor than they would get to on their skills alone. The problem was that they were so expensive that they would need to venture to those same lower floors to get enough to pay for the thing that would get them to the lower floors.


    I had a weird thought about renting equipment and when they died, it would be retrieved and rented again. It would be a losing proposition, because repeated business would depend on your clients dying to rece your stock to rent. That wasn''t a viable business model at all.


    I entered the storefront for the Hephaestus Familia and all of the zeros on every single piece in the shop hurt my eyes. It seemed like the adventurer was made by his equipment and these people embraced that philosophy to the extreme.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± The woman behind the counter sneered at me. ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± I asked instead of answering.


    ¡°Madeline.¡± The woman said, clearly lying.


    I smiled and cast the truth spell. ¡°I didn''t quite hear you. What was the name you said?¡±


    ¡°Vivian.¡± The woman said and her eyes widened.


    ¡°Thank you, Vivian. I''ll be sure to let Goddess Hephaestus know how polite and weing her store attendant is.¡± I said and walked right back out of the shop. I half-expected her to rush out after me to apologize and I didn''t stick around to wait in case she did.


    I tried to enter a few more shops and received almost the same reaction, only less antagonistic. It was almost like they didn''t want anyone to shop around and buy their wares. I tried one more, an essories store, and the re the woman gave me was as noteworthy as the first woman''s sneer.


    ¡°Is it because it''s my day off and I''m not covered in armor from head to toe that makes all you idiots not want my money?¡± I asked her with anger in my tone.


    The woman flinched as if I had pped her and her face flushed red with embarrassment.


    ¡°I''m not going to bother asking your name like I did the others. I''ll just make a nket statement to the gods and goddesses about how very nice and helpful their idiots are.¡± I said and walked back out.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± She yelled. ¡°I need this job!¡±


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± I said and mmed the door and cast a temporary barrier on it to keep it closed. I walked away with the sound of her banging on the door to try and get it open.


    ¡°That wasn''t very nice.¡± A feminine voice said.


    ¡°None of them are nice and I thought a taste of their own behavior would suit them.¡± I said and turned to look at her. My eyes couldn''t help taking in the miles of exposed tanned dark skin that was only covered by a strip of cloth over her small breasts and what I was sure was part of a nket that hung from her waist.


    ¡°Are you getting a good enough look?¡± The woman asked with a teasing smile, her short dark hair barely moving in the breeze.


    ¡°No. Could you turn around so I can see the rest of you?¡± I asked, just as teasingly.


    She barked augh and swung around, which billowed out the cloth and gave me a nice view of her ass in a thong, and she finished her turn to grin at me. ¡°How was that?¡±


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± I said and grinned back. ¡°You could only look better if you were naked in my bed.¡±


    ¡°HA HA! You wish.¡± She said, smugly.


    ¡°You can''t me me for that. Have you seen yourself?¡± I asked and sheughed. I stepped close with my hand out. ¡°My name is Bell Cranel and it''s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Tiona Hiryute and it sure is nice to meet me.¡± She said and took my hand.


    I was tempted to kiss it, just to make herugh, and decided against it. She might see it as an attack. She was an amazonness, after all. I shook it and let it go. As if she suspected I was going to do something with it, she let it hang there and looked at it and then at me.


    Iughed and bowed slightly. ¡°I was going to kiss the back of it, like you were a fancy high ssdy from the big city, to try and make youugh. I didn''t do it because you might think it was an attack.¡±


    Tionaughed pretty hard and pped her hand against her thigh. ¡°I would have, too!¡±


    I motioned to walk down the street and she nodded. We walked side by side for several steps before she spoke.


    ¡°You were just ying with the shopkeepers, weren''t you?¡± Tiona asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked back.


    ¡°You don''t have anywhere near enough money to shop in any of them.¡± Tiona said.


    I gave her a sideways smile. ¡°If they charged admission to the store, I couldn''t pay the entry fee.¡±


    Tionaughed and nodded. ¡°Thought so.¡± She said and gave me a look. ¡°How much do you have?¡±


    ¡°4,000 Valis.¡± I said, because I had no reason to lie.


    Tiona''s look changed to surprise. ¡°What happened? Did you lose everything in a raid?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°No, I''m a brand new adventurer that just signed up today.¡±


    Tiona almost skidded to a stop and grabbed my arm to stop me from walking. ¡°You''re kidding!¡±


    ¡°I was adopted into a Familia only yesterday.¡± I admitted and she looked shocked. I did not miss her hand slowly rubbing my arm.


    ¡°You... you''re... only Level 1.¡± Tiona whispered.


    I nodded. ¡°I can tell you''re a lot more than that.¡±


    ¡°Level 5.¡± Tiona said and then her look became pointed. ¡°I''m 16 and a half.¡±


    I had to smile at the half part. ¡°I''m 14.¡±


    Tione''s mouth dropped open and she stared at me, because she was three inches shorter than I was. ¡°You look like this and you''re only Level 1, you''re younger than me, and you like teasing people like I do.¡±


    ¡°Thosements resemble me, yes.¡± I agreed.


    The words were barely out of my mouth when I was scooped up and slung over her shoulder in a fireman''s carry. There was a gust of wind, the sound of smashing wood, a high pitched scream, and I was dropped onto a fairlyrge bed and bounced. The entire thing happened in only five seconds.


    ¡°Did you know that when you register as an adventurer, it doesn''t matter what your age is, you''re considered an adult?¡± Tiona asked me as she undid her half-nket skirt. She saw me looking at it. ¡°It''s called a pavna. It''s a ceremonial covering that family members wear. My sister wears the same one.¡±


    ¡°When I first saw it, I thought it looked like a half-nket.¡± I said and she nodded.


    Tiona tossed it onto a chair and showed me that the thong she wore would barely cover her if she ever did a high kick. She saw me looking and moved the skirt to show a long piece of cloth that hung down.


    ¡°Smart.¡± I said and she blushed.


    Tiona reached for the cloth that covered her breasts and paused, her blush deepening.


    ¡°I should probably tell you that myst girlfriend had breasts the same size as you.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°She smeared them with cake batter for me so I could lick and suck them clean.¡±


    Tiona let out a growl sound and snapped the cloth, then dove for me on the bed. I caught her and kissed her passionately. She moaned as I did, because I was also massaging her breasts. Just because they were small, that didn''t meant they were any less sensitive than arger pair.


    I rolled us over and kissed down her neck, over her corbone, and down to her breasts. Her breathing sped up as I did so. I paused and gave her a pointed look, then I dove onto her breasts like a madman.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Tiona moaned loudly and her arms wrapped around my head to keep me there.


    I stayed there and yed with them for quite some time and I was sure she came at least twice. Her nipples were so hard that they could have cut ss and I made sure to lick and suckle on them to get as much blood flowing to them as possible.


    Tiona eventually let me go and I kissed my way down her belly and stopped just before her drenched opening. ¡°Wh-what... what are you doing?¡±


    I broke the tightly tied string and tossed it aside. ¡°Probably something you''ll like more than me ying with your breasts.¡±


    Tiona literally screamed when I dug my tongue inside of her and she came hard. The room was suddenly filled with her teammates that were armed with weapons, only for them all to see what was going on. They quickly made very embarrassed sounds and then spoke many excuses to leave. All except one of them.


    ¡°What are you doing to her?¡± Aiz Wallenstein asked as she sheathed her sword.


    ¡°I''m making her feel like a woman.¡± I said and waved for her to sit down.


    Aiz did and stared at me as I worked Tiona over and made her scream, and yell, and orgasm like crazy. By the time I was done ying with her, Tiona was mumbling incoherently between begging me to hurry up and take her.


    I stood up and took off my clothes, which Aiz also stared at. Her eyes roamed over my muscles and then her eyes dropped down to my quite prominent erection when it was revealed. On ark, I carefully took her hand and used it to stroke myself several times. The look of interest on her face couldn''t be faked, so I leaned down to gently kiss her.


    ¡°Maybe you want to be next?¡± I asked and she didn''t answer. I stepped back out of her reach and climbed on top of Tiona. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this.¡±


    Tiona could only mumble and nod, so I lined myself up and then shoved hard. ¡°AHHH!¡± She gasped. ¡°THAT FEELS SO GOOD! DO IT AGAIN!¡±


    Iughed and started to move, not surprised that losing her virginity didn''t bother her at all. Tiona started panting right away and it wasn''t because she was getting tired. As far as I knew, amazonnesses had remarkable endurance and I wouldn''t have a problem with her keeping up with me.


    Aizid down beside Tiona and the contrast was a sight to behold with her long blonde hair next to Tiona''s short dark hair and Aiz''s fair skin next to Tiona''s deeply tanned skin. Aiz also held Tiona''s hand as she watched us having fun. Her curiosity had seemingly gotten the better of her and she probably wondered how things were going to turn out.


    I didn''t tell her that Tiona''s sister was at the room''s door and peeking in to see what happened as well.

 22 Scavenger

    22 Scavenger


    <i ss="fa fa-exmation-triangle" aria-hidden="true" style="padding-right:5px;"></i> Announcement


    I keep forgetting to post the power scale. S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.


    I is the lowest (base human) at0-99, H is 100-199, and each letter above adds 100 to end with S at 900-999.


    I stayed inside Tiona, and the Loki Compound, for the rest of the morning. I had pounded the poor girl into her mattress and she loved every second of it. Surprisingly, Aiz had stayed right there beside her the whole time and watched us as we did... well, everything.


    I had to show the both of them a few things, like giving a proper blowjob, and made them promise to only do it with someone they cared deeply about. That had earned me an odd look from Tiona and a very curious one from Aiz.


    I gave the both of them a long and tender kiss each and told them that even though we just met, I did care a lot about them and I would visit them whenever they had free time. Tiona looked a little conflicted, probably because her people only sought out men for sex and then left.


    My exnation of trying to make her pregnant had her rx, which was definitely a part of her people''s culture, and Aiz still had that curious look on her face. With her, I promised that if she ever decided she wanted to do more things like what Tiona and I did, besides the blowjobs she had already tried as practice, I would be honored for her to ept me as a partner. That earned me a nod and a small smile.


    A knock on the door gained our attention. It opened and Tione stood there wearing a red bikini top and the pavna around her waist. She also had a blush on her face. ¡°It''s almost lunchtime, Tiona. You will be... ahem... expected to make an appearance. We need to decide where to go to eat.¡±


    Those words gave me a great idea and I smiled. ¡°Do you have a kitchen and some food here?¡±


    ¡°I think... I would have to check and...¡± Tione whispered.


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± I said and cast a cleaning spell on myself and the fluids on me disappeared.


    Both amazonnesses gasped and Aiz raised her eyebrows at me.


    ¡°Right, you two as well.¡± I said and waved a hand over Tiona and then Aiz to clean them up. I dressed in only a moment and that really surprised them. ¡°Aiz, give Tiona a hand getting dressed while her sister leads me to the kitchen. I''ll see if I can take care of the lunch situation for you all as an apology for the disturbance.¡±


    Tione nodded and left the room with me right behind her. When we were far enough away from the open door, she looked back at me. ¡°How did you know how to do all of that?¡±


    I sessfully ignored teasing her about her admission of watching us the whole time. ¡°I''d like to say lots of practice, except your sister is the first girl I''ve been with here.¡± <i>On this world.</i>


    Tione blinked her eyes at me, probably because she knew I hadn''t lied.


    ¡°The kitchen?¡± I asked and she nodded several times and led me down the stairs and into a kitchen that would have made a restaurant jealous. ¡°You have all this and you go out to eat?¡±


    ¡°None of us knows how to cook anything more than trail rations. We usually hire a temporary cook for longer expeditions.¡± Tione said and sat down at the counter.


    ¡°Pantry?¡± I asked and she pointed at a cupboard. I went over and opened it and examined everything inside. I could work with a lot of it and just had to decide if I should settle for sandwiches with a light soup or go all out and make a nice pasta dish. ¡°How many people are meeting here for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Just the seven executives of the main Familia and Loki herself.¡± Tione said.


    ¡°What about the rest of them?¡± I asked and decided on the pasta dish. There were fresh tomatoes and some good spices that I could easily make into a nice spaghetti sauce. I would have to thin it with a bit of olive oil and might need to send out for some more meat. Eight people could eat a lot and I couldn''t do my erge trick here.


    I started making the pasta dough and Tione looked fascinated as I worked. Tiona and Aiz came down the stairs and sat on either side of Tione and looked just as enthralled. When I asked for a meat grinder, or if they had such a thing, Tiona went into a side cupboard and handed me an old hand-crank one. It looked like it had never been used.


    ¡°Any chance you can send out for more meat? I doubt eight people can be fed by this much.¡± I said and indicated the one foot wide slice of beef roast.


    ¡°It should be enough. One of us is a high elf and one is a prum.¡± Tione said.


    ¡°She means they don''t eat meat.¡± Tiona said with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°Ah, then I should make more sd for them.¡± I said and quickly ground up the meat in only seconds.


    This surprised the three girls and they stared at me as I cleaned the device with the same cleaning spell as I used on them. Maybe they hadn''t seen a versatile spell before? I ignored them for now and turned on the oven to heat it up.


    I grabbed a dry loaf of bread and sliced it up into very thin pieces, blocked the sight of the girls for a second, and dried the bread out even more. I crumbed the thin pieces up into the bowl of ground meat and mixed it up to almost double the amount of meat, then I rolled them up into meatballs.


    ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± An authoritative female voice asked.


    I turned to see a proud high elf staring at me. ¡°I''m cooking. What does it look like I''m doing?¡±


    The woman opened and closed her mouth without speaking.


    I chuckled and grabbed arge pan and looked through the cupboards for small racks. I found arge mesh thing and shrugged. It would do. I just had to bend it to make troughs for the meatballs to stop from rolling away. I continued to ignore the four girls at the counter as I continued to work.


    I rolled out the dough and stretched it, and stretched it, and then used a chef''s knife to slice it into thin strips. Once I had those, I rolled each one quick as a sh and each strand stretched out to the length of the entire long counter. The shocked looks on the watching faces made meugh.


    I sliced up the strands to the right length and did my drying trick again and set up arge pot on the stove and filled it with water. I turned the stove on and checked the oven. It was hot enough, so I set therge pan of meatballs inside and closed it up.


    While I waited for the water to boil, I started on the sauce and the sd. It was pretty easy, since they had simr ingredients, only I had to dice them for the sauce and leave them mostly intact for the sd. The water was boiling now, so I added the spaghetti strings and let them simmer as I tended to the sauce. I added the spices and some olive oil and went back to the sd. It was arge bowl and could be saved for several days. I tossed some oil into that, too.


    By the time the meatballs were done, because I had made them small enough to not take as long to cook, the sauce and spaghetti were done as well. It was perfect timing, because the rest of the group arrived, as did Loki. The thickly muscled dwarf easily dragged therge dining table into the center of the room and everyone grabbed chairs for themselves.


    I set out eight tes around therge dining room table and then proceeded to dish up the food for everyone, making sure the elf and the halfling had a huge amount of sd. I had barely put the sauce on the spaghetti and meatballs in front of Loki and she had her fork in it and was chewing on a mouthful of pasta. She moaned and her head lolled to the side as she happily savored it.


    ¡°I think that means she approves.¡± The high elf said with a t voice and the othersughed.


    I went back to the counter and did up a te for myself with a few extra meatballs and quickly ate it. I knew someone would be calling for seconds soon and I had to be ready to serve it. The dwarf was the first to call out and I gave him a generous second helping and he nodded to me, so I added another meatball and thered the sauce over it all.


    Not surprisingly, they all wanted a second helping, even the elf and the halfling. They ate in rtive silence, as in they didn''t talk and only made sounds to indicate they really liked the food.


    ¡°You''re... hired. Permanently.¡± Loki said as she leaned back on her chair, her belly extended slightly, and she rubbed it with a satisfied look on her face. ¡°Living... expenses. Spending... money. Unlimited food budget. Everything.¡±


    I chuckled and held my hands up. ¡°I''m not a hired cook.¡±


    Everyone except Tione, Tiona, and Aiz looked shocked.


    ¡°I made the meal as an apology for causing a disruption earlier.¡± I said and walked over to Tiona. I bent down to kiss her cheek. ¡°Let the Guild know when you get back from the next dungeon trip, all right? I''ll find you again.¡±


    Tiona nodded and her sister looked jealous and almost red at the halfling named Finn.


    ¡°Wait... you can''t... leave.¡± Loki said and raised a hand to move, then slumped back. ¡°Someone catch him before he leaves.¡±


    ¡°It''s toote for that.¡± I said and looked right at the other person with white hair on their head.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tiona asked as everyone turned to stare at the werewolf named Bete.


    ¡°I tried to join your Familia a week ago and he punched me in the head, called me a weak brat as he shoved me out the door, and told me you would never ept a cheap copycat of him.¡±


    Bete''s wolf ears immediately dropped and disappeared into his messy hair.


    I looked at Loki and I couldn''t tell what her facial expression was, because her eyes almost never opened. ¡°There should be just enough left for you to have it again for supper, Goddess Loki.¡± I said and walked towards the door. ¡°Before you ask, I already joined another Familia and am no longer avable for recruitment.¡±


    There seemed to be a collective angry sound as I shut the door to the main building. I smiled at the brand new door, because Tiona had smashed thest one to pieces, and I left before anyone decided that they could convince me to renounce Hestia to join Loki.


    I thought about what to do now and turned to look up at the tower that was built over the dungeon. I knew there were other Familia shops there as well as where students showed off their work. I didn''t have a whole lot of money, though. Even their scraps and mistakes might be expensive; but, it didn''t hurt to go look and maybe ask a few questions.


    *


    The guy assigned the punishment detail to watch over the scrap was bored out of his mind. He really shouldn''t have brought that wench into the back room of the shop, even if she let him have a go at her for showing her such expensive things. How could he have known that she had fit so many things inside the various holes in her body and got away without being caught?


    ¡°Excuse me. This backpack says it has an expansion enchantment on it and it''s only 50 Valis.¡± A male voice asked him.


    ¡°Yeah, the idiot made six of them before he remembered that he didn''t include the reduce weight part of the enchantment.¡± The guy said without lifting his head from his desk. ¡°It still holds a lot, only whatever you carry still weighs the same.¡±


    ¡°What about all the junk things around here?¡± The male voice asked.


    ¡°It''s junk.¡± The guy said.


    ¡°How much is it?¡± The voice asked.


    The guy sighed, because he hated this job. ¡°There''s no prices on anything because it''s junk. You can fill up that backpack with as much as you can carry for...¡± The guy paused and realized he could make some money for himself. ¡°...let''s say, 300 valis.¡±


    ¡°Including the backpack?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°You''re buying it, so yeah.¡± The guy said. ¡°I''ll mark down the sale of the backpack at the stated price.¡±


    ¡°You have yourself a deal. I''ll be back as soon as I make sure this backpack is what I want.¡±


    The guy chuckled at the wording. ¡°I''m not going anywhere.¡±


    Half an hourter, a clearly struggling dark-grey haired person showed up at the desk, turned to show he was wearing the backpack, and ced 300 valis on the desk. ¡°A tip for... great service.¡±


    The guyughed and scooped the money up and tucked most of it into his pockets.


    ¡°When are you working again?¡± The person asked.


    ¡°I''m stuck here for a month.¡± The guy said.


    The person smiled and nodded. ¡°I should be back... next week.¡±


    The guy nodded back and watched as the person struggled as he walked to the elevator and then he was gone. He counted out 50 valis to add to the register and marked the sale of the defective backpack. His eyes went to the clock and saw that he had another seven hours of sitting there with nothing to do andid his head back down onto his desk.


    *


    It took me a long time to carefully walk all the way back to the rundown church without falling. I made my way down to the hidden apartment and sat down on my couch with a groan of pain.


    ¡°Ow ow ow.¡± I groused as I finally slid the straps of the heavy backpack off of my shoulders. I didn''t take off my shirt, because I knew there would be huge red lines there that were going to bruise quickly. I rubbed them and wondered if I should have stopped off to buy a healing potion, then I sighed when my shoulders ached.


    It would be a waste of money to take something that my own body would heal on its own eventually. There were much better things to buy, like groceries. That thought reminded me of my n to make a bunch of money by repairing junk to sell and to take Hestia shopping. I had spent 300 valis and it was worth the money, even though I felt a little guilty about the trick I yed on the store clerk.


    His offer to stuff the backpack and carry it out, had sparked an idea and I couldn''t help abusing it. I hadn''t just filled the backpack I carried, though. I filled all six defective backpacks and put five of them inside the first one. I did sessfully carry it out, too.


    <i>Holy hell, I managed to get a lot of stuff.</i> I thought as I sat there and let myself recover. An hour or two would be enough, I was sure.


    ¡°BELL! I''m back!¡± Hestia shouted from the top of the stairs.


    <i>I didn''t even hear the secret door opening.</i> I thought and smiled at her as she hopped down every step.


    *JIGGLE! JIGGLE! JIGGLE!*


    I stared at her breasts as they did a very enticing dance for my utter enjoyment. I sprang right up for her and didn''t bother trying to hide it. It was a great show.


    Hestia came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and had a huge smile on her face. She also had arge paper bag in her hands. ¡°Guess who earned three times her normal tips today and brought home potato snacks!¡±


    ¡°The receptionist at the guild?¡± I asked and pretended not to know.


    ¡°BEEELLLL!¡± Hestia loudly whined.


    Iughed and opened my arms for her. ¡°Of course it was my favorite Goddess, the beautiful Hestia! Who else could it be?¡±


    Hestiaughed and jumped at me. I easily caught her and settled her onto myp, careful of my erection. The smile on her face seemed to freeze as she felt me pressing against her thigh.


    ¡°Um... Bell... there''s... um... I can... feel...¡± Hestia said, hesitatingly.


    ¡°You gave me that when I saw you, my lovely Goddess.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°It''s all right, Hestia. You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡± I said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I couldn''t help but react to someone that''s so sexy being so happy.¡±


    Hestia looked at my face and I didn''t try to hide anything from showing on my face. ¡°You... do you really... think of me like that?¡±


    I hugged her and nuzzled her earlobe. ¡°You are my personal Goddess, Hestia. The embodiment of everything I ever desired in a woman.¡± I whispered into her ear. ¡°Fate brought me to you and I would be a fool if I didn''t think you were the most desirable woman on the entire.¡±


    Hestia let out a little squeak, as if she was out of breath, and went limp in my arms.


    I quietlyughed at her reaction to the truth and stood with her in my arms. Iid her down on her bed and took the potato treats from her. I set them on a pan in the oven and made some gravy from the meat drippings from yesterday.


    By the time she woke up, it was ready, and we shared a te of delicious gravy covered potato treats.

 23 Shopping Fun

    23 Shopping Fun


    After we ate the entire bag of potato treats smothered in gravy, I told Hestia about selling the stew and thermos for 2,000 valis to the Guild. She tackled me and kissed my cheek, made me heat up a bowl''s worth of stew to put inside hers, then she pretty much dragged me out of the church and halfway across the city to the Guild. I hadughed the whole way.


    I introduced her to Eina, my advisor, and they hit it off talking about my behavior and how mean I was for teasing them like I did. That went on for about ten minutes before I held up the thermos and gained their attention. Eina gasped and snatched it right out of my hands.


    ¡°No one must know there''s more stew!¡± Eina hissed in a whisper.


    Both Hestia and I nodded and tried to notugh. Eina escorted us to the exchange window and approved the purchase, then she went back to the counter and hid the thermos in her bag. She was going to save it forter, apparently. We thanked her for buying it from us, a Familia just starting out, and we left the Guild with more money on-hand than either of us ever had before.


    Hestia giggled like mad when I told her we had 5,700 valis to go shopping with, as long as we bought groceries with it, too. She heartily agreed and we did a whirlwind trip through the various food stalls and loaded up on everything we would need to cook and eat for a week. That burned up 1,200 valis and that was okay, because Hestia loved the fact that we could spend 4,500 valis on whatever she wanted.


    The clothing stores were first and she had an absolute ball choosing a few things that she had before and had to give up. I mentioned nightwear and she gave me a slight blush and added a short nightdress with a low neckline and a matching short robe. My whispered words about buying matching panties, made her almost faint, which was adorable.


    A more modest jewellery store was next and Hestia seemed reserved as she browsed. I didn''t remind her to buy whatever she wanted, because she knew how much we had left and she looked through several disy cases. She blushed when she passed the rings and gave me a discreet and shy look. I stayed quiet and let her choose if she wanted one or not.


    Hestia didn''t chose a ring and picked a nice ne with a me pendant. I smiled and gave her a nod and paid for it. I put it on her and lightly caressed her neck, which made her blush again.


    We left there and went to a footwear shop. Most of the things they had were for adventurers and the limited things they had for normal people hadcked personality. They were purely for function and we left without buying anything.


    We briefly stopped at a cksmith and found out they do sell underlining for armor and it was expensive. The most basic armor piece was also way out of our price range, and that was before we spent most of it, so I wouldn''t be buying anything from a reputable store for a long time, if ever. It would be better for me to return to the junk floor of the tower if I didn''t already have what I needed.


    A quick stop back at the tailor''s shop and we priced a full body covering of thick cloth, which was only 200 valis, so we bought one for me to use as well as some extra fabric for reinforcement. I needed something between my skin and the armor I was going to fix from the scraps I had taken from the junk floor. Then again, I had a lot to sort through before I could think about making a full suit out of it.


    I also picked up some fabric to make boxer shorts and we returned to the church with our arms full with the bags of our purchases, which made Hestia extremely happy. She bounced down each of the steps like she had before and I regretted that I wasn''t at the bottom to watch her. She saw the look of regret on my face when she looked back at me and she blushed heavily.


    ¡°You can''t me me for admiring you, Goddess.¡± I said and kissed the top of her head. ¡°Let''s put our purchases away while the stew heats up and we can enjoy a nice evening meal together.¡±


    Hestia nodded and we did just that. I really liked seeing the pleased look on her face when we filled her standing cab with her new clothing. She had several choices of what to wear during the day now and wasn''t limited to wearing her normal dress, even if she had worn the same dress every day for years.


    While Hestia admired her new wardrobe, I set about reheating the stew and cut up some bread for us to eat with it. We soon sat down across from each other and Hestia looked happier than she ever had before as we ate. The stew was somehow tastier after sitting for a day, probably because everything inside of it had absorbed more of the broth. We both made sounds of appreciation and enjoyed the meal.


    I let her take a shower first and then took my own. When I was done, I gave her a knowing look as I settled down onto the couch that she had designated as mine. Hestia only blushed briefly and waited until I pretended to go to sleep before she changed into her new sleepwear and climbed under my nket with me.


    ¡°Thank you for today, Bell.¡± Hestia whispered and her lips lightly touched my own.


    I made a hum sound and put my arms around her to hug her.


    ¡°Are you awake and pretending to be asleep?¡± Hestia asked me.


    ¡°Mmm hmm.¡± I responded.


    Hestia softlyughed and cuddled against my chest. ¡°Why didn''t you kiss me back?¡±


    ¡°I can''t do too much with you or I''ll ruin your powers.¡± I said without opening my eyes.


    Hestia was quiet for several minutes. ¡°You know who I really am.¡±


    ¡°You are the Virgin Goddess, whose power rivals that of Freya herself.¡± I whispered and rubbed my hands over her back. The nightgown was a nice thin fabric and it let her feel my fingers along her spine. ¡°I would love to partake of your divine body; but, we both know we can''t. You need your powers and I need my Goddess to remain strong.¡±


    Hestia sighed and her arms hugged my chest. ¡°I want to, Bell.¡±


    ¡°I do, too.¡± I said and was reminded of the simr situation I had with Rias. I doubted that I could get away with licking Hestia''s insides, so I slid a hand up to her head and pet it instead. ¡°I wasn''t lying before when I said that fate brought me to you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Hestia said and sighed again. ¡°Why must we both be tempted like this?¡±


    ¡°It''s a test of character.¡± I said and she lifted her head to look at me. I opened her eyes and met her gaze. ¡°Either yours or mine. If it was mine, I tested it already because I came once because of you.¡±


    Hestia''s face med to a deep red. ¡°You... you really...¡±


    ¡°What part of you being the perfect goddess for me did you miss?¡± I asked and bent my neck to give her a very quick peck on the lips. ¡°Love cane in many forms. For us, it''s as parent and child.¡±


    Hestia gave me a very pointed look. ¡°That doesn''t sound as restrictive as it should be when you say it like that.¡±


    I chuckled at her catching me so quickly. ¡°I freely admit to having a deep appreciation and love for sexy and caring mothers.¡±


    Hestia blushed deeply again and ducked her head to rest it on my chest. ¡°You are a horrible pervert for thinking about doing... that... with your mother.¡±


    I chuckled and hugged her close. ¡°What would you say if I told you that my mother taught me how to kiss, how to massage breasts properly, and how to love?¡±


    Hestia''s breath sped up. ¡°I... I think... I don''t know.¡±


    I kissed the top of her head. ¡°That''s a great answer, because I don''t know what kind of response I wanted.¡± I said and let out my own sigh. ¡°I want to tease you, except I don''t want you to think I''m making fun of you.¡±


    ¡°You''re not?¡± Hestia asked and kept her head pressed to my chest.


    ¡°No, my Goddess.¡± I said, my voice serious. ¡°I would ravage you right now if I thought it wouldn''t change everything about this world and our ces in it.¡±


    Hestia took a very deep breath and let it out. ¡°You really do know about me.¡±


    ¡°I do and I won''t sully your Purification mes.¡± I said and kissed the top of her head again. ¡°I also promise that I will restore your church to a fully functioning order in time. I just need... well, time.¡±


    Hestia softlyughed. ¡°Isn''t that funny? It takes time to get time.¡±


    I nodded and lightly stroked the soft skin of her arm. ¡°If I could mitigate some of the magical bacsh, I could do a lot more a lot faster. As it stands, I have to do little things and hope for the best.¡±


    Hestia took a breath and let it out. ¡°It''s only been two days and my life is already so much better.¡±


    ¡°That''s because we can''t hear our stomachs growling.¡± I joked.


    Hestia giggled. ¡°Yes, it''s too quiet.¡±


    I thought about needing time and it brought a song to my mind, so I started softly singing it and humming between the words. ¡°If I... could save tiiiime... in a bottlllle... hm hm hmmm... the first thing that I''d want to doooo... hm hm hm hm hm... is to saaaave every day... ''til eternity passes away... just to spend them with youuu.¡±


    When I finished the song a couple of minutester, I felt several wet drops fall onto my bare chest.


    ¡°D-do y-you m-mean i-it?¡± Hestia''s shaky voice asked in a soft whisper.


    I moved a hand up from her back to gently cup the side of her face and felt more tears. ¡°You are my personal Goddess, Hestia. I promise to stay here for as long as fate allows.¡±


    Hestia let out a sob and hugged me tightly. I held her and pet her head until she fell asleep. Her deep breaths let me know she was really asleep and not faking it. I could also see a smile on her face, despite her tears.


    I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep, too. I hadn''t realized the words of the song would hit Hestia so hard. I only meant to reassure her that I wasn''t going anywhere and that I would treasure our time together, not remind her that she was all alone and had no other god or goddess to depend on.


    *


    Rehmer, the Guild Section Chief inmand of the guild staff in the Guild Hall, stared in confusion at the three weird cylinders called thermos, which was somehow both singr and plural, ording to Eina''s information.


    ¡°Why exactly did you spend 6,000 valis of Guild funds on whatever these things are?¡± Rehmer asked and scratched his own ear. He was a Chienthrope, ormonly known as a dog-man.


    Eina sighed and tried to not sound exasperated as she exined it again. ¡°They hold hot things and keep them that way for as long as they are inside of it.¡± She said and pointed to the third one. ¡°That held hot stew inside from this afternoon until suppertime and it was still hot.¡±


    Rehmer still looked confused. ¡°I don''t understand what''s so valuable about that.¡±


    Eina hung her head slightly, then straightened her back and looked at him with a gaze just short of a re. ¡°When was thest time you ventured out of the city and hoped to have a hot meal without any signs of civilization around you?¡±


    ¡°Me? None.¡± Rehmer said right away.


    ¡°None of us have.¡± Misha, the only human in the room said and rxed against the meeting room''s table. ¡°The stew inside was delicious, though.¡±


    Eina pointed at her for thement. ¡°Exactly! It wasn''t cold, or gooey, or dried up, or made into trail rations. It was hot and fresh stew!¡± She said and motioned to the three cylinders. ¡°Bell lives near the outskirts of the city near the ruined church and he brought those all the way here to the Guild Hall.¡±


    ¡°But they don''t hold much.¡± Rehmer said, almost with a pout.


    Eina almostughed at him. ¡°No, they don''t. Not when it''s thick and meaty stew.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°It''s a novelty item that can be sold to any traveller or adventurer that wants to carry...¡± She paused for dramatic effect. ¡°...their favorite hot drink! Like tea or coffee! Each thermos holds enough to fill thatrge top cup four times!¡±


    All of the people in the meeting let out surprised sounds, especially Rehmer.


    ¡°We sell basic daggers for 3,600 valis. Don''t you think buying two thermos from a new Familia for only 4,000 valis was the very best deal we could have ever gotten?¡± Eina asked and was satisfied that her point had been made.


    Rehmer nodded several times and his dog ears flopped around. ¡°I''ll contact our most favored Familias and see if their executives want to buy these... specialty items, yes, rare specialty items that hold hot drinks... for 10,000 valis each. On sale.¡±


    A few of the workers chuckled at his wording.


    ¡°Eina, I don''t normally rmend this.¡± Rehmer said and Eina nodded. ¡°Stay close with your first adventurer. Advise him to bring anything else he may find right to us. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I''ll keep my eyes on him.¡± Eina promised.


    ¡°And her hands on his muscles.¡± Misha joked and a few peopleughed.


    ¡°He''s only 14.¡± Eina said, quite unconvincingly.


    ¡°Yeah, and he''s a registered adventurer. An adult.¡± One of the male workers said. ¡°Plus, you''re only 19 yourself. That''s barely a breath of air in the lives of elves, isn''t it?¡±


    Eina barely kept the blush off of her face and didn''t admit that it was true, because the age difference didn''t matter to her. It was that he was a client and she was his advisor.


    ¡°If you ever need a hand holding him down, in an advisory role, let me know.¡± Misha said with a supposedly sexy voice. It made everyoneugh, even Eina.


    Rehmer ignored that and stood. ¡°This meeting is adjourned. Goodnight all.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, sir.¡± Everyone else said and they all filed out to pack up their things to go home.


    Eina put thest of her paperwork away and her mind roamed back to Bell. He really had no idea the true value of the items he had and had pretty much given them away. She didn''t feel bad about that, though. It was the Guild''s job to take in everything that adventurers brought them, no matter what it was.


    The Guild in turn would make even the junk drops into usable and valuable products to be sold for a profit. The market for things like that was so huge around the world that she had a hard time grasping the enormity of the need that the people had for the products distributed by the Guild.


    Eina resolved to ask Bell about anything he might have found and would encourage him to bring it to the Guild for her to look at. Perhaps she could also get him to bring some more delicious food and they could eat lunch together.

 24 Another Guild Visit

    24 Another Guild Visit


    When I woke up in the morning, the nket was bundled up at my feet and Hestia was on her back and was sprawled across me with her arms out to the sides and one leg hung off of the couch. I wasn''t sure how she had managed to do that while asleep and still kept my arms wrapped around her.


    I checked the invisible clock in my head and it was just past dawn again. I wondered if I was going to wake up every morning at the crack of dawn and it didn''t bother me. If anything, I could get a huge head start on everyone else when I started dungeon diving. I just had a few things to do first... like cuddling an adorable Goddess that was using me like afortable bed.


    That''s what I did for about an hour and a half and then I moved around just enough to inadvertently wake up the sleeping goddess from her slumber. Hestia let out a groan sound, almost like she was protesting having to wake up, and rolled over on top of me.


    Normally, I might have ignored that, except her nipples hardened and dug into my chest as her thigh rubbed my morning wood. It was quite the turn on, I had to admit, because she had done it so naturally that I couldn''t tell if she was still asleep or not. That took talent that I didn''t think a virgin goddess should have had.


    In order to test that, I eased my hold on her and lightly ran my fingertips along her back and brushed the top of her ass. She stilled slightly and then rxed, so I knew she was ying me a little. I wasn''t going to let her get away with that, so I slid my hand down to hold the cheek of her perky ass. I gave it a good squeeze and Hestia let out a little moan.


    ¡°You know we can''t go too much further than this.¡± I whispered.


    Hestia''s thigh rubbed me again. ¡°I... I know, but...¡±


    ¡°The term ''flirting with danger'' definitely applies here.¡± I told her.


    ¡°I...¡± Hestia stopped talking and sighed as she pulled her leg back. ¡°You''re right. I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I''m not.¡± I said and she lifted her head from my chest to give me wide eyes. ¡°I am currently cuddling in bed with a beautiful Goddess and I have her very firm and perky happiness in my hand.¡±


    Hestia giggled. ¡°You are never letting that joke die, are you?¡±


    ¡°Never ever.¡± I said and moved my hands to her hips, which was the safest ce for them to touch.


    Hestia shook her head and very carefully sat up on me. She knew our crotches were almost perfectly lined up and neither of us wanted her to make a mistake that she would regret for the rest of her life. She looked down at my face and I let her see the desire I felt for her. When my eyes went to her breasts, she didn''t try to cover them up or stopped me from looking.


    ¡°Absolutely heavenly.¡± Imented and looked back at her face.


    Hestia blushed and bit her lip.


    ¡°And now you''re also adorable.¡± I said and removed my hands from her hips to let her go.


    ¡°Everyone I know makes fun of them.¡± Hestia admitted and climbed off of me.


    ¡°That''s because Envy is a green eyed monster eating them up inside and they wish they had half of the bounty you carry so well.¡± I said and sat up.


    ¡°H-how can you say that?¡± Hestia asked and turned away from me.


    ¡°Because of the nickname they gave you. Only hate-filled envious people would ever call you that, either behind your back or to your face.¡± I stood up and hugged her from behind.


    ¡°B-Bell.¡± Hestia whispered.


    ¡°No, I won''t tell you where I heard it, because it doesn''t matter. All you need to know is that your breasts, as perfect as they are, do not define you as a person.¡± I said and bent down to kiss her cheek. ¡°Otherwise, you would be running Ishtar''s prostitute empire instead of her.¡±


    Hestia stiffened for a few seconds, then she started giggling, thenughing.


    ¡°That''s right. If you were her height, just over a foot taller, your breasts would be twice the mass of hers and she would be shamed into submission.¡±


    Hestiaughed andughed. ¡°I would be... toppling over... all day!¡±


    ¡°You would never be off your back, they would be so heavy.¡± I joked and she keptughing.


    I led her over to her clothes cab and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. With all the groceries we had bought, there was a huge choice of what to make. I went with eggs and sausages and quickly cooked them up.


    Hestia walked over to me and she wore a very nice blue dress that was slinkier than her white one and was both longer and had sleeves. It covered her up well and she was wearing a tube top under it to keep her breasts secured and more hidden. There would be no popping nipples for anyone else to see today.


    ¡°Bell, thank you for what you said.¡± Hestia said as she epted a te of food. ¡°This smells great.¡±


    I handed her a towel as well and we sat on opposite couches to eat. ¡°I''ll see about making or finding a table for us today when I''m out.¡±


    Hestia looked around the square room and back at me, clearly asking me where we would put it.


    ¡°I need room to work on my armor and things, so I''m going to the Guild to ask where I can get a pick, a shovel, and an axe for chopping wood or just strong pirs of wood.¡± I exined.


    ¡°Can''t you just...¡± Hestia waved her hand and then pointed at the towel on herp.


    I shook my head. ¡°I''ve got a pretty good feeling for what I can create and the size andplexity. Anything too detailed or toorge will cause magical bacsh.¡± I said and nodded at her boots. ¡°A tall wooden pir or ceiling brace would be a lot more than 99 points to create from nothing. It will be easier for me to get the wood first and reinforce it with magic instead.¡±


    ¡°The tools, too?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°I might get away with creating a basic hammer, assuming the metal isn''t too costly or rare. I also don''t want to make it too weak to use effectively.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I''ll y with my magicter and find out what I can and can''t do at the lowest level. For now, I''ll price the tools I need and then worry about it.¡±


    Hestia nodded and we finished off breakfast. I took the dishes to the sink and dropped them off to washter. She gave me an expectant look and I chuckled as I opened my arms for her. I caught her when she jumped and settled her into a proper princess carry and carried her up the stairs. She opened and closed the secret door for us and we left the ruined church behind.


    I ran full out and soon dropped off a giggling Hestia in front of the shop with plenty of time to spare for her shift. She tried to hand me what little money she had left and I had already taken out what little I had and tried to give it to her as well. Our hands met a bit forcefully and the money jangled together. We exchanged amused looks and thenughed.


    ¡°I''ll sell one of my mechanical timers or something to the Guild for some quick cash, so get yourself a nice lunch. Please.¡± I said.


    Hestia sighed and epted all of the money and put it into her own little money pouch. ¡°I feel like I''m taking food from your mouth, Bell.¡±


    I shook my head as I knelt on a knee to look at her, eye to eye. ¡°My Goddess Hestia, we are just starting out. We don''t have much, that''s true. That is not going to be true for long. I promise.¡±


    Hestia looked into my eyes and nodded as she gained a determined look. ¡°You''re right, Bell. We''re working hard to make our Familia better. We <b>will</b> be better. We <b>will</b> be strong. We <b>will</b> be powerful. We <b>will</b> eat whatever we want!¡±


    I chuckled and nodded. ¡°Go inside and make everyone be in awe of your magnificence, my Goddess.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Hestia said and beamed a smile at me, turned around, and entered the shop with her head held high and a hop in her step.


    I stood and watched as she started her shift, smiled at how happy she was, and walked towards the Guild Hall. I was sure they were open, since adventurers didn''t really have a set time that they worked. That thought made me wonder if the guild workers had to work extra-long shifts to maintain everything for all of the adventurers in the city.


    I reached the building and entered it, only to pause and nced around to see if Eina was there. I saw her brown hair and pointed ears sitting at her desk behind the counter. A pink-haired human girl was manning the counter today.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± I said and the girl perked up when I approached the counter. ¡°I need some advice, so can you ask if Eina is busy?¡±


    ¡°Just a second and I''ll check.¡± The pink-haired girl said and turned around to lean against the counter as she cupped her hands around her mouth. ¡°HEY, EINA! YOUR SEXY CLIENT IS HERE LOOKING FOR YOU!¡±


    All of the workers jumped at the yell and the few adventurers in the hall startedughing. Eina looked thoroughly embarrassed as she stood and walked over to the counter, which was the pink-haired girl''s intention.


    I wasn''t going to let that stand, not with so many witnesses around. I stepped close to her and bent over into a deep bow as I took her hand to kiss it. ¡°Lady Tulle, I sincerely apologize for bothering you at work so early this morning. Please ignore the actions of the riff-raff that are beneath your attention.¡±


    That made all of the workers gasp, especially the pink-haired girl, and Eina''s blush of embarrassment increased.


    ¡°May I request a short amount of your time?¡± I asked. ¡°I have some questions that I hope you can answer or tell me where to go to get the answers I need.¡±


    Eina nodded and held my hand as she led me over to one of the small private areas. ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°I know what I said was a bit too much to counter Pinky''s yell to get your attention.¡± I interrupted her before she could tell me the same thing. ¡°That was kind of the point.¡±


    Eina looked conflicted and then chuckled. ¡°I did like the look on her face when you said I should ignore her.¡± She said and waved for me to sit.


    I smiled and sat across from her at the small table. ¡°She might think twice about trying to embarrass you in the future.¡±


    ¡°I can only hope.¡± Eina said and her amusement faded as she put a serious look on her face. ¡°What questions do you have for me to advise you on?¡±


    I did my spiel about needing digging tools and wooden supports for walls and ceilings, because I wanted to dig out a room for a basement without copsing the structure above, and maybe wood cutting tools to gather the wood myself outside the city.


    Eina listened to what I wanted to do and she nodded when I was done. ¡°We do have some lesser cksmiths that make tools like that, only...¡± She sighed. ¡°You know that the local economy is geared towards adventurers?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That means the scale of prices are higher because they have topete for customers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and picks, shovels, and axes can be used in the dungeons.¡± Eina said.


    I opened my mouth to ask about what normal people buy and realized she meant that everyone paid the higher price if they wanted the same tools. ¡°Well, damn. They''re much bigger than a basic dagger.¡±


    Eina reached across the table and patted my hand. ¡°I can rmend a good ce for you to check the prices on your own.¡±


    I nodded and she wrote the address down and the directions to hand to me. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    Eina smiled at me. ¡°You could thank me by bringing me more stewter.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°We''re down to a third of a pot and it''s still delicious, so I need to make something else to rece it soon.¡±


    Eina gave me a questioning look. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I recently made a huge amount of spaghetti and meatballs from scratch for the Loki Familia and they loved it.¡± I said and her eyes widened so far that her sses slid off of her face and onto herp. ¡°Then again, the smell of simmering sauce might keep my stomach growling. Maybe I''ll do up a nice pot roast and slice it into thin pieces to make a bunch of sandwiches?¡±


    Eina''s mouth watered and she had to mp her lips shut to hide it.


    ¡°Whatever I make, I''ll be sure to bring some of it here for you to try.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Thank you, Bell.¡± Eina said and licked her lips, then she gave me another questioning look. ¡°I promised myself yesterday that the next time I saw you, I would ask if you had anything else weird or odd to sell.¡±


    I created a mechanical timer and took it out of my pants pocket to show her. ¡°This is a mechanical timer that I use when I''m cooking to keep track of things. It has a bunch of settings that go from a single minute up to one hour.¡±


    I only had to wind it slightly to show that it didn''t take any power source to use and exined that it was a coiled spring inside and it counted down the hour perfectly. I set it for a minute, the first click, and a minuteter it clicked and rang the little bell inside.


    Eina seemed to have frozen as she stared at the thing. I honestly didn''t think it was that interesting; but, I wasn''t an experienced Guild employee that dealt with adventurers every day bringing in all kinds of things for them to deal with.


    ¡°Twenty.¡± Eina whispered as she managed to slip her sses back on. ¡°I''ll give you twenty for it.¡±


    That was really low, even for a novelty item. I sighed in resignation and nodded, because she had bought those three thermos from me without knowing what she could do with them.


    Eina held a hand out for the timer and I gave it to her. She stood and gave me a very pointed look, then she held her hand out again. I stood as I took the offered hand and she didn''t shake it. She pulled on it instead and led me out of the small private space and over to the exchange area. She had a harsh whispered talk to the guy working behind the desk.


    The guy almost red at me and Eina hissed a whispered word again and pointed below the desk. The guy sighed and nodded, Eina signed the paperwork for the payout, and put the timer into a velvet-lined wooden box that she had gotten from somewhere. I hadn''t seen where, because I was a little distracted.


    Instead of the 20 valis I thought she offered, the guy behind the counter piled more and more valis onto the top of the desk. More and more was piled and my eyes almost hurt at how much was there.


    ¡°There you go, sir.¡± The guy said, his voice strained. ¡°It''s all there.¡±


    I just stared at it and didn''t speak.


    ¡°It really is all there, Bell. All 20,000 valis.¡± Eina said.


    I almost choked on my spit. When she had said twenty, I never once thought she meant thousand!


    ¡°Let me help you put it in your pouch.¡± Eina said and she did exactly that.


    By the time we were done, even though the pouch had the expansion enchantment, it bulged.


    ¡°Sign here.¡± Eina said and I signed the receipt. ¡°If you have another one of them, you are not allowed to give it away or sell it to anyone else. The guild owns it now.¡±


    I nodded several times, easily agreeing with that. ¡°I have one for personal use, that''s it.¡±


    Eina nodded and led me over to the guild''s front door. ¡°Be careful out there, Bell. If people knew how much you had on you...¡±


    ¡°I won''t tell anyone.¡± I promised and I noticed something. She looked nervous. I didn''t want her thinking about how much she had just spent of the Guild''s money, so I turned to face her. Her eyes met mine and her nervousness was reced by surprise.


    ¡°W-wait...¡± Eina whispered as I put my arms around her.


    I ignored her weak protest and kissed her passionately. There were several surprised sounds from all across the Guild Hall and I ignored them as well. I had to kiss the woman that had given me enough money to do what I wanted without having to worry about the cost.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Eina.¡± I whispered when I broke the kiss.


    Eina''s face was bright red and she looked shell-shocked.


    I let her out of the embrace I had her in and took her hand. I bent over it and kissed it. ¡°You have been extremely helpful to me today, Lady Tulle. Much more than I ever expected.¡± I let her hand go and stood up. ¡°I hope you have a great day.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-you, too.¡± Eina said.


    I nodded and left the Guild Hall to go to that tool maker and decided that wood might not be the best choice to use for walls underground. Stone blocks would be much easier to get and use and could be stacked to make pirs to hold up the ceiling. All I would need are a few wood beams for braces. I smiled as I took out the paper with the directions on it and started to run.

 25 Church Attendance

    25 Church Attendance


    With Eina''s rmendation in hand, the older man at the small shop looked delighted to help me out. He sold me a strong hammer, arge mining pick, and a wide shovel with a sharp point for 10,000 valis. He also guaranteed his work for a month and would fix or rece anything that was damaged or broken, even the wooden handles.


    He also gave me a rmendation for stone bricks and pir pieces from a small quarry shop near the outer wall of the city. I thanked him for that and tied the tools together and hung them over my shoulders.


    After that, I ran through the city to the shop where I could get the stone blocks that I needed. Another 5,000 valis was spent on enough stone to cover the inside of a 20 by 20 basement room, with two stone pirs, and they provided the ceiling beams and supports for free and would deliver it.


    I thanked the man and shook his hand, to his surprise, because his hands were covered in stone dust. Iughed at his reaction and told him my hands were going to be putting each and every one of those blocks into ce. He smiled widely and looked pleased that I was doing the work with my own hands.


    I rode the cart that a kind of lizard creature pulled. When I asked, the driver said the creature was bred and raised to be trained to haul carts, because they were so strong. The driver gave me a hand unloading the cart of all the things I bought and carried them inside to store in the cleared spot I had made beside the altar.


    I gave him a hundred valis for the help and he looked shocked. I patted his shoulder and waved as he drove the empty cart away. The lizard creature didn''t go any faster with the empty cart, which made sense. They were so used to hauling heavy loads that they always moved at the same speed.


    I cast a magic detection spell and nothing showed up, neither people nor magic, so I went inside the ruined church and opened the secret door to the basement apartment. I dropped off the tools I had on my back on my couch and went back up the stairs to bring down a pile of blocks, the two pirs, and the ceiling beams.


    I would need to dig a single person wide walkway first to make a path, then dig out two spots for the pirs and two walkways to the sides of the room to mount the ceiling beams. It was kind of cheating to put up the ceiling supports and wall braces for them before digging out the rest of the room, and I was okay with that. It would save me a lot of workter to already have them in ce.


    Just to make sure I was digging in the right ce, I went upstairs and ced very small magical barriers all along the outer walls of the church. When I was back underground, a magic detection spell would give me the exactyout of the upstairs and I could build the new walls right under the old ones for the maximum support.


    So, that''s what I did for the next few hours. I put the mining pick and shovel to very good use as I cleared out what I needed to set up the pirs and braces, then installed the cross braces and ceiling beams to support the floor of the church above. It was an ingenious way to do such a huge job by myself and I tried to not gloat as I sat down to have some stew for lunch.


    <i>Damn, this is really good stew.</i> I thought and ate two bowls before I went back to work. I needed to dig a path along the outer walls to build them up with stone bricks and once I had them all secured and in ce, then I could dig out the rest of the room to empty it. I had no idea what I was going to do with all the dirt, though.


    *


    ¡°EINA!¡± Rehmer eximed when he saw the half-day''s payout total during lunch.


    Eina hadn''t flinched like everyone else had and brought the wooden box into her boss'' office. She ced it on his desk and he gave her a piercing look. She opened the box when he didn''t move to do it and the dog-man caught his breath.


    Without saying a word, Eina showed him how it worked and then set it for a minute. When the little bell inside dinged exactly one minuteter, Rehmer jerked slightly.


    ¡°I could kiss you!¡± Rehmer said andpletely blew his normal stoic behavior out of the water.


    ¡°Her sexy client already did that!¡± Misha shouted through the closed door.


    ¡°We need to get this to our metalworks and builders division. If it really has inside what I heard...¡±


    ¡°It can be scaled up to be a self-powered starting device. If we add magic crystals to keep it powered after the self start...¡± Eina said, leadingly.


    ¡°We could revolutionize boat propulsion, modify the wind-powered grinding mills to double production, add it to a forge''s air intake to consistently keep airflow and temperature regted...¡± Rehmer muttered on and on with different ideas.


    Eina smiled and listened as he kepting up with new things to use it with.


    ¡°20,000 valis for this was a steal. Aplete and utter steal.¡± Rehmer suddenly said and finally tore his gaze from the invaluable prize on his desk and looked at her. ¡°If he asks you to marry him, I highly suggest that you do not refuse.¡±


    Eina blushed and didn''t nod, even if she was seriously considering it. That kiss had been mind-numbingly wonderful and she had to change both her damp underwear and her pants afterwards.


    ¡°I''m increasing your monthly pay and you can move into the empty corner apartment in the Guild lodgings for executives.¡± Rehmer said and Eina gasped. ¡°Congrattions, Miss Tulle.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you, sir.¡± Eina said and shook his offered hand.


    ¡°Now get back to work.¡± Rehmer said, his normal personality reasserting itself.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Right away.¡± Eina said and left the office a very happy woman.


    *


    Hestia came home in a great mood. She had another great day with tips and she bought more potato treats for her and Bell to eat. She stepped inside the rundown church and stared at the piles and piles of dirt and rocks against the walls. Her mind wondered if one of those giant earth moving creatures had broken into their home and wrecked everything.


    ¡°Wee home, Hestia.¡± A male voice said from the storage room as something stepped out of it.


    Hestia stared at apletely dirt-covered being that was barely recognizable as her Bell. ¡°What did you do to our home?!?¡±


    Bell chuckled and shovelled a huge shovelful of dirt and rocks onto the closest pile. ¡°I''m just about doneying the stone floor.¡±


    Hestia red at him and motioned to all of the piles of dirt.


    ¡°I''ll try to use some of it to repair the walls and things tomorrow.¡± Bell said and hung the shovel over his shoulder with a strap. ¡°I couldn''t put all this dirt outside because everyone would see that something is going on here at your church.¡±


    Hestia took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°How much longer are you going to be?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been at this all day, so I can take a break for a while.¡± Bell said and walked over to hug her.


    ¡°EEEK!¡± Hestia screamed before he could and ran around him and down the stairs.


    Bellughed and followed her. He had been tempted to shake himself like a dog to cover her in dust, and chose not to. He figured that the threat of trying to touch her while being so dirty, would be enough to send her running away and screaming. It had and it was pretty damn funny.


    *


    Iid there on my couch after a long day of hard work and admired what I did. Hestia had been stunned at the sheer size of the new room. She hadn''t thought it was possible to do what I did by myself and the whole thing had fit under the church perfectly, which also made the church''s foundations more secure.


    Hestia had already made me move herrge bed into the far corner of the 20 foot by 20 foot room to im as her bedroom and we would be moving her clothing cab and other new things tomorrow. The funny part was that she wasn''t using the bed and was currently snuggled up to my side. She was also in a deep sleep and well fed.


    I had almost literally stuffed her with nearly half of the roast I had cooked and she immediately went into a fooda, something she imed hadn''t happened to her in many years. It gave me a good feeling to know that, because it meant things were going back to the way things should have been.


    My eyes went over the solid walls formed into a single piece of stone with my magic. I smiled at the two pirs that divided the room, because it would be easy to make walls along the beams and add doors for privacy, which I would do tomorrow, and we would have our own spaces in our home.


    It would use up a couple thousand valis to get the wood, since it was brought into the city and not grown and harvested inside. I almostughed at how my spending habits had changed so quickly from scraping together enough to buy food for two people and now I was throwing around valis like it was free. I held in my amusement and closed my eyes to let sleep im me.


    I had another long day tomorrow of unpacking my ridiculously full backpack and checking out everything I had bought. With luck, I would have everything I would need to create enough armor to protect me as I entered the dungeon. I also needed to decide what weapon to use.


    The night seemed to pass in moments and I opened my eyes. I checked the invisible clock in my head and it was just past dawn again. That was definitely a set pattern and I would use it ruthlessly in the future. Having hours of time long before anyone else was up every day, would give me a huge advantage over the other adventurers.


    For now, I cuddled the Goddess pressed against my side and... I just noticed that her hand was down my boxer shorts and she had me in a loose grip. I couldn''t feel any wetness, so there was no danger in that area. However, just her touching me like that might cause her to lose her innocence. It was the main reason I never offered to go down on her or massaged her breasts.


    I very, very carefully lifted her arm and her hand slid out from inside my underwear. I let out a soft sigh of relief and ced her hand on my chest. I would need to set some ground rules for our interactions in terms that she would understand, like ''don''t do that'' and ''stop''. My stifled chuckle rumbled in my chest and Hestia stirred slightly and threw a leg over me.


    I didn''t take advantage of her position to rub my hand along her very nice thigh. It would have been easy to do and I was sure she knew that, because her breathing had just changed and wasn''t as shallow. I didn''t call her out on it and stayed where I was without changing my own breathing.


    Hestia let out a breathy sigh. ¡°You''re not even going to try?¡±


    I chuckled at her admitting she did it on purpose. ¡°My Goddess Hestia, I would roll you over and ravage you in an instant if I was allowed. I''m not. You need your powers and I need you to keep your powers.¡±


    ¡°If we''re talking about this anyway, I want to ask you something.¡± Hestia pulled her leg back and sat up to look down at me. ¡°Is there anything you want to tell me?¡±


    I knew that was a loaded question. ¡°That depends on what you want to know about.¡±


    Hestia blushed and her hand started to slide down to my crotch.


    I caught it before she grabbed it. ¡°If you want to know if I''ve used it on someone else, I have.¡±


    Hestia''s blush didn''t fade. ¡°So, it''s true? You really were in Loki''spound...¡±


    ¡°...with Tiona, yes. I was. I spent that whole morning doing her so hard that she could barely speak at the end.¡± I told her and her blush increased to epic proportions. ¡°I also refused Loki''s overly generous offer when she tried to recruit me. I told her I was already a part of another Familia and left.¡±


    Hestia looked into my eyes. ¡°You didn''t tell her what one?¡±


    ¡°It was none of her business who I pledged to and telling her would have gained us nothing.¡± I said and Hestia''s eyes widened at my reasoning. ¡°Her Familia missed their chance when they rejected mest week and I told her that, too. She now knows she could have had my cooking skills at her disposal and all of her executives are pissed about it.¡±


    Hestia''s blush faded and she looked pleased.


    ¡°Did you try to rub it in her face that I''m your child?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°No, I... just heard rumors about... well...¡± Hesta stopped and her blush came back.


    ¡°I was pretty much kidnapped and told to ravage an amazonness. People were bound to talk.¡± I said and then softlyughed. ¡°Tiona did destroy the front door of their mansion...¡±


    Hestia listened as I told her about what happened with meeting Tiona in front of the shops and what happened at thepound as I cooked spaghetti and meatballs as an apology.


    ¡°They won''t kick Bete out for that.¡± Hestia said and I nodded. ¡°He will be on their garbage detail for a while. Weeks at least.¡±


    I smirked at her and she giggled. ¡°You figured out that I want to drop by there asionally to make some food for Tiona and to rub it in Loki''s face?¡±


    Hestia nodded. ¡°I approve, as long as you''re not using our money and resources to do it.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll have some fun in their kitchen when theye back from their next trip.¡± I agreed and pointed to her clothing cab.


    ¡°We''re awake and I''m off today.¡± Hestia said and climbed over me and stood up. ¡°We might as well finish moving my things to my future room and we can go look for some wood for the walls.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a nice table, too. I want to have a nice sit-down supper once a week or so, just so we''re not spoiled by eating meals on the couch all the time.¡±


    Hestia giggled. ¡°I like using those fluffy towels on myp.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be sure to give you another one when I make breakfast.¡± I said and stood up. I had to adjust myself so that I wasn''t poking out the cloth and Hestia watched me with a blush. ¡°Innocence can mean a lot of things, likeck of knowledge and experience.¡±


    Hestia sighed and looked up at my face, only to see my nk face. ¡°I can''t see it, can I?¡±


    ¡°Not on purpose, so no jumping into the bathroom and saying oops when I''m obviously naked in the shower.¡± I said and she let out a long and drawn out sigh as her shoulders slumped. ¡°When did you n to do it?¡±


    ¡°Tonight. I missed itst night because you were so dirty and I was hiding from you.¡± Hestia said.


    Iughed and took her into a hug. ¡°It''s all right, My Goddess. We''ll figure something out.¡±


    Hestia hugged me back and let out a real sigh. ¡°What if I want you to ravage me, too?¡±


    I eased my hold on her and leaned back slightly to look down at her. ¡°Hestia.¡± I said softly. ¡°If I ever do take you to bed, I will be making sweet and passionate love to you, as you so richly deserve.¡±


    Hestia''s face and neck turned bright red.


    ¡°After we get the very important first time out of the way, then I''ll fold you in half and make you into a blubbering mess as I impregnate you.¡± I said and her eyes widened, she made a little squawk sound, and fainted. Iughed and carried her across the living room and into the new room, put her on her bed, and brought her cab and the rest of her things over to her new room.

 26 Armored Up And Ready

    26 Armored Up And Ready


    Shopping for cheap wood and a nice table was surprisingly fun. We had to avoid the main Familia artisans, because their wood products and their tables were ridiculously ornate and expensive. Who needs filigree on a wood panel for a basic wall and gold iys for table ce settings? That thought made me think of the in insides of the Guild Hall and I wondered who did their interior.


    I didn''t go to the guild and ask, mainly because I was sure that it was so long ago that whomever did it was now one of those same artisans. Only time and boredom would have woodworkers put so much effort into making such simple things. Getting paid for your work is fine. Overdoing it and still expecting to be paid for effort that wasn''t required or asked for? No thanks.


    After two hours of happily jaunting around to the different ces, we ended up buying a bit more wood than necessary for the walls so I could start repairing the roof of the church. We also bought a basic table with a dark stain that would fit into the space where Hestia''s bed used to be. It wasn''t until we brought everything home and set up the table that we remembered we didn''t have any chairs.


    The both of usughed because we had been so caught up in buying the table that we forgot we couldn''t sit down at the thing. Not surprisingly, I used some of the spare wood to build two simple chairs and then created seat cushions for them. Hestia asked for a second one and added it to her chair, making it work like a booster seat for her. She could now sit at the same height as me and looked quite happy about it.


    I made up some sandwiches from the roast slices I had and Hestia loved them, so I had to make a bunch of them for her to use for lunch during the next few days. Of course, I also made some for myself to take to the Guild for Eina, since I did promise her I would bring her any new food I made.


    Hestia watched as I quickly built the walls in the new room and she was surprised at how quickly I did it. She was shocked when I used a simple transfiguration spell to change a wood panel into a door. Mind you, it was 90 points and borderline hurtful, so I had dodged a bullet with the attempt.


    It did give me a good feeling for what I could do with the spell, which was great. As long as I had a simr size item and simr inposition, it was much cheaper to change it than it was to cast a spell to create it.


    That line of thought led me to really think about the dirt and rocks I had upstairs and all of those broken and damaged walls. If I filled the holes with enough rocks and packed it with dirt, I could potentially transfigure them into the same stone that the wall had been constructed with. Recing them with actual stone would be too costly and take a very long time to rebuild.


    I would have to be careful about how much I did each time, though. It had been a close thing with the door and I needed to work up to how much I could do and still keep it in the basic spell range of 99 points. Gathering up the pieces of broken wall would also help and I could fill in the spaces with dirt like mortar and transfigure it all together to seal it into a single piece, like I had with the basement walls.


    So, that''s what I did for the next three days. I stopped long enough to reheat some food for meals and then went back to work. It was difficult, especially with some of the half-ruined walls as several hundred pounds of stone pieces had to be picked up and moved into ce, braced, and then filled around and secured.


    I went to bed each night both tired and satisfied at getting so much done every a day. I also prayed to Hestia and thanked her for giving me a home and a hearth to warm myself beside. It seemed to empower her each time and she always thanked me for bing a part of her Familia.


    After I finished with the outside walls of the church, I started on the roof. It was much easier, since it was mostly wood. Transfiguring smaller pieces to match the parts that still existed was downright easy after all of my practice with the stonework. I had learned the self-imposed limits of my magic and I could feel it getting more powerful as I practised control and cast magic constantly.


    With the outside of the church done, it was time for me to work on my adventuring outfit. We would need more money very soon and I also needed to work on the experiment I had been putting off for for too long. I still needed some silver powder or liquid, though. When I tried to create some with a spell, all I received was a pounding headache that took two hours to fade and nothing had appeared.


    That told me I couldn''t cheat to make what I wanted and making precious metals was a big no-no. I had to do it the long hard way or not at all. That was fine, since I knew that I had to work within the rules of this world. Thest thing I needed was to upset someone powerful and have them smite me for it.


    I entered my work room and used thest of the wood I had to make shelving. Using magic made it simple to split the wood and attach to the wall. Then the real work began. Unpacking my backpack. A light chuckle kepting out of my mouth as I carefully took out the five full backpacks from the sixth and I started to empty them onto the shelves.


    It took me a long time to do it and I wasn''t even sorting anything, just emptying everything. I filled the shelves, then stacked things on top of them, then I had to pile things all along another wall on the floor. It just kept going on and on and my throat was getting sore fromughing so much.


    I finally finished just past noon and half of the floor was covered in junk. Iughed pretty hard at the sheer amount of things I had managed to stuff into the backpacks. Just by looking alone, I knew I had at least four full sets of mismatched armor pieces and they looked nothing alike. There were head, upper arms, forearms, chest, back, thighs, and shin pieces.


    ¡°Bell? Why are youughing so mu-OH MY GOODNESS!¡± Hestia yelled when she opened the door to my workshop. ¡°WHERE DID YOU GET ALL OF THIS?!?¡±


    I wasn''t going to lie to her, so I exined what I did. I knew it was going to upset her, so I didn''t lie about anything. The anger on her face let me know that she was a bit more than upset about it.


    ¡°You... you... you are going to take all of this back and you are going to apologize!¡± Hestia ordered.


    I knelt on one knee to look into her eyes. ¡°No.¡±


    Hestia blinked her eyes at me several times. ¡°E-e-excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I admit that I took the guy''s words to the literal and logical extreme. I did feel bad about it at first, then I realized something. He called all of this junk. His entire Familia ssed it all as junk. He was on punishment detail, from what I could tell. No one cares about any of this. All of it was just sitting there piled onto shelves and the floor, none of it was marked by the maker or had a price.¡±


    ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°He told me to fill the backpack and take whatever I wanted, as long as I could carry it out.¡± I reminded her. ¡°I also paid 300 valis for it. Do you want me to ask for that back, too?¡±


    Hestia still looked angry. ¡°You were dishonest about the deal!¡±


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°Hestia, My Goddess, he registered the 50 valis for the backpack, the actual sale, and pocketed the rest.¡±


    Hestia blinked her eyes several times again.


    ¡°We both got a lot more out of the deal than we thought we would. I hadn''t realized...¡± I paused and chuckled again. ¡°I was just grabbing things and I wasn''t even paying attention. I just wanted to fill as much as I could as quickly as I could, then left.¡±


    ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°I was going to go back, you know.¡± I said and she gasped. ¡°I told him I would be back in a week.¡±


    ¡°You are not going back there!¡± Hestia eximed.


    Iughed. ¡°You ordered me to take this back and now you''re ordering me to stay away?¡±


    Hestia almost growled at me. ¡°You know what I meant!¡±


    I reached out and cupped both sides of her face. ¡°You''re really cute when you''re angry.¡±


    Hestia babbled something and then blushed.


    ¡°I''m not riling you up on purpose, my Goddess. I''m merely showing you that we are a family and sometimes family members argue.¡± I said and slid my hands down her neck to caress her skin and her blush intensified. ¡°I expected it a few days ago when you noticed that I didn''t repair your stone statue.¡±


    Hestia opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Nothing came out except a sigh.


    ¡°You''re not going to ask why I didn''t?¡± I asked and she shook her head. ¡°You should.¡±


    ¡°I know you have a reason, Bell. I haven''t questioned any of your decisions and I hadn''t wanted to. Until now.¡± Hestia told me.


    I had to nod at her admission and slid my hands to her shoulders. ¡°I really hadn''t known I got away with this much, Hestia. I need to pick up more wood for shelving to help me sort out all of it and a table to work on.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need more shelves, Bell. You need to take it all back.¡± Hestia said. ¡°If Hephaestus ever found out that you robbed her Familia...¡±


    ¡°Do you have her address?¡± I asked and Hestia jerked slightly.


    ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°You can tell me or I can go to the guild and ask.¡± I said and she sighed. She reluctantly told me where to go and she also told me that I had almost no chance of seeing her. I gave her a grin in response to that and walked over to therge pile of things on the shelves.


    It took me about ten minutes to gather up enough pieces that were all different shapes and colors, because they were test pieces that student cksmiths made as practice. I carried them out into the main room and put them onto the kitchen table.


    Hestia watched as I cast diagnostic spells on them to discover what the individual armor pieces did. None of it was enchanted, so I didn''t have to worry about altering or losing the enchantment. Without having to be careful about it, I transfigured the yellowish t chest piece into a shaped chest with sharp pectoral definition on the sides and changed the color to look like an orange-yellowish me.


    A bit more magic let me emzon the front with the Hestia Familia Emblem in a solid ck. It was a freestanding brazier with a stylized meing out of it and it had the Hestia Familia name in Hieroglyphs written along the bottom.


    Hestia caught her breath and her hand reached out to rub her fingertips along the writing. ¡°How... how do you know how to write this?¡±


    ¡°I used a mirror to look at my back and reversed it.¡± I said without lying and she gave me an odd look. I didn''t tell her that I still had thenguage bonus from being a Devil, thanks to my outrageous Karma spending to master all of the skills I had, which included reading and writing anynguage. Just like I thought at the time, 10 points per skill was a steal to make them all mastered.


    Hestia watched as I changed each armor piece to match the chest piece and matched the orange-yellowish me color. I also gave it sharp me details based on where it was. The upper arm pieces had bicep definition in me, the back armor piece looked like me wings, the thighs had those muscle definitions in mes, and the calves had mes on them as well.


    I took the time to cast several spells on them, too. A minor lightness charm and slight toughness to increase the armor value. I couldn''t do too much to them, like add deflect attack or damage absorption, because those spells would cost way too much and would hurt me severely.


    I stripped off my clothing down to my boxer shorts and Hestia both blushed and stared at me, even though she had seen me in the same state every night since we started living together. I picked up the full body covering we bought from the tailor''s shop that I had added more cloth to where the armor pieces would sit, and put it on.


    Surprisingly, Hestia drooled a little as the formfitting ck cloth fit me snugly. I ignored her and strapped the chest and back armor pieces together at the shoulders and slipped them on over my head, then secured the bottom together to keep it tight to my body. I did the same with the other armor pieces and they all sat perfectly, thanks to my transforming them to fit me.


    Now Hestia was really drooling as she stared at me like I was a tasty piece of meat. I ignored her again and transfigured my boots to be thicker and changed the color to match. Thest piece of armor to alter was the helmet and I chose to change the full te to make it an open face design instead and used the extra metal to alter the top into a copy of the fire from Hestia''s Emblem. It simted hair made of me and I put it on toplete my outfit.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Hestia moaned and rubbed her thighs together.


    That reaction I couldn''t ignore and turned to look at her face. She was bright red and had a look of adoration on her face. I hadn''t put my gloves on yet, so I caressed her face and gave her a warm smile.


    ¡°I hope this is proof enough of my devotion to you, My Goddess.¡± I said and bent down to lightly kiss her. ¡°Should I take a weapon with me?¡±


    Hestia shook her head. ¡°If it''s something inferior to her normal standards, she will hate you instantly for daring to bring it into her presence.¡±


    ¡°Good point. I''ll have to look for something appropriate when I enter the dungeon.¡± I said and she shook her head again. ¡°I guess there''s no chance of that?¡±


    ¡°None. You would have more luck raiding the lower floors and looking for adamantite ore to have something made.¡± Hestia said and gasped as she pped a hand over her mouth.


    I almost snorted at how cute that was. ¡°My advisor Lady Eina from the guild already told me what to expect when I go into the dungeon.¡±


    Hestia sighed and moved her hand. ¡°Did she advise you to not go down too far for your first time?¡±


    I actually chuckled at the unintentional innuendo and wagged my eyebrows at her. Hestia looked slightly confused for a few seconds before she blushed hard and turned away from me. I stepped close and gave her another hug from behind and kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°I give you my word that all I''m going to do is explore the first few floors to see if the guild maps of the floors is urate.¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course they are. They have adventurers exploring the easy floors all the time and they report back any changes.¡± Hestia said and turned around in my arms as she looked up at my face. ¡°Why? Are you going to do something to change it?¡±


    I had to smirk at her. ¡°Would I do that?¡±


    ¡°In a second.¡± Hestia said without hesitation.


    Iughed and bent down to kiss her forehead. ¡°I''ll stop at the Guild Hall first and talk to Eina about what I n to do.¡±


    Hestia looked deep into my eyes and she saw that she wasn''t going to convince me not to go. ¡°You better keep yourself safe down there.¡±


    I nodded and let her out of the hug as I stepped back. I saluted her with a hand over the symbol on my chest and bowed. ¡°As my Goddessmands.¡±


    ¡°If you weren''t wearing that armor, I''d p you silly for that.¡± Hestia huffed.


    ¡°You mean for only listening to themands I want to?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then try to only order me to do things you know I won''t refuse.¡±


    Hestia opened her mouth, probably to argue, and she sighed and nodded.


    ¡°I should be back tonight just before bed.¡± I said and put on my cloth gloves and picked up one of the empty backpacks. I slung it over my shoulder after adding in my pile of sandwiches to eat for supper and went up the stairs. I had a goddess of cksmithing to meet and then a dungeon to start plundering.

 27 A Plan Forms

    27 A n Forms


    I thought I had been stared at before by the Familia scouts and epted it as them not realizing I was the kid they had rejected. With me wearing a full matching armor set, they were staring holes through me as they tried to figure out who I was. It was kind of funny seeing them stumbling over each other as they tried to ask everyone around the city who I was.


    <i>Maybe I should make a nametag for myself?</i> I thought and it made meugh, because I doubted that anyone would bother trying to read it.


    By the time I reached the address where the Hephaestus Familia conducted family business, and not the storefront, there were about twenty people with weapons following me. I knocked on the door of the building and waited to see who would open it this time. It was just my luck that it was the same asshole that had spit on me and told me toe back when I was stronger.


    ¡°Hello, asshole. Remember me?¡± I asked and I punched him right in the face. I held back, of course.


    ¡°GUAH!¡± The man spat as he was flung back inside the room tond on the floor at a woman''s feet. He also spat out several teeth and coughed.


    ¡°You told me toe back and here I am.¡± I said and stepped inside.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman dressed like a sexy samurai asked me as she drew her weapon.


    ¡°I begged to join your Familia and this idiot spat on me and told me toe back when I was stronger.¡± I said and walked over to him. ¡°I''m stronger now and I came back to spit on him.¡±


    The woman gave me a searching look as her eyes roamed over me, then she shrugged.


    I gave her a huge smile before I made a show of building up a lot of spit, then let it go. ¡°PTOO!¡±


    It hit the man''s forehead and his head snapped back to hit the floor, knocking him out.


    The woman looked from him to me, a bit stunned, then sheughed. ¡°Whoever you are, that was the funniest thing I''ve ever seen! You and me are gonna be great friends!¡±


    I stepped around the man on the floor and held a hand out to her. ¡°Bell Cranel.¡±


    She looked at my glove-covered hand and at my face.


    ¡°Ha. I''m sorry. It''s part of theplete ensemble.¡± I said and slipped the gloves off to tuck into my backpack. I held my bare hand out for her to shake.


    She took my hand and immediately ran her fingers over the thick calluses I had instead of shaking it. ¡°Yep, we''re gonna be great friends.¡± She said and then put her hand in mine to shake it. ¡°Tsubaki Collbrande.¡±


    ¡°It''s really nice to meet you, Tsubaki.¡± I said and she let my hand go. ¡°Can you lead me to Goddess Hephaestus? I have a couple of important things to tell her.¡±


    Tsubaki''s eyes dropped to the unconscious man.


    Iughed. ¡°No, that was personal and it''s settled, as far as I''m concerned.¡±


    Tsubaki smiled and waved for me to follow her. I admired her as she led me through the building and up several floors to enter a nice office without knocking. The room wasn''t ostentatious or overly-ornate, which was a good indication of the disposition of the goddess running the ce.


    ¡°Goddess Hephaestus? My new friend Bell Cranel wants to speak to you.¡± Tsubaki said.


    I was a little surprised that she immediately imed that in front of her goddess.


    ¡°Oh? Then it must be important for you to interrupt my very important and essential time set aside to do the important paperwork I absolutely hate to do.¡± The woman sitting behind the desk said.


    Tsubakiughed and stepped aside to wave me forward. She was only an inch shorter than me and had almostpletely blocked me from view. I stepped into the room and Hephaestus cursed in ancient Greek when she saw me, or more specifically, the emblem emzoned on my chest. Tsubaki looked amused at getting that reaction out of her goddess and stood off to the side of the room with her arms crossed to watch what happened.


    Hephaestus stood up and I got a good look at her. She was only 5 foot 5 inches tall, which seemed to be close to the average height of a lot of the women that I''ve met. She also had a patch over her right eye and short messy red hair. Her chest was a good size for her body type and her tight brown pants left nothing to the imagination.


    As I was checking her out, she walked over to me and checked me out with almost the same look that Tsubaki had given me. The cksmith goddess walked around me twice and her fingertips lightly touched the little details I had made in the armor. She stopped as she faced me and she had to look up slightly as her fingertips traced the mes on my chestte.


    ¡°Tsubaki! Estimation?¡± Hephaestus asked.


    ¡°It wasn''t forged. There are no tool marks, splits, folds, imperfections, or even indents to indicate that anything had touched it.¡± Tsubaki said. ¡°The details are embedded into the metal and not added or cut away, so it was either pressed into shape or came into being in the exact configuration it has.¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡± Hephaestus said and used a single fingertip to run along the edge of my upper arm piece. ¡°There are no mould lines or marks from removing them.¡±


    Tsubaki nodded and didn''t say anything else.


    ¡°You will tell me where this armor came from.¡± Hephaestus ordered and must have guessed what I was going to say. ¡°If you lie in any way, I will have Tsubaki crush you, strip you of your armor, and toss you out.¡±


    ¡°I can see where your store attendant gets her wonderful attitude from.¡± I said instead.


    Both Hephaestus and Tsubaki looked surprised.


    ¡°I spent some time waking around the shops not wearing this armor and only wearing my best clothes, and I was treated like less than trash.¡± I said and Hephaestus took a step back from me. ¡°That was a pretty tant hint about how things are really run around here, considering when I was dressed as a peasant and was treated almost the same way by every Familia that I begged to be a member of, including yours.¡±


    Hephaestus took another step back and her face went nk.


    ¡°I thought you said that was settled?¡± Tsubaki asked.


    ¡°It is. I was just making aparison between a man without apassionate bone in his body and your storefront attendant.¡± I said.


    Neither of them said anything to defend their people, which meant they must have had some idea of what they were like and didn''t bother trying to fix their attitudes. That changed what I was going to say slightly and how I said it by a lot.


    ¡°The reason I came here was to convey the regrets of My Goddess for her previous behavior while staying with her only real friend, someone that took care of her when she descended to the mortal realm and had no one else. She behaved ungratefully and you tossed her out with nothing but a tiny little apartment under her own wrecked church with absolutely no protections. How nice of you.¡±


    That earned an embarrassed blush from Hephaestus and an unhappy look from Tsubaki.


    ¡°I was also going to tell you about a minor w in your area in the Tower of Babel and I''ve decided I would rather exploit it instead.¡± I said and both women''s eyes widened. ¡°Not today, obviously. I''m not dressed to go shopping.¡± I joked and neither of them reacted. ¡°I''m going into the dungeon to see what it''s like.¡±


    Both women looked down at my belt and didn''t see what they expected to see.


    ¡°I was warned to not enter your presence with a weapon that you wouldn''t approve of.¡± I said and Tsubaki nodded. ¡°I hadn''t intended toe here and insult you, because that would be stupid. Then you insulted me by daring tomand me while I am clearly wearing another goddess'' emblem.¡±


    Hephaestus sighed and held a hand up to the side to stop Tsubaki from reacting to that. ¡°You can''t me me for being curious about...¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± I cut her off and she frowned. ¡°You ordered me to give up the secrets on how this was made. You didn''t ask. You didn''t bribe. You didn''t even offer to open your shirt and pretend to seduce me.¡±


    Both Hephaestus and Tsubaki looked surprised by that.


    ¡°My personal Goddess Hestia might contact you in the future to apologize herself.¡± I said and turned around to walk out. ¡°I certainly hope that you treat her better than you''ve treated her child. Have yourself a great day.¡±


    Thatst sentence I had said with as much sarcasm as I could. When I opened the office door, neither woman tried to stop me, so I stepped out and closed the door behind me. I walked back through the building in a reverse of the path to get to the office, and I made it to the front room to see the guy was gone. I reached for the door and a callused hand touched it first.


    ¡°Do you mind if Ie with you?¡± Tsubaki asked.


    I turned my head and saw her top was slightly opened and revealed her quiterge breasts that were mostly wrapped in long strips of cloth to keep them from bouncing. ¡°That depends.¡± I said and smiled at her. ¡°Do you have a weapon I could borrow? Maybe made of mythril? I have to test some basic magic spells.¡±


    Tsubaki''s eyes practically lit up and she gripped my hand tightly. ¡°I HAVE JUST THE THING!¡±


    The next thing I knew, I was in another building and inside a cksmith''s workshop and being shown a wicked looking silver sword that was too thick to be a bastard sword and too long to be a broadsword. I was then given a brief history of the thing and how she couldn''t test it properly and only used it as a sword and not as a focusing object for magic.


    Iplimented her on the workmanship and the style, even if I had no clue what it was. She preened with pride anyway. I was loaned a scabbard and I fastened the sword to my belt. Tsubaki armored up a little and picked up a different sword than the one hung on her hip and grinned at me.


    ¡°You''re testing a new de, too?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That''s right! I can''t let you have all the fun!¡± Tsubaki said with augh.


    I nodded and we left there to head to the Guild. I had some information to share with Eina and possibly another deal to negotiate.


    *


    Eina tried to not freak out when the leader of the Hephaestus Familia entered the Guild Hall with an unknown adventurer that no one had seen before. Theplete armor set stood out like a beacon, mostly because it all matched and was a bright orange-yellowish me color. It wasn''t until she noticed the emblem on the chest and saw the adventurer''s familiar red eyes that she realized who it was.


    ¡°BEEELLLL!¡± Eina whined at him for scaring her like that and ignored Tsubaki''sughter.


    Bell walked right over to her and reached across the counter to take her hand. ¡°I came right here for advice when I decided to finally go into the dungeon.¡± He said and kissed her hand as he held it tenderly. ¡°Once my armor was done, I had to show it to you after meeting with Goddess Hephaestus.¡±


    Eina''s eyes went to Tsubaki.


    ¡°My new friend loaned me a sword to test in the dungeon and wanted toe along to spend time with me.¡± Bell said and let her hand go. ¡°I believe her words were that she couldn''t let me have all the fun.¡±


    ¡°Damn right!¡± Tsubaki said, enthusiastically. ¡°We''re going to kick ass and push these des to their limits, then we''re going to pass them!¡±


    Eina stared at her for several moments. ¡°You do know that Bell is only Level 1, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Meh, it''s just meaningless numbers. As long as you keep your wits about you and you have a reliable weapon, you don''t have to worry about anything.¡± Tsubaki said.


    ¡°That... that... is a horrible philosophy for an adventurer to have!¡± Eina managed to say.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Tsubaki barked theugh. ¡°That''s because I''m a cksmith, not an adventurer. I only paid the sign-up fee to stop you people from hassling me for going into the dungeon to test my work.¡±


    Bell barked augh as well and coughed to cover it up. ¡°Ahem, yes. Well.¡± He said and motioned to one of the side rooms. ¡°I was wondering about the maps the guild has for the first few floors and I also have an idea that I think could be a great investment...¡±


    Eina''s hand shot out and pped over Bell''s mouth to stop him from saying anything else. ¡°Go over there and I''ll bring the maps for the upper floors. We can talk more in a minute.¡±


    Bell nodded and he and Tsubaki went to the indicated small room and Eina gathered up what she would need, plus a few more contracts and paperwork, just in case.


    *


    ¡°I''m sorry, Bell.¡± Eina''s sad voice said. ¡°We can''t condone the danger of using an unknown magic spell or provide you with such expensive material for a simple test, only to see if it might work.¡±


    I sat there and was a little surprised that she had said no. ¡°You don''t trust me, even after I sold you such important things for a pittance?¡±


    Eina blushed a little and turned her head slightly to not look at me directly.


    ¡°What things?¡± Tsubaki asked.


    ¡°One was a thermos that keeps things hot. The second I can''t tell you about because they bought the revolutionary idea and now they own it.¡± I said and that made Eina blush more.


    ¡°My Goddess bought one of those things and it''s great!¡± Tsubaki said. ¡°She said it was a great deal for only...¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t discuss the private deals of your Goddess in public.¡± Eina said and cut her off.


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°It''s all right, Eina. I know you sold them for a lot more than what you paid for them.¡±


    ¡°Bell, I...¡± Eina started and then sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s just business.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and pointed at the 12 folded maps. ¡°I don''t want to know how much those are, do I?¡±


    Eina didn''t speak and just shook her head.


    ¡°Then I believe my ns need to change again.¡± I said and stood. ¡°Tsubaki, let''s go visit my home briefly while I apologize to my Goddess for breaking my promise about only staying on the top four floors and then we can go into the dungeon as deep as you want to go to test these des.¡±


    Eina''s face lost all it''s color and Tsubaki looked like I just gave her the best Christmas present ever. I took Tsubaki''s hand and the woman hopped up and hugged me tightly, giving me a huge look down her top, and then I was suddenly over her shoulder and we were outside the Guild Hall.


    <i>This seems familiar.</i> I thought and looked down at her cloth-covered ass. It was damn fine.


    ¡°Which way?¡± Tsubaki asked me.


    ¡°The old ruined church in the outskirts of the city, that way.¡± I said and pointed so she could see my hand. ¡°It''s not ruined anymore, though. I fixed it up for my Goddess.¡±


    ¡°You are a good child to care for her so much so quickly.¡± Tsubaki said and ran.


    ¡°I designed my armor for her so that everyone would see her emblem. Word of her will start to spread.¡± I said and kept looking down. ¡°Tsubaki, you have a really nice ass. Do you work out or something?¡± I joked and sheughed. We both knew she worked very hard at cksmithing.


    Surprisingly, Hestia seemed perfectly fine with letting me go with Tsubaki into the dungeon. That I was also carrying a de that was worth more than the shop Hestia worked at, only made her happier. So, with her approval, I put my reinforced pick and shovel into my backpack and Tsubaki carried me back to her cksmith shop to pick up what I had tried to get from the Guild.


    A ton of silver powder and to cement an exclusive deal between my Familia and my new investor.

 28 For Fun And Profit

    28 For Fun And Profit


    Tsubaki was more than happy to agree to help me perform an experiment, especially since she would be testing out her knew sword while she protected me. I didn''t ask her how much the silver dust was or why she just happened to have arge amount of silverying around. It didn''t really matter, since she was investing into my idea and would greatly reap the benefits if it worked.


    Her exnation that she had used up millions and millions of valis in materials over the years, just to lose them to slightly incorrectly forged des and wed armor pieces, didn''t really set my mind at ease about it. Then again, her nonchnt attitude would help me a lot, especially since the first test would be right there in the Hephaestus Familiapound.


    We chose a good spot in thepound that was both central and out of the way, just in case, and I got to work with both my pick and my shovel. I cleared out a veryrge square, exactly twenty feet long on each side, then I used the dug up dirt and rocks to make stone squares an inch thick. I ced them back into the spot I dug them up and my real work began as I started carving with my finger.


    Tsubaki watched, utterly fascinated, as I used tiny bits of magic to shape and form each surface of the stone squares to form a perfect carving of what I needed. It took me an hour, mainly because I was taking my time and it was the very first one that would establish the pattern. I also didn''t want to make a mistake.


    When I was done, I checked everything over and made sure the runes were written properly for the location, then I used more small amounts of magic to connect each stone together to make one solid stone carving. With itplete, I very carefully filled in all the little grooves with the silver dust and then sent a pulse of magic into it. The whole circle lit up for a second and the silver dust faded away.


    ¡°Well, that was pretty impressive.¡± Tsubaki said and looked at it. ¡°What the hell is it?¡±


    I gave her a smug smile, because it had sessfully activated. ¡°It''s something the Guild is going to shoot themselves over when they find out what it is.¡±


    Tsubaki moved quick as a sh and smacked me in the back of the head. ¡°Stop ying word games.¡±


    ¡°Ow.¡± I said and rubbed the spot. ¡°Right now, it''s nothing much, because there''s only one of it.¡± I said and held a hand up to stop a follow up p. ¡°Give me a second to exin.¡±


    Tsubaki lowered her hand and nodded.


    ¡°When we go to the dungeon, I''m going to make another one in a simr area on the first level that''s big enough to hold it.¡± I said and she looked confused. ¡°With two of them, and a bit of magic injected into them, they connect together and be an instantaneous transportation gateway.¡±


    Tsubaki still looked confused and scratched her head.


    ¡°It''s a teleporter.¡± Hephaestus said as she stepped out of the nearby building, then she gave me a weird look. ¡°I''m surprised you came back here after what you said.¡±


    ¡°I''m surprised you didn''t kick me out as soon as Tsubaki brought me here.¡± I responded.


    Hephaestus nced at Tsubaki and her child gave her a happy smile and a wave. ¡°That''s why.¡±


    I nodded and stepped away from the teleportation circle. ¡°That''s why.¡± I said back and Tsubaki gave me a happy smile and waved. I chuckled and used my shovel to cover the entire stone b with a thinyer of dirt and smoothed it out with a touch of magic.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± Tsubaki asked and walked over to me.


    ¡°No one else will be able to replicate it; but, it doesn''t hurt to hide it anyway.¡± I said and Hephaestus nodded in understanding. ¡°Tsubaki and I have entered a tentative agreement about this.¡±


    Hephaestus gave me a pointed look and then looked at Tsubaki. ¡°Exin.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t sign anything, Goddess. I''m not stupid.¡± Tsubaki said. ¡°I just agreed to provide some silver dust and he agreed that my Familia gets free usage rights, while we split the fees we can charge for others to use it.¡±


    Hephaestus looked surprised and then her lone eye squinted as she looked at me. ¡°That is actually a good deal... if you put the other one on a much lower level, like on Level 18, the first safety point.¡±


    I gave her the same smug look I gave Tsubaki when the activation worked. ¡°Goddess Hephaestus, I''m nning to put one of them on <b>every</b> level.¡±


    Hephaestus seemed to freeze and her uncovered eye almost popped out of her head. Tsubaki on the other hand, let out a girlish squeal despite her age, and lunged at me to kiss me soundly. I wasn''t one to ignore a tant invitation like that, so I grabbed her ass and kissed her right back.


    Tsubaki let out a moan and her tongue easily fought mine into submission. Her hands dropped to my butt and she gave me several squeezes and made happy sounds, probably because I wasn''tining or trying to get her to stop. She broke the kiss and she looked quite pleased at winning the ''fight''.


    ¡°You really are going to do all that work on each floor of the dungeon?¡± Hephaestus asked me.


    ¡°Technically.¡± I said and both she and Tsubaki gave me questioning looks. ¡°I memorized the patterns needed for each block and can recreate them easily. That''s why it took so long to work it out the first time. Once I had the size right and the puzzle solved...¡± I used my shovel to scoop up a pile of dirt and then made the dirt into a copy of the center square, engravings and all.


    Hephaestus gave me a very pointed look. ¡°I need to talk to Loki about going on an expedition...¡±


    ¡°I think they already left on one and I don''t know how long they''ll be.¡± I said and Hephaestus sighed.


    ¡°I can do the first six floors solo, Goddess.¡± Tsubaki said. ¡°With Bell guarding my back, I can go to the tenth, easily.¡±


    Hephaestus gave her a piercing look, too. ¡°He''s only Level 1.¡±


    ¡°With a borrowed magic sword.¡± I said and drew it to point up into the air. I thought about the three aspects of magic I had and chose Holy Lightning, since it was the most showy. I dropped 20 points into the mythril de and both Hephaestus and Tsubaki jumped back when the de sparked to life and a bright bolt of lightning shot up into the air and disappeared with a loud crack sound.


    ¡°What in the known realms was that?!?¡± Hephaestus asked and rubbed her arms. Her short red hair was more poofy than normal as well.


    ¡°Holy Lightning.¡± I said and waited for the sparks to stop before I sheathed the de.


    ¡°Holy... oh, dear goddess in Heaven.¡± Hephaestus whispered as she reached up and rubbed her good eye. ¡°Bell, don''t... and I really mean this... do not ever use that on or around a god or a goddess. Do you understand?¡± She asked me. ¡°Just. Don''t.¡±


    I did not tell her that was only 20 points of magic. I was d that I hadn''t gone with a shier disy using 50 points or even 99 points. If that small of a bolt had unnerved her so much, I could only imagine what her reaction would be if I had used five times the magic points.


    I changed the created stone square back into dirt, used the shovel to spread it out, then used a bit of magic to erase that I had done anything. I put the shovel and pick back into my backpack and hung it over my shoulders.


    ¡°I''m ready, Tsubaki. Let''s go have fun dungeon diving.¡± I said.


    ¡°WOOHOOO!¡± Tsubaki yelled, slung me over her shoulder as she bowed to Hephaestus, and ran like the wind as she carried me like a sack of potatoes.


    *


    Hephaestus slowly walked back to her office as she thought about what she had just seen. Not the teleportation circle, even if that was going to change the entire way that people were going to travel in the dungeon. No, it was Bell Cranel''s very easy and casual use of Holy Lightning.


    She could tell by the look on his face that he didn''t know what he had done or what it meant. She did, however. She wasn''t even tempted to tell the ignorant boy that he could use Zeus'' signature attack. Her body shook slightly from just being near the absolutely devastating attack that Bell had luckily shot into the air and not at the ground near where they stood. That would have been very, very bad.


    Hephaestus called for a lowly Familia member and had then carry a note over to the Lokipound. There would always be someone there and she wanted to get word to the goddess as soon as possible. If Bell can do what he says he can do, it was going to change a lot of things for everyone, especially her.


    *


    The long leisurely walk down into the deep pit of the entrance to the first floor was kind of rxing, even as we passed adventurers going the other way and leaving the dungeon. Tsubaki talked most of the way and told me that she had been in the first level of the dungeon more times than she could remember.


    She also couldn''t remember how many des she had broken, lost, or thrown away over the years. Most of them would be on the middle floors, assuming the monsters didn''t eat them or other adventurers picked them up. We bothughed at the thought of a monster getting one of her discarded des stuck in their throat and dying.


    We arrived at the first floor and it was fairly cleared out from what I could see. I nodded off towards the right side of the entrance and we moved off to a spot that was out of direct sight. Until there was a good amount of them avable, we couldn''t reveal that there was another way to leave the dungeon. Teleportation would have to remain a secret for now.


    I got to work and cleared out a good area, the same as back in the Hephaestus Familiapound, and quickly changed the dirt into the proper stone squares and set them into ce. I changed the increment of the location from zero to one, rather than rely on coordinates, and joined the stone squares together to make it a single stone b.


    Once Iced the runes and engravings with silver powder, I activated it and I felt the permanent spell snap into ce. I was dangerously close to using more than a single tier of magic for it, so I would need to be careful with the next one. Thankfully, distance between teleportation circles didn''t matter. I covered it up and with a touch of magic, you couldn''t tell anything was there.


    ¡°Can we leave it unguarded and unprotected?¡± Tsubaki asked me as we walked towards where she said the next spiral staircase was to go down to Level 2.


    ¡°It doesn''t have an active magical signature until it''s activated, and that''s only a small blip on any magical sensing spell, and only for a few seconds. The only way to find the thing is to know where it is, which is why I''m marking it down.¡± I said and created a piece of paper to mark Level 1 and a small sketch of a map to where it was. I had even counted the steps to get there.


    Tsubaki nodded as I put the paper into my backpack. ¡°We''re nearing the end of the day, so we should have an easy time for the first few floors.¡±


    I chuckled at the disappointed look on her face. ¡°You know, we could jog to the stairwell and get there a lot faster.¡±


    Tsubaki smirked at me. ¡°You don''t want me to carry your delicate self?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could keep staring at your ass.¡± I answered and sheughed. ¡°I can run fairly fast.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Then let''s test that.¡± Tsubaki said and stopped walking to take a running pose.


    I copied her and prepared to run. ¡°On three?¡± I asked and she nodded. I reached over, pped her ass, and took off running at my best speed. ¡°THREE!¡±


    ¡°AHH!¡± Tsubaki yelped and jumped into the air and clutched at her cheek. ¡°Oh, you cheating bastard!¡±


    ¡°I''m testing your resolve!¡± I shouted back with augh.


    Tsubakiughed and easily caught up with me. Just before we reached the end of the first level and the stairwell, she pped my butt and scooped me up into her arms, then did a neat pirouette to cancel most of her forward momentum and leapt into the stairwell. We dropped down the 45 feet to the next level and shended without hurting herself or me.


    ¡°Okay, that was impressive.¡± I said as she put me down. The shocked looks on the adventurers climbing the stairs was pretty funny, too.


    ¡°That can only be done on a few floors.¡± Tsubaki said and motioned for us to start walking. ¡°Some of the transitions are steep ramps, gently sloped, more stairs, and I think one down further was climbing down vines?¡± She shrugged. ¡°With your goal, you will see them all eventually.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± I said and we found a nice area out of the way of the level entrance.


    Tsubaki had to kill a few kobolds and I could tell that she was fighting to not be disappointed at theck of challenge. I tried to not hold it against her, especially because my progress in making the transportation circles was going a lot faster than I thought it would. I expected to work my ass off clearing part of the floor''s monsters before going back to the entrance to create them.


    With us showing up nearing the end of the normal day for an adventurer, most of the work had already been done. On the downside, we also weren''t getting any monster crystals to counter the cost of the silver dust I was liberally using to make the circles. I really didn''t want to know how much I was spending as Ipleted each circle.


    We moved on through the floor and killed a few kobolds and goblins. They were pretty much newborns and had no chance against either myself or Tsubaki. We gathered a few small monster crystals and I didn''t let my own disappointment show, because I knew that once we passed the upper floors, the money would start rolling in.


    *


    ¡°I agree with your decision, Eina.¡± Rehmer said as he read her report on their newest client''s scheme to make money. It was a little concerning that he knew he had been scammed and had done it on purpose to make them more agreeable to any future ns he had. ¡°It''s apletely untested spell that he said might not work. It''s too expensive to use an entire ton of silver to make one and have it fail.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I tried to tell him, sir.¡± Eina said with a sigh. ¡°It was too dangerous and too costly to be a viable method of travel, even if it worked. It takes an experienced adventurer and support team several months to gather that much silver. Having to provide that much for every circle...¡±


    Rehmer reached across the desk and patted her hand. ¡°There, there. Making the hard decisions can be difficult. Buck up, Eina. You''ve only been a high executive for about a week. Don''t put too much onto your own shoulders. That''s what delegation is for.¡±


    Eina smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you, sir. I knew you would understand.¡±


    Rehmer nodded back and put the report aside. It would be filed under discarded deals and would be pretty much forgotten for several weeks.

 29 The Morning After

    29 The Morning After


    I opened my eyes and groaned at the soreness I felt. It wasn''t from eight straight hours of working, either. The reason I was sore was the very happy 38 year old sleeping woman in bed with me. I reached down and rubbed my poor abused hips as I remembered what happened the night before.


    Apparently, knowing a magic detection spell was really rare and Tsubaki had encouraged me to spam it every time we passed the distance of my 100 foot range. I didn''t tell her that I had been doing that ever since we entered the dungeon, just so I could get a feel for the ce. It also warned me of iing creatures and I passed that info to her.


    Tsubaki had an absolute ball. The early warnings of iing attacks gave her time to prepare and she had an easy time moving around with me not slowing her down like she assumed I would. She also tested out her sword and it performed very well and met her high standards, as did the mythril sword she had loaned me.


    When we had reached the fifth floor, ck creatures called War Shadows were birthed from the walls and they spawned fairly quickly. That was when I showed her the Light aspect of my magic and the mythril sword lit up like a bright sun and vaporized the War Shadows instantly and their magic crystals dropped to the ground.


    When Tsubaki stopped blinking the brightness out of her eyes, she squealed and jumped me right there and had her way with me. She had never seen an attack like it before and it made her very horny that it was her sword that did it. That had been the first time we did it during the expedition. I really shouldn''t have told her afterwards that I couldn''t get her pregnant unless I invested the magic to do so.


    The next time we did it was when my detection spell showed a thin vein of precious metals. Tsubaki made a note of it and promised toe back here with a proper support team to harvest it. I pretty much shocked her by taking out my mining pick and clearing out the entire vein for her and stuffing it into my backpack. She didn''t hold back as she ravished me for the second time.


    The third time was when we reached the eighth floor and had to stop for the night to go home. We had to test going to each teleportation circle and jumped to each floor and moved around a bit topare to my sketches and proved it was the right floor. When we reached the first floor and explored a little for more proof, a kind of fiery-looking rooster pretty much hit me in the face.


    Before I couldin that it felt like being hit with a baseball bat and my eyes would be bruising immediately, I had tough as it impaled itself on my helmet''s fire-shaped metal top trying to get away from me and the creature seemed to pop into dust and a bright golden egg dropped into my hand.


    Tsubaki could barely sputter out that it was called a rare Jack Bird and the thing I held in my hand was worth just over 1,000,000 valis. When I said that we were on this expedition together and were splitting everything, she tackled me and took me again. Goddamn, the woman was insatiable.


    We had walked up the stairs to the exit of the dungeon after that and walked all the way to my home at the old abandoned church. It wasn''t ruins anymore and I wasn''t sure what to call it now. Just a church? I shrugged the thought away and we entered the building and went downstairs to the apartment to tell Hestia about what we did and what we found. She fainted, of course.


    When Hestia woke up, she gave me permission to go with Tsubaki to report to Hephaestus. In fact, she chose toe with us. It was about time for her to apologize, apparently. She followed us up the stairs and watched as I made another teleportation circle and the three of us stepped on. I activated it and a sh of lightter, we were in the Hephaestus Familia''spound.


    A bunch of people came out of the various buildings, including Hephaestus herself, and she looked both surprised and satisfied. Tsubaki gave her report right away, since Familia business took precedence over any other business. Everyone but Tsubaki stared at me after hearing the ore vein and Jack Bird stories, including the two goddesses.


    I had showed the egg as proof and opened my backpack to dump out the ore, then half of the Hephaestus Familia members dropped to their knees and bowed to me. I was pretty much a magical divining rod for ores and they appreciated it.


    ¡°Hestia, I think you and I need to have a nice long talk in private.¡± Hephaestus said, her voice grave.


    ¡°Sure! I wanted to apologize and...¡± Hestia started to say.


    ¡°In. Private.¡± Hephaestus interrupted, took her hand, and led her away as she dismissed everyone.


    After that, I had spent the night in Tsubaki''s bed. She had her fun, then I had fun with her, and she had more fun as she tried the different things I suggested. Thankfully, she had several healing potions nearby and I had to use a couple of them to keep up with her. I had honestly admitted I had never had a woman break my hip while having sex.


    Tsubaki justughed and then gently jerked me off after that as an apology while kissing me slowly and tenderly. She had licked me clean afterwards, thanked me for showing her the best time on our first date, and fell right to sleep.


    The thing was, I had to agree. It was a great first date and had probably set the standard for any future dates she wanted to go on. What surprised me was that she wasn''t a cuddler. She didn''t mind sharing her bed with me to sleep, as long as I didn''t get in her way. I thought that was fair and hadn''t tried to crowd her.


    I climbed out of bed and thought about my Blessing of Fortune and how it had benefited me, even though it hadn''t worked out with the Guild. I didn''t question it, because that would be idiotic to look a gift horse in the mouth. You just ride that horse until it died and then thanked it for being so good to you.


    It was then that I realized my ying with the guild might have been taken as me manipting them by letting them manipte me, which might not count or qualify to activate the Blessing. I barely stopped myself from pping my forehead for being so stupid and chose to take it as an important lesson.


    The little blue box that I knew was Fate''s appeared. <b>Now you''re getting it.</b>


    I chuckled under my breath at her confirming I was stupid. <i>Thanks for giving me the golden egg.</i>


    <b>You''re wee. The guild really did screw you out of a lot of money for not giving you a cut of the profits. They already started production on better products that uses the mechanical timer as a base.</b>


    I used a cleaning spell on myself and slipped on my bodysuit. <i>I knew it would give them a bunch of ideas. I just wrongly hoped that it would let them see me as a good investment, no matter what I proposed.</i>


    <b>You forgot one important factor with the teleportation circles. They will cut down or remove almost the entire need to journey through the above floors.</b>


    <i>No, I factored that into my calctions. It should facilitate more travelling and more ie if the more experienced adventurers can skip over clearing out the easy floors to get where they want to go sooner.</i>


    The box showed the word ''giggle''. <b>You''re missing my point. Groups of adventurers will no longer need many of the normal services that the guild provides during long excursions in the dungeon, like arranging for support personnel, spare weapons, armor repairs, food drops, and potions.</b>


    I froze as that hit me. It wasn''t just that silver was expensive to provide, it would be expensive to the guild if I removed a good portion of their ie. <i>Well, fuck me.</i>


    Another ''giggle'' appeared. <b>I told you before, not yet. You have a ways to go before that happens.</b>


    I nodded and started strapping on my armor. <i>I''m looking forward to it.</i>


    <b>Has anyone ever told you it''s weird that you''re looking forward to having fate fuck you over?</b>


    <i>Nope, because I''ve never told anyone.</i> I said and picked up my helmet and put it on, then picked up the mythril sword to strap it to my belt. <i>That''s between you and me.</i>


    The little box seemed to nod. <b>Leave a note for your new thrill partner and go visit your goddess.</b>


    That made me chuckle again and I did so, created a dozen roses for Tsubaki, and left them beside her bed. I left her room and walked through the Hephaestus Familia lodgings and cast the magic detection spell. Quite a lot of things showed up in my perception and it was great practice for me to figure out what the things were. Sword, armor piece, dagger, ne, earrings, more armor, a room full of weapons, a room full of armor, and all of the lights that lit the ce up.


    I left that building and entered the main one. I knew Hestia would still be there, because she wanted to make up with her friend after their falling out. It was easy to find her magic in the building, since I had it embedded in my back, and followed it through the building to the right room. I knocked and heard grumbling on the other side, then the door was flung open.


    ¡°What the (Greek curse) do you want at the ass crack of dawn?!?¡± Hephaestus snarled at me.


    I couldn''t stop my eyes from taking all of her in. I had thought her tight pants had left nothing to the imagination and I had been right. It still didn''tpare to seeing her heavenly vagina under a light bush of red hair or seeing her fairlyrge chest unfettered by a tube top or a shirt.


    The only detraction from her beauty was the mangled right eye without the patch covering it. Whatever had happened to it had made it a huge mess and it must cause constant pain, because it looked like it didn''t get healed properly, or worse, would never heal.


    Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and carefully raised my hands to lightly caress the sides of her face, then I very carefully leaned in and ced a gentle kiss right on top of the torn up eyelid. I also cast aprehensive diagnostic spell on her and hid my wince at spending 150 points and taking 99 damage.


    Hephaestus looked absolutely shocked when I stepped back.


    ¡°I was going to the kitchen to make breakfast.¡± I said calmly, instead of blurting out that her eye was cursed. ¡°Would you like anything special or should I just make whatever I can?¡±


    Hephaestus didn''t react at all to my words and kept staring at me with her good eye.


    ¡°I''ll figure something out.¡± I said and nced over her shoulder to see an equally naked Hestia in her bed. I wasn''tmenting on what that meant. ¡°There''s no rush to show up. The food will keep, so enjoy your rest.¡±


    Hephaestus watched me walk away and I didn''t hear her door shut until I was downstairs and entering the kitchen. This one was more modest than the one Loki had, so I had an easier time finding things. I chose to make French Toast this time and I was sure that with the shape of therge loaves of bread and a pile of eggs and milk avable, they woulde out tasty and wonderfully filling.


    <i>Oho, a temporary stasis charm to keep the food hot and the butter from melting, was only 95 points. That''s great!</i> I thought as I put two more perfectly cookedrge French Toast on the next te and cast stasis on it. With no real reason not to, and nothing else to do until Tsubaki woke up toe with me to the guild to cash in our magic crystals and loot drops, I kept cooking and cooking.


    *


    Tsubaki woke up and stretched her arms and legs like a cat, let out a softugh at acting so foolish, and rolled over in bed. When her hand met a bundle of something and not the chest of the man that had done her very well, she almost hopped out of bed to see where he went.


    She paused when she saw therge bundle of flowers, red roses if she wasn''t mistaken, and a note with her name on it. She picked up the flowers that were impossible to be there, because only the rich people of the High District could ship in such novelty items, and happily smelled them as she read the note.


    <i>Tsubaki, I woke up early and didn''t want to disturb you, so I went to the main building''s kitchen to make breakfast. Please join me there when you wake. Your incredibly sore bed partner, Bell.</i>


    Tsubakiughed at him reminding her about how rough she had been. He hadn''tined, though. That had surprised her, as did the thing he did with his tongue between her legs. She hadn''t known a man would ever do something that only women did, since they didn''t have a dick to screw with. He was damn good at it, too.


    She reluctantly put the flowers down just long enough to throw on her outer clothing and skipped the tight wrapping, since she was skipping cksmithing today. She would do it after she ate. If whatever he made was half as good as those delicious sandwiches he had shared yesterday, she was going to enjoy smooshing his face into herrge breasts as a reward.


    Tsubaki left her room and quickly made her way to the main building. She hadn''t even entered when the smell hit her. Her mouth started watering and she decided that she didn''t want to waste any more time before she could taste it and ran. She wasn''t surprised to see a good portion of the Familia was already there in therge eating area and were moaning and extolling the virtues of the food.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Bell said and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. ¡°Here''s a double helping because I know you need the energy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Tsubaki whispered and drooled over the fourrge egg-covered pieces of bread that were cooked to perfection. She sat down at the table and dug in without talking to anyone else.


    Hephaestus entered the room and everyone stopped, stood to bow to her, and sat back down. ¡°I keep telling you to stop doing that.¡± She said and motioned to the head of the table. ¡°I need another chair.¡±


    ¡°You can have mine, Goddess. I''ve finished.¡± A man said and brought his chair over to ce it next to the head of the table.


    ¡°Thank you, Welf.¡± Hephaestus said and turned to lead Hestia over to the spot and sat her down, then sat herself.


    Bell served the both of them food at the same time and avoided insulting either of them.


    ¡°She actually knew your name!¡± A few people at the far end of therge table said excitedly as the man returned there.


    ¡°I thought he was lying.¡± Someone else whispered.


    Bell sat next to Tsubaki and started eating his own breakfast.


    ¡°I will be doing great work today.¡± Welf Crozzo said, proudly.


    Tsubaki barely held in her snort of contempt, because the fool refused to use his family''s blood-born ability to make magic swords. She saw Bell notice the look on her face and gave him a curious look in return. He smiled and nodded to her, clearly in agreement. She grinned back, finished off thest of her food, and pulled his head down to shove his face inside her top.


    Bell''s blubbering and iling arms, as if he was drowning, made everyoneugh.

 30 Collaboration For The Win

    30 Coboration For The Win


    I wasn''t surprised when breakfast was over and Hephaestus made the announcement that the Hephaestus Familia and the Hestia Familia were entering into a joint agreement for support and resources. Both of our Familias working together were going to outshine and outperform every other support Familia that ever existed.


    Hephaestus also made her people swear on her name that they wouldn''t share my abilities until told they were allowed to. Until enough of the floors were given teleportation circles, it had to remain a secret, because the other Familias might attack and try to take it from them or to destroy it. They all agreed. They knew the immense value of having someone like me helping them.


    With that out of the way, we were all released to do what we wanted for the scheduled day off. Nearly all of the Hephaestus Familia chose to go back to work to y with the pile of ore and creature drops that Tsubaki and I had brought back yesterday. Hephaestusughed and said they could do what they wanted with their time off.


    Tsubaki and I gave our regards to our goddesses and left to pick up my backpack in her room. The smiths couldn''t really do much with some of the loot drops, like the potion ingredients and, ording to them, the boring creature drops like goblin fangs and kobold ws. They happily epted the War Shadow finger des and the tusks from the Needle Rabbits.


    They saved a lot of money by having us supply them with those resources instead of having to buy them from the guild. That was another thing I hadn''t anticipated when I worked out the deal with Hephaestus Familia. They wouldn''t have to buy many of things they usually bought from the guild because they could get them directly.


    ¡°Bell, I think I should update your Falna.¡± Hestia''s voice said from the hallway outside Tsubaki''s room. The door was open and she peeked in to see that we were still dressed.


    ¡°Are you sure? I haven''t really done much thest week except work on fixing up the church.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°Okay, just give me a minute.¡± I said and took off my helmet and my arm pieces and then the chest and back tes. I pulled the bodysuit down off of my neck and to my waist, then Iid down on Tsubaki''s bed.


    Hestia climbed onto the bed and sat down on my butt. ¡°Tsubaki? Can we have a little privacy?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Goddess. I''ll shut the door and make sure no one disturbs your private moment.¡± Tsubaki said and stepped out.


    Hestia hummed happily as she added a drop of blood to my back and started to do her thing to my back. I honestly wasn''t expecting to have gathered a lot of experience, considering I really had only worked to rebuild the church and gave us a nicer ce to live. It wasn''t until Hestia gasped that I thought something might be wrong about my guess.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You... you... you...¡± Hestia was hyperventting and might pass out again.


    ¡°I thank you and praise you for being my personal Goddess, Hestia.¡± I prayed and she gasped again as I felt a deep warmth on my butt. ¡°Because you chose to apologize for your mistake, our Familia will be prosperous like never before. You put our Familia before yourself and I will be forever grateful to you.¡±


    ¡°B-Bell.¡± Hestia whispered as the heat intensified. It wasn''t a burning heat, though. It was the warmth like receiving the best bear hug in the world.


    ¡°Whatever my Falna says, it''s because of you. You have to believe that, because I do.¡± I said.


    There was silence for several seconds before I felt Hestia''s impressive chest press into my back and she gave my neck a kiss, then another. Her weight disappeared from my back and then her fingers moved over my skin once more. I heard the rustling paper and waited as she copied my stats down onto the paper, then she moved forward slightly andid down on me to hold the paper in front of my face.


    I stared at the numbers and they didn''t make sense. ¡°How?¡± I asked. ¡°Not the Level 2 part. I expected that with how much I''ve been using magic and pushing it past 2 ranks would have happened pretty quickly. I mean not having my stats revert to the base for me to build them up again.¡±


    Hestia took a deep breath and let it out as she rested her cheek on my shoulder to look at my face. ¡°I think it''s your skills. Thebination of Mind Block, Minor Regeneration, and Blessing of Fortune let you keep any overages from your stats before levelling up.¡±


    That was a surprising thought. I didn''t think... no, I was ignoring the impact of the things I was doing because they seemed so normal for me to do, since they had to be done and it was my responsibility. I was doing things on my own and I did struggle with them; but, they weren''t that difficult or insurmountable.


    Even the creation of the first teleportation circle was only time consuming and expensive... and then I remembered the key factor for levelling up was gaining the attention of a god or goddess by doing something impressive. I could only guess that it was introducing a new kind of magic transportation that gave me that attention, and from whom.


    Hestia burned up the paper and smiled at me. ¡°You are a remarkable child, Bell.¡±


    ¡°And you are a remarkable Goddess, Hestia.¡± I responded. ¡°In fact, I am enjoying the feeling of your remarkable happiness on my lower back. It''s quite warm.¡±


    Hestia giggled and sat up, giving me a much better feel. ¡°You better not tell anyone else that joke!¡±


    Iughed and made a motion with my hand to indicate I was rolling over. Hestia''s weight lifted from my back and I rolled over, only to see Hestia''s skirt had ridden up to her hips after straddling me and the panties she wore were not the ones we had bought together.


    ¡°Oh, Goddess.¡± I whispered in praise for her intentionally giving me a great up-close view of her.


    Hestia glowed slightly and blushed deeply. She sat back down and she was on my abs and not my crotch. We were both disappointed and relieved by that, because she had given me an instant hard-on.


    ¡°Like Tsubaki said, personal time with my Goddess is exactly that. Personal. I will freely joke, and tease, and try my best to make youugh and be happy. Your smile makes me smile and your inner warmth gives me warmth.¡±


    Hestia blushed deeper when I ced a hand on her belly and felt the increased heat.


    ¡°I have the funds now to buy what I need to restore your statue to what it was meant to look like, My Goddess. That''s why I wanted to wait and didn''t do the trick I did for the walls and roof. Your representation deserved better treatment than that.¡± I said and looked into her eyes. ¡°As do you.¡±


    ¡°B-B-Bell.¡± Hestia stuttered and her blush wasn''t fading.


    ¡°I will keep working hard and I will keep doing my best for you, Hestia. I know you would never ask me to do that, and that makes my pledge to do everything I can to help you, that much more important.¡± I said and slid my hand up her side, missed her breast intentionally, and caressed her neck before I cupped the side of her face.


    Hestia had stopped breathing and stared at me with tears in the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°You will be well known and respected once more, My Goddess. I <b>demand</b> it.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, Bell!¡± Hestia eximed and started to cry, then sheid down on top of me and hugged me tightly as she cried and cried.


    *


    Tsubaki had stood outside the room and down the hallway slightly as she guarded her room to let Bell and his Goddess have privacy. She had tried to not listen and had heard every word anyway. She really needed a better door and should hire someone to put up the same sound dampening runes and enchantments they had between their forges and anvils.


    Her mind raced as she went over everything she heard, especially Bell''s stats not being recorded normally and his unique skills. That was shocking to hear. Luckily, Tsubaki had enough time to not let her emotions show on her face as Hestia''s crying fit came to an end. The door to her room opened a minuteter and Tsubaki walked over to see Bell putting his armor back on.


    ¡°Are you ready to make the guild workers piss themselves with our haul?¡± Tsubaki asked with a smile.


    Bellughed. ¡°I think just the crystals we''re exchanging would do that, considering it was just the two of us down there yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You really smashed those war shadows with your Light and made it damn easy for us to get so many crystals.¡± Tsubaki said as she leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms. Her top slipped apart and gave both Hestia and Bell an eyeful. <i>Oops.</i> She thought and stood up straight, thankful that she hadn''t shed a Goddess her nipples, and walked over to her desk and picked up her normal cloth wrapping for her chest.


    ¡°I''ll leave you to finish getting dressed.¡± Hestia said and stood up from the bed. She gave Bell a very significant look, smiled widely, and left the room.


    When the door shut, Tsubaki pulled off her top and quickly wrapped her breasts up.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Bell said from behind her.


    Tsubaki was going to ask what for as his arms went around her to hug her and he kissed her cheek.


    ¡°Hestia was embarrassed about crying like that and was worried you heard her and would make fun of her for it.¡± Bell whispered in her ear. He gave her cheek another kiss and nipped at her earlobe. ¡°You have a good nk face.¡±


    Tsubaki softlyughed. ¡°I was trying to hide that I heard anything.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Bell said and turned her head to give her a deep kiss. ¡°That''s why I was thanking you.¡±


    Tsubaki felt warm inside from him thanking her and not being angry that she had heard them. She turned around in his arms and kissed him back. She felt his hardness pressing against her and she let out a little growl, reached down to tear the cloth of his bodysuit open, and turned back around to lift her long skirt and pulled her underwear out of the way.


    Bell took full advantage of the invitation and Tsubaki cried out as he gave her another good run, only this time it was against her desk and he used her hair as a handle to help him drive into her depths. It was hard, and frantic, and very enjoyable. They both came at nearly the same time and had to rest against the desk for several minutes.


    They recovered and Bell cast that great cleaning spell to get them both presentable. Tsubaki gave him a thank you kiss and put herself in order, checked him to see his bodysuit was repaired, and they left her room to head to the guild. She really was going to enjoy making them piss themselves when they presented the extremely rare Golden Egg.


    *


    It was really really really difficult to notugh with Tsubaki as several members of the guild staff, including their hastily brought over boss that was a dog-man, actually pissed themselves. The payouts for the magic crystals, loot drops, and potion ingredients was easily put through and approved.


    We had made just over 60,000 valis from a single trip to the eighth floor, which was close to almost two and a half times an adventurer party of five''s average daily take of 25,000 valis. Having a weapon that cleared out shadow creatures so quickly, gave us a huge advantage. The 1,000,000 valis payout for the Golden Egg would have to wait for a day as they consulted the Guild''s owner.


    I took Tsubaki''s advice and refused to hand over the Golden Egg until the money was avable. They wouldn''t be taking advantage of me like that anymore. Eina looked sad and guilty when I said that and I felt bad for her, so I tried to talk to her. She refused and said that she had to resign as my advisor, because she had failed me so spectacrly.


    When I tried to argue, she handed over the sales projections and showed me the estimate of 150,000 valis that the Guild would be earning every month from other Familias and businesses because of the ideas my mechanical timer had given the guild, that they had in turn rented out to everyone else.


    ¡°I''m sorry I cheated you, Bell.¡± Eina said, tears flowing down her cheeks. ¡°Very sorry.¡± She said and walked away as she wiped at her eyes.


    ¡°Eina!¡± I shouted and felt a hand on my arm.


    ¡°She made her choice, Bell. She put the Guild above you and that is not what an advisor is supposed to do. She was supposed to look out for your best interests and she didn''t.¡± Tsubaki said.


    ¡°But...¡± I tried to protest.


    ¡°She knows you would have been rich if she had shared the deal with you, rather than taking it all for the Guild and giving you less than an average day''s pay.¡± Tsubaki said.


    I sighed and nodded. I couldn''t force Eina to remain as my advisor if she didn''t want to be. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    We left the Guild Hall and went back to the Hephaestus Familiapound to visit some of the other cksmiths. I negotiated personal trades and purchases for precious metals with them and with Tsubaki as I gathered what I needed to restore Hestia''s statue at the church.


    We left thepound and visited one of the more well known stone quarries and I bought severalrge pieces of marble, then went to a reputable jeweller and I bought two uncut sapphires and had them smoothed and rounded out. They were perfect and were well worth the money.


    ¡°You are going all out for your Goddess.¡± Tsubaki said as we dropped everything off at the church.


    I knew how to respond to thatment. ¡°When you go to the forge to make something, are you doing it for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! All my work is a tribute... to... my Goddess.¡± Tsubaki said and gave me wide eyes.


    ¡°Exactly. In this world, you will suffer if you only work for yourself.¡± I said and looked up at the ruined statue of Hestia. ¡°Without a higher power to believe in you and for you to believe in right back, your life will be empty and full of nothing but disappointment.¡±


    Tsubaki looked up at the statue as well. ¡°You aren''t going to fix it, are you?¡±


    ¡°I am and I''m going to move it inside, because it''s outdated. A new statue, one that represents what Hestia stands for, will be created in its ce. I want everyone that looks at it to know what being in a Familia is supposed to mean.¡±


    Tsubaki turned to me and kissed my cheek. ¡°You are a good man, Bell Cranel.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not. Not yet.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°But, I will be.¡± I put an arm around her waist. ¡°I will be.¡±

 31 Gifts To Be Exchanged

    31 Gifts To Be Exchanged


    Tsubaki and I spent the rest of the afternoon in her workshop. She had said there was an itch that she couldn''t scratch and needed to do something. I didn''t make a joke about us doing that earlier and she saw the amusement on my face. Sheughed and kissed me soundly, then started to y.


    It was pretty fascinating to watch her work and it wasn''t because herrge breasts were bouncing around like crazy as she swung her cksmith hammer. She was taking something that had been extracted from the ground and was making something out of it. Sometimes she had an idea of what it was and sometimes she just let her skill take over and let her body work without her mind engaging at all.


    I did notice a few times when she was hammering the short sword into shape, that she altered her strikes as her breasts seemed to get in the way. It wasn''t the changed strikes that caught my attention, though. It was the annoyance on her face that she wasn''t being perfect in her work.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I said and stepped forward as she shifted her grip and her breasts got in her way again.


    ¡°Bell! You should never interrupt a cksmith in the middle of...¡± Tsubaki started to berate me.


    I plucked the hammer out of her hand and hung it where it was supposed to go on her rack of tools.


    ¡°You can''t let the metal cool without hammering...¡± Tsubaki tried again.


    I grabbed two handfuls of her breasts and she moaned, despite being angry at me for interrupting her. ¡°These things are fun to y with and you enjoy them, except they are getting in the way of your work.¡± I said and massaged them to distract Tsubaki. It worked as she blushed. ¡°Do you want them to be smaller?¡±


    Tsubaki caught her breath and stared at me. ¡°You... you... how can you...¡±


    ¡°Magic, obviously. I won''t change the sensitivity, just the size.¡± I said and kept massaging her.


    ¡°Bell.¡± Tsubaki closed her eyes and moaned. ¡°Will it be permanent? I know you like them this big.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I made this argument with my Goddess. Your breasts, no matter how perfect they are, do not define you as a person.¡± I said and let herrge globes go and stepped close to lightly kiss her. ¡°It''s not permanent, unless you want it to be. That would take different magic than what I have in mind.¡±


    Tsubaki looked conflicted as she thought about it. ¡°If it''s not too much trouble, I would like to try it.¡±


    I nodded and stepped away from the forge and the heat. ¡°You might need to catch me, because this is going to hurt.¡± I said and kept what she wanted in mind as I spent the magic to create a magical girl transformation wand.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Tsubaki gasped and instantly jumped forward to catch me.


    ¡°AhhhHH!¡± I cried out and copsed into her arms as I took 899 damage from spending 900 magic points. I coughed up blood and felt lightheaded, because I had forgotten I just levelled up and my defense stat was much lower than my magic stat. Much, much lower.


    ¡°SOMEONE GET ME A HEALING POTION!¡± Tsubaki yelled. ¡°RIGHT NOWWWWW!¡±


    I was starting to ck out and held up the magic wand that looked like a stylized hammer with several small shooting starsing off of the top of it, like sparks from hitting an anvil. ¡°Worth it to... give you this.¡± I whispered and my eyes shut without my permission.


    ¡°Bell! Hold on!¡± Tsubaki shouted into my face.


    ¡°Hold... the wand and... imagine... the magic... changing you.¡± I mumbled and felt the wand leave my hand. I couldn''t tell if I dropped it or not. ¡°You... will have... what... you desire most.¡±


    ¡°BELL!¡± Tsubaki yelled as I lost consciousness.


    *


    Both Hephaestus and Hestia had rushed to the forges when they heard Tsubaki''s shout. It had been loud enough to ovee the sound dampening enchantments around her cksmith shop and they heard the desperation in her voice. When they arrived, they saw an unconscious Bell was on the floor with a crying Tsubaki cradling him in her arms as she tried to pour a healing potion down his throat.


    ¡°What happened?!?¡± Hestia almost screeched and ran over to her child. She ignored the nervous man standing off to the side that held two more potions.


    ¡°He cast a strong magic spell before I could stop him.¡± Tsubaki said and didn''t protest when Hestia took Bell from her and settled him onto herp. She handed over the half-empty vial of potion she was using and didn''tment when the heat in the shop suddenly doubled in intensity.


    ¡°My Bell. My handsome Bell. Please drink.¡± Hestia said and slowly tipped the vial into his mouth. She growled when some came back out and he didn''t swallow. ¡°Bell, don''t do this to me! Drink it! I <bmand</b> you to swallow it!¡±


    To Tsubaki''s surprise, Bell''s throat worked and Hestia sighed with relief and poured the potion down his throat. Hephaestus motioned to the man with the potions and he handed both potions to Hestia and she poured them into Bell''s mouth. A small crowd had gathered when they saw the two goddesses running to the forges.


    Hestia sighed with relief again as Bell''s chest rose slightly and he started breathing on his own.


    ¡°I don''t see any damage.¡± Hephaestus said as her eye nced around. ¡°What spell did he cast?¡±


    ¡°It was this.¡± Tsubaki said and started to reach down for the little hammer that Bell had created.


    ¡°He made you a children''s hammer?¡± Welf asked with augh. ¡°What kind of useless spell is that?¡±


    A few of the other cksmithsughed, too.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Tsubaki shouted at them and they all quieted instantly. Her fingers had stopped an infinitesimal distance from the handle.


    ¡°What did my Bell say to you?¡± Hestia asked as she cradled her child on herp and pet his hair.


    Tsubaki was about to respond when her fingertips touched the wand. She gasped as she felt the rightness of it and her hand mped around the handle like a vise. She stood up and a light wind seemed to flow around her. Bell''s words flowed through her mind and she believed them with all of her heart.


    A bright light covered her and everyone looked away, except for Hephaestus. She was used to staring into forges that used suns for heat, so a bright light was nothing to her. Her lone eye widened as she saw Tsubaki''s clothes disappear and then herrge breasts shrunk down to barely a palm-full in size and her arms grew slightly as rippling muscles formed.


    Tsubaki''s long ck hair shrank as well to be just as short as Hephaestus'' own as a skin tight grey and ck bodysuit formed around her legs, waist, and torso. It left her arms bare, which looked great on her, then brightly glowing cksmith tools formed on a thick belt at her waist. Thest thing to appear was a golden breastte with the Hephaestus Familia''s emblem embossed on it.


    The light faded and everyone stared at Tsubaki''s shocking transformation, especially Hephaestus and Hestia, because they could feel the strong magic emanating from the glowing tools on her belt.


    Tsubaki ignored their reactions and knew what she had to do. ¡°Goddess, I need three ounces of your hidden stash of Orichalcum and an ounce of Adamantite. I have the mythril I need already.¡±


    Hephaestus knew her child wouldn''t ask if it wasn''t important. ¡°You know how expensive...¡±


    ¡°I have 500,000 valising from the guild tomorrow.¡± Tsubaki said and everyone gasped. They all knew that was half of the extremely rare Jack Bird drop reward that Bell had found.


    Hephaestus hid her surprise and nodded before she quickly left to get the requested materials. No one said anything as they waited for her to return and Hestia continued to pet Bell''s hair and cuddled him.


    *


    I woke up with a splitting headache and it felt like my insides had been torn up and shredded. I knew that magical bacsh was painful and I usually managed to get through it unscathed. I just hadn''t realized it was only painful when my defense could handle it. When it couldn''t, I suffered actual wounds because of the damage.


    ¡°Don''t move, my Bell.¡± Hestia''s voice whispered in my ear and I felt her lips lightly kiss it. ¡°You were seriously hurt after being so stupid to cast a spell like that.¡±


    I didn''t defend myself by admitting that I thought it would only be a moderately expensive spell and I shouldn''t have been so hurt. I opened my eyes to see where I was and discovered that I was inside Tsubaki''s room.


    ¡°Your Goddess said not to move.¡± Tsubaki whispered into my other ear and she kissed it, too.


    ¡°How... long?¡± I rasped and felt my dry throat. I epted a drink of water from Tsubaki gratefully.


    ¡°It''s been about six hours since you almost killed yourself to give me such a wonderful gift.¡± Tsubaki said and her tongue licked my ear before she suckled on my earlobe.


    Hurt as I was, I sprung right up for her. Tsubaki softlyughed when she saw it and whispered that she regretted she couldn''t use it until I finished healing. I couldn''t even offer to let her do all the work, because thest time she was in control, she broke my hip. Yes, I definitely needed to be fully healed to survive having sex with someone as strong as her.


    I cast a diagnostic spell on myself and saw that I had another 120 points of damage left to heal. When I thought back to the damage I had taken, I knew they must have given me several healing potions to keep me alive long enough to let my regeneration kick in. I hadn''t realized I had been so close to dying until it was pretty much shoved into my face.


    ¡°I still... don''t regret it.¡± I said and my hand went to Tsubaki''s chest. I did not feel the massive breasts she usually had and only cupped a small handful. ¡°How long... can you...¡±


    ¡°Whenever I want to.¡± Tsubaki said and rolled over to press herself into my side. ¡°I''ve never had this much freedom of movement before. It''s like... it''s like I''ve been held back all of my life and... and now I... I''m who I was meant to be.¡±


    I didn''tment that was exactly how Mil-Tan had seen her own transformation and moved my hand up to her face and closed my eyes. ¡°I''m sorry... you had to wait... for my help.¡±


    Tsubaki softlyughed and kissed me several times. ¡°I''m just d you chose the easier option. I can''t imagine what the permanent option would have done to you.¡±


    I thought about that myself and saw the same popup options when I had modified Mil-Tan to change from her normal gender to her preferred gender. The cost was five times in Karma points than what it had been. My mental question to the system gave me my answer.


    <b>Depending on the world and the magic system, your earned Karma points and spendable Karma points are scaled. You can earn more or less and things cost more or less. The inherent magic of certain worlds alters the value of Karma points and what you have avable on that world.


    On this world it is on the more side and everything is more expensive.</b>


    <i>That sucks.</i> I thought and held in my sigh.


    <b>The influence of the gods and goddesses have on this world is significant.


    Their choice to interfere directly in the lives of their subjects and to live as mortals themselves, instead of remaining in Heaven to allow the mortals to worship them properly, has skewed Karma points to the point that they are almost worthless.


    That''s why you haven''t earned much for praying to Hestia while her own Karma has risen exponentially.</b>


    I let my sigh out and the two women in the bed with me cuddled closer.


    ¡°Everything is going to be fine, my Bell.¡± Hestia said from my other side.


    ¡°Praise be to you, My Goddess.¡± I said and she gasped as she glowed briefly.


    ¡°I... I meant because... Tsubaki has made something for you as a thank you.¡± Hestia said, embarrassed.


    ¡°I''m not changing what I said.¡± I moved my hand a little and touched her thigh. ¡°I can''t legally worship Tsubaki, since she isn''t a saint or a deity. She has to settle for me worshipping her transformed body.¡±


    ¡°When you''re better.¡± Tsubaki said and kissed me again. ¡°Go back to sleep if you can. It''ste and we might as well stay in bed until morning. I can give you your gift then.¡±


    ¡°You have to work.¡± I said and yawned. Apparently, being unconscious did not count as sleeping.


    ¡°Only in the morning. My Goddess has seen fit to allow me to apany you into the dungeon in the afternoons.¡± Tsubaki said, very pleased. ¡°The way you dispatch war shadows has impressed her as much as it did me.¡±


    I chuckled at the thought of Hephaestus riding me like Tsubaki had, which shook me, and I groaned at the pain.


    ¡°Bell! Stay still!¡± Hestiamanded and I stiffened, which relieved my aches immediately.


    ¡°Hmm hm.¡± I hummed, since I couldn''t move.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Hestia said and kissed my cheek.


    Tsubaki''s hand slid down to below my waist and showed me that my erection was half pointed up and stayed that way. ¡°This has possibilities.¡±


    I hummed in approval and she nodded.


    ¡°In the morning.¡± Tsubaki said and kissed me, then she nuzzled my neck and went right to sleep. Her hand was still on my erection and I felt it just as much as if I wasn''t immobilized. I couldn''t tell if she was iming it or if she wanted to make sure it wasn''t going to go away and disappoint her.


    ¡°Go to sleep and rest until morning, my Bell.¡± Hestia ordered.


    I didn''t even get a chance to hum in response before I was out like a light.


    *


    Hestia watched her child sleep peacefully. For some reason, she wasn''t envious or jealous of the woman that had her hand wrapped possessively around his... ahem. She knew what could be done with it and she desired it, mostly because Bell was the only one in the world that understood her and what she stood for.


    Her powers had been slowly weakening over the years she had been in the mortal world and she didn''t know why. It wasn''t until Bell started to pray to her that she realized why. She was the goddess of the hearth, and family, and home. And she didn''t have any of that. Until now.


    Bell''s words echoed in her mind as she thought about all that he had given her. A family. A home. A hearth in the form of herself. She could still feel the press of his hand on her belly where his faith in her had stoked a brilliant fire inside of her. She had felt her powers swell as he told her that all he did was for her and he would keep working for her. Not to be rich. Not to be famous. For her.


    Hestia''s small hand reached down and she very carefully ced a single fingertip on the tip of Bell''s... ahem. She felt a thrill go through her at such a simple thing and her finger moved on its own as it slid down slightly and slowly traced the entire edge of his mushroom tip. A bit of clear fluid seeped out the little hole and she felt another thrill because of it. She wasn''t sure why, though.


    Despite her desire to use her fingertip to touch it, Hestia refrained. She knew if she ever did it for real, she wanted Bell to see her do it and to know that she was doing it on purpose and not on a whim. She unconsciously licked her lips at the thought of the look on his face if she did that. His desire for her was clear and she felt so loved and needed that she wanted to do everything for him.


    Hestia knew she couldn''t, though. Bell was right. She needed to keep her powers and her Purification mes untainted. Her job was to guard the precious mes, with her life if need be, and she wouldn''t disappoint her Bell by giving them up. She would be strong for him and give him the home that he deserved. One full of love, and warmth, and full of people that loved him as much as she did.

 32 Encounters

    32 Encounters


    When I woke up again at my mentally predetermined time, thanks to the invisible clock in my head, it was just passed dawn. I also had two hands wrapped tightly around my manhood, one calloused and one delicate. I held in my sigh at that, mostly because I was nervous about Hestia losing her innocence. If she was going to lose it, I would be making sure it was well deserved and wasn''t from her enjoying a groping ident.


    I tried to move my arms and could, which meant Hestia''smands onlysted for as long as she set the condition or when she released them. I did feel well rested and I also felt a lot more powerful. It was just too bad that I couldn''t cast a spell to determine what my Falna said. That required blood from my Goddess and her permission to check it.


    I lifted my head slightly and looked down to see my erection was still there after remaining all night and barely suppressed myugh at the quiterge puddle of clear fluid that had been dripping out of the tip. I cast a cleaning spell and it disappeared, then I cast a lubrication spell on my penis. I was very tempted to use both hands to get off and crushed that thought as I slid both hands up and off of me.


    Released from my first restriction, I had to cast the same lubrication spell on their other hands that gripped my arms tightly to their chests. I also cast it on their chests, just in case, and carefully pulled my arms from their grasps. Two cleaning spellster had the evidence of my escape gone.


    Both women made soft sounds of protest at the loss and I created two soft fluffy towels to rece my arms. Both of them cuddled the softness and stopped moving. I slid out of the bed and quickly dressed in my bodysuit and put on my armor. I had done it enough that it was second nature now and I was finished a momentter.


    I created two bundles of roses for them and left a note, then left the room as quietly as I could. I had debated staying there with them and decided to avoid the whole thing, just because they would be too protective and might restrict me from doing anything today. There was too much to be done for me to rx, even if I had almost died.


    I went to the main building and entered the kitchen. It wasn''t a surprise when I saw the restocked pantry, so I chose to make something simple with a twist. I hard-boiled a bunch of eggs and cooked up sausages, which was going to make a lot of what I wanted, because there was a lot of people in the Hephaestus Familia and they all ate together.


    When the eggs were done, I cut them in half, sliced the cooked sausages into 1 inch sections, and chopped up cheddar cheese, then I created a bunch of wooden skewers and made them into breakfast shish kabobs. I put them on tes and under stasis spells and continued to make more of them.


    A few people entered the dining part of the room while I worked and waited patiently for me to finish.


    ¡°I guess you''re still alive.¡± A man''s voice said from across the room and I ignored him, because he was the asshole that rejected me and I had already dealt with him. ¡°Hey! I''m talking to you!¡±


    ¡°That''s too bad, because I''m not talking to you.¡± I said without turning around. I heard a sword being drawn and picked up a knife that I wasn''t using and whipped around and threw it. It sunk into the man''s shoulder to the hilt and he dropped his sword with a tter.


    The other people in the room looked stunned and the man hissed as he wrapped a hand over the handle of the knife to pull it out.


    ¡°I wouldn''t do that, unless you have a healer around or a spare potion.¡± I said and went back to finishing breakfast. ¡°It''s a serrated de and will cause more damage when you yank it out.¡±


    The man cursed and grumbled about liars and yanked. ¡°ARGH!¡± He yelled and mped a hand over the now excessively bleeding wound as he dropped to his knees.


    ¡°I warned you.¡± I said and did up thest of the shish kabobs and ced them onto a te, cast stasis on it, and set it aside. I turned around and stood there to wait, because myst detection spell let me feel the two goddesses approaching from different directions. I also felt a very strong magicing from Tsubaki.


    When Hephaestus stepped into the room, she sighed at the idiot from her Familia. ¡°If you weren''t such a good cksmith, I would have kicked you out already.¡± She said and grabbed the back of the man''s shirt to lift him up. ¡°Stop angering the only member of our contracted associate Familia.¡±


    ¡°He started it!¡± The man lied.


    ¡°No, I ended it.¡± I said and started serving the food. ¡°Draw a weapon on me again and you''ll lose the arm permanently and not just for the day.¡±


    Hephaestus motioned to one of the others and he ran off to get a healing potion. ¡°I can''t let you harm my people like this. They are under my protection.¡±


    ¡°As am I, or does our contract mean so little to you?¡± I asked and the cksmith goddess kept her face nk. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°My Bell...¡± Hestia started to say.


    ¡°I said I understand, my Goddess.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Familia business before other business.¡±


    Hestia sighed and didn''t say anything else.


    ¡°Goddess Hephaestus, since you won''t order that man to remain civil to someone he clearly hates and doesn''t want here, I will not enter Hephaestus Familiands until required by our contract.¡± I said and quickly left without eating breakfast.


    ¡°Bell!¡± Tsubaki said and ran after me.


    I stopped at the teleportation circle and turned to face her. ¡°I can take a lot before I act, Tsubaki. I easily could have killed him by putting that knife through his eye or his neck. I didn''t. Please tell them that.¡±


    Tsubaki sighed and nodded as she stepped onto the circle.


    ¡°Tsubaki, you can''te with me. You have work to do.¡± I said.


    ¡°You forgot that I have a gift for you.¡± Tsubaki said instead of responding to me and took out a slightly glowing amulet from her pocket. It was on a leather string and it felt warm to the touch when she handed it to me. ¡°I made this for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked and knew it was a very expensive item. I had to wait until I was alone before I could cast a diagnostic spell on it to find out.


    ¡°Magical bacsh is something that can''t be dealt with by normal means. So, I made you something to help you by other means.¡± Tsubaki said and pointed to my neck.


    I took the hint and slipped it on. My breath caught as I felt my skin harden and be thicker.


    ¡°It doesn''t have a name. I can''t figure out what it does besides adjusting your Defense number to be exactly 1 point above your Magic number, no matter what it is.¡± Tsubaki said.


    I stared at her and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°If you cast more high tier magic spells, you''ll still hurt like a fire ant is chewing out your insides.¡± Tsubaki said and leaned in to briefly kiss me. ¡°But, you will never risk dying from magical bacsh ever again. Your regeneration will always keep you alive.¡±


    I locked eyes with her as I watched her step back out of the teleportation circle.


    ¡°You better make a personal room for yourself at the church, because I will be staying over asionally.¡± Tsubaki said and smirked at me. ¡°You need to invest in some spells and runes for silence, too.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that and ced a hand over my heart as I bowed to her. ¡°See you after lunch?¡±


    Tsubaki nodded and waved.


    I activated the magic circle and disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared at the church. Crossing most of the city instantly for a drop of magic was a hell of a lot better than walking all that way. Then again, there was no spot in between above the surface, so in order to get to the Guild to pick up the money for the Golden Egg, it had to be done the long way.


    I would do that after recing Hestia''s old statue with a new one and adding a lot of protection spells around the property. In fact, I would do that first and I would do the same to each teleportation circle at the first opportunity, now that I wouldn''t die from casting higher tier magic.


    Myughter kept me in a good mood as I worked, because my minor regeneration skill would keep getting a good workout for the next while.


    *


    Tsubaki was tempted... very tempted... to remove the annoyance that made her lover leave. The man must have sensed her hatred, because he avoided being anywhere near her, no matter where she went. The rest of the Familia sensed it as well, probably because she kept her glowing magic hammer in her hand and red at anyone that tried toment about her boyfriend running away.


    Hephaestus had a whispered conversation with her reestablished friend Hestia and knew that she couldn''t rescind her deration and also couldn''t force someone else''s child to bend to her will, despite her inherent power and her authority as both the head of a Familia and a descended Goddess. The one time she tried had backfired and almost ruined her child''s new rtionship.


    When asked about it, Hestia refused to disclose Bell''s skills and abilities, with the excuse that Hephaestus would never tell anyone about her children''s skills unless she was bragging, which Hephaestus never did. The cksmith goddess sighed at the truth in her words and didn''t press the matter.


    *


    The streets were deserted, since it was still fairly early in the morning. I continued my spam-casting of magic detection and no one was anywhere within 150 feet of me as I walked towards the Guild Hall. It was a bit of a cheat to pump my magic stat up, especially since I could regenerate a tier of damage within an hour.


    A very strong magical presence suddenly appeared within reach behind me, so I whipped around as I drew the mythril sword strapped to my hip. I had been so used to reacting like that inside the dungeon that my sword powered up with Light magic automatically and had passed through the neck of the thing before I could blink.


    I had a brief glimpse of shock on the blue-haired barmaid''s face with her hands extended towards me, when a bright light glowed from inside of her and lit up the entire street. I had to cover my eyes briefly from the bright sh and barely saw the beam of light pierce the sky before it disappeared.


    When I looked down at the decapitated body, it no longer looked like a barmaid and had changed into a scantily dressed silver-haired woman with that same look of shock on her face. The small monster crystal in her hands had fallen to the side.


    ¡°Oops.¡± I whispered and quickly reached down and tossed the body and head into my backpack. A touch of magic cleaned the blood up and I grabbed the crystal before I ran to the side of the street and down an alleyway. I didn''t want to be anywhere near there when people came to investigate the giant pir of light.


    If my guess was right, every god and goddess in the city could have seen and possibly felt that. I cast several barrier and blocking spells on my backpack and made my way to the Guild Hall using the back streets. I entered the building as most of the adventurers were running out.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± I asked, pretending ignorance.


    ¡°Someone ran in here and said they saw a Heaven''s Ascension Pir!¡± A man said and ran by me to follow the others.


    ¡°A what?¡± I asked, never having heard that term before.


    ¡°It''s a local term for the beam of light when a god or goddess leaves the lower world to return to Heaven.¡± A sultry voice said.


    I turned to look at who spoke. My eyes widened at a fairly busty redheaded woman with red ears behind the main counter and I walked over with my hand out. ¡°I haven''t seen you here before. I''m Bell Cranel.¡±


    ¡°I know who you are.¡± She said and gave my offered hand a cursory look before she briefly shook it and let it go. ¡°Rose Fa.¡±


    ¡°I don''t recognize your ears or tail. Do you mind if I ask what type they are?¡± I asked as a conversation starter.


    ¡°Werewolf.¡± Rose said and her eyes roamed over my armored form and she looked slightly impressed.


    ¡°I can honestly say you''re the first long-haired werewolf I''ve ever met.¡± I said and one of her eyebrows rose. ¡°Can you guess what my next question is?¡±


    ¡°If it''s about dating adventurers, the answer is no.¡± Rose said, her tone t.


    I smiled at her shutting me down when I wasn''t even trying to pick her up. ¡°Does your hair stay long when you transform or does it somehow shrink or disappear?¡±


    Rose looked slightly confused. ¡°Why would it shrink or disappear? It''s my hair.¡±


    ¡°I meant when you be a werewolf during the full moon or even the full transformation into a wolf form. If you kept the long hair, you would be the shaggiest werewolf in existence.¡± I rified for her.


    Rose looked really confused now. ¡°What are you talking about? I''m already a werewolf.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at her for several seconds. ¡°You''re already a werewolf? You don''t mean...¡± I paused and gave her another searching look. ¡°This is your transformation?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course not. I can''t activate my beastification until the night of the full moon and only if I''m feeling angry.¡± Rose told me.


    I had to blink my eyes for several seconds again. ¡°I think I''m misinformed about what a were-person is. Do you think we could go to a private booth and you can exin things to me? Please?¡±


    Rose tilted her head slightly. ¡°That''s an odd way to get me alone to ask me out, I''ll give you that.¡±


    I didn''t bother correcting her and looked at the man behind her. ¡°I''ll be back in a little while. Inform the Guild Section Leader I''m here for the Golden Egg payout.¡±


    Rose gasped and her ears and tail puffed right out.


    ¡°I''ll let Rehmer know.¡± The man said with a slight bow.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and looked at the now clearly nervous redhead.


    ¡°R-r-right this way.¡± Rose said and led me across the room to a private area. We sat down and she stayed quiet as her eyes darted around and seemed to be examining me for something. Whatever it was, she didn''t find it.


    ¡°Can you tell me about werewolves and their powers and abilities?¡± I asked.


    Rose blushed. ¡°I... well... we''re not really supposed to. It''s very personal and...¡±


    ¡°I have a skill called Minor Regeneration. I can heal a tier''s rank of damage in an hour.¡± I interrupted.


    Rose caught her breath and stared at me for a full minute before she recovered. ¡°If you''re being that open about such an important skill, then I should be as well.¡± She said and took a deep breath, let it out, and started to exin. ¡°Werewolves are a sub-species of...¡±


    I soon discovered that my preconceptions of werewolves and were-people were way off in this world.

 33 Fallout

    33 Fallout


    On one hand, I was quite d I wasn''t in a world where random were people gathered up on the night of the full moon, howled and transformed, and became feral and ate any locals stupid enough to be outside.


    On the other hand, their beastification skill was only a minor boost to their stats, unless they levelled up several times and then it could reach a double boost and sometimes a triple boost, if they were lucky. The problem was that it was still limited to the one night a month and could only be activated while under moonlight and pretty much useless in the dungeon.


    I had a sudden thought and shared it. ¡°What if a werewolf activated their skill first and then entered the dungeon?¡±


    Roseughed a goodugh and it sounded pleasant to my ears. ¡°Even our strongest werewolves would run out of stamina and be exhausted before reaching the second floor. It''s unthinkable that any of them would get lower than that.¡±


    I knew that was true, since each descent to a lower level was that much farther away than thest and you always had to cross it to the other side to go down to the next level. Rose then exined that they did have spells and enchantments they had researched and created over the years, just so they could simte moonlight, only they were expensive and still only worked on the night of the full moon.


    I reached across the small table and took her hand. ¡°I''m so sorry that your people''s main racial skill is so limited.¡±


    Rose looked stunned and needed a moment to recover. ¡°You are genuinely sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°I really am. You have this great addition to your life that you can''t take advantage of, just because it only makes you exceptional on one night a month and only if you stay above ground.¡± I said and for fun, since I was holding her hand anyway, chose to check what I could do with her as a temporary party member.


    I barely managed to keep my face straight as I read that for a measly 300 karma points, I could essentially upgrade her and unlock her ability to be used once a day and it was another 100 to give her both the werewolf and full wolf forms. Since everything was about ten times the cost here, that wasughably cheap.


    ¡°Have you ever wanted to be an adventurer?¡± I asked her instead of what I really wanted to ask.


    ¡°I... no, I... why would you ask me that?¡± Rose asked.


    I patted her hand and cast the truth spell. ¡°Tell me what you really think about your job.¡±


    ¡°I hate having to watch adventurers go to their deaths. I can only advise them to not go and I can''t stop them from being hurt. I have to force myself to not care when men pledge eternal love to me, because I know they will one day nevere back from that deathtrap and I''m afraid I''ll be alone forever.¡± Rose said, her voice full of conviction, then she gasped and pulled her hand away from mine.


    ¡°I assume you are a member of the Ouranos Familia?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Would you be insulted if I asked you to leave and join my Familia?¡±


    ¡°I would be.¡± Rose said. ¡°They took me in when I had nothing and I have a job and a life now.¡±


    I did not remind her that she hated her job. ¡°Then forgive me for asking you to give that up.¡±


    ¡°I will consider it.¡± Rose said.


    I reached into my backpack and created a single rose. The wide eyes she gave me let me know two things. One, she could feel magic when it was used near her. Two, she couldn''t tell what the magic was. With that in mind, I created five more roses and her tail puffed out as her ears stood straight up.


    ¡°A gift for you, to match your name and eye-catching coloring.¡± I said and changed the color of the roses to match her bright red hair and took out the half-bouquet from my backpack.


    Rose gasped when she saw them and her hands shook as she epted the six roses. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±


    I smiled and stood, gave her a slight bow, and left the small private area. I walked over to the exchange area and the dog-man was there with arge treasure chest. I nodded to him and he nodded back. I took out the Golden Egg from my backpack and held it up.


    Rehmer ced the wooden chest onto the counter and sighed. ¡°I''ll call some helpers to help count it and prove that it''s all there.¡±


    I cast a diagnostic spell on it and inside was 1,000,000 valis. It also had three tracking spells on it and a magic beacon inside of it. A second casting couldn''t tell me who put them there or who would be tracking it. That made me change my ns for the rest of the morning.


    ¡°There''s no need of that, Guild Section Leader. I willpletely depend upon your honor and will trust the Guild to not cheat me again.¡± I said as a direct challenge.


    The dog-man''s face drained of color and he reached for the chest to try and take it back.


    I ced the Golden Egg into his hands and intentionally misdirected him, picked up the chest, and signed the receipt. ¡°I hope the Guild enjoys the fruits of theirbour.¡± I verbally prodded him and his eyes never strayed from the chest. ¡°Have a good day.¡±


    Almost as soon as I turned around, he ran around the counter and over to the main one, went around that, and entered the office at the back of the room. I chuckled under my breath as he tried, probably quite fruitlessly, to contact whomever he hired to retrieve the chest.


    My having the chest as evidence was damning enough for him. If I also caught the thieves and brought them and the chest back to the Guild, his reputation would be ruined after my loud promation. He might even lose his job or his life.


    I nced back when I reached the door and saw the pink-haired girl giving me a re. I gave her a little wave and left with a smile on my face. Now I wondered when they would discover that the Golden Egg was only a transfigured piece of armor with a copy of the same magical signature inside?


    Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times? Fuck you, too.


    *


    Canoe Belway was a crafty and greedy roon-man and a member of the Soma Familia. He was a terrible drunk and did not treat his friends well and treated his subordinates worse. Everything he did was to get money, just as the head of his Familia had ordered, and he was good at it. He abused the poor support member the Familia owned and he always stole things from her after he beat her.


    ¡°Make sure you grab that chest as soon as we distract the idiot.¡± Canoe ordered and kicked the short girl with the giant backpack to the ground. ¡°Do you understand? Grab it and go! We get a quarter of whatever is inside of it and we won''t lose this chance because you''re too slow!¡±


    Liliruca Arde held her tongue when she was tempted to insult the actual idiot. She rubbed her side and slowly stood as she swore in her mind that she would get her revenge on him and all the other members of the Soma Familia someday. No one steals from her and beats her without consequences. Her thoughts went to the chest and whatever it contained.


    <i>If it was so valuable that they got to keep a quarter of it for returning it to the Guild, then maybe it was worth keeping all of it and never telling the guild?</i> Lili asked herself and adjusted her too light backpack. She hated that the fool thought she could move faster by forcing her to empty most of her pack. The truth was, she moved slower because her skill wasn''t activating with so little weight for her to carry.


    ¡°The magic beacon is down there.¡± One of the other men whispered and pointed down an alley.


    ¡°Great! I know this area like the back of my hand.¡± Canoe boasted, a bit too loudly.


    ¡°SHHH!¡± The other two men hissed at him.


    Lili just stood behind them and shook her head as she wondered how the Soma Familia survived with this many drunk fools as members.


    ¡°Split up.¡± Canoe said as he ignored them. ¡°You go that way, you go there to the basement. It goes through. I''ll go this way and the shrimp cane around the side to swipe the chest when we jump the guy.¡±


    The other two gave each other looks, shrugged, and moved off.


    ¡°Did you hear that and understand it, stupid?¡± Canoe asked Lili. ¡°Go to the side and do your job!¡±


    Lili gave him a nk face and moved off to where he said to go. As she walked, she grabbed everything she could along the way. She needed more weight to move and she almost rejoiced out loud when she saw several stone blocks used for building. They went into her backpack and she sighed when her skill activated and she felt light as a feather.


    ¡°GET HIM!¡± Canoe yelled and ran down the street. The other two idiots came out from the other directions and the guy stood there over the chest. He was bent over and looked tired from carrying it.


    <i>Perfect! If it''s heavy, that''s even better for me.</i> Lili thought and started to move.


    The short girl that was 3 feet and 7 inches tall, had taken exactly seven running steps and was only three away from the chest when the three attackers seemed to freeze in ce. Literally. They were covered in ice from head to toe. A secondter, all three heads fell to the ground.


    Lili gasped when her backpack caught on something and she felt an immense presence all around her. Her hand was only an inch away from the treasure chest and she despaired as her dreams of robbing the robbers died a quick death.


    ¡°Hi, there.¡± A pleasant voice said as the pressure disappeared.


    Lili blinked her eyes and wondered what was going to happen now, because she still couldn''t move. Her fingers seemed to move on their own as they wiggled to try and at least touch the treasure chest.


    ¡°Oh, you want that?¡± The voice asked and armored man walked into sight.


    Lili caught her breath when she saw the beautifully crafted orange-yellowish me colored armor. Her eyes appraised it all she shivered at how much it could be sold for. Her gaze went up and up and stopped at the Familia Emblem on the chestte. She knew that symbol and everyone thought it was a joke Familia because no one had joined it in years.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± The man said and picked up the chest and handed it to her.


    Lili couldn''t believe it. ¡°You... you... are you an idiot like them, too?¡±


    The manughed andughed, bent over, and pped a hand on his knee. ¡°You''re... too... funny!¡±


    Lili saw the clear amusement on his face and in his eyes. She couldn''t stop her ownugh from bubbling out andughed with him.


    ¡°Go... go ahead and open it.¡± He said and motioned to the chest. ¡°Hooo. Hoooo. That was a goodugh. I needed that.¡± He stood up and took off his backpack.


    Lili stared as he put the frozen heads into the bag and she epted that, then he shoved all three ice covered bodies in as well. ¡°Those aren''t supposed to fit in a bag that small!¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°I fixed it.¡± He said and slung it over his shoulders. ¡°Are you going to open that or what?¡±


    Lili thought he was ying a trick on her or something, so she shook her head and put the chest down.


    ¡°I want you to have it.¡± He said and bent down onto a knee and used a hand to open thetch and flipped it open.


    Lili gasped at what it had inside. Valis. Piles and piles of valis.


    ¡°I believe the Guild said you could keep a quarter of whatever was inside the chest, didn''t they?¡± The man asked and she nodded without realizing she just admitted the Guild hired them to rob him. ¡°That''s 100,000 valis. Do you want to take 25,000 now or after we head back to the guild?¡±


    Lili was too stunned to speak. Plus, her backpack was stuck on whatever it was and her feet weren''t touching the ground to move anyway.


    ¡°The Guild it is. That''s a great choice. Thank you for helping me, Lili.¡± The man said and closed the chest and handed it to her.


    Lili could only nod because she was too shocked by him letting her carry 100,000 valis! 100,000!


    The man chuckled at her stunned face and picked her up, backpack and all, and carried her through the city''s back streets towards the Guild Hall. It wasn''t until they were passing through the doors of the Guild Hall that Lili realized he had carried her and her massive burden all that way.


    ¡°Hello, Guild Section Head Rehmer! Guess what happened to me on the way home?¡± The man asked.


    The pitiful whines of a sad dog-man echoed loudly throughout the whole Guild building. All Lili could do was wonder who this me-covered man was and why he willingly gave her 25,000 valis for robbing him.


    *


    I was not surprised when the Guild shut down for the day and I was granted a very rare meeting with the god of the Ouranos Familia himself, Ouranos. His right hand man that led us to the meeting was just a floating cloak filled with bones. I wasn''t going to judge him, though. His concealing spells were quite good.


    The meeting room was a gigantic room the size of a stadium and the only chair was atop a partial pyramid and only part of the massive room was lit by magical lights. It caused an eerie and I suspected a quite intentional atmosphere of intimidation.


    ¡°You are causing the city a lot of problems, Bell Cranel.¡± The deep booming voice of the man in the high throne said. Well, orated. Only Lili and myself were his audience, so it was kind of a waste to use his divine power for something so mundane.


    ¡°It''s not my fault your Section Leader is a crook and a thief.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°It is my fault the corruption was discovered, so you''re wee and I expect rpense of an appropriate nature.¡±


    Lili made a choking sound and I lightly patted her back.


    ¡°You are in no ce to demand anything.¡± The cloaked being said.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure I was the one that was being ripped off and robbed by the Guild. I could easily demand that you fire everyone for ipetence and then hire people who actually want to do the job.¡± I said.


    Lili shifted in my arms and I patted her back again. ¡°You can put me down now.¡±


    ¡°I can''t. I need you as a hostage.¡± I said and both Lili and the cloaked figure sucked in sharp breaths. ¡°Just the chest, the magic beacon, the tracking charms, and my word is not enough. A witness to the Soma Familia''spliance in robbing both the Guild and the Hestia Familia is needed to bring their god to heel and clear out their criminals.¡±


    Lili looked like a deer caught in a car''s headlights as she stared at me.


    ¡°I''m going to demand Soma hand over all of his current stock of wine to me, even the good stuff. No one tries to rob me of a million valis. No one.¡± I told her and she fainted.


    ¡°I cannot enforce that.¡± Ouranos said.


    ¡°I''m not asking you to. I''m telling you to announce that as the judgment against their Familia members and that everyone else is forbidden to buy anything from them until they do.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see how that would work.¡± The cloaked figure said.


    ¡°The Guild will refuse all business with anyone not inpliance.¡± I said and looked up at the god of the guild''s face. The small smile there let me know I had won.


    ¡°It will be done as soon as you hand over the real Golden Egg.¡± Ouranos said.


    I took it out from my pocket and tossed it to the cloaked figure. ¡°I was only holding it in trust.¡±


    Ouranos chuckled. ¡°You nned this.¡±


    ¡°Only when the pieces fell into ce. If there hadn''t been charms on the treasure chest, I would have handed over the real egg. Half of the proceeds belong to my dungeon partner.¡±


    ¡°Honor and honesty. How refreshing.¡± Ouranous said.


    Iughed. ¡°Do you want the bodies to show off? They made cool ice statues.¡±


    It was the cloaked figure that chuckled this time. ¡°It might be fun to show what happens to thieves.¡±


    I shifted Lili to one arm and dug into my backpack with the other. A summon spell brought out the ice pieces and both Ouranos and the cloaked figure chuckled at the severed heads and dramatic poses of the bodies.


    ¡°This will definitely be fun.¡± The cloaked figure said happily and gathered the pieces up.

 34 A Short Dry Spell

    34 A Short Dry Spell


    Word seemed to spread like lightning across the city that the Soma Familia was being sanctioned by the Guild for robbing them and another Familia. Their alcohol was prohibited for sale and anyone caught selling it or buy it, would be barred from both the Guild Hall and the dungeon.


    It was a huge scandal, especially when a high ranking Familia was hired for a moderate fee to arrest and bring in the head of the Soma Familia for his illegal policies of robbing people with both the excessive profits of their wines and anyone that they worked with in the dungeon were scammed.


    The whole sordid mess was revealed and a judgment was levied against the entire Soma Familia. They were to hand over their entire stock to the wronged party or they would be forcibly disbanded, not that there were many left that could protest anything. Their god hadn''t been seen in almost a decade and was more concerned with perfecting his wines than he was for taking care of his Familia.


    To everyone''s surprise, the Hephaestus Familia stepped forward to defend the Hestia Familia, their contracted ally, and took possession of the Soma Familia''spound. The remaining Soma Familia were easily defeated and sent to the holding cells in the Guild basement to be judged. Only a few people were surprised when they were all found guilty, since their former Head named Zanis Lustra had ordered them to be crooks and thieves.


    The only ones to escape retribution was one of their retired members named Chandra Ihit and their sole support person, a 15 year old prum named Liliruca Arde. She had been weed with open arms into the Hestia Familia that the Soma Familia tried to rob and she seemed very happy about the entire thing. She was d that her old Familia had been wrecked so thoroughly and no one would ever know that it was her testimony that had sealed the fate of her old Familia.


    *


    I walked through the warehouses of wine barrels and was tempted to burn it all. I knew of the slightly addictive nature of the wine and how people would go deep into debt to get one more ss of the divinely enchanted wine. The sad part was that I knew they were given a cheap substitute for the real thing and only sold the regr failures of the brewers to the people.


    The Soma Familia members kept the good stuff for themselves and only a select few, namely the gods, goddesses, and their Familia executives, ever received the real wine that was considered the god Soma''s prized vintages. Even gods and goddesses, with their divine natures, could get drunk from them.


    I instead brought out transfigured chests with expansion charms inside of them and summoned all of the barrels. They were stored properly and then I teleported them to the Hestia Church, because no one was around and I didn''t want to reveal that I could teleport to any teleportation circle from anywhere and not only from another circle.


    The judgment of no wine was pretty harsh on the entire city, which was the point, and it would take a long time for the Soma Familia to both rebuild their members and then to brew up the wines needed for sale. They were lucky that I only asked for the current stock and not for their supplies as well.


    If Soma was careful, he could brew up a decent vintage in under a year, a good mid-range one in three, and if he was ambitious, a solid vintage in ten years. It was almost funny that I knew about that, which made me realize brewing wine could be a skill anyone could learn. Iughed about giving Soma some pointers and chose not to, because I was thinking of trying it out for myself when I had the time.


    After clearing out the warehouses and tucking a single trunk into my backpack, I found Tsubaki near the front gates as she held off a group of recovering drunks trying to bribe her into letting them inside. I chuckled at this and took all of the offered money and asked Tsubaki to step aside. She sighed and did so, then the mob ran by us and into thepound. They wouldn''t find anything.


    ¡°Let''s go. We''re done here.¡± I said and Tsubaki made a loud whistle sound and the rest of the Hephaestus Familia members that came to help us, ran over to us. ¡°Drinks are on me.¡±


    ¡°YAAAY!¡± They cheered and both Tsubaki and I were carried back to the Hephaestus Familiapound to have a party.


    Half an hourter, I learned that I couldn''t get drunk and that everyone else could, except for another person. Liliruca Arde. We both retreated from the party before it got too rowdy and I wasn''t surprised when she ended up with me inside Tsubaki''s room.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lili asked me as she looked up from her 3 foot 7 inch height to my 5 foot 8 inch height.


    ¡°I told you I needed you.¡± I said and took off my backpack.


    Lili did the same and sighed. ¡°They lied like that, too.¡±


    I held in my chuckle at remembering her asking me if I was an idiot like them. ¡°That''s the difference between them and me. I meant it.¡± I said and slipped off my chest and back armor.


    Lili''s eyes followed the movement and closed her mouth when I put the armor inside my backpack.


    I took off the rest of the pieces and kicked off my boots. ¡°If you''re asking why I let youplete the deal to bring the treasure chest back to the guild, it''s a bitplicated.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lili asked and her eyes roamed over me, because I was left in just my bodysuit.


    ¡°Because.¡± I said with a smirk and she huffed.


    Lili stopped breathing when I pulled the bodysuit off and I was only wearing my boxer shorts.


    ¡°I removed most of the valis from the chest to save it, since half of it wasn''t mine to y with. I also left enough inside to be easily divided into quarters, because I figured that there might be a magic contract involved. It is the Guild we''re talking about and they ensure that they are protected.¡±


    Lili took a breath and let it out. ¡°The receipts.¡±


    I smiled when she got it right away. ¡°We arepleting a verbal contract by signing for the payoffs.¡±


    ¡°That... why does that make so much sense?¡± Lili asked.


    ¡°Because you''re smart. Smarter than a bunch of drunk idiots.¡± I said and saw the pleased look on her face, until I motioned to the bed. ¡°Would you like to join me? To sleep I mean. Everyone else will be busy for the rest of the evening.¡±


    Lili''s eyes narrowed at me. ¡°Just to sleep?¡±


    I had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°I freely admit that you are absolutely adorable and I may not keep my hands to myself. My personal Goddess is Hestia, after all.¡± I said and she blushed. I climbed into bed and patted the nket beside me.


    ¡°I''m keeping my clothes on.¡± Lili said and took off her old cloak. Her clothes were still frayed and worn in spots, because she refused to spend any of the 25,000 valis I had paid her.


    My eyes drank in her perfectly shaped body and Lili blushed again.


    ¡°How can you look at me like that?¡± Lili asked as she climbed into bed with me.


    ¡°You do realize that if you were my height, you would be considered one of the most perfect women in the world?¡± I asked her and she gasped. ¡°Your proportions are perfect and in direct scale with your height, so if you were two feet taller, you would turn everyone''s head with how gorgeous you are.¡±


    Lili could do nothing but stare at me with that revtion.


    ¡°Unlike everyone else, I can see past what you think is a detriment, your height, and I can see you for who you really are.¡± I said and I reached for her.


    Lili didn''t resist as I pulled her in and turned her around to spoon at her back. ¡°A thief and a liar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. It was the only way you could survive where you were and I don''t me you for it.¡± I said and lightly kissed the back of her neck, which made her shiver. ¡°However, like My Goddess said when you joined our Familia, we are your home now. Our family is the hearth you need to warm yourself against.¡±


    Lili hugged my arm across her waist and shook slightly, probably from a silent sob.


    ¡°We are the people who care for you, because we know what it''s like to have no one else.¡± I said and gave her neck another kiss. ¡°We had nothing before we found each other a few weeks ago and now look at us. We''re on our way to earning a lot of money and bing well known. That we found you so soon was a blessing from the gods and goddesses.¡±


    ¡°You... you were... looking for me?¡± Lili asked between silent sobs as she wiped at her eyes.


    ¡°Of course I was. After I made enough money to be sure I could support my Familia, I''ve been keeping my eye out for giant backpacks. I suspect your movements were nowhere near the same as mine, though. I''ve been so busy with everything going on and running around the city that I''ve only been to the dungeon once.¡±


    ¡°And caught the legendary Jack Bird.¡± Lili said, her voice t.


    ¡°Actually, it pretty much assaulted my face and impaled itself on my awesome me-shaped helmet.¡± I said and she stiffened. ¡°I had two ck eyes and a bruised nose for a while, too.¡±


    Lili''s snort and muffledugh made me smile.


    ¡°I shouted, what the hell, chicken? Get in my pot! I''m gonna cook you for that!¡± I said with a high pitched voice and she shook in my arms as sheughed, still trying to muffle herself. ¡°Then it went poof and the egg dropped into my hand. I tried to crack it and make an omelette, because I was hungry and who doesn''t want a golden omelette, and it broke the pan.¡± I said with a sad voice.


    Lili burst outughing and hugged my arm tightly.


    ¡°I know, I know. My revenge on the chicken will be unrequited forever...¡±


    Liliughed andughed, her body almost moving on its own, and her clothes were soon on the floor. She was now facing me and her face was full of happiness and had tears in her eyes. ¡°Do you really...¡±


    ¡°I would like nothing more.¡± I whispered and kissed her.


    ¡°MMMM!¡± Lili moaned as my hands went to her cute little ass and she felt my distinct hardness grow between us and it pressed against her. She rocked her hips, as if she could move my underwear out of the way by her force of will alone, so I quickly whipped them off and slid just the tip inside of her extremely wet and tight slit. ¡°OHHHHH!¡±


    I felt like I was soaked down there and regretted having the nket in the way. I tossed it off and rolled Lili onto her back. Her face was bright red and she looked both fearful and full of anticipation. If just that bit made her do that, what would all of it do?


    I kissed her passionately and pushed my way inside her, inch by inch, and her moan went louder and louder until I was almost all the way inside and bottomed out. Lili cried out and was muffled by the kiss, then her legs wrapped around me and urged me to keep going. I did.


    I slowly backed out and her grip was like a vise. It felt wonderful and different than anyone else I had ever been with. I whispered that to her as I slid back inside. Lili moaned into my ear and told me to go faster, then she bit my earlobe as if to hold on and put her arms around my neck.


    I didn''t need any more prompting that she was okay, so I started working her over. My light touches, my constant movement, and my lips on her neck, drove her wild. Her panting moans were still loud, even with most of my ear in her mouth, and we were soaking the bed as she kept getting off.


    I was getting close, so I figured I better warn her of one of the benefits of being in my bed. ¡°By the way, I can''t get you pregnant until I use magic to make sure.¡±


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Lili screamed as I filled her up and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.


    I pulled out andid down beside her. The very happy expression on her face let me know that I had done my best with her for our first time together. Teaching her about forey could wait untilter.


    ¡°You''rrre a cheatinnnng basssstard.¡± Tsubaki''s slurred voice said from the doorway.


    ¡°You don''t believe that any more than I do.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°How many men have you slept with over the years? Were you cheating on them with me?¡±


    Tsubaki looked confused.


    ¡°Come to bed.¡± I said and she stepped into the room. She stumbled, actually. Her hand reached back and grabbed something, and pulled.


    ¡°Brrrought you a presssent.¡± Tsubaki slurred as none other that Hephaestus appeared. Her white shirt was opened to the waist and her cheeks were flushed red.


    ¡°Drunken one night stand?¡± I asked her.


    Hephaestus nodded. ¡°You said... seduce for... the armor secret. I want it.¡±


    I gave Tsubaki a look and she nodded. ¡°I guess that''s one way to ensure we never break the contract.¡±


    Hephaestus softlyughed and walked over to the bed. Her tight pants were already open and barely hung on her hips.


    ¡°Tsubaki got you going first?¡± I asked and Hephaestus tossed off her shirt and her pants dropped to the floor. She was not wearing anything underneath.


    ¡°Took... a while.¡± Tsubaki said and dropped onto the bed beside Lili. ¡°Huh. She''s cute.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have more fun with her tomorrow.¡± I said and gave my full attention to Hephaestus. ¡°Do you want a full round or just a quick go?¡±


    Hephaestus gave Tsubaki a look, only to see the woman close her eyes and start to snore.


    ¡°You heard us a few times, so you need a full round.¡± I said and stood up to let Hephaestusy down on the bed. I dove between her legs for her dripping opening and she cried out, as if she was shocked I would do that, then she gripped my hair and ground herself against my mouth and tongue.


    I stayed there until she got off twice and cast a cleaning spell on myself before I moved up to look into her eye. ¡°Eye patch on or off?¡±


    Hephaestus looked a bit scared.


    ¡°Off it is.¡± I said and pulled it off before she could react, then I shoved myself inside of her and kissed her ruined eye instead of her lips.


    Hephaestus cried out with both pain and pleasure as I did that. I started to pick up the pace and kissed her on the lips. She seemed to really enjoy doing that as her tongue came in to y and her moans turned soft and inviting. I wasn''t sure if it was the intimacy or because I had kissed her eye and epted her, damage and all.


    In any case, the Goddess of the Forge was really getting into it and encouraged me to as well. I did and made sure to wallow in as much of her as she could stand. When it was time for me to finish, I gave her the same magic exnation about pregnancy and sheughed.


    ¡°The gods and goddess can''t have children, not even with each other, Bell.¡± Hephaestus said.


    Since I was currently inside of her and about to blow my load, I ignored her response and let go. She moaned as she felt me fill her up, more than she probably had before, and she kept her arms wrapped around me to stop me from moving or pulling out.


    I checked with the system and it said the same thing it had thest time I checked in thest world, only it also showed a new scale with the different races added. The biggest addition was the one in bold at the very bottom that had just activated because of my query.


    ¡°What if I told you I could... eventually... get a goddess pregnant?¡± I asked her.


    Hephaestus softlyughed. ¡°You want to do the impossible? What a weird fantasy to have.¡± She gently kissed me once, twice, and guided my head to rest on her shoulder, which meant she wasn''t going to be letting me go anytime soon.


    I did not tell her that I really could do it. I just had to gather 1,000,000 Karma somehow.

 35 Unintended Intentions

    35 Unintended Intentions


    I woke up when there was a soft distressed sound from underneath me. I opened my eyes and saw the severely blushing face of a very embarrassed Goddess Hephaestus. It took me a moment to realize why she had made a distress sound. My morning wood had grown inside of her and she was gripping me quite hard down there.


    Instead of saying anything, like stupidly apologizing, I gave her a soft and tender kiss. This seemed to set her right back into the mindset that we were having sex and she moaned as her tongue came out to dance with mine. I started to move my hips and she did as well, almost eagerly, and I deepened the kiss and sped up my movements.


    Hephaestus moaned and wrapped her arms and legs around me. It was like she was a different person when you brought her emotions out. She was shy, caring, passionate, and desirable. It was almost theplete opposite of how she acted when she was doing business or working in the forges.


    Half an hourter, Hephaestus came hard and hugged me tightly as she kissed me passionately. Her arms and legs didn''t want to let me go and I wasn''t going to ask her to. She looked conflicted enough without me actively trying to turn down her affection. When I ced a gentle kiss on her damaged eye, she stiffened.


    ¡°That actually happened?¡± Hephaestus asked, surprised. ¡°I thought I dreamed that.¡±


    I kissed all around the eye and then kissed her on the lips. I rested my head back on her shoulder and stayed there inside of her, just like I had all night. ¡°I need to sleep with you...¡± I paused and calcted the Karma points needed in my head. ¡°...four more times to gather enough magic to remove the curse from your eye.¡±


    Hephaestus let out an odd sound. ¡°How... how did you know...¡±


    ¡°Expensive diagnostic spell.¡± I said and closed my eyes. Her body was surprisinglyfortable toy on with her muscles in all the right ces, which clued me in as to why some girls enjoyed sleeping on me. ¡°It''s actually three and a half; but, I''m not stopping halfway with you when we''re in bed together. That''s just rude.¡±


    Hephaestus didn''t say anything at all for several minutes. ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°Hestia won''t be angry about this. We''re the Familia that provides a feeling of warmth and home.¡± I said.


    ¡°But... I thought...¡± Hephaestus didn''t finish that sentence.


    ¡°I can still be annoyed at you for your actions, especially when they slighted me. That doesn''t mean I can''t care about you like my Goddess does. I want what''s best for her and that means doing my best for you and your Familia.¡±


    Hephaestus slid an arm up from my back and her calloused hand cupped the side of my face. ¡°I''m sorry about what happened when we first met. I saw something I never saw before and I needed to know how it was possible. I haven''t made an entire armored outfit for a single person before, let alone made them all match and look so good. Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I did promise to tell you the secret.¡± I said and propped myself up on my arms as I lifted my chest off of her. It ground my erection into her a little and she squirmed under me. ¡°You definitely had a great seduction technique that worked like a charm.¡±


    Hephaestus blushed, because her technique had been tossing off her clothes and being naked.


    ¡°You''re as cute as Hestia when you make faces like that.¡± I said and pulled out a little, then pushed back in.


    Hephaestus moaned and reached down to either help or get me to stop, so I sped up to distract her.


    ¡°I bought a bunch of your junk from the floor you store everything in the Tower of Babel and made each piece of my armor from them.¡± I said and she gasped, which just happened to coincide with me hitting a good spot inside her and she came. ¡°That''s right. I took the garbage from your students and made it into what you saw.¡±


    ¡°Why... how... go faster!¡± Hephaestus shouted and her hands gripped my hips to help.


    ¡°There was no way I was getting anywhere near a forge to make it the long way. I was less than a ve because I didn''t have a Familia at first. When I did join one, I had no money to rent or buy anything from the cheapest forges in the city. Hell, even the guild charges 3,600 valis for a simple dagger.¡±


    Hephaestus could only nod as she moaned and licked her lips.


    I took the hint and kissed her as I kept moving, giving her what she really wanted. She moaned loudly and came again, the intimacy making things that much better for her. I broke the kiss and she was blushing, which made her look as adorable as Lili.


    ¡°I checked each piece and nothing was enchanted. They were all simply forged metal, which was probably why they were ssed as junk. I got them for a steal...¡± I said and almostughed at her wide eye, because she knew I was telling the truth. ¡°...and gathered enough different pieces for what I needed. I used magic to alter and change them into the shape I wanted, then more magic to change the color, then more magic on top of that to give them slight enhancements.¡±


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Hephaestus gasped as I filled her up again and she came. I didn''t stop moving, though.


    ¡°After Tsubaki gave me this amulet, I n to alter them even further. More enchantments, more magic, and more protection. When I''m done, I should be on par with a level 4 or 5.¡±


    Hephaestus came again at my promation. She knew Tsubaki and I could delve deep into the dungeon with the both of us with that level of strength and we would unlock all those levels for easy mining for resources. Free resources for her and her Familia.


    I wasn''t going to tell her that I would also add an armor setpletion bonus, thanks to my Karma points. It would make me that much stronger and also help pump my own stats up faster.


    ¡°Can you... change things... with enchantments... already on them?¡± Hephaestus managed to ask between panting moans.


    ¡°We can try it this morning. If it works, our Familias can do some more great things together.¡± I promised and she pulled me down into a searing kiss so full of emotions that it left the both of us panting and blushing.


    ¡°You''re too loud.¡± Tsubaki groaned and rolled over toy against me and her leg went over my back. Her hand easily found and gripped Hephaestus'' breast and squeezed, making her Goddess moan and Hephaestus pulled me in and kissed me again.


    ¡°What... what''s going on?¡± Lili asked and finally woke up from the bed shaking so much. She opened her eyes and rolled onto her side to face us, only for her eyes to widen when she saw Tsubaki lightly sleeping, half-draped over me, as I thoroughly screwed a moaning Goddess.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I said and leaned slightly to the side to briefly kiss her.


    ¡°What did I get myself into?¡± Lili whispered and hadn''t tried to stop me.


    ¡°I told you.¡± I said and looked back down into Hephaestus'' eye. ¡°We are the hearth that will always warm you, the family that will always care about you, and the home that will always wee you.¡±


    Hephaestus let out a sound that couldn''t be categorized as she glowed a little, then she pulled me into another searing kiss that burned from my mouth and all the way down my throat. The feeling kept moving down and settled onto my lower back and the spot tingled for several moments.


    I suddenly felt ready to blow and shot the unexpected load into Hephaestus and the Goddess of the Forge screamed her pleasure into my mouth. The sound seemed to reverberate though me like an anvil being struck, which was quite appropriate, all things considered. We both stilled for several seconds until the feeling faded.


    Hephaestus broke the kiss and looked embarrassed again. I was sure it was because of my words and she knew I meant them. That had struck a chord within her and her own emotions must have run away from her in that moment. I would have to wait for Hestia to update my Falna before I would find out what happened.


    ¡°Only three more times, Goddess Hephaestus.¡± I whispered in order to dispel any misgivings she had.


    Hephaestus blushed and looked at the other two upants of the bed. ¡°I think I''ve had two more turns than I should have already.¡±


    Tsubaki answered thatment with a loud snore. I couldn''t stop my chuckle from escaping and Lili beside us had both hands over her mouth to muffle a bark ofughter. Hephaestus smiled and understood that she had nothing to worry about, especially in the bed department.


    ¡°Breakfast?¡± I asked to get the morning schedule back on track.


    The snoring suddenly cut off and Tsubaki''s head lifted up to stare at me with one eye and the other was still closed. ¡°Can you make those egg bread things? Those Froggy Toasty things were really good.¡±


    Iughed at the name and Hephaestus squirmed under me because I was still sheathed inside of her. I eased myself out of her and she blushed at the feeling and then really blushed at the sheer amount of fluids that flowed out of her without me there to plug the hole.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Lili whispered and stared at it.


    ¡°How many times did the two of you go at it?¡± Tsubaki asked and also stared at it.


    ¡°S-s-stop l-looking at it!¡± Hephaestus shakily eximed and tried to cover it with her hands.


    ¡°Allow me, Goddess Hephaestus.¡± I said and waved a hand over her crotch and it all disappeared.


    Hephaestus sighed with relief with the source of her embarrassment gone. ¡°What was that magic?¡±


    ¡°It''s a cleaning spell.¡± I said and did the same for myself and I was clean down there. I climbed off of the bed and looked at the three very different women. ¡°The three of you are beautiful.¡±


    Hephaestus and Lili blushed again and Tsubaki barked augh and stood as well.


    ¡°Why would you include me in that? I didn''t get a turn.¡± Tsubaki said and walked over to me, gave my erection a light p, and went to her closet to grab some new clothes.


    ¡°Because you''re beautiful, too.¡± I said and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°We''re only taking a quick bath, so have the food ready.¡± Tsubaki said and pulled out several robes.


    I walked over to her and gave her a deep kiss as I gripped her ass hard. She let out a cute gasp and moan, which was what I wanted, and I walked around the bed to my backpack. I quickly dressed in my bodysuit in a moment, to their surprise, and I bent over the bed to give Lili a brief kiss before I looked expectantly at Hephaestus.


    ¡°Only in private.¡± Hephaestus agreed and gave me permission.


    ¡°Thank you, Goddess.¡± I said and leaned over to kiss her and stood up straight. ¡°Praise be to you for your eptance of this mortal''s desire.¡±


    Hephaestus caught her breath when she glowed briefly and felt a surge of warmth. Both Tsubaki and Lili looked shocked at that reaction.


    ¡°Enjoy your bath.¡± I said and left them there to go to the kitchen. I had some Froggy Toasty Things to make and no one asked me why I keptughing softly under my breath for the entire time I cooked French Toast. They wouldn''t have gotten the old joke anyway.


    *


    Hephaestus had time to recover her emotional bnce while in the bath. Or so she thought. When she, Tsubaki, and Lili entered therge room to eat, she blushed a little when she saw Bell happily cooking for her Familia. The warm feeling she felt inside as she watched him talking and joking with her children was oddlyforting.


    ¡°You get used to it.¡± Hestia whispered from beside her.


    Hephaestus was too distracted by her feelings to jump at the scare. ¡°I don''t know what you mean.¡±


    Hestia took her hand and led her to the head of the table where they both sat and were served a te of food at the same time. ¡°Bell''s faith. It almost makes me cry at how strong it is.¡±


    Hephaestus blinked her eyes at her short friend and wasn''t sure what to say to that.


    ¡°We can watch him watching Tsubaki forging something after we eat.¡± Hestia said.


    Hephaestus nodded and started to eat, only for her mouth to lock on her fork and she hummed at the taste.


    ¡°I found some honey in the cupboard to drizzle over them.¡± Bell said when almost everyone made the same happy sounds. ¡°With the spices I added to the egg mixture, it made the vors explode.¡±


    Hephaestus nodded and kept eating the delicious food that was better than thest time. When she was finished her fifth piece, she followed Hestia, Tsubaki, Lili, and Bell to Tsubaki''s forge. A simple breastte was asked for by Bell with whatever enchantment or enhancement Tsubaki wanted on it, since it was only a test.


    Half an hourter, Tsubaki had one done, an hour faster than her record. Everyone was shocked by this, especially Tsubaki, because the enchantment infusion alone should have taken half an hour of slowly building up the magic.


    Bell reminded them that Tsubaki''s transformation made her into who she always wanted to be. The magic of her glowing hammer was much more powerful than her normal cksmithing hammer. After that reminder, Tsubaki handed the basic breastte to Bell and both she and Hephaestus watched eagerly.


    ¡°My diagnostic spell says this adds 1% to Defense and is a Tier 1 piece of armor. Is that right?¡± Bell asked and Tsubaki nodded. ¡°How much could you sell it for?¡±


    ¡°It''s worth about 12,000 valis.¡± Lili said before either cksmith could, then she pped a hand over her mouth and looked embarrassed.


    Bell chuckled and reached over to ce a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Thank you for being willing to share such an important secret with your family.¡±


    Lili blushed and looked into his eyes as she nodded.


    ¡°Now I''ll share one of mine.¡± Bell said and let her shoulder go and held up the breastte.


    To three of the four women''s shock, since Hestia had seen it before, the in metal seemed to morph and change as the outward rounded parts formed a more feminine shape. It became more ornate with added details as the color changed from bare metal to look like mes, then an embossed Hestia Familia Emblem formed on the front.


    ¡°Oh, Goddess.¡± Lili whispered. ¡°It''s... it''s about 45,000 valis.¡±


    Bell waved a hand at it to cast the diagnostic spell and nodded. ¡°It still has the 1% to Defense and is a Tier 1.¡± He told them, then he kept waving his hand over it and cast more spells, this time without keeping within his normal restrictions. Everyone saw him wince each time.


    Lili''s breath started toe faster and her eyes widened as Bell kept working his magic on it. The te thickened by an inch, reinforced braces appeared inside and the edges were added to strengthen it further. The thing glowed slightly as more magic was cast on it and Lili almost passed out when he was done.


    ¡°I don''t know if I like knowing this secret.¡± Hephaestus said, her sole eye bulging as much as Lili''s were.


    Bell cast the diagnostic spell again. ¡°Plus 5% to Defense, 10% damage absorption, 5% chance to deflect or redirect both a physical and magical attack, and it''s now a Tier 2 with a permanent anti-dirt spell.¡±


    All eyes turned to Lili and she looked nervous. ¡°A-a-about 130,000 v-valis.¡±


    No one spoke for several minutes as they all digested that.


    ¡°Onest thing.¡± Bell said and the enchanted breastte shrunk down to half the size. He created straps for it, attached them, and handed it to Lili. ¡°Wee to the Familia, Liliruca Arde.¡±


    Lili clutched it to her chest as tears came to her eyes, then they rolled into the back of her head and she fainted. Luckily, her huge backpack easily caught and supported her, so she didn''t fall to the floor and just sunk into the cloth a little and hung there.


    ¡°I might have to wait to tell her she''s getting a full set identical to mine.¡± Bell said with amusement.


    Hestia made an odd sound and she fainted, too.


    Hephaestus was next to her and caught her before she fell to the floor. ¡°Bell.¡±


    ¡°If we don''t tell anyone, no one will know I can do this.¡± Bell said and looked at Tsubaki. ¡°Do you want to do the back piece next?¡±


    Tsubaki nodded and went to work.

 36 Back To The Dungeon

    36 Back To The Dungeon


    When the morning session of forging was over, Tsubaki, Hephaestus, Lili, and Hestia were all pretty much numb to my feats of magic. Having to wait for each piece to be made gave my regeneration time to heal half a tier of damage, so each time let me recover just long enough before I would have suffered any significant damage.


    I tried to notugh at how much I had been abusing Tsubaki''s amulet gift. She clearly saw my amusement as I handed thest piece of finished armor to Lili, whom looked shell-shocked. She now owned ten pieces of armor. Chest, back, 2 upper arm pieces, 2 lower arm pieces, 2 thigh tes, and 2 for her calves. The total value ording to her was just over 1,000,000 valis.


    ¡°You''re my second Jack Bird drop.¡± I joked and thenughed as her mouth dropped open. I was sure she was remembering mementing about not being able to cook the chicken and joking about making an omelette with the Golden Egg, the first Jack Bird drop. I knelt on a knee and kissed her, which let her recover.


    ¡°You''re horrible.¡± Lili whispered as I stood again.


    ¡°You say that now.¡± I responded and then looked at Tsubaki. ¡°How much faster do you think we can travel through the levels if we bring along a support person whose sole expertise is to pick up and carry monster crystals and loot drops?¡±


    Tsubaki sucked in a huge breath and stared at us. ¡°At least twice as fast! Maybe three times because the day''s half-over!¡±


    ¡°Lunch first.¡± Hestia told us. ¡°Sandwiches will do.¡±


    ¡°Right, we need food to bring with us when we take breaks.¡± I agreed and the five of us left Tsubaki''s workshop and went to the main building to the kitchen.


    The four of them sat there and watched as I pretty much pretended I was a food processor and made up several sandwiches using therge bread loaves. Slices of different kinds of meats, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayonnaise, and two kinds of cheese were quicklybined. Each sandwich was almost two inches in height when they were finished and I made thirty of them.


    ¡°I can see why Loki tried to hire you permanently.¡± Hephaestus said as she ate one. ¡°This thing is delicious and vorful.¡±


    ¡°I cooked homemade spaghetti and meatballs for her and her executives.¡± I said and Lili and Tsubaki choked on the food in their mouths. I patted their backs to help them.


    ¡°All of the executives were there and you still got away after refusing her?¡± Hephaestus asked, clearly surprised.


    I grinned at her. ¡°They were too stuffed with food to move. Loki even had a bulged belly.¡± I said and grinned at her as I put my hands down to my belly to show them how much.


    Liliughed and coughed andughed again. ¡°That''s... too funny!¡±


    ¡°She begged someone to stop me as I walked out and no one could move to try.¡± I said and started wrapping up six of the remaining sandwiches. I nodded at Lili and she turned her back slightly and pointed to a side pocket. I put the sandwiches inside and they easily fit.


    ¡°I bet they have people running around searching for you.¡± Hephaestus said and picked up another sandwich to eat it.


    ¡°It wouldn''t work.¡± I said and pointed to my armor. ¡°With the helmet on, no one can see my white hair.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Tsubaki said and punched my shoulder. ¡°You''re hiding right in front of them!¡±


    ¡°It''s the best spot because no one ever thinks to look there.¡± I said and sheughed. ¡°Is there anything else you need to grab before we head out?¡±


    ¡°I should change first.¡± Tsubaki said with a girlish giggle and lifted her wand. A bright sh of light and a sh of her tasty nakednesster, she was wearing her normal outfit that made her look like a samurai. Hertest sword hung from her hip, too.


    ¡°We need to stop by a tailor shop for a bodysuit for Lili and she can safely put on her new armor.¡± I said and both she and Lili nodded. I walked to the head of the table and bent down to lightly kiss Hestia on the lips. ¡°Goddess Hestia, we go into the depths in your name once more. Wish us luck.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, my Bell.¡± Hestia said, proudly. ¡°Good luck to you too, Lili and Tsubaki.¡±


    ¡°Goddess.¡± Lili and Tsubaki said and bowed heir heads.


    ¡°Goddess Hephaestus, we will endeavor to procure what resources we can in your name as we travel. By your will.¡± I said and bowed to her.


    Hephaestus gave the other women a brief nce, blushed slightly, then she grabbed my cor and pulled me in for a quick kiss. ¡°I won''t settle for anything less than decent quality ore.¡±


    I tried to keep the surprise off of my face as I stood up. ¡°We will do our best.¡±


    Hephaestus nodded and I led Lili and Tsubaki out of the room and then the building.


    ¡°That was a surprise.¡± Tsubaki said before I could.


    ¡°Maybe her permission for only in private was for me kissing her and not the other way around?¡± I asked, trying to make sense out of it.


    ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever seen her kiss anyone in public.¡± Tsubaki said and then shrugged. ¡°Maybe you loosened her up with all the screwing you did while I was asleep.¡±


    I chuckled at that. ¡°I would have given you a good roll in bed if Hephaestus hadn''t chosen to keep me wrapped up all night.¡±


    ¡°All night?¡± Lili asked, surprised.


    Tsubakiughed. ¡°She''s clingy now, too? That''s amazing!¡±


    I had to smile as I remembered how Hephaestus actedst night and this morning. ¡°She definitely didn''t react like I thought she would.¡± I said and didn''t give any details. Her tender kisses and loving nature had seemed to pour out of her while we had sex. ¡°You might need new nkets.¡±


    Tsubaki keptughing as we left thepound and went to the closest tailor shop. We bought a nice ck bodysuit in Lili''s size and more pieces of cloth. We left there and walked back towards the Hephaestus Familiapound as I added protective cloth padding and reinforcements to where the armor would be attached.


    Lili look impressed when I finally handed it to her and she put it into her backpack without having to take it off. ¡°Why are we going back to the Hephaestus Familia and not the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It''s quicker.¡± Tsubaki said.


    Lili looked confused and I didn''t say anything. We walked into thepound and around the main building to what she thought was a random spot. She caught her breath when I took out a shovel and dug up a few furrows of dirt and changed them into wood panels that I tacked together for her.


    ¡°Go ahead and put on the bodysuit and we''ll help you with the armor.¡± I said and waved her inside.


    Lili gave me an odd look as she sipped off her giant backpack and took the bodysuit out. She stepped into the temporary dressing booth and closed the door.


    ¡°She''s going to be so surprised when she learns this next secret.¡± Tsubaki said with a soft chuckle.


    I smirked and nodded. I couldn''t wait to see her face, too.


    Lili stepped out of the small booth and I let out an appreciative whistle before I could stop myself. Her blush let me know that she knew what I meant by it, so I knelt and gave her a quick kiss and a hug as I whispered an apology for staring at her. She giggled and lightly pushed me away.


    Ten minutester, after Tsubaki and I diligently showed Lili how each armor piece worked and fit on her, she wore everything and I changed her boots to match in color, just like mine did. She refused the helmet for now, because it cut off some of her vision and she would only wear it when we were in danger.


    I turned the wood back into dirt and used a touch of magic to remove the evidence I had done anything as I smoothed it out again. The three of us walked about thirty feet away and stopped.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Lili asked and looked around. ¡°Why did we stop?¡±


    I smiled and held a hand down towards the ground. ¡°This is another secret the Hestia and Hephaestus Familias share.¡± I said and chose the right destination.


    Lili opened her mouth to ask what it was and the ground around us lit up. A sh of lightter and we were somewhere else.


    ¡°Wee to the eighth floor of the dungeon.¡± I said and motioned towards the brownish walls covered in moss. ¡°This room is about 60 feet away from the exit to the seventh floor and it has protections around it to stop anyone or anything froming in here and wrecking it.¡±


    Thepletely stunned look on Lili''s face made Tsubakiugh and hug her.


    ¡°With you along for cleanup, we''re going to go through this ce like Bell chopping up food!¡± Tsubaki eximed and let the stunned support person go before she drew her sword. ¡°It''s our first run on this floor, Bell. Keep your eyes open and your weapon ready.¡±


    I cast detection and nodded. ¡°There are 8 war shadows and 15 giant ants about 35 feet to the left. The barriers I erected seemed to have scared them off.¡±


    ¡°Any adventurers?¡± Tsubaki asked and crept over to the door without making a sound.


    ¡°No, and there''s no ores or magical signatures from enchantments or weapons.¡± I said.


    Tsubaki nodded and opened the door, peeked out, and smiled at me. ¡°You first.¡±


    Lili caught her breath and looked at me.


    ¡°You might need to cover your eyes in a few seconds.¡± I whispered and slipped by Tsubaki and out into the hallway as I drew the mythril sword.


    ¡°I love this part.¡± Tsubaki whispered behind me.


    I held up the sword and dropped 50 points of Light magic into it. The brilliant glow lit up the hallway, the room I had just left, and the four rooms along the hallway.


    ¡°SSHHHEEEEEEEE!¡± The ants screeched because they were all instantly blinded and the war shadows immediately popped.


    I dropped to the floor as the light faded and Tsubaki leapt over me with her sword swinging, herughs echoed off the walls as she ughtered the blind giant ants.


    Lili closed the door and walked over to me. ¡°I''m not that nervous about you going first now.¡±


    I chuckled and knelt to stand, gave her a quick kiss, and stood as I pointed down. ¡°Do you need more light to pick all those up?¡±


    Lili looked confused before she looked down and gasped. The floor was covered in monster stones of all shapes and sizes. There were thousands of valis worth of them there. She knelt and started scooping them into her pack like a demon.


    ¡°Apparently, they must have been trying desperately to get in there since I set up the protections yesterday morning.¡± I said and then chuckled. ¡°I just realized that there should be piles like these around the other seven teleportation circles, too.¡±


    Lili made a distressed sound and looked up at my face.


    ¡°It''s okay. There''s an avoidance ward ced around it. I''m not giving free valis to anyone that just happens to walk by.¡± I informed her and she beamed a smile at me. ¡°Keep working and I''ll catch up to Tsubaki to clear out the next set of rooms for her.¡±


    Lili nodded and I jogged down the hallway and through a room. I had been right and she was being surrounded by spawning war shadows as she fought off stronger goblins and giant ants. A sh of lightter, more than half of her opponents were dust and Tsubaki yelled out happily about how much fun she always had on our dates.


    I waved to her and went back to help Lili pick up the unexpected windfall of monster crystals and loot drops.


    *


    Lili was amazed. Absolutely amazed. Her mind couldn''t reallye to grips with her life right now. They had been in the dungeon for about two hours and had stopped for their first break. A break for her, anyway. She bit into the delicious sandwich and chewed as she watched Bell and Tsubaki have sex like needle-rabbits. It was an impressive sight, she had to admit.


    Another bite of sandwich distracted her just enough for her to think about the piles and piles of essentially free valis that she had gathered from around the other teleportation circles. Bell had been right when he said that the dungeon monsters didn''t like that he had been to each floor and didn''t do anything but cast a few magic spells, which caught their attention, and then he left.


    Lili finished off her sandwich and leaned against her backpack as she crossed her arms over her breastte and crossed her ankles. The clinks of well-forged metal sent shivers down her spine, because she knew that even though Bell had altered them with magic, they were still worth so much money. So so soooo much money.


    <i>I really could have been a Jack Bird drop.</i> Lili thought with a mentalugh.


    ¡°That''s it! Right there! OHHHHH!¡± Tsubaki yelled.


    Lili''s mentalugh escaped from her mouth and she had to muffle it with her hands.


    ¡°I think someone''s feeling left out.¡± Tsubaki''s teasing voice said.


    <i>What?</i> Lili asked and her eyes widened when a very erect penis was right in front of her face. She opened her mouth to refuse and then it was in her mouth and she was happily sucking on Bell''s surprisingly tasty weapon.


    Before she realized it, Lili was upside down on her backpack and deep-throating him. She had the thought that he was being quite gentle, despite the position and the act itself, then she was right-side up again and kissing him with him inside of her. Her loud moans were dampened by the walls covered in moss and she rocked her hips to try and help him get her off quicker.


    ¡°Should we count this as a date for Lili as well?¡± Tsubaki asked.


    Bell broke the kiss and smiled. ¡°I think this is more of a reward for her hard work. She really is letting us go through this ce much faster than if it was just me trying to clean up after the fights.¡±


    Tsubaki thought about that and nodded. ¡°Then you need to figure out what to do to go on a real date with her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try toe up with something.¡± Bell said and looked back at Lili. ¡°I''m not doing anything tomorrow morning. Would you like to take a stroll through the market district and see if there''s anything you''d like to buy?¡±


    Lili''s mind was much too addled with pleasure to speak actual words, so she hummed and pulled him in to keep kissing him.


    ¡°I''d say that''s a yes.¡± Tsubaki said and opened up the side pocket of Lili''s backpack and took out a sandwich. She sat down where Lili had been before and started eating as the two lovers changed position and she enjoyed the show. ¡°Oh! Is that what we look like from this angle? No wonder you like doing us from behind.¡±


    ¡°It''s a... great view.¡± Bell said between thrusts as Lili moaned indecently. He picked up the speed to keep those moans going until their scheduled break was over.

 37 Just Another Day

    37 Just Another Day


    We made it to Level 13 and had to stop, because it was the first level of what was called the Middle Floors and Tsubaki needed to change her preparations for the different monsters we would have to fight. She didn''t say anything about mine, because my magic made the mythril sword she loaned me so versatile. Her amulet also let me cast second tier magic every half hour with only minor pains and irritations.


    Lili also looked beat and very happy. As she waited for me to create thetest teleportation circle for us to use to go back to the Hephaestus Familiapound, she giggled as she lightly shook her giant backpack. Tsubaki and I could easily hear the sound of thousands of clinking crystals.


    ¡°It''s going to take them hours to count it all! Ha ha ha!¡± Liliughed, happily.


    ¡°I don''t know why. You already know how much it''s worth.¡± Tsubaki said and rubbed Lili''s head.


    Lili looked up at her with a smug smile. ¡°I want to see them work hard for something I do easily.¡±


    Tsubaki nodded. ¡°It''s good that you trust in your skills. They won''t fail you when you need them.¡±


    ¡°...aaaand done.¡± I said and finished covering the teleportation circle and added the various protections to hide it. ¡°Whew! I''m not tired but I''m exhausted. Does that make sense?¡±


    Tsubaki walked over to me and pped my backside, which made me yelp. ¡°Maybe if someone kept his greedy little hands off of us every time we had to stop to take a break, you wouldn''t be exhausted.¡±


    I rubbed the cheek of my butt as Lili covered her mouth and giggled. ¡°In my defense, I will find or make you a mirror big enough to show the both of you one reason I think you''re irresistible.¡±


    ¡°Only one?¡± Tsubakiughed and pped my other cheek.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I said and rubbed the new soreness.


    ¡°I didn''t say I''d keep my hands to myself.¡± Tsubaki said with a grin.


    ¡°Okay, maybe two or three reasons.¡± I agreed and then felt a small hand lightly rub where the first p had hit me. I looked down and smiled warmly at a slightly blushing Lili. ¡°Ready to go?¡±


    Lili nodded and kept her hand gripping my cheek.


    ¡°We''ll eat supper first and then head to the Guild Hall. I have a barrel of wine for them, too.¡± I said and powered up the teleportation circle. We disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in the Hephaestus Familiapound.


    We were almost immediately swarmed by most of the members and a slightly smiling Hephaestus and a grinning Hestia came out to greet us.


    ¡°Lili, if you would do the honors.¡± I said and gave her a slight bow.


    ¡°As long as you give that corny speech again.¡± Lili said with a grin.


    I snorted and she giggled. ¡°I only meant it as a joke!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Lili said and motioned for me to get on with it as she took off her backpack and opened it.


    I chuckled and took a deep breath. ¡°I greet thee, my fellow purveyors of the bounty of the earth, to im that which the world has seen fit to bestow upon us for our toil.¡± I said and everyone stared at me. ¡°Fresh from the twelfth floor and from inside theirs of the rare Silverback and Baby Dragon spawn points, my devoted Familia member presents to you, the embodiment of the monster''s power!¡±


    Lili climbed into her giant backpack and used her own shovel as she started shovelling out the ores we found. Iron, gold, silver, and tinum. Everyone waspletely silent as Lili unloaded several tons of ore, much more than should have technically fit inside of her backpack.


    ¡°I can''t get the dregs until I empty the monster crystals and loot drops from the front section.¡± Lili said and climbed back out with a light sheen of sweat on her brow.


    ¡°Allow me.¡± I said and reached inside the pack and used a summon spell. A momentter, the much smaller chunks flew out of the backpack andnded on the right piles.


    ¡°That saved me a lot of time cleaning it out.¡± Lili said and pulled me down to kiss my cheek. ¡°Give me a hand with the skins, scales, and horns.¡±


    No one spoke as we piled up the monster loot drops and someone made an odd sound when they saw the piles of wyvern scales and shed horns we had gathered from the dragon''s den. When I pulled out the rare Silverback pelt, I found out that it was Hephaestus that made the odd sound and she stood in front of me with a pleading look on her face.


    I looked down at the pelt and back at her face. I then nced at Tsubaki and saw her nod, so I held the pelt out to her Goddess. Hephaestus hugged it to her face and rubbed her cheek on it, then she shocked everyone, including me, by stepping forward to give me a deep kiss right on the lips.


    A strangled cry came from someone and I didn''t have to look to know that it was Welf Crozzo. His crush on Hephaestus was well known, as was her refusal to have rtions with a child from her Familia. She had blessed him and would feel extremely guilty if she took advantage of him like that.


    ¡°You will dine with me in my room.¡± Hephaestus said with a blush, because her normal bluntness couldn''t be ovee after a single night together.


    I bowed my head. ¡°Of course, Goddess Hephaestus. I would be honored to join you.¡±


    Hephaestus nodded and quickly walked away, stopped, and came back. She folded the pelt into a partial bag and scooped up a good amount of the tinum ore and some of the gold to put inside, nodded again, and pretty much ran off.


    ¡°Um... yeah. That happened.¡± Hestia said with a shake of her head at her friend''s antics.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Tsubaki barked theugh as she motioned to the piles of ores and items. ¡°Our goddess has already taken her tithe from the haul. Go ahead and split the rest.¡±


    The men and women cheered and quickly divided up everything and took their shares to their own forges and smelters to get to work. Supper would be dyed because they would all be busy.


    ¡°Lili, are you keeping track of it all?¡± I asked and Lili nodded as she took out a small notepad and wrote out the values of the ores and loot drops that the cksmiths took. ¡°What''s the total look like whenpared to the amount I owe Tsubaki?¡±


    ¡°You''re down to about three-fourths of your debt, assuming she didn''t give you a discount.¡± Lili said and smiled at Tsubaki. ¡°I''m not including personal acts as discounts.¡±


    Tsubakiughed and rubbed the top of Lili''s head. ¡°This isn''t the Ishtar Familia. We''re having fun and enjoying ourselves. Why would we have to pay for that?¡±


    ¡°I would be extremely in debt if I had to pay for everything that''s happened to me.¡± I joked.


    ¡°Who said you didn''t pay in other ways?¡± Tsubaki asked and gave me another kiss.


    ¡°I have work in the morning, so I''m staying here again tonight.¡± Hestia said.


    ¡°You''re still working?¡± Tsubaki asked.


    ¡°I can''t just quit my job as soon as things start getting better for me. What kind of person would I be if I was that selfish?¡± Hestia asked.


    ¡°Her bright smile and happy attitude brings in a lot of business for them, too.¡± I said and Hestia blushed.


    ¡°They gave me a chance when I had nothing else, so I can''t abandoning them.¡± Hestia said, her voice full of determination.


    I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Maybe we can visit the bookstore you like in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°I''d like that, my Bell.¡± Hestia said and kissed my cheek back, waved to Lili, and went back inside.


    ¡°We''re ordering out tonight, so go get ready for your date with my Goddess.¡± Tsubaki said.


    ¡°Is it a date?¡± I asked, teasingly.


    Tsubaki quickly turned me around and pped me on the butt again. ¡°Get moving and you better treat it like a date! She asked you for it!¡±


    Iughed and rubbed my butt with one hand and held the other out for Lili to take. ¡°Come on. You can help me pick out something nice when I drop you off home.¡±


    Lili put on her backpack and took my hand. ¡°Are we going the long way?¡±


    ¡°Not this time. I''m saving that for when I walk Hestia home.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°She hasn''t seen what I''ve done to the outside of the church yet.¡±


    Both Lili and Tsubaki softlyughed.


    ¡°She''s either going to kill you or demand you change it back.¡± Lili said, wisely.


    ¡°You''re assuming she''s still going to be conscious afterwards.¡± I joked and she giggled.


    We stepped onto the teleportation circle and waved to Tsubaki, whom picked up her own share of the loot and waved back. A sh of lightter and we were inside the church and I brought Lili downstairs. Her room had been easy to add next to Hestia''s and she loved having so much space that was all hers. She changed out of her armor and hung her backpack up on the wall beside her clothing cab.


    ¡°All right, let''s go see what you think is appropriate clothing for a date with a goddess.¡± Lili said and took my hand again and we went into my room.


    Ten minutester, there was a pile of discarded clothing on my bed and Lili shook her head at it.


    ¡°Why don''t you tell me what you think I need and I''ll draw it out?¡± I offered and we sat down at the small table and did just that. I wasn''t surprised when the sketch was like an old-fashioned eighteenth century suit with a vest, petticoat, cumberbund, puffy sleeves, and frills down the outside seam on the pant legs. All that was missing was the white puffy wig and fake makeup to make itplete.


    I changed the shirt to be more practical and reduced the frills, dropped the cumberbund, and would leave the vest unbuttoned. Some cheap transfiguration on my normal clothester, I had the light blue outfit ready and Lili helped dress me. When her hands lingered on certain ces of my anatomy more than necessary, I didn''t mind ormented on it. Her constant smile told me that she appreciated it.


    ¡°I suppose you''re mostly presentable.¡± Lili said and rubbed her small hands down mypels. ¡°It should be good enough for a private audience with a divine being.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be sure to note the look on her face to see if she approves.¡± I promised and bent down to lightly kiss her. ¡°Thank you for your help in showing me what higher beings see as the proper effort when meeting them in a more formal setting.¡±


    Lili blushed a little and looked pleased. ¡°We''re not turning in the monster crystals until tomorrow with this change in ns, so no giving away what her Familia''s share is going to be.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°With the way she was cradling that pelt, I doubt she remembers that we gathered anything else. She didn''t even touch any of the rare wyvern scales.¡±


    Lili softlyughed and nodded in agreement. ¡°Have fun tonight and I''ll see you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Don''t eat breakfast. We can go out and start our date early.¡± I told her and she smiled. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Lili said.


    I grabbed a special bottle of wine before I walked up the stairs. I heard her soft whistle and chuckled at her copying what I did when I saw her in the bodysuit the first time and her doing it back to me. I reached the teleportation circle and shrunk the bottle to put into my pocket before I used the circle to transport myself to the Hephaestus Familiapound.


    A passing guard waved to me and I waved back before heading inside the main building. I knew where her room was from thest time I had gone to see her there and knocked on the door. The door opened and I caught my breath. Hephaestus wore a silky blood red dress that hugged everything and I could easily see that she wasn''t wearing anything underneath. She also wore a very expensive fur wrap that looked suspiciously like a piece of Silverback pelt.


    Hephaestus saw me taking all of her in and she blushed prettily. ¡°Please,e in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Goddess Hephaestus.¡± I said and bowed slightly, then stepped inside and shut the door. ¡°Your stunning beauty nearly made me forget my manners.¡± I said and ignored her surprised sound as I locked the door and cast a barrier spell on it. A silence spell was next and then an avoidance ward.


    Hephaestus gave me a wide eye at the magic use and that let me know that she knew what I did. So, I decided to let her feel a bit more as I put a hand behind my back and created a dozen red roses. Her mouth opened, probably to ask what I had done, and I brought my hand around to my front and presented the bouquet of flowers to her.


    Her face matched her hair color as she graciously epted the roses and dug her face into them to take several deep sniffs. It was almost funny that she would react like that, until I remembered that she was probably like the high school girls in thest world I had been in. They were not used to someone giving them flowers or ttering them with genuinepliments.


    That revtion made me change my priorities for the evening. I tailored my expectations to that of a first date and acted appropriately. I took her hand and gave it a gentle kiss, then led her over to the table that had been set up with food already on it. I sat her on one side of the table to give her the best view of the room and I sat across from her.


    ¡°Thank you very much for allowing me to spend some personal time with you, Hephaestus. I know how precious your time is and I''m grateful that you believe I''m worth your attention.¡±


    Hephaestus blushed even more and looked a little stunned at my words.


    ¡°I see you''ve made use of some of the materials our team managed to procure today.¡± I said and motioned to the wrap she wore.


    Hephaestus raised a hand and lightly pet the wrap. ¡°The sp is iron and tinum with gold ents.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°You do great work to have finished it so quickly.¡±


    ¡°It deserved nothing less than my best.¡± Hephaestus whispered as her hand kept petting it.


    I nodded at her words. ¡°Will you be making a coat or something with the rest? Maybe a cape?¡±


    Hephaestus softlyughed. ¡°Can you imagine wearing a cape around an active forge? It would catch fire almost right away!¡±


    Iughed with her. ¡°I was going to point that out and you beat me to it.¡±


    Hephaestus reached for her ss of water and paused. ¡°Bell, you wouldn''t happen to have...¡±


    I reached into my pocket and took out the bottle and erged it. She gave me a demure smile and quickly dumped the ss of water out and held it towards me. I chuckled and uncorked the expensive Soma wine and only half-filled her ss.


    Hephaestus gave me a pointed look as if questioning my sanity.


    ¡°This is a bottle of the good stuff.¡± I exined and her eyes widened. ¡°Yes, that good stuff.¡±


    Hephaestus smiled and took a single sip. She shivered at the taste and nodded, proving that she knew what the real wine tasted like, and we ate the food on the table mechanically as she slowly sipped the wine.


    The food wasn''t anywhere near as good as what I could make; but, it was food and we needed to eat, so that''s we did. She finished her half-ss of wine and made a disappointed sound, easily giving me a pointed hint. I held in myugh at that and gave her another half-ss.


    Hephaestus hummed happily and stood, took my hand, and led me over to a loveseat at the side of the room. She had me sit and she sat right beside me as she leaned heavily into my side. She took another sip of wine and gave me a e here'' look. I knew this because she also did the finger curl to get me to move me closer, not that I could.


    Then again, the only space left was between our faces, so I leaned in and kissed her. Hephaestus moaned at the intimate touch and her arm went around me as we made out like teenagers on our first date.


    ¡°Tell me about yourself, Bell.¡± Hephaestus suddenly said.


    I looked into her eyes and knew she was being sincere in her request, so I told her all about Bell''s history and how he ended up in Orario and looking for a Familia to take care of him. Hephaestus let out a loud and disappointed sigh and told me that she regretted that her idiot of a child kicked me out when I approached theirpound.


    She also apologized that she might not have epted me if she had been told about me. Before I could ask her why, she exined that they had hundreds of teenagers every year try to join their Familia and none of them had any skills or potential.


    Even if they had an active Falna, and none of them ever did, they wouldn''t have any skills that her Familia could use to their advantage. Generic skills couldn''t benefit a Familia like hers and any special skills were so rare that the stronger Familias always took them for themselves.


    That made a surprising amount of sense. Even if a smaller Familia found someone worthy, they were quickly scooped up by a stronger Familia before anyone else could and put them to use.


    The rest of the evening was spent with us exchanging stories and experiences, then we were in bed and Hephaestus enthusiastically gave me the next instalment of Karma points that I would need to remove the curse from her eye. It wouldn''t heal it, though. That would require different magic. I wondered if I could learn it, even with my magical bacsh limitation.


    <i>Would healing things hurt me too much? What about casting it on myself?</i> I asked in my mind as I drifted off to sleep while being snugly cuddled by a Goddess.

 38 Cleaning Up The Trash

    38 Cleaning Up The Trash


    I had an early morning date to get to, so I pulled my lubrication trick and slipped out of the death grip Hephaestus had on me. I wasn''t sure why I was okay with her being so clingy. Maybe it was because she was always so stern and projected so much strength, then in private she was even more feminine than a normal woman. It was definitely a huge turn on when she kissed me with love and tenderness.


    I left a big fluffy towel in my ce with my face copied onto it and a note embedded into the cloth, another dozen roses, and an apology for having to leave so early because I wanted to stay there with her all morning. Her hugs and kisses were some of the best I had ever gotten.


    After ensuring I would make her blush, I dressed and cancelled the magic over her door and then teleported back to the church. It cost a bit more magic to do it without using a teleportation circle on both ends and I epted that as a price to pay to slip out of the Hephaestus Familiapound without being seen.


    I went to my room and changed out of my fancy clothes and hung them up. I was sure I would need them again and used a cleaning spell on them. I also changed the color, just so it wouldn''t be seen as the exact same suit each time.


    I thought about what I should wear on the date with Lili and smiled at the thought of wearing the suit she helped design. That might embarrass her too much, though. Of course, I could show up at her room wearing it and let her tell me to change into something more appropriate.


    I chuckled and put on the now deep green suit with everything else and I even added back in the outrements that she wanted me to wear for Hephaestus, extra frills and all. I left my room and knocked on her room''s door. The door opened and Lili''s mouth dropped open at seeing me standing there wearing a full-on Goddess greeting suit.


    ¡°Are you ready for our date, Liliruca Arde?¡± I asked her formally and bowed to her.


    ¡°Eep.¡± Lili softly squeaked and then fainted.


    I easily caught her before she hit the floor and carried her back into her room andid her down on her bed. I looked at her clothes and she was wearing a nice sun dress thatplimented her light skin. I would have to make a matching normal suit to fit in with her choice, just so we would match while we walked around.


    After a few minutes, Lili woke up and her eyes stared at me.


    I chuckled and whispered to her. ¡°You are the only one that deserves to see me like this.¡±


    Lili blushed hard and looked faint again. Her eyes watched me diligently as I stripped off the main extra pieces to leave myself in just the pants and shirt. I summoned a normal pair of dress pants and a normal shirt, changed into them, and altered the color of the pants to match her pretty dress.


    I summoned a suit coat next and changed the color as I put it on, then held a hand out to her. ¡°Please allow me to escort you on this fine morning, dear Lili.¡±


    Lili epted the hand and let me pull her up and off the bed to stand her on her feet.


    ¡°Just so you know how I did it, I used a slippery trick to sneak out of Hephaestus'' grip and reced myself with a fluffy towel in her arms.¡± I said with a smirk.


    Lili looked surprised for a second and then giggled. ¡°You got away from her grip? She''s going to demand you tell her how!¡±


    Iughed and handed her the back-up dagger she owned and led her from her room. We entered mine and I picked up my sword and strapped it to my hip. With us armed, we left my room and went up the stairs. We exited the basement through the secret door and walked though thepletely restored church.


    It was a pain in the ass creating the stained ss windows, because I hadn''t done them in one shot. I had to create and alter each piece and then put them together. Thankfully, it was a normal skill and my mastery let me work surprisingly fast. However, it still took a lot of effort and patience toplete them and then set them into the proper window shapes to secure them.


    I was really d that the amulet let me work so hard with magic, because I never would have gotten them done so quickly or without severely hurting myself in the process. Buying them or having themmissioned from another Familia was so far beyond pricey that it wasughable.


    We left the church and walked at a slow pace, mostly because it was a bright and sunny morning and the sun was rising and lighting up the city with beautiful colors and light reflections. It was quite the sight to see and enjoy with someone else. When I looked down at Lili''s face, I could see that she thought the same thing. She turned her head and looked up at me with a smile that matched mine.


    I bent down and gave her a quick kiss, which made her giggle because I almost tripped, and we walked for about half an hour towards the marketce with the hope that one of the shops was open for breakfast.


    *


    Hestia started her shift and she was grinning from ear to ear. Everyone talked to her and no one looked down on her anymore. She was dressed well, worked hard, and she enjoyed herself more and more each day.


    It wasn''t because the job was any easier, though. It was because she wasn''t working to earn enough money to eat that day. She worked because it helped the shop that had helped her when she needed it. The door to the shop opened and the little bell rang.


    Hestia smiled happily and walked over to the new customers. ¡°Wee, wee! It''s a fine morning, isn''t it? Let me show you to a table!¡± She said and led the couple to one near the front window and handed them both a menu without really seeing them, because she had done the same thing with everyone that came into the shop. ¡°Would you like to order something to drink or do you need time to decide what you want?¡±


    ¡°Two teas and a te of your best scones.¡± A very familiar voice said.


    Hestia finally realized who she was talking to and gasped. ¡°My Bell! What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Ordering breakfast.¡± Bell said and motioned to Lili. ¡°My date hasn''t tried your delicious potato treats yet and I was thinking we could walk you home after your shift this afternoon to fix that.¡±


    Hestia beamed a smile at them. ¡°Okay! I''ll be so happy to have you both walk me home!¡±


    Bell smiled back and repeated the order and handed her the money for it. Hestia left with a hop in her step and told her boss about the order and handed the money to his wife, whom added it to the box under the counter. The tea and scones were ready a few minutester and Hestia added an extra drop of whipped cream on top and delivered the cups and te of scones to Bell and Lili.


    ¡°Please enjoy it.¡± Hestia said and bowed slightly, then moved on when another customer entered. She saw her Familia members leave half an hourter and they waved and left her a nice tip. She giggled at them acting like that and cleaned up the table and worked for the rest of the morning with a huge smile on her face. She would be seeing her Bell againter and they would be walking home together!


    *


    Lili and I spent about an hour browsing through the marketce and some of the smaller shops. The stalls had a few things Lili was interested in and she hummed as she internally debated if they were worth buying before we had cashed in the things we had gathered the day before. I reminded her that we didn''t bring her backpack and would have to go home to get it before heading to the Guild.


    That seemed to make her decision for her and she told the man that she would be back either that afternoon or tomorrow to buy what she wanted. He seemed pleased by that and put her things aside for her. Lili took my hand again and we walked down the street.


    I cast another detection spell and felt someone enter my range. They were fairly strong magically, so I whispered a warning to Lili as I bent down to kiss her. She nodded slightly and kept her own eye out for whomever it was.


    We both saw the scantily-d woman as she approached us. She wasn''t even trying to be subtle about it, even with me visibly holding Lili''s hand.


    ¡°Hey there, handsome.¡± The dark-skinned woman said and swayed her hips as she moved her arms to push up her breasts. ¡°How would you like to have a great time?¡±


    I felt the push of magic flow over me and blinked my eyes at her, then looked down at Lili. By her wide eyes, she had felt it, too. I looked back at the woman and saw her slightly frustrated face, then she seemed to squint and I felt another pulse of magic.


    ¡°You''re going to love spending time with me. I promise.¡± The woman said and the pulse repeated.


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± I said and she let out a sound of triumph and jumped to my side, grabbed my arm possessively, and started walking back the way she came. I didn''t let Lili''s hand go and she was dragged right along with me.


    Lili gave my hand a squeeze and I nced down to see her worried face. I winked at her and nodded at the ignorant prostitute, which made her smile and nod in return. She knew I was ying along and wasn''t caught up in whatever magic she had cast.


    We were led right into the Ishtar Familia''s mainpound, to my surprise. Lili looked a bit worried again and I gave her hand several reassuring squeezes. When we were brought to the main room that almost looked like a throne room, Lili''s hand stiffened in mine and gripped it hard. There was a giant fat woman, that looked more like a frog than a woman, waiting for us.


    ¡°Oooo, Aisha has brought you to me. Wonderful!¡± The giant woman said.


    ¡°No, Phryne. I brought him here for our Goddess.¡± Aisha said.


    Phryne scoffed. ¡°What she doesn''t know, won''t hurt her.¡± She said and stomped over to us and I noticed that she was just over a foot taller than me. ¡°Hand him over and I won''t have to... convince you.¡±


    Aisha let out a growl. ¡°Just because you''re a higher level than me, that doesn''t mean...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does. I''m strong enough to make him my ve and I''m going to before Ishtar does.¡± Phryne interrupted. ¡°Doing whatever you want is the whole point of getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the rification.¡± I said as I stabbed my sword through the base of her neck.


    Therge frog-like woman choked and reached for me with one hand and for the de with the other, probably to try to push me away and remove the sword. I charged it up with Holy Lightning and she screamed with a loud gurgle. It didn''t kill her, so I twisted it and severed her spine. Her giant body acted like a puppet with the strings cut and bonelessly dropped to the floor.


    ¡°By the GODDESS!¡± Aisha yelled. She had been too shocked by the sight to react, like letting me go or running away, which was great for me. My sword slid into her neck next as I whispered that I didn''t like being kidnapped. A twist of my wristter, she dropped to the floor and the shocked look on her face faded as she bled out and died.


    I bent down and touched therge woman''s arm and winced as I cast a 300 point destruction spell. Her body was covered in ck miasma and started to dissolve away. I did the same with Aisha''s body and then stood, grabbed Lili''s hand again, and ran over to therge dais to duck behind it and knelt to hide out of sight.


    It was just in time, because twenty people of various strengths entered the room at a run. All of them had weapons drawn, from daggers to swords, and looked around for the threat as the two ck things on the floor finished dissolving and disappeared. None of them saw us.


    ¡°Search the rest of the building and grounds.¡± Ishtar ordered as she and her male attendant entered the room. ¡°I felt unknown magic cast and he couldn''t have gotten far. Find the intruder and bring him here.¡±


    I wasn''t going to allow this chance to pass me by, so I recreated the mistake I had made at the ruined church when I tried to deal with the stray exorcists. Lili''s eyes widened as she watched me create a very strong source of magic andpress it into a marble.


    ¡°THERE! Behind the dais!¡± Ishtar shouted and pointed at me. ¡°GET HIM!¡±


    ¡°You''re toote.¡± I said and threw the small ss ball at her as I cast the teleportation magic on myself and Lili. It pushed me right to my limit after the two disintegration spells and my insides churned from the bacsh.


    Lili held me up as we disappeared in a sh of light and we both heard the tinkle of ss breaking when her attendant swatted it away. We appeared in the Hephaestus Familiapound on our knees just as the sound of a humongous explosion echoed throughout the entire city.


    *KAAABOOOOOM!*


    Even from this far away from the Entertainment District, we saw and heard the explosion that came out a hell of a lot bigger than I thought it would, which gained everyone''s attention. That meant that everyone in the city saw the bright beam of light that pierced the sky as another goddess was forcefully ascended back to heaven.


    ¡°I can''t believe you did that.¡± Lili whispered as she stared at it.


    I coughed and held a hand over my mouth to stop the blood from spurting out. ¡°Did... what?¡±


    Lili gave me an incredulous look for several seconds before she softlyughed. ¡°I get it.¡±


    I chuckled at her understanding that no one was alive that saw us there and motioned to the ground.


    ¡°This isn''t going to befortable.¡± Lili said andid me down on my side.


    ¡°I just need... a few hours.¡± I said and closed my eyes. Tsubaki hadn''t been kidding about my insides still tearing up, despite the amulet''s power.


    ¡°I''ll wake you when we have to go pick up Goddess Hestia.¡± Lili promised.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry about... ending our date... so soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did end it with a bang.¡± Lili joked.


    Iughed and coughed up some blood. ¡°Not the bang... I wanted.¡± I said and took her hand. ¡°I tried to give you... a good date.¡±


    ¡°You are not doing something like that every time we go out.¡± Lili admonished me.


    ¡°Not... every time.¡± I said with a smile and Lili shook her head at me as I lost consciousness.


    *


    Most of the city''s inhabitants were shocked. The entire Ishtar Familia was gone. No one knew what had happened or how it had been possible for someone to blow up the entirepound and vaporized everything. All that was left was a huge circr crater and bits of stone. In a single act, someone had destroyed the Entertainment District''s ruling Familia and there was no one left to run things.


    Of course, this left a power vacuum that several other lesser known Familias in the area decided to take full advantage of and they moved in and imed businesses and territory that was previously owned and controlled by the Ishtar Familia. Because of this, no one bothered trying to gather any evidence about what happened.

 39 Coming Clean

    39 Coming Clean


    Lili gently woke me up when it was time for us to leave. I opened my eyes and saw that my head was tucked into her belly as it rested on herp. The warm smile on her face let me know that she didn''t mind being ap pillow for me and I surely didn''t mind her doing it.


    ¡°Thanks for looking out for me.¡± I said and slowly sat up. I was only about half-healed, so I had to refrain from casting a cleaning spell to clean the dirt from my suit.


    Lili saw my grimace and chuckled as she whispered that I had to do things the normal way for once and helped me pat the suit down and we shook most of the loose dirt off. I stood up and we did my pants, then we walked out of the Hephaestus Familia''spound. The passing guard waved to us and we waved back.


    ¡°Did anyone ask about me?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Did you expect them to?¡± Lili asked me with a knowing smile.


    I chuckled at her evading the answer. ¡°You''re going to tease me about it until I figure out who it was, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Relentlessly.¡± Lili said with a huge smile.


    Iughed and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°Go ahead. We have quite a walk ahead of us.¡±


    Lili did and her verbal jabs and teasing was pretty good and never strayed into being mean. Iplimented her on keeping it clean like that and sheughed andined about how difficult that was. I figured out that both Tsubaki and Hephaestus hade out to check on me and they left with Lili''s reassurances that Tsubaki''s amulet was doing its job well.


    We made it to the shop Hestia worked at and all of the customers were talking about the explosion that rocked the city that morning. Hestia saw us and waved us aside as she whispered that she only had a few minutes left before she could leave.


    A few minutester, her boss told her that she was done working her shift and sold her arge bag of discount potato snacks that Hestia paid for with the tips she earned that day. That made the man smile, because Hestia always did that and made sure the money she spent went to him first. The three of us left the shop and were quiet until we left the main street.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Hestia asked me.


    I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant and she reached out and poked my belly. A sharp pain shot through me and I flinched, then I sighed at being caught out so easily.


    ¡°You''re walking like you''re crossing dangerous ground and you''re trying to be quiet.¡± Lili told me.


    ¡°I wasn''t sure how to describe it, Lili. That was a great way! Thank you.¡± Hestia praised her.


    Lili blushed slightly and nodded to her.


    ¡°So.¡± Hestia looked up at my face. ¡°Go ahead and tell me.¡±


    I sighed again and looked around as I took the chance to cast a detection spell. I winced and found three people following us and shook my head. ¡°We have extra ears around.¡±


    Lili quickly took my hand and Hestia''s and we veered off the street and went down an alleyway. We ducked through a basement walkway and came out onto another street, then we jogged for a minute and entered an abandoned building. Lili ced us beside the wall and out of sight before she nodded to me.


    I cast another spell with a wince and whispered where the remaining person was. We had lost the other two, thankfully. Lili nodded and drew her dagger. I reached out and ced a hand on hers and gave her a sharp nod of permission to kill him if necessary. She nodded back and left us there alone.


    Ten minutester, Lili carried a trussed up scruffy man with several bleeding wounds into the building. She dropped the man at our feet and kicked him in the gut. Neither Hestia nor I asked her why she was upset with the man, because we could clearly see the dirty handprint on the front of her dress.


    ¡°He dies for that.¡± I whispered to her.


    Lili looked into my eyes and she nodded at the resolve she saw there. She stepped back from the source of her ire and let me kneel by the captured man.


    I held my hand out for her dagger and Lili handed it to me without a word. ¡°My Goddess Hestia, please close your eyes and cover your ears.¡± I said and she did so and turned around as well. ¡°You will tell us why you''re following us.¡±


    The man barked augh. ¡°You''ll never make me taAHHH!¡±


    I had interrupted his defiance with a dagger to his upper thigh. I pulled it out and moved it down an inch. ¡°Let''s try that again. Why are you following us?¡±


    ¡°Do your worsSSAAAHHH!¡± The man yelled.


    I pulled the dagger out and moved down an inch. I didn''t ask anything this time and stabbed him again. He started crying and I moved the dagger down an inch and did it again without speaking.


    ¡°All right! ALL RIGHT! I''ll talk! I''LL TALK!¡± The man yelled, then he did so.


    Apparently, someone from the Freya Familia had gotten word that I was somehow involved with the disappearance of their Goddess, because she had been interested in me and had me under observation for several weeks before trying to approach me. He had been paid a lot of valis to track me down and to bring me to the Tower of Babel where the Freya Familia was waiting.


    The other two people were from the Loki Familia and didn''t have a skill as good as his Hunting skill. I sighed at that and looked at Lili as I gave her the dagger back. I nodded towards Hestia and Lili walked around us to hug Hestia and made sure her eyes and ears were covered.


    The man looked relieved that I was no longer going to use the knife on him and I quickly drew my sword and stabbed him right through the neck. I twisted the de and had to decline the Karma Absorption option again, because I was saving up to remove the curse from Hephaestus'' mangled eye. I had no idea what kind of Karmic Debt this man had built up after years of hunting down targets for money and I felt kind of bad that I couldn''t ept it or possibly gain his skill in exchange.


    The cost wasn''t worth it, just like it hadn''t been when I personally killed that giant frog woman and Aisha and was given the same option. I knew they did a lot of bad things in their lives and I couldn''t plunge myself that deep into debt on a world where it was so difficult to earn those Karma points back.


    In fact, I had only gained 3,200 points for offing the entire Ishtar Familia. Everyone in the city knew they were the biggest prostitution and gambling rings in the city and were full of corruption. I did feel better about taking all those lives when I received a 1,200 Karma point bonus for breaking their charms over their civilian prostitutes and club workers.


    I clutched at the pain in my chest as I spent another 300 magic points to disintegrate the body. He hadn''t had any valuables on him and we couldn''t leave his body to be found. Without an expanded backpack to hold him, magic was the only way to dispose of him.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Lili whispered and knelt by me to hold me steady.


    ¡°At least I''m not dying.¡± I said and coughed up some blood.


    Hestia walked over to stand in front of me and red down at me. ¡°You have a lot of exining to do, my Bell. A lot of exining.¡±


    I nodded eptance and held a hand out to her. Hestia took it and knelt to hug it to her chest, gave me a quick kiss, and slung my arm over her shoulder as the three of us stood. I was a little wobbly and had to deal with it, because we couldn''t stay there any longer. I didn''t cast a detection spell, though. I just knew that sticking around a crime scene was a mistake, because it always was.


    We left the abandoned building at a slow walking pace and stayed in the shadows as much as possible as we worked our way back to the church. By the time we reached the dead end where the church was, I was feeling well enough that I couldugh at seeing Hestia''s outrageous reaction to the 10 foot tall marble statue of her sitting on a throne.


    Therge and quite real sapphires in the eyes seemed to follow you as you walked closer and the gold jewellery and silver dress really stood out against the marble-colored skin. The statue was behind a formed metal brazer that was the same as her emblem and the hearth had a roaring orange-yellowish me burning inside that never went out, thanks to a lot of charged magic and runes for mes and protection.


    Hestia ranted about how pretentious it was and how that had nothing to do with weing, until I pointed out her wide arms that begged for a hug and the beaming smile on her face. She moved on to say it was too big and I countered that it was only twice her size and that was only because I couldn''t figure out how to make it bigger and still fit it above the front doors.


    Her rant changed to people wanting to rob us and steal all that wealth, so I told her that it was warded and that everyone would assume that it was fake, just like the gold covering Ishtar''s old templepound and Ganesha''s Colosseum.


    Hestia caught her breath and stopped her rant to stare at me. ¡°What do you mean by her old temple?¡±


    Lili chuckled under her breath and shook her head at me giving the secret away.


    ¡°Let''s go inside and I''ll exin everything.¡± I said and they helped me down the stairs and sat me on the couch that was mine and Hestia stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. ¡°Potato treats while we talk?¡±


    Hestia red at me for another few seconds before she nodded and divided up what she bought and the three of us sat down and started to eat.


    I swallowed a bite and looked at Hestia. ¡°What do you know about Freya?¡±


    ¡°She is the strongest goddess in the world right now and spends all of her time at the top of the Tower of Babel to look down on everyone in Orario. It''s her favorite pastime. Her Familia is also the strongest Familia and has the most members. Some of her children are Level 7 and there are rumors that she has a secret Level 8 hidden somewhere.¡±


    ¡°She''s not the strongest goddess anymore. Her mortal body is dead.¡± I said and took another bite of my potato treat.


    ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?!?¡± Hestia gasped, the half-eaten treat in her hand was forgotten.


    ¡°She''s been dead for a couple of days, actually. I meant to tell you about it and ended up too busy and forgot about it.¡± I said and took another bite and chewed it up. ¡°We need to buy some honey from somewhere. These things would be great with...¡±


    ¡°My <b>Bell</b>.¡± Hestia said, her voice full of authority. ¡°What happened to Freya?¡±


    ¡°That guy we found told you what happened. Freya somehow was interested in me and tried to investigate me, only she was a little too eager to get close to me.¡± I said and took another bite of the treat and smiled. ¡°She had been posing as a barmaid and popped up right behind me when I was heading through the city wearing my full armor.¡±


    Liliughed and pped a hand over her own face. ¡°What an idiot! Even the newest adventurer knows that you always make noise when approaching another adventurer.¡±


    ¡°If she had approached me by walking up, I wouldn''t have reacted like I did. She just appeared within arms reach and I swung around as I drew my weapon, because I assumed it was an attack. She was dead before either of us could blink.¡± I exined.


    ¡°That''s what that bright light was the other day. No one could figure out who was missing from the normal meeting circles.¡± Hestia said, her face showing a thoughtful look.


    ¡°Which Freya would have missed if she usually stays in her rooms and doesn''t interact with the other gods on a regr basis.¡± I said with a nod. ¡°I wonder what will happen to her Familia now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Hestia said and I raised my eyebrows at her. ¡°They are all fully devoted to her and would never consider defecting to join another Familia. Their skills and abilities are locked unless they do join someone else, so the Freya Familia is essentially disbanded without being officially disbanded.¡±


    ¡°What should I do with her body?¡± I asked, just out of curiosity.


    ¡°You still have it?¡± Both Lili and Hestia asked at the same time. They had seen me get rid of a body already and knew I didn''t have to leave remains if I didn''t want to.


    ¡°Technically.¡± I said with a smirk and finished off the potato treat.


    ¡°Bell!¡± Both women eximed.


    I chuckled. ¡°It''s currently concealed inside the marble throne that the Hestia statue is sitting on above the front doors of this church.¡±


    Both women stared at me with shock on their faces for almost a full minute.


    Hestia was the first to break and started to giggle like a little girl. ¡°My likeness is sitting on Freya''s dead body?¡±


    ¡°Your perfectly formed marble ass is sitting right on her face, actually.¡± I said and picked up another potato treat. ¡°I thought it was appropriate.¡±


    ¡°I LOVE YOU, MY BELL!¡± Hestia yelled and lunged for me. My face was covered in kisses before I could do more thanugh and hug her back with one arm.


    Lili plucked the treat from my hand and started eating it. ¡°Your hands and lips are busy.¡±


    I nodded and gave Hestia a full hug and returned the multiple kisses she gave me. She was blushing when I finished returning her affection and she settled down on myp as she looked into my eyes.


    ¡°My Bell, I...¡± Hestia paused and took a deep breath. ¡°I''m not jealous of the girls you''ve been with.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and she looked surprised. ¡°You''ve been very amodating and you haven''t tried to stop me from talking to or interacting with anyone, even though I have been really busytely and haven''t had a chance to spend much time with you.¡±


    ¡°That''s because I believed you when you said that everything you do was for me.¡± Hestia said.


    ¡°It is, even the idents.¡± I said and she giggled. ¡°You see, I think Ishtar noticed that the Freya Familia stopped moving around thest couple of days. Since she''s been so obsessed about bing the most desirable woman in the city, by using her own charms to try and counter Freya''s charms, she would have noticed that she wasn''t meeting any resistance.¡±


    ¡°With what that man said, she would also know that you were thest man Freya was interested in, so you would be the first one Ishtar would seek out for answers.¡± Hestia said and I nodded, because that was what made sense. ¡°Since that''s true, what happened today?¡±


    Both Lili and I recounted what happened from the moment of the tant charm use in broad daylight, to the power y from Ishtar''s Head of her Familia to steal her conquests, to me dealing with them and then setting off an explosion so strong that it was felt halfway across the city.


    ¡°...and that''s how I ended up so hurt. I cast too much magic in too short a time.¡± I finished. ¡°I barely had enough magic left to activate an emergency teleportation to the closest ritual circle.¡±


    Hestia gave me a sorrowful look before she leaned in and gave me a long and lingering kiss. ¡°My Bell.¡± She whispered. ¡°You are an idiot and I love you so much.¡±


    Lili softlyughed and nodded several times. ¡°Ipletely agree. He''s reckless as well.¡±


    I opened my mouth to argue, then shrugged. ¡°I got nothing. You''re right.¡±


    Hestia gave me a quick kiss before she climbed off of myp. ¡°Now we can baby you and take care of you, because you''re too hurt to refuse.¡± She said and giggled. ¡°Lili, it''s bath time!¡±


    I wouldter swear that I witnessed a cloth explosion because both women were suddenly naked as their entire outfits flew off in multiple directions. I was so stunned to suddenly see two beautiful women without clothes in front of me, that I was dragged across the room into the bathroom and didn''t even realize it until they started washing me. I couldn''t even tell you where my clothes went.


    Both Hestia and Lili snuggled into my sides in the tub and I could do nothing but put my arms over their shoulders and hugged them. My whispered words of thanks for taking care of me, made both of them blush, and they kissed my cheeks and hugged me tightly. We spent the rest of the evening rxing in the bath and let all of our worries fade away.

 40 Morning Fun

    40 Morning Fun


    I slept well all night and woke in the morning feeling great. That I had two naked women in my bed was just a bonus, mostly because I had been too hurt the night before to ravage Lili and couldn''t ask Hestia to leave to give us privacy. Surprisingly, Lili didn''t look disappointed by that and made me promise to give her another proper date when I could, only without an explosion at the end this time.


    I hadughed and promised as I gave her a goodnight kiss and then I thanked her again for taking care of me. Hestia gave me an expectant look and I chuckled as I also promised to take her out on a real date on her next day off and we could visit her favorite bookstore. I gave her a chaste kiss and thanked her for taking care of me, too.


    The three of us had hunkered down in my bed after that and my regeneration let me healpletely. I felt a lot stronger today and I suspected that I needed to have my Falna updated. The explosion yesterday was surely a feat that had gained the attention of the gods and goddesses.


    Iid there in bed with two pairs of very nice breasts pressed against my sides and my erection was hard as a rock. I really needed to relieve some of the pressure and thought about whispering to Lili to give me a hand, only I didn''t want to annoy Hestia by doing something like that in front of her.


    It took me a few minutes to use my lubrication trick on them, since they were pressed against me so tightly, and I slipped out and reced myself with two fluffy towels with my face on them. It had worked on Hephaestus and Lili hadn''t said she was angry thest time they talked, so it should work again.


    I dressed in a pair of pants and a shirt before I went to the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. It felt a little odd that I wasn''t making a huge amount of food for a bunch of people to eat. I chuckled under my breath at bing used to that so quickly, because I wasn''t a cook by nature and had fallen into the role as an afterthought of spending time with someone from another Familia.


    I finished up and did up three tes to put under stasis charms, then made lunches for us. Hestia had work again and Lili and I had things to do today. A visit to the Guild would be first to cash in the loot drops and I would need to drop off a barrel of wine for Ouranos as a thank you for his help in dealing with the Soma Familia.


    ¡°Morning.¡± A naked Lili said when she entered the room and her hand reached up to scratch at her messy hair.


    ¡°Sleep well?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°What about theck of clothes?¡±


    Lili blinked her eyes as she looked down at herself, then she shrugged. ¡°You''ve seen it before.¡±


    I quickly discarded my pants as I walked over to her and her eyes didn''t lift from where they were looking, because my rock hard erection was now pressed against her breasts. Without a word, she slipped her mouth over the tip and started sucking. I moaned for her and she hummed happily, her small hands slipped around my hips, and she gripped the cheeks of my butt to hold on.


    I was soon shooting down her throat and Lili swallowed it all. She looked very pleased with herself for getting me off so quickly, then she climbed up my front to give me a kiss and then sat down on me. I forgot all about eating breakfast and carried her over to my couch and created a nket to cover us and used a silence spell. Hestia was still in bed and I didn''t want to take the chance that she might walk in and see us in apromising position.


    Lili moaned under me and I kissed her and moved in and out of her to give her a great morning. When I unloaded my second shot of the morning inside of her, Lili silently moaned and hugged me tightly. I slipped out of her and cast cleaning charms on us, then I spent a good ten minutes or so devouring her breasts.


    Her whisperedments about me being a big baby and wasn''t going to get any milk out of them, had the both of us giggling. I moved down after that and Lili spent another twenty minutes feeling me devour her soaked opening. I experienced first-hand one of her gushing orgasms and it was surprising that such a small woman could produce that much liquid.


    Lili silently begged me to take her again because she wanted to feel full once more, so I did. We both cried out silently as we finished together a surprisingly short timeter. After a short rest, we cuddled under the nket.


    ¡°Are you two done yet?¡± A fully dressed Hestia asked from the hallway and peeked out at us. ¡°You are? Finally! I''m starving and I''m going to bete if I don''t leave soon.¡±


    I apologized and nothing came out, so I silently chuckled and cancelled the silence spell. ¡°I''m sorry about that.¡± I summoned my pants and cleaned myself up and slipped the pants on under the nket. ¡°When Lili appeared naked in the kitchen, Ipletely forgot about serving breakfast and served myself to her instead.¡±


    Lili blushed and ducked her head under the nket. ¡°Don''t say it like that!¡±


    Iughed and slipped out from under the nket after using a cleaning spell on her. ¡°I''m not going to lie to my Goddess after my huge confession yesterday.¡± I said and pulled the nket down enough to kiss her. ¡°I''ll take Hestia to work and wille back for you.¡±


    Lili nodded and I sat with Hestia at the kitchen table and we quickly ate.


    I checked the time on the invisible clock in my head and nodded. ¡°Hestia, could you update my Falna before we leave? I have a feeling I need it done to get the full benefits.¡±


    Hestia looked like she was going to refuse.


    ¡°I''ll teleport us to the Hephaestus Familiapound and carry you to work. We''ll be there in five minutes or less.¡± I said.


    Hestia smiled with a nod and waved at the other couch.


    ¡°Thank you, my Goddess. Praise be to you for putting my immediate needs before yours.¡± I said andid down on my belly. I only wore pants, so my back was already exposed.


    Hestia glowed slightly and climbed onto my back. ¡°I suppose I should have done thisst night while you were asleep.¡±


    ¡°It might not have worked well with one of my skills fully active.¡± I said and she added a drop of blood to my back. I felt the familiar flow of magic and the tingle over my back, then I heard Hestia gasp. ¡°We don''t have time to discuss anything. I just wanted it updated. You can make me a copyter.¡±


    Hestia didn''t say anything as her fingers roamed along my back and she spent a full minute running her fingertips over my lower back where my skills were. ¡°All right, it''s done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my Goddess.¡± I said as she climbed off of me. I hopped up and ran to my room and dressed in my full armor with my sword and ran back out to the main room.


    ¡°You look so good like that, my Bell.¡± Hestia said.


    ¡°Lili and I stand out when we walk together wearing our full outfits.¡± I said and smiled at Lili. ¡°Minus the helmet. It blocks too much of her sight.¡±


    ¡°Then change it into a tiara or something.¡± Lili said and sat up with the nket wrapped around her.


    ¡°It would still block your sight because of the enchantments. It''s the price we pay for wearing protective armor. It''s restrictive.¡± I told her and scooped Hestia up into my arms. ¡°I hope you''re ready for this, My Goddess.¡±


    ¡°I''ve run with you before, my Bell.¡± Hestia said.


    Lili and I chuckled, because we knew something she didn''t.


    Lili waved to us. ¡°Have fun.¡±


    I walked up the stairs and out into the main room of the church, then used the teleportation circle to appear in the Hephaestus Familiapound. Then I ran full out.


    ¡°AHHHHH-HAHAHAHA!¡± Hestia''s scream turned into augh as we blurred through the back streets of Orario. Her twin pigtails of hair whipped around behind us and snapped like gs in a high wind.


    I was sure she could still see everything, just like I could, as we moved at a ridiculous speed. There was a reason why I wanted to upgrade my armor and give Lili her own. It gave us both a huge advantage that we could exploit when necessary, like when we were dungeon diving and had to move fast around attacking creatures and had to carry a lot of materials.


    The best part was that no one expects our armor that looks so expensive, and actually is expensive, would also be fully functional. Most of the high tier adventurers only wore basic pieces for looks and it didn''t really protect anything, because it covered so little. It was maddening, as if they thought they didn''t need it anymore because they were so high level.


    I came to a stop in front of the shop Hestia worked at and everyone around on the street had gasped, because we had just appeared in front of them like magic. A happily giggling Hestia hopped out of my arms and then hopped back up to peck me on the lips.


    ¡°Thank you, my Bell. I might want to pretend to bete every morning I''m working if that''s the ride I''ll get every time.¡± Hestia said with a bright smile.


    I chuckled and gave her a bow. ¡°This lowly mortal is pleased to serve you, My Goddess.¡±


    Hestia softlyughed and patted my hand, waved at all of the staring people around us, and entered the shop to greet her boss. He looked just as stunned as the crowd, as did his wife. I waved to them through the window and then slowly turned around and let everyone see the Hestia Familia emblem on my chest. Once I did that, I waved to the people and walked down the street to the closest alleyway.


    I entered it and made sure no one could see me, or had followed me, before I used a teleportation spell to jump back to the church. I wasn''t surprised when I went back downstairs and saw Lili siting at the kitchen table eating. She was also still naked.


    ¡°You have to stop tempting me so much, Lili.¡± I said and knelt beside her and ced several kisses on her neck and shoulder.


    Lili blushed and didn''t look at me. ¡°Why? Can''t you control yourself around me?¡±


    I tore open my bodysuit and picked her up just enough to slip myself inside of her. She moaned loudly and had a very difficult time trying to finish eating as I had my way with her. I did try to not go to hard or fast, just so she could eat, and it didn''t matter to her. She had apparently liked teasing me like she had and whispered that she never knew she could have such power over someone, especially me.


    I whispered back that I would be a fool to ignore such a beautiful and confident woman. Lili looked back at me over her shoulder and her eyes seemed to see right through me. I looked down at her ass and back at her face, then I stuck my tongue out and flicked it at her. Lili''s eyes widened and she blushed again, because she knew I meant what I said and had already proven I''d do whatever she wanted.


    Lili gave me another gushing orgasm as I filled her up again, then I cleaned us up, repaired my bodysuit, and helped her get dressed in her matching armor set. We put a barrel of moderately good wine into her backpack and went to the teleportation circle. We jumped to the first level of the dungeon and gathered the monster crystals inside the barrier.


    Of course, this set Lili off and we had to go to each teleportation circle to get the rest that was almost guaranteed to be there, especially on the thirteenth level. There was a massive amount on that level and Lili squealed with delight at getting even more crystals to pile into her front storagepartment.


    We went back to the first level like we had initially nned and walked over to the circr stairwell. As we started to ascend them to exit the dungeon, as if we had been gathering all night, a bunch of various adventurers walked down them and stared at us as if they couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    It was either because our full armor sets matched or because we didn''t look like we had spent the night fighting in the dungeon and gathering materials. We hadn''t; but, they didn''t know that. Lili looked quite pleased at all the talking about us braving the dungeon during the most dangerous time to explore, at night.


    Lili also did an asional wiggle of her hips to let the sounds of monster crystals echo off the walls. That definitely had everyone talking with proof we had done a lot of gathering. We walked proudly out of the entrance to the dungeon and more adventurers saw us andmented about our appearance.


    It didn''t take us long to reach the Guild Hall and all conversation stopped when we entered. The adventurers there all seemed to be frozen at the sight of us and stared as we walked over to the main counter.


    ¡°Hi, Rose!¡± I said and waved to the redheaded werewolf. ¡°Has someone taken over the Guild Section Leader''s job yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she... she is kind of expecting you.¡± Rose said and nodded at the side of the counter.


    ¡°Kind of?¡± I asked and led Lili to the opening and we went behind the counter to walk over to the office at the back of the room.


    ¡°She has standing orders from the Ouranos Familia to allow you entrance and to deal with you directly.¡± Rose exined.


    ¡°Ah, I understand. I''m d Ouranos had someone trustworthy to take over from Rehmer.¡± I said and Rose stumbled. I reached out instantly and caught her before she fell, then gently held her and let her regain her bnce.


    ¡°Th-thank you, Bell.¡± Rose said, her face red.


    ¡°That was kind of my fault.¡± I said and let her go. ¡°I think I know who he chose.¡±


    Rose looked at my face and nodded before she knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± A familiar voice said.


    Rose took a deep breath and let it out, then she opened the door and stepped in. ¡°Miss Tulle, Bell Cranel of the Hestia Familia is here.¡±


    I ignored the distressed sound Eina made and entered the office with Lili behind me. I motioned for her to go to the side of the room and nodded to Rose. ¡°Thank you for the escort. We have a lot of monster crystals and loot drops to sort through and I doubt the sole person manning the exchange counter is going to be enough to count it all. Can you call in extra help or something?¡±


    ¡°I''m sure the current staff will be enough for what you have.¡± Eina''s calm voice said.


    ¡°I hope you mean everyone in the office, because there''s a lot.¡± I said and turned around to look at her. She had bags under her eyes and she looked like she hadn''t slept much thest few days. ¡°You should make Rose your personal assistant and let her handle some of your workload. You look dead on your feet.¡±


    Rose gasped and blushed at thepliment I gave her and her tail swished happily. The extra pay would help her a lot, not to mention it would take her away from the main desk and having to deal with adventurers directly, too.


    Eina looked thoughtful and then nodded. ¡°I think I might do that.¡±


    I nodded to her and turned to Lili. ¡°First delivery, please.¡±


    Lili took off her backpack and opened the back, then handed out therge barrel of wine. Both Rose and Eina sucked in sharp breaths at the clearly marked Soma Familia wine barrel.


    ¡°It''s illegal to sell this to anyone and I have a couple of warehouses worth of them.¡± I said and set the barrel beside Eina''s desk. ¡°As per my agreement with the Ouranos Familia, one barrel will be delivered each week as a gift for services rendered.¡±


    Eina stiffened and then sighed. ¡°Just a moment.¡± She said and stood, gave the barrel an almost piercing look, then quickly left the room.


    ¡°Bell, do you know how much that''s worth?¡± Rose asked me.


    ¡°The medium quality wine inside is technically worthless because it can''t be bought or sold.¡± I said with a crooked smile. ¡°The wooden barrel however...¡±


    Rose gasped and covered her mouth with a hand and Liliughed.


    Eina came back inside the office and shut the door. She had a stack of papers in her arms and walked over to her desk and set them on top. ¡°These are the contracts for everything we''ve created from the idea we bought from you. The head of our Familia has graciously seen fit to split the profits with the originator of the idea, as long as the nopetition uses are adhered to.¡±


    I smiled and nodded. ¡°I won''t make or give anything resembling it to anyone and I will destroy the one I have as a sign of good faith.¡±


    Eina nodded back and we quickly went through the contracts and I signed everything after reading them. She filed it all again and handed me a voucher for the first month''s split of the profits. That piece of paper had just given me 75,000 valis for free and I smiled at her.


    ¡°Shall we upy your entire work force for the next hour? Lili''s been waiting two days to see your faces when she dumps out her backpack.¡± I said and motioned to the giant backpack.


    Lili put the backpack on again and the four of us left the office to head over to the exchange area. We were allowed in behind and Rose waved and gathered the other workers around to watch. Lili waited for everyone to settle and slipped off the backpack again, opened the front storage area, and then tilted the entire backpack to 45 degrees. A loud shower of monster crystals started to pour out like water from a nearly full bucket.


    ¡°You might want to stop them from rolling away.¡± I warned them as Lili tilted the backpack more, and more, and then a torrent of crystals spilled out to pile up into a small mountain of them. The workers scrambled to keep them contained and Lili startedughing at their shocked faces. The crystals just wouldn''t stop pouring out!


    Myughter joined Lili''s when she had to pick up her backpack and finish tilting it to be upside down and the rest of the crystals came out. Some of them were fairlyrge, thanks to therger creatures like Silverbacks and Baby Wyverns that Tsubaki and I had cleared out the other day. I was surprised at how manyrge ones we had, considering how quickly we had moved around and how far we travelled.


    ¡°When you''re done counting all of that, we have potion ingredients and other loot drops to sell, too.¡± Lili said and patted the sidepartment on her backpack. Her face was red fromughing so hard.

 41 Loki Familia

    41 Loki Familia


    With the loot dropsbined with the monster crystals, we ended up with a whopping 230,560 valis. That was almost 10 times what a normal adventuring party of five people could gather in a day. It was both shocking and hriously funny, because Lili constantlyughed and sneakily grabbed my butt every time Rose turned to look at us, in order to make the werewolf blush. And she did. Every time.


    We left there with big smiles on our faces as light apuse came from the other adventurers that had seen the huge pile of monster crystals and loot we had turned in. Word of it was going to spread fast, I was sure. That was one of the reasons I hadn''t asked Lili to notugh or make a spectacle, because we wanted people to see how sessful our Familia was.


    Lili took my hand as we walked and she beamed a smile up at me. ¡°This is the best scam I''ve ever seen, Bell! Thank you for including me.¡±


    I chuckled and darted down to give her a quick kiss. ¡°We have to do it this way until we get more Familia members. Once we do, we can clear out floors faster and go even deeper into the dungeon.¡±


    Lili''s smile somehow became even bigger. ¡°The deeper floors have much bigger and stronger monster spawns, which you can find and agitate with that wonderful magic detection spell you have.¡±


    ¡°It''s up to 200 feet now, so I think I''ve levelled up again.¡± I said.


    ¡°That''s why Hestia gasped?¡± Lili asked me.


    ¡°No, I think when Hephaestus and I... consummated our mutual support contract... she granted me something.¡± I told her and she looked surprised. ¡°I''m hoping it''s a blessing of some kind that probably deals with heat, the forge, or something simr.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel anything different?¡± Lili asked and pointed down a side street.


    I followed where she wanted to go. ¡°I felt it when whatever it was activated during my update.¡± I said and remembered when it had happened the first time. ¡°Also when Hephaestus gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°You actually felt her blessing you?¡± Lili asked, surprised.


    ¡°I sure felt something.¡± I joked and wagged my eyebrows at her.


    Lili barked augh and then giggled like a little girl. ¡°S-stop making meugh!¡±


    I shrugged, not agreeing or promising anything. She gave me a light smack on my arm and led me down several streets to a small ce. Her mood fell as we approached the door.


    ¡°You don''t have to do this.¡± I whispered to her.


    ¡°I know. I want to.¡± Lili said and reached into her money pouch and pulled out a second bag. In it was the 25,000 valis that I had paid her for robbing me. It had been thest amount of money she had earned as a Soma Familia member and she believed she needed to give it to the people that had taken care of her when she was younger.


    I knocked on the door for her and we waited, and waited, and no one opened the door. I cast a detection spell and sighed. Lili gave me a searching look and I nodded. They were inside and were not answering on purpose. Undaunted, Lili opened the door, the lock proving no barrier to her augmented strength, and she tossed in the bag of money.


    ¡°We''re done. I have a real family now.¡± Lili said and shut the door. She hadn''t mmed it.


    ¡°I would have mmed it.¡± I said and cast a quick repair on the lock. ¡°Let''s go grab those things you were looking at yesterday in the market.¡±


    Lili took my hand with a sigh and we walked away from her old guardians, never to return.


    *


    The Loki Familia finally returned from their week long excursion into the dungeon. They had made it all the way down to the seventeenth floor this time and had spent a long time clearing out the various monsters scattered all over the level that was nearly a quarter of the size of the city of Orario.


    The trip back to the surface had been quicker than going down, because the bigger boss monsters they had in would take a week or more to spawn again. They had gathered a very good haul as well. The rare loot drops andrger monster crystals meant arge payout that would keep them solvent for at least a month, even after they distributed everyone the share they had earned.


    The less important members had already scurried off to their rooms as soon as they entered thepound, so it was only Loki and her executives and the Familia head that entered the main building.


    ¡°Goddess, this came for you by priority runnerst week right after the expedition left.¡± One of thepound''s attendants said and bowed as he held out a note.


    Loki''s eyes crinkled as if squinting, even if her eyes were already squinted. ¡°Who would send something to me directly and not to my cute little Finn?¡±


    Finn took the cue and walked over to take the note. He quickly read it and shook his head. ¡°The Hephaestus Familia wants tomission us for an exploratory mission into the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°HA! Not goddess-damned likely.¡± Gareth therge surly dwarf almost spat as he sat on a huge couch. ¡°We just got back from a week down there and we''re exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Even the support people we hired dropped their packs and pulled out bedrolls to sleep in the courtyard. They''re not moving until tomorrow at least.¡± Tione said with a groan as she sat across from Gareth. She grunted when her sister flopped down onto herp and started snoring. ¡°Yeah, like that.¡±


    Some of the others chuckled and they all found ces to drop their things and flopped onto couches and chairs to rx.


    ¡°Is it a straight fee or resource sharing?¡± Riveria asked. As the vice-head, she needed to know and she would start the nning right away.


    ¡°Straight fee. Going for the resources is the point of the dive.¡± Finn said and handed her the note.


    ¡°Hard pass!¡± Tiona said from her sister''sp, her snoring had been fake. ¡°I barely have any boobs and even my boobs are tired after that trip!¡±


    That made most of themugh and then sigh as they pulled off their heavy clothes and pieces of armor. No one winced at the smell, because they were all covered in it. Sweating in the dungeon was epted as normal and no one was exempt from stinking up the ce. They wouldn''t even notice until they went to their individual rooms to clean up.


    ¡°I have to agree. We need rest for a day or two before heading out again, even if it is a lucrative contract.¡± Riveria said and handed the note to Loki.


    Loki''s eyes twitched and the slits she had for eyes opened a small bit in surprise when she saw the offer. ¡°Is she insane?¡±


    ¡°You would know better than we would.¡± Riveria said and sat beside Tione and pet Tiona''s head, making the amazonness almost purr. ¡°Why would she pay such an outrageous fee for an escort mission?¡±


    Loki didn''t know. Hephaestus was a cksmith and all she really wanted out of life was to pass on her craft to those that were worthy and to smith new things with the best ingredients. She wouldn''t even look at anything that was amon grade or lower, which meant she expected to find something worthy during the trip.


    Her request for them to go down as many levels as possible, would be quite the undertaking. That could exin the fee, especially since there was nothing in the note about their own provisions or support personnel. Then again, Loki would have to meet with her to get the details, since the note was only worded with the intent to hire them, not that she would.


    ¡°What do the rest of you think?¡± Loki asked them.


    ¡°Wait a few days to a week and ask us again.¡± Tione said and nearly everyone else nodded.


    ¡°I would go right now if I didn''t need a change of clothes and a bath.¡± Aiz said.


    ¡°I''ll join you!¡± Loki eximed and leapt at her.


    Aiz was well versed in the goddess and her perversions, so her hand easily swiped the groping one away from her breast and followed through with a p to the face. She caught the hand and tripped the goddess to make her facent into the floor.


    ¡°You''re soooo mean!¡± Loki groused from the floor. No one moved to help their goddess and avoided looking at her sprawled out on the floor.


    Aiz picked up the dropped note and saw who it was from. No one saw as her lip twitched slightly and she pocketed the note as she left the room.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe you bought a stupid lute and a bunch of parts for 20,000 valis!¡± Lili almost shouted at me as I put my purchases into the side pocket of her backpack.


    ¡°There is a method to my madness. Two methods, actually.¡± I rified and she gave me an incredulous look. ¡°You''ll find out what I mean as soon as I can get you home and can work on it.¡±


    Lili sighed exaggeratedly and poked me in the side to get me to move.


    ¡°If I need anything else for my home, I know where toe looking for it. Thank you.¡± I said to the older woman behind the counter of the old store.


    ¡°I look forward to youing back to visit, Bell.¡± She said with a slightly red face.


    The store had been a rare find when we stumbled upon this ce and it had a bunch of old things like beat up trunks, dressers,mps, tables of all kinds, and other furniture that had seen better days. They were selling them for cheap and I bought more than a few things for our home and just so happened to ask about musical instruments.


    The older woman said she had something that wasn''t for sale and showed me her mother''s old lute. It was in fairly good shape and had some faded gold filigree on it, so I knew it should work for what I wanted. It had a bulbous teardrop shape and not the figure 8 of a guitar and the neck was very short and the top bent back at an angle to keep tension on the strings. On the plus side, it had the right number of strings and I wouldn''t have to add any.


    After a lot of haggling and a promise toe back and y a song for her, I had gained it and all of the things her mother had collected over the years for it, including many recement strings, frets, the string screws, and everything else that would be needed to repair or rece parts on it. She also gave me a small pot of wood varnish that she had forgotten to use on the thing months ago.


    That was why I hadn''t balked at spending the money. The older woman had seen my clear interest in it and had only haggled for fun, which let her start off outrageously high at 50,000 valis and I started outrageously low at 100 valis. By the time we reached the ''right'' price for her to sell it to me, we had both beenughing under our breaths for several minutes.


    I bid her a good day and we left the small shop. I made a mental note of where it was and ced a minuscule barrier onto the front window, just so I would find it if I was within 200 feet.


    Lili didn''t say anything else to me about it and took my hand again. ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    I checked the invisible clock in my head. ¡°We need to go eat supper. I doubt we''ll see Hestia untilter tonight after what I told her yesterday.¡±


    Lili nodded and we talked about the best ce to go, then chose to head to the Hephaestus Familiapound to hand over their half of the money we made from cashing in the monster crystals and loot drops.


    ¡°And if they just so happened to be eating...¡± Lili said with a smile.


    I chuckled and we ran the rest of the way there. My condition of only being there for contracted business would still count if we were invited to eat while delivering the money. We were in luck when we arrived in the main building. A huge pile of food had been delivered and most of the Hephaestus Familia members were there eating.


    ¡°Bell!¡± Tsubaki almost shouted and waved to us. ¡°You''re just in time!¡±


    ¡°We couldn''t impose...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°Sit! Sit!¡± Tsubaki said and motioned to the empty chair beside her.


    ¡°We finally cashed in what we gathered at the Guild.¡± Lili said and let me sit, then she took off her backpack and sat on myp. I was hard for her instantly and she looked quite smug about it. No one mentioned her sitting on me, not even Tsubaki.


    ¡°Oh? Did they piss themselves? That was a lot of monster crystals.¡± Tsubaki said.


    ¡°It was pretty close and Lili and I wereughing pretty hard.¡± I said as Lili picked up a biscuit to butter it and fed me half. ¡°Fangs.¡± I said in thanks and chewed before I swallowed. ¡°We popped into the dungeon for half an hour this morning to gather what was around the travel points, too.¡±


    Tsubaki chuckled and spread jam on her next biscuit. ¡°How much was around thest one?¡±


    ¡°Almost as much as the top eight floorsbined.¡± Lili said and started prepping another biscuit to feed me half and added a drop of honey.


    ¡°HA! It must have been a huge pile when you delivered it to the Guild.¡± Tsubaki said and took a drink of tea. ¡°Ahhh, that''s good stuff.¡±


    ¡°The pile was almost as tall as Lili and she had to turn her backpack upside down to get them all out.¡± I said and epted another half-biscuit and a potato treat. Both tasted great with some honey on them.


    ¡°That''s why we wereughing so hard. The looks on everyone''s faces when they saw how much we had was really funny!¡± Lili beamed a smile at her and Tsubakiughed.


    ¡°I bet the adventurers there will have spread the story to the others already.¡± I said and Lili nodded.


    We were about halfway through supper when the main building''s door opened and a very nervous young man ran in and went right over to Tsubaki. He whispered in her ear and she nodded. He ran back out and disappeared for a minute and then he came back as he led a pretty blonde woman inside.


    ¡°Aiz!¡± I said in a simr manner to Tsubaki''s weing greeting and waved her over. ¡°You''re just in time. Please join us.¡±


    Aiz gave me raised eyebrows and walked over to us.


    ¡°Lili? Could you grab...¡± I started to say and Lili hopped from myp to sit on Tsubaki''s. The other woman barked augh and handed her a slice of beef and a tomato. ¡°I was going to say a chair.¡±


    Lili motioned to Aiz and she sat demurely on myp side saddle, as if I was a prize show horse.


    ¡°That was a ssy move.¡± Tsubaki said with approval.


    Aiz gave her a slight nod and started eating and feeding me bits as well, just like Lili had. I epted them because I had already put my arms around her waist to hold her steady and my hands weren''t free. With where my hands were, I could easily tell that she worked out a lot to get such a fit body and I knew she was very strong.


    The thing was, after my current level up that Hestia had performed that morning, I was sure with my armor bonuses that I was pretty close to her level and possibly stats. Aiz must have noticed a change in my face as I thought about her, because she gave me a fairly pointed look. She briefly nced down at my hands and back at my face.


    I softlyughed at the partial usation. ¡°I''m not so crass as to try and grope you under the table, Aiz. Unless we started dating, that is. Then it would be kind of fun and something we could both do and not just me.¡±


    Aiz gave me another pointed look, seemed to think about it, nodded, and leaned in to give me a kiss.


    The entire table seemed to still as all conversation stopped and everyone looked over at me, even Lili and Tsubaki. I was almost equally as stunned as them, because I was pretty sure Aiz had just agreed to date me and gave me permission to grope her under the table.


    Aiz went back to eating and feeding me. One of her hands briefly dropped below the table edge and slid along my waist to feel my erection. I sucked in a sharp breath for her and she gave me a slight smile before she went back to eating with both hands.


    I slid a hand down from her waist and along the outside of her thigh, then along the inside. I hesitated when my hand slid up under her short skirt and she looked at my face. I put a questioning expression on my face and my eyes darted down to her waist. Aiz gave a very slight nod and prepared another potato treat. She liked them with honey, too.


    I did not try to y with her or rubbed her down there. I slid my hand up and did what she did to me. I slid my hand along her panties and then rested my hand there on her. It also let me feel her grow damp at the intimate touch, even if I didn''t do anything except hold her down there.


    I moved my hand away after that brief touch and she seemed to appreciate that I hadn''t done more than that, because she smiled slightly again. I epted another bite of potato treat and we all ate breakfast in almostplete silence.

 42 Prepping Is Fun Part One

    42 Prepping Is Fun Part One


    It was at this point that Hephaestus showed up and she looked sweaty and happy. She walked to the head of the table and sat down with a sigh of contentment. Her eyes went over everyone there from one side of the table to the other, as if she was taking her time to take in the atmosphere, and she smiled. Well, she did right up until her eyesnded on me with Aiz on myp.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Hephaestus asked, her voice was normal despite her blush.


    Before I could answer, Aiz reached into her belt and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. Hephaestus looked stunned as she read it and stared at Aiz.


    ¡°I came to negotiate going down into the dungeon as your guard to gather resources.¡± Aiz said and ate a piece of meat.


    ¡°Not... not the entire Loki Familia?¡± Hephaestus asked, haltingly.


    ¡°We are taking a week off after ourst trip.¡± Aiz said and fed me a piece of meat as well.


    ¡°You''re doing this on your own time?¡± I asked, just to rify.


    Aiz nodded and I looked at Lili and Tsubaki.


    ¡°How fast can we travel if we have two or three strong people fighting to clear the way and two people gathering things up?¡± I asked them.


    Tsubaki caught her breath and then grinned. ¡°We could go four or five times as fast! We also wouldn''t have to clear everything, just paths to where we''re going as we search!¡±


    ¡°The levels get bigger the farther down we go.¡± Lili said and looked thoughtful. ¡°That speed will be needed a lot. The old maps I saw showed that the eighteenth floor was a quarter of the size of Orario, and since it''s bigger than three other capital citiesbined...¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Tsubaki said and gave Lili a searching look. ¡°How big would the twentieth floor be? The thirtieth?¡±


    Lili tapped a finger on her chin as she thought about it. ¡°If my math is right...¡±


    That made most of the people at the tableugh. They all knew she was an appraising prodigy.


    ¡°...then the twenty-fourth floor would be about half the size of the city and... yes, I believe the thirty-seventh floor would be the size of the entire city of Orario.¡±


    Her words surprised a lot of the people at the table.


    ¡°The lower levels are also full of stronger spawning monsters.¡± Someone else offered.


    ¡°I doubt we can go that far tomorrow afternoon.¡± I said and everyone looked at me. ¡°We can''t go tonight or in the morning. It''s a lot to prepare to go that deep, especially making the food to bring and extra carrying capacity. Larger floors meansrger ore deposits. Hopefully.¡±


    That got everyone talking and nodding their heads.


    ¡°I still have lots of silver powder, so there''s no worry there.¡± I said and looked at Lili. ¡°I think you and I need to repair and update your backpack again. The quick fixes I did to it already won''t be enough.¡±


    Lili nodded. ¡°If we find anything good, especially arge and valuable ore deposit, I don''t want to only partially mine it and leave it there. It won''tst long once we discover it because it never does.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Leaving anything behind would be a shame, so I should alter one of my own, too.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°Of course, once we get close to full, we cane back to unload and go again.¡±


    Aiz stiffened on myp and gave me a very pointed look. ¡°You would go right back down?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We always take breaks and rx before heading for the next floor ande back when we know we can''t carry any more. It''s not a race, even if we move like it sometimes.¡± I chuckled and reached over to pat my dark-skinned friend''s arm. ¡°Tsubaki likes having fun testing out her weapons as much and as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°I need a backpack, too!¡± Tsubaki happily squealed. ¡°I''ll fill it with different weapons and I''ll test them against all the best monsters! YAAAY!¡±


    The entire table went quiet for a few seconds and everyone in the Hephaestus Familia burst outughing at her excitement.


    Hephaestus chuckled as well. ¡°All right. Let''s talk about a contract.¡±


    ¡°I need tomission Tsubaki to make a set of armor for our new guard.¡± I said and both Hephaestus and Aiz stiffened and looked at me. ¡°You can include it in the contract negotiations. We are partners, after all. What benefits us, benefits us all.¡±


    Hephaestus nced at mine and Lili''s matching armor and knew what they were valued at. She nodded and finished eating before she stood and motioned to Aiz. I whispered an offer to go with her as I cast a temporary listening spell on her. Aiz gave me a quick kiss, thanked me as she politely refused, and stood. Hephaestus nodded to me and led Aiz to her office.


    I turned my head away from the table and tapped my ear to cast themunication spell on my ear. It would let me listen and was cheap, because it wasn''t going tost for long. Neither Lili nor Tsubaki asked me what I was doing as I listened in on the very short ''negotiation'' between Hephaestus and Aiz.


    Hephaestus asked her what she wanted for risking her life on such an endeavor and Aiz said she wanted to go to get stronger and would ept any payment Hephaestus thought was appropriate. That was it.


    I barely held in myugh as Hephaestus agreed to pay her with a new weapon and armor and would provide food and travel expenses as she went through the dungeon. They signed the simple contract and came right back out of the office. I dispelled both cheap spells, because I didn''t want to be distracted.


    ¡°They''reing back?¡± Lili asked me.


    That question gave me a perfect cover for staying quiet and not speaking, so I nodded and let her think that I was using my detection spell to track them. A couple of minutester, Hephaestus led Aiz into the room and over to us.


    ¡°We''vee to a suitable agreement. Tsubaki, go ahead and get started on making that armor. Bell can help you with itter.¡± Hephaestus said, pointedly. That meant she wanted to hide my ability from Aiz and Tsubaki nodded. ¡°I''m going to forge her a little something personally to help protect you.¡±


    The entire Familia gasped and stared at her, as if she had said something profound.


    Hephaestus blushed slightly. ¡°Yes, I know how much I charge for personalmissions.¡±


    ¡°It is a standing and open-ended contract.¡± Aiz said as she sat on myp again and I didn''t object or minded... at all... because she was lightly touching me under the table again. Her statement earned another gasp and everyone knew what that meant. Any time Aiz was free, Hephaestus could call her to resume her guard duty. Both women looked happy about it, too.


    ¡°I''ll leave you to it.¡± Hephaestus said and lightly touched my shoulder. ¡°Please stay safe.¡±


    I smiled warmly at her. ¡°Your generosity is guaranteeing that, dear Goddess. Praise be to you for looking out for my welfare.¡±


    Hephaestus glowed softly and shuddered. The blush on her face made her look cute.


    ¡°Lili, we need to hand over Tsubaki''s share of the money. It''s why we came here.¡± I said.


    Lili climbed off of Tsubaki''sp and pulled out arge sack of money from her backpack. ¡°Here you go, Tsubaki. 115,280 valis.¡±


    Complete and utter silence fell in the room as Lili handed over the bulging sack to the stunned cksmith. The bright smile on Lili''s face let everyone know that she enjoyed shocking people.


    Hephaestus seemed to shake herself and let my shoulder go, nodded to Aiz and then Tsubaki and Lili, and left at a fast walk. She had work to do, just like we did.


    ¡°We should get to work, too.¡± I said and lightly patted Aiz''s thigh. ¡°Are you returning to the Loki Familiapound for the night?¡±


    Aiz shook her head. ¡°I left a note saying I was leaving for a few days to a week. I will return when I return.¡±


    ¡°Then the Hestia Familia offers hospitality to you, Aiz Wallenstein. Whenever you like, you have another hearth to warm yourself against.¡± I smiled at her and she looked at my face, as if searching for something. ¡°No ulterior motives. We wee you with open arms.¡± I said and her hand moved and gripped my length through my pants. ¡°Any more than that is up to you.¡±


    Aiz nodded and let me go before she stood. ¡°I will go with you.¡±


    Lili let out a halfugh and a half-giggle. ¡°I can''t wait to see your face when we travel.¡±


    I stood as well and chuckled. ¡°I doubt you''ll get what you think you will.¡±


    ¡°We''ll see.¡± Lili said and put on her giant backpack. ¡°I hope it won''t take long to update this thing.¡±


    ¡°No one will recognize it when we''re done.¡± I said and motioned to the side door. ¡°After you.¡±


    Lili walked ahead of me and I offered an arm to Aiz. She took it like ady and we left the Hephaestus Familia building and walked around it to the rear courtyard. Aiz looked slightly confused and didn''t ask where we were going, like I suspected. Lili stopped in the right spot and turned to watch us, her eyes trying to see anything on Aiz''s face.


    ¡°This is a secret between the Hestia Familia and Hephaestus Familia for now.¡± I said and held a hand down towards the ground.


    Aiz looked and her eyes didn''t widen or change as the ground lit up in a twenty foot circle around us. A sh of lightter, we were inside the Hestia Familia church. She looked up from the floor and gave me a single raised eyebrow.


    Lili pouted and sighed. ¡°You knew she wouldn''t do anything.¡±


    I chuckled and leaned down to briefly kiss her. ¡°Know your audience and know the oue.¡±


    Lili epted the lesson with a nod and walked over to the store room behind the altar. She opened the secret door at the back and Aiz gave her the same raised eyebrow. ¡°Our Goddess had to hide where she stayed. For protection. She had no one to rely on and was all alone.¡±


    Aiz stiffened slightly and reached out to lightly touch Lili''s arm and nodded. Lili nodded back.


    I led them down the stairs and Aiz looked around at the very nice living space and the small kitchen. ¡°It''s cozy, isn''t it?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Lili, go ahead and get changed. We can work on the backpack after we unload the things we bought.¡±


    ¡°I need to take out the camping supplies, too.¡± Lili said and took her backpack off and started rummaging through the variouspartments, thenughed under her breath. ¡°Look! I still have an old nket from when I was living on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Don''t throw it out. I''ll see if I can repair it and make it thicker. Waste not, want not.¡± I said and both she and Aiz gave me surprised looks. ¡°It''s an old saying from where I lived before.¡± I said, which was the truth. They would assume it was from the mountain vige, though. ¡°If you still don''t want it, we can give it to the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me. We should stop and grab some potions, too.¡± Lili said and started to pull out the furniture we bought. Aiz sat on one of the couches to watch us like a hawk.


    ¡°That''s a good idea. We should start building up our own stock of supplies.¡± I agreed and picked up a coffee table and set it where it needed to go. ¡°Goddess Hephaestus should have the food ordered and ready for packing by lunchtime tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Should we bother with bringing things for cooking?¡± Lili asked and held up some beat up pots and pans.


    ¡°I''ll fix them up, no problem.¡± I said with a nod and cast a repair spell on the table. ¡°It''s going to be simple fare if we stay longer than a day, unless we travel faster than I think we will and can set up a good base camp somewhere safe.¡±


    Lili put the pots and cooking things aside. ¡°I had a thought about that.¡± She said and pulled out a nice picture frame with a mountain scene painted inside.


    ¡°Oh? What was it?¡± I asked and took the small picture. I chose a good spot on the wall and repaired the painting to make it like new and erged it, then hung it on the wall. It fit perfectly.


    ¡°Can you make more than one teleportation circle on the bigger floors?¡± Lili asked me and pulled out a dresser to hand to me.


    I stopped reaching for it and thought about it. ¡°You know, I think it might be good to not have to travel miles and miles to either get back to the entrance to the floor above or to the exit to the next floor.¡±


    ¡°I know it''s aplicated spell to connect and you''re only putting one per floor because of that.¡± Lili said and put the dresser down and took out arge standing cab. ¡°My room, please. By the corner.¡±


    I took it and left the room to put it where she wanted it. It took a single repair spell to fix it, which meant my detection spell wasn''t the only thing getting better with each level up. I went back to the living room and saw Aiz rubbing a hand over the like-new coffee table.


    ¡°I suffer magical bacsh if I cast too much too quickly, so I''m used to only using low cost spells.¡± I told her and touched the coffee table. I transfigured it and added wooden swirls and ornate decorations all along the edges and on the legs to make it look really fancy.


    ¡°Bell, stop.¡± Lili said and rubbed her temples. ¡°That started at 300 valis and is now up to 35,400.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oops.¡± I said and walked over to her to kneel on a knee. ¡°I should have warned you to not keep looking at it.¡± I said softly and gave her several tender kisses.


    ¡°The only way you could have made my skill react stronger would be if you had dropped some gold onto it and used that to emboss the filigree.¡± Lili said with a smile.


    I smiled back. ¡°Do you want me to give you an even bigger headache?¡±


    ¡°Goddess, no.¡± Lili said and sighed. ¡°I need to be more careful around you.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°You''re just figuring that out now?¡±


    Lili chuckled, too. ¡°Jerk.¡±


    I gave her another kiss and helped her unload her backpack. Holy hell, there was a lot of stuff inside. I had known she needed weight to keep her special skill active and I hadn''t quite realized that she had so much misceneous stuff that kept it active constantly.


    ¡°We definitely need betterpartments and organization for the new backpack.¡± I said and Lili gave me a questioning look. ¡°Yes, it''s going to take longer than you thought.¡±


    Lili sighed and stepped back. ¡°Then I''ll take your advice and change. It''s going to be a long night.¡±


    ¡°I shall change, too.¡± Aiz said and stood up from the couch.


    ¡°Lili? Can she borrow a nightdress or something? I''ll erge it to fit her and buy you a recement.¡±


    Lili nodded and led Aiz through the door to the new section of the apartment and disappeared from sight. I kept working on the furniture and set up the rest of the apartment. I even changed in my own room before Lili and Aiz came back into the living room.


    My mouth dropped open when they wore simr see-through nighties and neither of them wore bras. The panties were little more than a small triangle and didn''t cover anything but the bare minimum, and that was only because they weren''t moving very much.


    Lili giggled and pointed at my crotch. ¡°I told you.¡±


    Aiz nodded and smiled slightly. ¡°Where will I be sleeping?¡±


    ¡°In my bed.¡± I said before I realized what that implied. ¡°I meant that...¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Aiz interrupted before I could tell her I was sleeping on the couch. ¡°Which room is yours?¡±


    ¡°I''ll show you.¡± Lili said and took her hand to lead her to my room.


    I opened my mouth to correct their assumptions and heard someoneing down the stairs, so I stayed quiet and let them go. As the door shut to the new section, I turned to the stairwell and saw a very sad Hestia walk down thest few steps. She carried a scroll in her hands and looked on the verge of tears.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    Hestia walked over to me and handed me the scroll. ¡°You are being summoned to a tribunal.¡±


    This was eerily simr to what happened on thest world.


    ¡°When?¡± I asked instead of why, because I knew why. Hestia had told the other gods and goddesses what had happened.


    ¡°In two days. They need time to question witnesses and gather evidence.¡± Hestia said.


    I nodded. I doubted it would take them two days, because no one was left alive for them to question.

 43 Prepping Is Fun Part Two

    43 Prepping Is Fun Part Two


    Hestia cried for several minutes after delivering that bombshell. I held her and whispered that it was okay, that it wasn''t her fault, and that she didn''t have to worry. She calmed down eventually and looked up at my face, her own streaked with tears.


    ¡°I''m so sorry, my Bell. I was gossiping with the girls in the open-air bath and...¡± Hestia paused and looked guilty. ¡°One of them mentioned Freya and... and it just slipped out what happened...¡± She sighed. ¡°For the first time in my life, I was suddenly the center of everyone''s attention. They started asking questions and... at first, things were lighthearted and okay, then there was so much pressure and...¡±


    I leaned down to give her a long and lingering kiss to interrupt her rambling. ¡°You are my personal Goddess, Hestia. I promised that I was going to do everything I could to help you.¡± I whispered and two more tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Do you still believe in me?¡±


    ¡°My Bell, I... I do.¡± Hestia whispered back.


    I beamed a smile at her and she blushed. ¡°Then trust in me. Aiz is guarding our next expedition into the dungeon tomorrow afternoon and I''ll make as many teleportation circles as possible within the time I have left.¡±


    Hestia caught her breath. ¡°My Bell...¡±


    ¡°Before the tribunal.¡± I said, even though we both knew my words meant something else. ¡°Aiz is staying here for the night under hospitality rules. Why don''t you get cleaned up and changed for bed, too? I have a lot of work to do to prepare for tomorrow and then I''ll head to bed as well.¡±


    Hestia nodded and went to her room to get undressed, then returned wearing a robe to go to the bathroom. She gave me another sad look as she shut the bathroom door.


    I went to Lili''s backpack and quickly took out the old lute and all of the parts for it from the side pocket and brought up into my mind what I wanted. I used transformation magic in bits to straighten the bent handle, then again to lengthen it and the strings. I used another bit to change the teardrop shape to the figure 8, then again to tten it out and removed the bulbous back. I left the filigree, though.


    With the basics done, I erged it and stopped when it was the right size for a guitar. I repaired it and it looked brand new, which gave it a nice wooden sheen. I used the varnish on it and a bit of magic to dry it, finishing the whole thing to make it into a new instrument that no one on this world had seen before.


    I took the opportunity toce the inside with metal strips and it didn''t take me long to enchant it with a few things. Reverberation, amplification, distance, and anti-dirt and toughness. I could probably use it as a club and it wouldn''t break, which was great, because I was taking it into the dungeon with me.


    ¡°What in the world is that?¡± Lili asked me from the doorway to the new section of the apartment.


    I did some adjustments on the string screws on the top of the handle and plucked them to tune them properly. Once I had that done, I smiled at her. ¡°This is something that will change the world.¡±


    Lili looked at it, then at me, then back at it.


    ¡°Confused?¡± I asked with a knowing smile.


    ¡°I... I... I can''t appraise it.¡± Lili said, clearly shocked.


    ¡°That''s because it''s priceless.¡± I said and put it down to the side and out of the way. ¡°Do you want to give me a hand with tearing apart your backpack? You have a lot more experience with it than I do.¡±


    Lili walked over to me and we started doing that. Every few minutes, she would stop and turn to stare a the guitar for a few seconds, then she would start working again.


    Hestia came out of the bathroom wearing just a towel and saw us working, sighed at not being able to tease me with her undressed state, and she went back into the bathroom to finish changing. I had to hold in myughter at her trying that, because I had the thought that she might be nervous about Aiz being here.


    I didn''t say anything about Hestia''s possible insecurity with Lili right beside me, because I didn''t want her teasing our Goddess about it. Hestia came back out wearing a conservative nightgown and walked over to us. She didn''t ask what we were doing and sat on the closest couch and just watched.


    Lili told me what she wanted and where, so I rearranged her backpack to her liking. It would be much better and easier for her to ess everything and I even added in a drop opening on the underside of thepartment where ore was stored. She would no longer have to shovel it out and that earned me a very passionate kiss.


    When we were done with all the modifications, includingrger expanded spaces inside, it looked like a hiker''s backpack and not the rounded giant sack she used to have. Both Hestia and Lili were surprised by it, mostly because of the metal reinforcements that held the enchantments. The best part was that the metal was exactly the right amount of extra weight that it activated Lili''s special skill for carrying heavy things.


    Before I could do more than tell her about that, Lili was naked and had me on the floor and rode me pretty hard. Even though she couldn''t take all of me inside, because her body was just built smaller, she sure tried to fit in as much as possible and she made sure that I enjoyed letting her try. Of course, I wasn''t idle, either. My hands roamed, yed, and tweaked her appropriately.


    Lili copsed on top of me when I finally let myself go and filled her up. She had exhausted herself and breathed heavily as she tried to recover from doing so much exertion so quickly. When she had, she gave me a kiss, stood up and picked up her new backpack, and hugged it to her chest as she went to her room and shut the door.


    My eyes drifted from the hallway where her cute little ass had just walked down, across the living room, to end at the couch. That was the moment I realized something important. Something very, very important.


    Hestia, the virgin goddess whose powers depended on her innocence, had seen the entire thing. She stared at me with shock on her face, at my still dripping erection, at my face, at my popping muscles, at my erection again, then back to my face.


    I started to panic about the whole thing and my eyes flew around the room, as if to distract myself, and my eyes immediatelynded on my new guitar. I suddenly knew exactly what to do.


    I cleaned myself with magic and stood as I scooped up the guitar, then I knelt in front of Hestia and slowly started to strum it. I poured some magic into it and the enchantments activated and worked like an electric guitar amp, exactly as I had hoped it would.


    ¡°You''re stillll the one... you''re still the one I run toooo... the one that I belong toooo... you''re still the one I waaaant for liiiife.¡± I sang in a perfectly soft voice.


    Hestia gasped as she started to glow and tears came to her eyes.


    ¡°You''re stillll the one... you''re still the one that I looove... the only one I dream ooof... you''re still the one I kiss gooooodniiight.¡± I kept singing and the sound of the guitar filled the room, then the apartment, then the church.


    Lili and Aiz entered the living room and their eyes were wide when they saw me, still naked and on my knees, as I sang my heart out for Hestia. She was still softly sobbing and the glow from her became stronger.


    ¡°Theeey said... I bet... they''ll never maaaake it... but, just look at us hooolding on.¡± I sang and strummed the guitar. ¡°We''re still together... still goooing strong...¡±


    I sung the chorus again and left out a few lines that didn''t really apply, then slowed my ying down and ended with a few plucks of the final string and let the reverberation die out on its own as the magic charge faded.


    ¡°My... my Bell.¡± Hestia said and huped as she wiped at her eyes. The glow around her slowly dimmed and she slid off the couch.


    I put the guitar down to catch her in my arms and I was very careful about her not spearing herself on my erection. It hadn''t gone down as I sang the song for several minutes and I wasn''t sure why. It wasn''t until Hestia straddled myp and pressed her belly against mine and trapped it between us, that I realized Hestia might have had something to do with it.


    ¡°My Bell.¡± Hestia said, her face bright red as the warmth at our bellies increased to be almost blisteringly hot. It wasn''t ufortable, though.


    ¡°My personal Goddess.¡± I whispered. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Hestia''s blush didn''t fade as she spoke. ¡°I''m using your new skill.¡±


    I blinked my eyes for several seconds as I thought about it. ¡°The blessing Hephaestus gave me?¡±


    Hestia nodded. ¡°Blessing of the Forge. Anything you do with heat of any kind will increase the effect by 100%.¡±


    The shock on my face made her giggle.


    ¡°Yes, my Bell. Any heat caused by any source.¡± Hestia said and leaned into gently kiss me. ¡°Like from a zing fire from a hearth to the warmth of my love for you.¡±


    I wasn''t sure how to respond to that, especially with her pressed against me. I was kind of d that I had already gotten off with Lili, because I was pretty sure the building heat between Hestia and I,bined with the pressure she was intentionally exerting on me, would have had me blow a load already.


    As if I had called it forth, I felt the familiar feeling and opened my mouth to warn her. Hestia kissed me and her tongue fought mine as my unexpected load, that felt surprisingly like what had happened when Hephaestus had blessed me, shot out between us and soaked into Hestia''s nightgown.


    Hestia let out a womanly moan, which was something that I had never heard from her before, and I felt her soak myp. It seemed appropriate, if extremely dangerous. Would that be enough for her to lose her powers or would it taint her Purification mes?


    I broke the kiss and saw the sad look on Hestia''s face. ¡°Hestia?¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, my Bell. I still have them.¡± Hestia said and slid back enough to let herself stand. When she did, I reached up and ced my hand on her belly. The warmth there quadrupled and the room became almost oppressively hot instantly. Again, it wasn''t burning and only weing.


    I cast a cleaning spell on her and she smiled down at me, bent back down to briefly kiss me, and walked away. She lightly touched Lili''s shoulder as she passed her and Lili glowed for a second. Aiz reached out and Hestia smiled at her and took her hand, which made the blonde glow for more than a few seconds.


    ¡°I ept your offer, my Goddess.¡± Aiz said and there was a bright sh of light.


    ¡°My hearth is your hearth, my home is your home, my love is your love.¡± Hestia pledged and kissed her fingertips and then lightly touched them to Aiz''s forehead. ¡°I will update your Falna in the morning.¡±


    Aiz nodded and the three of us watched her walk down the hallway and enter her room.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Lili asked.


    ¡°We received the blessing of our goddess.¡± Aiz said and looked at me. ¡°Bell.¡±


    I nodded and stood, still naked, and cleaned myself with a spell. I walked over to her and scooped her up into my arms, turned and bent to kiss Lili goodnight, and took Aiz to my room. I spent the next few hours introducing her to what it meant to love someone and exined everything she asked about. I even exined a few things that would help her rte to other people, especially Lili.


    The funny thing that I discovered was that it would only cost me 100 Karma points to get a woman pregnant now. Whatever Hephaestus had done to me, had included passion and lovemaking, too.


    I drifted off to sleep wondering what I was going to do during the tribunal in two days. I was sure I wasn''t going to get away with what I did thest time I was brought in for justice to a panel of supposedly powerful people.


    Then again, they weren''t super-powerful angels and demons I was going to meet. They were mortal and had mortal bodies. That gave me a lot of different options and I smiled just as I lost consciousness with half-formed ns in my head.


    *


    The next morning''s preparations went quickly with Bell modifying all of his backpacks with Lili''s helpful advice. Hestia updated Aiz''s Falna and her level and stats didn''t surprise anyone, because Aiz was one of the strongest sword fighters in the city. Hestia also copied Bell''s stats and he wasn''t surprised to find out that he was Level 3, because of the magic he had been using had already clued him in.


    Bell, Aiz, Lili, and Hestia used the teleportation circle to go to the Hephaestus Familiapound early in the morning and Bell went to Tsubaki to work on the armor and Aiz helped Lili pack the food for two days travel for four people.


    They were a little sad that they had to skip the ore hunt, because they had to dive as deep in the dungeon as far and as fast as they could go before Bell had toe back for the tribunal. The sad face on Hephaestus matched the one Hestia had and no onemented on it, because they all pretty much knew what was going to happen.


    With their prep work done, they gathered at the teleportation circle and only Hestia and Hephaestus were there to see them off. It was a sober atmosphere as they said goodbye, as if it would be thest time they would see them, and Bellughed and said he wasn''t going to let anything make him sad, because he had a n.


    Bell looked right at Hestia and told her to find a magic user for him to learn healing magic from and it didn''t matter what their level was. He then smirked and said that the summons was for two dayster and he didn''t get it untiltest night, so they had two days from when he read it. They would be back before then and he would deal with everything.


    Hestia and Hephaestus looked stunned at his manipting things like that and Bell waved as he activated the teleportation circle. The four of them disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared on the thirteenth floor. Bell had added them to his party and made sure that the experience sharing was active, because each of them had different ways of gathering experience.


    ¡°Wee to the thirteenth floor, Aiz.¡± Bell said and she gave him a raised eyebrow as Lili gathered up the piles of valis around the circle. ¡°I made a teleportation circle on each floor on the way down and this was thest one. It took two trips to get this far because it was only Tsubaki leading the charge against the monsters, with me as backup, and Lili and I gathering up everything they dropped.¡±


    Aiz gave a nod to Tsubaki and then to Lili.


    ¡°We are running for the exit to the next level down.¡± Bell said and took several steps back as he took out his guitar. ¡°We are only stopping long enough to rest as I make another circle, then we''re moving on.¡±


    ¡°Bell? What are you doing?¡± Lili asked.


    ¡°Supporting my party.¡± Bell said and strummed the guitar as he poured magic into it. ¡°There''s a magic running through your soul... and you can have it all... whatever you do... I''ll be two steps behind you.¡± He sang the slightly modified lyrics and Lili, Aiz, and Tsubaki started to softly glow. ¡°Wherever you go... I''ll be there to remind you... that it only takes a second of your precious time... to turn around and I''ll be two steps behind you.¡±


    Two minutester, the three women kept the soft glow and seemed charged up. They also seemed to be on the verge of tears.


    Bell stored the guitar and drew his mythril sword. ¡°Mydies.¡± He said and charged his sword with his new magic element of fire, which lit up the area. ¡°I will guard your backs and will protect you from harm.¡±


    Lili was the first to pull him down into a kiss. Tsubaki was next and gave his butt a squeeze, then Aiz gave him a chaste kiss.


    ¡°Let''s destroy this dungeon!¡± Tsubaki shouted, hefted her sword into the air, and the four of them charged forward at their fastest speed. The blink of an eyelid.


    The first group of monsters died without seeing who had killed them.

 44 Dungeon Blasting

    44 Dungeon sting


    It was a massacre. We blew through Floor 13 in barely fifteen minutes and descended to the next floor. Even Aiz showed shock on her face as she looked at us and then at her orange-yellowish armor as if it was a divine gift. It took me ten minutes to make the teleportation circle on Floor 14 and we sted off again.


    Twenty minutester, we were on Floor 15. Ten minutes and another teleportation circleter, we were off again. Thirty minutes, Floor 16. Forty minutes, Floor 17. Forty-five minutes and we were on Floor 18 and the rest break where no monsters were generated. That was three hours of work and we were already at the standard rest stop where adventurers who couldn''t continue usually stopped and stayed.


    To my surprise, they believed that they couldn''t get back to the surface without support, which meant that the transportation circle was going to be very important to their way of life. They had ess to the above and below floors, which meant more expensive monster crystals and drops. If they could get them to the surface, that would increase not only their personal wealth, it would increase their reputations.


    We avoided going to the city that had been established there, because the method I used hadn''t been introduced yet. It also meant that anyone living there that didn''t want to go back to the surface would try to destroy the easy exit. It was the easiest way to control who left the level.


    With no monsters or creature drops on that level, Aiz, Tsubaki, Lili, and I easily traversed the distance of a quarter of Orario to the exit to the next level and went down to continue our trek through the dungeon. I made another transportation circle that still took ten minutes to construct, and we continued on.


    It was honestly shocking how quickly we moved through the levels. Even during the times we stumbled across arge ore deposit by chance, we hadn''t hung around long after clearing it out. Lili and I working with enchanted picks and had made short work of adding the ore to her backpack and we moved on.


    Tsubaki kept changing out her weapons and her asionalugh let us know that her weapons were performing well above her normal expectations. Aiz on the other hand, had used her new sword like it was a hot knife through butter. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could block it.


    Hephaestus had really outdone herself with its construction and Aiz whispered to me during our rest stop on Floor 22 that she loved it almost as much as she loved me.


    I honestly couldn''t let thatment go and made love to her right there. Both Lili and Tsubaki watched and madements about better moves to use and how Aiz should respond. Both I and Aiz took their advice and we had a great time making each other get off as much as possible. It was a lot, because we spent almost an hour there having fun.


    When we were done, both Tsubaki and Lili looked proud andplimented us on doing our best. That set me off and Iughed. Tsubaki and Lili quickly joined in. Aiz gave us a curious look and I exined what they meant about being proud of our performance. Aiz made an odd sound, almost a snort, and then softlyughed.


    It surprised all of us, Aiz included. She looked surprised and stared at me, so I did her again slowly and told her that no matter what happened, I loved her and she would always have a special ce in my heart. Aiz looked conflicted, so I kissed her and reassured her that whatever she felt was okay.


    If she felt happy while being with me, that was normal. If she felt more than that, it was also normal, because it was her first time experiencing things like that. Aiz looked thoughtful and then nodded in understanding. She didn''t voice anything out loud and only kissed me a bit more passionately than she normally did.


    That was a huge breakthrough with how she normally reacted to anything emotional around her and I told her that she was very brave to ept how she felt. We had supper before preparing for travelling down to the next level and then continued on our trek to go as deep into the dungeon as quickly as possible.


    *


    Hestia had the brilliant idea to post a quest on the quest board in the Guild Hall for a healer to teach someone else how to cast healing magic. She was surprised when she received a response almost immediately. The scraggly man gave his supposed credentials and then demanded the payment upfront, which set off a ton of rms in Hestia''s mind.


    Thankfully, she had one of Hephaestus'' executives there with her at the guild and the woman whispered in her ear that the man was a fraud. He didn''t have any healing magic and was trying to trick her.


    Hestia, being the nice person she was, called one of the guild representatives over and asked them to assess the man for the qualifications her quest had clearly posted. The man almost fainted as the guild representative verbally tore him apart and then called over the guards to have the man ''dealt with'' for trying to defraud an official client. He would never be seen again.


    Over the afternoon and evening, several others had approached her about the quest and none of them had any actual healing magic and just wanted the high payout. Most didn''t even know anyone that actually had healing magic, which was quite disappointing, because Hestia knew that her Bell wouldn''t have asked her to look for someone if it wasn''t important.


    Hestia went back to the Hephaestus Familiapound with a sigh and a faint hope to find someone by the time her Bell returned to her. Unbeknownst to her, the request had been passed by word of mouth by several adventurers during the day and the reward forpleting it had spread fairly far, including the pub that adventurers normally frequented, The Hostess of Fertility.


    One of the barmaids there, Ryuu Lion, felt something inside of her clench, as if she had missed something important. She had avoided anything to do with adventurers for years, ever since her party had sacrificed themselves for her, and she had retired and be a barmaid. The simple life was all she thought she deserved.


    Her mind was upied for the rest of the night as she wondered why someone would want to learn how to cast healing magic, even if it was from an elf and was conditional upon them being within a forest or green pasture. She would decide the next morning that it was worth wasting her time for a few hours to see if the subject of the quest could actually learn it and not be a waste of her time.


    *


    I woke up at the bottom of a pile of naked bodies. The three women with me had seemed to not want to sleep alone, even if our bedrolls couldn''t hold more than two people. It had taken some creative magic to attach three bedrolls together and still have them be functional, especially because all three of them wanted to have some fun before going to sleep.


    It was adorable that they wanted to be both first andst, making me work very hard to make sure that each of them received the attention they believed they deserved. It was a job I was grateful to have and fulfilled to the best of my ability. The three satisfied smiles before they had fallen asleep let me know that I had seeded in the nearly impossible task.


    Now it was breakfast time and I slid out of the modified bedroll and prepped the cooking things for the food. I had the eggs done and was working on the sausages when Aiz woke up like a shot. One second she was dead asleep and the next she was up on her feet with her sword in her hand.


    ¡°Nice reaction time.¡± I said and handed her a te with eggs and one sausage on it. ¡°Eat.¡±


    Aiz stuck her sword into the ground where she had put it before and epted the te. She sat beside me and leaned against me as she ate. I kept cooking and handed her two more sausages when they were done and she hummed her thanks.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Lili said and sat up as she rubbed her eyes. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s half-past the ass-crack of dawn.¡± I joked and handed her a te of food.


    Lili made a half-snort and half-cough sound and sat on my other side.


    ¡°Too sleepy tough?¡± I asked her and she nodded before she started eating.


    Tsubaki woke up next and she sat up with one eye open and one eye closed. That seemed to be a thing with her in the mornings. I handed her a te and she epted it without a word and started eating. I finished up cooking and quickly ate my own food and gave them second helpings. Not surprisingly, we all finished at around the same time.


    We quickly dressed and packed up our base camp and readied ourselves for a full day of dungeon diving. The three women gave me a look, as if asking me for something, and I nodded and stepped back from them as I pulled my guitar out from my backpack.


    After another empowering song about me being their backup and always being behind them to support them, we took off and continued our travels through the dungeon levels to ce as many teleportation circles as possible.


    *


    Ryuu Lion was surprised when she showed up at the Hephaestus Familiapound and the person she was supposed to teach wasn''t there. She talked to the Goddess Hestia and was again surprised when she heard the story and when he would return. Funnily enough, it would be after her shift at the pub and she said she would return then for the lesson.


    As she walked back to the pub, Ryuu thought over the story she had been told. It was unbelievable. There was no way for anyone to gain three levels in as many weeks, even if they did do something amazing or horrible to gain the attention of a god or goddess. They would still need to gain experience and the power to do so.


    The magical bacsh was an interesting problem, though. It got her mind going and intrigued her. How did a boy from a mountain vige gain so much magical power that it caused him damage if he cast anything above a single tier or too quickly for his regeneration to handle it? It was mind-boggling and very, very interesting.


    Ryuu worked throughout the rest of the day, almost on automatic pilot, as she pondered the problem and how to deal with it.


    *


    Aiz was starting to like their forced breaks to eat, rest, and have sex. She never had anyone treat her so well or showed her that they loved her so much in her life, not even her own parents. She had been quite young when her mother died and that had devastated her and stunted her emotional growth.


    Being handed over to the Loki Familia to be trained and raised by a very strict elf woman, had made Aiz block off nearly all of her emotions that remained. She needed to stay detached from others or she would never be strong enough to avenge her mother''s death at the ws of the One Eyed Dragon. Or so she thought.


    Aiz had learned a lot from her teachers and instructors, except for one thing. Everyone needed someone to love them. She hadn''t realized she had been missing that until she had spent some time with Bell. It wasn''t an ache or anything, it just felt like she wanted something that she didn''t understand, then Bell exined it to her. He exined everything to her.


    He didn''t lie and told her about everything that she wanted to know about. It was refreshing and new and made her feel warm inside, because he cared so much about her that he would tell her anything in as simple of terms as he could... and she understood it.


    For the first time in her life, Aiz understood.


    Aiz also hummed out her pleasure as she orgasmed again. Having Bell inside of her while her ankles touched her ears, was giving her two kinds of stretches, and her mind and body enjoyed every second of it. He knew exactly how to get her off quickly and as he filled her once more, Aiz felt sad that tomorrow would be thest time she would feel his love.


    Neither Tsubaki nor Lili protested when she asked to stay by Bell''s side for the night when they finally reached Floor 37. In fact, they seemed surprised she had asked. Aiz mentally shrugged at that and cuddled into Bell''s side after kissing him goodnight.


    They had another early morninging and would really need to push themselves if they were to cross three Orario city-sized floors to reach Floor 40 by suppertime, Bell''s self-imposed return time. Even with them limiting themselves to only the loot drops from the monsters, they had already earned several million valis worth of monster crystals and rare creature items.


    *


    Hestia felt nervous all day as she waited for her Bell to return to her. She would have almost no time to spend with him, because she had found the magic tutor that he wanted. Only a single lesson could be taught before the tribunal was called and she hoped her Bell could learn what he needed.


    Someone shouted that the teleportation circle activated and Hestia was out of the main building and ran to where it was. She slowed down and came to a stop as she felt his magic. She <i><b>felt</b></i> it. Hestia stared at the four people standing in front of her and it was like she had never met them before, because they seemed so different.


    ¡°My Goddess.¡± Bell''s deep voice almost reverberated through her. ¡°We have returned.¡±


    Hestia shivered at the intense look in his eyes. She wanted him. She wanted... she wanted to be his.


    ¡°We need our Falna updated.¡± Bell said and motioned to the others. ¡°Tsubaki, Hephaestus is on her way out of her office. Lili will have your split ready by the time you''re done.¡±


    Tsubaki gave him a quick kiss and seemed to disappear as she ran off to get her Falna updated.


    ¡°My Bell?¡± Hestia whispered at the shocking sight. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°My experiments with both making a party and boosting them has proven to be quite overpowered.¡± Bell said and scooped Hestia up into his arms. ¡°We don''t have a lot of time for me to exin.¡±


    Before Hestia could ask what he meant, he nodded to Lili and Aiz and the three of them blurred and reappeared in Tsubaki''s room.


    ¡°Aiz, you first.¡± Bell said and put Hestia down. They had moved so fast and stopped again that Hestia hadn''t been able to enjoy it.


    Aiz slipped off her armor pieces and pulled her bodysuit down to expose her breasts, thenid down on the bed. Hestia shook her head at the casual nudity and climbed onto the bed to update her newest Familia member''s Falna. After a few minutes of manipting the girl''s experience, she was shocked to see that Aiz was past Level 7 and was almost Level 8.


    Hestia''s eyes snapped to Bell and he smiled and nodded at Lili. She finished with Aiz and copied her stats for her, then a topless Lili climbed onto the bed. She ended up as a Level 4, which was unprecedented for a support person to reach, let alone so quickly. The short Goddess had shaky hands as she copied down her stats and gave it to the girl.


    Bell took Lili''s ce on the bed and Hestia was nervous as she climbed onto him and sat on his butt. She wasn''t sure what she was expecting as she added a drop of blood to his back. It took her several minutes to work on his experience and when she finished, she stopped breathing.


    ¡°I''m Level 7 as well.¡± Bell said, sure of it.


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± Hestia said, shakily. ¡°You also... have two new skills.¡±


    Lili gasped and Aiz looked interested.


    ¡°Bard, which lets you produce various effects with your magical instrument.¡± Hestia said as she copied everything down. ¡°The other one is Command (Support). You double any experience gained when people follow your orders while supporting them.¡±


    Bell epted the paper when Hestia handed it to him. ¡°I figured that''s what was happening.¡±


    ¡°You went up 4 levels.¡± Lili said with awe in her voice.


    ¡°You went up 2.¡± Bell said and climbed off of the bed. He handed his sheet to Aiz and she immediatelypared it to hers.


    ¡°I am above you.¡± Aiz said with an odd tone in her voice.


    ¡°By almost a full level, I suspect. I just barely qualified, thanks to the three of you working so hard.¡± Bell said and pulled on his bodysuit and the rest of his armor. ¡°I have a magic lesson to get to. Please stay with our Goddess and help here to grips with things. I''lle and get her when it''s time.¡±


    Aiz nodded and handed both sheets to Hestia. The short goddess stared at the ridiculous numbers.


    ¡°Lili, get Tsubaki''s share ready.¡± Bell said and bent to give her a kiss, then gave one to Aiz. He kissed Hestia''s cheek and left the room with a small gust of wind.

 45 Magic Is Magical

    45 Magic Is Magical


    Ryuu Lion caught her breath when I entered the room set aside for my magic lesson. Just like Hestia, she could feel the magic emanating from my various party buffs. I hadn''t ended the party yet, mainly because the bonuses the other four gave me with such high levels, was just too sweet to give up before I had to.


    I knew who she really was, of course. I also knew her story. She had survived a TPK, or Total Party Kill, when the Astaeria Familia encountered the One Eyed Dragon. The others sacrificed themselves to give her a single chance to cast her most powerful magic spell to take the beast down. It had almost worked, too.


    Ryuu seeded in hitting the beast, except it had mostly dodged and didn''t take the entire attack full on. It was seriously hurt and fled, rather than try to stick around and finish her off. It had taken her a long time to recover enough to move and she eventually made her way back to the surface.


    When Ryuu had been fully healed and was back to full strength, she fought hard and travelled alone and returned to the site of the battle, only to see that all traces of the sh had disappeared. She knew then that either the local monsters had eaten the bodies of herrades or the dungeon itself had absorbed them and their powerful weapons.


    Completely dejected at the loss, she retired from adventuring and became a barmaid at the tavern owned by a retired adventurer. It seemed appropriate, considering they had both given up their Familias and wanted nothing more than to wallow in their guilt and to live a simple life, which was something they had never thought they would ever have after being an adventurer.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Lion.¡± I said and took her hand, kissed it, and held it tenderly. ¡°Please, I beg of you. Teach me how to use healing magic.¡±


    Ryuu looked stunned. She could feel my magic, as I suspected that all high level elves could, and she didn''t say anything in response. It took her several minutes before she could recover enough to speak.


    ¡°My healing magic isn''t what you need, Bell Cranel.¡± Ryuu whispered.


    ¡°Why don''t you let me be the judge of that.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°You teach, I''ll learn, and when the lesson is over, then you can decide if it was worth it.¡±


    Ryuu let out a sigh, as if resigned, and then began her lesson.


    Thanks to my holding onto her, I added her as a party member and then spent the Karma points needed to learn her lessons. When she imparted her Noal Heal, which healed a target and restored their stamina, I added it to my skill list. It took time to enact and required an excessive amount of mental stability to use. Since I had Mind Block, I easily qualified and learned that it healed 5 levels of damage for a single level of magic.


    Ryuu taught me her other healing spell, Ria Vindemia, which was an area effect spell that could also heal various wounds and restore stamina. Thanks to my spent Karma points, I learned this skill as well. It was honestly a very potent spell, considering there was no limit to the amount of people around me that would benefit from the healing.


    I had thought the personal one was powerful and now I had a multiple one that could heal 3 levels of damage for a single level of magic spent. That was... honestly, it was ridiculous. I could, theoretically, spend 10 levels of healing and heal 30 levels of damage for everyone within my range, including myself. Like I said,pletely ridiculous.


    Ryuu looked stunned that I had learned both spells and could use them without having to be near nature, which would boost them by another level of healing each. It was then that she told me that she had learned about my problem of magical bacsh and she was stumped with how to deal with it.


    I showed her the amulet that Tsubaki had given me and she gasped. Her hands cupped it and she whispered about how it could change the world. I agreed, except it was excessively difficult to make and expensive.


    Ryuu softlyughed and shook her head. ¡°I meant the enchantment itself.¡± She said and stepped close to clutch the pendant to her chest and closed her eyes as she pressed her chest to mine. Her hands started to softly glow and I received a pop-up.


    <b>Ryuu Lion has initiated a Karma point transfer. Do you ept? Yes / No</b>


    <i>Yes.</i> I thought and that glow flowed from her hands and into me.


    <b>You have received the Blessing of Bnce. Your magic and your defense stat are now locked to each other. Your skill Magic Maniption has been updated to every three ranks of magic cast will result in one rank of damage.</b>


    <i>Oh, holy hell.</i> I thought and read the popup again. <i>That was... that was a game-changer. Aplete game-changer.</i> I wrapped my arms around Ryuu and she opened her eyes to look at me in surprise. ¡°Thank you for helping me, Miss Lion.¡± I said and gave her a tender kiss.


    Ryuu blushed, despite her years of being emotionally cut off.


    ¡°Thank you very much for the lessons, mydy.¡± I said and stepped back to bend over to take her hand and kissed it. ¡°Would you be open to epting an invitation to join my Familia? They are in need of a magic user that can support them in everything they do.¡±


    Ryuu looked both surprised and afraid. ¡°Bell, I... I can''t... I can''t just...¡±


    ¡°No, no, mydy. Don''t misunderstand. You won''t be asked to fight. That won''t be your job.¡± I said and she looked relieved. ¡°You primary job will be to heal them and to ensure they are fed and watered as they traverse the dungeon.¡±


    Ryuu looked at me like I had a second head. ¡°What... what would my second job be?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°To ept that people can love you for who you are and ept you, faults and all, and won''t judge you for what happened before you joined our Familia.¡±


    Ryuu had a conflicted look on her face. ¡°Bell...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to ept, Ryuu. It''s an offer. My Goddess Hestia will wee you, whether I am the one to introduce you or not.¡± I said and ced her hand above the emblem on my chestte. ¡°We are the hearth that warms you and the home that will always wee you.¡±


    Ryuu gave me a searching look before she nodded. ¡°I believe you. For some reason, I believe you.¡±


    I bowed to her and kept hold of her hand as I led her from the room to where I knew Hestia and the others were waiting. My detection range was up to 500 feet now and it let me pinpoint everything.


    ¡°My Bell? Did it work?¡± Hestia asked me as soon as she saw me enter the main room.


    ¡°So far, my Goddess.¡± I said and bowed to her as I handed her Ryuu''s hand. ¡°A potential recruit, if she can ept that someone else can forgive her for what she thinks is her fault and can never be forgiven for.¡±


    Hestia gave me a pointed look, nodded, and took the elf woman''s hand from mine. ¡°Wee, Ryuu. You will always have a hearth to warm yourself against, even if you believe you don''t deserve it.¡±


    Ryuu looked like she was going to cry, which waspletely against her nature.


    ¡°I told you that she would ept you, even if it wasn''t me that brought you to her.¡± I said and kissed her cheek, then kissed Hestia''s cheek. ¡°We have a short time before we need to head to the Tower of Babel. I have something to unload before we head over there.¡±


    Hestia nodded and I pulled out all of the valis I had from my expanded money pouch, hundreds of thousands worth, and handed it all to Hestia. She looked shocked at being given so much money. I gave Lili a pointed look and she giggled as she handed me some of therger monster crystals and piles of the smaller ones in exchange.


    ¡°You''ve paid off your debt to Tsubaki already. The mythril sword is yours.¡± Lili said.


    I nodded and gave her a deep kiss. ¡°Thank you, Lili.¡±


    Lili blushed. ¡°Bell, you don''t need to thank me for that. You''re the one that let us all gain so much...¡±


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± I said and looked through the party options and chose to change the party leader. I picked Lili and gave her the same options I had, then also spent the 300 Karma points to make her magical and turned over the teleportation circles to her.


    Lili gasped when the information was given to her. ¡°B-B-Bell, you... you...¡±


    ¡°As the appraisal expert, you are the perfect one to take over teleporting people through the transportationwork.¡± I said and gave her a passionate kiss. ¡°I believe 10% of a party''s haul is an appropriate charge for taking them to and from their chosen level.¡±


    Lili caught her breath. ¡°But... how... how would I ensure...¡±


    ¡°Only you can lead them to the circles, as both the avoidance wards and damage wards are yours to alter andmand.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°If they use you to go down, it''s free toe back. If they try to avoid you or rip you off, then cklist them. They will no longer be able to go near the circles or use them to go to any level you have ess to.¡±


    Lili''s face changed from shock to an almost evil smile. ¡°I love you so much, Bell.¡±


    I chuckled and kissed her again. ¡°Keep the scam going, my dearest Lili. I trust you.¡±


    Lili nodded and let me go to step back beside Aiz.


    ¡°Dearest.¡± I said to Aiz.


    For the first time in her life, Aiz blushed. ¡°I will use your teachings and I will avenge my mother. I solemnly swear.¡±


    ¡°Good. Don''t rush it. Zeus and Hera had sent entire Familias against the dragon and they failed.¡± I warned her and then smiled. ¡°They didn''t have you there, however.¡±


    Aiz smiled slightly and then kissed me. ¡°I will reach Level 10 before seeking my revenge.¡±


    I nodded and motioned to Lili. ¡°Keep your party leader alive and you will continue to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Without your help?¡± Aiz asked with a slight tilt to her head.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I need to be judged by a god and goddess tribunal. I doubt you''ll see me again after I leave here.¡±


    Aiz looked sad and then kissed me passionately. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± I said and caressed her face. ¡°Never doubt that you will always have me in your heart. I might not be two steps behind you; but, I will always be with you to give you strength.¡±


    Aiz nodded and stepped back to let Lili hug her.


    ¡°My Bell, it''s time.¡± Hestia said.


    I checked the invisible clock in my head and nodded. I hugged her close and smiled, then used a teleportation spell to transfer us from where we were to the outside of the Tower of Babel. A bunch of the civilians there gasped and the adventurers exiting the dungeon stared at us.


    Hestia looked on the verge of tears as she took my hand and led me inside. We went up several levels to the proper room and entered. Inside was a huge gathering of gods and goddesses from all walks of life, or all walks of life they chose to represent. The one I saw missing was the goddess that represented the poor, which meant Enyo had already killed her to hide his machinations.


    ¡°So, the peasant finally decided to show up for a divine summons.¡± A man''s smooth voice said.


    ¡°I was given the summonste at night two days ago. It said to be here in two days. I''m actually quite early and you should be mindful of who you call names, Enyo. I mean Dionysus.¡± I corrected the blond ponce and he looked angry. ¡°Oh? Did I let your secret out too soon? I don''t think so. Have you killed Penya yet to cover up the evidence she has that you murdered your own Familia members to start your sick fantasy of causing humanity to sink into fear and despair?¡±


    All of the gods and goddesses seemed to freeze as they all turned to look at the angry god.


    ¡°Not going to lie and deny it? There''s too many others to catch you out, hmm?¡± I asked and he stayed quiet. ¡°While you try to figure out how to escape your peers, I have another bit of personal business to take care of.¡± I nodded at Hestia and she left my side for a minute and returned holding hands with Hephaestus.


    ¡°Bell.¡± Hephaestus said as Dionysus was surrounded and was being used by everyone.


    ¡°Goddess Hephaestus.¡± I whispered and stepped close.


    Hephaestus blushed and looked shy. ¡°You shouldn''t... do anything questionable... in public.¡±


    I smirked at her and then pulled her in to kiss her as I activated her own blessing to increase the heat of my passion for her. I spent the much cheaper Karma points to cancel the curse on her eye and then cast the targeted healing spell. I spent 2 tiers of magic and healed 10 levels of magic on her. Since it took several minutes toplete, I continued to kiss Hephaestus the whole time.


    When the healing was done, I broke the kiss and Hephaestus looked both embarrassed and really turned on. I whispered an apology that I didn''t have the time to do her properly and reached up to flip her eyepatch off of her previously damaged eye. Her healed eye blinked at me and her face showed shock, so I flipped it back down and whispered that she should keep it a secret and a surprise.


    Hephaestus took a moment to recover and then nodded as she stepped back from me to give Hestia a hug. ¡°Thank you. Both of you.¡±


    Hestia blushed and nodded.


    ¡°Can you send Demeter over here? I have two more things to do before the tribunal starts.¡± I said and Hephaestus nodded and joined in the mob around Dionysus. A couple of minutester, a beautiful mature woman with long wavy golden honey colored hair and orange eyes came over to us.


    ¡°Punching that god''s smug face was so satisfying!¡± Demeter said with a smile. ¡°Thank you for pointing him out to us, Bell Cranel.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Goddess Demeter.¡± I said and took her hand to bend over it and kissed it before I let it go. ¡°If you believe that was a favor to you, perhaps you could do a favor for me in return?¡±


    Demeter giggled like a little girl. ¡°Oh? Are you asking to give me the same treatment as my severely blushing friend Hephaestus?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Both I and Hestia said at the same time. I chuckled and Hestia blushed from embarrassment.


    Demeter giggled again. ¡°Then what can I do for you, Bell Cranel?¡±


    I reached into my backpack and pulled out a monster crystal worth several thousand valis and a small bit of ore. Several touches of magicter and I had a huge diamond ring. Both goddesses stared at it like obsessive crows after something shiny.


    I bent on a knee and took Hestia''s hand. ¡°My personal Goddess Hestia, will you please marry me?¡±


    ¡°WHHHHAAAAAATTTTTT????!!!!????¡± Nearly every goddess screamed.


    The bloody and unconscious body of Dionysus on the floor waspletely forgotten.

 46 The Trial Of Truth

    46 The Trial Of Truth


    After the yelling and screaming from the peanut gallery stopped, I wasn''t surprised when most of the gods and goddesses there tried to convince Hestia to refuse. I was only a lowly mortal, after all. When Hestia looked into my eyes, she saw the love and devotion I had for her and she remembered that I had asked her if she trusted me.


    ¡°My Bell, I ept. I will be your wife.¡± Hestia agreed, both embarrassed and happy.


    ¡°Praise be to you, my Goddess.¡± I said and she glowed as I slipped the engagement ring on her finger. ¡°Goddess Demeter, please perform the ceremony.¡±


    Everyone was shocked.


    ¡°R-right n-now?¡± Both Hestia and Demeter asked, their voices shaky.


    ¡°It can''t wait another moment.¡± I said and stood. ¡°Goddess Hephaestus, please stand at Hestia''s side.¡±


    ¡°I would be honored.¡± Hephaestus said and walked over to us. ¡°What about her dress?¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± I said and lightly touched Hestia''s dress. ¡°Allow me.¡±


    Hestia nodded and I transfigured her normal dress into a beautiful wedding gown with a long train and gave her high heels to add several inches to her height. Everyone gasped.


    ¡°Now me.¡± I said and almost instantly stripped off my armor to store in my backpack and left the bodysuit on as I dressed in dress pants and a shirt. A quick transfiguration of another shirt gave me a tuxedo jacket and I created the proper essories, including a huge bouquet of roses to give to Hestia.


    ¡°Are you two ready?¡± Demeter asked, her face slightly red.


    ¡°Yes, Goddess of the Harvest.¡± I said and bowed to her.


    Demeter performed the hand-fasting ceremony and the symbolic ribbon wrapping ceremony on our wrists, then she blessed us on our union and wished us to have a long and happy life together. It wasn''t until the words were out of her mouth that she realized what she had said and blushed deeply from shame and embarrassment.


    I ignored her and turned to Hestia. ¡°My personal Goddess Hestia.¡±


    ¡°My Bell.¡± Hestia said back.


    We leaned in and gave each other a soft and quite chaste kiss. A glow of light passed between us and we broke the kiss. Everyone was stunned. I didn''t tell them that it was a mutual Karma point transfer to acknowledge the marriage and the light show was a normal urrence.


    ¡°Please excuse us for thirty minutes.¡± I said and scooped Hestia up in my arms and ran out of the room. No one tried to stop us or shouted for us toe back. As soon as we were out of sight, I teleported us to the church.


    ¡°My Bell.¡± Hestia said, her face red.


    ¡°My Wife.¡± I said back and carried her down the stairs and to her room. ¡°Our first andst time together will be memorable.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Hestia said and motioned to her dress. ¡°Is this permanent?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said and kissed her as I slowly took the dress off of her. I was naked an instantter and Hestia blushed at my ready state.


    ¡°I will no longer be the virgin goddess.¡± Hestia whispered as Iid her down on the bed.


    ¡°Our marriage bypasses that restriction, My Wife.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°You were a pure virgin until marriage, so your powers and Purification mes should remain untainted.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a sin to sleep with your husband!¡± Hestia gasped as I dove between her legs to eat her out.


    ¡°No, My Wife.¡± I said and moved up to suckle on her perfect breasts and massaged them.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Hestia came from me finally doing to her what she always wanted me to do.


    I moved up to hover above her and my tip teased her entrance. ¡°I love you, my Goddess.¡±


    ¡°I love you, My Bell.¡± Hestia said and held her arms up to hug me.


    I dropped onto her to kiss her passionately and shoved my hardness into her soft folds. Hestia screamed her pleasure into my mouth and wrapped her legs around my waist. I didn''t question why she hadn''t felt any pain and started to move inside of her. She panted right away and moaned and whispered that her wish hade true atst. She was finally mine. All mine.


    I activated the blessing Hephaestus gave me and Hestia''s own powers activated, too. We were covered in a light orange-yellowish me and the heat increased to the point that were were sweating from both exertion and the temperature.


    ¡°More, my Bell! Give me MORE!¡± Hestia shouted and kissed me again.


    I gave her everything I could. I felt that feeling of impending release and chose thest option in the Karma point choices. Instead of 1,000,000 points like it was before, it was only 10,000. I went into debt to pay for it and then poured my magical seed right into Hestia''s now fertile womb.


    Hestia moaned into my mouth and that orange-yellowish fire flowed over us and seemed to be sucked down to where our bodies were intertwined and then went down to where I was still speared inside of her and it disappeared.


    <b>Congrattions!


    You have done what was thought impossible and have impregnated a goddess. A new type of soul has been created (that shouldn''t exist). Well done! Bonus award granted for shock value (the gods and goddesses will be talking about it for the next thousand years) and creating a new source for The Protagonist System and unregted Karma points!</b>


    <b>Your goddess granted powers remain unaffected. Karma point sharing initiated. Do you wish to give a copy of your skills and abilities to the new protagonist soul?</b>


    I thought about that. <i>Does that mean the child will be someone else when they die and won''t reincarnate here?</i>


    The box remained empty for several seconds. <b>Yes, it does. However, I have been advised to give you an option. At the cost of losing the choice for your next world, reincarnation for the new soul will be locked to this world and the jumping factor can be removed from the copy process.</b>


    <i>Do it.</i> I thought and I felt an almost soul-wrenching pain for a split second. Hestia''s belly glowed a golden color and then it faded.


    <b>Power copying processplete!


    Congrattions! It''s a demi-god (male)! Hestia Familia bond sessfully copied.


    Personal Falna updated. New skill granted: Fatherhood. Those younger than you will look up to you as an authority figure and you will feel parental urges to help them.</b>


    I felt the burn on my back and wondered how that was possible, then realized something. Hestia was a virgin and I had taken it. I slid out of her and saw the small bit of blood on me as it was absorbed.


    ¡°My Bell... my husband.¡± Hestia whispered and looked at me with love and devotion on her face.


    I immediately cast as many protection spells and wards as I could on her, healed myself, and stood up. ¡°Do you want to stay here or...¡±


    ¡°I will be by your side.¡± Hestia said and sat up with a wince.


    I cast healing on her and she sighed with relief. I cleaned the both of us up with magic and dressed in a normal pants and shirt while Hestia chose a different dress to put on. She hung up her wedding dress in her clothing cab and I hung my tuxedo right beside it, which made Hestia smile proudly.


    When we were ready, I teleported us to the front of the Tower of Babel. The civilians and adventurers outside were shocked again when we appeared out of nowhere and Hestia smiled happily and waved at them. We went inside and arrived inside the room at the exact half hour mark.


    Almost all of them looked pensive about that, as if they thought I was going to flee from them or something. I wasn''t. I was there for a tribunal and I was going to see how far into the hole they would dig themselves as they used me of crimes that I probably didmit.


    The gods and goddesses arrayed themselves in a half-circle and a serious aura seemed to fill the room as their faces lost all expression. Hestia didn''t move to stand with them, either. She stayed by my side as she promised. She wasn''t allowed to hold my hand and reluctantly let me go.


    ¡°Bell Cranel, word of your crimes were brought to the attention of some of our members, including me.¡± Demeter said.


    Apparently, she was chosen as a spokesperson, probably because she looked the most mature of them and had already interacted with me.


    ¡°It was quite shocking for us all to hear that a mere mortal admitted to murdering two goddesses.¡± Demeter said, her voice grave.


    ¡°I didn''t murder them.¡± I countered. ¡°One was an ident and one was me defending myself.¡±


    ¡°The used will remain quiet as he is judged!¡± One of the men shouted.


    ¡°Judged?¡± I asked and looked at their faces. ¡°I thought this was a tribunal, not a sentencing hearing.¡±


    ¡°It is a tribunal...¡± Demeter started to say.


    ¡°A tribunal, by definition, is a trial held by those in authority to determine the guilt or innocence of the used. You are not asking me anything, presenting a case, showing evidence, or trying to get to the truth.¡± I interrupted. ¡°How is this a tribunal?¡±


    There was a lot of muttering.


    ¡°We have already made our judgment.¡± Demeter said.


    I nced at Hestia and she blushed. I looked at Hephaestus and she also blushed. ¡°So, not only are you all dishonorable by not giving me an actual trial, you''re liars and cheats, too.¡±


    They all gasped, even the men.


    ¡°I haven''t heard or seen any trials against Freya for permanently charming a quarter of Orario''s citizens, or for charming her Familia members to always be loyal and to love her.¡± I said and they all looked guilty. ¡°I also haven''t heard about any trials about Ishtar kidnapping and charming people to be ves, prostitutes, and indentured workers in her brothels and casinos.¡±


    No one said anything and didn''t look like they were going to.


    ¡°So, because we''re just lowly mortals, it doesn''t matter what happens to us, as long as none of you are affected?¡± I asked and Demeter looked embarrassed. ¡°Ishtar kidnapped two members of another Familia and was going to enve me as a sex toy. Her second inmand tried to get me first to weaken the power base of her own goddess.¡±


    Hestia gasped and covered her mouth with a hand.


    ¡°All of that was okay by you, wasn''t it? It didn''t matter because the Hestia Familia was a new one and was weak, right? Why should you step in to help them?¡±


    Only a few of them looked guilty and the rest looked apathetic.


    ¡°You all seemed to forget something important.¡± I cast the amplify spell on my throat. ¡°YOU WERE ALL A NEW GOD OR GODDESS AT ONE TIME AND HAD A NEW FAMILIA! YOU WERE WEAK AT FIRST, TOO!¡±


    All of them covered their ears and looked afraid, except for a healed Dionysus, whom looked ecstatic.


    I cancelled the spell and spoke normally. ¡°Nothing that your fellow divine beings does matters at all to you, because you''re here to enjoy the mortal experience, except you''re all enjoying the very worst of it and don''t care who you hurt, even each other, as long as you get your entertainment.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes, that''s it exactly!¡± Dionysus said and pped as he stepped out of the circle towards me. ¡°These fools have fallen into a ''me only'' mindset and think nothing of anyone else.¡±


    I moved quick as a sh and drew my mythril sword from the side of my backpack and chose to charge it with the only element that Hephaestus had forbidden me to use around the gods and goddesses, Holy Lightning. I dropped 200 magic points into it and pointed it at Dionysus in the blink of an eye.


    *<b>CCRACKOOOWWWW!</b>*


    *<b>KAAABOOOOOOOM!</b>*


    Everyone but Hestia and myself were blown away from the center of the room. The bright light of a heavenly ascension lit up the room and no one noticed, because they were all temporarily blinded from the sh of lightning.


    The screams and yells went on for several minutes as they recovered, because all of them had been hit by the bacsh of the ten foot wide holy lightning bolt that had exploded Dionysus like an egg in a microwave.


    Each god and goddess shook as they slowly stood and gathered themselves up. Small lightning bolts cascaded over everything, including them. They approached the center of the room again and they all caught their breath and looked up... and up... and up. The bolt had torn through all the upper floors of the tower to expose the sky.


    ¡°Are you all entertained?¡± I asked them and put my sword back on the side of my backpack.


    ¡°You... killed him.¡± A pretty blonde goddess said.


    ¡°Ha!¡± I pointed at her. ¡°You just showed how ignorant and judgmental you are. He didn''t die. His mortal body was removed and he returned to where he came from. He can sit up there in Heaven with Freya and Ishtar and watch how well the world gets along just fine without them.¡±


    The goddess shook her head. ¡°You''re wrong. We feel the death and our spirit returns to the other realm, weak and depowered.¡±


    That made me smile. ¡°So, you suffer for your hubris? I''m not seeing the downside here.¡±


    ¡°You made them leave before their time.¡± Another voice said and I couldn''t tell from where it came.


    ¡°That is our judgment on you.¡± The pretty blonde goddess said and a blue portal appeared behind me. ¡°You will leave before your time.¡±


    I tried to dodge her hand and realized the portal had snagged my backpack and I couldn''t move. She pushed me with surprising strength and I fell backwards into the portal.


    <b>World automatically chosen. Karmic Debt -2,456. Timeline insertion choice removed.


    Trait gained: Despised - Upon first sight, people will judge you harshly and need to be convinced you are not evil.</b>


    <i>Wonderful.</i> I thought. <i>I''m going to have to work my ass off to gain that Karma back.</i>


    <b>Appropriate memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    <i>Wait! You didn''t tell me where...</i> My thoughts were interrupted as everything went ck.

 47 You Look Familiar (Familiar Of Zero)

    47 You Look Familiar (Familiar Of Zero)


    I woke up on my back and it wasn''tfortable, thanks to my backpack. I didn''t move, however. I knew I was about to get mmed with however many years of memories and prepared myself. I felt the proverbial whack on my forehead as 16 years of memories growing up in Japan went through my brain and gave me the essential information I needed before it settled in the corner with the others.


    While I was learning about the life of Saito Hiraga, I could also hear other people talking.


    ¡°Is that... a human?¡± A feminine voice asked.


    ¡°Look how he''s dressed. He looks like a peasant.¡± A male voice said.


    ¡°Yeah, a peasant. There''s no doubt about it.¡±


    A voice close to me spoke as well. ¡°That''s supposed to be... divine... and beautiful... and wise and powerful?¡±


    ¡°This is exactly what I would expect from someone that boasted like you did.¡± A haughty female voice said. ¡°To think that you actually summoned up a peasant!¡±


    A round ofughter came from a bunch of people.


    ¡°I just made a small mistake, that''s all!¡± The voice next to me said.


    ¡°Louise the Zero! Always living up to expectations!¡± A younger male voice said and they allughed.


    <i>Louise the Zero?</i> I thought and I suddenly knew where I was.


    It was the story of The Familiar of Zero, a normal human who was summoned by a second year schoolgirl to a world of magic. The thought of a magic school brought another to mind. I held in my smile as I thought of the perfect way to counter theughter. It was what the headmaster there did to calm everyone.


    I opened my eyes and cast amplify on my throat. ¡°SIIIIIILENCE!¡±


    Theughter immediately stopped as several girlish screams came from the students around me. I slowly stood up and discovered I was still five foot eight and my hair was still down to my shoulders, only it was ck now and my eyes were blue.


    ¡°Do my off-duty casual clothes offend the tender sensibilities of you rich morons?¡± I asked and saw a lot of angry faces. It was almost reassuring to know that my Despised trait was working so well and my choice of words had changed them from making fun of my summoner to hating me instead. The downside of that was my 5 foot tall summoner also looked angry.


    ¡°Mister Colbert!¡± Louise gasped.


    ¡°Yes, Miss La Valli¨¨re?¡± The balding man with the staff responded.


    ¡°Can I try the summoning spell again?¡± Louise asked.


    Mister Colbert shook his head. ¡°I can''t allow that.¡±


    ¡°But, why?¡± Louise gasped.


    ¡°The summoning ritual is sacred and affects a mage''s entire life. Trying a second time would be a sphemy against the ritual itself.¡± The balding man had a determined look on his face. ¡°Whether you like it or not, this boy has been chosen as your familiar and nothing can change that.¡±


    <i>I wouldn''t bet on that.</i> I thought and started to look over the party options.


    Louise sighed. ¡°Mister Colbert, I''ve never heard of using a peasant boy as a familiar before!¡±


    A few of the studentsughed until I red at them and they shut up.


    ¡°I am afraid that there are no exceptions, peasant boy or not. Please continue with the ritual.¡± Mister Colbert ordered.


    ¡°What? With this?¡± Louise asked and tried to poke me with her wand.


    I snatched it from her hand before she could and held it above her head.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Louise gasped and tried to jump to grab it back.


    I didn''t stop anyone fromughing this time.


    ¡°Finish the ritual or I will be forced to summarily expel you from this institution.¡± Mister Colbert ordered and a few people made disparagingments towards Louise.


    Louise sighed. ¡°I guess I have no choice.¡±


    <i>I do.</i> I thought and chose to add her to my party. The other members were greyed out, as was Hestia''s name under wife / goddess. <i>Familiar pacts, familiar... aha! Here we are. I''ll go 500 more Karma points into debt for that.</i>


    ¡°Go for it, Louise!¡± Some random girl shouted.


    Louise red at whomever it was for a second and stepped close to me. ¡°You should be thankful for this. Normally, someone of noble birth never does anything like this for a peasant boy.¡± She said and motioned for me to kneel.


    I did so and she held her hand out for her wand. I handed it to her handle first and she nodded.


    ¡°My name is Louise Fran?oise Le nc de La Valli¨¨re.¡± She said and pointed her wand at my forehead and I felt her initiate the finalization ritual. ¡°Oh, Pentagon that rules the five powers, bless this individual and make him my...¡±


    ¡°...partner.¡± I interrupted and kissed her before she could correct me. I felt the magic settle and the back of my hand tingled. I also did something else and went another 100 Karma points into debt to change Louise''s magic affinity to Fire. That pesky void magic was more trouble than it was worth.


    ¡°Very well, the contract has beenpleted and the bond has been made.¡± Mister Colbert said and stepped close to us.


    I didn''t break the kiss, though. I wanted to give Louise the thrill of her life and made out with her in front of everyone. The thing was, I wasn''t into it. I knew I had certain responsibilities, like not bedding every pretty girl that expressed an interest in me, especially here in this world. Being involved meant somethingpletely different than where I had been.


    ¡°What... what is that peasant doing?¡± The tall redhead asked as she blushed.


    ¡°I think he''s using his tongue.¡± The short blue-haired girl that wore sses answered.


    ¡°No!¡± ¡°That''s disgusting!¡± ¡°I wanna try that!¡± ¡°E!¡± Most of the students said at the same time.


    ¡°I believe that is enough.¡± Mister Colbert said with a stern voice.


    I broke the kiss and stood. ¡°I figured it would be the only kiss she will ever willingly get from me, so I didn''t want to disappoint her.¡±


    All of the girls looked at Louise''s flushed face and dreamy smile.


    ¡°She''s not disappointed.¡± The blue-haired girl said and a few of the other girls nodded.


    I nced around at all of their faces and it seemed that even though most of them still despised me, a few were giving me interested looks. ¡°What happens now?¡±


    ¡°As her familiar, Louise is responsible for you.¡± Mister Colbert said.


    ¡°Partner.¡± I corrected.


    The man squinted his eyes at me and pointed at my hand. ¡°You have a familiar mark.¡±


    I grinned at him and pointed at Louise''s hand. ¡°So does she.¡±


    Gasps came from everyone and they started talking about her screwing up. Louise blushed hard.


    I cast the spell on my throat again. ¡°SIIIIILENCE!¡±


    Screams and yells rang out from the students again.


    ¡°Stop doing that!¡± Someone shouted at me.


    ¡°Stop acting a bunch of clucking hens ready to cluck at the very next thing to get your attention!¡± I shouted back and they all quieted. ¡°That''s better. You would think the nobility here had never taught their children any actual manners with the way you''re acting.¡±


    That made a lot of them gasp again and a few of them looked ashamed.


    ¡°You''re just a stupid peasant familiar!¡± A blond ponce said. ¡°You have no right to talk down to us!¡±


    I walked over to stand five feet away from him and saw that he was of a simr height. ¡°I think you are mistaken about something.¡± I said and held a hand out towards Louise.


    Before Louise could do more than ask me what I wanted, her wand flew out of her hand and into mine.


    I easily caught it and turned towards the wall that was farthest away from the gathered students as I perpetuated a falsehood that I needed a wand to do this. ¡°Fireball!¡±


    To everyone''s shock, especially Mister Colbert''s, a fireball a foot wide shot out of the end of the wand and flew across the fifty feet of distance. It blew up two trees, a freestanding hedge bush, and lit the stone wall on fire until the magic dissipated a few secondster. It had only cost 10 magic points, thanks to using a linked magical focus.


    I moved the wand towards the blond and he screamed like a little girl, dropped his rose, and ran. I chuckled under my breath at the coward and bent down to pick up the flower to present it to Louise, and realized it was also a wand.


    My chuckling continued until I walked back over to Louise and handed both wands to her. The shocked look on Louise''s face, and her open mouth, made me almostugh out loud.


    ¡°Ahem. Yes, well... that is an... interesting development.¡± Mister Colbert said and adjusted his sses. ¡°Miss La Valli¨¨re, please take your familiar...¡±


    ¡°Partner.¡± I corrected again. ¡°I can use magic, after all.¡±


    Mister Colbert''s eye twitched. ¡°Take him to your living quarters. I need to discuss this with the headmaster.¡± He said and rushed off to do just that. Or to get a drink. Or both. He looked kind of upset and in a hurry, so it was hard to tell.


    ¡°There must be some mistake! There''s no way you can be Louise the Zero''s familiar!¡± The tall redhead with caramel skin and arge chest eximed.


    I was tempted to do the silence trick to get everyone''s attention, snorted, and did so. ¡°SIIIILENCE!¡±


    Everyone winced and a few screamed and yelled. That reaction was worth 5 magic points each time.


    ¡°My magical partner was powerful enough to reach across dimensions to call to me, another magic user, and here I am.¡± I said and put a hand on her shoulder in support. ¡°Now that she has me as a stabilizing agent, her magic will settle down.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± ¡°I don''t believe it!¡± ¡°That can''t be!¡± ¡°Can I have a kiss now orter?¡±


    They all stopped their responses and looked at the girl with reddish-purple colored hair. She cuddled her bunny familiar and blushed.


    ¡°As long as it won''t result in a betrothal contract or a promise of intent.¡± I told her.


    Her face went even redder. ¡°Um... it might. It depends on if you really are a noble.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter if I''m from this world or not? As long as I can do magic, I probably count as a noble?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then I apologize. The kiss I shared with my partner is the only one I am permitted to give. My wife would be very upset if I tried to marry someone else.¡±


    Gasps and shocked sounds came from everyone.


    ¡°But... but... you are only...¡± Louise started to say.


    ¡°I''m 16 and married when I was 14.¡± I said, not lying at all, even if it had only happened half an hour ago. The weird part would be if I still counted as Bell Cranel with my altered appearance and bing Saito Hiraga on another world. ording to my party screen, both wife and goddess were greyed out and didn''t apply, despite me still having the blessings I received.


    There were a lot of sad faces at my words. It almost made meugh that being despised didn''t stop some of the girls from wanting me. Was it the bad boy image or proving I could do magic?


    Louise let out a sigh and took my hand from her shoulder and held it. ¡°We need to follow the professor''s orders and go to my assigned rooms.¡±


    I looked down at her face. ¡°Does that mean I don''t get to perform the summoning ritual?¡±


    Everyone''s muttering stopped again and they stared at me.


    ¡°Nobles get to cast the spell, right? Don''t I count?¡± I asked, teasingly. I knew I needed to catch up on a year of schooling before being allowed to perform the ritual. It was going to be weird doing so much studying when all I did on thest world was make things, fight, and picked up girls in the dungeon. It sure was fun, though.


    Louise looked at a loss for words, so I shrugged and motioned towards the surrounding buildings. She nodded and led the way through the crowd of students and out of therge courtyard.


    ¡°Wait!¡± The tall redhead shouted and Louise stopped walking. ¡°If you''re really a noble, prove it.¡±


    ¡°I thought I just did.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Even the lowest of nobles without families can cast magic. What is your elemental affinity?¡± She asked and held up her wand and a small me came from the end. ¡°Mine is fire.¡±


    I gave her a raised eyebrow. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    More gasps came from the others and she blushed.


    ¡°I am a triangle mage, you uncooth barbarian!¡± The redhead growled and the small me tripled in size as she added power to it.


    I had to think about what that meant. I knew there were four primary elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, with a lost branch of Void. The magic users on this world also had a power ranking system of eitherbining elements or stacking the same element to make more powerful spells.


    Of the four ranks, there were first, line, triangle, and square. The lost void would make them a fifth rank, or a Pentagram Mage. I just had to decide what rank I wanted to fake having. Should I show off or should I stay more anonymous like the original Saito did?


    ¡°All fire, I assume? You can stack fire three times?¡± I asked as a dying tactic.


    ¡°All of my family are fire mages.¡± She said, proudly. ¡°My name is Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst and I am a noble from Germania.¡±


    Now I had another decision. That was two people that introduced themselves with ridiculously long names. Should I copy that to make myself sound more impressive? I''m sure Saito Hiraga would not sound even remotely noble-like.


    ¡°My name...¡± <i>Without lying, since I''ve been these people.</i> ¡°...is Saito Bell Issei Hyoudou Cranel Hiraga and I''m not from this world.¡± I said and everyone kept staring at me. ¡°Miss La Valli¨¨re? May I borrow your wand again?¡±


    Louise handed it to me without a word.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and held it up. ¡°I have affinities with both water and fire.¡± I said and a me appeared above the wand as well as arge bubble of water. ¡°I can also stack each of them.¡±


    Everyone gasped as both the fire and water quadrupled in size.


    ¡°Combining won''t work well, since they are opposing forces... in their current state.¡± I said and they gasped again as the water formed into a five foot long icicle and the fire changed to bright blue and swirled around it. I whipped the wand and my creation to point at the same spot on the wall that I had sted with a fireball and fired.


    *WHA-BOOM!*


    When the smoke cleared, the magically reinforced wall had a foot wide hole through it and burned with bright blue mes attached to ice shards. Not one single person moved or spoke.


    ¡°Miss La Valli¨¨re, thank you for the loan. I shouldmission having more wands made if you don''t have any spares.¡± I said and handed hers back to her. ¡°Miss La Valli¨¨re? Are you okay?¡±


    Louise didn''t say anything and just pointed a very shaky hand at the ruined wall.


    ¡°Oh! Yes, you''re right. I shouldn''t leave it like that.¡± I said and took the wand back and walked over to the wall and waved at the fire. It stopped and I ended that and the ice spell, then I slowly started waving the wand over the damaged hole as I cast the repair spell.


    Having a wand to reduce the magic cost was awesome and the hole filled in and then all the resulting cracks disappeared. I walked back over to Louise, whom looked absolutely stunned, and gave her the wand back. I took her hand and walked towards the building she wanted to enter before. We leftplete silence behind us as we went to her rooms.

 48 School Life Again

    48 School Life Again


    Osmand, the headmaster of Tristain Academy of Magic, stared out the observation window at the disturbingly magical goings-on in the courtyard. He always observed the summoning ritual, just in case something untoward showed up and he had to deal with it. It hadn''t happened yet and that didn''t stop him from watching each and every second year ss as they performed the ritual.


    This time, Osmand had frozen stiff when a human, a very powerful and magical human, appeared during Miss La Valli¨¨re''s insanely worded summon spell. Who calls upon the multiverse to have a basic familiar show up? No one! It was insane to cast so wide of a!


    The old man sighed as he felt Mister Colbert approach his office at a run. He was sure to get an earful about the potentially evil person that had shown up and then cast extremely powerful magic without any of their structured training. He sat there and listened for a good ten minutes before Colbert ran out of steam.


    ¡°Yourint is that the summons didn''t attack anyone, showed strong magic, and changed the familiar bond into a partnership.¡± Osmand said and Colbert nodded several times before he realized what he was agreeing to. ¡°Why did you rush here to tell me instead of looking out for the rest of the students?¡±


    Mister Colbert opened his mouth to defend himself and realized he couldn''t. He didn''t have any real reason to distrust the new summons, and had rushed off, only because he despised the young man. He normally didn''t make such rash decisions right off the bat and he wondered why he had this time.


    ¡°I see you''ve cottoned onto something.¡± The old headmaster said with a knowing smile. ¡°Perhaps a few hours of reflection will let you know what happened.¡±


    Mister Colbert nodded, bowed to him, and left at a fast walk.


    ¡°He''s going topletely forget about this in about an hour.¡± The old man''s secretary said.


    ¡°Miss Longueville, it''s not nice to disparage a colleague''s shorings.¡± Osmand said as a small mouse leapt out from under the woman''s desk and up into his waiting hand. ¡°ckce, you say?¡±


    ¡°UGH!¡± Miss Longueville growled and sent a knockout spell at the old man, whom easily knocked it away with his staff.


    ¡°You can''t me a helpless creature for admiring your wares, Miss Longueville.¡± Osmand postted.


    ¡°No, I can''t. However, I can me you for teaching him how to do it, you perverted old bastard!¡± The secretary said and shot off spell after spell that the old man easily dodged. ¡°Stand still, dammit!¡±


    The old manughed and the mouse squeaked, teasingly. The old man would never tell his secretary that he already knew she masturbated at least once a week to relieve her frustration over not being allowed to marry at her proper social station.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Mister Colbert eximed as he ran back into the office and interrupted the normal cat-and-mouse game that the old man and his secretary yed every few days. The sexual tension could be cut with a knife, it was so thick. ¡°What do we do with this weird familiar?¡±


    The old man sat down behind his desk and looked pensive. ¡°He''s not a normal familiar, obviously.¡± The headmaster said and rubbed his chin. ¡°Perhaps a few days of observation will give us a view into the young man''s secrets, eh?¡±


    Mister Colbert nodded and left the office again. It was such a relief for him to get the top authority to investigate how this travesty had happened. It would never ur to the slightly scatterbrained balding man that he wouldn''t need the headmaster''s help in covering up that anything happened to the heir of such a prominent family during his ss. Messages were already being sent out by the other students about the entire thing.


    *


    ¡°No, no. This won''t do.¡± I said when we arrived in Louise''s room.


    ¡°What''s wrong with it?¡± Louise asked and red at me. ¡°Don''t you want to live with the daughter of an important and prominent noble?¡±


    I gave her a smile and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I meant this small room isn''t befitting your station. Or mine.¡± I pointed to the mound of straw on the floor. ¡°I am not going to sleep there, no matter what you think.¡±


    Louise started to blush and then she went angry again. ¡°What right do you have to question...¡±


    I plucked her wand out of her hand.


    ¡°Hey! Give that back!¡± Louise almost shouted.


    ¡°Do you have another? I heard what the other students were saying about you blowing things up and regrly burning your wands out.¡± I said and she blushed. I moved my hand up from her shoulder to pat the top of her head. ¡°It''s all right now, Miss La Valli¨¨re. I''ve already stabilized your magic and you have the same affinity as Kirche. Fire.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Louise gasped.


    ¡°I believe your fiery temper gives you too much power and that''s why you were blowing things up when trying to cast a spell. Your frustration poured too much magic into the spells and they backfired.¡± I exined and she stared at me. ¡°I assume you were already taught how to channel your magic into a spell to get it to work?¡±


    Louise nodded. ¡°It... it always explodes. Always.¡± She said and tears came to her eyes. ¡°That''s why...¡±


    ¡°Hush.¡± I said and moved my hand back down to her shoulder to give it a slight squeeze. ¡°From now on, you will no longer be what they say. Trust me.¡±


    Louise sighed and looked up into my eyes. ¡°Why do I believe you?¡±


    <i>It''s my Fatherhood perk, I think. She sees me as an authority figure and I have the parental urge to help her, even if she despises me. Then again, I''m sure that I''ve already shown her that her first assumption about me was wrong and negated that trait.</i> I thought and gave her my warmest smile. ¡°I think it''s because you know I fully believe in you as well, Miss La Valli¨¨re.¡±


    Louise blushed again and ducked her head. ¡°Why? Why would you?¡±


    I chuckled and patted her head again. ¡°You were powerful enough to bring me here, Louise. No one can dispute that you did something that no one else ever has.¡± I said and she looked proud. ¡°Now, about the wands?¡±


    Louise nodded and walked over to her writing desk and opened a small side drawer. Inside was about twenty wands, five of which were burned or cracked. ¡°I get them made at the beginning of the year.¡±


    I barely held in myugh and she saw my crinkling eyes.


    ¡°I thought you weren''t going tough at me like they do!¡± Louise growled.


    I let myugh out and shook my head. ¡°I''mughing that my arrival just ruined the livelihood of whomever makes your piles of wands. You won''t need any more recements! Ha ha ha!¡±


    Louise''s anger fled and she blushed again, then she giggled, then sheughed. ¡°I suppose I do spend a lot of money on wands.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± I said and patted her head again. I gave her the wand she used back and picked up one from the drawer. It gave me the same bonus as the one she had, so I knew that they were made for Louise and I could use them myself, thanks to the partnership contract and being in my party. ¡°May I take two? Just in case.¡±


    Louise nodded and I picked up another, slipped one into a side pocket of my backpack and kept the other in my hand. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    I gave her my best smirk and pointed to the longest wall that was also the outside wall of the castle. ¡°I''m going to cheat, of course.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°With magic.¡± I said and walked over to her desk and picked up a candlestick that held three candles. I snuffed them out and popped them off, then examined the wall. It was fairly long and it would take a bit of work.


    Louise watched curiously as I erged the candlestick and then broke off the three prongs that held candles. That gave me four pieces of metal, so I used magic to stretch them out to the right lengths and then attached them around the entire wall to make them like a picture frame with the wall as the picture. With the metal in ce, I quickly engraved the runes needed for expansion charms and stabilization.


    ¡°What are those squiggly things?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°Runic clusters.¡± I said and finished with thest one. ¡°You might want to step back. This will either expand the space or blow out the wall of the castle.¡±


    ¡°Then don''t do it!¡± Louise eximed. ¡°I''ve already spent a fortune repairing the castle from my explosions!¡±


    I chuckled and tapped the bottom strip as I put some magic into it to charge it up. The wall and floor started to shake as the magic flowed around the long metal braces. When the slight glow went all the way around and met on the ceiling, the entire wall glowed and then pretty much leapt away from me for twenty feet.


    Louise''s bed, desk, and makeup table dresser with arge mirror, were now freestanding in the front third of the room. The shocked look on Louise''s face was worth showing off the same enchantment that my backpack had. I was d that it worked and hadn''t blown out the wall.


    ¡°Would you like your things to stay right here?¡± I asked and walked over to the double doors of her closet. ¡°I need to borrow these until I can get some actual wood.¡±


    Louise didn''t say anything as I popped the doors off of the hinges and brought them over to where the metal divider was. I set one door on its edge by the wall and then expanded it to fill the space to the ceiling and then over to the end of her four poster bed and set it in ce.


    I put the other door on the other side of the room and did the same thing, essentially putting the wall back in ce, except I left a space between her bed and her dresser for me to pass through. I nodded at it working as a temporary wall and stepped into the new room. I didn''t really have anything on me that I could change or make into a bed, so the ''new'' room would have to remain empty for now.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Louise asked from behind me.


    ¡°Magic.¡± I joked and she growled. ¡°It''s a modified expansion charm that I made on the room. It''s limited by both size and the magic used to expand it, not to mention the materials. Stone is easy to expand and difficult to keep that way, because it''s stone and not stretchable or bendable like metal and fabric are.¡±


    Louise looked confused now.


    ¡°You don''t have anything like a bag of holding or trunks with expansion charms?¡± I asked and she shook her head several times. ¡°Oh.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°That gives me a huge opportunity to make a lot of money really quickly.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Louise asked.


    Instead of answering her, I took off my backpack and opened the toppartment, then put my entire arm into it up to the shoulder. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at it and my apparently missing arm.


    I pulled my arm back out and waved to her, closed my backpack, and put it on. ¡°I''m getting kind of hungry. When do they serve meals around here?¡±


    Louise shivered and shook herself. ¡°We eat at the proper mealtimes in the main hall, of course. When else would we eat?¡±


    I tried to notugh at her non-answer answer. ¡°I meant today. When is the next meal?¡±


    ¡°In about half an hour. Our spellcasting ss ran a little long today.¡±


    That I didugh at. ¡°That waspletely your fault for trying to impress so many people with how powerful you are.¡±


    Louise looked both embarrassed and proud.


    ¡°Speaking about being around the other students, can you show me what a proper male noble wears normally? My casual clothes aren''t good enough for people to see me wearing, apparently.¡±


    Louise looked at my pants and shirt before she let out a sigh and walked over to the door. ¡°I suppose I have no choice but to show you. I don''t want you to embarrass me.¡±


    ¡°That''s the spirit!¡± I said and walked over to her. ¡°Who are we going to see?¡±


    ¡°I have to return Guiche''s wand before he freaks out about losing it.¡± Louise said and led me out into the hallway. As she walked away, I cast a lock spell on the door and an alert ward to let me know if anyone tried to break in.


    We left the wing the females stayed in and entered the one where the males stayed. I did not point out the obvious about me staying in her room when I should be segregated like the others. She reached an open door and we both heard the blond ponce shouting about how I was a coward for stealing his wand and for attacking him unprovoked.


    Louise set her face to show no emotions and knocked on the door frame. The two startled and their nearly identical girlish screams made meugh, so I had to turn away and cover my mouth as I coughed to try and cover it up.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Louise the Zero?¡± The blonde girl with long ringlets of hair asked. ¡°You''re interrupting me consoling my boyfriend.¡±


    Louise held up the wand that was wrapped with a rose. ¡°My familiar...¡±


    ¡°Partner.¡± I interrupted and corrected her.


    ¡°...found this and gave it to me. I thought I would be nice and return it, rather than break it or throw it away, Montmorency.¡± Louise said, quite pointedly.


    The blonde girl nodded, albeit reluctantly. ¡°My boyfriend graciously epts your apology and the return of his stolen property.¡±


    Louise let her face show anger and bit her tongue, probably to not escte things.


    I had no such qualms, however. ¡°She has nothing to apologize for, you ungrateful bitch.¡± I said and plucked the rose wand out of Louise''s hand. ¡°Since you epted on his behalf, then you can be responsible for this.¡± I snapped the wand in half and threw the pieces at her feet. ¡°Oh, look! It must have broken when he dropped it. How unfortunate for you. Maybe his cowardly foot stepped on it as he ran away?¡±


    Both she and her boyfriend gasped. Louise just stared at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°Just so you know, if you keep verbally attacking my partner like you always do, your wand will be mysteriously dropped and stepped on every time.¡± I said and looked right at the blond ponce. ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°You are buying me a new wand.¡± Guiche said, his face angry.


    ¡°Why? Montmorency had possession of it. She even said so.¡± I said and he closed his mouth. ¡°Again, fair warning. Keep up with the attitude and you won''t like what happens.¡±


    ¡°How dare you threaten a high noble of this kingdom!¡± Montmorency shouted.


    ¡°I''ll do more than threaten him if you don''t shut up.¡± I said and Guiche put a hand on her arm.


    ¡°You have made a grave mistake this day.¡± Guiche said. ¡°I am Guiche de Gramont and my family...¡±


    I pointed my wand at the floor and cast ice. The entire room was instantly covered in an inch of ice. ¡°Only one family name? How... plebeian.¡± I said and my breath let out a cloud of steam from the cold. ¡°It''s you that made the mistake with your arrogance and self-entitlement. Go ahead and call your lesser family and call in some favors. I can''t wait to see you try to put me in my ce.¡±


    Guiche didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°Before you do that, have your girlfriend tell you what I did after you fled.¡± I said and cast a detection spell. It gave me a full mapping of the area 200 feet around me and I ''saw'' the clothing the ponce had in his closet. ¡°Perhaps you should rethink your life choices as your things thaw out.¡±


    Louise let me take her hand and I led her back down the hallway. ¡°He''s right, you know. That was a mistake to make him an enemy.¡±


    ¡°He''s not my enemy. Not yet.¡± I said, loud enough for it to carry. ¡°My enemies don''t live very long.¡±


    Louise kept quiet as we went back to her rooms. I had some clothes to transfigure to make myself more presentable and I couldn''t make a school uniform because I wasn''t enrolled. How unfair was that?

 49 A New Normal

    49 A New Normal


    It was surprisingly easy to make expensive looking clothing from what I had. I didn''t copy the style perfectly, of course. It made what I had look custom made and not bought from a shop. Tailored would be how the students would describe it and they would recognize the difference automatically. I would need to pick up more clothing soon and make them simr.


    Louise was stunned as she watched me dress in my ''new'' clothes and then she blushed, because she had seen me in my boxer shorts and now I looked like a proper noble. It''s just too bad I went with the wife option and told them I was married, because the look of desire on her face gave me a tingly feeling.


    <i>No, no, no. I really did just get married. Stop with the perverted thoughts of turning her upside down and eating her out.</i> I thought and tried to push the image of a tuft of pink fluffy hair above her dripping slit out of my head.


    Louise must have seen something on my face because she blushed again.


    ¡°My apologies, Louise. You''re just too cute to not regret that I''m married.¡± I said as an exnation.


    That made her blush a deeper red and she stammered something about arrogant married people. Louise changed her clothing as well, right in front of me, and I couldn''t stop myself from staring at her. If her hair was shorter and silver-white, she would have been a near identical copy of Koneko.


    ¡°Yes, I definitely regret being married.¡± I muttered.


    Louise ignored me, thankfully. At least, I thought she did. It wasn''t until she was leading me down the hallway that I noticed her back was ramrod straight and she had a smile on her face as she told me the meal schedule and that she wasn''t sure if I was allowed to attend sses with her or not.


    I agreed that I needed to go over her previous year''s schooling to see what they had been taught. I didn''t really have anything topare it to, since I had no formal schooling about magic. Grayfia had been a fantastic teacher for the short time I had spent with her, however. I could only imagine what being under her tutge for a year would have done for my understanding and usage of magic.


    We entered the school''s cafeteria, which was a huge great hall with four long tables. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing, namely talking to each other, and they turned to stare at us. Of course, since I knew I had to change that despised first impression that the rest of the school would have of me when they first saw me, I started to wave at them like I was the Queen of Ennd.


    ¡°Good evening. Nice to meet you. Thank you for the warm wee. I should be joining you in sses tomorrow. Yes, I''m a magic user. I have a wand, too. Shocking, I know!¡± I rambled as we walked down the tables to where Louise''s ss sat.


    Louise looked torn between being embarrassed andughing her ass off, which coincidentally made her look constipated. I sat her down like ady and she blushed at me, her choice made, and I sat next to her without crowding her.


    ¡°I can''t believe you had the gall to show your face here.¡± Someone said.


    I didn''t bother turning to look at whomever it was. ¡°I can''t believe your parents chose to procreate.¡±


    There was silence after myment, then someone giggled, another girl softlyughed, and a guy snickered and coughed.


    ¡°Saito.¡± Louise said in a t voice.


    ¡°My apologies, Louise.¡± I said and looked at the food tters on the table. It looked like general English food and the simrities with Hogwarts was astounding. The only thing missing was the enchanted ceiling that reflected the outside, and that gave me an idea. ¡°Excuse me for a minute.¡±


    Everyone watched as I stood and I walked over to the head table where all the teachers sat.


    ¡°Pardon the intrusion, headmaster.¡± I said to the old man with the longest beard at the table. ¡°Would you mind if I performed a bit of magic? I''m not sure if it''s against the rules to do so and would like your permission before I attempt anything.¡±


    The old man gave me raised eyebrows and then nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, headmaster.¡± I said and quickly strode out of the room. I didn''t know what the enchantment was on the Hogwarts ceiling, so I would have to cheat to make the effect.


    I entered the closest bathroom and used magic to steal one of the mirrors from the wall. It had a metal frame, so it was easy to apply copy and projection runes around the edges. I also reinforced it and warded it to never break and added heating charms so it would never be covered by rain or snow.


    I teleported to the roof of the cafeteria and found a nice spot, warded it so no people or creatures could get near it, and set it in ce before I charged it up. I teleported back into the bathroom and stole another mirror, copied the runes and charms on the first one, reversed of course, and brought it into the cafeteria hall.


    ¡°I''ll rece the two mirrors I''ve borrowed after I start selling my enchanted bags.¡± I told the headmaster and the staff before they could yell at me for taking the bathroom mirror.


    Everyone watched as I levitated the mirror up to the ceiling. Thankfully, it wasn''t vaulted or curved, so I easily stuck the mirror in ce on the t surface and then I expanded it to fit the ceiling. A bit of magic to seal it in ce and it was secured and a part of the ceiling.


    I ignored the mutterings andments about what I was doing and I poured my magic into the now massive runes. I really should have done it before erging it, then shrugged. It would have given the trick away if I walked in carrying a mirror that showed the sky. I didn''t want anyone to figure it out so quickly.


    It took several minutes for the charge to go all the way around the frame, nearly exhausting me, then the fully charged enchantment snapped into ce and linked to the mirror on the roof. Gasps of shock came from everyone, especially the teachers, when the mirror changed from reflecting the tables and students to show the sky above.


    ¡°Thank you for allowing me to do that, headmaster. It''s always nice to know what the weather is like outside without having to look out a window.¡± I said instead of eximing that it actually worked.


    I slowly walked back to where Louise sat and her stunned face matched those of everyone else. I sat down to start loading a te up with food and put some on Louise''s te as well. She took the hint and started eating as she gave me pointed looks every few minutes. I ignored them for now.


    No one said anything to me about what I just did and I didn''t really expect them to. It was impressive magic and also fairly simple, if you knew what you were doing. Magic was all about intent, after all.


    When the meal was over, both the tall redhead and the short blue-haired girl walked over to us. Kirche gave Louise a look of disdain before she smiled at me. I gave her the same look of disdain and then smiled at Louise, whom looked surprised for a moment and then blushed. Kirche did not look pleased at being snubbed like that.


    ¡°Enchanted bag?¡± The blue-haired girl asked and pointed to my backpack.


    ¡°Yes, one of my first.¡± I said and stood, slipped it off, and did the same thing I did with Louise before and showed off by putting my entire arm up to my shoulder inside the top opening.


    That earned me a few gasps and a lot of interesting looks, even from the teachers.


    ¡°I need to go into town to buy supplies to make more.¡± I said and put the backpack on. ¡°I can also make trunks bigger on the inside so they can hold more, too.¡±


    ¡°How much bigger?¡± She asked and adjusted her sses.


    ¡°About five times if it was made from good wood and has metal braces holding it together.¡± I said.


    ¡°I want a trunk!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± ¡°I really want a kiss now!¡±


    A bunch of studentsughed and the girl with the bunny familiar didn''t look embarrassed this time.


    ¡°I will pay you 100 ¨¦cu to enchant one of my trunks!¡± Kirche said and she pointed at me, herrge breasts bouncing as if unrestrained.


    ¡°Is that a lot?¡± I asked Louise with a whisper and she nodded. ¡°I agree to your offer.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Kirche said excitedly and leapt at me. She wrapped her arms and breasts around my left arm. ¡°Tabitha! We need to go to my rooms right now so Saito can get started!¡±


    The blue-haired girl nodded and Louise looked upset.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Louise. I''m still married and nothing will happen.¡± I reassured her.


    Louise didn''t look convinced and neither did anyone else, especially Kirche.


    ¡°Before anyone jumps to conclusions or assumes I''ve taken advantage of the big breasted beauty glued to my arm, my preferred body types are those cute girls right there.¡± I said and pointed at Louise and then Tabitha. Both girls blushed brightly.


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Kirche gasped and let my arm go. ¡°How can you prefer those t-chested washboards to this magnificence?!?¡±


    I looked down at her indignantly bouncing chest briefly and then at her face. ¡°As I''ve told several girls I''ve dated, including my wife, it''s not the size of your breasts or their perfection that defines who you are.¡±


    Kirche pouted and crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up for more attention.


    I didn''t look again and turned to Louise. ¡°What time is curfew set for?¡±


    ¡°You need to be back by 9 o''clock.¡± Louise said and looked satisfied that I wasn''t going to be swayed byrge breasts.


    I nodded and held an elbow out for Tabitha. She blushed again and epted it, to Kirche''s ire, and I led them out of the cafeteria to head back to the female wing of the dormitories.


    *


    ¡°I can''t detect how he did it.¡± Professor Chevreuse said and waved her wand at the ceiling and the huge transfigured mirror that showed out sky outside. ¡°He infused magic into the metal frame and that''s all I can confirm.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Osmand said and rubbed a hand down his long beard.


    ¡°Why is it interesting?¡± Mister Colbert asked.


    ¡°Because he did it so casually.¡± Osmand said and looked up at the white fluffy clouds that floated across the mirror''s surface and the sky darkening to night. ¡°He knew it was going to work without having to prepare for hours or days like we would for such intricately delicate spellcrafting.¡±


    The other teachers nodded and looked up at the ceiling.


    ¡°I wonder if he would tell us how he did it?¡± Professor Chevreuse asked and stopped casting. She was tempted to run after the young man and beg him for the secret.


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Osmand said. ¡°He would have performed his spells and enchanting in front of us.¡±


    Professor Chevreuse sighed. ¡°I suppose I''ll never discover how to copy it for my bedroom ceiling.¡±


    ¡°Having the stars to sleep under would be nice, wouldn''t it?¡± One of the other women asked.


    ¡°It would be delightful.¡± Professor Chevreuse said and then caught her breath and looked at her colleague as a fellow conspirator. ¡°Perhaps if we bought recement mirrors for the bathroom he took them from, we could bring two of our own and have him duplicate the enchantment for us?¡±


    The other woman gave her the same look back. ¡°What a fantastic idea, madam! We need to hurry!¡±


    Both women left the room in a rush and giggled like teenagers as they talked about getting the bad boy to install them in their rooms for them.


    Mister Colbert looked at the other professors in confusion. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°Justdies indulging in a little fantasy, my boy.¡± Osmand said and pat the clueless man''s shoulder and walked away. He refrained from removing the protective wards around the mirror that stopped people from detecting the magical enchantments. It was a brilliant example of what magic could do and he wouldn''t cheapen the boy''s gift to the academy by letting everyone copy it.


    *


    Tabitha stared as the boy she initially despised did another piece of impressive magic. How he was integrating a spell into an engraving was so novel that she desperately wanted him to teach her. She knew he wouldn''t give up his secrets so quickly, however. Even though he was doing it in front of her and Kirche, he wasn''t saying how he was doing it.


    ¡°This was a very expensive trunk.¡± Saito said as he finished engraving. ¡°The materials are high quality, so I went a little overboard with what I did.¡±


    ¡°As long as I get my 100 ¨¦cu worth.¡± Kirche said, cooly.


    Tabitha wasn''t surprised that her friend had gone right back to not liking Saito after he rebuffed her advances and told Kirche that he preferred cute girls like her instead. She blushed again at remembering him stating it so loudly in the middle of the cafeteria and everyone heard him.


    Not surprisingly, a lot of the younger girls blushed as well, because they hadn''t hit their growth spurts yet and weren''t as well endowed as some of the more popr girls.


    Tabitha would never admit that she stayed near her friend Kirche specifically because everyone focused on the loud big breasted girl and ignored her. It let her study uninterrupted and people usually left her alone. Until now.


    ¡°I usually warn people to step back when I activate things like this.¡± Saito said and used the wand to point at the inside of the trunk. ¡°There''s no danger of explosions with such expensive materials and the extra reinforcement I added.¡±


    Kirche nodded and Tabitha stepped closer. Both girls had their eyes widen when the trunk glowed for several seconds... and then a twenty foot deep room appeared inside the trunk.


    ¡°You''ll need adder or stairs to get down there safely.¡± Saito said and smiled. ¡°Then again, with this much money, when I pick up some wood to make a wall in Louise''s room, I''ll buy some extra and I''ll make you some. The opening isrge enough for a normal staircase.¡±


    ¡°How big is it inside?¡± Tabitha asked and leaned on the side of the trunk to hold on and tried to duck her head down below the edge to see for herself.


    ¡°My calctions say it''s 30 feet by 40 feet and 20 feet deep.¡± Saito said and both girls gasped. ¡°About twice the size of your dorm rooms.¡±


    ¡°You... you... how did you...¡± Kirche stammered.


    ¡°Magic.¡± Saito said and Tabitha sat back on the floor and stared up at his smiling face. ¡°Depending on the supplies I can buy tomorrow, the bags will be 10 by 10 inside with the same retrieval charm.¡±


    ¡°Retrieval charm?¡± Tabitha asked.


    Saito picked up a hairbrush from the dresser and a pillow from the four poster bed and tossed both inside the trunk.


    ¡°Hey! That brush was my mother''s!¡± Kirche eximed.


    Saito chuckled. ¡°Softening charm.¡± He said and pointed inside.


    Both girls looked into the trunk and were surprised that both the pillow and the brush were exactly right below them and hadn''t bounced or moved farther after dropping for 20 feet.


    ¡°Now watch.¡± Saito said and stuck his hand just inside the lip of the trunk. ¡°Hairbrush.¡±


    It shot up from the floor and into his hand. Both girls had their mouths drop open, because he hadn''t used a wand or summoned it with magic. It was the trunk that did it.


    Saito handed the brush to Kirche and she hugged it to her chest. ¡°Pillow.¡± He said and the pillow leapt up from the bottom of the trunk and into his hand. He put it back on the bed and bowed slightly to both girls. ¡°Thank you for purchasing my services. Have a great evening.¡±


    Neither girl could speak and he chuckled and left them there to stare at the door.


    ¡°Is this real?¡± Kirche asked.


    Tabitha didn''t respond to that and closed the book she had in her hand. She dropped it into the trunk and it didn''t make a thump sound as it hit the bottom. Itnded softly like it was on a cushion. She nodded at her friend and Kirche put her hand inside the trunk.


    ¡°Tabitha''s book.¡± Kirche said and it sailed right up and gentlynded in her hand. She handed it to her friend and both girls stared at it.


    ¡°Should we try adding some clothes next?¡± Tabitha asked.


    Kirche whipped off her blouse, revealed her barely restrained breasts, and threw the shirt inside. To their shock, it fluttered to the bottom of the trunk and folded itself up andnded perfectly.


    ¡°Empty your overstuffed closet and I''ll grab the books I can''t fit on my shelves.¡± Tabitha said.


    Kirche nodded and they both ran to do their chosen tasks. Both girls had a st throwing things into the trunk and seeing what would happen.

 50 A Night To Remember

    50 A Night To Remember


    I returned to Louise''s room and I wasn''t surprised that she was waiting up for me. What did surprise me was she was still dressed in her casual clothes. I didn''tment about it as I closed the door behind me and locked it and set the same alert ward.


    ¡°You did that?¡± Louise asked and motioned to the door.


    ¡°I didn''t want anyone entering without your permission.¡± I said and she looked pleased. I nced at the four poster bed that was only big enough for a single person. ¡°I should go ask about bedding and things...¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Louise interrupted and turned her face away from me to hide her blush. ¡°For tonight, anyway. We can worry about moving my things into the bigger section when you fix my closet and make a real dividing wall.¡±


    I held in myugh at her assuming she was getting therger section for herself. Then again, with all of herrge things in there and out of the way, this part of the room would be fairly big. I nodded and took off my backpack, hung it on the sole chair by the small table, and took off my expensive-looking clothes to pack inside and left myself wearing just my boxers.


    Louise watched me out of the corner of her eye and waited for me to finish before she stood up. It was my turn to watch her as she stripped off. The difference came when she also discarded her panties onto the small pile of clothing she left on the floor.


    My eyes dropped down to between her legs and there it was. The soft tuft of pink hair that I imagined would highlight her slit. Her dripping slit. Her glistening and damp slit that looked good enough to eat. Before I realized that I shouldn''t do anything with her, I was already across the room and had her upside down and my tongue dug deeply into her eager opening.


    ¡°OHHHH!¡± Louise moaned loudly and came.


    Ipped at her delicious nectar as I walked us over to the bed. I lifted her up andid her down on the edge of the mattress, then I dove between her legs and suckled and licked her to make here again. She almost screamed as she did and she wrapped her legs around my neck to make sure I wasn''t going to stop for a long time.


    Not surprisingly, I didn''t stop until her moans tapered off and were barely whispers. When I looked at her face, it showed utter joy and satisfaction.


    ¡°No... no more. We can''t... we haven''t even...¡± Louise mumbled and then fell asleep.


    That was when I realized I had gone way, way further than I ever thought I would with another woman after getting married. I sat beside the bed and stared at the well tended and drenched opening in front of me. I felt guilty that I wanted to keep going and I shook my head for losing myself in the act. I needed to get a hold on my impulses before I did something else I would regret.


    On a whim, I checked my Karma points and saw I had gained almost 1,200 of them. It didn''t tell me from what, though. I also checked the party screen and Louise''s name was there, our partner bond had double lines now instead of a single line, and a new option for knowledge sharing appeared.


    I didn''t choose it, because it didn''t say what knowledge would be shared, either from me or from her. Thest thing I needed was to give Louise ess to everything in my head. Until I could find a way to limit it or at least browse what was avable, I would leave it alone and study this world the long way. With research.


    I cleaned her with a spell before I picked her up and tucked her under the nket. Iid down on top of it because I didn''t want to tempt myself, even though I was rock hard and I was sure that she wouldn''t say no, not after that marathon oral sex session. I gave myself a quick wank instead and then cleaned up with a spell, created another nket, and drifted off to sleep.


    The night passed before I knew it and I woke up with Louise under the nket and snuggled up to my side. I wasn''t sure how she managed that without waking me... and I realized that my underwear was gone, too. When I lifted the nket, I saw that her hand was on my belly and in a huge puddle of white fluid.


    <i>She either jerked me off unconsciously or she was too curious to see what a guy''s bodily fluids looked like.</i> I thought to myself. Rather than wait for her to wake up and see her reaction to the mess she made, I cleaned it up with a spell.


    As if I had requested that Louise wake up, her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled warmly at me... for about three seconds... then she blushed to a deep red when she realized she was pressing all of herself against my side. She let out a squawk like a chicken and rolled away from me and hid under the nket.


    ¡°I''m d you don''t hate me for what I didst night.¡± I said instead ofughing at her reaction.


    ¡°I could never hate you for kissing me down there like that!¡± Louise shouted from under the nket. Luckily, it was muffled just enough that it wasn''t loud enough to escape the room. That thought did make meugh and I felt her small fist hit my side.


    ¡°I''mughing because if you had said that any louder, half of the girls in the female dorms would have heard you.¡± I told her and she squawked again. I slid out from under the nket and stood beside the bed as I thought about taking a bath. I checked the invisible clock in my head and nodded, because we had plenty of time. ¡°I''m going to take a nice rxing bath. Do you want to join me?¡±


    Louise slid the edge of the nket back just enough to peer out at me from the dark depths. ¡°You''re not going to make fun of me for how I actedst night, are you?¡±


    I thought about asking if she meant jerking me off and pushed that thought away. ¡°I would never make fun of how cute you are, Louise.¡±


    Louise blushed and looked thoughtful, then she slid out from under the nket and stood beside me. Apparently, once she chose to let me see it all, she had no problem letting me see it all again. I offered her my elbow and she epted it like ady, so I escorted her to her personal bathroom.


    Instead of using the tap, I filled the tub with water using my magic and then heated it with fire magic in seconds. Louise stared at me like she had never seen me before. I winked at her and helped her into the bath as I added the bath oils she pointed to, then I climbed in as well and started scrubbing her. Her blush stayed on her face as I worked and I didn''t y with her, which seemed to surprise her.


    ¡°You know that nobles hire servants do what you just did.¡± Louise said as I started to wash myself.


    I smiled at her and handed her the soapy cloth and showed her my back. She softlyughed and washed my back, then lower. Her hands roamed a lot more than necessary and I didn''tment on it, because I had pretty much touched her all over, too.


    ¡°I thought you were married?¡± Louise asked me and handed me the cloth back.


    I cleaned it and hug it on the little rack meant for it. ¡°I am.¡± I said and moved to the back of the tub and patted myp.


    Louise didn''t hesitate as she turned around and sat down before sheid back against me. ¡°Then why are you doing all of this?¡±


    ¡°When you dropped your pantiesst night, I got caught up in how beautiful you were and lost control of myself.¡± I admitted as I put my arms around her. ¡°I''m trying to make up for that by showing you that what happened was my fault, not yours. I don''t me you at all and I wanted to show you that I can still act like a gentleman with you being naked in front of me.¡±


    A blushing Louise turned her head enough to look at me. ¡°Does that mean you''re not going to react like that anymore?¡±


    I opened my mouth to tell her exactly that and thought about it. ¡°I honestly can''t answer that.¡±


    Louise looked pleased and turned her head back to face forward. ¡°At least you have good taste.¡±


    ¡°So do you.¡± I said and she turned her head to look at me again, her blush still there. ¡°I desperately wanted to keep going when you fell asleep. Make of that what you will.¡±


    Louise looked thoughtful and then nodded before looking forward once more. She slowly rxed and rested against me without any tension, even with my erection pressing against her back. In fact, I was sure she looked a little smug about it.


    ¡°Why did you have to be married already?¡± Louise asked me, probably rhetorically.


    ¡°It was ast minute decision so that I could sleep with her without us both suffering repercussions.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°Yes, it was surprisingly just like it is here with the upper nobility.¡±


    ¡°Not for Kirche, the slut.¡± Louise groused immediately.


    ¡°I assume she''s the school''s broom?¡± I asked and she gave me an odd look. ¡°She deals best with dirty things and everyone wants to use her?¡±


    Louise chuckled. ¡°The school''s broom. She''s the school''s broom and everyone uses her. Ha!¡±


    I chuckled as well. ¡°I was tempted to say she was the school''s horse and that everyone gets a turn to ride her, except that would insult the horses.¡±


    Louiseughed loudly and hugged my arms to stop herself from sliding off of myp. ¡°The poor stable horses... get ridden hard... all the time! Ha hahaha!¡±


    Iughed with her and we had a great time over the next twenty minutes while we traded insults back and forth, each one worse than thest. Louise was almost hoarse when we climbed out of the bath to dry off. I told her that and sheughed and smacked me hard on the chest for calling her a horse, then we bothughed.


    Louise asked me to help her get dressed and I knew she was trying to fit me into her social dynamic, mainly to make it okay that she had spent the night in bed with me and wanted to exin it to herself. Of course, I knew if she slotted me into the servant role, she would take full advantage of that. So, I agreed, as long as she helped me dress as well. She blushed and nodded.


    I couldn''t let her nd school uniform stay that way, so I gave her basic bra some padding to push her assets together and then changed her blouse to look much more expensive and I would leave the top two buttons unbuttoned. I handed her the bra first and she gave me the stink eye.


    ¡°Trust me, Louise.¡± I said and she sighed.


    ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Louise said and held her arms out in front of herself.


    I slid the bra straps over her arms and slid it back to her body and held it. ¡°Bend over and settle yourself into the cups.¡±


    Louise gave me another stink eye as she did what I said.


    I chuckled and made sure she was supported properly and secured the back. ¡°This is a little trick an old friend of mine does with her own modest chest while around other girls with gigantic assets.¡± I said and waved for her to stand up.


    Louise did so and nced down, looking sure that she was going to be disappointed, and gasped. ¡°I have breasts!¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Sona was slim as well and she wasn''t embarrassed by that. She was just built differently. She wasn''t going to let the others intimidate her, though. She still had nice assets, even if they weren''t big and showy like the others that didn''t have to try and entuate them to be noticed in a school uniform.¡±


    Louise nodded and motioned to her blouse. I put it on her and she felt the silky difference. Her eyes roamed over the expensive cloth and she waited for me to button it up before she said anything.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Louise asked me.


    ¡°We''re partners now. I''m going to do everything I can to help you.¡± I said and opened her underwear drawer. ¡°Are you feeling frilly or sex today?¡±


    Louise blushed and mumbled sexy.


    ¡°Good choice.¡± I said and picked up a small pair of panties and transfigured them into whitece that covered and still showed off. I knelt at her feet and held them for her.


    Louise put a hand on my shoulder and stepped into them. I pulled them up her legs and stopped just before the cloth cupped her. I created a modern panty liner and applied it, then pulled the panties up the rest of the way.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°It''s a piece of absorbent material that should let you get through the day without having to change your underwear several times.¡± I said and checked to make sure her panties were sitting properly. ¡°How do they fit? I tried to make sure they are snug and not tight.¡±


    Louise reached down and ran a fingertip along the top and then along the cheeks of her ass to check as well. ¡°They''re good so far.¡±


    I nodded and stood to pick up her skirt. It was in, so I added a double yellow strip along the hem and then added some fluffy internal cloth to make it billow as she walked and not show anything. I helped her put it on and Louise looked at it with admiration.


    ¡°My amulet.¡± Louise said and pointed to her dresser.


    It was a fairlyrge pentagram amulet made of brass. I changed it to give it a bright shine instead of the dullness it normally had and I added a single red line inside the ck lines. It made the pentagram almost leap off the amulet.


    I put it on her and adjusted the red string to settle the amulet right below where the top buttons were. Thest thing was the cape, a standard robe for mages, and I transfigured it to look much more expensive and added the double line of yellow along the hem.


    ¡°What''s with the double lines?¡± Louise asked as I secured it around her neck with the basic button.


    ¡°You''re a second year and people will see that as soon as they see you.¡± I said and went to my backpack. I opened the sidepartment where I stored all those monster crystals and took out a small one.


    Louise gasped when she saw it. ¡°What''s that? I can feel the magic in it!¡±


    I walked back over to her and held it out. ¡°This is a monster crystal. It''s what drops from a monster when you y them inside a massive underground dungeon that spawns them daily.¡±


    Louise cupped it in her hands and it glowed slightly. ¡°It''s so pretty!¡±


    ¡°Where you summoned me from uses them like small magical reservoirs for things like eternal nightlights.¡± I said and she admired it. ¡°I''m going to rece that button with it.¡±


    Louise nodded and handed it back to me. I altered the shape of the crystal so that it looked like a very expensive jewel and then melded it to the button. I picked up her simple ck stockings that reached her mid thigh and did a slight change to make them crosshatched and changed the tops toce that matched her panties.


    ¡°I can''t wear those!¡± Louise gasped.


    I undid the crosshatched change and she rxed. I knelt at her feet and she let me put them on her. I changed her shoes next and gave her an examining look, then added an inch to the entire bottom and then two to the heel. I also made them shine like they were mirrors.


    Louise put them on and she stood ramrod straight as she looked at herself in the dresser mirror. ¡°I... I... I''m gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°Louise, you always were. It''s just now everyone else will see it.¡± I said and pointed at the bed. ¡°Shall we fix up your hair as well?¡±


    Louise gave me a pointed look. ¡°What''s wrong with my hair?¡±


    Iughed and held my hands up in surrender. ¡°I was thinking a French Braid or even a stylish English Bun, just for a change.¡±


    Louise didn''t lose the look. ¡°For today... I think... just a good brushing. You can try to convince me about different hairstyles tomorrow.¡±


    I nodded and we sat on the bed. I brushed her hair out, just how she liked it, and I cleaned the brush and handed it to her to let her do my own hair. Louise did and I handed her an stic to put it into a ponytail. After that, I changed my clothes to different colors. She sheepishly dug my underwear out from under the nkets on the bed and handed them to me.


    ¡°Confident women are a turn on for me.¡± I whispered to her and cleaned the boxer shorts and changed their color to blue before I put them on.


    Louise blushed at me reminding her about what she did and she helped me put on my fancy blue shirt and then my darker blue pants. She looked at me approvingly and took out one of her own capes.


    ¡°Ah, good point. I won''t stand out too much if we match.¡± I said and changed it to match her cape, erged it to fit my taller body, and added a transfigured monster crystal to the button. I took her hand and walked over to stand us both in front of the dresser''s mirror. ¡°We''re both sexy bitches now!¡±


    Louise looked shocked before she snorted andughed, which was why I said it.


    ¡°We best get going. Breakfast is starting soon.¡± I said and she nodded. We picked up our wands from her dresser and we left our room to face the masses.

 51 Entrepreneur Part One

    51 Entrepreneur Part One


    All talking in the cafeteria stopped when Louise and I entered, her hand on my elbow as I escorted her. I did the same rich person wave and said good morning, hello, and nice to see you as we moved along the tables to end where Louise usually sat.


    ¡°Wow, Louise! You''re practically glowing!¡± A brown-haired girl said as I sat Louise down at the table.


    Louise looked quite pleased at thement. ¡°I had a wonderfully rxing bath this morning.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that was it?¡± Kirche asked and she ran a hand through her long red hair to tuck it behind her ear. ¡°There were some familiar soundsing out of your roomst night.¡±


    I had to nip that in the bud before rumors started to flow. ¡°Miss Zerbst, unlike some of your boyfriends, I can assure you that Louise has more ss than to ride me like a stallion without a saddle.¡± I said and she looked confused as Louise blushed. ¡°Bareback and without appropriate protection.¡±


    Kirche looked shocked and at a loss for words while a lot of students around us muffled theirughs.


    ¡°Saito!¡± Louise whispered with a hiss.


    ¡°My apologies, Louise. I didn''t want people to think youcked respect for the institute of marriage like she does.¡± I said to cate her.


    Kirche looked angry as she blushed from embarrassment. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with having a healthy dating life!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say there was. In fact, I freely admit that I had a lot of sexual rtions before I was married.¡± I said and a few people looked surprised. ¡°However, I was not a noble''s daughter or had to keep my virtue intact for my future husband.¡±


    Kirche blushed harder. ¡°You have no right to judge me!¡±


    I smiled warmly at her. ¡°Ah, but I do. I met a woman with the same restriction and I loved her, so I married her as soon as I could and then took her to bed.¡± I said and every single girl around us let out surprised sounds and then blushed, probably because that was their dreame true.


    ¡°Did you actually love her or did you only marry her to bed her?¡± Tabitha asked and adjusted her sses.


    ¡°For the month leading up to the wedding, I rebuilt an entire church for her, constructed a ten foot tall monument in her honor, built her a home to live in, fought in a dungeon ying monsters, built her a business to be a source of money for decades, and gave her hundreds of thousands of ¨¦cu right before the wedding ceremony.¡± I said and everyone was staring at me now. ¡°The time we spent in bed together after that was worth the build-up, in both of our opinions.¡±


    ¡°By the all powerful pentagram.¡± Louise whispered, her face red and her legs trembling.


    ¡°Of course, you all know that I was summoned and I had to leave her and my family behind.¡± I said and almost everyone turned res on Louise. ¡°No, don''t hold that against her. Her power reached across dimensions and brought me here. We all have to respect that, don''t we?¡±


    Most of the students around us nodded.


    ¡°If someone like her was able to bring me here to help her, then I know everything is going to be all right. I should be able to find several ways to return where I came from. In time, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You seem quick to ept things that are out of your control.¡± Tabithamented.


    ¡°I''m not angry or upset about what happened to me, so please don''t feel that way on my behalf.¡± I said and smiled at everyone looking at me. ¡°Like I told Louise, I don''t me her for what happened and I hope no one else does, including herself. It''s all going to work out in the end.¡±


    ¡°That is a very wise outlook to have, young man.¡± Professor Chevreuse said as she and another teacher walked over to us. ¡°In fact, your behavior in front of such adversity has moved myself and my fellow staff member.¡±


    ¡°It has?¡± I asked and turned from the table to look at her. She was an olderdy with an average face, was a bit plump, and her long brown hair was styled in arge bun at the back of her neck. The other woman looked just as in, except she was tall and thinpared to the other woman''s short plumpness.


    ¡°Oh, yes. We even rushed outst night to rece the two mirrors you borrowed from the bathroom.¡± Professor Chevreuse said.


    ¡°That was very nice of you, professors.¡± I said and stood, so she had to look up at me. I took her small hand and bent over it to kiss it, then did the same for the other teacher. She was about my height and everyone saw her blush from being treated like that in public.


    ¡°We had an ulterior motive!¡± She eximed and then pped a hand over her mouth.


    I chuckled and gave her hand another kiss. ¡°I assumed you would, since most do, even if it is just to talk to me before we would have normally met anyway.¡± I said and let her hand go. ¡°Might I ask what it was?¡±


    Professor Chevreuse sighed. ¡°I suppose there''s no point in asking for some privacy now.¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. Not all things are for public consumption.¡± I said and cast a silence spell around the three of us.


    Both teachers caught their breath and stared at me.


    ¡°It''s a silence spell. No one can hear what we say.¡± I exined.


    ¡°That''s something else we need to ask you about.¡± The other woman whispered.


    ¡°We bought two more mirrors and wanted to ask you to duplicate the ceiling enchantment for our bedrooms.¡± Professor Chevreuse said and tried to not re at her friend.


    ¡°We want to sleep under the stars.¡± The other woman added.


    I smiled at their little interactions and knew they were both genuine in their desire for such a simple thing and to learn about how it was done. ¡°I haven''t seen Louise''s schedule for today, so whenever she has a free ss, I can enchant the mirrors. I need to go into town after school this afternoon for supplies and I can''t install the mirrors until after supper tonight.¡±


    ¡°That''s more than we thought possible, young man. Thank you.¡± Professor Chevreuse said. ¡°The mirrors are stored in the third floor maintenance room next to my ssroom.¡±


    ¡°I''ll grab my backpack between sses and will pick the mirrors up as soon as I can.¡± I promised and cancelled the silence spell.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± Louise asked and motioned to us.


    ¡°A private conversation and a privatemission.¡± I responded and she closed her mouth on her follow-up question. ¡°I''ll be handling it between sses, so I won''t be leaving your side until after school for gathering supplies and then after supper for delivery.¡±


    Louise nodded and returned to her meal.


    ¡°Ladies, I will see youter tonight, unless I see you in ss before then.¡± I said and bowed to the professors. Both women nodded and went back to the head table to resume their own meals.


    The first ss of the day was charms and I was almostpletely lost. Their magic system for casting was a mix of chants, intent, wand motions, and sometimes requiring using supplies. I definitely needed to go over Louise''s notes for her first year to catch up with the rest of the ss.


    For the rest of the morning, none of the teachers objected to me being there with Louise. I quickly retrieved my backpack before lunch started and went to the right room. I gathered the tworge mirrors that still had price tags of 10 ¨¦cu on them, which meant they were expensive in the local economy.


    That told me why the mirrors had so easily epted the runic clusters and magic and I chose to not charge either of the professors for my work, since they had reced the two mirrors I had taken. It was almost half of what Kirche gave me for enchanting her trunk and I wasn''t looking to rip people off. Making money was about a returning customer base, so gouging the customers would be a mistake.


    Louise had the second ss off after lunch, so I handled the mirrors then. With the main enchantment to copy already in ce, it was simple to duplicate them onto the new mirrors and I added the same protections. They didn''t need the heating charms for snow removal and I reced them with a deactivation rune to make them mirrors again.


    I thought I would have to keep returning to recharge them when they were deactivated, then I remembered the monster crystals in my backpack. A quick attachmentter and a charge from me, the mirrors worked. When they deactivated, it shut off the enchantment. When activated again, the monster crystal handled it.


    I did both mirrors and put them into my backpack, carefully wrapped in padding and nkets. Louise gave me an odd look when she saw the sky scene showing in the mirrors, so I told her both teachers wanted them in their rooms, because theycked windows. She epted that and didn''t ask me to make one for her, which let me know that she knew how expensive the mirrors were.


    I fully epted then that my choice to not charge the two teachers for my work was the right one. We went to thest ss of the day and it was with Professor Chevreuse. She repeated the previous lesson, because Louise had disrupted it with an explosion and no one else but her had a chance to change pebbles into brass.


    It was a very enlightening lesson that let me know that rocks could be changed to other metals, as long as they were naturally found within the earth. It opened up a huge avenue of exploitation for me and I chose to not show off right there in the ssroom, despite my strong desire to do so. If the only limit of the local alchemy spells was what was contained within the earth, then I was essentially set for life.


    I stayedpletely silent as the teacher delivered three pebbles to each and every student for them to perform the same spell of transfiguration. To my surprise, she also put three in front of me and gave me a wink. I barely held in myugh at her teasing smirk, because I was sure she knew I was going to shock everyone if Louise didn''t shock them first.


    ¡°Miss La Valli¨¨re, if you could try that spell again.¡± Professor Chevreuse said.


    Groans and grumbling came from everyone else in the ssroom. The professor and I chuckled at their reactions.


    ¡°You all have forgotten that Mister Hiraga''s presence has stabilized Miss La Valli¨¨re''s magic.¡± Professor Chevreuse said. ¡°If you could perform the spell first, Miss La Valli¨¨re, we would all appreciate it.¡±


    Louise gave me a pointed look.


    ¡°Trust in me, Louise. I won''t ever lead you wrong.¡± I said and leaned in close. ¡°Remember that your affinity is fire, so channel your magic appropriately.¡±


    Louise took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded to me. She knew her passion was a contributing factor to her magic, so she held her wand aloft as she chanted the right spell to channel her magic before she pointed the wand at the three pebbles on the desk in front of her.


    ¡°CONSTANT VIGILANCE!¡± I yelled and several students screamed and ducked. Everyone else in the room covered their ears and eyes as they waited for the explosion... and were shocked when it didn''t happen. The three pebbles in front of Louise glowed brightly and changed into brass.


    ¡°By the pentagram that controls all things, I did it! It didn''t explode! IT DIDN''T EXPLODE!¡± Louise yelled and jumped several times, then she hopped onto myp to hug me and held on, as if she was afraid I would disappear if she let go.


    I patted her head and held her with one arm. ¡°I told you that your magic was stable, Louise. You no longer have to worry.¡±


    Louise gave me a beaming smile and nodded at my stones. ¡°It''s your turn, Saito. Show us what you can do.¡±


    I chuckled and motioned to the girl next to us. ¡°I''m not an official student yet, so it should go to the next in line. I won''t disrupt the ss more than I already have.¡±


    Professor Chevreuse chuckled. ¡°It''s fine, Mister Hiraga. Your new peers can wait for a moment.¡±


    I nodded and pretended to chant the spell, because I didn''t need to, and pointed my wand at the three pebbles in front of me. They shimmered brightly like Louise''s did and changed into a glittering goldish color.


    The teacher pped and some of the other students joined in. ¡°Well done, Mister Hiraga. You''ve just performed your first official spell under professional supervision and did it perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me the chance to try, professor.¡± I said and bowed my head to her. ¡°Your instructions were extremely informative. As long as you keep what you want to happen in your mind, even the beauty beside me should be able to perform it on her first try.¡±


    The brown-haired girl next to me blushed at thepliment and took several breaths as she centered herself. I could tell that she took my words to heart and she performed the proper chant and the wand wave, then pointed at her three pebbles. They shimmered and changed from rocks to brass.


    ¡°Well done, Miss Belfleur!¡± Professor Chevreuse praised her and the girl blushed again.


    The other students in the row took inspiration from our sess and also performed the spell, gaining both the ability to perform the spell and praise from the teacher. When everyone else was concentrating on the next row of students, I concentrated on the pebbles in front of me and cast the spell again.


    Since I didn''t actually have to chant to perform the magic, it happened soundlessly and the three pebbles changed from brass into what I wanted them to, 24 carat gold.


    Louise stiffed on myp and gave me a piercing look, nced around to see that no one else noticed the much brighter shimmer of the gold nuggets, and scooped the converted pebbles into her hand and pulled hers over to set them in front of me. The re on her face told me I had better do it again.


    I held in myugh at her taking full advantage of my spellcasting ability and I changed her brass pebbles into gold nuggets. She scooped them up as well and had apletely innocent look on her face as thest student performed the alchemy spell and changed their rocks into brass.


    ¡°Excellent, everyone! You all did it. Well done!¡± Professor Chevreuse praised us. ¡°I couldn''t be more proud of you all. Please give yourselves a round of apuse!¡±


    We all did so, except Louise, whom was holding six golden nuggets and didn''t want to drop them. I added a pocket to her skirt and she gave me a bright smile and shoved them inside.


    ¡°ss dismissed and I''ll see you all tomorrow.¡± Professor Chevreuse said and we all packed up our things and filed out of the ssroom. She gave me a questioning look as I passed her and I nodded and tapped my backpack, which made her give me a smile nearly as big as the one Louise had given me.


    ¡°I need to head into town for supplies.¡± I told Louise and she nodded without speaking. ¡°I''ll see you at suppertime.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Thank you, Saito. You may leave my side until then.¡± Louise said and quickly walked off with her hand buried in her new pocket and she was mumbling something about weights and measures.


    Iughed under my breath at her dismissing me for a few chunks of gold, rather than begging me or demanding that I make her more of them. I pushed that thought aside and went to the servants quarters near the kitchens. I had to get an escort into town to show me where to go to get the supplies I needed.

 52 Entrepreneur Part Two

    52 Entrepreneur Part Two


    I knocked on the door to the kitchens and it opened right away with a pretty blonde maid staring at me. ¡°Hello there. I''m sorry for bothering you if you''re busy...¡±


    ¡°I''M NOT BUSY!¡± She yelled in my face, blushed bright red, and passed out.


    There was a light chuckle off to the side and another blonde dressed as a maid walked over. ¡°Just ignore her.¡± She said and waved at a dark haired maid to drag the unconscious girl away. ¡°She was recently hired to rece another maid and she''s still learning how to not freak out when interacting with nobles.¡±


    ¡°Then I''m d to give her some practice in such a safe environment.¡± I said and she giggled. ¡°I''m new here and haven''t been to town yet. I want to hire one of you to escort me for the afternoon to help me buy supplies for my enchanting.¡±


    The maid turned around and looked at the head cook, a man with an almost orange beard.


    ¡°We won''t need you until the food''s served for cleanup.¡± He said and waved her away.


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± The blonde said and turned back to me. ¡°I would be honored to escort you, my lord.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°No, none of that today. I''m going incognito.¡± I said and changed my clothing back to look likemoner clothes.


    Everyone in the kitchens gasped at my casual use of magic. I slipped off the expensive cloak I wore and put it into my backpack. I held a hand out to the maid and smiled at her. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Jeannie.¡± She said and took my hand with a blush.


    ¡°My name''s Saito. Can you give me a tour of the area and show me the best spots to buy things like cloth and leather?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°With pleasure, sir.¡± Jeannie said and stepped out and closed the door.


    I started walking with her towards the main gate of the academy. ¡°Do you mind if I ask you about the maid that left?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Count Mott only just asked for Siesta to be sent over to his mansion.¡± Jeannie said. ¡°She''s pretty lucky to be chosen, actually.¡±


    I gave her a questioning look.


    ¡°She''ll probably be epted as a mistress as well and she will be well taken care of for the rest of her life, especially if she bears an heir for the Mott family.¡±


    That made me pause in my thinking of having to rescue her from the man. I knew that happened in the story and everyone seemed to ept it, only Jeannie''s perspective gave me a different idea about the situation. Had Saito ruined the young woman''s future by removing her from a rich family?


    ¡°That''s the same look some of the lesser known nobles have when they hear about how things are.¡± Jeannie said and she didn''t look upset or bothered about it.


    ¡°You''re not assuming I''m trying to figure out how to steal her for myself?¡± I asked with a crooked smile.


    ¡°No, my lord... I mean Saito.¡± Jeannie giggled. ¡°You don''t have a manor house or other staff, so even if you did want to take a maid as a mistress, you need to have somewhere to do it.¡±


    ¡°I see. I am restricted by both social protocol and by my physical wealth.¡± I said, wisely.


    ¡°I''m sure that you can change that quickly with the magic you can do.¡± Jeannie said and pointed. ¡°That''s the best bakery in town. You can get cheap flour and other ingredients and they are just as good as the expensive ones in the upper ss part of town.¡±


    I nodded and brought her over to it. It really was exceedingly cheap and I only spent a single ¨¦cu and nearly cleared out their entire stock of ingredients. The family that ran it practically fell over themselves to give me as much as I wanted and they only kept enough to make bread the next morning.


    I handed the father a sou, the coin of middle ss currency, as an apology for clearing them out and to thank them for their excellent service. He had tears in his eyes and clutched it to his chest as his wife hugged him. The two kids clung to their waists and looked really happy.


    Jeannie hadn''t been surprised when I easily packed everything into my backpack without trouble. She took my hand to lead me back outside and started to point to another business, then she stopped to give me a squinted look.


    ¡°I won''t embarrass you like that again.¡± I promised. ¡°I knew ¨¦cu was a high ss currency. I just didn''t realize themoners probably haven''t seen one personally before.¡±


    Jeannie sighed. ¡°I should have warned you about that. When you said you were looking for supplies while dressed as amoner, I thought you only had deniers to spend.¡±


    I didn''tment that it was odd to have three different currencies for the ss structure. ¡°I do have them, I just didn''t want to spend them all at the first ce we stopped.¡±


    Jeannie smiled at that. ¡°You can hold a lot more than those baking things in that back carrier, can''t you?¡±


    ¡°It can hold several tons of metal ore and not get any heavier.¡± I said and her mouth dropped open. ¡°I won''t be making new ones with the same enchantments, since most people don''t need to carry that much around with them.¡±


    ¡°N-not even precious gem miners could afford such a luxury.¡± Jeannie told me.


    ¡°Wait. You have miners? Actual miners?¡± I asked and she nodded. It took me a moment to ask for rification. ¡°Are they magic users and they just summon the gems from the ground without digging them out?¡±


    Jeannie giggled. ¡°Why would they dig them out? Magic lets the ground flow around them.¡±


    That told me my definitions of things were slightly different than what the people knew here. A miner wasn''t someone with a lighted helmet and a pickaxe that dug underground. They were a specialized earth mage that summoned precious gems and metals from the ground.


    I would need to be careful about the assumptions I made here. ¡°Well, then. Lead me on to the best businesses that I need supplies from, like sturdy cloth, nice wood, and cheap metal. After that, we can hit the clothing shops to buy me some more outfits to fill my closet and perhaps some essories for my room, like furniture and things.¡±


    Jeannie gave me a sharp nod and her hand held mine firmly as she led me over to the best tailor for themoners. After that, we hit the secondhand shops and they really were a treasure trove of items and things that were quite useful. I cleaned them almostpletely out of stock, too.


    By the time we left the district, it was just before supper and I had spent 25 ¨¦cu by almost filling my backpack and we left a lot of very happymoners behind.


    I dropped Jeannie off at the kitchen and gave her several sou coins for her help. She blushed and tried to give them back, because she had so much fun spending the afternoon with me shopping. I chuckled and told her I would have given her an ¨¦cu if I didn''t believe she would throw it at me for insulting her. That made herugh and she agreed as she took the coins.


    I changed my clothes back to expensive ones and put on my cloak, did a cleaning spell, and made sure my hair was perfect. I entered the cafeteria for supper and easily found Louise, because she had a bunch of girls around her.


    ¡°Yes, that''s right. The double lines show that I''m a second year. It''s a new thing my partner came up with.¡± Louise boasted.


    ¡°Your cloak is unique.¡± Tabitha said and then saw me approaching. ¡°Or was.¡±


    I chuckled and sat between her and Louise. ¡°Mine doesn''t have the year markings or the soft purple velvet inside, so it''s still unique.¡±


    The other girls whispered about also trying to add the lines to their skirts and capes.


    ¡°I can do that for you and it will only cost you a denier coin per person.¡± I said and they all looked skeptical. ¡°Bring all your school uniform skirts and cloaks to Louise''s room before curfew and I''ll have them all done by the morning.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Kirche eximed and a lot of the other girls nodded.


    ¡°Then I''ll see you all tonight.¡± I said and dished up some food.


    ¡°Did you find what you wanted in town?¡± Louise asked me.


    ¡°That and more. I''ll have some bags for sale in a few days and some basic trunks ready by next week.¡± I admitted and that made a lot of the surrounding students perk up. ¡°They won''t be anywhere near as costly as what Kirche asked for, though. She had a really expensive trunk and I went all out.¡± I said and smiled at the tall redhead. ¡°I bought lots of wood today from the lumber mill and I can install the stairs on the weekend.¡±


    ¡°Stairs?!?¡± Some of the girls around us asked, clearly surprised.


    Kirche looked proud as she told them all about the 30 foot by 40 foot room she had inside her trunk. Tabitha backed her ims and said she even had her spare books stacked inside and their room now looks like a normal one and isn''t cluttered up anymore.


    That set off a lot of talking about how it was possible and a lot of them asked to see it as proof. Kirche definitely liked all the attention and preened as she described what I did for her so that she could get her money''s worth. It was almost funny that she had forgotten how she despised me and how I had insulted her the day before.


    When the meal was done, I bid Louise and the other girls a good evening and went to the head table. Professor Chevreuse smiled warmly at me, nodded at her fellow teacher, and the three of us left the great hall... I mean cafeteria... and went to Professor Chevreuse''s room first.


    I took out the securely wrapped and protected mirror and revealed it. Both women made appreciative sounds, because they could easily see the darkened sky and the clouds clearing to show off the two moons. I stuck it to the ceiling of her bedroom and erged it to fill the space and secured it in ce.


    When I exined that they could deactivate it and it would be a mirror again if they wanted, both women blushed and gave me very interested looks.


    ¡°I didn''t mean to offer...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°I don''t mind signing a mistress contract. Do you, Cybil?¡± Professor Chevreuse asked and her fellow teacher shook her head.


    Before I could do more than protest that my wife would be upset about it, I had two binding magical contracts, two more strong party members, and both women were on their knees and happily sucking me off. They shared it when I blew my load and deeply kissed each other, then they demanded the mirror be normal as they dragged me into Professor Chevreuse''s bed.


    Having our reflection above us made both women gopletely wild. They really enjoyed seeing themselves looking so sexy and having a man do them better than any other man ever had. Of course, they had shared each other''s bed several times already and Cybil showed me a few interesting charm spells to use for a woman''s pleasure. I used them ruthlessly and they loved it.


    Needless to say, after a promise to install the second mirror tomorrow night and to repeat what happened, only in Cybil''s bed this time, I barely made it back to the dorms before curfew. I was questioning myself mentally as to why I was okay with what happened when I saw a small line of girls in front of my room with their school uniforms in their arms and hopeful looks on their faces.


    ¡°I''m sorry about the dy,dies. Professor Chevreuse had to thoroughly inspect the enchantmentmission I delivered.¡± I said and the girls didn''t look upset about that. I created cardboard boxes for the girls to put their clothes in and I marked them with their names. ¡°I''ll have them all ready by the morning and will deliver them to you before you need to get dressed for school.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Saito.¡± The girls all said as one and left. They looked quite happy, too.


    ¡°You''re winning them all over.¡± Louise said from the doorway to our room.


    ¡°I am trying my best to counter that immediate despise they felt when they first saw me.¡± I told her and carried the boxes into the room to stack just inside the door. ¡°I can move your things after I remove the temporary wall.¡±


    Louise nodded and watched as I took down the two expanded closet doors and put them back where they belong, then I took off my backpack and took out some very nicely stained dark wood. She let out a surprised sound and I told her about how the lumber mill didn''t usually sell wood directly to customers and that the men there were more than happy to earn a ton of money for work.


    I moved her things to therger section of the room, expanded her bed to be twice asrge, and put up the new ornate wall. It even had a real door that I hung and Louise looked very pleased with both the solid wall and her ''new'' bed. I would wait to add a few more pieces of furniture tomorrow or the next day.


    ¡°By the way, tomorrow is the Familiar Exhibition Festival.¡± Louise said. ¡°We need toe up with a routine to show off your skills.¡±


    I gave her raised eyebrows. ¡°You want me to show off? Like I did after the summoning ritual?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so destructive as that. Guiche is still nervous about it, if Montmorency''s constantining can be believed.¡± Louise said.


    ¡°He believed her?¡± I asked and opened the top box. A quick bunch of transfiguration spells and the skirts looked expensive, had the double yellow lines, and I added the fluffy underlining to hide everything as they walked. I changed the capes to match Louise''s, except for the monster crystals on the buttons. I just changed the buttons to add tinted ss spheres to them.


    ¡°It took some convincing and a few of the boys helped.¡± Louise waved a hand as if dismissing it.


    ¡°Maybe that will be enough to smarten him up.¡± I said and opened the next box as I kept working.


    ¡°I doubt it. You insulted him and his family. He won''t let that stand.¡± Louise said. ¡°What will you do if he challenges you to a duel?¡±


    I paused casting spells and gave her a smile. ¡°Am I allowed to kill him?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Louise gasped.


    ¡°Then I''ll teach him a lesson he will never forget.¡± I said and went back to work. If my memory of the anime was right, by the time I was done altering the clothes for the girls and changed for bed, there would be a knock on the room''s door.


    I closed thest box and set it beside the door for delivery in the morning. Louise was still right there and had watched me the whole time. I gave her a raised eyebrow and she smirked at me as she started undressing. I had to chuckle at her confidence and started to undress as well.


    ¡°I sold those six gold nuggets for 50 ¨¦cu each.¡± Louise said and pulled off her panties. She was dripping on the floor and she reached down to spread her lips with her fingers to offer it to me.


    I was across the room and had her upside down before she could blink. I held her tenderly as my tongue plunged into her soaked entrance. Her back was to me and she wrapped her thighs around my head as I reached down with a single hand to y with her breasts. Louise cried out as she came and her legs trembled. A knock sounded from the door and I knew who it was.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said and Louise gasped and covered her face.


    The door opened and Princess Henrietta entered and shut the door behind her. ¡°Hello, Louise. It''s been a long ti... what in the five elements are you doing?!?¡±


    ¡°It... it''s not what it looks like!¡± Louise denied.


    I winked at the princess and drove my tongue back into Louise.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Louise moaned loudly and came hard. A little squirt made it past my mouth and Henrietta stared at us.


    ¡°Is it an insult to ask you to sign a mistress contract?¡± I asked.


    ¡°YES!¡± Both Louise and Henrietta said at the same time.


    I gave Louise a few more licks and carefully set her back onto her feet. I cast cleaning spells on her and myself, then handed her a silk robe. ¡°Go ahead and talk to your childhood friend and catch up. I''m going to bed.¡±


    Both Louise and Henrietta stared at me as I entered the expanded room and closed the door.


    ¡°Louise...¡± Henrietta started to say.


    ¡°I''m sorry. He said it''s his fault that he can''t resist me.¡± Louise said to defend herself.


    I held in myugh at that and stopped listening to them as I climbed into bed. I had a show to n for tomorrow and I had toe up with something appropriate.

 53 Familiar Troubles

    53 Familiar Troubles


    An hourter, Louise entered the new bedroom and closed the door. ¡°I should hate you for doing that in front of the princess.¡± She said and walked over to the bed, dropped the robe, and climbed into bed with me.


    ¡°And why don''t you?¡± I asked as she cuddled up to my side.


    Louise gave me a smug smile. ¡°She immediately dropped her guard and demanded I tell her what that felt like.¡±


    Iughed and put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°She didn''t try to follow you in here?¡±


    Louise''s smile grew. ¡°She wanted to, except her guard pulled her away to get her beauty sleep.¡±


    I gave her forehead a kiss and she almost purred. ¡°I''m sure her guard heard every word and intentionally intervened.¡±


    Louise nodded. ¡°That makes sense. There would be no way they would allow the princess to have a man do that to her.¡±


    I found the wording of that a little suspicious. ¡°Now I have to ask if you know of any non-men that have done it to her.¡±


    Louise blushed and tried to duck her head, which was a dead giveaway and admission on her part.


    ¡°I guess that might be why she showed up here sote.¡± I postted and Louise squirmed under my arm. She didn''t try to pull away, though. ¡°You''re a good friend to do that with her to let her rx.¡±


    Louise lifted her head to look at me. ¡°How did you know...¡±


    ¡°Apparently, good friends have no problem sharing kisses like that.¡±


    Louise looked conflicted for several seconds and then looked determined. She nodded sharply, eerily simr to how Jeannie the maid did yesterday to show me where to buy things for the best price and to help everyone she knew. She slid down under the nket and I felt a hot warmth engulf me.


    I watched the bump in the nket bob up and down and tried to not be surprised that Louise knew about it and could also do a fairly good job of it. I didn''t fight the feeling when it was time and reached under the nket to warn her. It was only polite.


    Louise made several sounds, a mix of surprise and satisfaction, and her tongue and mouth worked me over to catch and clean up the mess. She climbed back up my body and poked her head out as she settled at my side again. She didn''t say anything and she didn''t try to hide her red face with the smug look on it.


    ¡°You rich noble girls sure do have a lot of secret skills that no one knows you''re good at.¡± Imented and she looked a little more smug as she blushed deeper. ¡°Still no contract?¡±


    Louise shook her head and snuggled into me as she rested her head on my chest.


    ¡°Goodnight, partner.¡± I said and kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°Hmm mmm.¡± Louise hummed.


    I clued in on her problem and created a napkin for her and held it over her mouth. She spent a few seconds spitting out what she had held in there and looked embarrassed. I used a bit of dissolving magic on it and stayed quiet as I petted her hair. She rxed and closed her eyes.


    We both slept well after our releases and the night passed by without anyone else trying to enter the room. We were up early again and I delivered the boxes of school uniforms to the other girls in the dorm. When I returned to the room, Louise and I took a shared bath again and rxed in the tub for twenty minutes, then I helped her get dressed.


    I asked when thepetition was and she said after breakfast. It was a whole day thing with a stage show and a local festival. I dressed in normal noble clothing and put on my expensive cloak to almost match Louise and we went to breakfast. All of the girls looked inordinately pleased because they all had their school year markings and their clothing looked as expensive as Louise''s now.


    Louise fit in better with everyone and they all seemed to be friendly with the both of us as we joined them for the meal. We talked about the uing talent show and a few of the girls asked me what I was going to do. Louise sessfully hid her own ignorance and told them we would all be surprised by what I do. I nodded my head enthusiastically in agreement.


    The old man headmaster with the long white beard stood and dered that the festival would be starting soon and that the students would need to go and prepare, while all the invited guests should meet with the students not participating this year and gather around the stage to watch. The cafeteria practically cleared out after his words and the teachersughed at how efficient we were.


    ¡°Saito, what are we going to do?¡± Louise asked me when we entered the area set aside for us to prepare behind the stage.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry, Louise. I''m going to surprise everyone with what I''m going to do.¡± I said and checked my backpack. I was tempted to empty it of everything and chose not to. That would be when I would need something and wouldn''t have it.


    ¡°It''s not a magical attack, is it?¡± Louise asked with squinted eyes.


    I shook my head no and started to pull out what I needed to get dressed from my backpack. ¡°You warned me not to do that, so I won''t, even if I can do some really neat attacks.¡± I said and she looked relieved. ¡°You might want to look away for this part.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Louise asked and I started stripping. She blushed and turned around. ¡°Good point.¡±


    I chuckled, because she was already conditioned to get horny with me naked, which was fair, because the little tease did it to me twice already, knowing full well how I would react.


    ¡°Are you sure you''re really married?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°Honestly? Now that I''m here in another world, I''m not sure.¡± I didn''t tell her that even though I could feel the powers and abilities I received in thest world, I couldn''t feel or sense any connections to Hestia or any other member of my Familia.


    ¡°Really?¡± Louise asked, clearly interested in my answer.


    ¡°It''s like I''m disconnected from what happened. My life there was important to me, as were the people I was involved with; but, it''s like it was from another life and now I''m in this one.¡± I said, finally putting my scattered thoughts into word form.


    The three separate sets of memories from three different and very simr people, was giving me a sense of disassociation. That was when I realized it was true. That was why I wasn''t feeling guilty about going down on Louise and having magical contracts with two women to have as mistresses.


    My Fatherhood skill was working overtime to let me help people, as was my Blessing of Fortune skill to have every situation benefit me in some way... which led to me being here in a talent show for familiars and it should benefit me greatly.


    I dressed in my bodysuit and then put on each armor piece to strap in ce. ¡°You can look now.¡±


    Louise turned around and she froze and gasped at the sight of me in my full armor.


    ¡°I figured this should show everyone I''m not to be trifled with.¡± I put on the helmet and then strapped my mythril sword to my hip. I put my backpack back on and smiled at her.


    Louise stood there and stared, barely breathing. If she could feel the little bit of magic in a monster crystal, she was probably freaking out about the sheer amount of magic she could feel from my overly enchanted and magic infused armor pieces.


    ¡°When is it our turn?¡± I asked and she didn''t respond. ¡°Louise? Are you okay?¡±


    Louise make an ''eep'' sound and fainted.


    I was by her side instantly and caught her. I bnced her with one arm and took a chair out of my backpack to sit her on. I had to stick her to it so she wouldn''t fall off. My detection spell let me ''see'' around myself for 200 feet and I watched the progression of familiars from the second years.


    If they called byst names, we would be one of thest ones to be called, because Louise''s name was Louise Fran?oise Le nc de La Valli¨¨re. Then again, did they include the La or only counted the Valli¨¨re part?


    I listened and watched the ones that were called, and it must have been random. They had both Kirche and Montmorency called to perform before Louise and theirst names were Zerbst and Montmorency.


    Louise woke up and her eyes snapped right to me. ¡°What are you wearing, Saito?¡±


    ¡°My full armor set.¡± I said and didn''t say anything else.


    Louise looked frustrated. ¡°Where did you get something so magical and why are you wearing it?¡±


    ¡°I made it and I''m wearing it to show off.¡± I responded and she looked faint. ¡°Don''t pass out. We could be called at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Louise Fran?oise Le nc de La Valli¨¨re! Please bring your familiar to the stage!¡± Mister Colbert called.


    I unstuck her from the chair and she stood, checked herself to make sure she was presentable, and nodded to me. I carried the chair over to the side of the stage and whispered for her to sit in it, because she was going to need it.


    When we walked out onto the stage, all the girls gasped and the boys made distressed sounds. The teachers all looked stunned at seeing my orange-yellowish armor, even the headmaster. Princess Henrietta blushed and her eyes went over me, cut to Louise, and went back to me.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce you. This is my partner, Saito Bell Issei Hyoudou Cranel Hiraga. His type is...¡± Louise paused and saw the interested look on the face of the princess. ¡°He is a magic user that I summoned from another dimension.¡±


    Apparently, a lot of the other students hadn''t known that and they all started talking.


    ¡°It''s time for him to demonstrate some of his skills.¡± Louise said and bowed to the princess, then walked to the side of the stage and sat down on the chair I left there.


    I had thought about what to dost night and chose something that should surprise everyone, especially the princess and Louise. I reached for the sword at my hip and nearly all talking stopped to watch what I was going to do. I smiled at gaining their attention and diverted my hand from there to ce it over my heart as I bowed to the princess.


    ¡°I was warned to not use any magical attacks, in case the princess or her guards thought it was too dangerous, and I don''t want to cause anyone harm or damage. So, I came up with something special to show off both my magic and one of my many skills.¡± I said and reached into my backpack.


    ¡°What is he going to do?¡± ¡°Is it another weapon?¡± ¡°Maybe he''ll strip for us?¡±


    Thatstment came from the girl with the bunny familiar and the students around herughed.


    ¡°What? He''s sexy wearing all that fancy armor.¡± She defended and a lot of the girls nodded.


    I pulled out my enchanted guitar and everyone stared at it. I knew they had instruments, since Montmorency yed a violin for her frog Robin to dance to. However, since this was a medieval world like thest one, I was sure they didn''t have anything like a guitar.


    I strummed it and checked that it was still tuned properly, then I started ying and poured some magic into it to activate the enchantments. ¡°Take me as I am... put your hand in mine... now and forever.¡± I sang. ¡°Darling, here I stand... I stand before you now... deep inside I always knew.¡±


    Complete silence came from everyone and they seemed to be frozen as the music and magic washed over them. They all glowed slightly, too.


    ¡°It was you... you and me... two hearts drawn together bound by destiny.¡± I sang and strummed the guitar. ¡°It was you... and you for me... every road leads to your door, every step I take, forever more.¡±


    Everyone was enraptured and I had their full attention, especially my party members.


    I skipped a verse that didn''t apply and sang the second chorus. ¡°Just say you''ll love me for the rest of your life. I got a lot a love and I don''t want to let go-oo-oh. Will you still love me for the rest of my life? Because I can''t go on... no I can''t go on... I can''t go on, if I''m on my own.¡±


    Louise and the two teachers stood and sang the next bit with me, which I didn''t know was possible.


    ¡°Do you believe a love could run so strong? Do you believe a love could pass you by?¡± We sang together in perfect harmony. It was then I realized Skill Sharing had activated automatically. ¡°There was no special one for me... I was the lonely one, you see... Then my heart lost all control... Now you''re all that I know.¡±


    I yed the strings and tapped the side of the guitar to simte drums, then I sang thest chorus alone.


    ¡°Just say you''ll love me for the rest of your life. I got a lot a love and I don''t want to let go-oo-oh. Will you still love me for the rest of my life? Because I can''t go on... no I can''t go on... I can''t go on... because I can''t go on... no I can''t go on.¡±


    I finished with a few strums on the guitar and let the magic fade.


    Again, there wasplete silence for several moments and no one moved or spoke, then a single p came from the princess. She slowly stood and pped again. Her guards joined in and pped, then the entire student body pped and started to cheer.


    Louise walked over to me and beamed a smile at me. I slipped the guitar into my backpack and took her hand, then we bowed to the audience. The two professors, Chevreuse and Cybil, joined us on the stage as we stood up straight. They joined hands on my other side and the four of us bowed. The apuse was fairly loud.


    ¡°That was a very impressive feat of magic, my boy.¡± Osmand said as he approached the stage and stroked his beard. ¡°Can you tell us what it was?¡±


    ¡°It''s a buffing spell. It usually only works for people I''m close with; but, I chose a song that could involve everyone that heard it.¡± I quickly cast a diagnostic spell on him and smiled. ¡°Everyone that has someone they care about close by, will have extra protection from spell damage and minor healing for the next six hours.¡±


    What I didn''t say was that they would also be fairly horny around them, too.


    ¡°I challenge you to an honor duel!¡± Guiche eximed as he and Montmorency strode over to us.


    The headmaster sighed. ¡°Perhaps I shouldn''t have asked what the buff did.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°It''s all right, headmaster. I expected this to happen.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± He asked, curious.


    ¡°Louise warned me he would need time to dig up the courage to face me again.¡± I said and both Guiche and Montmorency looked embarrassed. ¡°Did you call in those favors, De Gramont? Montmorency?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t have to. My Guiche can handle you all by himself!¡± Montmorency proimed.


    I couldn''t resist making a joke. ¡°I knew he was a yboy with all the flirting and dating he does. I never thought he would be upset that he can''t charm me, too.¡± I said withoutughing and both she and Guiche blushed, Louise looked shocked, and Chevreuse and Cybil looked scandalized.


    The headmaster justughed. ¡°We will perform it right here in front of the stage.¡± He said and waved where to go. We all went down the steps to the grass and stood fifteen feet apart.


    The next few minutes were going to be interesting.

 54 Fight Fight Fight

    54 Fight Fight Fight


    ¡°You can back out of this now and save yourself some embarrassment.¡± Guiche said, arrogantly.


    ¡°That''s funny, because I was not going to offer you the same option.¡± I responded and grinned at Montmorency''s gasp.


    ¡°I don''t have to ask if you can settle this another way.¡± The headmaster said and motioned for everyone to step back. ¡°You will have twenty seconds to prepare your spells before I call you to start.¡±


    Louise hopped up to kiss my cheek, let my hand go, and walked with the two teachers over to the gathering crowd.


    Guiche looked happy as he started chanting. I just stood there with my hand on my sword hilt.


    ¡°Why is he just standing there?¡± ¡°Why isn''t he chanting?¡± ¡°He''s going to kill him.¡±


    All talking stopped and they all turned to look at the guard who had spoken.


    ¡°He''s in a ready-to-draw stance. Depending on his speed, he could run the mage through before he can swish his wand.¡± The guard exined.


    All eyes went back to me.


    ¡°I promised Louise that I wouldn''t kill him. I''m just going to teach him a lesson.¡± I said.


    ¡°Begin!¡± The headmaster eximed.


    I was across the distance in a split second and my mythril sword sheared half of the blond ponce''s hair off of his left side. I stopped five feet behind him with my sword held in a guard position and I knelt on one knee. No one had seen me move, not even the guard that was specifically looking at me.


    A rose petal on the end of the wand dropped off and fell to the ground as Guiche''s spellpleted. It was a Valkyrie Summoning spell and a brass warrior rose up out of the ground briefly surrounded by light. Surprisingly, it had a blue-green tint color and not the dull gold of regr brass. It also carried a huge spear.


    ¡°Winner, Mister Hiraga.¡± The headmaster said.


    I stood and walked over to Guiche. ¡°As the winner of the honor duel, I am allowed to ask a boon of you.¡±


    Guiche sighed and ducked his head. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± He asked and his eyes went to his on-again and off-again girlfriend Montmorency.


    ¡°Is the spell you used a family secret or just something earth mages use inbat?¡± I asked and examined the Valkyrie. It was feminine shaped with heavy armor, huge pauldrons on the shoulders, and a solid mouth covering. It also had feathers in the helmet and wore a white cloth skirt for modesty.


    ¡°It is a mid-tier earth magic spell that few mages use because of the long casting time.¡± The headmaster said.


    ¡°Thank you, headmaster.¡± I said and looked at Guiche. ¡°Do they alwayse out looking like this?¡±


    Guiche nodded. ¡°I''ve been casting this variant for years and my chant is down to fifteen seconds to start the chain.¡±


    ¡°Chain?¡± I asked and he smiled.


    Guiche swiped his wand again and another petal fell. It hit the ground and another Valkyrie summons appeared. He swiped it four more times and used all the petals on his wand to create a whole squad of Valkyries. They were all identical.


    ¡°I''m not stupid enough to ask where the cloth skirts and helmet featherse from.¡± I said and a lot of the studentsughed, as did the teachers. They would have responded with ''magic''. ¡°Why the mittens for hands, though?¡±


    ¡°Dexterous fingers are not required to handle punching or the spear. It is a waste of magic to try and form them properly.¡± The headmaster said.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± I thought and looked at the others. ¡°How long do theyst?¡±


    ¡°Usually until the mage dismisses them or they run out of magic to control them.¡± Professor Chevreuse answered this time.


    ¡°Then they return to the earth?¡± I asked and she, the headmaster, and Guiche nodded. ¡°Can anyone learn the spell?¡±


    ¡°No, only earth mages can perform it.¡± The headmaster said.


    I stepped over to Guiche and put a hand on his shoulder to temporarily add him to my party. I used the specific healing spell for a person and he sucked in a sharp breath and his wand regrew the petals instantly.


    ¡°Please cast it again andplete the boon I ask.¡±


    Guiche beamed a smile at me for only requesting such a simple thing and not his contract to Montmorency. He did the chant again and waved his wand to disperse the rose petals and summoned another squad of Valkyries.


    I healed him again and he practically glowed. ¡°Thank you. I think I got it.¡±


    Guiche nodded and turned to hold his arms open for his girlfriend. She squealed with happiness and leapt into his arms.


    <i>Maybe now he''ll appreciate what he has and will stop chasing skirts.</i> I thought as I walked over to the closest Valkyrie and took out my wand. I didn''t need to, I just wanted to keep up the pretense. I started altering her to make her more practical.


    I changed her mitten hands into actual hands with fingers and a thumb, then I reduced the oversized pauldrons on her shoulders to a normal size to allow a lot more freedom of movement. I pulled the skirts up from ankle length to thigh length, too. They were too easy to trample on, tear, or trip yourself on at the previous length.


    The next thing I changed was her face. I formed the covered mouthpiece into an actual mouth and gave her a dainty nose, then fixed her eyes to look more normal and not slits like a cat. Her two pointy circr breasts were oddly shaped and looked weird, so I fixed that and made it look like a solid breastte. I added a hinged mouth covering and eye protection for when she needed them, too.


    Everyone around me was silent as I worked, which was fine by me. Talking is sometimes distracting. I kept working, changing little things here and there, adding better armor tes in key areas, and then fixed the weak joints at the waist and hips. This Valkyrie was not going down easily. Thest thing I changed was her color to match what real brass looked like and shaded different parts to make them stand out.


    ¡°I think that''s got it.¡± I said and stepped back from her to admire my work.


    On a whim, I put a hand on her shoulder and checked the party system. I was surprised to find the option to save her details as a summoned construct. She only cost 10 Karma points to register for myself and 300 to update the spell for everyone.


    ¡°Brave warrior, would you like to keep this visage for yourself and all of your sisters, forevermore?¡± I asked her.


    To everyone''s shock but mine, she nodded, as did all the other Valkyries.


    ¡°Then let it be done!¡± I said and raised my wand into the air and went a little bit more deeper into debt. The spell chant wording to do it popped up in front of me and I read it off perfectly, thanks to my maxednguages skill.


    The other Valkyries shimmered as if they were being dispelled, then their bodies morphed and changed into the new versions. As one, they turned to face me with a smile and a salute, then all of them glowed and dropped back down into the ground. They had chosen to end their summons themselves and that was definitely unexpected by everyone, myself included.


    ¡°What... what... what did you just do?¡± Professor Chevreuse asked me, clearly shocked.


    ¡°Deardy, go ahead and summon a Valkyrie to find out.¡± I said and motioned to the grass beside me.


    Chevreuse only did the short chant to summon a single Valkyrie and everyone was stunned to see that it was the new version and not the one that everyone had used for decades.


    ¡°I must try it!¡± Guiche eximed and did his full chant, then used all six of his petals and summoned the full squad of Valkyries. All of them looked identical to the one Chevreuse summoned, golden hued and everything. They also had small smiles on their faces.


    I healed him again and he gave me a quick hug, as did Montmorency. In moments, the new summons were surrounded by students and teachers alike to inspect them and to be admired. The small smiles the Valkyries had became normal smiles at the positive attention.


    I wasn''t the only one that heard Guiche''s and Montmorency''s whispered words about no one looking down on Guiche for wasting his time with his previously nd-looking summons.


    I caught his arm as he passed by and whispered in his ear that they were much stronger and faster now. He should practice keeping one or two around as personal guards for as long as he could and not tell anyone that he was continuously casting it. The look of joy on his face for the idea was worth enduring the magic sparkles and the pose he did as a thank you.


    Montmorency also seemed pleased that I had helped him after our conflict and she apologized for her own behavior in defending him. I forgave her and warned her that defending him was honorable, as long as she didn''t dishonor herself while doing it, because she was too much of ady to disparage herself or lower her station so much. She blushed and nodded.


    Just as everyone was doneplimenting the new Valkyrie Summons, I felt a disturbance within my detection range. The ground rumbled slightly and I knew what was going on.


    ¡°We''re under attack! Everyone, take cover! Guards! Protect the princess!¡± I shouted and quickly ran around the academy''s central tower and saw a rock golem grow to about 60 feet tall and nearly match the height of the tower. Now I just had to decide if I wanted to be cheesy with my lines or not.


    ¡°Oh, it''s you. The summoned mage. I''ve heard a lot about you.¡± A cloaked woman said from the thing''s shoulder.


    ¡°That''s funny, because I have heard everything about you, Madam Secretary.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Wh-what d-did y-you call me?¡± She asked, clearly stunned.


    ¡°Would you prefer I call you Miss Longueville? Or Forquet?¡± I asked and drew my sword. ¡°How about Lady Gotha?¡±


    The woman gasped and yanked down her hood to show me a crazy face. ¡°How do you know that name?!?¡±


    ¡°I have a better question.¡± I said and charged my de with fire. It was engulfed in bright blue me. ¡°What happens when you super-heat dirt and rock?¡±


    I heard gasps behind me when I disappeared and reappeared beside the giant rock golem''s ankle and had shed across the front of it. I dashed again to cut at the front of the other ankle, then dashed back to where I was before and saw the huge crowd of students, teachers, and the princess herself that was surrounded by guards.


    <i>My warning didn''t warn them away at all.</i> I thought with a shake of my head and looked back at the giant earth golem as I deactivated and sheathed my sword.


    I had been tempted to try a dispel on the golem, except the damn thing was huge and might crush half of the building if it fell on top of it. Instead, I angled my cuts specifically to let it tilt and fall the other way. Two very loud snaps sounded and echoed off the tower walls as the damaged ankles shattered.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡± The green haired woman screamed as the giant rock golem tilted just as I nned and fell backwards.


    ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± I said to my audience and quickly ran around the falling golem to the right spot. I waited for a split second and then leapt up. I caught the potential thief in a princess carry and soared through the air as the golem''s body crashed into the ground. Inded on the thing''s chest and then ran over to the edge and jumped down.


    The shocked looks on everyone''s faces was worth showing off. Just for fun, I cast the truth spell on the woman in my arms.


    ¡°Miss Longueville? What were you doing?¡± Osmand the headmaster asked.


    ¡°I was getting my revenge on you, you old pervert!¡± She eximed and shook her fist at him. ¡°If I''d known how much of a degenerate you were, I never would have epted this job from the Reconquista!¡±


    Aplete hush fell on everyone and they all stared at her. She blushed and closed her mouth, clearly afraid to say anything else.


    ¡°Headmaster, let me introduce you to the earth mage and famous thief, Forquet.¡± I said and everyone gasped or screamed, even the guys. That was a pretty funny reaction and I had a difficult time notughing.


    ¡°Please hand her over to us.¡± One of the guards said.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I said and cast the truth spell on him. ¡°Tell me where your loyalties lie.¡±


    ¡°I was ced here to ensure the goals of the Reconquista were fulfilled.¡± The guard said and everyone gasped and screamed again.


    ¡°What else did you do?¡± I asked as the other guards drew their swords on him.


    ¡°I poisoned the king to ensure the princess ascended to the throne and is easily led by the nose by her advisor, who is also a member of the Reconquista.¡±


    One of the other guards looked frantic and lifted his sword to strike down the traitor. I didn''t know a traitor to what, though. I pushed him backward with a small fireball to the chest and he flew off of his feet tond with a groan on his back.


    ¡°Killing him before he can confess officially is stupid, unless you are covering up for him.¡± I said into the silence. ¡°Your highness, I suggest a round of truth spells for everyone in your life and then having them make a magical vow of loyalty to you and the crown.¡±


    The princess looked scared and then straightened her back to look at me with confidence. ¡°Mage Hiraga, I ept your offer to assist me in cleaning up my kingdom.¡±


    I opened my mouth to refuse and felt Louise kick my shin.


    ¡°Ow ow ow ow ow!¡± Louise muttered and jumped around on one foot.


    I activated my area effect healing and everyone sucked in sharp breaths, especially the woman in my arms, so I whispered in her ear. ¡°Please don''t resist or try to escape. I can help you if you let me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She whispered back.


    ¡°Because I can.¡± I whispered.


    Foquet looked into my eyes and I let her see I was sincere. She put her hands together and held them out to the closest guard. He put magic cuffs on her and the others put them on the traitor guard and the one that tried to kill him.


    ¡°Let''s retire to my office to sort this all out.¡± The headmaster said and the students dispersed as he led us there.


    An hourter, both Foquet and the traitor guard confessed their crimes officially and the traitor was beheaded. Foquet was too valuable to dispose of like that, thanks to me convincing the princess that she needed someone trustworthy to guard her. Everyone in the room stared at me.


    ¡°Foquet started her criminal career to get revenge on the corrupted nobles that murdered her family. Who better to have at your side to help you ferret out the other corrupted nobles in your kingdom?¡± I asked her.


    Princess Henrietta couldn''t refute my words. ¡°If she will pledge to me as my personal guard and swear to keep me alive and to clean up the kingdom, I will pardon her for her previous acts of thievery and terrorism.¡±


    Foquet looked shocked. Her eyes went to me, to the princess, and back to me.


    ¡°The Reconquista wanted her as queen. As her personal guard, you will be right there at the top and above everyone else, even the high ss nobles. What will you do with that kind of power?¡± I asked.


    The shock slowly faded from her face and she smiled. ¡°I think you are the only person I have ever met that kept their promise to help me.¡±


    Princess Henrietta looked sad at that and hid it before anyone but me saw it. ¡°We will work on the wording of the vow and you will be sworn into my service as soon as possible.¡±

 55 The Plot Unravels

    55 The Plot Unravels


    After being sworn into the personal service of the Princess of Tristain, Foquet was a fount of forbidden knowledge about the terrorist organization called the Reconquista. The looks on the faces of everyone in the meeting room as she named names and revealed schemes, let me know that there were a lot more betrayals and backroom deals that had gone down than any of them realized.


    One of the worst members named was the man that was betrothed to Louise, Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. He was the captain of the Tristain country''s Griffon Knights and also one of the top people running the terrorist organization. They wanted to destroy every country''s leadership and plunge the world into war for their boss Oliver Cromwell to take over.


    Louise was devastated and cried on my shoulder at the betrayal to her and her family. Her parents had engaged her and Wardes when she was just a child and he was 10 years her senior, making him 26 years old right now.


    Princess Henrietta nodded at the scribe that had written everything down. ¡°Make several copies of that. Give one to Headmaster Osmand, one to my new personal guard, one to me, and one to Saito Hiraga. I will issue a recall of those that are members of my kingdom and they will be dealt with.¡±


    The scribe quickly did so with magic and we put the lists away.


    ¡°Saito, you and Louise will apany my personage back to the castle.¡± Princess Henrietta ordered.


    ¡°Princess, what about school?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°You are excused for the next few weeks as we deal with this crisis and then summer vacation is starting. You would be leaving then anyway.¡± The princess said.


    ¡°I will have your exams brought to you by a professor when it is time, Miss La Valli¨¨re.¡± The headmaster promised. ¡°You won''t suffer for doing your duty to the princess.¡±


    Louise sighed and nodded in agreement. ¡°When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°Pack your things and we will leave right after.¡± Princess Henrietta told her.


    ¡°Ten minutes.¡± I said and the princess smiled at me. ¡°Louise, hold on.¡±


    ¡°EEP!¡± Louise let out as I scooped her up into my arms and dove out the window. ¡°SAAIIITOOO!¡±


    I heard themughing behind us as Inded and then I ran at my best safe speed while carrying a passenger. Louise clung to my neck as if her life depended on it. I brought her to the dorm room and came to a stop just outside the door.


    ¡°I am going to kill you.¡± Louise growled in my ear.


    I set her on her feet and pet her head. ¡°I wanted to give them something tough at after all those horrible revtions.¡±


    Louise looked up into my eyes and sighed. She had her own horrible revtion and nodded.


    ¡°Grab your personal things to put on your bed while I make you a nice bag to carry everything in.¡± I said and took off my backpack and pulled out some of the supplies I had bought. Since I had altered several of them before and rebuilt Lili''s backpack, I knew exactly the best way to construct a smaller personal bag that looked like arge woman''s purse.


    I used leather as a base and lined it with metal strips, enchanted it to expand inside, and added the charms for packing and retrieval. I went to Louise''s freestanding clothing cab and shocked the girl by tossing the whole thing in instead of emptying it. I put her erged bed in next with all her personal effects on it and Louise stared at me.


    I chuckled and opened the bag to show her both things were safe at the bottom and nothing was damaged, then closed it and handed it to her. ¡°It''s all fine, Louise. Let''s go.¡±


    Louise hugged the bag and let me scoop her up into my arms and I stepped out of the room with her. I locked and charmed the door, then ran out of the dorms to go to the teacher''s rooms. I put Louise down and knocked on Cybil''s door. She opened it and saw me, saw Louise, and sighed.


    ¡°I can''t stay. The princess has requested myself and my partner to apany her back to the capital.¡± I exined and Cybil nodded. I took out the other mirror and unwrapped it, went into the woman''s bedroom, and erged it to attach it to the ceiling.


    ¡°Be careful at the castle. Danger can be anywhere.¡± Cybil warned Louise when I left the bedroom.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Cybil. I won''t let any harme to her.¡± I promised.


    The teacher gave Louise a nce, smiled, and pulled me in for a kiss on the lips. ¡°Hurry back.¡±


    ¡°It''s going to be a few weeks at least.¡± I told her.


    ¡°I''ll let Chevreuse know.¡± Cybil said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and hugged her. ¡°If you need me for an emergency, you know how to contact me.¡±


    Cybil nodded and let me go. ¡°Good luck in the snake pit.¡±


    I chuckled and stepped out of her room. I waved to her and scooped Louise up in my arms as the door shut. Louise didn''t say anything until I ran out of the building and over to where the horse and carriage waited. It would take us all to the capital.


    ¡°You really did sign a mistress contract with them.¡± Louise said, her voice soft.


    ¡°It was their idea.¡± I said and she gave me raised eyebrows. ¡°That''s how I found out about contracts.¡±


    ¡°That was how...¡± Louise stopped and blushed. ¡°You asked me right away.¡±


    I put her down on her feet and motioned to the coachman to open the door. ¡°Of course I did.¡±


    The woman with short blonde hair gave us squinted looks before she opened the door and set the small stairs for us to use. Louise kept blushing as she climbed in and greeted the princess. I stepped in and bowed to the princess and nodded to Foquet. Louise and I sat on the backwards-facing seat and the carriage took off at a fast trot.


    ¡°Saito, tell me all about yourself.¡± Princess Henrietta ordered.


    I refrained from insulting her to her face for such a loaded order, especially since I wasn''t her subject. ¡°You know all you need to know already.¡±


    Both Louise and Foquet gasped at the rebuff.


    ¡°Saito!¡± Louise said and smacked my armored arm, then she hissed and hugged her hurt hand.


    ¡°You need to stopshing out like that.¡± I said and cast specific healing on her.


    Louise pouted at me and crossed her arms before she looked out the carriage window. ¡°You should take off that silly armor and I wouldn''t hurt myself when I''m trying to discipline you.¡±


    ¡°Silly armor? Really?¡± I asked and took off the helmet to put into my backpack.


    ¡°It makes you stand out too much.¡± Louise said without looking at me.


    ¡°That was kind of the point.¡± I said and didn''t borate about wanting to spread the Hestia Familia''s influence.


    ¡°What is that symbol on your chest?¡± Foquet asked.


    ¡°It''s my wife''s emblem. It symbolizes family, hearth and home. It''s an eternal fire that you can always warm yourself against.¡± I said and lightly touched the edge of the mes. ¡°I will find my way back to her someday.¡±


    Quiet seemed to settle in thepartment after that and no one said anything for a while.


    *


    That night, the carriage stopped at a secluded inn to let the horses rest and for the passengers to get something to eat. Louise kept quiet as she ate and her eyes kept darting to the dark haired young man at her side. He had finally changed out of his armor and she had to admit that he looked very nice wearing noble clothing. She also had a moral quandry.


    Louise knew that her betrothed was going to be executed for treason. She also knew that Saito was married. Or kind of married. He also desired her. Her mind kept repeating the moment when he asked her if she would sign a mistress contract, even if it was an extreme insult to propose such a thing to a high ss noble.


    It just wasn''t done for a noble of her pedigree to reduce herself to that of amoner or a maid to be a mistress to another noble. Her thoughts went to both Professor Chevreuse and Professor Cybil and that they had willingly signed mistress contracts, so Saito already had two dependants to take care of financially.


    Louise sighed and finished her food. ¡°I''m heading to bed.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea. If we leave early enough, we can reach the capital by noon.¡± Agnes said and stood. She was the coachman and was also the captain of the Tristain Musketeer Knights. ¡°I''ll make sure the driver and the horses are fed and will see you in the morning.¡±


    Louise and Saito watched her walk away with a determined stride.


    ¡°I wonder if she would let me borrow her pistol for a while?¡± Saito asked and stood as well.


    ¡°Why?¡± Louise asked.


    ¡°Curiosity. I knew there was gunpowder here and wondered how the old weapon handled it.¡±


    ¡°Old? It wasmissioned and constructed barely a month ago.¡± Princess Henrietta said.


    Saito looked surprised by that. ¡°Are you sure? It looked worn and well used for years.¡±


    The princess smiled. ¡°Agnes practises constantly and she is very good with it.¡±


    Saito smiled back. ¡°Then I''ll ask her tomorrow to show off a little.¡± He said and bowed to her. ¡°Shall Louise and I escort you to your room, your highness?¡±


    The princess stood and shook her head. ¡°I fully trust my guards after their new vows. Thank you for the offer.¡±


    Saito nodded and took Louise''s hand. ¡°Goodnight, your highness.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Saito. Louise.¡± Princess Henrietta said and hugged Louise. ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± Louise said and watched the guards lead the princess across the room and up the stairs. ¡°You''re following her with your magic?¡±


    Saito nodded and motioned to follow behind them. They crossed the room and went up the stairs to their own room. Louise had refused the offer of joining rooms for them and said it was a waste of money, since they normally shared a bed anyway. The wide eyes of the princess let Saito know that wasn''t a normal thing.


    They entered the rented room and Louise pointed to the side of the room as she handed Saito her bag. He epted it and walked over to the wall and pulled out her standing cab of clothing. She walked over to it and waved at the small bed. He chuckled and put the bed in her bag and pulled hers out to rece it. She quickly changed and then put her personal items back in the bag.


    Saito stripped off and hung his backpack on one of the posts of the four poster and climbed into bed. Louise climbed in beside him and hugged him closely as she sighed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Saito asked.


    ¡°My life is a mess.¡± Louise said and held back her tears. ¡°With the betrothal ending...¡±


    ¡°Your personal feelings are more dangerous without the safety?¡± Saito asked and she nodded.


    ¡°I can''t stop thinking about your insult about the mistress contract.¡± Louise admitted.


    Saito chuckled. ¡°I can''t decide if I respect Chevreuse and Cybil more for signing right away or admire them for taking the personal insult without even thinking about what it could mean.¡±


    Louise sighed. ¡°They are either secure in their own worth or they could care less about not being respected for their lowered nobility.¡±


    ¡°They are both fairly powerful magically.¡± Saito said. <i>Especially after I took down that giant golem.</i> He thought. He didn''t tell Louise that, though. For some reason, the double bond didn''t let her gain anything. <i>Maybe the sharing is two way and I gave her experience and she gave it back? What was the condition needed to activate it? Karma points? She had to attack it herself because we''re partners?</i>


    No answer came from the system, so Saito closed his eyes and held Louise close.


    ¡°Do you want me to do that?¡± Louise asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Saito asked back. There were a lot of things he would like for her to do.


    ¡°Lower my social and political standing to that of amoner.¡± Louise said.


    Saito thought about that. ¡°No, I don''t. Who you are is a part of you. Your family, your status, your magic. It all depends on your own perception of yourself.¡± He kissed the top of her head. ¡°Don''tpromise yourself or sacrifice everything else you have in your life, just for a fantastic time in bed.¡±


    Louise huffed. ¡°You''re pretty confident about that.¡±


    ¡°Darling, I can get you off by just using my tongue and that makes you pass out eventually. Believe me, that''s barely the start of the things I can do.¡±


    Louise took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°That''s not helping me stay neutral, you know.¡±


    Saito chuckled. ¡°I''m supposed to be the same, Louise. I''m married and yet I''m snuggled up to someone that almost has my ideal female form.¡±


    ¡°Only almost?¡± Louise asked and felt a little insulted.


    ¡°Yes, because I''m not allowed to fold you in half and pound you into the mattress, despite how beautiful, sexy, and tasty you are.¡± Saito said and kissed the top of her head again. ¡°If you doubt that, reach down and feel the rock-hard proof.¡±


    Louise didn''t hesitate and did that. She caught her breath, because she hadn''t done anything to warrant him getting hard for her. ¡°How? Why?¡±


    Saito chuckled. ¡°You are Louise Fran?oise Le nc de La Valli¨¨re, a powerful mage, and I''m not an idiot. Why wouldn''t I be excited to be near you?¡±


    Louise blushed and her hand pulled on him a few times, then she moved her hand up to hug his chest. ¡°Saito, I... I... I want to. I do.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Saito said and pet her hair. ¡°There''s nothing to be done about it, though.¡±


    Louise sighed and nodded. ¡°It would destroy both of our lives if we did it.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Saito said. ¡°We shouldn''t do anything else while we''re in the capital, either.¡±


    Louise nodded again. ¡°Then tonight will be thest time for a while.¡±


    ¡°Well, if this is going to be thest time... maybe...¡± Saito paused and moved down slightly to whisper his idea into her ear.


    Louise gasped. ¡°Really? We can do something like that?¡±


    ¡°We''ve done them individually, so why not together at the same time?¡± Saito asked.


    Louise looked thoughtful. ¡°Well, since it is thest time... I think we can give it a try.¡±


    Saito moved back up and Louise pushed off the nket as she turned around to put her feet up by the headboard. He grabbed her legs and pulled, earning an ''eep'' from Louise, and drove his tongue into her damp slit to lick and suck on her.


    Louise moaned and writhed on top of him for several seconds, realized she really was at the right spot to do what he suggested, and put her hand on his rock-hard member as she slipped her mouth over the tip and started to suck. She would never admit that her first and only experience doing a ''69'' was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced in her life.


    *


    The looks the princess and Foquet gave Louise and I the next morning at breakfast were filled with envy and more than a little jealousy. They had the rooms next to ours and had heard everything, as I intended. I wasn''t going to waste my magic casting and holding a silence spell for hours. It would also give Louise and the princess something to talk about in privateter.


    The trip to the castle was fairly quick and we arrived just after noon. We were greeted by a lot of staff, some of which were on our lists, and Princess Henrietta gave nothing away as she invited them to dine with us for lunch in a private dining room. The traitors were cated by this and let their guard down, which was exactly what the princess wanted.


    After the meal, they were arrested and taken into custody, I cast the truth spell on them, and they were interrogated by Agnes and the head of the guards. A few more names were added to the list and a few were removed, as were their heads. Princess Henrietta could be vicious if you pissed her off or betrayed her, which exined why she and Louise got along so well as children.


    Princess Henrietta sent out the private missives to have the other traitors brought to the castle for their rewards, using the names of the already executed traitors, and they eagerly flocked to the castle. They were interrogated under my truth spells and were beheaded as well.


    Louise cried again at the loss as her ex-fiance''s head was removed by royal decree.

 56 One More Thing

    56 One More Thing


    It took the entire three weeks for the lists to be marked off and everyone was found, tried, imprisoned, or executed. It shook up the entire Tristain nobility, because so many of them had been traitors and conspirators. They had gotten away with corrupting the country for years and it would take a lot of work to rebuild the trust that was lost between the Royal Family and the remaining nobles and the children of the traitors.


    Thankfully, none of the children had been involved or knew what their fathers had been involved in. Unfortunately, a lot of the wives had been and they were either in prison or dead, just like their husbands. It was a huge blow against the Queen and Princess to know that most of their country''s nobles had been convinced to get rid of them for the betterment of the country.


    In between the trials and inquisitions, I had been extremely busy making expanded bags and trunks to earn money. Funnily enough, Princess Henrietta bought them all to give out as gifts and I had to buy more materials to make more. She did make me ridiculously rich in a very short time, so as a thank you, I expanded her personal rooms and enchanted her packing trunks that were more expensive than the one Kirche had.


    On the positive side of the inquisitions, Princess Henrietta had been far too busy cleaning up her kingdom to write a letter to the man she loved, the Prince Wales of Albion. Because of this, the proposed marriage to the Emperor of Germania was fully epted by the Queen of Tristain and was not in jeopardy because of the Reconquista.


    Because Tristain depended on its allies for defense, the marriage was going to cement Germania''s pledge to defend the country as if it was their own. Military forces would be brought in over the summer break and the entire country rxed as their safety was assured from all aggressors, especially from the civil war in Albion.


    Instead of being sent back to the academy like we expected, Princess Henrietta, soon to be Queen Henrietta, gave us a mission to investigate Albion and to bring copies of the death certificates of all the Reconquista agents that had been killed. They should only be handed over to a trusted member of the royal family, however.


    Louise refused to ept it, because she was only a second year student and I was only visiting and would leave as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Plus, there was no one with a high enough authority that could be spared to go with us. If we were caught with that evidence, both the Reconquista and the locals would have us executed for killing their people, civil war or not.


    The princess tried to convince her that she trusted her to survive and Louise still refused. If she wanted to send someone to warn Prince Wales, she would have to pick someone that was experienced in espionage and not an inexperienced noble''s daughter. The princess reluctantly agreed and released me from the service of the crown to return to the academy.


    Louise quickly left to go pack up our things and I approached the princess. Without saying a word, I held a hand out for the paperwork. Princess Henrietta squealed like a little girl getting ice cream for the first time and handed me the folder, gave me a pointed look, and pulled me in to kiss my cheek. She whispered a thank you and rushed out of the room with an epic blush on her face.


    I tucked the folder into a side pocket of my backpack and followed Louise to our rooms. It didn''t take us long to put everything away and Louise carried her bag as we went out into the courtyard to the royal carriage. Surprisingly, Agnes was there and was going with us. She nodded and helped us board, then we were off to return to the academy for the summer break.


    To our surprise, when we stopped for the night at an inn, we met another carriage. It was from the academy and both Chevreuse and Cybil were on it. That settled our sleeping arrangements for the night and Louise and Agnes shared a room and I spent it with my two contracted mistresses. I also gave them their share of my earned money, as per the contract, and both women had a lot of fun thanking me for making them rich.


    The next day, we stayed at the inn and Louise took her exams all day with the two teachers while I finally had the chance to talk to Agnes about her job, weapons, and tactics. Instead of loaning me one of her pistols for the day to let me examine it, she gave me her backup one that she had tucked into the small of her back. She whispered words about the princess approving me and that was good enough for her.


    I thanked her and she showed me how to handle and load the odd gun with a gunpowder pan and little iron balls to shoot. It was a great lesson and she was a marksman that would put everyone to shame if she was allowed to show off. Since it was a lesson to show me how to shoot, she showed off. We both had a great time because of that.


    At the end, she gave me a load of gunpowder and enough shots for twenty tries. I thanked her and gave her one of my expanded bags that had a foodpartment on the side for trail rations that would never go bad. She gave me a deep and passionate kiss as thanks and she looked quite embarrassed afterwards, so I gave her a deep kiss back as thanks for the thanks.


    Agnesughed, her face still red, and she left with the royal carriage to return to the castle and the side of the princess. I stayed outside and practised with the gun as I tried to reproduce it with a more modern feel and look, which was why I wanted the gun in the first ce. The flintlock was too slow and inefficient.


    Louise was already asleep when I checked on her, so I went to the other room and spent the night with two tired teachers. They had put Louise through her paces and she performed wonderfully. My changing her affinity to Fire from Void had really brought out her magical potential and she was almost at the level of a triangle mage already with square probably six months away.


    Unlike them, I knew Louise still had Void magic inside of her, like I had Fire and Water, it just wasn''t her main focus anymore and she had no way to train it, since it was a lost art.


    In the morning, we ate and left in the academy carriage to return to the school. Both teachers were very pleased with Louise''s results after marking her exams and Louise was extremely happy about actually passing her mid-terms and not coasting through on just her written exams and failing the practicals like she did the year before.


    We arrived back at the academy and it is a beehive of activity, thanks to most of the students choosing to return home for the summer holidays. The two teachers gave me quick kisses and rushed off to help close down the school and help the students leave the academy without incident.


    Louise almost floated as she walked with her head held high and waved around her exam results for everyone to see. Everyone that saw them were shocked, because she was in the top ten percent of the year. Even Tabitha, the acknowledged know-it-all, had wide eyes behind her sses when she saw Louise''s marks. Kirche''s face was the same color as her long red hair.


    That gave me a perfect opportunity to ask Tabitha for her assistance, since she was staying behind for the summer break as well.


    ¡°Tabitha, can I talk to you alone for a minute?¡± I asked the blue-haired girl and she nodded. ¡°Louise? Go ahead and start unpacking. I''ll be along in a few minutes.¡±


    Louise barely noticed as she continued on and basked in the shock and awe that her marks gave everyone. Kirche gave Tabitha a searching look and the short girl shrugged and waved her on. Kirche gave me a squinted look and walked off to follow Louise.


    I led Tabitha to the side of a nearby building and cast a silence spell around us. ¡°I epted a covert mission from the princess that Louise refused and doesn''t know I epted. The problem is, I need to get to the floating ind nation of Albion somehow and the only thing I''ve seen flying around are wild griffons and your dragon.¡±


    Tabitha looked thoughtful and motioned for me to continue.


    ¡°Do you think I could borrow Sylphid for a few hours tonight? The sooner I can get this mission done, the sooner everything will settle down.¡± I told her.


    Tabitha shook her head in refusal. ¡°I can''t let you borrow my dragon without me there to keep her behavior under control. I need toe along to keep her safe, in case you do something stupid.¡±


    I was surprised she would offer like that and I couldn''t resist reaching out and petting her short blue hair. ¡°It''s very brave of you to offer toe with me. Thank you.¡±


    Tabitha blushed and didn''t try to avoid my hand or pushed it away.


    ¡°I''ll put Louise to bed tonight and make sure she''s asleep before Ie to your room.¡± I said and Tabitha nodded. I stopped petting her hair and took out a nice carry bag from my backpack. ¡°I made this expanded leather bag for you.¡±


    Tabitha caught her breath at the sight of the deep blue bag that looked like it was covered in dragon scales. She took it like it was made of ss and her fingertips caressed the rough texture.


    ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡± I said and left here there as she admired the workmanship. Transfiguration really was a wonderful cheat to make things look a lot more expensive than the original materials.


    *


    Siesta was in her opulent room at the Mott Mansion and loved her new life. She barely had to do any work, because there were so many other maids working, and her new lord adored her and pampered her. She sat down at her dressing table and looked into the mirror, then saw a bright sh of light.


    After that, she told her entire family''s history to her reflection, even their generations long sworn secret. The location of their family''s treasure was also revealed and how to get to it. She wasn''t sure why she was happy to tell all of that or why she didn''t feel guilty about it.


    When Siesta eventually looked down, she gasped at the 1,000 ¨¦cu piled on her dressing table and a note that said her family''s legacy would be put to good use.


    *


    Tabitha was giving me a cold stare after that side jaunt to a respected noble''s home to interrogate his mistress. I couldn''t really do more than say that she would understand when she saw what I just bought for an obscene amount of money. She huffed and went back to flying Sylphid towards Albion. We would have to stop a few times to let the dragon rest and to eat, which I had agreed to pay for.


    Who knew you could buy entire pigs and cows for a single sou? Tabitha did, which was why she usually didn''t splurge on anything personal. All of her spending money went to feeding her dragon familiar. Neither she nor the dragon took it for granted and appreciated what each of them had to do to afford that food.


    During one of the stops, Tabitha had admitted that she received a summons to do a mission for her uncle, the King of Gallia, and would be paid handsomely forpleting it. I didn''t tell her that I knew it was to investigate the rapid flooding of one of the country''s viges by a water spirit. However, I did offer to go with her after my mission in Albion was over.


    Tabitha gave me a very pointed look and I immediately pointed at Sylphid, then myself, then into the sky. Her eyes widened slightly and then she understood and nodded. She had agreed to help me as a friend and I had agreed to help her in return.


    We made it to Albion in the dead of night and that was perfect for my purposes. I had Tabithand Sylphid in the outskirts of Londinium, the capital of Albion, and created a giant nket to cover both her and the dragon up. I made them promise to stay there, no matter what they saw or heard, and then I changed into my full armor.


    Tabitha giggled at it, because it practically glowed like fire in the darkness, and she pped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. I chuckled and touched each piece to change the color to ck, winked at her, then I ran.


    I made it to the pce and no one saw me. I cast silence on myself and entered the royal dwelling to search for my target. I found the king and queen dead in their bedroom instead and Prince Wales was mind-controlled as he sat at their desk and wrote several love letters to Princess Henrietta. That made me sigh and I erased the letters from existence with some fire and whacked the prince on the head.


    Surprisingly, he didn''t wake up from the mind-control. I put him to sleep and continued to search through the pce for my target again. I found the fool in the treasure room piging the jewels from the king''s crown. My sword shed and Oliver Cromwell''s head rolled across the floor, his schemes of world domination ended.


    I took the enchanted ring from his dead fingers and left him there in the treasure room. I did help myself to some of the piles of gems and gold coins. By some I meant I took most of them, since the real thief was right there with the broken crown in his hands and he and his rebellion would be med.


    I left he body there and went back to the prince to undo the mind whammy with the enchanted ring. It worked and the prince was back to his normal arrogant self with the memories of all the horrible things he did while under the mind whammy. I dropped the file with the details of the traitor deaths on the desk and left.


    As I moved through the castle to leave and kept casting my magic detection spell, I found a strong magical signature that seemed both familiar and foreign at the same time. I used my detection spell and homed in on a basement ess.


    I went down and down, farther into the dark than I thought was possible, then I caught my breath when I reached a ward stone room. It was the size of a stadium and was filled with thousands of enchanted stones that were all interconnected with embedded artificial ley lines in the surrounding rocks.


    A quick inspection told me that the runes were for levitation, power absorption, and stability. Thergest stone in the middle had the parameters for height and for holding the ind nation together in one piece. So, I did the only thing I could do in this situation.


    I altered the height parameters by an inch.


    I felt the entire room shudder as the ind dropped an inch through the air and more than half of the ward stones red with magic to hold everything together. I knew then that it was going to take some finesse to pull it off. I very slowly changed it by an eighth of an inch to give it a more smooth transition and the room didn''t shake.


    Once I had the procedure down and injected a few Karma points into the process to not cause a cascading failure that would cause the ind nation to crumble apart from moving so much, I continued to use magic detection to tell where we were in rtion to the sea below and kept dropping the height an eighth of an inch constantly.


    I eventually returned the ind back to where it had originallye from in the sea and then I spent a good two hours going along the outer edge to fuse the bottom of the ind back onto the bedrock it had been sheared from. I couldn''t tell when it had been done, though. As I worked, I slowly started to dismantle the ward stones and had to use several enchanted trunks and bags to hold them all.


    I left the main ward stone in the center with an array around it to maintain the ind''s integrity, then removed the control runes for the levitation option and erased the runes themselves. If anyone ever found this chamber again, they would only see the integrity system and think that was all there was to it.


    With my cover-up work done, I left there and sealed the chamber behind me. I moved up and sealed the tunnel, then went another twenty feet and sealed it again. By the time I was at the basement entrance, there was no trace of anything being there. I transfigured the wall to remove thest evidence of a doorway and then teleported out of the castle.


    My secret mission wasplete.

 57 Waterworks

    57 Waterworks


    Tabitha was sleeping on her dragon''s back when I returned to her. I was tempted to scare her for falling asleep and saw the dragon''s half-lidded eye watching me. I gave Sylphid a little wave and pointed to her side. She nodded slightly and I climbed under the giant nket and settled down against her warm belly. I closed my eyes and let myself go to sleep. We could worry about flying back in the morning.


    Not surprisingly, I woke up just before the crack of dawn. I also found that Tabitha had somehow moved from the back of her dragon familiar to be cuddled up to my side. I wasn''t stupid enough to assume she would be as open to a mutual exchange as Louise was, so I only kept her hugged to my side and didn''t try to do anything untoward with her.


    An hourter, Tabitha woke up and blushed at being cuddled up to my side. I gave her as warm and inviting of a smile as I could and she seemed to rx and sighed as she hugged me close.


    ¡°You don''t get to do anything like this at all, do you?¡± I asked her and she shook her head. ¡°Is that by choice or because of the social-political situation you''re in?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tabitha said and her blush didn''t lessen.


    ¡°I won''t judge you, Tabitha. If you want to tell me all about it, I won''tment or say anything about it until you want me to.¡± I reassured her and she lifted her head to give me a pointed look, then she sighed and settled back against my side.


    For the next hour, Tabitha told me who she really was, a princess of the Gallia Kingdom, and her uncle had killed her father and made her mother go crazy by drinking a potion that was intended for her. You see, it should have killed her and it would have, if Tabitha had drunk it. Since it was her mother, all it did was give the poor woman schizophrenia and made her think she was a child again.


    I didn''t tell her that I knew she had a twin sister that had been recruited by the church and made into a nun to keep her safe. Unfortunately, they were utilizing her powers for their schemes and to keep others in line.


    After hearing about Tabitha''s life and problems first-hand, I promised to do something about it. Tabitha gave me a surprised look and I looked deep into her eyes and dared her to refute my pledge. She gazed into my eyes and shivered, then she nodded and cuddled back into my side.


    ¡°I''ll leave it all to you.¡± Tabitha said and a slight sh of light epassed us. She jerked slightly and lifted her head to look at me. ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°I believe you just offloaded your entire kingdom''s problems onto me.¡± I said with a smile. The Karma points were going to be phenomenal when Ipleted my very first system given quest.


    Tabitha sighed and ducked her head into my chest.


    I held her close. ¡°It''s all right, Princess Charlotte. I''ll deal with it. I promise.¡±


    Tabitha sighed with relief and hugged me tighter. Surprisingly, she didn''t react to me using her real name. ¡°I''m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to find a nice tavern for breakfast.¡± I said and reached into Tabitha''s bag and pulled out a big fat pig. Sylphid drooled and scarfed it down in seconds with a satisfied growl.


    Both Tabitha and I chuckled at her reaction and Sylphid knelt to let us climb up onto her back. We flew off through the sky towards Tabitha''s home country and were soon in a tavern and enjoying a great breakfast. Tabitha was quiet, her revealing all of her problems earlier being the limit of her need to talk, and that was okay.


    I filled the silence with my own adventures for thest three weeks, leaving out the details for the beheadings of the Tristain Traitors. I chuckled slightly at inadvertently naming a sports team for their country and it made Tabitha smile when I mentioned it.


    We left the tavern and stopped several times to rest before we reached the right region where the problems of flooding were reported. Some of it was pretty bad with half of a vige up to the windows in water. It didn''t take us long after that to trace it back to the mainke where a very irate water spirit was searching for her lost heirloom.


    Tabitha had told me her mission was to stop the flooding by any means possible and she was going to freeze the elemental. I stopped her and approached the angry water spirit and held up the enchanted ring. I offered to trade it back to her if she recalled all of the water she had flooded the region with first.


    The spirit raised its hands and all of the water rushed back by us and into thergeke. I thanked her for being so efficient and handed over the ring. She took it reverently, gave me a nod, and a wave of water came out of theke, engulfed her, and the wave went back to theke.


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Tabitha asked, a little stunned that it had been that easy.


    ¡°That''s it.¡± I said and took her hand. ¡°Let''s get the leaders of the vige to sign the order and we can go cash in your payday.¡±


    Tabitha looked down at our hands and back at my face. ¡°Mine? You were why it undid everything.¡±


    I shrugged and we walked back over to Sylphid.


    ¡°You don''t want any of it?¡± Tabitha asked as I helped her climb up onto her dragon''s back.


    ¡°If it makes you feel better about it, you can give me a third of it. One third for you getting the mission, one third for Sylphid for flying us here, and one third for me for being the eye candy.¡± I said, because I had changed my armor''s color back to the original orange-yellowish color.


    Sylphid barked augh and Tabitha smiled at me.


    ¡°Yes, it''s totally worth it. I look awesome!¡± I said and posed for her.


    Tabitha chuckled and Sylphid moved a wing and smacked my on the back of the head.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I said and rubbed it. ¡°You''re lucky I left off my helmet!¡±


    The dragon barked anotherugh and nodded at her back. I climbed up and we were off towards the vige to let them know there would be no more flooding, had them sign the order of protection, and flew off towards the capital city.


    *


    The King of Gallia was both happy and vexed by his niece. She hadpleted the nearly impossible task several weeks before he expected her to, and that was after him sending some of his best troops to deal with the problem. Hepletely ignored the armored fool posing and spouting weird lines about valor and honor.


    He epted the order and confirmed that it was actually signed by the vige elder, then grudgingly approved the payout for the mission. He knew it woulde right back into the coffers, because of her having to buy food for her dragon familiar.


    As soon as Tabitha took the approval from his hand, he felt a sting across his neck. He reached up and touched the spot, only to see blood on his fingertips. His eyes widened as the armored fool told him he was an evil man and needed to go meet the brother he had murdered. The throne room tilted and flipped around and he stared up at the ceiling before everything faded to ck.


    *


    Tabitha stared at her uncle''s decapitated head and didn''t know what to say. It had happened so fast that she hadn''t seen Saito move. In fact, she hadn''t heard his sword leave its sheath or return to it. She turned to look and saw his happy smile.


    ¡°Let''s go gather that money up and visit your mother.¡± Saito said and waved his hand over the body and head. They dissolved away into nothing and Tabitha couldn''t stop her shiver at both the disyed power and him saving her from her uncle''s tyranny.


    Tabitha voluntarily took his hand this time and Saito''s happy smile went wider, which made the quiet girl blush at how such a simple thing made the handsome dark-haired boy happier. That was when she realized it had been the first time she had initiated any kind of physical contact since her father died. She almost fainted at that realization and she suddenly found herself cradled in Saito''s strong arms.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ve got you.¡± Saito said and they were suddenly partway across the castle and she handed the payout approval to the clerk in charge of the castle''s coffers.


    The money was handed over without question and Tabitha put it into a side pouch of her bag. It would keep her and Syphid in food for the next six months and she was extremely pleased by that.


    ¡°Where are your mother''s rooms?¡± Saito asked.


    Tabitha told him and they walked at a normal pace to get there. Apparently, he wasn''t in a rush to put her down, which put the blush right back on her face.


    ¡°You can''t me me for abusing the excuse to cuddle you.¡± Saito said, as if he could read her thoughts and was answering them. ¡°Well, maybe you can. I''m definitely pushing things and I really shouldn''t.¡±


    Tabitha lifted her head to look at his face. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I apparently have a problem with resisting cute girls, as in, I usually can''t.¡± Saito admitted and Tabitha blushed again. ¡°Yes, that means this morning was a struggle with you cuddled up to me.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Tabitha said.


    ¡°I''m not.¡± Saito said and Tabitha was surprised. ¡°Nothing has to happen. I just seem to be put into situations where if there is a cute girl around, I have to cuddle her and have to resist doing more than that.¡±


    Tabitha thought about that and nodded. ¡°Louise does seem a lot more rxed.¡±


    Saitoughed. ¡°I''m not revealing what we do, in case it''s a noble no-no.¡±


    Tabitha tilted her head slightly and understood. ¡°You''re doing something sexual with her.¡±


    Saito stumbled and caught himself before either of them fell. ¡°She''s still a virgin!¡±


    Tabitha tilted her head the other way and understood again. ¡°Louise is only using her mouth and hands.¡±


    Saito opened his mouth to tell her he did as well, then gave her the same look back. ¡°You''ve seen your roommate Kirche doing that?¡±


    Tabitha nodded. ¡°Not a lot of ces for privacy at the academy.¡±


    Saito looked thoughtful and then smiled. ¡°Would it surprise you that I use my mouth on her, too?¡±


    Tabitha was going to ask if he meant on her breasts, then she realized what he really meant. She blushed deeply and ducked her head down, because those thoughts were not good thoughts to have before visiting her mother.


    Saito took in a breath through his nose and stopped walking. ¡°My apologies, Princess Charlotte. I didn''t mean to imply...¡±


    Tabitha reached up and put a finger over his lips. ¡°I know we can''t. Louise is your partner and you have some leeway there.¡±


    Saito sighed. ¡°I also have two contracted mistresses.¡±


    Tabitha blushed again. ¡°I can''t sign. I would lose my status as the elder daughter.¡±


    Saito stiffened slightly. ¡°You can''t possibly mean...¡±


    ¡°My sister and I live vicariously through each other.¡± Tabitha said, revealing that she knew about her twin, and pointed to a door down the hallway. ¡°My mother is through there.¡±


    Saito nodded and shelved the conversation for now. He needed to cure the Queen of her ailments and then heal her. After killing the evil king andpleting the restoration of the proper royal family of Gallia, his Karma points from that and from saving everyone from the world war that Albion would have started, was going to give him thousands of points.


    Tabitha''s mother was in a sad state when they entered the room. She was as thin as a rail and dishevelled to the point of not bathing for weeks. The nurse at the woman''s side looked lost and forlorn, which told Saito all he needed to know about the woman''s emotional state.


    ¡°Gooooooood moooorning, Duchess d''Orl¨¦ans!¡± Saito shouted outrageously.


    Both Tabitha and the nurse had their mouths drop open at his shout.


    ¡°Don''t you worry about a thing! The hero of the day has arrived!¡± Saito said and posed.


    To Tabitha''s and the nurse''s surprise, the usually distracted and incoherent woman turned her head to look at him. The small doll in her hands was hugged and she gave Saito the same tilted head look that Tabitha had earlier.


    ¡°I see you noticed my awesome armor! Isn''t it eye-catching?¡± Saito asked and walked over to the bed.


    The nurse didn''t try to stop him, because he had somehow gained her patient''s attention and was keeping it!


    ¡°I designed it that way on purpose. Everyone that looks at me will see the hearth that carries an eternal me. Home is where the heart is and the fire will always warm you.¡± Saito said and knelt beside the bed.


    ¡°Ch-Charlotte.¡± The duchess whispered and indicated the small doll on herp.


    ¡°Hello there, Princess Charlotte! Your best friend Tabitha brought me here to save your mother! Isn''t that great?¡± Saito asked the doll. ¡°It''s just going to take a few minutes and everything will be fine!¡±


    Tabitha and the nurse watched as Saito took the woman''s hands and held them. A secondter, he leaned down and kissed the woman''s forehead. A bright glow covered her head and then the glow spread over her entire body. To their shock, the duchess seemed to expand and her thinness disappeared as she returned to a very healthy state. Even her hair went from unwashed to perfect.


    ¡°There we go, Princess Charlotte! I told you that it would be fine. The duchess is all better now.¡± Saito said and let the woman''s hands go.


    The shock on their faces made Saitough.


    ¡°Go ahead and check her. She''s just in shock right now and will start talking once she realizes she''s okay.¡± Saito said and stepped back, bowed to the duchess, and left the room.


    It took the three females in the room several minutes to realize they could move and talk.


    The nurse was the first to cast a diagnostic spell and she gasped. ¡°It''s true! She''s fine!¡±


    Tabitha started crying and dropped her staff and her bag, walked over to her mother and saw simr tears on her face. She dropped to her knees and hugged the woman she believed would never be cured and her mother hugged her back.


    ¡°My precious Charlotte.¡± The duchess whispered and Tabitha cried and cried.


    *


    I stood just outside the door and listened to the mother and daughter reuniting after years apart. I stopped a passing castle attendant and asked her where the monastery was. She told me and I asked her to prepare the proper clothing for the duchess.


    She gave me an incredulous look and I briefly opened the room''s door to show her. She gasped and stared, then she ran down the hallway screaming that the duchess was cured.


    I chuckled and summoned Tabitha''s bag before I shut the door, put up a privacy spell, and teleported to where Sylphid waited for us outside. ¡°Tabitha''s going to be busy for a while. Do you want to help me bring her twin sister here for a full family reunion?¡±


    Sylphid gave me a pointed look and I chuckled. I pulled a cow out of Tabitha''s bag and the dragon happily ate it. When she was done, she knelt to let me climb onto her back. I told her how to get to the monastery and we took off at her fastest speed.


    It shouldn''t take us long to return and I would witness another daughter''s reunion with her long-lost mother, after I removed the brainwashing and healed Josette of everything the church did to her.

 58 A Side Trip Or Two

    58 A Side Trip Or Two


    It was surprisingly easy for me to have an appointment with a girl that was raised in a monastery for her entire life. You would think that they would have some kind of restrictions for a nun meeting a man she didn''t know, like supervision of an older nun or having it in a public ce like the rectory or the confessional.


    They did none of that and led me to a private meeting room and Josette was brought to me soon after. It was almost funny how much she looked like Tabitha, aka Princess Charlotte, and I had to fight my strong urge to run across the room to hug and cuddle the cutie. She seemed to notice my struggle and blushed slightly.


    I waited for the priest to leave before I spoke. ¡°My name is Saito Bell Issei Hyudou Cranel Hiraga and I only have two questions for you.¡±


    Josette gave me that tilted head look. ¡°Do I know who I am and do I want to leave here.¡±


    ¡°You''re just as smart as your sister... and you''re right about the first question. ¡± I said and couldn''t fight my instincts anymore. I walked across the room and wrapped my arms around her. ¡°The second question is do you want me to help you.¡±


    Josette blushed fully as I cuddled her and she looked up into my eyes. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Checking your answers.¡± I said and made her a temporary party member and saw the conditions she had. Compulsions and magical vow bindings practically glowed around her when I cast theprehensive diagnostic spell that I used on Hephaestus to diagnose her curse.


    I spent 500 Karma points to clear her conditions and changed her Void affinity to Water with Ice specialty, just like Tabitha. Josette gasped as my magic changed her and her body glowed. It took several seconds for it to work and I watched her eyes behind her sses as she realized what had been happening to her for years.


    The brainwashing was as clear as day to her now and her cute face showed anger as her magic flowed through her at a strength that surprised her.


    ¡°Let me go, Saito. I need my hands free for this.¡± Josette ordered me.


    ¡°As youmand, princess.¡± I said and let her go as I stepped back.


    Josette pulled a miniature staff out of her pocket and it grew to full size. She gathered a lot of power to herself, almost too much, then she did something amazing. She tapped the floor with the end of it and wave of magic flowed out of her as everything was encased in ice and frozen solid. I followed it using a detection spell and after 200 feet, I couldn''t tell you what was happening.


    ¡°Saito, if you would be so kind.¡± Josette said and motioned to the frozen wall.


    I gave her a smile and drew my sword. ¡°I would be honored, princess.¡±


    Josette watched as I charged my mythril sword with Holy Lightning and her eyes widened.


    ¡°You might want to close your eyes for this part.¡± I said and took a fighting pose, then I dashed to the wall and mmed my sword into the wall.


    *BBBBZZZOOOOOWWWW!* *WHI-CRASH!*


    The entire ice-frozen monastery was engulfed with Holy Lightning and then shattered like ss. Josette uncovered her eyes and she looked around at the piles and piles of ice shards no bigger than a finger. She looked at me, at my sword, and at all of the open space around us where a monastery used to be that was filled with corrupted holy people.


    ¡°Thank you for letting me do that, your highness.¡± I said and sheathed my sword. Removing and entire corrupted order of priests and fake holy people gave me a huge Karma point bonus. I held a hand out to the princess and she took it with a happy smile. I waved at the shocked dragon waiting in the field across the road to let Sylphid know that we were okay. ¡°Your chariot awaits.¡±


    Josette nodded and let me escort her across the icyndscape and then across the road to the dragon. It sniffed at her and nodded, then knelt to allow her to climb on. I patted the dragon''s side and walked back across the distance to a spot I had detected with my magic. I used Fire to melt away the ice shards and then opened up the stairwell.


    Josette and Sylphid watched as I descended underground. I cast a silence spell on the entrance and then I drew my sword again. I had a few more holy people to remove from this world and some more treasure to plunder. It wasn''t like the church was going to need it after today.


    *


    Tabitha was having a wonderful time reconnecting with her mother and telling her all of the things she had aplished for the kingdom over the years, thetest being enrolled in the magic academy and settling the water spirit that was flooding the countryside.


    The door to the room opened and both she and her mother gasped at the sight. The nurse fainted.


    ¡°Mother. Sister.¡± Josette said and strode into the room as if she owned it.


    ¡°My baby.¡± Their mother said and opened her arms.


    The three female family members embraced and more tears were shed. The sharing of life stories continued with the new addition and the three of them didn''t notice that a certain armored young man had already left and bribed the dragon for another ride.


    *


    Two and a half hourster, Sylphidnded near the vige of Tarbes and I slid off of her back. It was easy to find the hidden garage where Siesta''s family had stored their family''s mechanical dragon. Sylphid watched with curiosity as I opened therge hangar doors and revealed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter ne. Sylphid made a scoff sound at it, probably because it didn''t look like a dragon.


    It was used by the Japanese Navy on aircraft carriers and they had an extremely long flight range of 1,600 miles and could fly for 8 to 12 hours if you were economical with the fuel. The ne was in pristine condition, despite the family not having any simr technology to work from.


    Siesta''s great-grandfather must have drilled its maintenance into his children''s heads for them to take care of the ne so well. Luckily, it was mostly mechanical inside with no significant electronics, besides the radio, and that wouldn''t work here without the requisite radio towers anyway.


    ¡°I need to build a special trunk for this thing to fit.¡± I said and Sylphid barked augh. ¡°Yeah, youugh now...¡± I trailed off and took off my backpack to get to work. It was going to be a really weird trunk with such a wide opening, just because I didn''t want to possibly damage the thing bypressing it through a smaller opening.


    Half an hour of enchanting work and stretching a single trunk to the width of the wingspan, I feltfortable enough to set it behind the ne and opened it, then unlocked the brakes and removed the blocks by the wheels. I pushed the ne backwards and it slid into the expanded space easily.


    I set the blocks back and locked the brakes once more, cast cushioning charms on everything, and closed the trunk. To Sylphid''s shock, I put the really long trunk into my backpack and put it on.


    ¡°I''m ready to head back.¡± I said and the dragon stared at me like I had two heads. I did not make the joke that I did have two heads and sometimes thought with the other one. It was too easy.


    Sylphid epted another bribe and we were on our way.


    When we returned to the pce in Gallia, no one noticed we had left. It made meugh and I sat with some of the excited staff as they ate in the small dining room. I had changed out of my armor and wore mymoner clothes, so no one noticed that I wasn''t supposed to be there. I finished eating and left the room, changed my clothes to be a noble again, and went to the wing of the castle where the duchess was.


    I wasn''t surprised to hear them arguing about who was going to ascend to the throne with their uncle dead. The duchess couldn''t, because her husband would have to be alive for her to im to be queen. That meant it went to the eldest daughter, Tabitha aka Princess Charlotte. She didn''t want to be queen with her life finally getting back to normal and didn''t want to give that up.


    Josette said she would be queen on her behalf and pretend to be her, since she had no life anyway and giving up nothing wouldn''t bother her. Their mother sighed and tried to convince them that there was no way that they could fool the entire kingdom that the younger daughter was the elder one, especially since Josette wasn''t supposed to exist.


    ¡°Then change their names.¡± I suggested and all three women turned to stare at me. ¡°If Princess Charlotte is set to be Queen of Gallia, then we switch Charlotte''s and Josette''s names and Josette can be Charlotte and Tabitha can keep using her fake name at school. No one will ever know the difference.¡±


    ¡°That... that''s brilliant.¡± Tabitha said and gave me a pointed look. ¡°Where were those brains before?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°They''re there, just well hidden.¡±


    Josette and their mother smiled.


    ¡°How do you suggest we aplish this feat?¡± Their mother asked. ¡°Just signing documents won''t work.¡±


    I walked over and put a hand on Tabitha''s shoulder and then Josette''s. ¡°I''ll take care of it with my magic.¡± I said and did a quick name switch with them as temporary party members.


    Both girls sucked in sharp breaths and then exchanged surprised looks. A momentter, they both leaned in and kissed my cheeks before they spoke at the same time. ¡°Thank you, Saito.¡±


    I couldn''t stop my erection from showing and that made the two girls giggle softly.


    ¡°I cannot believe... how did you do that?¡± The duchess whispered.


    ¡°Magic.¡± Tabitha and her sister said at the same time.


    ¡°With that done, we really need to get back to the academy.¡± I said and motioned to the door.


    Tabitha nodded and hugged her mother, hugged her sister, and took my hand. We left two very happy people behind as we exited the castle and met up with Sylphid again. We climbed onto her back and we began the long flight back to Tristain.


    ¡°Louise is going to be angry at you for being away from her for two days.¡± Tabitha said over the rush of wind around us.


    Iughed and she nced back at me. ¡°I''m not stupid enough to do that. She''s in an enchanted sleep and won''t even realize that any time has passed or that I''ve been gone.¡±


    Tabitha looked shocked for a moment, then she smiled a happy smile and nodded. We flew to the first rest stop and Sylphid rxed and pretended to take a nap. I knew this because she had those half-lidded eyes staring at me.


    When I turned towards Tabitha with a smile and opened my mouth to ask if Sylphid always pretended to sleep, I was tackled to the ground and kissed passionately. After several minutes, we were about half undressed and my reasoning came back with a rush.


    I broke the kiss and caught her roaming hands before she opened my pants. ¡°Tabitha, what are you doing?¡±


    Tabitha gave me a knowing smirk and reached into the side of her bag and pulled out a mistress contract. She had prepared it for Josette, because as the second princess, she wasn''t allowed to ascend to the throne. Since she was now named Josette, she had signed it and it was legally binding. My mouth dropped open as my party updated and I gained a third mistress and a party member.


    Tabitha tossed the paper aside and tackled me again. ¡°Don''t disappoint me, Saito.¡±


    I didn''t, as her screams of pleasure proved. It was always the quiet ones that made the most noise.


    Syphid certainly had an eyeful as we went at it and she learned a lot more about human anatomy than she ever thought she would.


    *


    Louise woke up after the best sleep she had ever slept. She rolled over onto her side and snuggled into her favorite cuddle pillow that did the most wonderful things with his tongue and his fingers. In fact, she felt quite a bit better than she had when she went to sleep... and also a little horny.


    Her hand went down to what was bing her favorite ything and she found it was soft. She sighed with disappointment and let it go. It wasn''t as fun to steal moments like that if he wasn''t already hard. Who would have thought it would keep shooting if you kept ying with it, even with him asleep? It was like a never-ending fountain!


    ¡°Good morning, sleeping beauty.¡± Saito whispered.


    ¡°Eh.¡± Louise said and sighed again. ¡°Morning.¡±


    Saito chuckled. ¡°Someone''s grumpy they can''t y today.¡±


    Louise sat up and looked down at him, her eyes roaming over his muscles and she couldn''t stop herself from regretting that she couldn''t sign a mistress contract to get by his marriage vows and her own chastity use with her family. With her betrothal to Wendes ended, she was put up on the market once more and would have to start meeting potential suitors.


    ¡°We should keep to the agreement we made going to the capital.¡± Saito reminded her and she nodded with a sigh. ¡°It''s not so bad to stay friends, is it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Louise said and climbed out of bed. ¡°Bath time?¡±


    Saito agreed and they went to the bath and took one together. Just rxing and letting the world pass them by was the best. They spent twenty minutes just sitting there in the water and not talking or doing anything.


    When they were done, they dried off and helped each other dress, then left to go eat breakfast. The ce was nearly empty with nearly everyone gone home for the break. Tabitha, her best friend Kirche, the blond boy Guiche, and his betrothed Montmorency, were the only ones at their year table.


    ¡°Good morning, fellow moochers.¡± Saito greeted them with a wave.


    The tall redhead looked scandalized and Tabitha smiled. Guiche barked augh and Montmorency hit his arm.


    ¡°He means we''re staying at the school and giving the remaining cooking staff something to do.¡± Louise corrected him.


    ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Saito said and walked around the table to give Tabitha a kiss on the lips.


    Kirche gasped and stared at them, as did Guiche and Montmorency. Louise was too shocked by the tant act that she didn''t know how to react.


    ¡°Mistress.¡± Tabitha said as an exnation and they nodded in understanding.


    Louise felt sad about that, mostly because she couldn''t ept it, even if she was the third sister in her own family. Her status was much too high for her to throw all of that prestige away.


    ¡°Oh, there are the other two. Excuse me for a minute.¡± Saito said and walked off towards the head table. The other teachers and remaining students were stunned when he gave deep kisses to both Professor Chevreuse and Professor Cybil.


    The two women let out softughs and motioned for him to go back to Louise''s table. He bowed slightly to them to make them blush and went back over to Louise, whom gave him a nk stare.


    ¡°I need to talk to Mister Colbert and probably Headmaster Osmand after breakfast about something.¡± Saito said and sat down beside Louise.


    ¡°About what?¡± Guiche asked as he smiled and his eyes sparkled.


    ¡°You''re getting quick with that mour spell. I didn''t see your wand move.¡± Saitoplimented.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Guiche said, proudly.


    ¡°I found one of the legendary metal dragons and need a miner to acquire metal to try and replicate it.¡± Saito said andplete silence fell around him. ¡°What is it?¡± He asked and paused his eating.


    ¡°You can''t be serious!¡± Louise eximed. ¡°There''s a reason it''s legendary!¡±


    Saito chuckled. ¡°I know. I saw it and I have to say it''s a prime example of mechanical engineering. All the parts should be easily reproducible, thanks to transfiguration, and even people with no real knowledge of how it works can maintain it.¡±


    The others just stared at him and didn''t speak.


    ¡°I need to look at the bullets for the machine guns and see if they can be reproduced with the local gunpowder. If they can, the only thing needed is for people to learn how to fly it.¡±


    ¡°You don''t fly a dragon. You tell it where to go and it flies.¡± Tabitha said.


    Saito gave her a warm smile. ¡°This dragon doesn''t have a brain and is fully mechanical. Levers, switches, pedals, the whole works. Someone has to control everything.¡±


    ¡°How do they do that?¡± Kirche asked.


    ¡°With practice.¡± Saito said and started eating again.

 59 Aerial Manoeuvres

    59 Aerial Manoeuvres


    Both the headmaster and Mister Colbert were happy to meet with me. When I mentioned the legendary metal dragon, both grilled me about its existence. I took it in stride and answered everything I knew about it, which wasn''t much, except for what I had nned for it. Since it was an almostpletely mechanical ne, it really would be easily reproducible.


    Mister Colbert surprised me by saying he had been experimenting for years with dragon''s blood and had made a suitable elixir inparison. He brought us to hisb and Iughed when I saw that the nut had built a small oil refinery and actually could make respectable gasoline.


    I congratted him and told him he was going to be rich for his discovery, even if he signs everything over to the academy. Once we had a bunch of mechanical dragons built, they were all going to need dragon''s blood that only he could make. That was assuming he wasn''t going to sell most of hisb equipment for someone else to use.


    ¡°Bite you tongue, young man!¡± Mister Colbert eximed.


    Both the headmaster and Iughed at his indignation.


    When he calmed down, Mister Colbert told us the story of how the dragons had appeared in the first ce and then how one of them left during a sr eclipse, I knew that was the natural portal to enter and leave the world.


    ¡°When is the next sr eclipse?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In three weeks.¡± Mister Colbert said and handed me a chart that showed the regrity of the urrence. It was a little shocking to see so many natural portals had opened up to another world on such a regr basis, like it was nned.


    Why someone or something would set that up, was beyond me, since little idents and opened portals had dropped off a lot of different things in this world over the years. The contamination had changed this world more than anyone would suspect.


    I handed him the chart back and sighed. ¡°Louise isn''t going to be happy when I tell her.¡±


    Both the headmaster and Mister Colbert looked a little sad and nodded inmiseration. They knew Louise''s life had improved immeasurably because of me and I had stabilized her magic. It had also calmed her down a lot as well and she wasn''t so angry all the time.


    ¡°There''s nothing you can do about it, because you are going to ignore the obvious choice of staying with her.¡± The headmaster said.


    I opened my mouth to say I couldn''t, then thought about it. It was an obvious choice and it was what Saito in the story did. The problem was, I had a wife in another world and she was waiting for me. At least, I thought she was. I checked the party system again and she was still greyed out. When I asked about contacting her, there was no option or new text box.


    I sighed again and wondered if my mistresses would disappear from the party screen when I left this world or would they grey out, too? Did using a portal and not dying count as leaving a link to a previous world? Was that how it worked to get around leaving everything behind?


    ¡°You need to talk to her, Saito. Let her know how you feel.¡± The headmaster said.


    I sighed once more and nodded. ¡°Mister Colbert, get to work making more dragon''s blood. If you need money for supplies...¡± I reached into my backpack and pulled out a dozen gems worth a small fortune. ¡°...this should be enough.¡±


    Both the headmaster and Mister Colbert stared at me.


    ¡°I''ve been busy.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Headmaster, let me know when you can get those miners.¡±


    The headmaster nodded and I left theb to go find Louise. I had a surefire way to get her to listen to me and not stomp off angrily.


    *


    Louise was incensed. She had discreetly followed Saito for his meeting and overheard everything. That rotten bastard was going to leave her! Her! Louise Fran?oise Le nc de La Valli¨¨re! How dare he think he can abandon her without any repercussions!


    She stormed into the main courtyard where she knew the others staying at the academy were. They all looked surprised at her angry face and she approached them aggressively, like she had before gaining her familiar, and only Tabitha figured out what was going on and whispered for the others to listen without getting angry.


    Louise started to rant and rave about Saito, about how ungrateful he was, lied about his pecker and said it was tiny, and how she was going to remove it so that he would always remember what he did to her. When she asked someone to give her a rusty spoon to take care of him, a wash of magic flowed over them all as the sounds of a strumming guitar echoed off the walls.


    ¡°I know there''s something in the wake of your smile... I get a notion from the look in your eyes... You''ve built a love, but that love falls apart... Your little piece of Heaven, turns to dust.¡± Saito''s soothing voice sang and it touched them all. ¡°Listen to your heart, when I''m calling for you... Listen to your heart, there''s nothing else you can do... I don''t know where I''m going, and I don''t know why... But listen to your heart, before you tell me goodbye.¡±


    Tabitha and Kirche started to tear up while Guiche and Montmorency looked sad. Louise on the other hand, looked conflicted. They would never know the lyrics were slightly altered to apply to Louise.


    ¡°Sometimes you wonder, if this fight is worthwhile... The precious moments, are all lost in the dark... They''re swept away, and nothing is what is seems... The feeling of belonging, to your heart. Listen to your heart, when I''m calling for you... Listen to your heart, there''s nothing else you can do... I don''t know where I''m going, and I don''t know why... But listen to your heart, before you tell me goodbye.¡±


    They watched as Saito walked towards them and yed his magical instrument.


    ¡°And there are voices that want to be heard... So much to mention, but I can''t find the words... The sight of your magic, the beauty that''s you (the beauty that''s you)... Our love could be wilder than the wind.¡± Saito said and looked right at Louise. ¡°Listen to your heart, when I''m calling for you... Listen to your heart, there''s nothing else you can do... I don''t know where I''m going, and I don''t know why... I don''t know why... but I... I have to go.¡±


    Louise let her tears out as the music faded and she looked up at his face. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I can''t stay.¡± Saito said and put the instrument away. ¡°It hurts you too much to see me give to others what we both know I can''t give to you.¡±


    Louise wiped at her eyes. ¡°Saito...¡±


    ¡°I also can''t stand by and watch you be pawned off to some rich noble idiot that doesn''t deserve you.¡± Saito said and the girls gasped. ¡°Yes, I know that''s how it''s always been done. That doesn''t mean it''s right or that I have to like it.¡±


    Louise took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Saito, I... I don''t like it either. But... but...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Saito said and stepped close to hug her and kissed the top of her head. ¡°We''re both under personal obligations that we can''t disregard because of who we are.¡±


    Louise let out a soft sob. ¡°I can''t even kiss you like I want to, because it''s not proper! It''s not fair!¡±


    ¡°I know, Louise. I know.¡± Saito said and held her for several minutes to let her cry herself out.


    Louiseposed herself and let him go as she stepped back. ¡°I don''t think I can share a room with you anymore.¡±


    ¡°We''ve already shared all that we could, so I have to agree. I''ll stay in the new hangar the headmaster is having built.¡± Saito said.


    ¡°He''s what?¡± The others asked.


    ¡°I''m going to reproduce the metal dragon and they need somewhere to store them, so arge building will be built at the back of the academy with several runways. Once I make ten copies of each part and show the hired civilians how to assemble them, I''ll make a standard set to be kept apart for other magic users to replicate with transfiguration and they can rece or repair any damaged part.¡±


    ¡°That is a surprisingly intelligent idea.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°It also leaves them a temte to make more than the ten new dragons.¡±


    Saito nodded at her. ¡°If the headmaster gets the cooperation of the various Tristain Military forces, this country will soon have thergest aerial force in the world that no one will want to mess with.¡±


    That made the teens look happy, especially Kirche, since her family was a prominent military one in Germania. With the peace treaty signed between them and Tristain and the uing wedding between Germania''s Emperor and Princess Henrietta, both of their countries were going to be untouchable.


    ¡°How soon are you leaving?¡± Tabitha asked.


    ¡°The portal opens at the next sr eclipse in three weeks and I need to fly the old dragon into the sun.¡± Saito said and all of them looked shocked. ¡°No, I''m not crazy. Mister Colbert told me the story and that was what he assumed happened to the second dragon. One made it through and the other was left behind.¡±


    Only Tabitha was able to quickly recover from that reveal. ¡°I would help you if I could.¡±


    Saito smiled at her. ¡°I would have asked already if I thought you could.¡±


    Tabitha nodded and looked thoughtful. ¡°When will the hangar be finished?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow or the next day.¡± Saito responded.


    None of them missed seeing Louise look embarrassed as her face flushed red.


    ¡°No, Louise. It''s okay. Despite how we feel about each other, we should stay apart.¡± Saito reassured her and Louise sighed.


    ¡°You''re not making this any easier, you know.¡± Louise said.


    ¡°Love is never easy to ignore.¡± Saito said wisely and Louise blushed for a different reason. ¡°If you will excuse me, I need to go supervise and maybe help with the construction. I''ll see you all at supper in the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°See you.¡± ¡°Later.¡±


    Louise gave him a little wave instead of speaking and watched as he walked away. Tears pricked at her eyes and she wiped at them before she started crying again.


    ¡°He really does love you.¡± Tabitha said to her.


    ¡°I know. I... I...¡± Louise shook her head. ¡°I can''t say it.¡±


    ¡°Neither can he. Not directly.¡± Tabitha said and stood. ¡°I''m going to my room to read.¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Kirche said to her friend and watched as she left.


    ¡°Do you think she''s really going to her room to read?¡± Guiche asked.


    The four friends exchanged looks for a moment, then scrambled to follow her.


    Ten minutester, they sighed in disappointment and left their hiding ces after confirming that Tabitha really wasying on her bed and reading a book.


    ¡°They''re finally gone.¡± Tabitha whispered and closed her book to pull off her clothes.


    ¡°I would have waited for as long as you wanted.¡± Saito said and moved the fake wall piece aside and revealed a doorway. He had expanded the room like he did to Louise''s and inside was a bunch of restored furniture and a king-sized bed. ¡°We only have three weeks left to enjoy this.¡±


    Tabitha nodded and pulled off his clothes. They fell onto the bed together and kissed passionately before they did what they both desperately needed to make themselves feel better.


    *


    That night after a day full of work helping to build therge hangar, Saito went to Professor Cybil''s room and met with her and Chevreuse. There he exined what was going on, in case they hadn''t heard about it already, and they were just as eager as Tabitha to ensure that theirst three weeks together weren''t going to be wasted. He would end up never sleeping in the hangar.


    *


    The headmaster ended up contracting five miners and they pulled a lot of ore out of the ground. When I had exined what I wanted, mostly aluminumposites, and they had no idea what I was talking about. It made meugh internally, mostly because I wasn''t a chemical scientist or engineer and didn''t really have the words to express what I wanted. So, I cheated.


    I had them pull up any light metal that they could and transfigured the chunks it into lightweight aluminum. It was the easiest way and it also meant I would have to spend a lot of extra time converting more and more metal to be usedter, most of which I made intorge sheets for the fusge.


    Having a fully working fighter ne was definitely a huge benefit to making another one. With the use of my detection spell, I could focus on specific parts, even internal ones, and reproduced them. The headmaster himself was there with several professors, including Chevreuse and Cybil, and they learned how to make and repair the recement parts as I gave them ten examples to work from.


    I had to stop at one point for the work crews to write down what I was exining. We took a break for a whole day and made everything out into both a maintenance manual and also a flight training guide. If you knew how everything worked, it was only a small step to learn how to fly the thing.


    The Germanian troops and officers had also started arriving inrge groups that week and setting up military defenses as Tristain built up their own troops and military assets. There was always a danger of invasion from neighboring countries and Tristain had always been vulnerable to that, until the recent peace treaty.


    A lot of their mages were called in to help us and were awed by my creations, especially since the civilian work crews had started building the first set of five nes to be assembled. The fascination of the Germanian mages was reflected by the Germanian officers and they approved of both the method and the execution of my ideas.


    In fact, during thest week, they admitted that they had unearthed something simr and it had been stolen by the Romalian Forces, namely the Holy Land''s rulers. It was something that they had been doing for centuries and waging their own Holy Wars using weapons and items from the other world. That exined why Siesta''s family had been so adamant about hiding the metal dragon.


    I chuckled at that, especially now that I was teaching a veryrge group of mages how to recreate and make the parts to build their own metal dragons. I was sure that they would be making their own versions of nes in no time, because once an idea was shared, everyone ran with it. That was when I had an errant thought... could I raid the Holy City''s secret armory?


    ¡°The answer is no.¡± The headmaster''s voice broke me out of my reverie.


    I turned my head from the next pile of ore in front of me to give him raised eyebrows.


    ¡°We''re finally getting a proper defense for our country. You will not be allowed to start a war with another country before we''ve finished.¡± The headmaster said.


    ¡°What about afterwards?¡± I asked, jokingly.


    ¡°You won''t be here to cause trouble.¡± He said with a chuckle and walked away.


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± I grumbled and went back to work. I would finish changing this ten foot pile of ore into aluminum sheets and then take a break. Tabitha would be waiting for me in the cafeteria to share lunch, and maybe a bit more. She was really cute when she squealed and we only had another day left before the scheduled eclipse.

 60 Escapism At Its Finest

    60 Escapism At Its Finest


    I spent the evening with Tabitha and the night with Chevreuse and Cybil. It was a teary goodbye the next morning, because neither of them wanted to witness me leaving them for good. Tabitha seemed okay with it, for some reason. It was almost as if she expected me to leave and this was just the confirmation.


    It took me an hour after breakfast to convince Tabitha that I didn''t want to leave and that I had to, or I would die and that wouldn''t be good for anyone, especially her. If I didn''t move on, fate would ensure that something happened to make sure that I did. She epted that and kissed me goodbye.


    Louise on the other hand, had already distanced herself enough during thest three weeks that she was only a friend. When I checked the party screen, she was already greyed out and the double lines had reduced to a single dotted one.


    As far as I could tell, that meant the connection was a tentative one and wouldn''tst past me leaving, so I spent the Karma points to end it now without repercussions for either of us. It was both sad and understandable. She let me kiss her cheek and that was all.


    I checked the party screen again and did the same thing for Tabitha, Chevreuse, and Cybil, now that I had the option. When I checked the other party members that I had, they also had the same options. I thought that was odd, until I realized I had been ejected from thest world before I could clean up the party system. It wouldn''t let me select them to fix it, however.


    I pushed those thoughts aside and went to the hangar to take out the first ne. I easily pushed it out onto the runway and there were several ps off to the side. I turned and saw several people there, ranging from the headmaster of the academy to Montmorency, the girl that liked me the least. I thanked them all for everything, climbed into the cockpit, and started the engine.


    The fighter ne started right away and it purred, thanks to me checking everything over to make sure it was all perfect. Apparently, being a mechanic was one of the skills that a normal person could use, as was being a pilot. I knew exactly what to do as I let off the brake and the propeller pulled the ne forward. I increased the propeller''s speed, which increased the ne''s speed, and I was quickly up in the air.


    More apuse came from the gathered crowd, since this was the very first flight. I did a fly-by and tilted the ne to wave to them, they cheered and waved back. I righted the ne and flew in the right direction. When I checked the invisible clock in my head, I was right on time. The sun was starting to be obscured as the eclipse formed and I could feel the magic gathering.


    I turned the ne and faced towards where I knew the portal was going to be. I wasn''t sure how long it would be open for, so I needed to be in the right spot for the transition. If I wasn''t... well... I was going to be moving on anyways.


    I almost felt a physical snap in my magic as the eclipse finished and the portal opened. It was huge! I couldn''t understand how someone could cast such destructive magic unfettered and think it was good for the world to cause such disruption on a regr basis. I fixed the ps and the rudder, set them and the flight stick, then closed my eyes as I cast magic detection.


    At the very instant I felt myself cross the event horizon of the portal, I concentrated and cast dispel and agreed to pay the Karma point cost to permanently close the portals. The funny part was that I couldn''t see what my Karma point total was. It had been blocked ever since Ipleted my first quest, which meant someone was interfering, probably Fate. It''s why I had the crazy idea to close the portals.


    I felt myself hitting a brick wall and then being torn away from the inside of the ne, then nothing.


    After an unknown amount of time, the blue box that appeared in front of my face finally showed something.


    <b>I can''t believe you did that.</b>


    <i>Which part? Remaining true to my wife or sessfully introducing the joys of flying to a medieval society?</i> I asked with a chuckle.


    <b>You derailed the entire plot of the world you were in and then sealed it within its own micro-verse for a ridiculous amount of Karma points!</b>


    <i>Ah, I see. Let me guess, you''re upset that you can''t y with my new total, whatever it is, because you blocked me from seeing it and now you can''t see it, either.</i>


    <b>Yes! That''s it exactly! I wanted to y with all of that and you took it from me!</b>


    <i>Hey, don''t get angry at me for ying the game. It''s <b>my</b> system. You are <b>only</b> the administrator.</i>


    <b>How dare you insult...</b>


    The big blue box disappeared and left me all alone in the darkness.


    <i>I wonder if I can pop over to the gift shop while I''m waiting?</i> I asked and suddenly found myself there at the Level 1 shop. <i>Ha ha! Awesome. Thanks!</i>


    The smaller blue box appeared with the fancy writing. <b>You''re wee, Sweetie.</b>


    <i>Fate! How did you like screwing me over so quickly again?</i> I asked and grabbed a couple of t-shirts with some good slogans on them. When I wondered how I was going to store them after I bought them, two options appeared. One for my expanded backpack that I somehow still wore and to buy an extra-dimensional space for a personal inventory. I chose to buy the space for 5,000 Karma points and put my backpack in it.


    <b>It was a littleckluster, considering you didn''t go out in a ze of glory.</b> The little blue box showed and then had the word ''giggle'' on it. <b>You didn''t even leave any special deposits! I was so disappointed that I won''t get to y with your future kids on that locked world.</b>


    Iughed at her exnation. <i>I''m sorry about that. It didn''t even ur to me to do that, especially with all the social restrictions on nobles there. Children aren''t discussed until at least a year after marriage.</i> I grabbed 2 lightsaber keychains for 50 credits each, or 1000 Karma points total. It wasn''t cheap, because each credit cost 10 Karma points. <i>I don''t suppose you know my Karma point total, do you?</i>


    <b>I do, and believe me, you can pretty much do what you want, even after spending all those points on closing the portals. The idiot that is supposed to take care of you was upset that he was going to get a huge payout for you doing so well on thatst world and screwed himself over by jumping the gun and messing with you instead.</b>


    <i>I had suspected that, thanks.</i> I thought and browsed around for a while. They had a lot of weird and funny books and I barely stopped myself from grabbing a bunch of them and only chose a couple of my favorites for 10 credits each.


    For augh, I bought the pink werebunny Halloween costume for 400 credits. I also settled the previous bill I had for 100 credits for Fate''s earrings. Thest thing I picked up a red baseball cap with The sh''s ankle wings on it for 150 credits. It gave me a 20% speed boost when worn and that was worth the Karma points.


    Just as I was about to leave, I received a popup with the bill for a dog cor for 150 credits that had ''Fate''s Bitch'' engraved on it. Iughed and paid it right away, and went back to the ckness to wait for what happened next.


    I floated there and started to read one of the books I bought, a science fiction novel about space warfare and other worlds. Almost immediately, I thought I felt something settle beside me and cuddled into my side. I absently put my arm around the unseen presence and the pages of the book started to turn by themselves, so it was a win-win situation for me.


    We finished the book about ten hourster and it was a great book, just like it had been the first time I read it. I had meant to sit down and read it again and just never found the time to do it. Now I had and it was great.


    <i>Thanks for thepany and the cuddles. I had a great time.</i> I thought to whomever was with me. I felt a kiss on my cheek and then the presence faded away.


    A big green box appeared in front of me. <b>Hello, there! I''m your new handler!</b>


    <i>Greetings and salutations, new handler. Do you think you can do a decent job?</i>


    <b>I can do better than that!</b> The green box showed. <b>Here''s your current Karma point total.</b>


    <b>46,320 Karma points.</b>


    My mouth dropped open and I stared at the number. It was ridiculous, especially after all the points I spent in the shop. <i>Is that real?</i>


    <b>It is, my transitional friend! After you gutted it by spending 100,000 Karma points to close all ess to thest world, that is all that remains.</b>


    I choked on my own spit at the cost of what I unknowingly spent. I had thought maybe 10,000 or 25,000 because of the size of the portals and their frequency. Instead it cost 100,000 Karma points.


    <i>No wonder thest guy was upset!</i> I eximed in my head. <i>Holy hell, I''m upset now, too!</i>


    <b>Ha ha! No worries! You''ve done well and chose wisely. Thanks to your intervention, you saved millions of people from their unnatural deaths from Void exposure and conflict.</b>


    I wasn''t sure if I needed to respond to that, so I stayed quiet.


    <b>Now, let''s move on to your choices for the next world.</b>


    My eyes bulged as a list of 700 entries appeared with all of their options for insertions, alternate universes, alternate timelines, and even changing who the protagonist was. I shook my head at that and suddenly remembered what Fate had told me before about what I could do if I had been here and had over 20,000 Karma points.


    I could chose anyone and create my own story as the protagonist. An absurd idea shed through my mind and I held in my giggle at the fun I could have. It would be a total crack fiction, quite intentionally, and it would let me reward myself for getting through what I had been through.


    The first thing I did was check the party system and paid off the detriments that Hestia, Lili, and Aiz suffered for me not ending the party at the time. I checked Hestia''s entry and saw her power boost had doubled and the wife / goddess part that was greyed out had ''suspended until further notice'' written across it. Before I could ask what that meant, Fate''s little blue box appeared.


    <b>That''s one of the things yourst handler was in trouble for. He was supposed to tell you that all personal rtionships end when you leave a world by any means and will only reinstate if you return there.</b>


    I frowned at that. <i>But, doesn''t that mean I''m not married to Hestia anymore?</i>


    Fate''s little box showed the word ''sigh''. <b>I see your old handler neglected to tell you a few basic things. Bell was the one that married Hestia. If you ever return to that world, if you''re lucky, you''ll be Bell again and reinstate it.</b>


    <i>I can''t just pay Karma points and have it happen?</i> I asked.


    <b>It doesn''t work that way. You have The Protagonist System. The story has to be about you. If you leave a world, the story is no longer about you. As I said, if you get the chance to return and are lucky, you''ll insert as Bell again.</b>


    I felt sad about that. <i>I thought she would be waiting for me to return.</i>


    <b>She is. Was. Might be. It''s why you usually automatically end the party sharing system before you leave a world. It''s only detrimental to those you leave behind, because it''s a constant reminder that they lost you.</b>


    I sighed and nodded. <i>I guess I have no choice but to move on.</i>


    <b>Yes, that''s true. Moving on now. </b>Fate''s box showed.<b> You have the points, so are you going with your fantasy of being Dr. Doom and saving Sue Richards from her boring housewife life?</b>


    <i>It''s tempting, especially as a power fantasy.</i> I thought and tried to put my mind on what I had ahead of me and put Hestia into a special part of my mind to always look forward to going back there. <i>I have a much better idea for a fun time. I need to pop back to the shop and grab a few books first.</i>


    <b>Why would you need books from there?</b> Fate asked me.


    <i>As the backstory.</i> I thought with a smile and reappeared in the shop. I went right over to the book shelves and chose the seven books that I needed. I bought them and a few more lightsaber keychains and reappeared back in the ckness. I floated them out in front of me and I heard a giggle and felt a presence as it settled at my side.


    I spent a week floating there and the presence beside me loved the books. Their excited and happy sounds as I read the voices out loud and altered my own to match, made the whole thing very enjoyable.


    <b>I think I understand what you want.</b> Fate''s little blue box showed when I was done.


    <i>Perhaps.</i> I thought and gave the presence beside me a hug and felt lips on my cheek again before the presence faded. <i>Let me exin what I mean.</i>


    Fate''s little box showed the word ''giggle'' ten times when I told her and it disappeared.


    <b>Congrattions! You have chosen Harry Potter as your reward world!</b>


    <b>Alternate Universe options set:


    Hogwarts changed from a Junior High / High School (ages 11-17) to be a High School / College (ages 14-20).


    In-universe books published about the savior of the wizarding world (the 7 books you read) are canon and not made up or fantasy, despite most adults believing they are (the children know better, as do you).


    Casanova (females are ttered you pay attention to them and are never jealous of others).


    Magical Prodigy (inherent magic unhindered by previous restrictions).


    Partial-Metamorphmagus (can change superficial appearance).</b>


    <b>Items purchased (exclusive for this world only):


    My Home Is My Castle (One-time permanent transfiguration spell. Muggles will only see a normal house while you, your family, and other magicals will see the magnificent castle created.)


    House Elves x5 (cook, maid, nanny, butler, gardener)


    Magical Sync Amulet (all foreign spells, enchantments, curses, and potions go into the amulet instead).


    A Wand For All asions (can use any magical focus as if it was your own).</b>


    <b>Point of Insertion: First Death (Voldemort''s attack). You must live your entire life to the beginning of the ''real'' story, which is your official entry to the wizarding world after you receive your Hogwarts letter. All adventures mentioned in your in-universe books will happen as described.</b>


    I giggled like a little girl as I read all of that over again. It was going to be a pure power fantasy, making Harry Potter into the actual hero that all of the children in the world read about since they were kids.


    It was going to be a little annoying to live out the adventures starting when I be 5 years old, though. But, princesses needed to be saved, dragons need to be yed, and manticores and nundus needed to be culled and tamed... and I was the best person to do it, because I was going to be the best Harry Potter ever!


    <b>Get ready for insertion! Since you''re starting from the beginning, no new memories will be added. Good luck in your self-delusional sex-filled world!


    (<i>You should have bought normal and wizarding disease immunity.</i>)</b>


    <i>WHAT?!?</i> I eximed as everything went ck.

 61 The Boy Who Lived (Harry Potter)

    61 The Boy Who Lived (Harry Potter)


    I opened my eyes and I saw that I was already on the Dursley''s doorstep in my basket, which meant the old bastard had already cast his magic with the blood wards. <i>It was also f-f-frickin'' c-c-cold!</i>


    The first thing I did was cast a heating charm on the nket and my stiff limbs felt a lot better. I cast another on my bass and I felt the feeling return to my fingers and toes. That sure was telling about thepetency of the wizarding world that they hadn''t even bothered to ensure I would live past them dropping me off in the middle of the night.


    I checked the invisible clock in my head and it said it was 4 in the morning. That meant I had about two hours to do what was necessary before Petunia opened the door to pick up the milk and the newspaper beside me.


    The funny thing was, were they already there when Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid had dropped me off or were they dropped off on the doorstep beside my already present basket? What kind of people, wizard or muggle, left a baby in a basket on a doorstep at the start of November?


    When I cast magic detection, I knew what had happened. I had a notice-me-not charm cast on me. Well, cast on my magical sync amulet. That was where the blood wards were locked as well, and so was the second block on my magic that Dumbledore had cast. The first was on myself to reduce idental magic that James and Lily had put on Harry to make their lives easier.


    I dispelled the second block and felt my magic flow through me in a greater amount, which told me that I was a right terror when I threw a tantrum with that much magic inside and it was still suppressed by the first magical block. I dispelled the first block and gasped as my body glowed and magic swelled up and filled me. Being a magical prodigy really boosted me by removing my restrictions.


    I calmed down from the rush and my magic did as well. With that much magic avable, there was so much I could do, even as a fifteen month old baby. I cast an extensive diagnostic on myself and saw the damage to my forehead and found the soul leech horcrux and the residue of my mother''s protective spell that contained it and stopped it from possessing me.


    The next thing I did was transfer the piece of Tom''s soul from my scar into my amulet and the blood ward spell automatically linked to it andtched on, instead of locking it to myself and Petunia. That had worked out even better than cancelling the wards themselves. Even the mail redirect ward had been sucked up and set to stop any mail from going to Tom Riddle, which was hrious, because the monitoring spells and devices Dumbledore cast on my amulet were also keyed to his soul.


    With those worries taken care of, I cast the specific healing spell on myself. The damage I had suffered from the cold, and the magical bacsh of the killing curse the day before, disappeared. My famous scar faded away and this was where my partial-metamorphmagus ability came into y. I changed my messy bird''s nest hair into normal hair and the color to dark red instead of dark brown.


    I would change it back and add the scar to my forehead whenever I went on my adventures, because I had to do them as Harry Potter. I would also need to transfigure my previous noble clothes into an appropriate size to wear as the dashing hero. The robed cape I already owned would go well with it, too.


    When I cast magical detection again, the blood wards around Privet Drive glowed brightly, which made me chuckle. Having a dedicated soul piece attached to them had super-charged them and expanded them to the point that nothing and no one that wanted to cause me harm could appear anywhere in the neighborhood, let alonee to the house.


    My baby giggle was fairly loud as I thought about Albus Dumbledore or any of his agents not being able toe near me in the future. His own set protections for me would keep him and his people away, which was not what he intended at all. Poor old Dumbles won''t know what''s what where I was concerned! Ha ha!


    Now I just had to convince Petunia that taking me in was going to be beneficial to her and her family. That was easily achievable, because I was going to bribe her with some of the jewels and gold I had pilfered on thest world. To that effect, I checked my extra-dimensional space and saw my backpack and everything it had inside. I giggled my babyugh again at everything I had stuffed into it, including the piles of old-fashioned furniture, my crafting supplies, ne parts, and the mounds of treasure.


    Surprisingly, it also had the things I bought in the shop. I had assumed I could only ess those while between worlds and seeing the seven books of the Harry Potter children''s stories, my lightsaber keychains, and even the pink werebunny costume, made meugh again. I couldn''t resist changing my current t-shirt for the one that said I had saved the world and only got that stupid t-shirt.


    I also took out a couple of diamond and emerald nes, bracelets, several individual jewels, and a golden sceptre that was encrusted with gems. It was huge, so I shrank it down to make it look like a baby rattle and held it in my hand. I tucked the bribes along the edge of my nket and held the baby rattle in my little fist.


    The invisible clock in my head told me it was only another hour before Petunia would find me, so I had a bit of time left to do a little more maniption. I created a fake letter from Lily Potter that exined about Albus Dumbledore ignoring her wishes to leave Petunia alone, because he had blocked her magic to make sure Lily was alone and she was never allowed to associate with her muggle rtives.


    I added in a few words about how Dumbledore had manipted her into marrying a ''right twat'' and that she regretted that she could never get the ignorant old codger to fix Petunia and restore her stolen magic. That should set Petunia on a particrly long rant about interfering old men and hopefully on the path to epting me, since I now looked more like Lily than James.


    I cast apulsion on the letter so that Petunia would see it in Lily''s handwritting and tucked the letter under my little pillow and closed my eyes to wait. With luck, she would see some of the shiny gold and jewels when she saw me. If not, I would have to pretend to wake up and shake my baby rattle at her. That it would unshrink as soon as I wasn''t touching it, would definitely get her attention.


    *


    Petunia sighed as she put her sleeping Dudders back in his crib. Four feedings a night was exhausting her and she couldn''t wait to wean him off of her poor sore breasts and could feed him normal milk instead. She checked the clock and saw the time, sighed again, and left the bedroom to go downstairs. She would need to grab the paper and milk before she started making breakfast.


    She opened the door and started to reach down for the newspaper first and froze at the sight of therge wicker bass and the handsome sleeping baby face inside of it. Her eyes immediately saw the dark red hair, the letter tucked on the side, and she was sure that was arge diamond ne. She shook her head at the crazy thought and put the newspaper on the baby''s belly.


    Petunia caught her breath, because the move had dislodged an emerald that was the size of a golf ball. She reached for it and picked it up, her mind not quite making sense of it. It couldn''t be real. It couldn''t. A gem that size was worth thousands... no, hundreds of thousands.


    Her eyes dropped back down to the basket and her eyes caught all of the different things tucked on the sides of the nket. It was a fortune in gold and jewels. A literal fortune. She felt faint and slowly knelt to stop herself from falling, only for that to put her that much closer to the bass and the treasure contained within.


    The baby stirred and opened its eyes and Petunia caught her breath. Lily''s brilliant green eyes looked back at her from the baby''s face and the baby gurgled happily and lifted its hands towards her. Petunia gasped at the small golden rattle in the baby''s hand and she knew without a doubt that it was worth more than their car.


    The baby held it out to her and shook it at her, clearly giving it to her, so Petunia took it. As soon as the baby''s hand stopped touching it, the baby rattle expanded and became a gem-encrusted golden sceptre that was two feet long. She stared at the thing as the baby giggled at her, amused at her shock.


    Petunia shivered at the second fortune in her hand and she didn''t know what to do with it. The baby waved a tiny hand at her and made a grabbing motion, so she handed it back. The thing shrunk again, to her surprise, and the baby giggled and waved it around.


    ¡°I think I need to take you inside.¡± Petunia said and grabbed the bass''s handle, stood, and went back into the house. She left the milk on the doorstep and shut the door, because she had something much more important to do than replenishing the milk in the fridge.


    *


    I pretended to fall asleep and watched her with my magic as she put the bass on the kitchen table. I lightly held the shrunken sceptre and knew she would want to test the shrinking option again and waited patiently as she gently gathered all of the things I had stashed around my nket. When she was done, she stared at the pile of gold and jewels on the table.


    Petunia took the sceptre and set it beside the pile and continued to stare at it. She gave me the sceptre back twice more and seemed at a loss about what to do next. I used magic to move the letter Dumbles had left for her and she snatched it up. She frowned at the terse wording and looked slightly angry, so I did the only responsible thing I could do.


    I rolled over in the bass and my pillow moved just enough to reveal the second letter. Petunia dove on it like a bloodhound and tore it open. Her eyes seemed to dance as she read about Dumbledore''s maniptions on her and Lily and her anger was almost ptable as she finished reading it. Her hands shook and her mouth changed several times from snarling to sucking on a lemon.


    That was perfect for my needs and I rolled back over to let out a happy gurgle and let my hand flop out of the bass and let the sceptre go. It grew to full size and Petunia stared at it, then at me, then at the letter.


    ¡°I need time to think about all of this.¡± Petunia said and stood, looked at the stove, looked down at me, and walked across the kitchen to start cooking. She left the kitchen briefly and brought the milk in from outside, then went back to work.


    I felt and heard the heavy weight moving upstairs and then heard it clomping down the stairs. I didn''t do anything in reaction to knowing the bane of Harry''s normal existence was approaching. I wasn''t just any Harry Potter, I was the best Harry Potter. I wasn''t going to suffer at the hands of an ignorant bigot and thought of several ways to charm the man to get him to like me.


    ¡°Petunia! What in the bloody hell is all of this?!?¡± Vernon shouted when he saw the bass and the pile of gold and jewels on the kitchen table.


    ¡°That stupid old man dropped off Lily''s little boy on our doorstepst night after she was killed.¡± Petunia said. ¡°The fortune was tucked inside the nkets.¡±


    Vernon picked up the sceptre and his eyes almost glowed with greed. I had to hold in myugh at finding such an easy way to start influencing Vernon and wouldn''t need anypulsions or charms.


    ¡°Are they all idiots?¡± Vernon asked. ¡°This almost looks like the Queen''s royal sceptre!¡±


    Petunia shrugged. ¡°I don''t think they realize how much those things are worth, not with so much of it hidden inside a child''s bass.¡±


    I decided it was time to say something profound and took a brilliant red ruby the size of my fist out of my inventory. ¡°Mummy.¡± I said and rolled over in the bass and dropped the ruby onto the table with a tter.


    Both Vernon and Petunia gasped as the huge gem bounced and slid across the table towards Petunia. She darted forward and scooped it up before it fell to the floor. They both stared at the ruby that was more expensive than any of the other single jewels.


    ¡°I think it would be in our best interests to keep the little tyke around.¡± Vernon suggested.


    Petunia carefully added the huge ruby to the pile and reached into the bass to take me out. She lifted me up and cradled me in her arms ¡°What do you say, Harry? Do you want to stay around here for a while?¡±


    I pretended to wake up and smiled at her. ¡°Tunie.¡±


    Petunia stiffed slightly and then smiled a warm smile. ¡°Lily really did tell you about me?¡±


    I nodded slightly and held my arms up. ¡°Tunie! Home!¡± I said loudly and activated the one-time transfiguration spell, My Home Is My Castle.


    The entire house glowed brightly and both Petunia and Vernon let out surprised shouts as the whole ce started to change and expand. The kitchen was now the size of the bottom floor of the house and everything around us changed to be the best magical castle in the whole world. When the glow faded, Petunia and Vernon looked shocked.


    ¡°H-H-Harry, what... what did you just do?¡± Petunia asked.


    ¡°Tunie. Happy!¡± I said and waved a hand in front of us and called forth the 5 house elves. ¡°Floppy! Moppy! Cookie! Butter! Nanny!¡±


    The elves popped into existence and Petunia gasped. Vernon just looked constipated.


    ¡°I bees Cookie and I doos all the cooking.¡± The female elf wearing the chef''s outfit said.


    ¡°I bees Moppy and I doos all the cleaning.¡± The female elf wearing the maid outfit said.


    ¡°I bees Butter and I doos the household chores.¡± The male elf wearing the butler outfit said.


    ¡°I bees Nanny and I takes care of the little ones.¡± The female elf wearing the nurse outfit said.


    ¡°I bees Floppy and I doos the gardening.¡± The male elf wearing the gardener outfit said.


    The two adults looked too stunned to say anything, so I pped my hands and gained everyone''s attention.


    ¡°Cookie, finish Tunie''s brekky.¡± I ordered and the little elf popped from there and over to the massive stove.


    ¡°This bees a proper kitchen. Cookie approves.¡± The elf said and started to magic the food intorger portions.


    ¡°Moppy, check clean home.¡± I said and she nodded and popped away. ¡°Butter, need box.¡± I pointed at the gold and jewels on the expanded table.


    ¡°Right away, little masters.¡± The butler said and snapped his fingers to make a cardboard box appear and started to load everything into it.


    ¡°Nanny...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°I bees checking the other little master.¡± The elf said and popped away.


    ¡°I bees going to check the grounds.¡± The gardener said and popped away.


    ¡°What... what... what the bloody hell is going on?!?¡± Vernon asked with a shout.


    ¡°Mummy loves Tunie.¡± I said and put a tiny hand on Petunia''s neck and cast specific healing on her. ¡°Home safe. Family safe.¡±


    Petunia had tears in her eyes as all of her soreness and tiredness disappeared. ¡°Oh, Harry!¡± She said and cuddled me close to cry tears of relief and happiness.


    ¡°Tunie be happy now.¡± I said and hugged her neck.


    Vernon looked conflicted until the elf cook put a huge te of food in front of him at the table. He gave Petunia a pat on the back and sat down to dig into the great food. Petunia calmed down and went to put me down into the sole high chair, and hesitated.


    ¡°No worries, miss.¡± The nanny elf said as she popped in and a second high chair appeared. She floated a wide awake Dudley into his and he giggled andughed until he settled down, then a huge bowl of mashed food appeared in front of him. He let out a shout of joy and dug both hands into it and shoved it into his mouth.


    Petunia stared at her son''s antics, because he had absolutely refused to eat anything she made and demanded her breast milk.


    ¡°Youse no need to worry no mores. We bees here to help now.¡± The nanny elf said and snapped her fingers.


    I floated out of Petunia''s arms andnded in the second high chair. A bowl of food appeared in front of me and I couldn''t let Dudley show me up. I dug my tiny hands right in there and shoved as much as I could into my mouth. It was a surprisingly delicious mix of egg and mulched sausage with a hint of bacon.


    Petunia sat down beside Vernon and her own te of food appeared. As she ate the great food, her shocked face slowly changed to show a genuine smile.

 62 The Legend Begins

    62 The Legend Begins


    When my bowl was empty of the delicious mulch, Vernon was already elbow deep into reading the morning paper and Petunia looked very happy. I couldn''t tell if it was the full stomach or having house elves taking care of the dishes and cleaning up her son''s mess for her.


    ¡°MILKY!¡± Dudley yelled and pped his hands on his high chair.


    Petunia sighed and stood. ¡°All right. At least I''m not sore this time and it won''t hurt so much.¡±


    I felt really bad hearing that and was d I had healed her earlier.


    Petunia walked over to Dudley and scooped him up, then she froze for a moment. Almost as if she wasn''t sure she was going to do it, she stepped over to me and scooped me up, too. I was so shocked she would include me that I didn''t try to protest as she carried us across the room.


    ¡°The nursing room bees on the left.¡± The nanny elf said and led us out of the kitchen.


    ¡°This ce is gorgeous.¡± Petunia whispered and looked around at all the nice dark wood panelling and the high ceilings with wood ents and thick beams that would put mansions to shame.


    ¡°Castle Home be bestest in the world.¡± Moppy said and walked by us with a feather duster in her little hands. ¡°It has everything youse bees needing.¡±


    Petunia nodded and we entered a very cozy blue room with big plush couches, dressing tables, cribs, stacks of baby clothes and nappies, and stuffed toys galore. She barely acknowledged the nanny elf and sat down on one of the couches, only to sink into the puffy goodness and let out a softugh as she reclined.


    ¡°I''m dreaming. I have to be dreaming.¡± Petunia whispered and adjusted Dudley and myself on either side of her, pulled up her top, and revealed a special bra with removable cups. She popped them off and she hugged Dudley to her left side and then hugged me to her right.


    Dudley sucked that big nipple right in and started to happily suckle. I stared at the thing and felt very conflicted about it. I mean, I was not really a baby and was just stuck in a baby''s body. Could I really drink milk out of her breast like that?


    ¡°Donts bees shy, Master Harry. Mummy milk is best for youse for now.¡± The nanny elf said and she pushed my head right onto Petunia''s nipple and it popped right into my mouth. ¡°We bees working on changing youse out to bottles over the next few weeks and gives mummy a break.¡±


    Petunia sighed contentedly as my mouth started to suckle automatically and relieved some of the pressure she felt. ¡°Thank you, Nanny.¡±


    ¡°Its bees my job to takes cares of the little ones. You part of that til the littles are old enough, then Moppy and Butter helps takes cares of youse.¡± The house elf said and walked over to the piles of clothes and picked out a few different outfits.


    To my surprise, despite the milk being warm, it was surprisingly tasty. Whether it was because my taste buds were underdeveloped or because a mother''s milk really was the best thing for my baby self, was debatable. I still felt conflicted about sucking on Petunia''s nipple, despite how natural it felt.


    I tenderly held onto her breast and tried to not stress her nipple or squeeze too hard as I carefully massaged the breast to get the milk toe out easier. Apparently, that was a skill I was an expert at, because Petunia let out a soft moan and her hand cupped the back of my head and she petted my hair. It was a really weird situation as I fed from her and I was d it would be over in a few weeks.


    ¡°Babies bees doing good feeding and helping mummy. Sleep soon.¡± The nanny elf said and she waved her hand over us.


    I felt the gentle sleep spell being cast and I quickly switched my t-shirt out for a generic one of the same color and let the area spell take effect, even if it was going to focus on the amulet. Getting a good sleep before I had to leave would be good for me. I might have a lot of magic; but, I only had a baby''s body. I wasn''t going to be doing a lot of activities for very long.


    *


    Petunia watched as the two babies let out soft sighs and they drifted off to sleep. She was tempted to stay there with theirforting weights on her, mostly because it was quiet for the first time in a while.


    ¡°I bees taking them to beds.¡± The nanny elf whispered and snapped her fingers. Both babies lifted up and turned over, then floated over to two separate cribs and settled down inside. ¡°Youse be napping, too?¡±


    Petunia shook her head and sat up. Her left nipple felt like it had been under constant assault and was red and slightly inmed, like usual after her Dudders had fed from her. Her right nipple... she didn''t really want to think about how wonderful that felt. Whatever magic Baby Harry had used, made it the best nursing experience she ever had.


    The nanny elf handed her a small jar of bruise creme. ¡°Youse be applying that each hour and wipes with cloth and wash. Helps with eager babies being eager.¡±


    Petunia nodded and popped the two cups back onto her bra and pulled her top down. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You bees wee.¡± Nanny said and made a shooing motion with her hands. ¡°Go bees mommy somewhere else now. Three hours for sleeps, then I bees changing nappies, then youse can y with them.¡±


    Petunia nodded, almost absently, and left the nursing room. She needed to talk to Vernon about what had happened that morning and what was going to happen from now on. She went back to therge kitchen and Vernon was still there reading the newspaper and was smoking a huge cigar that had a pleasant musky smell.


    ¡°Vernon, we have to talk.¡± Petunia said.


    Vernon grunted and took a long draw on his cigar. ¡°Pet, there''s a lot to talk about, especially about that box of jewels.¡± He said and blew out a cloud of smoke that seemed to dissipate right away. ¡°I don''t know where Butter got these things; but, they''re great. They have all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks.¡±


    Petunia sat at the table beside him and sighed. ¡°Did you read both letters?¡±


    Vernon nodded. ¡°I''m sorry the whiskered wanker did that to you.¡± He said and then smiled. ¡°But, it did let me meet you and you''re the best thing that''s ever happened to me.¡±


    Petunia looked around at the expanded kitchen and back at his face.


    Vernon chuckled and it rumbled inside hisrge chest. ¡°That''s still because of you, Pet. Would either of us have ever seen anything like this if you weren''t who you are?¡±


    Petunia had to think about that. Did she have to be bound and tossed away, just so she could have a life that was away from the craziness and to find someone that liked her for herself?


    Vernon watched her face and nodded as she came to the same realization he had. ¡°I''ve already asked Butter what everyone else sees when they look at the house. They see our old one. Number 4 Privet Drive.¡±


    Petunia blinked her eyes for a moment. ¡°We''re living inside a castle... apparently the best in the world... and all anyone else sees is our old house? Really?¡±


    Vernon nodded. ¡°Butter said the magic of the ce will only let them see the old house, even when they''re inside. I''m not too happy about that.¡± He said and frowned slightly. ¡°We aren''t allowed to show off anything that could give the secret away.¡±


    Petunia had to think about that. ¡°Maybe we can have the elves set up certain rooms to match the illusion of the old house. We can make them into as posh as the rest of the castle is and no one should question it.¡±


    ¡°That''s smart thinking, Pet! We can still show off this new wealth and not let anyone else in on it.¡± Vernon praised her and Petunia blushed.


    ¡°I''ll get Butter and Moppy working on that while you''re at work.¡± Petunia promised.


    Vernon put out his cigar and reached over and patted the cardboard box. ¡°I''ll take one of the smaller nes, a bracelet, and the smallest sapphire with me. I''ll shop around at a few of the upper ss stores during lunch to get some appraisals and will let them know we have some family heirlooms to sell off. With luck, we might even get an invitation to an auction for rare items.¡±


    Petunia felt proud of her husband for an idea like that. ¡°Who''s thinking smart now, hmm?¡±


    Vernon chuckled and took her hand as he stood. ¡°Our lives are going to change so much, Pet.¡±


    ¡°For the better.¡± Petunia added. She would make sure it was.


    Vernon smiled and leaned down to kiss her. ¡°I''ll see you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Good luck at work.¡± Petunia said.


    Vernon grabbed the three small things from the box to tuck into his pockets and left the kitchen with a bit of swagger in his step.


    Petunia couldn''t help but smile at that and she stood up. ¡°Moppy? Are you busy?¡±


    The maid elf popped into the kitchen. ¡°Whats can Moppy bees helping you with?¡±


    ¡°Can I get a tour of the house? I mean castle?¡± Petunia corrected.


    ¡°Youse is the mistress of the home! Of course youse can!¡± Moppy said and took her hand. ¡°I bees showing you all the bestest rooms first! Thens the walk-in closets! Thens the bathtub rooms!¡±


    Petunia softlyughed at the excited elf and was dragged out of the kitchen to be shown the magnificence of her castle home.


    *


    I woke up and felt clean, dry, and toasty warm. I opened my eyes and looked down to see I was swaddled in a thick nket and mentallyughed at being like that old saying, snug as a bug in a rug.


    ¡°Little master woke early. Naughty naughty.¡± The nanny elf said and smiled down at me.


    I had to giggle at that and she grinned.


    ¡°Youse already changed and dressed, so mummy can take youse.¡± Nanny said and picked me up and walked over to the door of the nursery. It opened without her touching it and she held me out.


    Petunia walked around the corner and saw me being presented to her, let out a softugh, and scooped me up into her arms. ¡°Dudders?¡±


    ¡°He bees sleeping. More milk to go through.¡± The elf said and waved and shut the door.


    Petunia walked into the kitchen with me and looked over at the tea pot.


    ¡°I bees getting you some teas.¡± Cookie said and did several snaps of her fingers to get things going. ¡°Butter bees bringing it to the sitting room.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Petunia said and walked right back out of the kitchen. ¡°Sitting room... hmm... where was... oh, there it is.¡± She said as a door opened for her.


    It was an opulent room that was much too fancy for a middle ss neighborhood and by the look on Petunia''s face, she liked it a lot. The ornate tea set was already there and Butter made her a cup.


    ¡°This ce is unbelievable, Harry.¡± Petunia said and sat down on a nice chair and epted the offered cup. She took a sip and looked down at my face and blushed a little. ¡°Goodness, your eyes just pop right out of your handsome face, don''t they?¡±


    I beamed a smile at her and she smiled back and cuddled me close.


    ¡°I know things are bad for you right now, after... after...¡± Petunia''s smile faded and she looked sad.


    ¡°No hurt.¡± I said and struggled to get free of my nket.


    Petunia saw me struggle and put down her tea to unwrap me.


    I reached up to pet her cheek. ¡°Quick. No hurt. Bad man gone.¡±


    Petunia took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I suppose I should be d for that.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Goddie Hollow.¡± I said and spread my little hands. ¡°Big boom!¡±


    Petunia blinked her eyes at me for a moment. ¡°That name. I just remembered there was a small cottage in Godric''s Hollow where Lily spent her honeymoon. Is that where you were?¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°Whiskered wanker pretend to hide us.¡±


    Petunia giggled at me. ¡°Language, Harry.¡±


    I beamed a smile at her. ¡°Wanker! Wanker!¡±


    Petuniaughed and hugged me. ¡°I shouldn''tugh. It''s disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°It okay. Tunie happy.¡± I said and hugged her neck.


    ¡°I shouldn''t be. I was so angry at her for abandoning me to that world.¡± Petunia said. ¡°After reading that letter and knowing how she really felt...¡±


    ¡°Mummy sad. Want to fix.¡± I said and looked into her eyes. ¡°You be fixed?¡±


    Petunia let out a sigh. ¡°Harry, I... I don''t know. If Lily couldn''t do it, I... if I had magic...¡±


    ¡°You choose. I fix.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°I save you. Have proof.¡±


    Petunia watched as my t-shirt changed from the bright blue one to the ck one with the ''saving the world'' saying on it. She stared at it and stopped breathing for a moment. She adjusted me to hold me with one arm and her fingers traced over the words.


    ¡°H-Harry... you... can you really...¡± Petunia said in a soft whisper.


    ¡°I give magic kisses.¡± I said and she looked up from my t-shirt.


    ¡°You... you can''t mean...¡±


    ¡°You want, me give.¡± I said and did my best hero pose, which looked ridiculous because I was a baby. ¡°I, Harry Potter, best Harry Potter!¡±


    Petunia snorted and thenughed as she hugged me again. ¡°Yes, you''re the best Harry.¡±


    ¡°Tunie smart! Tunie magic, too!¡± I said and hugged her neck as I nted a kiss on her cheek. I made her a temporary party member and chose the magic upgrade for 30 Karma points.


    Because this world was a magical one, I also had options for different things. I upgraded her to double her magical potential for double the points and changed her body to match a normal magical''s durability to handle the magic safely. It also opened up her ability to see everything a normal witch or wizard could see and use.


    Petunia glowed as her magic was unlocked and she stiffened as the energy flowed through her. ¡°Oh, dear god. I can feel it. I can feel...¡± She stopped talking when I removed her from my party and stopped kissing her cheek.


    ¡°Told you. Tunie magic, too.¡± I said and gave her another kiss. ¡°Tunie strong.¡±


    Petunia looked surprised for a moment, then she smiled. It was almost evil. ¡°I''m strong, am I?¡±


    ¡°Magic huge!¡± I said and pointed at ace doily on the coffee table. ¡°Want frilly thing!¡±


    Petunia gasped when the doily flew from the table tond in my hand.


    ¡°You do! You do!¡± I prompted her. ¡°Butter!¡±


    ¡°Yes, masters.¡± Butter said and snapped his fingers to make the doily reappear on the coffee table.


    ¡°Go, Tunie! Go, go, go!¡± I cheered.


    Petunia gave me a wide eyed look for several seconds, then it changed to a determined look. ¡°All right, Harry. I''ll try.¡±


    ¡°No try. Do. You do it!¡± I encouraged her. ¡°Believe it!¡±


    Petunia nodded and reached a hand out. ¡°I want that doily!¡±


    Only Butter and I were not surprised when the doily jumped from the coffee table into her hand. Petunia''s mouth dropped open and she stared at the frilly thing in her grip, shock on her face.


    ¡°See? Tunie did it!¡± I said and hugged her neck. ¡°Tunie strong!¡±


    Petunia had tears in her eyes when she hugged me back.


    Butter nodded and snapped his fingers to put the doily back on the coffee table. He poured another cup of tea for Petunia and popped away.

 63 Slightly Changing The Future

    63 Slightly Changing The Future


    I begged to go y in my room after that, because Dudley was awake now and Petunia needed to concentrate on her son. The nanny elf brought me to my room and it was huge. There were various baby toys scattered all over and she put me on the floor.


    ¡°Tunie needs help.¡± I said and the elf gave me a raised eyebrow. ¡°You know I''m faking the baby talk, don''t you?¡±


    Nanny nodded. ¡°We bees keeping youse secrets, Master Harry.¡±


    I stood up and nodded. ¡°I''m d. Pretending is hard enough with Petunia and Vernon.¡± I walked over to the closet and opened it to look at the clothes. None of them were as nice as my noble clothes, so I took out my noble outfit and the nanny elf made an odd sound.


    ¡°Youse going to do something?¡± Nanny asked me and her little hand caressed the expensive cloth.


    I nodded and shrunk the outfit to my size and took out the expensive cloak. The elf made another odd sound and cuddled the cloth to rub her face on it. I chuckled at her reaction to it and took out my mythril sword. She was too distracted to notice it, thankfully. I shrunk it as well and quickly dressed in the expensive clothes and put the sword on my hip.


    The elf picked up the cloak for me and I shrunk it to fit. She hooked it around my neck for me and nodded in approval. ¡°I bees letting the others know youse have such nice things.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make you all reams of cloth when I can.¡± I promised and she looked really happy. ¡°Can you ask Moppy if she can find Sirius ck for me?¡±


    Moppy popped in and gave me a very piercing look and then she nodded and smiled. ¡°Youse looking like a proper master now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Moppy.¡± I said and took a dramatic pose, which still looked ridiculous because I was a baby.


    Both elves giggled at my antics.


    ¡°About Sirius...¡±


    ¡°He bees in London near the bridge following the rat.¡± Moppy said.


    ¡°Wonderful! I need a spare room for a teleportation circle.¡± I said and Moppy took my hand and led me out of my bedroom and down the hallway to enter what I thought was a supplies closet. It was a huge empty room with nothing in it. ¡°This is perfect. Thank you.¡±


    Moppy stood there and watched me create the squares of stone and I assembled them in the right order. I changed the coordinates back to normal ones to set per ce and not numerically. I brought the London Bridge image into my head and stepped into the circle. I put a bit of magic into it and i disappeared in a sh of light.


    I appeared on top of the London Bridge and looked down at the busy street below. I cast magic detection and added more power to it to look for magical signatures. I found one a quarter of a mile away and concentrated on it as I made myself invisible. I teleported from there to reappear twenty feet away from my target.


    There he was, Sirius ck, and he was running like a madman through the streets of London. It was no wonder there were so many witnesses to his crimes, because he wasn''t trying to be discreet at all. I quickly followed him and it didn''t take long for him to find Peter and they started their confrontation in the middle of a very busy muggle street.


    Now I had a huge problem. I couldn''t allow Peter to get away and cause a bunch of problems in the future, and I couldn''t allow Sirius ck to be free, because he would demand custody of me and I would be plucked away from my castle home and stopped from participating in my documented adventures.


    With that in mind, only one thing could be done. I cast several shield spells around the muggles watching and waited for Peter to yell about Sirius betraying James and Lily, then he cut off his finger and pulled a wand out of his sleeve and aimed down at the pavement.


    ¡°Bombarda!¡± Peter said.


    ¡°Bombarda!¡± I said with Sirius'' voice at the same time, shocking Sirius and Peter.


    The entire street exploded around the pair of wizards when the gas main was hit and Peter Pettigrew blew apart from my Bombarda spell. Sirius dropped to his knees because his revenge waspleted, quite gruesomely. He started tough hysterically, because of all the damage Peter had caused, and all that was left of him was the finger he had cut off.


    A group of red-robed Aurors popped in around the area and started to look after the muggles crying out in pain. Thanks to my shields, none of them had been killed and only hurt by the flying debris from Peter''s spell and the gas main exploding underneath them.


    I left when the Aurors arrested Sirius and he kept muttering that he had killed James and Lily. With that small intervention on my part, I ensured I could stay with Petunia and also ensured that Peter couldn''t cause harm to anyone else, especially the Weasleys. Heaven only knows what that death eater did to that family over the years and obliviated them afterwards.


    I teleported back home and appeared in the teleportation circle and Nanny was there. I dropped my invisibility. ¡°I made it.¡± I said and felt a wave of exhaustion flow over me. Nanny scooped me up in her little arms before I copsed and carried me back to my room. She stripped me off and put my baby clothes back on me, then popped us down to the nursery.


    I was swaddled up and put in one of the cribs, told to not push myself so much, and given a light kiss on the forehead. I barely managed to whisper a thank you and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.


    *


    Petunia had a wonderful day. She and the two house elves chose appropriate rooms to recreate the illusion house and made it look like it belonged in a high-ss neighborhood. She spent a bit of time with her son, had a light lunch, and then spent the afternoon rxing in the illusion living room and watching television.


    She didn''t have to cook, clean, or do any chores. She could do whatever she wanted and she didn''t have to feel guilty about it. It was the first day she had off in years and it was all thanks to Harry.


    Vernon came home after work and he wore a huge smile. He was barely in the door before he started to spout about finding a great jewellery store and them appraising the things he brought for top dor, showed him the rates of how they qualify items, and then tentatively agreeing that they would sponsor them for an auction next week to sell their family heirlooms. For a small percentage of the profits, of course.


    They were going to be millionaires!


    *


    I woke up and was changed, fed more mulched food that tasted like steak and potatoes for supper, and had another breastfeeding session with Petunia. She blushed when she presented me with the slightly damaged left nipple that Dudley had wrecked earlier and she whispered about spreading the damage around.


    ¡°Tunie no hurt.¡± I said and healed her, then did my duty to drink what I could, and took another forced nap when the nanny elf put us to sleep.


    When I woke upter, I was cleaned and changed again. I was brought to the living room and put into a ypen next to the one Dudley was in. It was a relief, because Petunia and Vernon were watching television and I could pretend to be a baby easier when I wasn''t under constant and direct supervision.


    It also gave me time to think about what I had to do next. Since Dumbledore already brought me to Petunia''s, that meant he had full ess to the cottage and everything the Potters had there. He would have already taken the cloak, the vault key, and probably any magic books and items. I would need to get them back.


    I also knew Neville''s family was going to be attacked within the next few days as the death eaters looked for their missing master. I would have to wait until I was alone before I asked one of the elves, probably Floppy, to check on the Longbottoms and to let me know when someone shows up to attack them.


    I chuckled at realizing I didn''t have to get the items myself and could ask an elf to do it. When I was eventually released from my y prison and allowed to roam a bit, I cast a subtle notice-me-not on myself and crawled out of the room at a good speed.


    ¡°Butter.¡± I said and stood as the elf popped in front of me. ¡°I need the Potter vault key, my father''s invisibility cloak, and any other family items Dumbledore stole.¡± I said and he nodded. ¡°You might as well include anyone else that has our family''s things and get those back, too.¡±


    ¡°I bees putting things into closet beside youse room.¡± Butter said and popped away.


    ¡°Floppy.¡± I said and the gardener popped in. ¡°How are the grounds?¡±


    ¡°Grounds bees perfect, Master Harry. No work for mes yet.¡± Floppy said.


    ¡°Why don''t you pop over to the Longbottoms and talk to their elves? They have some great greenhouses for different things and I''m sure you can get some ideas to start your own.¡±


    Floppy vibrated at the great idea. ¡°Youse bees a genius, Master Harry! That bees years and years of work!¡±


    I chuckled at his enthusiasm and patted his shoulder. ¡°As payment for their help, tell them you''ll monitor the Longbottom property and will bring me over to help them if anyone bad goes there to harm their family.¡±


    ¡°I bees telling them the Great Harry Potter Sirs be watching out for thems!¡± Floppy said and popped away with a soft crack.


    I chuckled at hearing that years before Dobby would ever say it. I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled back into the room as I dropped the notice-me-not spell. I had an evening to spend with my family and I was sure that they were going to enjoy it.


    When I overheard Vernon saying there was an auction for jewellery next week, I held in myugh and cast a notice-me-not charm on myself again and left to go to the kitchen. I added a few more things inside the cardboard box and finally let myugh out. I had added another handful of different gold items, gems, and an ornate crown to go with the sceptre. The matched set should double their worth at auction.


    *


    Alice and Frank Longbottom had noticed the strange house elf dressed as a gardener that had been visiting their house elves for thest two days. He was going through their greenhouses, almost like he was taking a tour, and their house elves shared some clippings and seeds with him. They didn''t mention it to Frank''s mother, Augusta, because she would have put a stop to it.


    They were really d they hadn''t said anything, because as soon as the house wards rm went off that said they were under attack, the elf shouted that he would be right back with help. Then he somehow teleported out, even with the wards locked down.


    Frank wasn''t idle, though. He had made sure his mother and son were safely ensconced in their bolthole to protect them and Alice was already casting shield spells on the windows and doors, as were the house elves.


    Ten minutes of tense quietter, there was no assault. The door hadn''t been sted off, there were no dark wizards and witches after them, and they didn''t suffer from a debilitating attack that would ruin their minds and make them blubbering messes for decades.


    Frank reluctantly dropped the spells he had cast on therge front doors of the house and Alice sidled up to him with her wand at the ready. He nodded to her and she nodded back. She opened the doors and Frank took aim... at nothing. The pair slowly walked out, tense and alert, and made their way to the front gate.


    To their shock, four bodies were arrayed in front of the gate. A quick inspection showed that their wand arms had dissolved away, as did their hearts from the roundish hole in their chests, and their sleeves on their left arms were torn off to reveal the faded dark mark.


    ¡°I''ll call this in to the DMLE.¡± Alice said and ran back into the house. She was back a few minutester. ¡°The floo isn''t working.¡±


    ¡°Of course it isn''t. That''s how they work.¡± Frank said and stood. ¡°Stay here and lock the door. Don''t open it until Ie back. I''ll apparate to the ministry and tell Amelia about this myself.¡±


    Alice stepped back and watched as Frank spun on the spot and nothing happened. ¡°Anti-apparition wards?¡±


    Frank nodded and cast a detection spell. He walked over to one of the bodies, a muscr fellow, and summoned the small wardstone out of his pocket. A finite cast on the thing ended the anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards.


    ¡°Leave it as evidence.¡± Alice said and Frank levitated it back into the pocket.


    ¡°I''ll be quick.¡± Frank said and spun on the spot as he apparated away.


    Alice walked back to the gates and stopped when she saw a familiarly dressed little gardener sharing a high five with the other house elves. She smiled at him and nodded, making the elf blush and pop away. She softlyughed and went inside the house to let Augusta know that everything was okay now.


    They would never know that their son Neville had sneaked away from Augusta and had seen the whole thing from the upstairs window. Unlike them, he knew the truth. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, had saved them. Neville would remember that night for years, because Harry had happily waved to him with his glowing magical sword before he disappeared.


    *


    The jewellery auction went by swimmingly and Vernon unloaded the box of treasure for millions. It set him and his family up for several lifetimes and he would never have to worry about money ever again. He stayed at his job for two reasons. One, he was good at it and enjoyed the work. Two, it kept him busy and he wasn''t sitting at home doing nothing all day.


    Petunia quickly discovered that she was about to have the same problem. As soon as she had her babies weaned off of regr feedings and only had to contribute some asional donations to the bottles of milk the nanny elf prepared for the babies, she started looking at what she wanted to do with her life. Her family was rich and she didn''t want to waste the opportunity.


    Would she be a debutante? A socialite? A self-important snob? Those questions made her giggle to herself and she imagined doing all of that. She knew she didn''t want to be thest one, mostly because she knew she would lose any friends she already had.


    With that in mind, she chose the best one for her mindset. Socialite. She would host parties,vish her friends with gifts, and she would be the best mother, wife, and neighbor in the world... and learn magic. Somehow.


    *


    Over the next few weeks, several death eaters that were going on trial for their crimes of supporting You-Know-Who, ended up without their magic and confessed all of their crimes. It was a mystery about what was going on until one of them, Lucius Malfoy himself, imed his dark mark must have burned the magic out of him.


    He was found guilty, as were the others, and they were sent to Azkaban prison for five years. No one expected any of them tost a single year without magic to protect them, and they wouldn''t. It would never be discovered that someone had eventually visited the prison and quietly put them out of their misery.

 64 Adventures In Babysitting

    64 Adventures In Babysitting


    November 30, 1981 was a date to remember. It was the day I received my very first fan mail. By first, I meant there were 136 letters and various packages in the castle''s mail room. Both the butler named Butter and the maid named Moppy were ecstatic to have so much work to do. They cleaned and checked each letter and package and put aside the ones that had curses and portkeys.


    I nodded at their diligence and told Butter to put them in a box to be sent to Auror Amelia Bones at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, since she was the only one not swayed by bribes or the pure blood mentality of superiority. I would add my own name to the box in a letter that thanked her for working to keep myself and others safe. In crayon, of course.


    A lot of the cleared letters were thanks from witches and wizards for ridding the world of Voldemort. Surprisingly, there were two marriage proposals. The first one was from the Parkinson Family that I burned without responding to. If she was anything like she was in canon, Draco could have her all to himself.


    The second proposal was from Greengrass family, since their negotiations with the Malfoy family had fallen through and they still wanted both the protection of a strong family name and the gold it would bring into their lives.


    ¡°I can''t believe they actually admitted that they''re selling their daughter! Ha ha!¡± I said and put it aside.


    I knew it would be for Astoria, their second daughter. She was inflicted with their family''s blood curse and was pretty much a throwaway daughter for them to marry off, because their eldest Daphne was the Greengrass Heiress and would need to keep the family name.


    ¡°Maybe I could pop by and give her a quick healing?¡± I asked myself, rhetorically.


    I pushed that thought aside and went back to work. A lot of the letters didn''t require an answer, so I would make up a form letter and would sign it with my own name in crayon. People always appreciated a personal touch, even if I was only 16 months old.


    The first package I opened was a small one and had a pair of women''s underwear inside. They weren''t evency or anything, just in white. Thankfully, they were clean and weren''t stained. The note inside said she would wait for me to grow up, so she could add a few special stains to them.


    I chuckled and put the note aside and thought about pranking her. I could send her a clean nappy back with a note saying she''ll need it by the time I was old enough for her. I looked over at Butter and he gave me the same happy look back. That made my decision for me and I made a note of it and set the package aside.


    The next package didn''t have a name on it and it had a cake and homemade fudge inside. I immediately suspected it and waved Moppy over. She checked the food and it had potions inside keyed for loyalty to Albus Dumbledore in the cake and the Weasley family in the fudge.


    I made note of them and added it to the pile to go to the DMLE. I was sure nothing woulde of it, though. It wasn''t like it was illegal to potion people with things like loyalty and love potions. I wondered if I could get something like that introduced in the Wizengamot and added it to the note to send to Amelia.


    There were several stuffed toys and letters with genuine wishes for my health and happiness. Those would get a personal letter of thanks and maybe even a photo. I made another note to have one of the house elves buy a wizarding camera to start taking publicity photos. Like Gilderoy Lockhart would say in 12 years, celebrity is as celebrity does.


    Iughed at that and hugged the plush kneazle, set it back in the box, and put it in the small pile of things that required personal letters. It was thest of the mail and I looked around at everything and wondered what was missing. After a few minutes of thinking about it, I realized what it was.


    There was nothing from the friends and family of my parents.


    There were no letters from Remus Lupin, my supposed honorary uncle. I knew he was a werewolf; but, it''s been a month since Voldemort''s defeat and there was nothing. Did Dumbledore interfere with that? It was a question I couldn''t answer, since the mail redirect ward on my amulet was still keyed to Tom Riddle.


    There was also nothing from my godmother, Alice Longbottom. I suppose that was understandable, since she had a baby to take care of and they had been attacked recently. But, and this was a big but, why wasn''t she trying to find out where I was or who was raising me if she wasn''t? Everyone knew that Sirius ck was in prison for killing Pettigrew, so my godfather wasn''t raising me, either.


    That gave me the idea I should pay Alice a visit to check her for potions andpulsions. I could also stop off at a particrly spooky prison for a visit, too.


    ¡°Nanny?¡± I asked and the house elf popped in front of me. ¡°Where are Petunia and Dudley?¡±


    ¡°Mummy and little one sleeps in the nursery.¡± Nanny answered.


    I smiled. ¡°Perfect. Keep them that way until lunch. They both need the rest and I''m going out again.¡±


    Nanny nodded and popped away. She popped right back and took my hand to lead me out of the mail room and back to my own. She helped me get changed into my noble outfit, cape and all, and then handed me my father''s invisibility cloak.


    ¡°Great idea. This saves me from using too much magic. Thanks.¡± I said and put the cloak on. I left the hood down for now and we went down the hallway to the teleportation room. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°Donts bees tiring out too fast.¡± Nanny said and ran her little hands over the expensive cape before she stepped back out of the way.


    ¡°I''ll be careful this time. I know my physical limits now.¡± I promised and she beamed a smile at me. I put a bit of magic into the teleportation circle and disappeared in a sh of light.


    The Longbottom Manor was a stately old mansion and was well maintained, even though vines grew everywhere over the first floor''s outside walls. I chuckled at the obvious green thumb the family had and that Augusta would have ignored in the future to get Neville into Griffindor.


    I cast magic detection and found three magicals inside the house. One older woman, one younger woman, and a baby. Thankfully, Alice was within my spell range and I cast a diagnostic spell at her. It wouldn''t be as detailed as if I was touching her, though.


    I saw in my mind the simple results of apulsion charm keyed to me and a recently ingested hangover potion. I had to smile at that, because it seemed they were still celebrating. I was tempted to remove thepulsion and shook my head. I had allowed Sirius to be arrested specifically so he wouldn''t try to get custody of me. Alice was already ignoring my existence and I would leave it alone for now.


    With the important visit out of the way and confirmation as to why Alice was not adamantly searching for me, I teleported to the coast where I suspected Azkaban Ind was. A quick magical detection spellter, told me where it was and that the Dementors werezily floating around the outside. I walked over to where the ferry was supposed to be and it was gone.


    <i>That figures.</i> I thought and carefully used another detection spell to look specifically for the ferry. I found it at a small dock on the ind and sighed with relief that it was still outside the Azkaban Prison wards. I put up the hood of my invisibility cloak, cast silence on myself, and teleported to the ferry.


    The scruffy man at the helm was asleep and I carefully stepped off the boat onto the dock. I nced around and didn''t see anyone, so I took my time and walked up the short road towards the prison. I felt the wards as I passed through them and they made my bones ache, which was a weird feeling. It did give me the idea to create a teleportation circle inside the strong wards to bypass that feeling.


    I walked partway around the shoreline and found a great spot. I created another teleportation circle and covered it with a light coating of dirt, smoothed it out, and tied it back to the first one. I barely felt any drain on my magic, despite the other one being across the country. That was awesome, because it meant I could make one at Hogwarts and could travel back and forth for almost no magic cost.


    With that done, I took my time and walked back over to the short road and walked up to the prison. To my utter surprise, Andromeda Tonks was there with her seven year old daughter, Nymphadora. The handsome and well-endowed woman was in a heated argument with the warden and two Auror guards about being allowed to visit prisoners at least once a month.


    The warden remained calm and argued back that Sirius ck was a convicted death eater, You-Know-Who''s right-hand man, and had been caught killing his best friend, admitted to killing James and Lily Potter, and harmed a dozen muggles in the process of blowing up a muggle street, breaching the Statue of Secrecy.


    I actually enjoyed myself as I stood there beside them and listened to both sides of the argument. The thing was, both of them were right and neither of them were going to win the argument. After ten minutes of them going back and forth and struggling to hold in myughter at Nymphadora''s increasingly bored face making different animal snouts, I had a wonderfully fun idea.


    I walked back down the road and out of their sight, cast detection to make sure no one was around and could see me, and I took off my invisibility cloak. I changed my appearance to look like Harry Potter, famous scar and all, and put on my fake sses.


    I also created an official-looking letter from the Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore to allow myself, and anyone with me, entrance to Azkaban to visit the betrayer of my parents. I added a slightpulsion to the letter so that whomever looked at it would see the official seals and things, too.


    With my costume set and my back straight, I strode up the road as if I owned it, with my expensive cape billowing behind me in the wind.


    Let me tell you, the shocked looks on everyone''s faces almost made me burst outughing. I thanked my system altered mind again for allowing me to keep myposure. Complete silence had fallen and no one moved or spoke as I walked over to them.


    Little Tonks had made her eyes extra big and her mouth had dropped open about a foot. I winked at her and handed the letter over to the warden. The man cracked open the wax seal and opened the letter to read it. He let out a sigh at what it said and looked at me, at Andromeda, and back to me.


    ¡°Sowwyte.¡± I said and shrugged, which looked ridiculous because I was a baby.


    The warden sighed and folded the letter to hand back to me. ¡°You need to show that every time youe here to visit.¡±


    ¡°Kay.¡± I said and tucked the letter into my suit coat before I turned to Andromeda and held my baby arms up to her. ¡°Up! Carry!¡±


    Andromeda was an experienced mother and immediately scooped me up to stop me from making more of a fuss and sat me on her hip to hold me with one arm. It wasn''t until the warden nodded at the Aurors and they opened the doors that she realized she was being allowed in. Her mouth opened and closed several times as we were brought inside and given a short lecture on what to not do while in the prison.


    A single Auror escort went with us to the top level and he cast a patronus charm to keep the Dementors at bay and reduced their pervasive chill. Nymphadora held Andromeda''s hand like it was a desperate lifeline and she would be forced to stay if she let go. I hugged Andromeda''s neck and kept my face partially hidden in her long dark hair.


    We were led to thest cell in the block and there he was, Sirius ck, a sad lump sitting on his small cot with a threadbare mattress.


    ¡°ck! You''ve got visitors!¡± The Auror called.


    Sirius shook his head. ¡°I don''t want to see anyone. I don''t deserve it after what happened.¡±


    ¡°So, you did do it.¡± Andromeda said, clearly disappointed.


    The different voice didn''t clue Sirius in and he didn''t look over.


    ¡°They''re dead because of me.¡± Sirius said and hung his head.


    ¡°Why, Sirius?¡± Andromeda asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Sirius shook his head again. ¡°It doesn''t matter. They''re dead and it''s my fault.¡±


    Andromeda didn''t look convinced and Nymphadora clung to her side.


    I tucked my face by her ear and whispered. ¡°Come backter?¡±


    Andromeda nodded and looked at her cousin. She tried a few more times to speak his name and sighed, motioned to the guard, and we left the top level of the prison to go back down to the ground floor. She thanked the man for his help when he held the door open for her. The Auror smiled and nodded to her, bid her a good day, and closed the door behind us.


    ¡°That was scary!¡± Nymphadora said with a shiver as we walked down the road.


    ¡°It was terrifying and you were very brave to face it like you did.¡± Andromeda praised her and turned her head slightly to look at me. ¡°It didn''t bother you at all, did it Harry?¡±


    I beamed a smile at her and tried to do my pose. ¡°I, Harry Potter, best Harry Potter!¡±


    Andromeda barked augh and Nymphadora giggled.


    ¡°Proof!¡± I said and took out the letter.


    Andromeda came to a stop and held me carefully as she read the document that made the warden back off and let us in. She looked a little stunned at the wording and the nket permission to visit the prison whenever I wanted. She looked at it, at me, and back at it.


    ¡°Go Christmas?¡± I asked and she sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°Turkey for Pafoo.¡±


    Andromeda closed her eyes for several seconds and her breathing evened out. She nodded and handed me the letter back. I put it away and she continued to walk with Nymphadora holding her hand, only she was more restrained by it instead offorted by it.


    We rode the ferry back to the maind and the man gave Andromeda a wide smile and showed off a few rotted teeth. She didn''t say anything and just shed her wedding ring as she passed the man. He shrugged and sat back on his chair to wait for the next person to show up. We walked a short ways and Andromeda came to a stop to hug Nymphadora to her side.


    ¡°I hate this part.¡± Nymphadora said and held on tightly as she held her breath and closed her eyes.


    I did the same thing and we apparated from there to appear in the backyard of a modest house in a rural suburb. Nymphadora made a gagging sound for a second, realized Andromeda wasn''t holding her, and ran off like a racehorse out of the gate.


    Andromedaughed at her reaction and started to walk inside the house, then she paused and turned her head slightly to look at me still sitting on her hip and hugged to her side. She had apparently forgotten I was along for the ride and looked like she didn''t know what to do with me.


    ¡°Andi funny.¡± I giggled my babyugh. ¡°Harry down.¡±


    Andromeda looked conflicted about that for a moment and put me down.


    I didn''t run off like she expected and I reached up and patted her thigh. ¡°Be back Chrissy day.¡±


    Andromeda nodded and I walked off a few feet, waved, and teleported to the other side of her house and put up the hood of my invisibility cloak. I heard her shout and used magic detection to watch her search the backyard for me. She gave up after a few minutes and went inside.


    I walked around the house to the backyard again and cast a notice-me-not on the back corner of the yard and quickly made a teleportation circle. I added the location coordinates to the others and used it to go back home to my castle. I let out augh at pulling a great prank and walked out of the room, still invisible, in case Petunia was around. She wasn''t, so I went to my room to change.


    I created more rolls of expensive cloth in different colors for the elves and Nanny popped in and scooped them up. She beamed a smile at me and popped away. I chuckled at that and started to undress. Nanny popped back in and helped me, quick as can be, and she popped me downstairs to hand me off to a happy Petunia. She hugged me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and sat me in a high chair next to Dudley.


    ¡°ICE CREAM!¡± Dudley yelled when the bowls appeared in front of us. He let out a scream as he dug his beefy hands into the frozen treat. That didn''t stop him from scooping it into his mouth, though.


    I shook my head at him and held my hand out to the table. One of the spoons jumped to my hand and I started carefully using it. It took me a minute and two mouthfuls of chocte ice cream to realize I was being stared at. I lifted my gaze from my bowl at saw Vernon and Petunia with shocked looks on their faces.


    I couldn''t resist doing what I did next. I scooped up a bit of ice cream, took aim, and flicked the spoon at Petunia. The bit of ice cream flew across the table and went right into her mouth. She jerked as if pped and stared at me even harder as she swallowed.


    ¡°GOAALLL!¡± I said and put my little arms up into the air.


    ¡°GOAALLL!¡± Dudley copied me and giggled a babyugh.


    Vernon made an odd sound and his body shook slightly. He did it again and I was stunned. It was something I had never heard from him before or ever expected to hear.


    It was augh. Vernon actuallyughed. Petunia smacked his arm and heughed again, leaned over to kiss her cheek, and went back to eating his ice cream. She shook her head at him, gave me a pointed look, and started eating hers as well.

 65 Which Witch is Which

    65 Which Witch is Which


    Amelia Bones sat at her desk and she read the well written letter again. It contained a few things she would have to investigate, a few things she wasn''t allowed to investigate, and a few things that made herugh. She would save the pantie versus nappy prank story for a great conversation piece.


    The letter was signed by Harry Potter himself, in red crayon no less, and he had sent her a picture of himself. He was absolutely adorable in his fancy and expensive suit with a cape-like robe and a glittery jewel as a sp. She would have to contact his guardian to find out if she could get a simr outfit for her little niece, Susan.


    That was another thing the letter had and one of the things she wanted to investigate. Harry apologized that he was toote to save the Bones Family from Voldemort and his death eaters while he also pointed out that Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape were both spies for the Dark Lord and had given him the information on the Order of the Phoenix members.


    Since Pettigrew was dead, Amelia could only go after Snape for it. Then again, Albus Bloody Dumbledore had already stepped in and saved the greasy-haired potions master from being tried and sentenced to prison. Admitting he was a spy for him and was essential in the downfall of Voldemort, had bought the both of them a lot of leeway and gave them credibility.


    Amelia didn''t know it was because of Snape giving up the prophecy that the downfall happened in the first ce. If she did, she would have charged both men with conspiracy tomit the murders of both the Potter and Longbottom families... and wasn''t thatst one a surprise attack for the record books.


    The surprise being that it failed and four of Voldemort''s fervent followers had died in the attack. The scene alone didn''t make sense. Someone had stepped up and dealt with 3 evil wizards and 1 witch. She had been left forst, so she had inherited everything from her husband, and all of it folded back into the ck family''s coffers.


    Amelia chuckled at that, because thest ck family member was sitting in prison for killing his friends. All of that money and prestige was going to waste and no one could capitalize on it. As far as she knew, Narcissa Malfoy used to be a ck and her baby could be an heir. Then again, she had fled the country and moved back to France as soon as her husband became a squib.


    Surprisingly, the Malfoy Mansion had been sold off for a fair market price and then sealed off. Since the new owner''s name wasn''t known, they couldn''t be contacted and asked to allow the DMLE ess to tear the ce apart to search for the secret room full of dark artifacts it was rumored to contain. Of course, the rumors originated from their political rivals in a bid to discredit them even more.


    That fact made Amelia chuckle again, because most of the Conservative Faction in the Wizengamut were currently sitting in cells in Azkaban prison for being a part of Voldemort''s campaign of terror. They had also squibbed out and there was no exnation, besides what Lucius Malfoy had imed about how Voldemort must have taken their magic to try and save himself.


    Amelia didn''t believe that for a second. All of them still had the dark mark on their arms, faded though it was. It was impossible for them to im they were cursed with it after they were interrogated and viritaserum had been given to them. Their ims of thew exempting pure bloods didn''t apply, because they were without magic. Squibs were kicked out of pure blood families automatically.


    She shook her head at that horrible practice and put Harry Potter''s letter aside and looked in the box it came with. His reasons for sending his problem mail to her and no one else, had made Amelia feel warm inside and gave her a sense of aplishment. The idea to start legition against potioning people was a great idea as well and something she could definitely get behind.


    Amelia nced at the photo again and smiled at the ridiculous hero pose Harry tried to pull off. His cape pping in the wind was a nice touch, as was the castle behind him. Her thoughts of him having a good home life after what happened to him, eased her heart about the whole thing.


    She took out the food that was potioned and noted the potions were keyed to both Dumbledore and the Weasleys. Amelia didn''t need confirmation of Harry''s idea and knew he was right about how there wasn''t much she could do, except perhaps sending the Weasley family head a strongly worded letter that any repeated attempts to potion the Boy-Who-Lived, would be added to the criminal file she had already started on them.


    Amelia worked for the rest of the morning and recorded everything down, especially the portkeys, because their destinations just so happened to match the home addresses of several prominent prisoners that used to be active members of Voldemort''s terrorist organization. That was another charge to add to their sentences and she was quite happy about that.


    A few letters sent to their wives to ask if they knew about it, since they were sent both during and after the trials, might calm down their very vocal protests over arresting their husbands. It might also stir them up and she could sweep up the whole lot of them. She hated allowing criminals to walk away without punishment.


    *


    Life in the castle became a happy normal routine over the lead-up to the Christmas holidays, thanks to the elves and their hard work. Vernon was losing a bit of weight and gaining muscle after I had healed him, which made Petunia pay a lot more attention to him.


    It was a little thing I had Cookie the cook slip into both Dudley''s and Vernon''s food to stop them from gaining weight and give them proper nutrition for healthy bodies. I did the opposite for Petunia. She was always thin and bony, so some weight gain and nutrition were starting to show on her as well, which made Vernon pay more attention to her.


    It was quite odd to see how happy that made them. Vernonughed on the regr now and Petunia did quite a bit of teasing with her increasing curves, especially her breasts. The background whispering by the house elves that they were hoping for another little one to appear from that behavior, made meugh in my head.


    Who would have thought such a simple thing as being obscenely rich and good looking could change their personalities so much? Me, of course! The best Harry Potter!


    Now it was time for me to set up the background for the presents I would give out at Christmas. I waddled into the living room and Petunia smiled warmly at me from thefy couch. I held my arms up to her and she scooped me up and hugged me to her chest.


    ¡°Hello there, little man.¡± Petunia said and tickled me.


    I giggled my babyugh and sheughed, too. ¡°Tunie bank. Want presents.¡±


    Petunia shook her head. ¡°It''s too early to give you presents, Harry. You need to wait for Christmas morning in a couple of weeks, just like everyone else.¡±


    I took out my Gringotts vault key. ¡°No, me bank. Buy presents.¡±


    Petunia blinked her eyes at me for several seconds without speaking, then she sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°You mean the special bank Lily used to go to during school? The one in that magic alley?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Books. Brooms. Wands.¡±


    Petunia gasped. ¡°Oh... oh, god. I didn''t think... I mean, I knew you fixed me... I just thought I''d have to wait for...¡± She stopped talking and gave me a pointed look. ¡°You already know something about what''s going on, don''t you?¡±


    I nodded again. ¡°I, Harry Potter, best Harry Potter.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Petunia asked me.


    ¡°Elves smarter than old wizards.¡± I said with a huge smile. ¡°New witches smarter than elves.¡±


    Petunia looked surprised for a second, then she huffed andughed. ¡°I suspected you were a lot more mature than you''ve been letting on.¡±


    I nodded once more. ¡°Magic stronger than anything.¡± I said and created a little ball of fire in my hand, had it do a little dance, and then changed it to ice and reformed it to look like a miniature Dudley and made it permanent.


    Petunia stared at it for a moment and then picked it up. ¡°It''s cold but it''s not melting.¡±


    ¡°Permanent.¡± I said and she caught her breath. I made three more little figures, one for her, Vernon, and myself. I was in my full costume, too.


    Petunia took them from me and set them on the coffee table. ¡°Harry, these things... how...¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡± I said and patted her cheek. ¡°Get books. Wand. Practice.¡±


    Petunia looked at the figures and back at my face. ¡°We can go in the morning after Vernon leaves for work.¡±


    I beamed a smile at her. ¡°Have fun. Magic ice cream. Dudders scream like banshee!¡±


    Petunia snorted and thenughed. Dudley reacted like that with normal ice cream. She could only imagine what he''ll do with magical vors. ¡°All right, I''ll bring him, too.¡±


    ¡°Nanny will follows.¡± The nanny elf said and popped in to show off a double pram, which was a 4 wheeled carriage to carry babies.


    ¡°Oh, thank you! That''s going to help so much while we''re out shopping.¡± Petunia gushed.


    Nanny blushed and ducked her head. ¡°Youse bees wee.¡±


    ¡°We''ll need a bag with supplies as well. Extra nappies, bottles, and some snacks until we stop for lunch.¡± Petunia said.


    ¡°I bees doing that right now.¡± Nanny said and popped away.


    ¡°It''s so great to have house elves taking care of everything.¡± Petunia said and hugged me. ¡°Thank you for arranging it.¡±


    ¡°Make Tunie happy.¡± I gave her cheek a kiss. ¡°Happy wife. Happy life.¡±


    Petunia smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek back. ¡°Wise words from the mouth of a baby.¡±


    I tried to do my hero pose again and sheughed.


    *


    Petunia was in awe. She had seen it before when she was a little girl of 12. At the time, she could only think of the resentment she felt that she wasn''t allowed to have anything of that world. The magical world. And now... now because of Harry... she could have it all if she wanted. And she wanted it.


    The first stop was the goblin bank and Harry mentioned something about stopping all outgoing withdrawals that didn''t go through him first. The goblin gave him a squinted eye and then chuckled. He said there was no one essing that ount because the key had been reported lost.


    Harry took out the key and said it wasn''t lost, someone stole it and he got it back from the thief. That got the goblin''s attention. Thieves were bad for business. When the stolen key was checked, it had been Albus Dumbledore that had reported it and asked for a recement as Harry''s magical guardian.


    Harry said to cancel that new key, since his magical guardian was right there with him, and had Petunia hand over the letter Dumbledore had given her. The goblin did a quick check, saw that Petunia was magical, and he stamped the cancel order on the new key. If the thief came back to the bank to use it, or tried to make other arrangements with it, they would deal with them.


    Both Harry and Petunia thanked the goblin and asked to go to the vault. They rode on the mining cart and both had a great time on the underground roller coaster. Petunia took out a lot more gold, silver, and bronze coins than she really thought she needed, just in case, and they left there and went back to the surface. Then the shopping bonanza began.


    Petunia was a whirlwind as she went through every store they had, some just to browse, and she spent a lot of time in the secondhand bookstore. The clerk was very pleased when she cleaned out sets of Hogwarts books for every subject they offered for thest ten years, even all of the electives, except for Muggle Studies. She could pass the NEWT of that with her eyes closed.


    As each trunk was filled, an elf popped in to take it home, saving her from having to carry anything. She thanked them every time and the elves always left with a blush and a happy smile. They stopped for ice cream and Dudley really did scream like a banshee as he dug his hands into the most delicious ice cream he had ever tasted, peanut butter and jelly!


    Thest thing Petunia had to buy was a wand. Needless to say, Ollivander was quite surprised to see both Harry Potter and his muggle aunt enter his store. He immediately refused to sell Harry a wand before his eleventh birthday, no matter how famous he was. Both Harry and Petuniaughed, because they both knew he didn''t need a wand to perform magic.


    Petunia told the old man that she wanted the wand for herself and Ollivander was stunned. She had to stifle herugh at the look on his face and said she didn''t have a lot of time before she had to go home. That shook the man out of his trance and he pulled out his measuring tape. Petunia gave him a very pointed look that seemed to go right through him.


    Ollivander mumbled something about not needing the distraction and started the wand-finding process. It only took ten minutes to find apatible wand and Petunia gasped at the blue sparks and the feeling of magic rushing through her. She happily paid the 7 galleons and felt reassured that she really was a magical being like she had always wished she was.


    Petunia didn''t notice Ollivander''s slightly nk look as she picked Harry up and hugged him. She left the shop and thanked Harry again, especially for giving her the very thing she always wanted. She still regretted losing all those years to jealousy and anger; but, she was moving past it with increasing speed, thanks to Harry''s help.


    The drive home passed quickly and they entered their castle. Petunia almost absently went to the nursery, dropped onto the fluffy couch to recline, and pulled off her top and bra to let both Dudley and Harry suckle away.


    Even though it had been weeks since she had nursed and they had been weaned off of her milk, Petunia was pleased that both of her boystched onto her and relieved the pressure she hadn''t realized she had been building up. She cuddled them both, told them she loved them very much, and that she was very happy to have the both of them in her life.


    If she had looked down, Petunia would have seen a blush on little Harry''s face. After the babies were put to bed, she went into the kitchen to have a cup of tea, and saw a small folded card in front of where she usually sat.


    Petunia picked it up and her heart melted at what she read scribbled in blue crayon. <i>I luv u 2, Tunie.</i>

 66 The Presence of Presents

    66 The Presence of Presents


    It was the best Christmas eve I had ever experienced. The happy atmosphere made everything better. The joy on Petunia''s and Dudley''s faces as they opened their surprise gifts from me was worth surprising them. Petunia had a very expensive handbag that I had enchanted to be huge inside and she could summon anything she wanted from it, rather than root around.


    Dudley got a gigantic toybox that would hold everything he would ever get for the rest of his life. He could throw anything inside and it wouldn''t break and he could summon it out as well. Heughed andughed as he threw one of hisrge rattles inside, it loudly echoed in the trunk, and he called it back to his hand to throw it again.


    Vernon looked impressed when he opened his gift, because it was a Never-Ending Wallet that I had enchanted to hold as much money inside as he wanted and it already had a thousand pounds in it. It could hold coins, too. He could summon whatever denomination of bills he wanted, because I had made sure to give him an even mix.


    I happily epted the gifts of baby toys and made sure I yed with them for an appropriate amount of time before moving on to the next gift. We ate a huge turkey dinner with all the trimmings that Cookie had outdone herself with. It was a wonderful meal with everything and Dudley and I enjoyed our mulch.


    With my family pretty much tired out from the exciting day, I sneaked off to go to the mail room. Not surprisingly, I received a lot of fan mail for the holiday and the mail room was almost full. Most of it was Yuletide cards and well wishes, with a few gifts thrown in, and quite a bit of money. It had all been checked by the elves first and any obviously bad things were boxed up and sent off to the DMLE.


    I received a package from the Weasleys with tiny knitted sweater inside with arge ''H'' on it. It also had severalpulsions cast on it and I shook my head at it. The tin of fudge had more potions in it that were keyed to the Weasleys, which told me Amelia hadn''t had much luck finding support for the idea I proposed. I packed them back up in the box and added a note about the repeat offender.


    I did up a form letter for the thank yous that didn''t need a personal touch and Butter popped in with therge box of Christmas cards I had created. He handed me a stack of animated photos of me wearing my Harry Potter costume and a Santa us hat. It was me waving from in front of the North Pole sign and behind that were several tables with the house elves pretending to make toys.


    It was a great fake scene and I stuck them to the front of the cards and added Happy Yule in crayon inside and signed the form letter before I folded it and put that and the card in an envelope. Thanks to magic and Butter''s help, we were done in just under an hour and all five of the house elves popped into the room, grabbed a stack to deliver them, and disappeared.


    I worked on the more personal responses while they were busy delivering the cards. A few of them needed me to show up personally, like with Amelia wanting an outfit like mine for her niece, Susan. I wasn''t going to deny her request, not after all the extra work I had been sending her way. I even made her an expanded briefcase for her to take to work and included the instructions.


    I also made Susan a female version of my outfit and transfigured a real monster crystal for the cape sp. I also added the velvet inside the cape like Louise''s, just so the outfit looked more expensive. After another minute of thinking about it, I included a copy of the Tristain Academy of Magic''s schoolbook on elemental conjuration. It would probably blow Amelia''s mind to get a new perspective on magic.


    For Neville, I gave him some of the fruits and vegetables I had saved from thest world and a note for him to listen to his passion and see what he could do with them. It was a tant hint for him to try growing things and I didn''t care. I would keep the food under stasis for as long as possible and would have Floppy check on him to see if he was ying in the greenhouses with the elves.


    I also did up a smaller book about safety protocols and emergency ward shields to send to Pandora Lovegood, Luna''s mother. Yes, I knew it was seven years early. No, I didn''t care. The sooner the woman starts thinking about her family''s safety, the sooner she can head off blowing herself up in front of her daughter, Luna. That girl desperately needed to keep her mother alive for as long as possible.


    I conjured up a pile of nkets, gloves, and wool socks, then charmed them to be warm, waterproof, and to never wear out. I had counted the prisoners in Azkaban thest time I was there and would distribute the Yule gifts and warn the prisoners about hiding them from the guards, thenughed. I quickly changed their color to resemble the same dark and dingy stone that Azkaban was made from and they were perfectly camouged.


    There were a few other expensive gifts from people that I didn''t know and had given to me, so their response gifts still needed a personal touch. I created a few things, like the ever-glowing lights from Danmachi, and slotted monster crystals inside and sealed them permanently. Breaking them open would destroy the crystal, which was perfect. No one was stealing that idea.


    Thest thing I did was create another cape in the shape of a swaddling nket, a real magical stone included as the sp, and added a card for Astoria Greengrass to let her family know I was considering their proposal. I doubted I would ept it until I was at least 17, because I had ns toplete long before then. The expensive watch they sent me was really nice, too.


    I created a life-size Harry Potter plushie doll for Daphne, just because I could. That made me realize I could add one for Susan as well and reopened Amelia''s gift and put one in there, too. I would have to either find a muggle manufacturer to make more or I could start my own business producing Harry Potter merchandise.


    <i>Should I wait for my first adventure book to be published?</i> I asked myself as I stored everything in my inventory. If I did, I would lose three and a half years of sales. The first book doesn''te out until I''m five years old, ording to the publishing date.


    I wasn''t sure how I was getting to Africa to confront a rampaging Nundu, which was a gigantic magical lion that breathed poison breath. That wasn''t for years, so I had some time to figure things out, like finding the author and arranging for them to be the author in the first ce.


    <i>Or do I have to?</i> I asked myself. I took out the first book and I had another wonderfully funny idea. I already had the book and assumed the author''s name was a pseudonym, which meant the real person might not want to be found and would write the books in secret. If I produced them myself and assumed the identity of the author, all that profit woulde right to me.


    That gave me another idea. All of that money could be used to pay the tuition of the students of Hogwarts, especially the muggleborns and muggle-raised that couldn''t afford it. Even some of the pure bloods didn''t have that much money to afford sending their children through school, which was why they usually held to a single child if it was a boy and sometimes had a spare if the first was a girl.


    I pushed all those errant thoughts aside as something to deal withter and put on my Harry Potter outfit and my invisibility cloak. I went to the teleportation room and had to concentrate on the magical signature of Alice Longbottom. Once I locked onto it, I activated the circle and disappeared in a sh of light. It was going to be a long night being Santa Harry.


    *


    Magical people all over Britain were shocked the next morning when they found personal Yule cards from Harry Potter on their firece mantles. The letter inside thanked them for thinking about him and he hoped that they had a great holiday. With the evil dealt with, they were safe and should be happy. He had even signed the letter and the card himself in crayon.


    Those that had received gifts were even more shocked. They hadn''t expected anything in return, especially with the personal touches the savior of the wizarding world had included. It brought up their opinion of the boy that much higher and they felt special that he had taken the time out of his busy life to think about them.


    Amelia Bones was one of those people. She stared at the outfit that looked even more expensive than Harry''s did, especially the beautiful cape with the velvet lining and the glittering magical jewel for a sp. When she moved it aside, she saw the book she had never seen before and picked it up to read the cover. She immediately opened it and started to read.


    She ignored Susan as the nearly two year old girl giggled and hugged the plushie doll of Harry Potter and squealed about him liking her and they would be friends forever and ever. The expanded briefcase wouldn''t be discovered until lunchtime when Amelia''s reading was interrupted by a house elf to get her to eat. Needless to say, she was extremely ttered to be gifted a one of a kind expanded briefcase.


    The Greengrass family was also in shock. Their daughter Daphne was just as vociferous about squeezing the life out of her Harry Potter plushie doll that was as big as her and imed the same things as Susan. Her mother had already wrapped her small newborn baby in the expensive swaddling nket and cuddled the delicate girl, not realizing Harry had already cured her blood curse.


    The father read the card again and he was both worried and reassured by it. He was worried because if Harry found someone else to be with by the time he was 17, then the contract would be null and void. He was reassured that if the boy only yed with the girls up to that point, his sick daughter''s financial future was assured, as was their entire family, because Harry hadn''t argued about the bride price.


    The prisoners in Azkaban had the best Yule in their lives. Warm nkets, gloves, and socks had magically appeared in their cells. That they looked just like the stone around them, was perfect, because the guards wouldn''t see them. The mugs of hot chocte had fixed their internal chills, too.


    *


    I slept like a log until Nanny woke me up for breakfast. I was exhausted after such a long night and she couldn''t give me a pepper-up potion. My baby body couldn''t handle it. I sighed and let her pop me down to the kitchen and put me in my high chair.


    ¡°Was somebody up most of the night ying with their new toys?¡± Petunia asked when she saw my half-asleep state.


    I nodded and almost fell asleep in my mulch. Vernon chuckled and Petunia moved over beside me to carefully feed me. Dudley was as loud and happy as always. I whispered thanks to Petunia when the food was gone.


    Petunia smiled warmly and waved to Nanny. ¡°Put him back to bed. He needs his sleep.¡±


    ¡°I bees looking after him.¡± Nanny said and snapped her fingers to float me out of the high chair and into her arms. ¡°Bees okay by suppers.¡±


    Petunia nodded and the nanny elf popped me back up to my room and put me to bed.


    I woke up sometimeter and sighed when I looked at the invisible clock in my head. I had an appointment with Andromeda today and needed to get going. Nanny popped in and admonished me for not staying in bed. I just shrugged, which still looked ridiculous as a baby, and she sighed and helped me get dressed in my noble outfit.


    I gave her a hug and thanked her for her help, which made her blush, and she helped me to the teleportation room. After a whispered warning to take it easy, I disappeared in a sh of light and appeared in Andromeda''s backyard. I walked over to her back door and knocked. The door opened almost right away and Nymphadora was there.


    ¡°Merry Christmas, Harry! I love my new backpack!¡± Nymphadora eximed and scooped me up into her arms and hugged me as if I was my plushie doll.


    I was too tired to do more than make a groan sound.


    ¡°Nymphadora!¡± Andromeda''s harsh voice cut through the air. ¡°Put that boy down right now!¡±


    Nymphadora made a sad sound and let me go. I dropped down onto my feet, which didn''t want to hold me up, so I plopped right down onto my butt and fell backwards onto the step. Thankfully, it was made of wood and my head only bounced instead of cracking open. The thunk sound it made was fairly loud, though.


    ¡°NO!¡± Two gasps came from inside the house and Nymphadora was suddenly yanked out of the way and I was being carefully picked up in Andromeda''s arms and the back of my head was examined by her husband.


    ¡°I don''t see anything starting to bruise or swell.¡± Ted Tonks said and waved his wand over me. ¡°No concussion, either.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank Merlin.¡± Andromeda whispered and cradled me against her considerable chest and rested my cheek on her shoulder.


    ¡°M''Harry.¡± I mumbled into her neck. ¡°Not Merlin.¡±


    Ted chuckled. ¡°Well, he''s joking around, so he''ll be fine.¡±


    Andromeda nodded and pet my head. It was so soothing to be held like that, I fell right to sleep.


    *


    ¡°The poor boy must be exhausted.¡± Ted said.


    ¡°Are you sure we should let him sleep like this after banging his head that hard?¡± Andromeda asked him and Ted waved his wand at Harry''s head again.


    ¡°The diagnostic spell just says he''s tired. There''s no other damage.¡± Ted told her.


    Andromeda nodded and turned to stare at her daughter with squinted eyes. ¡°As for you...¡±


    ¡°You said to let him go.¡± Nymphadora said with tears in her eyes as she rubbed her arm.


    Ted sighed and waved his wand at her arm. ¡°You need some bruise creme for that.¡±


    It was Andromeda''s turn to sigh. ¡°I''m sorry I grabbed you so hard, Nymphadora. I had to check on Harry right away. If anything happened to the savior of the wizarding world on our doorstep...¡±


    Nymphadora let the tears roll down her cheeks. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°We know you are, dear.¡± Ted said and gave her a hug. ¡°Come on up to the bathroom. I''ll get that creme and your arm won''t feel so sore.¡±


    Nymphadora nodded and followed her dad upstairs.


    Andromeda closed the back door and went through the kitchen and into the living room. She walked over to the couch and carefully sat down on it and reclined a bit more than she usually did, because of the bundle of joy clinging to her.


    It was surprisingly nice to have a baby to hold like that again and she decided to stay there for as long as necessary for Harry to wake up on his own. Getting to pet his soft messy hair was a good reason, too. She could wait for a little while longer to bring Sirius some Christmas turkey and to ask him if he was finally done feeling sorry for himself. The idiot would not be going anywhere for a very long time.

 67 Prisons Can Be Mental

    67 Prisons Can Be Mental


    I woke up from a great nap and I was snugly warm andfortable. I nuzzled the neck my lips were against and heard a soft hum and a breathy moan. That sound gave me a bit of confidence and I moved my hand to pet her cheek as I continued to kiss the skin, only to realize the cheek I was cupping was a lot bigger than it should have been... and I was still a baby.


    <i>Damn my adult reactions.</i> I thought and sighed as I stopped. ¡°Sowwy, Andi.¡± I mumbled and moved my hand from tenderly holding her face and lifted my head from her shoulder, only to see a blushing handsome woman as she stared at me. I needed to make up for what I did and exin it a little. ¡°Comfy warm.¡± I whispered and cupped her face again.


    Andromeda kept staring at me. ¡°Harry, I... why am I getting the feeling that you want to kiss me?¡±


    ¡°You smart.¡± I said and gave her a quick peck on the lips.


    Andromeda blinked her eyes at me for several seconds. ¡°No, not like that.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°When older, give good kiss.¡± I said and patted her cheek. ¡°Go to prison now?¡±


    Andromeda looked like she wanted to say something, changed her mind, and gave me a pointed look. ¡°I''ll still be married then, Harry.¡±


    ¡°Still kiss.¡± I said and pointed to the backyard through the house, because that''s where the teleportation circle was. ¡°Ready go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m ready to go.¡± Andromeda said and carefully held me and stood up from the couch. ¡°We will discuss the other thingter.¡±


    I beamed a smile at her and couldn''t resist teasing her. ¡°Like it? Do again?¡±


    Andromeda almost skipped a step when I said that, which made me giggle. ¡°Cheeky brat.¡±


    We entered the kitchen and Nymphadora was there eating lunch. She looked up at us and her face went bright red, from both a blush of embarrassment and the literal color red, and she stood up.


    ¡°Harry, I''m really sorry!¡± Nymphadora eximed. ¡°I didn''t mean for...¡±


    ¡°It okay.¡± I said and waved at her. ¡°Know what to do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nymphadora asked, a little nervous as her face went back to a normal skin color.


    ¡°Andi? Down.¡± I said and the woman gave me a pointed look. ¡°Make right.¡±


    Andromeda sighed and put me down. ¡°I don''t know why I''m trusting you like this.¡±


    ¡°I, Harry Potter, best Harry Potter.¡± I said and patted her thigh and walked over to Nymphadora. ¡°Me sowwy. Too tired ''n fell. Not you fault.¡±


    Nymphadora looked from my face to her mother''s.


    ¡°Hugs.¡± I said and put my arms around her waist to hug her. I was 17 months old and she was 7 years old, so the height difference was considerable.


    Nymphadora tried to put her arms around my shoulders, realized she couldn''t, and stepped back to kneel and gave me a real hug.


    ¡°Kisses.¡± I said and I heard Andromeda suck in a sharp breath.


    Nymphadora stiffened in my arms and then leaned back. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Kiss sowwy. Feel better.¡± I said.


    Nymphadora looked up at Andromeda and Nymphadora frowned slightly, so I guessed that Andi had shaken her head no. I knew that was exactly the wrong thing to do, because daughters rebelled against their mothers and any decisions they thought were unfair, like kissing a national hero. I saw Nymphadora''s frown disappear and she had a determined look on her face.


    I smiled at her and she puckered her lips a little for me, so I gave her a much better kiss than just a peck. It wasn''t open mouth or anything; but, I wasn''t keeping my lips still, either. I cast the specific healing spell on her as well, which made her glow slightly and Andi gasped.


    The funny thing was, I actually ended up kissing Nymphadora about six times before Andromeda''s cough brought the both of us out of the little world we had been caught in. Nymphadora''s face was bright red again and she looked both happy and embarrassed. She had enjoyed the kissing, too.


    I giggled and gave her a quick peck, which made her giggle, too. She let me out of the hug and I reached into a pocket and created a shrunken plushie doll of myself. I pulled it out and let it go. It popped to full size, which was life-size and matched me, and Nymphadora squealed and snatched it up to squeeze the life out of it.


    ¡°See? Make happy.¡± I said and walked back over to Andromeda. ¡°Bring food?¡±


    Andromeda gave me a pointed look and then she sighed and went to the refrigerator. She took out several containers and I took out a stone ck backpack from inventory. She gave me another pointed look and loaded everything into the backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and picked me up to hold me again.


    ¡°Moreing?¡± I asked as she carried me into the backyard.


    ¡°No, Nymphadora didn''t like goingst time and Ted is home from work today. He''s staying here to watch her.¡± Andromeda said and took a deep breath as if to prepare for apparition.


    ¡°Keep secret?¡± I asked and she stopped and looked at my face. ¡°Look there.¡±


    Andromeda looked over to where I pointed as I keyed her into the notice-me-not charm and let her see through the thinyer of dirt. She gasped and quickly strode over to the area and stared down at the ten foot wide circle. I hadn''t made it as big as the one used in the dungeon, because I wouldn''t be transportingrge groups of people and equipment with it.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Andromeda asked.


    ¡°Port to prison.¡± I said and her mouth opened and closed several times, just like when she was inexplicably allowed into the prison and was trying to exin it to herself. ¡°Hop on. We go.¡±


    Andromeda gave me a pointed look, as if she was trying to figure me out. ¡°You are a lot more mature than you let on, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°See? You smart.¡± I said and waved at the teleportation circle.


    Andromeda took a deep breath and tentatively stepped on, like it was made of ice and was going to break.


    I chuckled, because she probably thought it would be like a portkey or something. ¡°Here fine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Shouldn''t we go to the middle and...¡± Andromeda gasped when the thing lit up and we disappeared in a sh of light and appeared near the prison. The astonished look on her face was hrious and I giggled andughed my babyugh. It took her a minute before she recovered and she red at me.


    I gave her a kiss on the cheek to distract her from being angry at me forughing. ¡°Sowwy. Andi funny.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky brat.¡± Andromeda grumbled and carried me over to the short road and walked up it to the prison.


    A guard was there at the door and nodded to her as we approached and held a hand out. I took out the letter and handed it to him. He read it through, just like the warden had, and handed it back. He opened the door and led us inside. We didn''t get the lecture this time and went right up to the top floor.


    Not surprisingly, the guard stayed right there with us as we tried to talk to Sirius. The idiot still refused to admit anything and was punishing himself, so we asked the guard if he could hand over the tupperware containers of food we brought and he could have some, too.


    He looked surprised by the offer, gave us a real smile, and diligently checked the food to make sure there were no weapons or wands inside and ate a few generous samples to make sure it wasn''t poisoned. That reason made me giggle and Andromeda had to cover her mouth to stifle her ownugh. The guard winked at her and handed everything through the food slot in the door.


    Sirius tried to ignore it, he really did. The smell of the open containers was just too much for him after two months of prison rations and he was on the containers like a rabid dog. This had me giggling as well and Andromeda barked augh. We stayed for another ten minutes, just to make sure Sirius ate as much as possible without choking to death, and left with smiles on our faces.


    ¡°Thank you very much for allowing that, sir.¡± Andromeda said when we reached the front door.


    ¡°The food was delicious and turkey with the trimmings was an appropriate bribe for working the holiday.¡± The man said and bowed to her as we went through the door. ¡°See you next month.¡±


    Andromeda nodded and carried me down the road away from the prison.


    ¡°Pafoo still sad.¡± I said and she sighed.


    ¡°Yes, he''s got it in his fool head that whatever happened is his fault, whether he actually did something or not.¡± Andromeda said.


    I thought about how much to tell her, then mentally shrugged. ¡°Secret keeper changed. Him to Peetee. Peetee told Dark Wanker.¡±


    Andromeda sucked in a sharp breath at what I said and then she huffed. ¡°Dark Wanker?¡±


    ¡°Other names too long.¡± I said with a shrug and sheughed.


    ¡°That I agree with, Harry.¡± Andromeda said and I pointed to where the teleportation circle was. She carried me over to it and stopped walking when my finger pointed down. ¡°Why can''t I see this one?¡±


    ¡°Hid to hide them. Only told you.¡± I said and she looked surprised. I charged up the circle and we disappeared in a sh of light and reappeared in her backyard.


    Andromeda looked down and only saw the dirt. ¡°I see... or don''t see.¡±


    I giggled. ¡°Keep notice-not up. No one else see.¡±


    ¡°I won''t try to dispel it, just so my daughter isn''t out here digging it up.¡± Andromeda agreed.


    ¡°Tank you.¡± I said and hugged her neck to kiss her cheek again. ¡°Keep visiting.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why are you doing this?¡± Andromeda gave me a pointed look. ¡°You could have gone to anyone to bring along to visit Sirius and you chose me. Why?¡±


    I wasn''t going to tell her it was chance, because in this world, there was rarely anything left to chance. I was sure I was meant to meet her, thanks to Fate rewarding me for doing so well on thest world. She had hundreds of thousands of new fates to y with there and had Karma points galore to manipte things and have fun with.


    I put my little hands on her cheeks and looked deep into her eyes. ¡°Because.¡± I whispered and leaned forward to lightly peck her lips. ¡°Sometimes.¡± I gave her another tender peck. ¡°Strong women.¡± I let her see how sincere I was and gave her onest peck. ¡°Need help.¡±


    Andromeda''s eyes were wide as her face flushed to a deep red with a blush. ¡°Sweet Merlin...¡±


    ¡°Me Harry. Not Merlin.¡± I said and smiled at her.


    Andromeda huffed and shook her head. ¡°There must be something wrong with me. I''m actually enjoying your attention when I would p anyone else for daring to make a pass at me.¡±


    ¡°I, Harry Potter, best Harry Potter!¡± I said and did my hero pose to make herugh.


    Andromeda did and shook her head again. ¡°I''m d my husband isn''t watching us right now.¡±


    ¡°Strong notice-not on corner of yard.¡± I said. ¡°Harry down.¡±


    Andromeda looked conflicted for a moment, then she knelt to carefully set me on my feet. ¡°Call me next month and we can arrange when to go to Azkaban to visit Sirius again.¡±


    ¡°Number?¡± I asked and produced a piece of paper and a pen for her.


    Andromeda wrote the number down and handed it to me. She looked conflicted again, then sighed and moved forward to ce a kiss on my forehead. ¡°I am a horrible wife to want affection from a toddler.¡±


    I reached up with both hands to cup her face. ¡°Andi, no fault. Too pwetty to ignore.¡±


    Andromeda chuckled. ¡°Even yourpliments are better than any I''ve heard before.¡±


    ¡°I, Harry Potter...¡± I prompted with a grin.


    ¡°...best Harry Potter.¡± Andromeda said with a smile. ¡°All right, I get it. It''s because it''s you.¡±


    ¡°You really smart!¡± I praised her and sheughed. ¡°Step away or youe, too.¡±


    Andromeda pet my head with a fond look on her face, stood, and stepped back until I nodded. ¡°Bye, Harry.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Andi!¡± I waved exaggeratedly and almost fell over. It made herugh, which was why I did it. I activated the teleportation circle and disappeared from there and appeared at home.


    ¡°Youse just in time.¡± Nanny said and brought me to my room and we quickly changed my clothes for supper.


    The castle was bing the best home in the world and I would do my best to keep it that way. The next step was to teach Petunia about magic, where to start, and how to study for it. She had a lot of catching up to do and I had a lot of work to do.


    *


    Several years ago, a 26 year old Gilderoy Lockhart was stuck in a dead-end job as an Obliviator for the ministry. It was a boring job having to go in after incidents to clean up the muggle minds that saw a bit too much of a wizard''s adventurers. He wouldn''tin about being safe about it, either. He was a cautious one and made sure he wasn''t in any danger when he handled things.


    After a couple of years, his work eventually gave him a bit of autonomy and he was being sent out on his own more that once, which made him even more cautious. Despite not being a very powerful wizard, he was smart about his own personal safety and how he dealt with things.


    Some of the stories he heard from a few wizards were loads of tripe and everyone knew it. The thing was, none of the wizard''s friends questioned him about it. That started the man thinking.


    What if he did the same thing while off on his own? It wasn''t like there would be anyone else around to refute his version of events. Plus, he was an aplished Obliviator and could handle anyone that might have been.


    It started Gilderoy on a slippery slope of stealing tall tales, obliviations of everyone else that had been involved with those tales, and writing them up for himself.


    After six months, he had the world shattering idea to build up his writing chops by writing about the most famous wizard in Britain, Harry Potter.


    It took another year of discarded ideas and failed writing attempts before the New Year arrived and he had an idea so outrageous that no one would believe it. A nundu. He would pit the 5 year old savior against one of the fiercest creatures of the magical world. He wrote out a very rough draft for the plot and story as a whole.


    It would also set a precedent. If people believed that a kid could face a monster like that and defeat it, then they could easily ept an adult facing much more mundane ones, like the stories he had already stolen about yetis, banshees, and werewolves.


    Gilderoy never saw the house elf that had watched him sign the pseudonym that Harry Potter had been searching for. It had been a long shot to think the fraud had been the source of the illegal books and Moppy stayed invisible until the man went to bed. She gathered everything up and popped back home to give her master ate Christmas present. She had finally found who he was looking for.


    Harry Potter''s toddlerugh would echo through most of his castle home on New Year''s Eve and his ns for co-opting the author''s name for himself were quickly implemented. Thanks to Moppy''s diligence, he also had a ton more material that he could make into picture books for babies to enjoy. He just had to stop off at a certain wizard''s home to give him a taste of his own medicine.

 68 Time Waits For No Wizard

    68 Time Waits For No Wizard


    Gilderoy Lockhart was surprisingly easy to memory wipe. I had been tempted to be selective with it and started to rummage around for more stories, only to find his degeneracy as he obliviated several teenage girls after using them. So, his whole life had to go. I removed his magic as well and stored his wand.


    When I checked his finances to see that he had almost nothing left after his travels, I emptied his house of everything it had inside and had him sign over the deed to me, then I dropped him off at a muggle mental institution with a small mary donation of 10,000 pounds. It was more than enough for his ongoing care, which the receptionist was more than happy to ept.


    Since it was still New Year''s Eve and not long before midnight, and I was already out anyways, I teleported over to Andromeda''s house and walked over to the back door. A quick magic detection spell told me that only Nymphadora was home, which meant Andi and Ted were out partying.


    There was an alert ward on the door if anyone passed through, so I cheated and teleported inside to the living room. I held in myugh as I crept through the house like a thief and went up the stairs, silencing them when the wood started to creak. I could hear a television ying the countdown and was very tempted to teleport into Nymphadora''s room when it reached zero, then decided to be a gentleman about it and knocked instead.


    The bedroom door opened almost instantly and Nymphadora gasped and then blushed. ¡°Hi, Harry.¡±


    ¡°Hi!¡± I said and pointed to the television. ¡°Here for that!¡±


    Nymphadora gasped again and her face turned the color red, because she immediately understood what I meant. She stepped back and let me enter her room. There was about thirty seconds left and she looked both embarrassed and full of anticipation.


    I couldn''t disappoint her, so I hopped up onto her bed and patted the spot beside me. She sat down beside me and our height difference wasn''t as noticeable like it was when we were both standing. It was still significant, so I motioned to her pillow.


    Nymphadora nodded and we moved back andid down our heads on it as the television reached ten seconds. We ignored the screen and looked into each other''s eyes as we counted down.


    ¡°Six... five... four... three... two... one.¡± We said at the same time and the people on the screen cheered.


    I smiled at her and leaned in close. ¡°Happy New Year, Tonks.¡±


    ¡°H-Happy New Year, H-Harry.¡± Nymphadora whispered and leaned in the rest of the way.


    Our lips touched as the fireworks started on the television, which was very appropriate. Once again, we kind of lost ourselves in our own little world and the closed-mouth kissing went on and on, much longer than a normal New Year''s Kiss should have. Neither of us minded at all.


    Nymphadora put an arm around me as she moved her lips, almost instinctually, and I put a hand on her head and petted her hair as I moved my lips, too. Her hair went through the colors of the rainbow for the several minutes weid there kissing each other. It was a surprisingly enjoyable experience, even though my body was so young, and it gave me a bit of an outlet for the emotions that I had to hide most of the time.


    When we eventually ended the kissing session, Nymphadora looked extremely happy and her face was only red from her blush and not the color red. After a few moments, her smile faded slightly.


    ¡°H-Harry, um... well... I... um...¡± Nymphadora''s face went to the color red again. ¡°Do you wanna be my boyfriend?¡±


    I was a bit thrown off by that for several seconds, then giggled my babyugh. ¡°Kay.¡±


    Nymphadora beamed a smile at me and leaned back in to keep kissing me. ¡°I can''t wait...¡± *kiss* ¡°...to tell my friends...¡± *kiss* ¡°...all about you.¡± *kiss* *kiss* *kiss*


    I had a hard time not giggling about her friends probably making fun of her for dating a boy nearly six years younger than her. If we were older, it would make no difference. As children and teenagers? She would get a lot of teasing for it. Then again, maybe I could alleviate some of that.


    I created a kind of license card and took it out of my pocket. ¡°Here. Proof.¡±


    Nymphadora moved back a little as she took it and blinked her eyes several times as she read it. ¡°What... what... is this real?¡±


    ¡°Official Harry Potter Girlfriend!¡± I said and tried to do my hero pose, which looked even more ridiculous because I wasying down, and I lost my bnce and rolled over onto my face.


    Nymphadora snorted andughed.


    ¡°Meant to do that!¡± I said and pushed myself back onto my side and she keptughing. I decided to help her and started to tickle her sides. Sheughed andughed, squealed a little, and kicked her legs as she squirmed around. She didn''t try to get away or made me stop, though.


    I did after about ten seconds and she calmed down. ¡°Tonks pwetty.¡±


    Nymphadora''s face went red again. ¡°H-Harry...¡±


    ¡°Me hafta go.¡± I said and sat up.


    Nymphadora took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Do you have to?¡±


    I looked down at her pyjamas and back at her face. ¡°Be wight back.¡±


    I teleported out of her room tond on the teleportation circle in the backyard and heard her shocked shout. I giggled and used the circle to go back to the castle. I went to my room and changed my clothes into my own pyjamas, had Nanny substitute me for a plush doll in my crib, and went back to the teleportation room. I jumped back to Andromeda''s and then teleported back into Nymphadora''s room.


    ¡°HARRY!¡± Nymphadora gasped. ¡°How did you do that?!?¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡± I said and gave her a peck on the lips before I climbed under the nket on her bed. ¡°Nighty night.¡±


    Nymphadora gave me a pointed stare for several seconds before she shook her head and climbed in with me. She cuddled me and kissed my face several times as she hugged me. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I hugged her back and we drifted off to sleep. I knew that I would wake up early like always, so I would be back home long before Petunia was up to make breakfast. I didn''t hear Moppy popping in to take a picture of Nymphadora and myself snuggled up together under the nket.


    *


    It wouldn''t be until the next month I visited to take Andromeda to the prison that I would find out about the picture. She teased me pretty hard about going after her daughter because she was happily married and I couldn''t have her. I stopped myself from telling her that if I had even a lick less morals, I would make her eat her words when I was old enough, because I knew she wouldugh at me.


    Sirius still refused to end his self-punishment, so we exchanged the tupperware containers of food for the empty ones we left thest time, after letting the guard eat some of the food to test it for poison. That joke still made meugh and Andromeda had a pleased smile on her face when the guardplimented her again for the great tasting food.


    Nymphadora was waiting for us on the back step when we teleported back to Andromeda''s. Surprisingly, she didn''t mention us suddenly appearing in her sight as Andromeda walked from the corner of the yard.


    ¡°Harry!¡± Nymphadora shouted and ran over to us. ¡°Can you stay for a while?¡±


    I checked the invisible clock in my head and nodded.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Nymphadora cheered and plucked me out of Andromeda''s grip and sat me on her own hip, easily copying her mother. ¡°There''s so much I need to tell you about what I did all month!¡±


    Andromeda chuckled from right behind us as Nymphadora carefully walked back to the house and carried me inside. When I nced back, I saw the surprise on her face because Nymphadora hadn''t stumbled or tripped once, even with my weight hanging off of her hip like I was.


    I didn''t tell her that when I healed Nymphadora that I used some Karma points and paid off her ''Clumsy'' trait that she had for being a full metamorphmagus. It was the best 100 points I ever spent, because I remembered how in canon she would always trip over everything and make noise when there was no reason for her to.


    I would wait untilter to tell them that I stabilized her ability and gave her full control, too. She wouldn''t lose control of her abilities anymore, like her hair changing colors when she was upset or angry, unless she chose to. It would still take her some practice to keep it a normal color, though.


    We spent the rest of the afternoon in her room as Nymphadora regaled me about her friends and how she was d she had that license I gave her, because no one believed her that she had a boyfriend. That was when Andromeda entered the room with a huge smile on her face and handed Nymphadora the picture of us in bed together.


    ¡°EEEEE!¡± Nymphadora squealed and hugged it, then hugged me. ¡°They have to believe me now!¡±


    ¡°Maybe a few more pictures might help?¡± Andromeda asked and took out a camera.


    ¡°YES!¡± Nymphadora shouted and it was suddenly dress-up time.


    Andromeda had a ball directing us into various clothes, costumes, and poses, all while making sure they didn''t reveal that I was so short. Thest picture taken was a close-up from the side and we had our lips puckered way out and barely touched them together. That one ended up being Nymphadora''s favorite and she swore she would show everyone and rub it in their faces.


    It made meugh and Andromeda looked pleased as well. I could tell she was thinking it was just a phase that her daughter was going through and I didn''t discourage that. As far as I knew, it really could be. Nymphadora might eventually lose interest after a while and I resolved to not take it personally if that did happen.


    *


    Time moved on and I taught Petunia how to study and told her not to rush herself. There was a reason magical education was spread out over so much time. The body and mind needed to adjust to using more and more magic on a regr basis. She learned the household charms right away, since they were the easiest and cheapest spells for her to cast.


    On my second birthday, Petunia used her wand and lit the two candles on my cake at the same time, out of sight of Vernon, of course. Both Dudley and I pped and cheered for her, which made her blush and look proud. It was a great party and I had several nice presents that I thanked them for and the cake was delicious. Iplimented Cookie for it and she blushed as well.


    When I was put down for a nap, Nanny switched me out for my plushie and I used the teleportation room to go to Andromeda''s. I had a second private birthday party with the Tonks family and kissed my girlfriend, enjoyed more cake, and opened more presents.


    Every month, Andromeda and I kept being disappointed in Sirius. Even with the regr food deliveries that he devoured, he refused any other help and chose to keep punishing himself. The worst part of it was that he wasn''t under anypulsions and it was just grief over losing his best friend and being betrayed by Peter.


    The guard enjoyed our visits more than Sirius did. He ate some good free food, had some great conversation, and liked seeing someone else''s face. We brought fast food disguised as homemade thest time and he scarfed down the burger and fries faster than Sirius did, which made Andromeda and Iugh pretty hard.


    Vernon was doing wonderfully at work, because he was always rxed and not under any pressure. His body bing increasingly fit also made his life a lot easier. He was still a fairly big man; but, it was bing all muscle instead of bulky fat.


    Needless to say, Petunia soon became pregnant with a little bundle of joy. Both she and the elves were quite happy about it, too. There was lots of money for everything the family needed and no one went without. That didn''t mean anything was wasted, though. Outgrown clothing was washed and cleaned and donated to the needy.


    Nymphadora received a travel trunk for her eighth birthday and I had gone all out making it and enchanting it. It had an entire two bedroom apartment inside and both Andromeda and Ted were shocked by it, until I told them that they could go camping and travelling in style with it and would save hundreds of galleons on room rentals by taking it along.


    I also slipped Andromeda and Ted a business contract to run a business in Diagon Alley for Harry Potter merchandise. This surprised them more than the trunk had, because they could earn a lot of money for selling official Harry Potter items.


    It didn''t take them long to agree and Andromeda handled the contracts with the various businesses in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and Ted handled setting up the seller''s license and Ministry registration. I also gave them an expanded trunk full of different things I hade up with to sell.


    I had smaller plushies of me, autographed pictures, children''s picture books based off of Gilderoy''s stolen stories, fake sses with a fake scar, and various muggle children''s toys with my likeness on them. I even changed some muggle board games and card games to be magical with magic references to make them eptable by wizarding society.


    Barely a monthter, Harry Potter merchandise hit the shelves and everyone loved them. Everything was bought out almost immediately and Andromeda and Ted were run ragged as they scrambled and reced everything using the massive amount of stock I had given to them. That sold out as well. The exclusive businesses, the Tonks family, and I made a bunch of money.


    This gave me the excuse to introduce Petunia to Andromeda and the pair hit it off like they had always been friends. Both had stern personalities when it came to anything besides their families and their families they loved with all their heart. Of course, me being who I was, I had to tease them that they loved me, too. I was the best Harry Potter after all. Theyughed and smothered me in kisses.


    My third birthday was nearly the same as thest one and I had a great time, because the Tonks hade to the castle and joined us. I also nted the idea of taking a trip to Africa in Andromeda''s ear to show off how versatile Nymphadora''s travel trunk was. They had been working hard selling my merchandise and she and Ted deserved to take a vacation, now that they could easily afford it.


    Surprisingly, Petunia and Vernon offered toe, too. They hadn''t gone on vacation for a long time and she would be having the baby soon and wouldn''t be going anywhere for a couple of years, so that''s what we did. I had to make another travel trunk for us to use, modified for more people. We had the house elvese with us, to their delight. They had never travelled before, either.


    We travelled the muggle way on a ne to reach The Democratic Republic of The Congo, because portkeys were too dangerous to use with Petunia so far along. It was a great trip and both families got to know each other well, especially during the safari we went on. Dudley loved seeing the giraffes and elephants the most and Nymphadora learned a whole bunch of new animal faces to make.


    She made everyoneugh when she gave herself a small elephant trunk and squeaked instead of making the same deep honking noise that an elephant did. It was hrious! I did my best to give her a kiss with the trunk in the way and everyone keptughing, because she squeaked again and blushed hard.


    At one point while everyone was asleep, I sneaked off and made a teleportation circle and added a bunch of protections like I did in the dungeon to protect it and keep things away. I couldn''t take the chance that it would be broken or destroyed by passing animals like a herd stampeding or a grazing rhinoceros. It cost a lot more magic to connect it, since it was on an entirely different continent. Using it was still cheap, though.


    During the trip home, there were stopovers in Egypt and Italy, mostly because Petunia decided to y tourist with the main vacation over. The Tonks didn''t mind and I couldn''t resist making teleportation circles in out of the way ces and gave them the same protections.


    They also gave me ess to future book events that would happen in the next few years. I was kind of looking forward to fighting a mummy in one of the tombs, after raiding it of course, and dealing with a poltergeist in Rome. First up next year was dealing with the Nundu and that was going to be fun, too.

 69 Publishing Publisher

    69 Publishing Publisher


    Petunia had a healthy little girl named Amaryllis, or Amy for short. She was a gorgeous brte and hadrge and almost sparkling blue eyes, like the deep ocean, and both Petunia and Vernon adored her. Dudley and I weren''t too far behind them and she was definitely going to be spoiled, so I would have to make sure it didn''t go to her head. That was just a disaster in the making.


    I made more merchandise for sale and Andromeda and Ted looked after everything else. We were making a fortune and I always put my share aside for donations. I couldn''t really tell anyone what I had nned, because I technically wasn''t supposed to know about Hogwarts yet. I would have to wait until my first book was published before I made the public announcement that the proceeds of sales went to subsidize student tuition.


    When it was close to the time for me to act, I read the first of the seven books again. I had the odd feeling that I needed to do exactly what it described and I somehow knew that I wouldn''t be allowed to use different spells or tactics than what was written. I thought back to what I agreed to beforeing here and had to mentally nod at those feelings. These books were canon and had to happen just like they described. I couldn''t be called a liar, could I?


    I chuckled at that and looked for both the starting location and the date. It really was going to be soon and I had a lot of prep work to do. I would need to make a magical, buy a dewing device that muggle veterinarians used on cats and had to erge it, make or buy special healing potions for piercing and poison damage, gather piles of wood and bricks for repairs, and learning magical construction techniques.


    It was a lot to do for a nearly five year old child; but, I was Harry Potter, the best Harry Potter, and I couldn''t disappoint my fans. So, I got to work. I only had a month left before my birthday and my first adventure happened a week after that. The funny thing was, I wasn''t worried. I knew I would seed and happily worked toplete my tasks.


    *


    The dark skinned people living in therge vige didn''t know what had hit them. One moment, everything was peaceful, and the next was filled with chaos and screaming. Several buildings were damaged under an out-of-control creature''s rampage and it took several minutes of it destroying things before someone realized what it was. A Nundu!


    Their screams to run from it caused even more panic, because no one ever survived a Nundu attack. The giant magical lion always ate its fill and killed everything else, razed whatever buildings that were in front of it, and disappeared back into the jungle until it was hungry again.


    One viger lost her arm down the creature''s gullet as she tried to block the monster from scooping her child up into its mouth. Her high pitched screams at being mortally wounded filled the air and made the creature pause, then it seemed to be even more enraged. It opened its mouth to spew its poison breath to destroy the human that dared to hurt its ears...


    ...and choked when a potion-soaked bundle of cloth was magically shoved into its throat. It coughed and backed up as it tried to use a paw to dig at its face. Therge ws tore at its mouth, causing it even more pain, and it kept backing up and desperately tried to hack up the thing caught in its throat. Arge appeared over it and apparently caught it.


    The little girl knelt by her bleeding mother and cried as she cradled her head, whispering that it was going to be all right.


    ¡°It will be.¡± A young voice said in her nativenguage.


    The girl lifted her tear-filled gaze from her dying mother''s face to see a boy standing there wearing the most expensive clothing she had ever seen. He even wore a cape that pped in the wind!


    The boy knelt beside her and he ced a hand on the woman''s forehead. The little girl stared as her mother glowed a golden color and a new arm slowly grew out of the severed shoulder. They stayed there in the middle of the street as the Nundu continued its struggle. As soon as the arm was fully back, the boy scooped the girl up into his arms and a sh of lightter, the three of them were at the far side of the vige.


    ¡°I''ll be back to check on you after I deal with the naughty cat.¡± The boy said and stood her on her feet next to her mother before he turned away and started to walk back into the vige and into danger, because the Nundu had torn open the holding it.


    ¡°W-w-wait!¡± The girl eximed and he paused to look back at her. ¡°Who... who are you?¡±


    The handsome boy wearing sses smiled warmly at her. ¡°My name is Harry. Harry Potter.¡± He said, gave her a little wave, then he drew a glowing sword from his belt and ran faster than anyone she had ever seen before.


    She watched inplete wonder as the boy that was around her age, had an epic fight with a creature that was twelve feet tall and breathed poisonous breath. It had finally spit out whatever that thing was and spewed murderous poison at the boy, only for him to use his cape to deflect it and then he shot it with a bolt of lightning from his sword.


    The Nundu roared in pain as the bolt clipped its shoulder and it dodged to the side and avoided the second bolt. It smashed through the front of a building and was out of sight for a moment, then it roared and smashed through the side to try and pounce, itsrge ws primed to skewer the boy.


    Harry dodged the first paw and rolled onto his side and up into a crouch to use his sword to catch the follow-up swipe. He grinned at the creature and pushed the paw away and lunged at its face. A swipe of the sword sliced through its left eye and it roared and backed up again as it shook its head, as if it could get rid of the damage if it shook its head enough.


    Most of the vigers had gathered around the girl by this point and they watched as the creature did its best to kill the boy and the boy did his best to stay alive. His side was clipped by a w''s tip and blood spurted out through the wound. Luckily, it was only a graze and hadn''t been deep. It would leave arge scar, though.


    Harry glowed slightly as he healed the wound and pulled out his wand to point at the ground under the creature''s paws. ¡°Bombarda!¡±


    Half of the street blew up and the creature screamed as it was thrown thirty feet andnded in a heap. It shook its head again and slowly climbed to its feet. Harry was right there and ran by it and sliced its back legs to cripple it.


    The Nundu roared in pain and its rear end dropped down to the ground. It tried another st of poison breath and Harry summoned the bundle of cloth and shoved it into its throat again. The poison breath was cut off and the creature choked and struggled with the obstruction back in its throat.


    ¡°You''re not spitting it out this time.¡± Harry said and pointed his wand at the mouth. ¡°Incarcerus!¡±


    Ropes appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the muzzle of the giant lion and the jaws mmed shut. Its roar came out as a muffled gargle and its lone eye seemed to re at the boy.


    ¡°You are a bad kitty! Why couldn''t you be happy eating your normal diet of apes and antelopes? Eating people would probably make you sick.¡± Harry said and bound the front paws with the same spell before he drew his sword again. ¡°I almost feel bad about doing this.¡± He said and took aim for the thing''s heart and shoved the glowing sword into its chest, twisted it, and tore it back out.


    The Nundu''s muffled roar seemed a little pathetic as it bled out and died from the fatal blow.


    It took several minutes of intense silence before one of the men yelled a cheer of victory. The other vigers quickly joined in and they swarmed down the street to surround and congratte their hero.


    Harry thanked them for the praise as he sheathed his sword and asked if there was anyone suffering from the poison. He handed out potions to counter it and they spread out to help their fellows that had been attacked. He walked over to the little girl and her mother, whom was now awake and staring at him with shock and adoration on her face.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Harry asked as he knelt and gave them each a nutrition potion and a poison cure potion. Both drank the potions gratefully.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± The mother asked, her curiosity burning for the answer.


    ¡°I''m the savior of the wizarding world.¡± Harry said with a smile. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡±


    The woman blinked her eyes at him several times. ¡°You... are...¡±


    ¡°Harry Potter, at your service.¡± Harry said and bowed slightly, then he held a hand out to her. ¡°Let me help you up.¡±


    The woman took the hand with hers and she was surprised at the boy''s strength as he really did help her stand. It was then she realized it was with the hand that the Nundu ate and she gasped.


    ¡°Come on. We have to go over there before they tear the Nundu apart for the potion ingredients.¡± Harry said and smiled crookedly. ¡°I''ll make sure that you and your daughter will be getting the <b>lion</b>''s share.¡±


    The girl giggled at the joke and her mother groaned at him. Harryughed and brought them over to the impromptu party. He discussed with the vigers about donating the Nundu''s corpse to the vige, as long as he got to keep the head. They happily agreed and he agreed to help them repair the damages and took out the piles of construction supplies he had from his expanded backpack.


    The whole vige cheered and chanted his name. ¡°Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!¡±


    *


    I arrived home at the castle and Nanny was there waiting for me. She tutted at me for exhausting myself again and I hugged her and thanked her for caring so much about me. She blushed and took me back to my room, helped me change, and put me to bed. It had been a long day and I didn''t protest being babied as she tucked me under the nket and kissed my forehead.


    I waited a week and checked the book''s publishing date before I sent the expanded trunk with 10,000 copies inside to Andromeda. I would let her negotiate with Flourish and Blotts for the rights to sell my stories and also told her to hint that there would be another booking next year. The exclusive selling rights deal would be one that would make everyone involved a lot of money.


    The book was an instant hit and became the most popr book in the wizarding world. Both adults and children wanted to read it or hear it read, because the children''s picture books had paved the way. It didn''t take long before the book was being sold in several different countries in different wizardingmunities around the world.


    The demand for more, even if they had to wait to get second and third editions, was enormous. The other Harry Potter merchandise also flew off the shelves. Therge plushie Nundu was extremely popr with witches of all ages and they thought the one shed eye was too cute. The updated Harry Potter plushies were popr as well and the original Toddler Harry plushies quickly became valuable collector items.


    A week before the school year started at Hogwarts, a full page ad was ced in The Daily Prophet and a free edition was given to every magical person in Britain to let them know about the tuition subsidy that they could apply for. Depending on your need, the subsidy granted per family would grow if you had more children that went to school, and it was all thanks to Harry Potter.


    Harry Potter''s fame grew and everyone loved me. The fan mail soon became a torrent and the mail room had to be expanded to handle it all. Both Butter and Moppy loved having so much work to do. I still made sure to put an age appropriate personal touch on my response letters, because I didn''t want to disappoint my fans.


    *


    About 7 monthster, a new tomb had been discovered deep in the desert sands of Egypt. A curse-breaking team had been called in and hired for a substantial fee to assess the mostly buried pyramid. It only took them a few weeks to decipher most of the hieroglyphics to determine that it was a long forgotten king.


    The mention of a treasure beyondpare made one of the group a little too eager to enter the tomb before all of the safety precautions were put in ce. Galleons were almost dancing in his eyes on the easy payoff as he waited for everyone else to go to sleep. He went to the tomb and cast several silence spells before he brought the sledgehammer down onto the stone b that covered the entrance.


    It didn''t take him long to break the seal that was thousands of years old. The hiss of escaping air was ignored as he used his wand to finish separating the stone b and then levitated it out of the way. He conjured a torch and lit it with his wand, and held it in his left hand and kept his wand at the ready as he walked down the stairs and entered the tomb.


    The man''s skin crawled with a familiar feeling and he cast several dispelling and counter spells for themon curses that most tombs came with. It was almost like a standard practice to include them and he barely hid his triumph as the skin-crawling feeling dissipated. He did not notice the swirling dust at his feet that seemed to follow him.


    He avoided and disabled several traps, like several hidden poisoned arrows activated by stepping on a particr stone on the floor and one pit trap with sharpened sticks at the bottom. He suppressed his shiver at the sight of the pile of bones down there and the skittering noise he heard.


    After half an hour of hard work, using up nearly all of his magic, he had taken several wrong turns had had to backtrack. It was almost a maze and he hadn''t brought the scribe to keep track of everything. It was frustrating him and he was growing tired. He wasn''t going to give up, though. The bonus for finding the treasure first would be his!


    *


    A man''s blood-curdling scream cut through the cursebreaker''s camp like a hot knife through butter. It woke everyone up, as if it had been magically enhanced and ensured that everyone heard it. The more experienced members leapt to their feet and didn''t bother getting dressed. They ran out of their tents with their wands ready and were fully prepared to attack whatever caused that noise.


    The man in front was the first to die as a two foot long spike of earth impaled his chest through the heart. To everyone''s shock, the spike immediately dissolved into sand and the body fell to the ground.


    The others stared as the sand swirled and another spike formed. They didn''t quite understand that they shouldn''t be standing there and staring at it, until the spike flew at the next man and went through his head and impaled his brain. They got the point then and yelled for everyone to run.


    The warning came toote.


    *


    I felt extremely sad that I wasn''t allowed to arrive at the campsite until the story said so. I knew people were dying and there wasn''t anything I could do about it. It was all thematically set and I had a specific part to y to correct the cursebreaker''s mistake. The idiot had unleashed a very pissed off mummy that used to be a wizard that had made a horcrux.


    Well, I knew it as a horcrux. It was actually called a soul phctery and it contained half of the wizard''s soul. It wouldn''t have done anything by itself, because the inherent magic of the artifact would have faded to almost nothing after thousands of years. The introduction or infusion of new magic would either activate whatever curses were on it or let it take over whomever found it.


    I double-checked the book and sighed. It would be another ten minutes before I could fly in on the magic carpet I had bought in Cairo. I wondered why the British Ministry of Magic banned them from being sold, because they were easy to use, were extremely safe with all the charms on them, and they could seat an entire family. The strong anti-muggle and notice-me-not charms were top notch, too.


    I pushed those thoughts aside and reread my lines. I had to deliver them with the right panache to sound both confident and not like I was reading a script, even though that was exactly what I was doing. I took several deep breaths and took out my sword and wand as I mentallymanded my carpet to rise into the air. I counted down as I looked at the invisible clock in my head and nodded.


    It was showtime!


    *


    They were saved! There were only two cursebreakers left from the team of eight and half of their helpers had been in by the resurrected monster. It''s unholy yells and unnatural magic had made short work of destroying the camp and the people in it, even if they hadn''t done anything to the thing. Yet, anyway. They were hired to rob the tomb, after all.


    Somehow, a young boy wearing sses and a fancy cape had flown in on his colorful magic carpet, confronted the mummy with some fairly cheesy lines spoken in the Egyptiannguage, and drew it away from the ughter that it had been hell-bent onpleting for disturbing its resting ce.


    At one point, the boy disappeared and confused both the creature and the remaining people, then he suddenly reappeared and carried arge golden idol of a Siamese Cat in his hand.


    ¡°I''ll handle the rest of them and they won''t disturb you again! Go back to sleep! GO TO SLEEP!¡± The boy yelled and then chanted in some weirdnguage as he waved his wand over the golden idol. It glowed a bright gold and the creature screamed as it glowed as well.


    A ck cloudy mist seemed to be torn out of the thing and it formed a face that screamed, despite not having lungs, then it flew at the boy. He held the idol up to put it in the way and it somehow sucked in the ck cloud. The glow faded as the mummy''s body dropped to the ground, once again stiff and still, like all mummies were supposed to be.


    It took several minutes before anyone realized that it was over. They cheered and hugged, cried a little, and congratted each other for not being dead. By the time they were done patting themselves on the back, the boy was long gone. The little bastard took the golden idol, too!


    When they investigated the tomb after gathering up the bodies, they found that it was empty. There was evidence that it had been raided a long time ago and all that was left was the main sarcophagus. They would never know that Harry had arranged that after raiding the treasure room himself.


    The two remaining cursebreakers put the mummy back inside the sarcophagus to ship it to their employers and were d that the job hadn''t been aplete bust. The loss of life was sad; but, being a cursebreaker was a dangerous life and they all epted the risk when they took the job. They packed up their camp and turned the tomb over to the archaeologists from the local college. With luck, maybe they could get something valuable from the hieroglyphics in the main tomb room.

 70 Lets Do The Time Warp Again

    70 Lets Do The Time Warp Again


    Dudley and I excelled at school, even if it was only first grade. We made lots of friends that year and everyone thought we were brothers instead of cousins. We were the tallest and biggest kids in the school and were pretty much looked up to by everyone in our year, because we were so nice. Making Dudders a party member during the school year had made learning really easy for him.


    No one ever used us of being typical rich kids either, not even the teachers. We did kind of spoil our ssmates with asional parties and random gifts, especially the cute girls to make them blush. Dudley really enjoyed theirughs and couldn''t stop himself from wanting to keep hearing it. It was kind of Petunia''s fault, because she did the same thing with the women in our neighborhood.


    By the time the summer break came around, the Dursley Boys were the most popr kids in the school. It made meugh internally at how much of a change hade over the Dursleys in so short of a time. Instead of the hate-filled bigots they should have been, they were happy and well-adjusted people and enjoyed their lives to the fullest.


    My second book, Harry Potter and the Mummy''s Curse, became a best seller like the first book. Children and teenagers of all ages loved hearing and reading about my adventures. The animated toys were pretty popr, too. I couldn''t resist making a pet chew toy of the Mummy that when it was squeezed, it would groan and moan like the Mummy did. It sold out in only two days.


    Petunia''s magic lessons were going well and her spells were getting stronger and more powerful. It wasn''t going to be long before she would be in the top ten percent of magicals in the country. I wasn''t going to tell her that until just after she wrote her OWLs in two years, though. She would need to see the proof when she saw her marks from both the written tests and the practicals.


    The summer passed quickly with me visiting Andromeda''s every weekend and spending it with Nymphadora. She pretty much gushed about Hogwarts and about all of the friends she made there in Hufflepuff. She would never admit that it was because she was my girlfriend or that everyone adored the pictures of us that she shared with them. Andromeda had used her camera ruthlessly, too.


    *


    When my sixth birthday rolled around, Sirius was finally getting the point that he didn''t like spending all of his time in prison. He was still stubborn about deserving it while also regretting not putting up much of a fight or protest during his trial and really should have spoken up in his defense.


    On the plus side, ording to him anyway, he had been kicked out of the family and everything fell to me, his heir. Mind you, there was almost no one left to the family by that point. The only living members were Sirius, a convicted criminal in prison, his cousin Andromeda that was also disowned and her daughter, Narcissa that had fled the country with her son, and myself because my great grandmother was Dorea ck.


    The first thing I did between Azkaban visits was to disown Narcissa Malfoy and invited Andromeda Tonks back into the ck family. She refused, because she hadn''t been a ck since she was a teenager and had left that life behind a long time ago. It made Siriusugh, because his cousin hated their family as much as he did.


    That made me the only family member of both the Potter Family and the ck Family. It might have been a depressing thing if it didn''te with huge amounts of gold and future potential. When I boasted that I would repopte both family names with a bunch of bastard kids, Andromeda and Siriusughed.


    When I told them I was serious, they bothughed pretty hard at the joke and told me how much of a horny dog Sirius was when in Hogwarts. He had a new witch on his arm practically every month and got into a lot of trouble because of it... from their boyfriends. It made meugh, too.


    With a promise to work on getting him a parole hearing for being a model prisoner for thest five years, Andromeda and I gave him a pile of food and left. The guard always managed to be the same guy each time and he was just as grateful for both the visits and the free food. His whispered words that he regretted that he was happily married, made Andromedaugh.


    *


    Second grade was as easy as the first and Dudley and I were the top of our ss. We also helped out everyone that needed it and no one failed any of the tests. The teacher was quite happy about that and praised the entire ss for working so hard. The students felt proud and they had every right to be.


    My third book was released that summer and it was an instant hit. I had saved an entire family of dragons from being ughtered by evil poachers. They were a rare breed of Hungarian Horntails and I set them up in the special dragon reserve in Romania and donated enough money for their care.


    The dragon handlers named one of the hatching eggs after me, which was a huge honor. It was both funny and weird having a female dragon called Harry, though.


    *


    Third grade blew by like a breeze and most of the students at the school knew Dudley and I and were on first name basis with us. Neither of us had trouble remembering everyone''s names and they were all pretty ttered that we could keep them all straight.


    My fourth book was about me stepping in and stopping a vampire n war in Italy and rescuing a kidnapped vampire princess from the clutches of an evil creature called a Manticore. It had been a bargaining chip by one of the factions to force the war to happen. Maniption seemed to be amon theme for people, no matter their race.


    I had my first inter-species kiss at the end of the book and young and old girls from all across the wizarding world swooned at the fairytale ending. It really was a great scene and I enacted it perfectly. The only problem with that, was my girlfriend. Nymphadora''s re the next time I saw her was a great imitation of her mother''s.


    I stared back at her without saying anything for a minute, then shrugged. ¡°What else was I supposed to do after rescuing a damsel?¡±


    Nymphadora held the re for a few seconds, then giggled. ¡°Well, since I already imed your first real kiss years ago and most of your kisses for thest five years, I guess I can''t be jealous if one of them escaped.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that reasoning. ¡°Just one?¡± I asked and smirked at Andromeda.


    ¡°Leave me out of this.¡± Andromeda said and held her hands up in surrender. ¡°You''re only eight.¡±


    That made both Nymphadora and Iugh, because she hadn''t refused and only deflected the offer until I was old enough to kiss her properly.


    ¡°Shut it, you little stinkers!¡± Andromeda growled while shaking a fist at us and we keptughing.


    *


    A Harry Potter book being released around my birthday every year had be amonly epted event and everyone looked forward to finding out what my next adventure would be. In one of them, I had tamed a herd of Griffons and now they lived in my backyard in their own freestanding castle tower under permanent notice-me-not charms on both the tower and them.


    No normal person ever saw them and I paid a local sheep farmer to breed a separate stock just for them. Both the farmer and the Griffons were happy with the deal and I made that money back by selling official Harry Potter Pillows stuffed with Griffon Feathers.


    I also fought an evil Russian Wizard that was trying to cast the Imperius curse on his entire vige to make them all be his vassals and sign everything over to him. It was a surprisingly difficult fight, even knowing the script, because the witnesses needed to see the dramatic highlights and an epic fight between two powerful magic users.


    The biggest fight and the final book released during the summer of my tenth birthday, was about me defeating a pack of vicious man-killing monsters in the dark woods of Germany. To my utter shock, I discovered that it was actually Fenrir Greyback''s pack of rogue werewolves. They hadn''t been named in the book and I wondered why, then realized it was because the original author didn''t know their identities. I only recognized the nasty werewolf from the movies.


    Let me tell you, it was a very difficult fight. I barely avoided being eaten, skewered, shed, or cursed. It was almost an entire fight of near-misses that I could have easily been killed by, especially when some of them pulled out wands. Sticking to the script really, really sucked, because I couldn''t cast Fiendfire to take them all out at once. I had to fight them in closebat!


    By the time the fight was done, my costume was spotless and not a drop of blood had gotten on me, despite the dismembered bodies that surrounded me. I stared down at the severed head of Fenrir and felt both satisfaction and trepidation, because I couldn''t tell anyone that Harry Potter had killed him because of his book. The bounty couldn''t be imed officially and... and then I smiled.


    My extra-dimensional storage space stopped time, so I dropped the man''s head and body into it. I would wait until the newspapers reported the drop in vicious werewolf attacks over the next few months and then I would dramatically reveal that I had caught the beast and put it down. It would bring my fame up to a new level that wasn''t rted to the books.


    *


    I received my Hogwarts letter two weeks before my fourteenth birthday and I had a huge decision to make. Do I respond and say I epted or do I try and follow canon and let Hagrid show up on my birthday to deliver my letter and let me know I''m a wizard? Instead of making a decision, I went to Petunia and asked her opinion.


    Petuniaughed at my indecision. ¡°Harry, what is it you always say when someone questions you?¡±


    I had to smile at her prompting. ¡°I, Harry Potter, am the best Harry Potter.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You are the best Harry Potter. Would he sit by and wait for some groundskeeper to eventually show up to whisk him away to the magical world that you''ve known about since you were in nappies?¡± Petunia asked me.


    Iughed and shook my head. ¡°No, he would embrace it as soon as possible, because his fans would be disappointed if he didn''t.¡±


    Petunia nodded and hugged me. I put my arms around her curvy body and rested my head on her heaving breasts. She chuckled at me shamelessly taking advantage of the moment and lightly pped the back of my head.


    ¡°Cheeky brat.¡± Petunia said and her voice was full of fondness.


    ¡°I seem to hear that a lot.¡± I said and lifted my head to grin up at her.


    Petuniaughed and pushed me away. ¡°Go ahead and write out your response. I doubt the delivery owl stayed around to wait, so use one of the family owls.¡±


    I went to my mail room and my writing desk there. I wrote out my response that I would be on the tform for the Hogwarts Express on September first. I checked the front yard for owls and didn''t see or feel one, so I did as Petunia suggested and went to the small owlery and used a family owl.


    After I watched it fly away, I walked back to the mail room and read over the supplies list. I nodded at the books and went to the massive library in the castle and went to the first year books that Petunia had used to study for her OWLs. They were the same, so I copied most of them for the list and went to the potionsb to pick up a brewing setup that included the pewter cauldron, expensive brass scales, and arge box of empty potion vials.


    I easily filled a standard potions ingredients kit with everything that I would need for the year. Having your own greenhouses for things like that was the best. Floppy really knew what he was doing, thanks to all that time spent with the Longbottom elves and learning everything he could.


    ¡°Nanny?¡± I asked and the elf popped into the room. ¡°I need three standard Hogwarts robes made, a winter robe and cloak, a pointy hat for some reason, and four suits to wear under them.¡±


    Nanny beamed a smile at me. ¡°We bees finally dressing you properly!¡±


    Moppy and Butter popped in as well and I was rushed off to their tailoring room. It had been a kind of side project for them to make appropriate uniforms for any house elves they met personally and had been practising for years. They were very good at it and I was quickly measured and some of my custom expensive cloth was used to make a suit, a set of over-robes, and a hat.


    With that to use as a pattern, the others could be easily made and then appropriately charmed to work just like the official robes sold at Madam Malkin''s Robes For All asions. They even made a set of very fancy ones for me to change into after I reached the tform, because everyone was going to be there waiting to meet me, the savior of the wizarding world.


    I went to the observatory next in the tallest tower and created a copy of one of the telescopes there. It was a heavily enchanted muggle one that could easily see the moons of Pluto. Magic was the best!


    My next stop was the Griffon Tower and I gathered up some of the protective equipment, like dragonhide gloves, safety goggles, and an enchanted heavy leather apron. I was sure I wouldn''t need most of it; but, I would rather have it and not need it, instead of regretting that I didn''t have it. I waved to the griffon keeping guard at the top of the tower and barked a hello at it. It barked back and nodded to me.


    I went back inside the castle and went to my storage room where I kept the things I made. I picked one of the expensive looking trunks made with the best materials. It was a sevenpartment trunk like the one Professor Moody had in the books and I had enchanted it to be the best trunk in the world.


    I packed all of my school things into the firstpartment, except for my wand. I had two of my own from my time with Louise as her familiar partner, even if I didn''t need it. I wanted to avoid going to Ollivander''s to buy one, just so I could subvert both his and Albus Dumbledore''s expectations. They should be surprised when I don''t buy the fabled Holly and Phoenix Feather wand.


    My clothes and school uniforms would go into the secondpartment into the standing cab. There would be no folded clothes for this student. The thirdpartment held some of my best crafting materials and had a small workshop for me to work in. The fourthpartment had the same contents as the travel trunk I had made for Petunia and Vernon. The otherpartments I left empty for now.


    With that done, all of my school shopping was done, except for the owl or cat or toad part. I was quite tempted to show up with all three, just because I could, andughed to myself. I wouldn''t be so obvious about bucking tradition and would have to settle for picking up the only thing I hadn''t been able to get until now. Hedwig.


    I had been asionally checking the Magical Menagerie and Owl Emporium every few months to see if she was there and she never was. Either she was a recent acquisition or Hagrid bought her from somewhere else. I hoped it was the first or I would have to act quickly if it was the second.


    I went downstairs and saw Petunia in the kitchen making a sandwich for Amy. I gave the little girl a kiss on the cheek and she made a gagging sound. ¡°Aunt Petunia? I''m going to pop over to Diagon Alley to do some shopping.¡±


    Petunia nodded and reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper to give to me. I took it and chuckled as I read the long list of things she wanted me to buy. She smiled and swatted at my head for making fun of her, which I ducked and it barely missed me. Amyughed at us and I darted in and kissed Petunia''s cheek.


    ¡°I''ll be backter.¡± I said and ran from the kitchen.


    I put on a set of outer-robes before I went to the floo room and used it to go to the Leaky Cauldron. I was in my reddish-brown straight hair and no-sses disguise, so no one recognized me. My first stop was to check for Hedwig at the Owl Emporium and she wasn''t there. I went to the Magical Menagerie next and I felt a tentative connection.


    Thankfully, it really was Hedwig and she was up in the rafters at the back of the store. I walked over to her and she hooted and hopped off, spread her wings, and gently floated down tond on my shoulder. I carefully ran my fingertips through her chest feathers and she preened at the gentle touch.


    ¡°She didn''t dive-bomb you for looking at her!¡± A man''s voice eximed.


    I chuckled and turned to see him walking over to me. ¡°A distinguisheddy like this has the right to choose an appropriate suitor.¡±


    The man chuckled and gave the owl an appraising look. ¡°She does look much happier, I must say.¡±


    ¡°Of course she is. She knows a life of leisure and luxury is ahead of her now.¡±


    The manughed. ¡°All right, you''ve proven that you deserve each other. Come on over to the front and I''ll ring you up.¡±


    I nodded and followed the man and paid for her. We left there and went back to the Owl Emporium to get her supplies. I bought their best multi-level perch with a built-in nest, multiple bags of their best owl treats, some grooming tools for stray feathers and keeping her ws sharp and shiny, and a box of white mice in stasis. Hedwig hooted in approval of my choices.


    The young woman manning the counterughed as she rang me up. ¡°Your owl has great taste.¡±


    ¡°I''ll only have the best for my Hedwig.¡± I dered and there was a brief sh of magic as the familiar bond snapped into ce.


    The clerk gasped. ¡°That... that...¡±


    ¡°Shh. Let''s just keep that a secret for now.¡± I said and changed my hair back to the messy bird''s nest it usually is and formed the fake lightning bolt scar on my forehead.


    The clerk gasped again. ¡°You... you...¡±


    I changed my hair back and the scar faded. I took out an autographed picture of Harry Potter in front of his trophy case. It was a funny one of me posing with my head inside the Nundu''s mouth and my tongue hanging out as if I was dead.


    The young womanughed again and epted the picture with reverence. ¡°Th-thank you.¡±


    I winked at her and shrank my purchases before I left the shop. ¡°All right, girl. You can stay with me or you can head back to the castle while I get Petunia''s shopping done.¡±


    ¡°Hoot.¡± Hedwig responded.


    ¡°I''m more than happy to have thepany, deardy.¡± I said and spent the next hour going to the various shops to get the things Petunia wanted. No one said a word about me having Hedwig on my shoulder the entire time.

 71 An End And A Beginning

    71 An End And A Beginning


    I put Petunia''s things into my storage space and walked down the street to leave through the Leaky Cauldron. In the corner of my eye, I caught the sight of the floating broom in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies and it gave me a neat idea, especially when I remembered the restriction of first years not being allowed a broom.


    I chuckled at subverting that and entered the shop. It was fairly crowded as several others shopped and stared at the Firebolt on disy. It was the fastest and most expensive broom on the market and the others were in awe of it. I approached the clerk that stood behind the counter and thought about how to ask for what I wanted.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± I hedged and he raised his eyebrows at me. ¡°I have a friend that wants to buy a pile of brooms, only they don''t need to be top of the line or anything. Do you give discounts for bulk orders of older brooms? Like the Comet 260 or the Nimbus 2000?¡±


    The man gave me an odd look. ¡°Does this shop look like I can stock piles of four year old brooms?¡±


    I nced around at the small space and sighed. ¡°Is there any chance I can get a contact address for the Comet or Nimbuspany?¡±


    The man''s odd look changed to a frown. ¡°Look, kid. Either buy one of my avable broom models or you can leave my store. I''m not telling you how to cut me out of possible sales.¡±


    It was my turn to frown. ¡°I wasn''t asking you to...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hear it.¡± The man cut me off and waved at the front door. ¡°Thank you for wasting my time.¡±


    I opened my mouth to hotly retort, then huffed. ¡°You are an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sure I am. Now get out.¡± The man said, sternly.


    I barked augh and started to walk over to the door. ¡°I can''t wait until the Daily Prophet hears that this shop refused to help Harry Potter buy recement brooms for Hogwarts.¡± I said loudly, just so everyone else in the store heard me. ¡°Imagine being stupid enough to give up on themissions for selling 50 brooms!¡±


    The other shoppers started talking loudly as I left the store. I nced back and saw the man''s pale face. Hedwig hooted and looked smug, which made me chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, he definitely regrets not listening to me asking about a bulk purchase.¡± I said and walked down the street. I felt out with my magic as several people ran out of the store behind me and headed right over to the Daily Prophet building to spill the story. ¡°I''ll write up a note with my idea and send you off to the Nimbuspany. Dealing directly with thepany seems like a much better idea.¡±


    ¡°Hoot.¡± Hedwig responded.


    I went to the pub and chose to have a quick meal for lunch and Hedwig stole one of my sausages. Tom chuckled at the sneaky thief and brought me two recements. She stole one of them, too. Heughed and patted my shoulder inmiseration before he went back to tending the bar.


    We finished our meals and I drank my butterbeer, paid for the food and left a generous tip, and left a happy Tom behind as I used the floo to go back home. Petunia was delighted to get everything so soon and thanked me with a quick hug.


    ¡°Are you visiting Tonks today?¡± Petunia asked as she let me go. ¡°You know she''ll want to know you epted.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I need to talk to her about what she''s going to do after graduating, too.¡±


    ¡°Did she get her marks already?¡± Petunia asked and started to pull some of the things she wanted out of the erged bag.


    ¡°Last week, I think. She sounded excited, anyway.¡± I said and Petunia nodded. Getting high marks on NEWTs was a good reason to be excited.


    ¡°Tell Andromeda hello for me.¡± Petunia said and then gave me a pointed look. ¡°You need to stop with the wandering hands, too.¡±


    ¡°My hand slipped one time when I hugged her!¡± I defended myself.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that squeezing and caressing her butt with both hands does not count as a slip.¡± Petunia countered with a t voice.


    ¡°In my defense, she was wearing workout tights and had just finished exercising.¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Besides, both she and Tonks whacked me good for it. Ted justughed.¡±


    Petunia shook her head at me. ¡°I don''t know why they put up with you.¡±


    I stepped back in close to hug her again. ¡°Because, just like you, they loooooove me.¡±


    Petunia snorted and hugged me back as she leaned into me, then seemed to stiffen. ¡°Don''t you dare!¡±


    Iughed and let her go without groping her. ¡°I''m not suicidal, Aunt Petunia. Vernon would kill me if I ever touched what he loves like that, no matter how tempting it is.¡±


    Petunia blushed and shook her head at me again. ¡°Get going, you. I don''t want to see your face until supper.¡±


    I darted in and kissed her cheek before she could stop me. ¡°Love you!¡±


    Petunia swatted at me and I ran. ¡°I love you too, you scamp!¡±


    I took off the outer-robes and stored them as I went to my mail room. I wrote up the request for the Nimbuspany and tied it to Hedwig''s leg. ¡°Have fun, girl. There''s no rushing back.¡±


    ¡°Hoot.¡± Hedwig said and took off out through the specially enchanted owl window.


    I left the mail room and went the teleportation room as I changed into my Harry Potter look and put on my fake sses. I activated the circle and shed over to the one in Andromeda''s backyard. I walked to the house and knocked on the back door. It opened after a moment and Andromeda stood there with a slightly sad face.


    ¡°That''s not a good look to have when looking at me.¡± I said instead of saying hello.


    ¡°Come in, Harry.¡± Andromeda said and stepped back.


    I could hear some arguing in the living room and held in my sigh. I was sure what this was going to be about and took Andromeda''s hand. She squeezed it tightly and led me through the kitchen and into the living room.


    ¡°I''m an adult now and it''s my decision!¡± Tonks almost screeched as she shouted. ¡°And I made it!¡±


    ¡°You don''t realize the danger!¡± Ted shouted back.


    ¡°Yes, I do! I know all about...¡±


    ¡°Is this a bad time to say I got my Hogwarts letter today?¡± I asked and both father and daughter jerked as if pped, then they looked embarrassed. ¡°By the way, I epted.¡±


    ¡°Harry.¡± Tonks said in a soft voice and blushed before she looked away from me.


    <i>Well, crap.</i> I thought and knew what was going to happen. ¡°You''re breaking up with me, aren''t you?¡±


    Tonks didn''t look back at me as her face changed to the color red. ¡°I''m going to be too busy with Auror training for... personal things like a steady boyfriend. The instructors also rmended not having personal attachments that could be used against you.¡±


    Andromeda''s hand in mine squeezed harder and I wasn''t sure if she was trying to reassure me or was warning me to not start shouting. Either way, she was trying her best to handle the situation.


    ¡°Is bing an Auror what you really want to do with your life?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yes, it''s what I''ve always wanted. To make a difference.¡± Tonks said and her red face changed to a normal skin tone. ¡°My abilities are the best for stealth and infiltration and my interview was overseen by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement herself, Amelia Bones. She really wants me to be one of her Aurors and promised to assign me the best mentor for training.¡±


    ¡°stor Moody.¡± I said and she nodded. I looked at Ted''s sad face and then at Andi''s. ¡°Your parents are scared for you, Tonks. Being an Auror can be extremely dangerous at times.¡±


    ¡°I know! I''ll be careful and...¡± Tonks paused and finally turned her head to look at me. ¡°You''re not scared for me?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m terrified.¡± I said and all three of them had wide eyes. ¡°One lucky spell from any of the criminals you meet will end your career and possibly your existence. There''s no take-backs and no do-overs from something like that.¡± I gave her a pointed look. ¡°I''ll give you a few things to protect you, even though you''re tossing me aside.¡±


    ¡°Harry, I... I don''t want to. It''s just... I...¡± Tonks stopped talking and blushed. ¡°I can''t devote any time or effort to our rtionship anymore.¡±


    I held my free hand out to her and wagged it. Tonks sighed and took out the license she had that dered her to be an Official Harry Potter Girlfriend. I altered it and handed it back. She looked at it and tears came to her eyes. It now said she was an official ex-girlfriend.


    I reached into my pocket and pulled out several things. A protective amulet simr to mine, a protective cloak also like mine, and a book on offensive spells. Tonks took them and her tears flowed down her cheeks. I stayed quiet and turned to hug Andromeda. She hugged me back and her own tears dropped onto my shoulder. I let her go and held a hand out to Ted to shake his hand. He shook it and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll drop off more things to sell next week.¡± I promised and looked at Tonks. ¡°Good luck, Tonks.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks.¡± Tonks said and hugged the things I gave her to her chest. She didn''t move to give me a hug or a kiss goodbye, so I didn''t offer either.


    I nodded and turned around and left the room. I heard a soft sob from behind me and I couldn''t tell if it was from Tonks or Andromeda. In the end, it didn''t really matter. I went through the kitchen and walked out the back door of the house, across the yard, and stepped onto the teleportation circle.


    With my mind in some turmoil over what just happened, I made a fairly rash decision. I concentrated on a particr magical signature that was inside my protective amulet and activated the teleportation circle to send me to the closest one.


    I appeared inside a dark and dusty room in front of a grimy ss cab. There was Slytherin''s locket and I used magic to open the cab and levitated the locket out. I slipped it into my storage space and closed the cab. When I used a magic detection spell, I didn''t find any living things inside Grimmauld ce.


    I went down to the kitchen that I knew was at the bottom of the house and found the dried out corpse of Kreacher in the furnace room. I went back up through the house to the front door and the painting of Walburga ck was still and silent. There was no magic in the painting, either. I figured that when Andromeda chose to reject the family, it must have broken whatever magic was left inside the house.


    I went up to the library and there was no magic or protective charms on the door or in the room, which meant I could empty the ce. So, I did. I took out my school trunk and converted the fifthpartment into a library and levitated all of the books into it. I would have to check them for curses and jinxester. I stored the trunk again and went back down to the front door, cast several charms on it to keep it permanently locked, and teleported away.


    I arrived back home in the teleportation room and went to the castle''s library. I picked through the books to find one on advanced Arithmancy and settled down at the desk to work out a spell for searching for things. I had to heavily modify my magic detection spell to look only for a specific magical signature and then I had to rework the magic used to boost the distance to cover the United Kingdom.


    Nearly four hourster, I had my modified spell. I went downstairs and had supper with my family and they all saw the look on my face and didn''tment on it. They knew something was bothering me and left me to deal with it on my own. Petunia gave me a questioning look and I shook my head, so she nodded back and stayed quiet.


    I went back to the library and started working on another spell to keep myself distracted. I wanted to modify my teleportation circle to reverse its effect. I didn''t want to teleport to something, I wanted to teleport something to me. I spent the rest of the evening working on it and was mostly done when Nanny popped in and told me to go to bed.


    I thanked her and she led me to my room and helped me change, then she tucked me into bed. Her kiss on my forehead gave me pleasant memories of when I was younger and I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, despite the horrible news I had that day.


    I finished the modifications the next morning and left the castle to go to the local park. It was the only ce nearby that I could make a temporary teleportation circle outside and I put up a notice-me-not charm around the sandbox and quickly transfigured the sand into a stone b for what I needed. I carved in the runic sequences and changed the appropriate things to reverse the effect.


    When I was done, I set up several protective spells and shields around it, then took out Slytherin''s locket. I set it into the middle of the six foot wide teleportation circle and cast the location spell and used the magical signature of the soul piece inside of it. There was a slight glow from my protective amulet and I nodded at the confirmation.


    I took it off for the first time in my life and put it beside the locket. I concentrated on the results of the spell and poured magic into the teleportation circle. It took quite a lot, because none of the objects I was looking for were without their own protections and under protective wards. My version of teleportation ignored most wards when it was inside of them, so I poured in more magic topensate.


    Twenty secondster, a small sh of light happened and Tom Riddle''s diary appeared. It must have been the closest one. Ten secondster, the Gaunt Family ring appeared. I kept the magic flow up and waited another twenty seconds before Hufflepuff''s Cup appeared. I chuckled at that, because I didn''t have to enter the bank to get it, which meant the thief warning didn''t apply to me.


    Another twenty secondster, there was a sh of light and the diadem of Rowena Ravenw appeared. I nodded at the retrieval spell being so sessful that it even found something inside a secret room inside of Hogwarts. Just as I stopped adding magic to the teleportation circle, arge sh of light happened and a very surprised Professor Quirrell appeared in front of me.


    I immediately scooped up my protective amulet, put it on, and jumped up to wrap my hands around the idiot''s neck. The man screamed as his skin started to turn to ash and he tried to fight me off. I held on without trouble and his struggles slowed and stopped as the ash and rot reached his brain. I let go and he copsed to the ground and continued to dissolve away.


    When his body finished turning to ash and left only his clothing behind, a dark ck cloud floated up from his remains. It screamed at me and flung itself at me. I smiled as it did so and instead of going through me, it hit my amulet and the enchantment sucked the disembodied spirit inside without trouble. Voldemort screamed as he was absorbed and I thanked my book adventure with the mummy for teaching me the spell to do that.


    That was all seven pieces of the monster''s soul. My scar, the diary, the locket, the cup, the diadem, the ring, and Voldemort himself. He hadn''t found the snake yet and wouldn''t make it a horcrux until after he had a body again, which was never going to happen. The triwizard tournament wasn''t happening for another three years and I already had all of his soul pieces.


    With my darker thoughts after my breakup with Tons, it only took me a couple of minutes of sitting there toe up with the best way to deal with them all. I debated keeping him around and letting him power the blood wards around the neighborhood, then chose to exchange his soul for another power source instead.


    I stored everything in front of me and transfigured the stone back into sand, removed the notice-me-not and protective spells around the sandbox, and walked away from the park. I went back home and around to the backyard. I barked a hello to the griffon on guard and it barked back. I waved and went into the feeding pen to put on some protective gear before I grabbed one of the sheared sheep and dragged it out.


    This caught the attention of several griffons and two of themnded to watch me closely. It made me chuckle, because they somehow knew I was going to let them have a great chase when I was done. I took out each of the horcruxes and transferred each of the soul pieces into my amulet. It started to glow with a ck light and became brighter with each piece.


    With Voldemort''s entire soul inside the amulet, the blood wards almost exploded and expanded to cover most of Little Whinging. It made meugh at that, because I could hear someone yell at the very strong protection ward that pushed away anyone with bad intentions.


    I did one final transfer from the amulet into the sheep to drop Voldemort''s soul into the poor thing and from the sheep into the amulet. It would power the blood wards from now on and Voldemort was about to be someone''s lunch. It was no surprise to me when the wards reduced to barely cover the castle and part of the street outside.


    ¡°Baaaaa.¡± The sheepmented sadly and every griffon stiffened and perked up at the sound. ¡°Baa?¡±


    ¡°You better start running, Voldesheep!¡± I said and smacked his shaved butt.


    ¡°BAA!¡± The sheep yelled and took off like a shot.


    Every single griffon let out a squawking yell to start the hunt and dove for him.


    ¡°BAAAAAAAA!¡± Voldesheep yelled as he was chased and attacked by the whole herd of very happy griffons that loved chasing enthusiastic prey.


    Iughed andughed as he gave them the best hunt they ever had. A great time was had by all, except by Voldemort. He was eventually caught and hisst bleat of defiance was cut off by the winning griffon that tore out his throat. It barked happily and spread its wings triumphantly as it posed.

 72 Picking Up The Pieces

    72 Picking Up The Pieces


    After seeing Voldesheep being chowed down on by a herd of griffon, my mood over Tonks breaking up with me was lightened. I was secretly d that I had previously resolved to not take it too hard if she lost interest in me, in case I was just a phase for her. I apparently was and she pushed me aside to have a career.


    It was just too bad that she didn''t realize I would have happily waited for her while I fully supported her. Making rash decisions seemed to be universal, even though she believed I really did all of the adventures I had done in my books. Not surprisingly, most adults didn''t believe it. Well, not all of it, anyway. It wasn''t my fault they didn''t investigate to find out that the stories werepletely true.


    That thought made meugh and I went back inside the castle. I was halfway across the kitchen when Amy lunged out from behind the counter and tried to tackle me. I partially dodged, grabbed her arm and leg, and swung her around in a circle like a merry-go-round.


    ¡°WHEEEEEE!¡± Amy yelled as her long ck hair pped behind her. Sheughed andughed as I spun her a bunch of times.


    Petunia sighed from the kitchen table. ¡°Must you do that inside?¡±


    I slowed down and carefully stood Amy on her feet, then held her steady as she wobbled. Her face was red and she couldn''t stop giggling. ¡°There''s nowhere for her to ambush me outside.¡±


    Petunia rolled her eyes and took a sip of tea. ¡°That''s not a good enough reason.¡±


    Amy eased off her giggling and hugged me. ¡°Harry loves me! He won''t listen if you tell him to stop.¡±


    I looked down and saw the smug look on her face and looked back at Petunia. ¡°She''s not wrong.¡±


    Petunia shook her head. ¡°Go jump in your piles of fan mail or something.¡±


    ¡°LET''S DO THAT!¡± Amy shouted and dragged me out of the kitchen. I nced back just before the door shut and saw that same smug look on Petunia''s face, so I knew where her daughter had learned it from. We passed Dudley on the stairs and he gave us a questioning look.


    ¡°Fan mail cannonballs.¡± I said and heughed and turned around to follow us.


    We always had a great time diving into the giant pit of fan mail that I had collected over the years. They were all spelled to not crumple or tear and the house elves had covered the pit with cushioning charms, so there was no danger of paper cuts or anything.


    ¡°Why do you keep all of this?¡± Dudley asked and jumped to do a half-gainer andnded on his back and sunk down a couple of feet. Amyughed pretty hard and she did a swan dive and disappeared under the surface letters.


    ¡°So I can tell anyone that talks to me that I got whatever they sent and saved it.¡± I said and jumped from the side, did a backflip, and pulled my legs in to do an actual cannonball.


    A pile of letters shot up into the air and fluttered all around us. When I surfaced, both Dudley and Amy wereughing.


    ¡°I have a master list of everything, too. Notes, cards, gifts, and things I sent in return.¡± I said and started to do a backstroke. Amy quickly joined me and we raced around Dudley as he technically floated in the middle. Cushioning charms were the best.


    ¡°You''re really doing the whole best Harry Potter thing at your new school, too?¡± Amy asked me.


    ¡°Yep! I can''t disappoint my fans.¡± I said and made a face at her as she passed me. ¡°Hey! You won!¡±


    ¡°YAY!¡± Amy yelled and stopped moving. She sunk down slightly and started giggling as she slowly sunk out of sight and letters and cards flowed over her head.


    ¡°Ooo, Amy wants to y the submarine game!¡± I said and Dudley barked augh and rolled over onto his belly. The two of us slowly sunk down into the piles of letters to join her. The hunt was on!


    Amy won, of course. She was too cute to lose to two big lugs like Dudley and I.


    *


    On my birthday, I was a little depressed again. I didn''t have a second private birthday party at Andromeda''s. I did have a pretty goodugh as I watched Hagrid pace back and forth on the other side of the street for half of the day. The aversion ward was still working, even with a sheep powering it. It made me wonder what Hagrid would think about a sheep holding him at bay and my depression faded away.


    I received much more fan mail this year and spent the rest of the day opening gifts and cards and sent off thank you cards with added personal responses to the more notable ones. On the plus side of being single, I now had nothing holding me back from flirting with the fairer sex... not that I let that stop me before. I usually never took it too far, like I did that one time with Andromeda.


    Damn, she had a nice ass. Her husband Ted agreed with me and didn''t mind me copping a feel. He''s a great guy for allowing it. Did me making him rich have something to do with that? Na.


    <i>Oh, another pair of panties.</i> I thought and put them aside. <i>ckce this time. Nice.</i>


    I wrote out a quick note and thanked them for thinking of me and that I appreciated it. I was not tempted to send them a pair of my boxers in response. Not only would that be in bad taste, it would be more fun to do that in person. I didn''t recognize the name, so that idea was out. I put the card in an envelope and added her name, then put it on top of the outgoing stack.


    I worked for quite some time to get them all done. I had just finished thest one when Hedwig flew in andnded on the edge of the desk. She had an envelope in her beak and she passed it to me. My breath caught on thanking her, because I saw that it was Andromeda''s name on it. I gave Hedwig a pet and she softly hooted.


    I opened the note and felt several conflicting emotions as I read it.


    <i>Dearest Harry,


    I must apologize for my daughter''s rash and shortsighted decision. If she spent even one moment thinking about anyone else but herself, she would realize cutting you out of her life like she did, was the second biggest mistake she has ever made in her life. Bing an Auror was the first and it immediately caused the second.


    Because of her choices, you can no longer use her as a substitute for me and I can no longer live vicariously through her. I''ve lost count of how many times I''ve intentionally interrupted your fun time together, just to make sure she didn''t take things too far. I didn''t want you to waste it on her, and in hindsight, it was the wisest decision I have ever made.


    If she could toss you aside for her own ambition, not realizing that you could have helped her achieve it, then she didn''t deserve taking thatst precious thing from you, like she had with all of your other first times.


    My final thought to share with you... please remember that you are only breaking up with my daughter and not her entire family. The afternoons you''ve spent here after we visit Sirius have been the best. Both Ted and I will forever regret it if you make the same mistake as Nymphadora and choose to toss us aside.


    With love and wishes for a happy birthday,


    Auntie Andromeda</i>


    I sat there and read the letter two more times before I realized she was right. I hadn''t spent any time there when I dropped off the next trunk of stock for them to sell. I didn''t even have the excuse that Tonks was there, because she had already moved out.


    ¡°Can you bring her a note back for me, Hedwig?¡± I asked my familiar.


    ¡°Hoot.¡± Hedwig said, clearly determined.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and gave her another pet, then quickly wrote out my response. I needed a little time away from where I had made so many great memories that involved Tonks and reminded me of her. Now that I had, I could visit again without feeling bad that I was there and using Tonks as an excuse.


    Hedwig took off with it before I could put it in an envelope and I chuckled at her rushing. It would probably prove to Andromeda that Hedwig came back as soon as possible and it should make her rx about the whole thing. At least, I hoped so. I had kind of screwed that up in my grief.


    I thought about staying there to see if Andromeda would send something back, then chose to go to bed instead. Since our normal Azkaban visit was still on, she would be expecting me after breakfast in a few days and she could talk to me then. I would need to buy a tub of Chunky Chocte Chip Ice Cream as an apology, too.


    I went to my room and wasn''t surprised to see Nanny there. I gave the house elf a warm smile as she helped me change and then she tucked me into bed. She only did that on the days she knew I needed reassurance and today was one of those days. She kissed my forehead like always and I went to sleep with a smile on my face.


    *


    It was disappointing that there was no such thing as parole in the wizarding world. Even when we tried to submit legition to start changing thews just enough for it to be an optionter, it was shot down by the Light side, or the Progressives in the Wizengamut. They didn''t want criminals out before they served their time, which the rest of the members reluctantly agreed with.


    On the positive side of the political front, after years of hard work, Amelia sessfully passed the bill for restricting ''mood altering potions'' to authorized and licensed brewers. It had been an ingenious ploy on her behalf to mize it and the Wizengamut eagerly swallowed it whole. If there was one thing that they all wanted more of, it was money. Being legally obtained made it that much better.


    I gave her several very expensive suits and outer-robes for work and sent them to her inside a shrunken clothing cab that was expanded on the inside. It was a full dressing room with walls and walls of normal clothing for a woman to wear and they all had resizing charms on them to automatically fit her. One wall was all angled mirrors for her to admire herself, too.


    The thank you letter I received in return for that was almost blush-inducing. She heavily hinted that Susan would be more than happy to express her thanks on her behalf, if I was open to the possibility. I sent a quick note back full of flirting and innuendo as I expressed my regret that she didn''t want to express her thanks to me herself. I wasn''t surprised that she didn''t write back to ept. She was a highly respecteddy, after all.


    *


    On September first, I donned my Harry Potter costume, with the expensive cape and fake sses, and formed the scar on my forehead. I went downstairs to the living room as my cape billowed out behind me and Amy giggled when she saw me.


    ¡°That''s not pretentious at all.¡± Dudley said with augh.


    ¡°Do you like it? I spelled it to billow when I move.¡± I said and turned around and the cape billowed out behind me.


    ¡°At least it''s stylish.¡± Petuniamented.


    ¡°I thought Nanny made you fancy robes for today?¡± Amy asked me.


    ¡°She did. I''ll put them on when I reach the tform to greet my fans and the press.¡± I said and turned back to face her and posed in my hero pose. ¡°Tadaaaa!¡±


    Amyughed and poked me in the chest. ¡°Don''t do that in front of the cameras. You want them to like you, not make fun of you for being foolish.¡±


    I pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. ¡°Wise advice. I''ll keep my poses solely for important people like you.¡±


    Amy hugged me back and sighed. ¡°I''m... I''m really going to miss you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see how. I can teleport back here whenever you want as soon as I set up a teleportation circle at Hogwarts.¡± I said and gave her a squeeze.


    ¡°Then stay here until tonight.¡± Amy said.


    I chuckled. ¡°I have to go there on the train first. It''s tradition.¡±


    ¡°That takes all day!¡± Amy countered.


    ¡°Yes, it does. It lets us meet new people and the other students to meet up with the friends they probably haven''t seen all summer.¡±


    Amy pouted and looked up at my 5 foot 8 inches of height. ¡°I don''t care about anyone else. I just want my cousin to never leave me.¡±


    I knew exactly what to say to that. ¡°Amy, I may be leaving home for a while to go to school; but, I am never leaving my family.¡±


    ¡°Never?¡± Amy asked, her voice full of hope.


    ¡°Never ever.¡± I promised.


    Amy smiled slightly and her face changed to show determination. ¡°Then I''ll wait for you, Harry.¡±


    I opened my mouth to thank her and she stood up on her tippy-toes and kissed me right on the mouth. It onlysted for a second and she broke the kiss, blushed to a bright red, and ran out of the living room. The shocked looks on Vernon''s, Dudley''s, and Petunia''s faces, matched mine. As far as I was concerned, that hade right out of nowhere.


    It took Petunia a few moments to shake the shock off. ¡°I''ll talk to her.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. Thanks.¡± I whispered.


    Petunia put a hand on my shoulder briefly as she passed me and followed her daughter.


    ¡°Well.¡± Dudley said and then smiled at me. ¡°That just happened.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Dudley...¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t know. I knew she liked you. I just didn''t realize she <b>liked</b> you liked you.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t tease her about it.¡± I almost begged.


    ¡°Hey, don''t tell me how to do my job.¡± Dudley said as his smile grew into a grin.


    ¡°Bloody hell.¡± I said and rubbed my forehead. ¡°If you leave her alone and don''t make this whole thing worse, when you turn 16 and get your license, I''ll buy you the sports car you like.¡±


    ¡°You gonna enchant it, too?¡± Dudley asked.


    ¡°Of course. I won''t put you in danger just because you want to drive a deathtrap.¡±


    Dudley chuckled and pped my shoulder. ¡°Bribe epted.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and watched him walk away. I practically felt Vernon stand up and approach me, even though I wasn''t using my magic detection spell.


    ¡°Harry.¡± Vernon said and his tone of voice was so low that it rumbled.


    ¡°I promise nothing happened.¡± I said and held up my hands as I looked back at his face to see his re. ¡°I''ve only ever been the best second brother that a little sister could have asked for.¡±


    Vernon''s re changed to a nk face. ¡°Maybe that''s the problem.¡±


    I sighed and had to nod. ¡°I think I have to agree with you. I never suspected... I would have...¡±


    Vernon sighed, too. ¡°I can''t tell you to stop.¡±


    ¡°No, you can''t.¡± I said and took a deep breath. ¡°I can''t stop, either. She''ll think it''s her fault if I do.¡±


    Vernon nodded and kept that nk gaze on me.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± I said and left the room. I felt his eyes on me all the way to the floo room. The feeling didn''t fade until I called out Grimmauld ce and disappeared in the mes. King''s Cross Station was within walking distance of that address and it was the easiest way to reach the train without trouble instead of trying to teleport near a crowded station.

 73 Hogwarts Or Bust Part One

    73 Hogwarts Or Bust Part One


    It didn''t take me long to reach the train station. It was almost 10 in the morning and the train was set to leave at 11. I walked through the station and easily picked out all of the magicals around me that were going to Hogwarts. I was a bit of a troll for several minutes as I made sure to stand in certain ces to let them get a glimpse of me and then I would put the hood of my invisibility cloak up and disappeared.


    It put me in a great mood for what was going to happen next and I went to the barrier between tforms. In a stroke of inspiration, I created a sign above it with a notice-me-not charm keyed to muggles. It had an arrow pointed down and the tform name, then in brackets below it, ''yes, really''.


    I chuckled and stepped through the barrier and stepped to the side in case anyone else came through. I took out my fancy outer-robes and slipped them on under my cape before I took off my invisibility cloak and stored it.


    ¡°There he is!¡± A girl''s voice shouted almost immediately.


    Camera shes littered the crowd and I was suddenly surrounded by adoring fans and the members of the press. I beamed a smile at them and had to fight my instincts to pose. Like Amy had warned me, I wanted them to like me, not make fun of me.


    ¡°Thank you all foring over here to greet me. It''s nice to finally meet you in person.¡± I said and gave them a little wave. My cape billowed out because I moved and more shes came from the various cameras to catch the moment.


    Most of the girls blushed and a few of the older ones made aroused sounds. The fancy robes really made me look like the dashing hero and I would have to thank Nanny for making them so well. For now, it was time for me to amaze my captive audience. I nced into my storage space at my master list and used detect to get the names of everyone around me.


    I stepped close to the first girl and smiled warmly at her as I took her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°Miss Dunbar, I''ve enjoyed the letters you''ve sent me over the years. The kneazle toy you gave me two Yule''s ago still sits on my bedroom shelf and overlooks my study desk.¡±


    Fay looked almost faint and her face was so red that you couldn''t tell where her face ended and her red hair began. ¡°You... you... you remember that?¡±


    I chuckled and let her hand go. ¡°Of course I do. How could I ever forget something so important?¡±


    Fay started to sway and I easily caught her in my arms as she slumped. The cameras shed again and I chuckled and revived her. I stood her back on her feet. ¡°Please excuse me. I have more people to greet.¡±


    ¡°O-o-okay.¡± Fay said and carefully stepped back and was engulfed by the girls that wanted to be next.


    I turned to a blonde and gave her a huge smile. ¡°Miss Brown! I can''t mention what you gave me for my birthday. Just know it has a prominent spot in my desk drawer, so that it is always at hand.¡±


    Lavender blushed and looked proud.


    ¡°How are your parents? Did you mother give birth yet?¡± I asked and kissed her hand.


    ¡°Frantic and mum''s not due for another month.¡± Lavender answered and then caught her breath. ¡°You really do remember what people write!¡±


    I let her hand go and turned to the next girl. ¡°Ah, Miss Greengrass. I haven''t heard from you or your sister in a few months. Were you hoping that absence would make the heart grow fonder?¡±


    Daphne blushed from embarrassment. ¡°I... well...¡±


    I chuckled at her pretty much admitting it was true. I took her hand and kissed it. ¡°It''s all right. People can get busy in their lives. I won''t hold it against you.¡±


    Daphne sighed. ¡°It didn''t work.¡±


    ¡°It might have, if I hadn''t had the unfortunate experience of my longtime girlfriend breaking up with me to focus on her career.¡± I said and every single girl gasped, Daphne included. ¡°I could have used a sympathetic ear and perhaps a fewforting cuddles for most of the summer.¡±


    Daphne looked like I had kicked her puppy.


    I stepped close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It''s all right, Miss Greengrass. If you had known, I''m sure you would have helped. You don''t have to feel bad that you didn''t know.¡±


    Daphne nodded and stepped back into the crowd. I kept watching her with my magic detection spell as I turned to the next girl and did the same knowledge trick with her. Daphne went to her parents that stood off to the side of the tform and told them what I said. She was pulled into a hug by her mother and her father patted her shoulder.


    I stayed there for almost 45 minutes and pretty much gave a reverse interview for the press. No matter who stepped up to gain my attention, I said their name and proved that I knew something about them. One of the male students tried to mess me up and dared me to remember them when they hadn''t sent me anything. I told him his name and that his parents sent me a Yule card in 81 to thank me for defeating Voldemort. He and everyone else were stunned.


    ¡°On that note, we all should grab our things and get on the train. It''ll be leaving soon.¡± I said.


    The crowd quickly broke up and all of them were muttering about how amazing it was that I knew everyone. The press had a great story as well. I grew up away from the wizarding world and I still knew about everything going on. It was quite the scoop.


    I checked the invisible clock in my head and nodded as I went to the barrier to go back to the muggle side. I cast a notice-me-not charm keyed to muggles on myself and went through. I knew who wasing and figured I had to subvert their expectations, too. It was quite easy to see therge gaggle of redheads as they entered the train station. I walked right over to them and silently cast the same muggle notice-me-not charms on them.


    ¡°Hello, Percy!¡± I said a bit loudly to get their attention and to stop Molly from starting to talk loudly about the tform and muggles being all over the ce.


    All six redheads jumped slightly and came to a stop as they stared at me.


    I shook Percy''s hand. ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± I said and turned to Fred. ¡°Hello, Fred. I see you''re still the handsome one.¡±


    Fred shook my hand with a chuckle.


    I turned to George. ¡°Good show, George. You''re still the smart one.¡±


    ¡°Oi!¡± Fred said and Georgeughed and shook my hand.


    I turned to Ron and frowned slightly. ¡°I don''t know who you are and I know who everyone is.¡±


    The twinsughed and patted me on the back. ¡°He''s our little brother, Ron.¡±


    ¡°Nope, not ringing a bell.¡± I said and they keptughing. I stepped around Ron and gave a very big smile to the blushing girl behind him as I took her hand and bent over it to kiss it. ¡°And here she is, the girl I came here to meet. One of my biggest fans.¡±


    Ginny let out a squeak instead of talking.


    ¡°I still have all your letters and birthday cards, Miss Weasley. I hope you liked the pictures I sent you in return.¡±


    Ginny squeaked again and nodded her head several times.


    I reached into my pocket and took out a copy of the picture with my head in the Nundu''s mouth. ¡°Here''s one more for your collection.¡±


    Ginny squeaked again and hugged it like it was one of my plushie dolls.


    That gave me an idea and I looked at Molly. ¡°My apologies if this is too forward and personal, Mrs. Weasley. Were you able to buy any of my plushie dolls for Ginerva?¡±


    Ginny looked sad and Molly shook her head.


    ¡°They were too popr and sold out before we could get anywhere near the stores selling them.¡± Molly said with a sigh.


    I nodded my head and reached into my pocket. ¡°I suspected as such. I would have sent this to you long ago if I had known you didn''t get any of the newer ones.¡±


    ¡°Newer ones? What do you... sweet Merlin!¡± Molly gasped as I took out a life-size Baby Harry Plushie.


    ¡°Just so you know, there are only three others of these in existence. They were the first test models and every other one is half the size.¡± I said and handed it to Ginny. It joined the epic hug my picture was in and I was d they had the same enchantments as the fan letters in my swimming pit or it would have been ruined.


    ¡°H-Harry, we... we can''t ept that! It''s too valuable!¡± Molly protested.


    I smiled at her and pointed to Ginny''s blushing and happy face. ¡°That''s what makes it valuable, Mrs. Weasley. Without people like her, it would never be something that anyone wants.¡±


    Molly looked at her ecstatic daughter and saw that I was right.


    ¡°We better get moving. The train leaves in five minutes.¡± I said and they all jumped again.


    We made a beeline to the barrier and went through it, almost in a pile. I had to hold in myugh as they all scrambled to board the train with their trunks. I helped transfer them from the trolley as Molly hugged each of her children and shoved them onto the train.


    ¡°I wish I could go, too.¡± Ginny whispered low enough that she thought no one heard her.


    I leaned out the door of the train as it started to pull away. ¡°Don''t worry, Ginny! It''s only a year! For magicals that live for almost 200 years, that''s nothing!¡±


    Ginny blushed again and ducked her head behind my plushie. She looked pleased, though.


    ¡°Don''t forget to write to your favorite hero!¡± I waved to her and she waved back. I chuckled and leaned back in to see four surprised looks.


    ¡°You''re not trying to trick our sister, are you?¡± The twins asked at the same time.


    I reached out and patted their shoulders. ¡°Of course not, my new friends! I''m encouraging a longtime fan to not be so shy around me.¡± I said and they nodded. I nced down at their clothes and had to smile. They were not hand-me-downs or cheap muggle ripoffs. ¡°I see the school subsidies are being put to good use.¡±


    ¡°That was true?¡± They asked, shocked.


    ¡°That it was me setting it up for those that needed it? Yes, it''s true.¡± I confirmed and then let them in on the secret. ¡°Honestly, I wanted to encourage parents to have more children and not have to worry about paying so much money for them to go to school when they were of age.¡±


    The four of them just stared at me.


    ¡°Who better than the Weasley family as an example?¡± I asked and they kept staring. Iughed and waved behind them. ¡°Fred, George, I bet Lee''s waiting for you. Percy, good luck finding Penelope''spartment. She''s probably on her Prefect rounds.¡± I said and pointedly looked at his chest and the Prefect badge there.


    ¡°Right! I need to go!¡± Percy gasped and grabbed his trunk from the pile and ran down thepartment as he dragged the thing behind him.


    ¡°Lotor charm!¡± I shouted at him.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Percy said and waved his wand at his trunk. It shot up off of the floor and floated behind him as he ran unencumbered.


    ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know that spell, do you?¡± Fred asked me.


    I nodded and tapped his trunk and tapped his hand. ¡°Lotor Fred''s trunk.¡±


    The trunk floated up to hover behind him.


    ¡°Wicked.¡± The twins said as one.


    I did George''s trunk next and the pair walked away and had a whispered conversation that I didn''t bother listening to. It was probably in their special twinspeak shorthand and I wouldn''t understand it anyway.


    ¡°See youter, whoever you are.¡± I said to Ron and walked around him to follow the twins.


    ¡°Oi! What about my trunk?¡± Ron asked.


    ¡°I can''t cast the spell if I don''t know your name!¡± I lied and waved at him over my shoulder.


    ¡°It''s Ron! RON WEASLEY!¡± Ron yelled.


    ¡°Sorry! It doesn''t ring a bell!¡± I joked and opened the door to the next train car. I could swear that I heard a few giggles from one of thepartments as I passed it, so I stopped and peered into the window to see a group of girls looking back at me. ¡°Ladies.¡± I said and gave them a beaming smile and winked at them, making them giggle and blush.


    I went to the next car and searched for a mostly emptypartment to sit in. I stopped when I reached one with someone that wasn''t on the tform. I politely knocked and waited for the door to open before I spoke.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Abbot. Do you mind if I intrude on you and your friend to join you for the journey to school?¡± I asked her and she blushed to a deep red. I only received stuttering and sputtering in response.


    ¡°H-Harry.¡± Susan whispered and stared at me.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Bones. I hope your auntie liked the clothing cab I sent her.¡± I said and Susan was reduced to a stuttering mess like Hannah was as she tried to thank me for it. I held in myugh at so easily flustering both girls and took Hannah''s hand and led her back to her seat beside Susan and sat her down, went back and shut thepartment door, then I sat across from the pair of friends.


    Unlike them, I was determined to wait their embarrassment out and just sat there and smiled at them without trying to talk at all. I did keep changing my gaze from Susan''s face to Hannah''s, so they would know I wasn''t ignoring one for the other. I didn''t want to give them a reason to be jealous of each other, either.


    It took a good 10 minutes before the girls calmed down enough to realize that it waspletely silent in thepartment. That embarrassed them again and they couldn''t quite meet my eyes. I stopped holding in my amusement and softlyughed at the situation. It didn''t take long before they joined me and started to rx.


    ¡°Do you still have my Baby Harry plushie?¡± I asked Susan and she nodded. ¡°I heard it''s a very valuable collector''s item.¡±


    ¡°It is. I haven''t met or know anyone else that has one.¡± Susan said. ¡°Auntie checked around as well and no one else has one.¡±


    ¡°That''s probably because they were never up for sale.¡± I said and both girls sucked in sharp breaths. ¡°I only gave them to three girls at the time. One to you, one to the Greengrass heiress because of a contract with their family, one to my distant cousin to apologize for an ident that was mostly my fault, and I just gave a fourth one to one of my biggest fans.¡±


    Both girls stared at me and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Ginny will be joining us next year and I had to give her something I knew she would treasure until then.¡± I exined and Susan nodded. ¡°So, what did you lovely girls do this summer?¡±


    ¡°We went to the beach!¡± Hannah said a little loudly and then blushed.


    Susan couldn''t stop her giggle. ¡°It was local, so the water was a bit cold.¡± She said and briefly nced down at her friends breasts. ¡°Hannah''s bikini was under a lot of strain.¡±


    Hannah gasped and whipped her head around to re at her friend. ¡°Says the girl that almost lost her top when she dove into the water the first time!¡±


    I chuckled and both girls turned to look at me with wide eyes. I leaned forward and smiled warmly at them. ¡°That sounds like two sides to a great story.¡± I said and kept my eyes at their eye level and didn''t look down at their well-developed chests. ¡°Why don''t you start at the beginning?¡±


    Hannah and Susan exchanged looks and nodded to each other.


    ¡°Well, it all started when Hannah invited me over to spend a week''s vacation at their beach house.¡± Susan said and exined what had happened and how the whole beach thing came about.


    I sat there with a smile on my face as both girls visibly rxed and then started to try to embarrass the other by telling me all about their yful antics.

 74 Hogwarts Or Bust Part Two

    74 Hogwarts Or Bust Part Two


    ¡°...and that''s how I found out our boobs are nearly the same size, except Susan''s are bigger around and mine are more pointed.¡± Hannah said, a bit proudly.


    ¡°You could have figured that out without groping me so much!¡± Susan said with augh.


    ¡°But not as much fun.¡± Hannah and I said at the same time, as if we nned it, and weughed.


    ¡°I can''t believe you''re as big of a tease as she is.¡± Susan said, clearly amused.


    ¡°I can''t help it. I had a steady girlfriend until this summer and she was a shameless tease.¡± I defended myself.


    Both Hannah''s and Susan''s smiles faded.


    ¡°I''m sorry to hear that, Harry.¡± Susan said.


    ¡°I was, too.¡± I responded. ¡°She wants to be an Auror and had to devote all her time to training.¡±


    ¡°I want to be an Auror, too.¡± Susan said, not realizing she was essentially taking herself off of the market as an avable girlfriend for me. ¡°I want to be a great one like my auntie.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Hannah? Any big ns for the future?¡± I asked to distract them.


    Hannah shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to think about that until I pass my OWLs. I''ll have two years after that to make any big decisions about what I want to do for the rest of my life. That''s plenty of time.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Harry?¡± Susan asked me.


    ¡°Me? I thought my future was already set.¡± I answered. ¡°I''m the savior of the wizarding world.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to try for another job?¡± Hannah asked me.


    ¡°Why settle for mediocrity when I''m already at the top?¡± I asked back and Hannah softlyughed. ¡°Although, I doubt anyone would refuse to hire me. That''s assuming they don''t im I''m over-qualified. That would be embarrassing!¡±


    Both Susan and Hannah giggled.


    ¡°That really would be embarrassing.¡± Susan agreed.


    ¡°And really funny!¡± Hannah added. ¡°I''m sorry, Mister Potter. You are just too popr to wait tables at the Leaky Cauldron. We can''t handle the extra workload from all the fans that visit. Ha ha!¡±


    The three of usughed pretty hard at the thought of Tom the barman turning me down because I would bring in too much business for him to handle. We spent the rest of the trip to Hogwartsing up with a bunch of ridiculous situations and outrageous excuses for people to not hire me. It was a great time and both girls looked quite pleased about that.


    I tried to stand and excuse myself for them to get changed and it was Hannah that stopped me, to my surprise. She gave me a shy look and gave my arm a light squeeze before she whispered about being there when Amelia had convinced Susan to thank me on her behalf. I couldn''t refuse a sincere offer like that, so I sat back down and gave her my full attention.


    Hannah blushed as she slowly unbuttoned her blouse. She didn''t hesitate as her fingers worked, though. When she decided she was going to do this for me, she choose to go all out and gave me a very nice striptease. It was only missing a bit of background music as she slid her top off and revealed a fairly nice bra.


    Her fingers danced slightly across the top of her bra and highlighted the barely restrained flesh there. She even tugged it a little and showed me a bit of her nipples. Her fingers moved down her chest, her waist, and to her skirt. She unbuttoned it and held it, gave me a pretty sexy look, then turned around and slowly slid the cloth down and bent over at the same time.


    That was when I knew she hadn''t quite thought that move out, because as the skirt hit the floor and she was bent right over to show me she was only wearing a thong, she hadn''t realized the thong had shifted aside and wasn''t covering anything. At all.


    ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± Hannah asked, her face still red, and she braced her hands on the seat.


    ¡°Yes, I really do.¡± I said, my eyes wide. <i>Damn, that''s a really nice view!</i>


    Susan saw my expression and had to lean out from her seat to look at what I could see. She caught her breath at Hannah fully exposing herself. ¡°Hannah, your... um... your panties are...¡±


    ¡°I know they''re wet.¡± Hannah interrupted. ¡°This is... I knew I would like... well...¡± She stammered. She also didn''t try to stand up and stayed bent over. ¡°It''s exciting and my heart''s beating so fast!¡±


    Susan''s mouth dropped open as her friend reached back and caressed her own butt with a hand and pulled her cheek aside, then she pped it!


    I stared at Hannah being bold like a Griffindor, then realized something. She was a Hufflepuff and hard working, so she wasn''t going to half-ass a striptease. It also gave me an idea. ¡°May I?¡±


    Hannah looked back over her shoulder as she wiggled her ass at me. ¡°If... if you want to.¡±


    ¡°After a show like that? Of course I do.¡± I said and she watched as I knelt on the floor behind her. ¡°It''s even nicer than my ex-girlfriends.¡±


    Hannah''s blush went deeper. ¡°Th-thanks.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°She also liked it when I did this.¡± I said and leaned in and slipped my tongue into her dripping slit.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Hannah gasped and came. Her body shivered and she had to drop to her elbows on the seat to brace herself. That managed to stick her ass out more and gave me easier ess.


    I took full advantage of it and dug my tongue right in there and kissed and suckled on her. She started to loudly moan as I did so and I had to cast both silence and notice-me-not spells on the door. I didn''t pause in working her over, though. She was nice enough to show off for me, so the least I could do was thank her for it.


    Susan sat there with her mouth hanging open and watched as I pleasured her best friend. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be memorizing everything I was doing. I also figured she was regretting not doing this herself. It was debatable whether she wanted to be the giver or the receiver.


    After about ten minutes, Hannah''s legs were quivering so much that her ass shook and her cheeks lightly pped the cheeks of my face. It was a pretty neat trick, actually. When I slipped a finger inside of her, careful of her hymen, she screamed out and came so hard that it sshed onto my chin. Her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees and her head rested on her arms on the seat.


    ¡°W-w-wow.¡± Susan whispered and stared at her trembling friend.


    I licked my finger off as Hannah look back at me. ¡°Thank you for the thank you.¡±


    Hannah let out a little giggle and seemed proud. ¡°I want to... do that again... when I recover.¡±


    I chuckled and took out my wand to clean myself up and then did the same to her. ¡°There''s not enough time left before we reach Hogsmeade.¡± I reminded her.


    Both she and Susan gasped.


    ¡°I think... I need a hand.¡± Hannah said and blushed again.


    ¡°Allow me.¡± I said and levitated her trunk down and took out a Hogwarts uniform for her and then I levitated her into the air and used my wand to put it on her without touching her.


    Both Susan and Hannah stared at me using so much magic.


    ¡°I doubt using my hands and touching you all over would have helped.¡± I said with a smirk.


    Hannah giggled as she thought about it. ¡°Probably not.¡±


    I twisted my wand and she turned around and I eased her backwards to sit on the bench seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡± Hannah said.


    ¡°It was my pleasure, Hannah.¡± I said and put her trunk back up onto the rack and sat down again. I looked over at Susan and she looked conflicted. ¡°It''s all right, Susan. Hannah was quite loyal to do that on your behalf.¡±


    Susan blushed and looked away from me and at Hannah''s face.


    ¡°She''s quite the Hufflepuff.¡± Imented and Hannah looked happy.


    ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Susan said and leaned down to hug her.


    Hannah hugged her back. ¡°You need to change, too.¡±


    Susan let out an odd sound and let her go. ¡°I can''t do <i><b>that</b></i>!¡±


    Both Hannah and Iughed.


    ¡°I think what happened was just a happy consequence of Hannah''s choice to strip instead of just changing.¡± I said and both girls looked over at me. ¡°If she had only pulled her clothes off and put on her uniform, I would have barely seen anything and she wouldn''t have looked so sexy or tempted me so much.¡±


    Hannah softlyughed and looked pleased again.


    ¡°Maybe the next time we''re on the train, I''ll be the one to strip for you?¡± I asked her.


    Hannah caught her breath and blushed hard. ¡°I think I would like that.¡±


    Susan gave her friend a look, gave me one, and sighed.


    ¡°Shall I get your trunk for you?¡± I asked and she nodded. I levitated it down and Susan quickly pulled off her clothing and put on the school uniform with the outer-robes. ¡°You see? That was pretty efficient and I barely saw any of her milky-white skin.¡±


    Susan blushed and sat down. Hannah put an arm over her shoulders and gave her a one-arm hug.


    I put the trunk back onto the rack and went over in my head about certain events that usually happened during Harry''s first train ride to Hogwarts. The first event was meeting Ron Weasley as he lied and said everywhere was full, which I changed by ignoring him and saying I didn''t know his name.


    The second event was meeting Hermione Granger as she looked for Neville''s toad. Since Neville didn''t lose his parents, his uncle probably never gave him a toad after trying to kill him to see if he had magic. Being tossed off a pier and out a second story window would have never happened with Alice and Frank around. He probably had his own wand, too.


    The third thing was Draco Malfoy searching for the famous Harry Potter to try and sway him to be friends with Voldemort''s death eater children. Since all the death eaters except Severus Snape had been caught, their magic stripped, sent to prison, and eventually died, most of the wives and the children fled the country to avoid persecution.


    That should mean most of Slytherin House will be empty. It made me wonder how the house could even function with most of the members in prison or in another country. Would they bother trying to gain house points anymore? Did they have a Quidditch team topete for the cup? Have they gained any new students thest few years or were they smart and chose to go to another house?


    The train pulled into Hogsmeade station and I stood up and held my hands out to the two girls. They exchanged amused looks and each took a hand.


    I helped them stand and smiled at them. ¡°Should we wait a minute or join the throng trying to get off the train as quickly as possible?¡±


    ¡°That depends on if you want to cause another riot like you did at King''s Cross Station.¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Oh, you were there and just avoided it all?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°I didn''t get to embarrass... I mean impress you in front of the reporters.¡±


    Susanughed. ¡°I knew that''s what you were doing, considering the things you get up to in your books.¡±


    ¡°Hey, in my defense, I have no choice what happens in my books.¡± I said with a grin.


    Hannahughed. ¡°Of course you don''t.¡± She said and kept hold of my hand as she went to thepartment door. ¡°It should be okay now.¡±


    I followed her and Susan walked behind me as we joined a smaller crowd in the hallway and ignored the whispered conversations that picked up when the other students saw me. When we exited the train, Hagrid called for the first years. It made me wonder if he would have said anything if I hadn''t left the train. He tried to get my attention, only his eyes kept sliding over me and he was frowning.


    I tried to notugh at his attempts to work through the aversion ward I had copied onto my protection amulet. I couldn''t leave such a great thing behind and had to take it with me. It worked and kept people from doing Dumbledore''s assignments where I was concerned. The funny thing was, I wondered why I was allowed onto the train when I didn''t have a ticket.


    I shrugged the thought aside and held Hannah''s hand as we went down the path and to the edge of the ck Lake. The boats were big enough to hold four teenagers, so Susan, Hannah, and I entered one and a brown-haired boy joined us. It was Justin Finch-Fletchly and I greeted him by name, which shocked him and he stayed quiet for the entire ride across theke.


    Susan and Hannah had their mouths mped shut to stop theirugh and gave me pointed looks. I smirked at them and pointed to the castle. When they turned and looked at the brightly lit up castle, I couldn''t resist casting a few spells and slipped my wand out to add more power.


    Way above the castle, a firework exploded and a bright red circle of sparks expanded. A blue one went next and all of the students made ''oo'' and ''ah'' sounds as several more went off in different colors, then a whole series of them went off in a row and words formed.


    ¡°Really?¡± Susan asked.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked with a chuckle. The words weed the new and returning students to the castle on behalf of Harry Potter.


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Susan said with a sigh. Hannah giggled and lightly elbowed her side.


    We arrived at the docks and climbed the stairs and walked around the castle to the front doors. Hagrid knocked and Minerva McGonagall opened them. Her re was nothingpared to Vernon''s, so I easily ignored it. She gave a speech about houses being like family and I barely held in myugh, because some students had horrible families and a bad home life.


    I nced around and recognized a lot of the students listening to the drivel and saw a happy Neville, a pensive Hermione, a frowning Ron as he stared at me, and a bubbly Lavender as she licked her lips and also stared at me. I winked at her and she smiled and made a kissing motion. I nodded slightly and she beamed a smile at me.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± Minerva said and turned away.


    We followed her and entered the castle for the first time. I used a magic detection spell and a sharp painnced through my head. I cancelled the spell and held in my groan at not testing that beforehand. Either the wards were preventing me from casting that kind of spell or there was too much magic around for it to make anything out and shoved the jumbled details of everything into my head.


    I did a quick healing spell on myself and several of the students behind me made surprised sounds as I briefly glowed gold. I didn''t turn to acknowledge that they saw anything and hoped they didn''t ask me why I glowed when I entered the castle. They might make the wrong assumptions. Then again, I was Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world. Their assumptions might actually be right.

 75 School Is Cool

    75 School Is Cool


    The sorting ceremony was only a bit different than canon, thankfully. Most of them went where they normally went, except for the Slytherin students. Millicent Bulstrode went to Hufflepuff, as did Tracey Davis. Daphne Greengrass went to Ravenw, which had turned a lot of heads in surprise. Funnily enough, the only Slytherin student sorted was ise Zabini.


    Oh, and Neville went to Hufflepuff. The bright smile he had as he was warmly weed by his house had made a lot of the Hufflepuff girls give him searching looks, even the older years. Unlike the pudgy and shy version he should have been, he was in shape and was proud of his skills in growing things.


    I went into Griffindor, of course. The hat barely touched my head when it yelled. It''s whispered words of supreme arrogance and confidence excused me from every other house, made meugh. I couldn''t even argue that I was a better fit for Ravenw after all the books I had read to get ideas for spells.


    Not surprisingly, Hermione also went to Griffindor. I hadn''t had a chance to talk to her privately to convince her to go into Ravenw, which meant I might have to take a more active role in guiding her to be a more well-rounded person. Either that or give her apulsion spell or two. She loved attention from authority figures and I would need to stop that and not let her ostracize herself.


    I would also have to do something about my sleeping arrangements. Staying in a dorm with four other blokes was not going to be conductive to my extracurricr activities or allow me freedom of movement. I had a lot of things I needed to do as the Boy-Who-Lived and couldn''t be hampered like that.


    Ron had tried to barge into my personal space after his own sorting and he tried to shove off Hermione from one side and Lavender from my other side, because he wanted me all to himself. I pointed that fact out and reminded him that I was not a bloke''s bloke and he needed to go find someone else of a like mind. It made everyone around usugh and his face went red from embarrassment.


    I felt a hand run up my thigh and smiled at Lavender, whom looked a little surprised I wasn''t saying anything or stopping her hand''s progress. When it reached a certain area and she felt a distinct hardness there, she let out a little gasp and then her hand roamed and made sure to discover exactly how big it was.


    Lavender shuddered slightly when her task was done and gave me a fairly sultry look. I nodded slightly and continued eating, as if I hadn''t just agreed to let her see it first-hand. She gave me a little squeeze and patted it before she also concentrated on eating.


    After the meal and some nice desserts, treacle tart for the win, the headmaster stood up and dered the third floor corridor on the right-hand side was out of bounds and students would suffer a painful death if they went there.


    I nced around at the older Griffindors and saw all of their eager faces. <i>Challenge epted, Albus.</i> I thought with a smile and held in my chuckle.


    We were dismissed and the fifth year prefects brought the first years to the Griffindormon room in the tallest tower in the castle. There was no house meeting, no rules set, and no exnation of anything.


    <i>Perfect.</i> I thought and slipped on my invisibility cloak when no one was looking. I went to the prefects that were chatting and whispered a question about the head boy and where he would stay. The seventh year prefect grumbled that it was a slimy Slytherin that had won it this year and he had wanted to move into the apartment-like room at the very top of the tower.


    I walked away and went up the spiral stairway all the way to the top and the door was locked and spelled to not be entered by anyone but the Head Boy. I chuckled at the simple solution and formed a doorway next to the door and added another door and cast a notice-me-not charm on it. I stepped into the room and smiled at the extravagance.


    ¡°Nanny?¡± I asked and a few secondster, the nanny elf popped into the room.


    Nanny nced around the apartment and nodded several times. ¡°This room bees appropriate.¡±


    I chuckled and gave her a hug. ¡°I thought so, too.¡±


    ¡°I bees staying here to takes cares of youse.¡± Nanny said, her voice sure.


    ¡°That''s why I called you. I can''t trust anyone else to do your job as well as you do it.¡±


    Nanny looked pleased at that. ¡°I bees helping youse unpack.¡±


    I took out my trunk and she made quick work of getting my clothes sorted and put into the closet. She had to expand it to make it all fit, too. When she was done, she helped me change into my pyjamas and tucked me into bed.


    ¡°You miss taking care of us when we were young, don''t you?¡± I asked after she kissed my forehead.


    ¡°It bees a nanny''s only job to takes care of the little ones.¡± Nanny said and petted my messy hair.


    ¡°I''ll do my best to give you a lot more work in the future.¡± I promised.


    Nanny smiled at me. ¡°Youse always say the bestest things, Master Harry.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to remain thest Potter, Nanny. The only way to fix that is to make many more little Potters.¡±


    Nanny chuckled. ¡°Youse bees having lots of funs to doos that.¡±


    I chuckled as well. ¡°You always remind me of the important things, Nanny.¡±


    Nanny patted my head onest time and stepped back. ¡°Youse goes to sleep for now. ytime can start tomorrows.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± I said and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Goodnights.¡± Nanny whispered and popped away with barely a sound.


    The night passed quickly and I woke up just before dawn, like always. I climbed out of bed, stretched like azy cat, and pulled off my pyjamas. I went to the bathroom and did my duty, then took a shower to clean myself of sweat and dried off when I was done.


    Nanny popped in when I left the bathroom and helped me dress in a custom Hogwarts uniform that she, Butter, and Moppy had made for me. It looked just as expensive as my costume and it fit perfectly, which showed off my muscr physique even better than my costume did.


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± I said out loud and pulled Nanny into a tight hug. ¡°Those fancy robes were the best. They fit perfectly and made me look extremely professional and that I had dressed up specifically to meet my fans. They loved seeing me done up like that, so thank you. Thank you very much.¡±


    Nanny blushed. ¡°It bees my job to makes youse look youse best.¡±


    I eased my hold on her and smiled. ¡°I like how you can choose to change your ideas of how to properly take care of me.¡±


    Nanny let out a littleugh and pushed me away. ¡°Youse not be getting any ideas, Master Harry!¡±


    It took me a moment to get what she meant and I had tough, too. ¡°You''re right. I should stick to my own species.¡±


    Nanny nodded and clicked her fingers to make a hairbrush appear and it quicklybed my hair. ¡°Youse bees presentable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and nced in the mirror on the bathroom door. <i>I really do look good.</i> ¡°If you want to introduce yourself to the castle elves as my personal elf, just so they don''t think you''re an intruder, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I bees doing thatst night.¡± Nanny said, a little smugly.


    I chuckled at that look on her face. ¡°How many of them propositioned you?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen, including the heads elf.¡± Nanny answered proudly.


    I barked augh and patted her head. ¡°If you need my permission to socialize with them, you have it.¡±


    Nanny beamed a smile at me. ¡°I bees taking it seriously and will choose a good one, Master Harry.¡±


    ¡°That''s entirely up to you, Nanny.¡± I said and walked over to the new door. ¡°Have fun with it.¡±


    Nanny nodded and waved at me as I left. I went down the stairs and it was still really early, so I had a choice to make. Do I sneak into the first year dorms and pretend I slept there or do I go do what I want? Decisions, decisions. I chuckled and walked across the emptymon room to the doorway and expanded it into an actual walkway and not the tunnel it had been.


    I patted the reformed stone in thanks for allowing the change and pushed open the fatdy''s portrait. She didn''t say anything as I walked down the hallway and down the stairs. I thought about how I could fix my problem with my detection spell overloading my head with too much information and almost pped myself in the face for being so stupid.


    I turned around and went back to the Griffindormon room and up the stairs to the third year dorm as I put on my invisibility cloak. A quick spell told me where the twins kept their trunks and one of them glowed when I asked for the Marauder''s Map.


    Instead of dispelling the wards and protective spells on the lid and lock of the trunk, I levitated the whole thing into the air and cut open the side. I reached in and pulled out the piece of old parchment that was the map and copied it, shoved it back inside the trunk, and repaired the damage. I put the trunk back and left the room with the solution to my problem.


    I took the cloak off again and stored it as I left themon room. The fatdy stayed quiet and I went down the hallway and the first set of stairs. I cast a notice-me-not charm on the parchment and activated it with the password, then instead of casting my detection spell, I funnelled it into the parchment.


    I felt the thing connect to Hogwarts through the wards, which told me exactly how the map was able to track everyone in the castle. It was using the castle''s own detection wards to do it. It was no wonder my head felt like it was splitting open when I tried to do the same thing, because it wasn''t just things in my range, it was everything and everywhere inside the castle.


    I chuckled at that and used a few more spells, mostly to see what other wards existed and what they could tell me. I almostughed out loud at the dozens of exceptions that had been made to the malevolence protection wards, including the dark mark and the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job.


    <i>Should I tweak things? Would Hogwarts let me and not notify Dumbledore?</i> I asked myself and shrugged. I would only make little changes and see if the headmaster reacts. If he doesn''t, I''ll change some of the bigger things. So, I removed the exceptions for the curse and casting spells with a wand in the hallways. <i>Let''s see how long before someoneins to Snape and him to Dumbledore.</i>


    I followed the map down through the castle to the front doors. They opened for me and I patted the door on the way by. I made my way down to the ck Lake and easily found an out-of-the-way spot to ward off and created a teleportation circle. I joined it to the others and felt the magic drain as it connected to all of them.


    I had built a pretty intensivework of teleportation circles all across Europe by this point, thanks to Petunia''s penchant for travelling in style when Amy was old enough. I had one in every country of note, including several in Australia, Africa, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. That''s why it was so draining. The best part was that the cost to use them afterwards was negligible.


    When I checked the invisible clock in my head, it was close to the time I needed to make an appearance back in the Griffindormon room, so I went back into the castle wearing my invisibility cloak. I used the map to avoid anyone that was already up, like several professors, Argus Filch, and his cat. I did give her a scratch under her chin and behind her ears at the same time as I passed her.


    Mrs. Norris let out a purr and then stopped walking as she looked around and wondered what the hell just happened. It made me chuckle and her little cat eyes stared at where my disembodiedugh came from. I took out a bag of cat treats and tossed her one. She easily caught it and chewed as she kept staring at me. I tossed her another one and quickly walked away.


    I made it back to the tower just as a bunch of the upper years came down the stairs and popted a good portion of themon room. They sat down and started chatting about different things and I walked by and up the stairs. I thought about waiting to reveal myself, then shrugged and took off my cloak and walked back down the stairs.


    ¡°Look at that, Alicia. The conquering hero is up before breakfast is served.¡± A ck skinned beauty said when she saw me. Four other girls sat around her on two facing couches.


    I walked over to her with a smile on my face. ¡°And how exactly does Miss Johnson know what my morning routine is like if she didn''t experience it for herself?¡±


    Alicia let out augh. ¡°He''s got you there, Angelina.¡±


    Angelina swatted her friend''s knee. ¡°He''s two years younger than me. Hero or not, that''s a bit too..¡±


    ¡°My ex-girlfriend was six and a half years older than me and she graduatedst year.¡± I interrupted her and the group of girls gasped. ¡°It shouldn''t be that surprising. When I''m legal age, no one will care how old the people I date are.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± The brown-haired girl with them said and gave me a pretty close examination with her eyes. ¡°Did you really date a girl from Hogwarts?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did, Miss Bell. She gave up her Hufflepuff ways this summer and dumped me to focus on her future career.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Well, the Duffers aren''t known for their brains.¡± Katie said and patted the space beside her.


    I sat down next to her and put my arm across the back of the couch. She gave me a raised eyebrow and I smirked and wagged my eyebrows at her. She softlyughed, leaned back and against me, and I put my arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°That was pretty slick.¡± Angelina admitted.


    I couldn''t resist saying what I said next. ¡°I have a free arm right here.¡± I said and raised my hand.


    That made all the girlsugh and I joined them. Angelina and Alicia seemed to have a silent battle of wits as they stared at each other, as did the two other girls, then Angelina epted the challenge and moved from where she sat and sat down beside me.


    I put my arm around her shoulders right away and hugged her in close. ¡°I love Griffindor bravery.¡±


    That made all the girls smile and they resumed their previous conversation as if I hadn''t just interrupted them. They were talking about Quidditch ys and how they would start training with their insane coach next week after the first year flying lessons. The other two girls, the fifth and sixth year prefects, promised to drum up interest with the rest of the house to get them to show up.


    ¡°They don''t allow first years on the house teams, do they?¡± I asked and they all shook their heads. ¡°Is that because they aren''t allowed to bring their own brooms?¡±


    That made them all pause and think about it.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Katie said. ¡°They would have to use the school brooms and those are terrible.¡±


    ¡°Or borrow a broom from an older student that''s not using it.¡± Alicia said. ¡°That almost never happens, even within families, since no one would spend that kind of money on a broom if they weren''t going to y.¡±


    ¡°Trust like that would take a long time to earn for something that important.¡± I agreed, since I knew how much brooms cost. I was tempted to let them know what I nned and chose to wait. I didn''t want to get their hopes up of having me on the team or remind them of the story in the newspaper where I couldn''t buy the brooms from the shop.


    Angelina turned slightly towards me and she looked into my eyes. ¡°Are you asking for a specific reason?¡± She asked and then her eyes widened. ¡°Wait a minute! You''re Harry bloody Potter!¡±


    I had to mp my mouth closed to notugh at her shout. She clearly saw my amusement, though.


    ¡°Did you ignore the first year rule and bring a broom to school?¡± Angelina pointedly asked me and all of the girls gave me simr pointed looks.


    For some reason, I knew I shouldn''t lie to her. ¡°I can freely admit that I did not bring a personal broom to school.¡±


    The other girls started to slump in disappointment before Angelina sucked in a sharp breath.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Alicia asked.


    Angelina''s eyes almost smouldered as she stared into mine. ¡°You actually did it.¡±


    I kept my mouth shut and didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Katie asked as she leaned out to look at her.


    ¡°Remember how much we talked about that article during the summer about some random kid going to Quality Quidditch Supplies on behalf of Harry Potter to buy brooms for Hogwarts?¡± Angelina asked and the other girls gasped. ¡°Yeah, that''s right. Can you guess who managed to do it?¡±


    I actually felt the shift in magic in the room around me and slowly turned my head to see the hungry looks on their faces. ¡°I... ah... think I need to go.¡± I said and started to stand up.


    Two hands grabbed my robes and pulled me backwards onto the couch to almosty down. Angelina and Katie loomed over me as they held me down and the other girls surrounded us.


    ¡°Why don''t you tell us about what you brought to school?¡± Angelina said in a deep sexy voice.


    I felt myself grow hard and all five girls looked down at it and back at my face.


    ¡°I think someone doesn''t mind if a girl asserts her dominance a little.¡± Angelina said and her other hand went to my erection. She rubbed it and hummed in approval at the size. ¡°So... Harry... darling.¡± She whispered and leaned down to put her face barely an inch above mine as her other hand kept moving on me. ¡°What...¡± *rub* ¡°...did...¡± *stroke* ¡°...you...¡± *caress* ¡°...bring...¡± *tug* ¡°...for us?¡±


    I nced up at all of their expectant and eager faces. ¡°I may have... bought a few... Nimbus 2000s.¡± I said between panting breaths.


    ¡°How many?¡± Katie asked and her hand joined Angelina''s and rubbed me. ¡°Merlin, he''s really hard.¡±


    ¡°I bought... 50 of them... to give to Madam Hooch.¡± I admitted.


    Both Katie''s and Angelina''s hands tightened on me through my expensive pants, then Angelina dove for my mouth and Katie went for my neck as they kept jerking on me. It didn''t take them long to get me off after that and I moaned into Angelina''s mouth. She seemed to really like that and broke the kiss to show me the smug look on her face.


    ¡°Ladies, we need to let the rest of the team know.¡± Angelina said and gave my waist a look and saw the wet spot. Bold as brass, she slipped a fingertip under the waistband of my pants and pulled it back out with a bit of white fluid on it. ¡°I think you need to get cleaned up, Mister Potter. You seemed to have made a mess.¡± She gave me a pointed look and slowly licked her finger off.


    ¡°Why don''t you help me?¡± I asked and her eyebrows went up. ¡°You don''t think once is all I have in me, do you?¡±


    Angelina''s smug look changed to a smirk as she moved back to let me sit up. ¡°I don''t mind seeing if bragging is all you can do.¡±


    I sat up and then stood, took her hand, and helped her stand as well. ¡°Katie, do you want to wait untilter or are you joining us?¡±


    Katie looked a little surprised, then sheughed. ¡°Griffindors fly where cowards fear to walk.¡±


    I helped her stand as well and led them both over to the stairs.


    ¡°Hold on, we''re not going to the first year boy''s dorm to let them see...¡± Angelina protested.


    ¡°No, we''re not.¡± I interrupted her and led them up the stairs to the very top. I brought them into the room through the new door and they looked surprised and also happy that no one else was there. ¡°We only have half an hour before breakfast is served.¡± I said and started to strip off.


    ¡°Itsts an hour and a half. We have plenty of time.¡± Angelina said and started to strip off, too.


    Katie didn''tment and took off her clothes as she watched me.


    I dropped my boxers to the floor and both girls let out happy sounds. ¡°Ladies, the bath is this way.¡±


    ¡°Screw the bath.¡± Angelina said and kissed me hard, pushed me onto the bed, then shoved her mouth onto my still hard member. She moaned at the feeling and I moaned at her giving me some great feelings in return.


    Katie looked a little lost, so I pointed at her dripping wetness between her legs and then at my face. ¡°OKAY!¡± She yelled and dove onto the bed to climb over me, straddled my face to let me lick her, and moaned loudly as she leaned against the headboard to hold on.


    Angelina stopped sucking to look at us. ¡°Merlin, that''s so hot.¡±


    ¡°I''m Harry, not Merlin.¡± I said and then suckled on Katie''s nub to make her scream.


    ¡°The great Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world...¡± Angelina said and stroked me with her hand several times, then she straddled my waist and rubbed my tip over her soaked opening. ¡°...is about to go on another great adventure.¡±


    ¡°My first.¡± I said and both girls paused. ¡°My ex''s mother made sure I didn''t waste my first time.¡±


    Angelina blushed hard at that. ¡°It won''t be a waste, Harry. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and reached for her hips and pulled Angelina down as I shoved my tongue up into Katie. Both girls cried out in pleasure at being prated.


    ¡°Sooo good!¡± Angelina moaned and started to move.


    ¡°Deeper, Harry! Dee... OHHHH!¡± Katie yelled and moaned as she came hard. She shook and shivered and took several deep breaths as she reached for my hair and pulled on it to hold my mouth on her. ¡°Don''t stop. Don''t stop.¡± She begged, so I kept going.

 76 A Class Above The Rest

    76 A ss Above The Rest


    By the time we were finished, and I had done Katie and Angelina twice each, once in the bed and once in the shower. We made it to breakfast with only twenty minutes to spare. Both girls were almost glowing after being healed of their soreness, since none of us had been gentle during our activities. Getting fully pleasured might have yed a small role, too.


    The pair of happy girls were only slightly reluctant to allow me to sit with my ssmates and made me promise to attend their first training session. I did so, mostly because I wanted to see them flying around on the new brooms, which I also promised I would give to Madam Hooch before the flying lesson next week.


    I had wanted to bring the crate out at the start of ss to wow the other students and the pair of beauties convinced me to give them to Hooch first and let her make the announcement instead. A double blowjob was arguably one of the best bribes I''ve ever received, so I quickly caved to their reasonable request. I also couldn''t say no to a girl that had my tender bits between her teeth.


    A lot of the girls at our table gave us piercing looks as we sat. Unlike me, Angelina and Katie quickly leaned to the side to have a whispered conversation with the girls beside them. When said girls started giggling and giving me searching looks, I had no doubt that what happened would soon be all over the school, assuming the rumor mill was as prolific as I suspected it was.


    ¡°You almost missed breakfast.¡± A slightly high-pitched voicemented from beside me.


    ¡°Thank you for pointing that out, Miss Granger. I almost did, yes.¡± I said and quickly assembled two sandwiches. I used toast, scrambled eggs, twoyers of bacon, a pile of hash browns, and salt and pepper with a touch of ketchup.


    Everyone stared at me as I made my monstrosities.


    I chuckled and wrapped one up in a napkin and slipped it into a pocket that it shouldn''t have fit in as I stored it. ¡°There''s no time to eat a proper meal and one to go for the same reason.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Katie said from where she sat and kept talking to her friends as she made one, too. Angelina gave me a nod and did as well.


    I spent a few minutes scarfing down the first sandwich and didn''t make a mess or a fool of myself, which seemed to surprise the boy across from me. ¡°Did you sleep wellst night, Mister Finnegan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me mum gave me a charmed nket that''s always warm.¡± Seamus said.


    I wiped off my hands and used my wand to expand my water ss and rinsed my hands in it, then used a napkin to dry my hands and changed the ss back. Once again, I had everyone''s attention.


    ¡°Miss Granger, could I borrow your ss schedule to copy it?¡± I asked and she nodded and dug into her backpack to hand it to me. I put it on the table and tapped it with my wand, then pointed beside it and created another one. I handed hers back and smiled at her. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hermione''s mouth dropped open and she stared at me.


    ¡°Yes, I''ll teach you that spellter.¡± I said and stood and looked over at Percy. ¡°We have Transfiguration ss first. Should we ask a Prefect to escort us the first time?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± The fifth year girl with the Prefect badge said and jumped to her feet.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Birchgrove.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we have our expert escort for this ss. Shall we go?¡±


    Everyone stood up, except for Ron. He stayed sitting and added more eggs and sausages to his te.


    ¡°Ronald, we need to go.¡± Hermione said and he ignored her.


    I put a hand on her arm. ¡°There''s still five minutes left and he''s not done eating breakfast. He''ll find his way eventually.¡±


    Hermione sighed and we all followed Eleanor out of the Great Hall. I wasn''t surprised to see her nce back asionally to see if I was watching her. I was, because I knew she expected me to, and I also ate my second breakfast sandwich. Eleanor had a smile on her face as she led us right to McGonagall''s ssroom.


    ¡°You need to hurry to get your books for your own sses this morning, Miss Birchgrove.¡± I said to her and her eyes widened. ¡°If you''rete, tell the teacher you were escorting the famous Harry Potter to make sure he gets to ss on time.¡±


    ¡°Professor Snape would spit on me if I told him that!¡± Eleanor eximed.


    I knew exactly how to respond. ¡°Tell him I couldn''t find the ssroom on my own and you had to discipline such a dunderhead.¡± I turned around and pulled up my outer-robes to show off my butt in my tight trousers. ¡°Go ahead and give it a p, just in case he asks for proof.¡±


    Eleanor blushed a little and then she hauled her hand back and pped me good across the arse.


    ¡°YeOW!¡± I yelped and jumped to make herugh. ¡°You were only supposed to pretend!¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Eleanor said with a smirk and quickly walked away.


    I rubbed my sore cheek and saw a few of my year mates trying to notugh. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Seamus and Dean burst outughing and the girls looked both amused and aroused, especially Lavender. I could tell by the look on her face that she liked what she saw.


    ¡°If you don''t have your book, that''s okay. The first ss in every subject is going to be mostly lectures and dictation anyway.¡± I said and opened the ssroom door.


    There was a cat sitting on the teacher''s desk and I thought about going over and giving her a good rub, just so I could make the joke that I rubbed Minerva''s pussy. It was too funny to not pass up, so I went over to her and dug my fingers into the sides of her cheeks where her scent nds were and gave her a good scratching.


    The cat purred and I moved one of my hands to the back of her head and gave her a scratch, then ran my fingernails up and down her neck and the top of her spine several times. She ducked and stretched, as if to give me easier ess, so I cupped a hand under her chin to hold her head steady and gave her a really good scratching where her ws couldn''t easily reach.


    The purring was really loud in the ssroom as one more student entered, the sole Slytherin in our year, ze Zabini. I didn''t scratch the cat for long, because I didn''t want her angry at me when she changed back. I eased off the scratches and gently pet her fur to put it back in order.


    ¡°I hope that helped, pretty kitty.¡± I said and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.


    The cat''s eyes widened at me and I held in myugh as I gave her onest pet from the top of her head to her tail, which I lightly tugged, then I went to the front desk and sat beside Hermione. Lavender was sitting with Parvati and she sighed at me sitting so far away.


    ¡°You really shouldn''t be touching someone else''s cat like that.¡± Hermione warned me.


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that''s Professor McGonagall''s pussy and as soon as I saw her, I had to pet her.¡± I said and I was sure the cat made a soft groan sound. It was really difficult to notugh out loud at that.


    The cat gave me a searching look for several moments and seemed indecisive as she looked at the other students, too. The bell rang and the ss was supposed to start, only Ron wasn''t there. So, the cat''s decision was made for her and she sat there to wait for the final student.


    Five minutester, an exhausted Ron ran into the ssroom and nervously nced around. Before he could rx that the professor wasn''t there, the cat leapt off of the desk and changed into Professor McGonagall.


    ¡°That was bloody brilliant!¡± Ron eximed.


    ¡°Well, thank you for that assessment, Mister Weasley.¡± Minerva gave him a slightly scornful look. ¡°Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure you into a pocket watch, that way you might be able to show up to ss on time.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry. I got lost.¡± Ron said, his face red.


    ¡°Then perhaps a map?¡± Minerva said and looked at the closest empty seat. ¡°I trust you won''t need one to find a seat.¡±


    Ron shook his head and sat down in the indicated seat and took out his book and parchment.


    ¡°Now that you are all here, I can begin the lesson.¡± Minerva said and then gave us an hour lecture on her subject, what she expected from us, and what we were to never do in her ss, horsing around... and then she changed her desk into a lion and it loudly roared.


    I couldn''t stop my chuckle as she silenced the lion and changed it back.


    ¡°Mister Potter, perhaps you would like to share what''s so funny with the rest of the ss?¡± Minerva asked and gave me a re for interrupting her.


    ¡°I was amused at your hypocrisy, professor.¡± I said and most of the ss made surprised sounds.


    ¡°EXCUSE me?¡± Minerva asked and her re intensified.


    ¡°You told us there would be no carrying on in your ss and then you literally scared most of the ss by creating a roaring lion. I thought your tant defiance of your own rules, immediately after stating them, was pretty funny.¡±


    Minerva opened and closed her mouth several times, then frowned. ¡°Perhaps your amusement will fade after you serve detention tonight for your disrespect.¡±


    I barked augh and Hermione gasped beside me. ¡°Professor, if I was going to disrespect you, I would ask if you were angry at me for petting your pussy in front of so many witnesses.¡±


    Complete and utter silence filled the ssroom and Minerva''s frown changed to show anger.


    ¡°However, I was not disrespecting you. You are a Mistress of Transfiguration and you can''t help yourself and showed off. You just chose the wrong time to do so and also without warning your ss first.¡± I said and pointed at a shaking Parvati being hugged by Lavender. ¡°Miss Patil is terrified after your little stunt and I was trying to diffuse the situation.¡±


    Minerva barely managed to tear her eyes from mine and looked at the brown-skinned girl beingforted. She saw what everyone else did and she let out a soft sigh. ¡°Miss Patil, I apologize.¡±


    ¡°As do I.¡± I said and everyone looked at me. ¡°Instead of making a joke, I should have offered her a hug like Lavender did and perhaps one of mytest plushies.¡±


    ¡°I... I forgive you.¡± Parvati said and then blushed. ¡°For the plushie.¡±


    I chuckled and stood, walked over to her, and leaned down to give her a hug that also included Lavender. Both girls let out a contented sound. I let them go and reached into my pocket and pulled out a plushie I just created of myself that wore my Hogwarts robes and it expanded to be a foot tall.


    ¡°They''ll be out for sale next week.¡± I said and gave it to Parvati.


    ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡± Parvati said and hugged it as she smiled.


    ¡°You''re wee, Parvati.¡± I said and went back to my seat.


    Hermione gave me a very pointed stare mixed with a re.


    I wasn''t sure what she was upset about, so I wrote on the side of my ss notes. <i>Do you want one?</i>


    Hermione''s pointed re changed to show she was thinking, then she looked conflicted.


    <i>I''ll give it to you after ss and no one will see that you have it.</i> I wrote and she gave me a slight nod.


    Minerva also looked conflicted over what just happened and the bell rang, which meant she didn''t have to do anything about it. ¡°Mister Potter, my office after supper.¡±


    I thought about refusing and nodded instead. I slipped my notes into my pocket and stored them, then helped Hermione pack up. I picked up her heavy backpack to sling over my shoulder and she looked shocked. I smiled at her reacting like that and put a hand on her lower back before I led her out of the ssroom. I handed her a plushie doll when we were in the hallway and she hugged it automatically.


    Hermione kept staring at me as I checked the map in my storage space and saw where Professor Flitwick was. We went down the corridor, past the main staircase, and into the next hallway to get to the charms ssroom. It wasn''t until I sat her down in the front seat that she seemed to wake up and realize we were in the right ssroom, mostly because Professor Flitwick was climbing up onto his desk.


    ¡°How did you bring us here?¡± Hermione asked me.


    ¡°I put one foot in front of the other and miraculously managed to walk! It was amazing!¡± I joked and heard two giggles from the table behind us. I turned my head just enough to give Lavender and Parvati a knowing wink.


    ¡°That''s not what I meant!¡± Hermione eximed.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and sat down. ¡°Would you believe me if I said I''ve been here before?¡±


    ¡°No. It''s the first day and none of us have had a chance to explore.¡± Hermione answered.


    ¡°What if I told you I tagged Professor Flitwick with a tracking charm and followed it to this ssroom?¡± I asked.


    Hermione huffed. ¡°You''re not allowed to...¡± Her voice trailed off and her eyes squinted slightly, as if she was in deep thought. ¡°...there are no rules against that. Did you do that? How does it work? I didn''t see you cast any spells and you didn''t have a wand out. How did you do it?¡±


    I barely held in myugh at being bombarded like that in a single breath. ¡°Take a breath, Miss Granger. Rx. In and out. That''s it.¡± I said and lightly rubbed her back with one hand and put her backpack onto the table in front of us with the other. The loud thump let everyone know she had a lot of books inside it.


    ¡°Are... are you patronizing me?¡± Hermione asked after taking several breaths like I asked.


    ¡°No, I''m trying to make you realize that you don''t have to get every single question out as quickly as possible and you shouldn''t expect someone to answer them all in the same fashion.¡± I said, my voice kindly and my face smiling warmly. ¡°Sometimes, patience isn''t just a virtue, it''s a code of conduct.¡±


    Hermione''s eyes seemed to bore right into me and I kept the smile on my face and my hand rubbing her back gently. She nced at my moving arm and then at my face. ¡°Why are you still doing that?¡±


    ¡°I could say my reason is that I''m touching a pretty girl without her objecting to it.¡± I said as my smile became a grin. ¡°The real reason is because you need it and I have no problem fulfilling that need.¡±


    Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times, not unlike McGonagall earlier, then she huffed and looked away. ¡°Whatever. Do what you want.¡±


    ¡°Reeaaaally?¡± I asked in a soft whisper and leaned in so close to her that my breath tickled her ear. ¡°Thank you for your permission, Miss Granger.¡±


    ¡°What do you.... ohhhh.¡± Hermione softly moaned as I kissed and nuzzled her neck. She bushed cutely as I peppered her with butterfly kisses and she turned her head to probably tell me to stop, so I moved up and captured her lips to kiss her deeply. She let out another soft moan as my tongue invaded her mouth expertly and one of her hands gripped the front of my robes to hold me close as her tongue danced with mine.


    The ss bell went off and Hermione jerked like she was pped. She broke the kiss and lookedpletely embarrassed to have lost herself like that. Funnily enough, she didn''t let the front of my robes go.


    ¡°You are a fantastic kisser, Miss Granger. Ten points to Griffindor for a great demonstration of your expertise.¡± Iplimented her in a whisper and she blushed and ducked her head. ¡°Perhaps we could continue this at ater time?¡±


    Hermione lifted her head to look into my eyes, probably to see if I was serious, and I gave her a serious face to make sure she knew I was. After a moment, she nodded slightly and finally let my robes go to open her backpack and took out the charms book and some parchment, ink, and a quill. She stuffed my plushie inside her backpack at the same time.


    Professor Flitwick easily gained our attention by standing on top of a stack of books that were on top of his desk. As I predicted, the first lesson was mostly lecture and warnings, which both Hermione and I copied down, word for word. Our writing speed was on par, which surprised the both of us. Me because of my abilities and her because I was matching her year of practice with a quill.


    When the ss ended, I helped her pack up and she gave me a pointed look. I chuckled and wordlessly offered to carry the backpack or let her handle it. She nodded and slung it over her own shoulders. She had to secure both straps to handle the weight and to stop it from shifting. I helped her, of course. We were heading outside for Herbology ss until lunchtime and she wouldn''t have to bear the weight for long.


    Hermione was sweating by the time we reached the right greenhouse. The oppressive heat when we entered had almost overwhelmed her and she nearly fainted. I scooped her up into my arms and brought her over to therge table we would be working behind.


    Lavender and Parvati joined us as I stood Hermione up and leaned her against the table and took off her backpack. I cast a cleaning spell to clear off her sweat and a slight obscuring spell on her, then I cast minor healing on her. Hermione sucked in a sharp breath at the tingle and slight glow of magic.


    ¡°How do you feel? Are you going to be okay?¡± I asked her and rubbed her back as I dispelled the obscure spell.


    ¡°Y-yes, I... I''m fine. Thank you, Harry.¡± Hermione responded.


    ¡°You''re wee, Hermione.¡± I said and stopped rubbing her back.


    Hermione blinked her eyes at me. ¡°You said my name right.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°What kind of friend would I be if I couldn''t do something so simple as saying your name right?¡±


    Hermione kept blinking her eyes at me. ¡°We... we''re friends?¡± She asked, surprised.


    I gave her my best smile and decide to tease her a little. ¡°I don''t let just anyone lick my tonsils, Hermione.¡±


    Lavender barked augh, Parvati snorted andughed, and Hermione blushed to a deep red. Before anyone else could react, Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse and told us to pay attention. She gave us a lecture about safety, what we would be doing this year, and that our dragonhide gloves had better be a good brand because we would be using them a lot.


    When ss was over and we all headed to the bathrooms to wash up before heading to the Great Hall for lunch, I had to admit that it had been a great first morning of sses.

 77 Professing Secrets

    77 Professing Secrets


    On the other hand, the afternoon sses were the worst. History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts were both double sses and the professors were terrible. Binns was only a ghost, so I had to make an allowance for that. Why would they keep a ghost around that was so boring, when he was alive, the man had died and kept working and no one noticed the difference?


    The bumbling fool they brought in to teach the DaDa ss almost made me regret taking care of Quirrell already. At least with the stuttering, you could almost make out what he was saying, even if it was annoying. This man was pretty much a drunkard that read from the assigned book with so much slurring that I thought he was having a stroke.


    When the ss was over and we left and entered the hallway, I couldn''t stop myself frommenting. ¡°I''m looking forward to having the afternoons off three times a week. No, four. We have Fridays off already.¡±


    Everyone looked at me in surprise.


    ¡°Both he and Binns were reading directly from the books and weren''t teaching us anything. We can read it ourselves at a much faster rate and would learn more on our own.¡± I said and most of them nodded, except for Hermione.


    ¡°But, they''re the teachers.¡± Hermione objected.


    ¡°An old ghost that can put other ghosts to sleep and a drunk that could barely keep his eyes open long enough to read a single sentence every ten minutes.¡± I said and she frowned. ¡°I heard he was ast minute substitution for a professor that didn''t show up.¡±


    ¡°I heard that, too.¡± Lavender said. ¡°He was the Muggle Studies professorst year.¡±


    I chuckled and Seamus did, too.


    ¡°What''s funny?¡± Hermione asked me.


    ¡°Do you really think someone that taught wizards about non-magical things, had an Outstanding in his DaDa NEWT or earned a mastery in under a year to ept the post?¡± I asked her back.


    Hermione sighed. ¡°Maybe he did something important in the field and they gave it to him?¡±


    I smiled, because that was exactly what had happened. He had let Voldemort possess him and had him stuck in the back of his head. ¡°That doesn''t fill me with confidence for some reason.¡±


    Lavender and Parvati giggled.


    Hermione huffed. ¡°Well, I''m going to go search for the library and get started on our homework.¡±


    ¡°Madam Pince is on the second floor, in the east wing, behind the big double doors at the end.¡± I said without thinking.


    Everyone stared at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°I tagged all the teachers and know where they are.¡± I hedged, since technically I did by using the modified map.


    ¡°Where''s the headmaster?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°His office, pacing back and forth.¡± I answered.


    ¡°What about Sinistra, the hot astronomy teacher?¡± Seamus asked, of course.


    ¡°In her quarters beside the Astronomy tower.¡±


    ¡°Professor Flitwick?¡± Fay Dunbar asked.


    ¡°His office beside his ssroom.¡±


    ¡°Professor McGonagall?¡± Hermione couldn''t resist asking.


    ¡°Fourth floor corridor heading for the stairs. I think she''s going to Dumbledore''s office.¡± I told her.


    We reached the main staircase and we kind of bunched up into a tight group and just stood there.


    ¡°Are you making all of that up?¡± Lavender asked.


    I checked the map and smiled. ¡°In five seconds, Filch''s cat Mrs. Norris wille around that corner.¡± I said and pointed with a syed hand, and folded a finger each second. When my thumb folded, Mrs. Norris walked around the corner and seemed to freeze when she saw arge group of students staring at her. ¡°And with that proof, I''m going for a walk. See you all at supper.¡±


    They all watched as I took out a cat treat and tossed it to Mrs. Norris, she caught it and chewed as she red at me, since I gave away that it was me that had scratched her earlier. I waved to her and went down the main staircase at a good speed, easily outpacing anyone trying to follow me.


    I made it to the ground floor and went through the Entrance Hall and out the main doors. ording to the wards, Madam Hooch was in the equipment shed beside the Quidditch pitch, so that''s where I went. I had a delivery to make and a promise to keep.


    Little did I realize that Madam Hooch was going to be very grateful for the expensive gift, especially since I was giving them to her and not to the school. The school governors wouldn''t be able to take them from her or sell them to line their own pockets and leave the students with the old failing brooms.


    I also didn''t realize she only wore a wedding ring to scare off suitors that she didn''t approve of and that she hid an extremely fit and muscr body under her Quidditch Coach robes. Oh, and she was flexible. As in sitting on my face and bent over backwards to suck me off flexible.


    When I stumbled into the Great Hall for supper, with my sses askew, my hair messed up, and my robes rumpled and crooked, the entire Griffindor Quidditch Team burst outughing and congratted me for surviving The Hawk''s attack. I mumbled that I would get them back somehow and they justughed harder.


    I ate like a man possessed to get my strength back up and even asked Nanny for a pepper-up potion, because I was sure Professor McGonagall was going to have me do something like endless lines for hours, sorting her already sorted bookshelf, or straightening up her entire ssroom. I just had a feeling it was going to be something strenuous and I knew I shouldn''t ignore my instincts.


    I kept an eye on the map in my storage space and saw her approaching where I sat. I excused myself and stood to greet her, which surprised her briefly. She schooled her face and nodded to me to follow her and I did so. It wasn''t difficult to keep up with her longer strides.


    When we reached her office, she looked back to see how long she had to wait for me to catch up to her. Again, she was surprised that I was right there with her. She nodded in approval and opened her door, ushered me inside, and closed and locked it. She also waved her wand over the door and cast several silence and privacy spells. That made my eyebrows raise and my mind raced as I wondered what she was going to have me do.


    ¡°Your behavior has been less than ster, Mister Potter.¡± Minerva said and walked over to the front of her desk. She turned around and leaned her butt against it and crossed her arms under her chest. ¡°In fact, I expected better of you.¡±


    I opened my mouth to defend myself, then sighed. ¡°Honestly, I have a good grasp of my celebrity status and can handle most situations. However, I''ve not interacted with magicals on a regr basis in a constantly evolving social situation like a boarding school.¡±


    It was Minerva''s turn to raise her eyebrows at me.


    ¡°Dudley and I were very popr at school while growing up. We mentored the younger kids, helped our year mates get better grades, and we were well known by pretty much everyone in the school.¡± I admitted and her eyes widened. ¡°Having to go to a new ce and trying to reestablish myself into a simr role is a little taxing.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Minerva said and looked thoughtful for several moments, then she nodded. ¡°Very well. I won''t feel as guilty about this as I normally would. Correcting behavior is my specialty, after all.¡±


    I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant and she stood up straight as she uncrossed her arms. My words caught in my throat as she opened her robes at the same time and dropped them to the floor.


    Underneath was a shockingly sexy dominatrix outfit with a leather corset that hefted her bare breasts up to be easily sucked and crotchless panties that revealed she trimmed her hair into a neat triangle. She reached back and opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a wooden handle with nine thin leather straps attached to it.


    Minerva held the handle tightly with one hand and pped the straps into the palm of her other hand, caressed them tenderly, then pped them into her palm again. ¡°Mister Potter, do you really believe that I don''t know exactly what goes on inside the Griffindor dorm rooms?¡±


    My mouth went dry as she stalked over to me and her breasts jiggled enticingly. ¡°I... uh... had hoped you didn''t, professor.¡±


    Minerva pointedly pped the straps into her palm again. ¡°Mister Potter, for the next three hours, you <b>will</b> refer to me as <b>Mistress</b> McGonagall.¡±


    I gulped as she carefully put the straps around my neck and tightened them. ¡°Y-yes, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Good boy... and good boys get rewarded.¡± Minerva said and smiled wickedly. ¡°You may kneel.¡±


    I felt her push down on my shoulders, so I knelt on the floor and she let the end of the straps go to not choke me. With me on my knees, it put my face at the perfect height to see her damp opening.


    ¡°Service me.¡± She said and spread her legs a little.


    I hesitated and looked up at her, only to see her hand move with the handle and the straps pped against my back. My clothing protected me; but, I winced for her anyway and she looked satisfied.


    ¡°Imanded you to service me, Mister Potter.¡± Minerva ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± I said and leaned in to start licking her. <i>This is going to be a long three hours.</i>


    It was. Minerva really got off on having someone act like a ve for her. I took every order she gave and followed them without question, and she came like a fountain every time. Maybe she was really pent up and hadn''t had sex in a while? Not that she considered it consensual sex. I wasmanded and did my duty to service her needs. She stillpped up my own expulsions like a cat with cream, though.


    I stumbled into the Griffindormon room with my sses askew and my robes on backwards. Everyoneughed. When they asked what happened, I told them I had to move every piece of furniture the hard way, without magic, and then had to clean it all when I was done. I did not tell them how I moved the furniture or what I was cleaning off of it, because Mistress McGonagallmanded that I keep it a secret.


    Angelina came right over to me and took me into a hug. ¡°You poor thing. She really put you through a lot and it''s only the first day!¡±


    ¡°I broke the record for earning the quickest detention.¡± I told her and sheughed.


    ¡°Let''s get you changed and into bed.¡± Angelina said and kept an arm around me as we crossed the room and took me up the stairs.


    I opened the door and we entered the room. I heard the door close behind us and I thought it was Nanny keeping the apartment secured, so I thought nothing of it. I let Angelina go and took a minute to strip off all of my clothes. I turned to help her undress, only to pause because it was a half-naked Alicia standing there.


    ¡°You weren''t kidding, Angelina.¡± Alicia said and put her hands on my arms to caress them. ¡°How did you get all these muscles, Harry?¡±


    ¡°You don''t think I could fight off a Manticore and rescue the vampire princess with spaghetti noodle arms, do you?¡± I asked instead of answering and sheughed.


    ¡°He still has the scorpion tail mounted in his trophy room.¡± Angelina said and came over to us and kissed me. ¡°They wouldn''t let him keep the head, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°It was a small price to pay to get away with kissing his daughter.¡± I joked and both girlsughed. ¡°I need a shower after my detention.¡±


    Angelina perked right up and took my hand. ¡°Alicia, you''re going to love this part!¡±


    I chuckled at her enthusiasm and put an arm around Alicia''s waist. ¡°She''s not wrong.¡±


    Alicia gave me a smirk. ¡°I believe I will ept the challenge.¡±


    The three of us went to therge bathroom and both Angelina and I made sure Alicia had a great time. We made it to the bed half an hourter and things quickly devolved into a lot of moans, grunts, and fluids. The three of us had a lot of fun before we fell asleep in each other''s arms.


    *


    The rest of the week passed by and I did my best to not upset Minerva to get another detention. She watched me like a hawk to try and catch me doing something, too. During thest ss on Thursday, I passed by her desk and whispered I would do something tomorrow and she could sentence me to detention Friday night. Her wicked smile made me shiver and she looked pleased.


    Friday was Double Potions day and it was the only ss we had that day. We all showed up in the morning and entered the ssroom. The Griffindor side was full and the Slytherin side was almostpletely empty with only ise Zabini there. When I whispered to Hermione that I wanted to take pity on the poor kid, she sighed and nodded.


    ¡°Hey, Mister Zabini! Want to join us at our table? You''re the odd one out without a partner.¡± I called across the room.


    ise looked surprised at the offer and looked from me to Hermione. When she nodded, he gathered his things up and we shuffled over to make room. He grabbed a chair and sat beside us, then nodded in thanks. I was tempted to offer him a plushie to hug and he must have seen it on my face.


    ¡°Don''t you dare.¡± ise whispered at me with squinted eyes.


    I had to muffle myugh with one hand and patted his arm with the other.


    The ssroom door mmed behind us and most of the students jumped at the scare. I didn''t because I was waiting for it. Professor Snape strode across the room and over to his desk. He gave his ssic speech and sneered at everyone, then looked down at his desk. He started the roll call and paused when he reached my name.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our... new... celebrity.¡± Snape sneered.


    ¡°I object to that description, professor.¡± I said and Hermione gasped beside me. ¡°The whole wizarding world knows my name. I''ve been a celebrity since I was 15 months old and I''m 14 years old now. That''s hardly new.¡±


    There were a few muffledughs behind me.


    Snape red at me. ¡°You''re as arrogant as your father!¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not. He wasn''t a celebrity. You''re confusing pompousness with arrogance.¡± I corrected him.


    More muffledughs came from behind me as Hermione gasped again.


    ¡°That will be 10 points from Griffindor and a detention for disrespecting a teacher.¡± Snape snarled.


    Hermione made a distressed sound and pped a hand over my mouth before I could speak. ¡°Don''t!¡±


    I moved her hand out of the way and kissed the back of it. ¡°Thanks for the save.¡±


    Hermione blushed and took her hand back.


    ¡°Professor McGonagall has assumed full responsibility for all of my detentions.¡± I said and he looked murderous. ¡°You can ask her yourself. She''s been trying to get me back into her office all week.¡±


    ¡°Be assured that I will do that.¡± Snape growled and went to the chalkboard at the front of the room. ¡°The first potion to be brewed is a simple one to cure boils. If you cannot follow such easily performed instructions, then I have little hope that you will do well in this ss.¡±


    I put my hand up and he ignored me. I sat there and waited for almost ten minutes with my hand in the air and did nothing else while the rest of the students gathered the ingredients and started prepping them.


    Snape let out a growling sigh. ¡°What do you want, Potter?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t write the number of stirs needed for the second step or that you have to add in one counter-clockwise stir before removing the cauldron from the heat and adding the porcupine quills.¡± I said and dropped my hand.


    Complete silence fell in the room, because everyone had stopped working and stared at me, especially Snape. He looked shocked, actually.


    ¡°It''s 7 clockwise stirs with a number 2 neutral ss stirrer, if you''re wondering.¡± I said and Hermione quickly wrote that down. ¡°I suggest using the dull edge of your knife to crush the quills first, too. They''ll dissolve quicker and give you a stronger potion.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Harry.¡± Hermione said, her voice full of gratitude.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and pulled out the ingredients from my pockets and started my own work. Everyone else did as well and I ignored the piercing look from the still irate potions professor.

 78 The Best Afternoon

    78 The Best Afternoon


    As the potions ss wore on and on, Professor Snape became more and more frustrated. His re had intensified to the point that he was ignoring everyone else and focused solely on me. I mentally thanked my system altered mind and my Mind Block skill forpletely stonewalling the mind invader. There was no chance at all of him actually reading my mind, not even the surface thoughts.


    I finished my perfect potion, as did Hermione and ise, whom had both copied my actions as I did each step, even the little flourishes that an experienced potioneer does after years of brewing to spread out the prepared ingredients over the entire cauldron and not only adding each into the same spot.


    The three of us handed in our vials of potion and Snape''s re could have melted steel if he had heat vision. I did not gloat openly and that just seemed to make the man re even harder at me. Before I could smirk at the petty man, Hermione grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the teacher''s desk. I whispered my thanks to her for saving me again and she looked both pleased and annoyed.


    We packed up our things and left the ssroom with everyone else. When we were out in the hallway, all of the students started chattering about the lesson, orck thereof, because I had told them more about how to handle the potion than the teacher had. I was sure that Snape wanted to see a few of us melt our cauldrons, since pewter had a very low melting point, and I had prevented that this time.


    ¡°How did you know all of that?¡± Hermione asked me as we walked towards Griffindor tower.


    ¡°I''m Harry Potter, the best Harry Potter!¡± I dered and several girls behind us giggled.


    Hermione smacked my arm with a smile on her face. ¡°Stop being a prat and tell me.¡±


    I chuckled and put an arm around her waist. ¡°I''ve been brewing potions for about 10 years with my aunt. The castle has a huge potionsb and we have 6 greenhouses filled to the brim with high quality potion ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute! The apothecary really does carry Harry Potter approved potions and ingredients?¡± Seamus asked, clearly surprised.


    ¡°We started selling them officially about five years ago when we started running out of room in our greenhouses. Because we make so many potions in each batch and use high quality ingredients, we can sell them for less and they are more effective.¡± I said and had to let Hermione''s waist go when we reached the stairs and started climbing them. ¡°Andromeda worked hard to get those contracts.¡±


    ¡°Who''s Andromeda?¡± Lavender asked.


    ¡°She''s my sales representative in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, and she''s also my second cousin, once removed.¡± I said and they looked at me like I spoke nonsense. ¡°My great-grandmother and her grandmother were sisters.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, her grandmother was your great-grand-aunt.¡± Parvati said in understanding. ¡°Keeping things like that straight is really difficult.¡±


    I barked augh. ¡°Darn right it is. I didn''t realize my ex was my third cousin until I spent several hours going over the family tree looking for monkeys.¡±


    That made my audienceugh and we walked up the stairs to Griffindor tower as we all talked about other family members. Parvati had us all beat with the number of people in her very extended family back in India. It was quite difficult for her and her twin sister to find someone to date that they weren''t closely rted to.


    We all dropped off our potions ss things in our trunks and went back down to the Great Hall for lunch. When it was over, I wasn''t sure how Lavender and Parvati managed to separate me from the group and shoved me into an empty ssroom without anyone else seeing or suspecting anything. I cast a solid lock charm and a notice-me-not charm on the door, just in case.


    Of course, having Lavender go down on me and watching Parvati enthusiastically eating her out at the same time, was worth the temporary confusion of how we arrived there. The contrasting skin tones really highlighted what Parvati was doing between her legs and Lavender was quite happy to be taken care of like that.


    When they switched, Parvati did her best to suck my balls out through the tip of my penis. I groaned for her and she increased her efforts. I didn''tst long and she looked pleased by that, until I picked her up and positioned her over my still rock hard member.


    ¡°W-w-wait... I... I''m...¡± Parvati whispered and I stopped with the very tip of myself barely spreading her lower lips.


    ¡°This is really your first time?¡± I asked and she blushed as she nodded. ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡±


    Parvati looked conflicted.


    ¡°She''s afraid it''ll be as painful as my first time was.¡± Lavender said.


    I carefully held Parvati with one arm and reached down to pet Lavender''s head. ¡°I''m sorry about that. Didn''t they prep you first and let you rx like you''ve been so diligent to do for Parvati?¡±


    ¡°No, he just shoved it in.¡± Lavender said with a sigh. ¡°It was quick and disappointing, too.¡±


    I reached down and pulled up on her chin to make her stand. ¡°Your first time with me won''t be.¡±


    Lavender smiled knowingly. ¡°I''m not disappointed and we haven''t even done it yet.¡±


    I chuckled and looked back at Parvati. ¡°It''s all right if you don''t want to continue, Parvati. You can watch while I take Lavender like a beast.¡±


    Parvati blushed again and Lavenderughed.


    ¡°Well, if... if you take precautions...¡± Parvati whispered.


    I reached down and tapped her pelvic bone and cast a pain numbing spell and a spell to stop her from bleeding. ¡°No pregnancies from me unless you want it.¡±


    Parvati''s blush disappeared and her face changed to show determination. ¡°I''m ready, Harry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this honor, Parvati.¡± I whispered to her and kissed her deeply as I pushed into her and eased her down onto me.


    Parvati gasped at the intrusion and stilled, her eyes wide. She broke the kiss and stared at me. ¡°It didn''t hurt!¡±


    ¡°Pain numbing spell.¡± I said and kissed her again as I started to move. She started to moan and pant right away, since we were standing and all of her weight was moving up and down onto me, giving me full pration, thanks to gravity.


    I wasn''t surprised when Lavender knelt again and I felt her tongue licking me. Parvati''s little squeaks let me know I wasn''t the only one getting extra stimtion. It drove the both of us on to make each other feel good and Lavender helped as much as she could. I unloaded into Parvati''s surprisingly still tight opening and Lavender was the one that moaned and happily licked at where we were still joined.


    I eased out of the satisfied girl and she looked flushed and a little out of it, so I cast a cushioning charm on the floor andid her down on it. Lavender dove right in there between her legs and licked and sucked out as much of my deposit as she could. Parvati moaned again and Lavender sat up and smiled in satisfaction at a job well done.


    ¡°Now it''s your turn.¡± I said and picked her up.


    Lavender wrapped her arms and legs around me and gave me a searching look. ¡°Will you really...¡±


    I smiled at her and levitated her up into the air, making her squeak, and drove my tongue into her soaked slit. She wrapped her legs around my neck and hovered there in the air as I ate her out. She moaned and shook as I found all of her good spots and got her off. I lowered her down again and she had a very happy look on her face as she slid down onto me.


    ¡°Oooohhhhh.¡± Lavender moaned sexily as my member filled her up. ¡°Oh, Merlin!¡±


    ¡°I''m Harry, not Merlin.¡± I said, to make her giggle, and kissed her deeply as I started to pump into her. I knew she liked it a little rough, so I wasn''t gentle. She loved it, especially when I turned her around and put her on her hands and knees over Parvati. She kissed the girl on the lips and I railed into her from behind.


    Lavender came several times before I released my third shot of the day inside of her. It got her off again, probably because of the taboo of early pregnancy and we weren''t using protection. I had checked both girls for STDs already, so we were safe. Iid down beside Parvati and Lavender moved over toy down on me and Parvati snuggled up beside the both of us.


    ¡°This... was... a great... first time.¡± Parvati whispered and fell asleep.


    ¡°She must have already been tired.¡± Imented in a whisper.


    ¡°I did have her up prettytest night.¡± Lavender whispered back and looked smug.


    ¡°Ah, and equal opportunity sexual deviant.¡± I breathed and she giggled. ¡°We have the rest of the afternoon to waste until supper is served. Do you want to keep wasting it together?¡±


    Lavender crossed her arms on my chest and rested her chin on them. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°To start, a cleaning spell, then you sit on my face and I''ll eat you out as you suck me off.¡±


    Lavender gave me a huge smile. ¡°The first one toe loses!¡± She said and quickly turned around as I cast two cleaning spells, one on her and one on myself.


    ¡°What do you want if you win?¡± I asked as she positioned herself above my mouth.


    ¡°I want a rare Nundu plushie.¡± Lavender said and her tongue swirled around the tip of my erection. ¡°What do you want if you win?¡±


    ¡°A blowjob in ss.¡± I said and she paused. ¡°Under notice-me-not and silence charms.¡±


    Lavender moved to the side to look back at my face. ¡°Who''s the sexual deviant again?¡±


    ¡°You, of course. I won''t be the only one getting off if that happens.¡± I said with a smirk.


    Lavender giggled. ¡°True. You have a bet, Mister Potter.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I said and she moved back into position. ¡°I''m sorry, Lavender. You''ve already lost.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I haven''t even started yet.¡± Lavender responded.


    ¡°I''m going to use my secret weapon.¡± I said and mped my lips over her nub and whispered in Parseltongue that she had nice breasts.


    ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Lavender screamed as she instantly came and squirted all over my face.


    I stopped and let her recover. She was breathing hard, like she had run a race.


    ¡°What... what was that?¡± Lavender asked and looked back at me with her eyes half-lidded and her legs trembling.


    ¡°Vibrating tongue.¡± I said and her eyes opened fully to stare at me.


    ¡°You... cheating bastard.¡± Lavender panted and then smiled. ¡°Best two out of three?¡±


    I quietlyughed and nodded, so she slipped her mouth over me and started to suck. I gave her another vibrating lick and her muffled scream was still fairly loud as she squirted on me again. She kept sucking, probably determined to make me get off at least once. I had her at eight before I finally gave in and blew a load down her throat.


    Lavender sucked it up and swallowed it all, then moved around toy down beside me. ¡°I think... you ruined me... for any other guy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am the best Harry Potter.¡± I joked and she giggled, kissed my cheek, and cuddled to my side. I cleaned us up with spells and looked at the other girl''s peaceful face. ¡°Parvati''s still out of it.¡±


    ¡°We''ll wake her before supper.¡± Lavender said and let out a sigh.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked and looked at her.


    ¡°I really wanted that plushie.¡± Lavender said, sadly.


    ¡°You mean this one?¡± I asked and reached behind her ear into her hair and created a shrunken one, showed it to her, and let it go on her chest. It instantly grew to a foot square in size and she let out a girlish squeal and hugged it.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.¡± Lavender muttered and eased her hold on it just long enough to give me a tender kiss. ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Lavender.¡± I said and she cuddled it andid against me once more. I made a nket and covered the three of us as weid there without speaking.


    Suppertime eventually arrived and we woke Parvati up. She looked a little disappointed that it was over, so I promised we could sleep in tomorrow morning, since it was Saturday. She blushed at the implication and Lavender kissed her cheek for looking so cute.


    We went to the Great Hall after getting dressed and no one asked us where we had been all afternoon. I ate quickly, high carbs and proteins, and skipped dessert. I did sneak a whole treacle tart into my storage space to eatter, though. My Friday night detention was going to be a long one.


    I stood when Minerva walked over to where I sat and I bid everyone a good evening and would be back at the tower before curfew. Minerva nodded and I followed her back to her office. Once there, she locked, silenced, and secured the door, then she dropped her robes. Her outfit was red this time and she wore six inch spiked heels.


    ¡°Professor Snape ims you have been a very naughty boy, Mister Potter.¡± Minerva said and took out her handle with the nine leather straps on it.


    ¡°I pointed out the ws in the boil cure potion recipe and ensured the safety of the entire ss, Mistress.¡± I said and stripped off to leave myself in just my boxers. ¡°I figured I could earn a detention and also make you happy at the same time.¡±


    Minerva pped the straps into her hand and smiled wickedly. ¡°You were being naughty on purpose to behave properly for me?¡±


    I nodded and knelt without being asked. ¡°I intentionally drew the professor''s ire to keep him from bothering the other students.¡±


    Minerva walked over to me and stood over me with her legs spread apart. ¡°I believe you have earned a reward, Mister Potter.¡± She said and bnced on one foot as she lifted the other supple and long leg to drape it over my shoulder and shoved herself into my face. Her calf rubbed my back as I licked and suckled on her and put my hands on her surprisingly firm arse and held her steady.


    ying along with people''s fetishes was surprisingly fun, as long as you didn''t get too involved in it. I wasn''t a sub by nature; but, Minerva could never be anything except dominant. So many years in a position of authority had given her a superiorityplex that wasn''t going to be overridden quickly.


    It was going to take a lot of work to change her, and she would never know I was doing to her what I did for Snape. As long as she was focusing on me, no one else would be put in this position. Plus, her purring moans as I screwed her brains out, were a huge turn on. How could an older woman be so cute and sexy at the same time? It seemed to be a kind of magic all on its own.


    I made it back to the tower just in time and I didn''t see Lavender or Parvati, so I went up the stairs. I was about to check the map for the first year dorms to look for them, then saw Lavender leaning out from around the circr stairway on the nextnding. She waved to me and I smiled and walked up to meet her.


    Both her and Pavarti were wearing dressing robes and the three of us went up the stairs to the top. I brought them through the hidden door and both girls let out squeals of delight at the huge apartment I lived in. They explored for a while and I took a quick shower, then I came out dressed in only boxers and went to the bed.


    Lavender and Parvati eventually came back to the bedroom and dropped their robes. They were wearing matching outfits of skimpy panties and bras that covered less than a bikini. I drooled appropriately for them as I stared at them. They giggled at making me do that, then they jumped onto the bed and tackled me.


    I did Lavender first this time and Parvati liked watching us. She joined in and got a turn, yed with Lavender as she yed with the both of us, then it was Lavender''s turn again. She really liked it doggy-style and Parvati liked making out with her as I did them both.


    As the three of usid in bed in the afterglow of some great sex, I thought about my Hogwarts experiences up to this point. As far as I was concerned, this had been the best time I had ever had at any school, and I was sure it was only going to get better.

 79 Bookworms

    79 Bookworms


    We did sleep in the next morning and both Lavender and Parvati enjoyed rxing and lounging in bed, mostly because I asked Nanny to bring us breakfast in bed. She blushed when the three of us gratefully thanked her and she popped away.


    After we ate, we had another enthusiastic threesome and enjoyed making ourselves feel good. Of course, having a girl ride you while another girl licked you and the other girl, was the best feeling in the world. The color contrast between my lightly tanned skin, Parvati''s brown skin, and Lavender''s milky-white, made the various mixes we tried into a huge turn on for us.


    Lavender and Parvati left briefly to gather their things to do their homework and I set my own up on the dining room table. When they returned, they had a wide-eyed Hermione behind them. She saw the apartment with a bunch of extra space that she didn''t have in her dorm room and she gave me a re for keeping it from her.


    I held up my hands and barely had to motion to the bedroom to indicate I didn''t spend a lot of time here, except to sleep. Hermione caught the other meaning when Lavender and Parvati blushed and giggled. She blushed as well and muttered something about not being ready, so I walked over to her and looked down into her eyes.


    ¡°Hermione, I won''t pressure you for something you''re not ready for.¡± I told her.


    ¡°It''s true.¡± Parvati said and then exined how we had carried on at first and that I was fully prepared to stop when she said it was her first time and had asked her if she wanted to keep going. She emphasized that I made it her choice and she could stay and watch instead of going all the way.


    Hermione had a thoughtful look on her face until Parvati started saying it was the most fun she ever had with someone that wasn''t Lavender. Hermione''s blush went to a bright red and she couldn''t look at me.


    I lightly petted her hair. ¡°It''s okay, Hermione. Even if girls mature faster than boys, you''re all different. I wouldn''t dare treat you as interchangeable or disposable. I like living, thank you very much.¡±


    Lavenderughed and Parvati nodded in encouragement.


    Hermione looked away from them and up at my face. ¡°Prove it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Once I do, you''re not going to be able to back out of this.¡±


    Hermione frowned slightly as she bit her bottom lip. It took her several seconds before she nodded.


    ¡°All right, Hermione. I ept your challenge.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°Nanny, bring me my trunk.¡±


    Nanny popped into the room with my multiplepartment trunk. ¡°I bees fixing the nasty books.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Nanny. You''re the best.¡± I said and hugged her.


    Nanny blushed and popped away. I didn''t miss the admiring looks on the three girls, either.


    ¡°The fifthpartment is what you need to see.¡± I said and turned the fifth lock and pushed it in.


    ¡°What''s in the first four?¡± Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.


    ¡°Let''s save that for our second date.¡± I said instead of answering.


    Hermione blushed while Lavender and Parvati giggled. I opened the trunk and showed off the huge expanded library inside, which made Hermione gasp and she swayed on her feet, as if she was going to faint. I caught her and held her steady as she gripped my shirt in a death grip. She took in a long slow sniff through her nose and shivered.


    ¡°I looove the smell of old books.¡± Hermione whispered.


    ¡°I think the oldest one in this collection is about 13 centuries old.¡± I informed her.


    Hermione shivered. ¡°That... that''s hundreds of years before the founding of Hogwarts!¡±


    I nodded. ¡°The cks are a very old Family, as are the Potters. Of course, they weren''t called Potters back then. They shortened it and changed it from the original name, probably to fit in better with all those uppity foreigners moving into Britannia at the time.¡±


    Hermione snorted and giggled. ¡°I think you''re the only one that would call the country being invaded by enemies as moving in.¡±


    I chuckled as I put my hand into the edge of the trunk. ¡°Anglo-Saxons and the Viking Invasions, Second Edition.¡±


    All three girls gasped when a huge tome shot out of the library and gentlynded in my hand. I lifted it out and handed it to Hermione, whom hugged it like it was going to escape if she didn''t hold it tightly.


    ¡°I have the first edition, too. It''s behind protective wards and can''t be summoned.¡± I said and patted the book. ¡°This one is still quite valuable, even though I have it for reading. Please be careful with it.¡±


    ¡°I... I will, Harry. I promise.¡± Hermione pledged.


    ¡°When you want to put it back, hold it inside the lip of the trunk and say ''return''. It will go back to its spot on the shelves. If you want a list of books stored inside to make asking for other books easier, you can summon the self-updating index book.¡± I said and the three of them stared at me. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You absolutely have to do that for the Hogwarts Library!¡± All three girls shouted.


    I blinked my eyes several times at their insistence. ¡°Doesn''t it already have one?¡±


    ¡°No, just a knowledgeable librarian.¡± Hermione said. ¡°I''m not sure how she keeps track of everything all by herself, though. There are thousands and thousands of books and at least a hundred students take some of them out every day.¡±


    ¡°That really is a problem, isn''t it?¡± I asked and the three of them nodded. ¡°All right. After we get our homework done, I''ll head over to the library to talk to Madam Pince. If she''s open to the idea of having a few invasive spells cast inside her library, I''ll set up a proper index book for her.¡±


    ¡°Not for us?¡± Hermione asked.


    ¡°That would be up to her if she wants to let you peruse it. It''s her library.¡± I said.


    ¡°But, why would you do that and not let us...¡± Hermione paused talking when Lavender touched her arm. She frowned slightly and then sighed.


    ¡°If she agrees, I''ll be sure to ask if she minds if I make a copy... for myself.¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°You... you...¡± Hermione almost growled.


    ¡°I''d say a kiss is a fair fee to have a brief look at it when it''s done.¡± I said, teasingly.


    Hermione snapped her mouth shut and actually did growl.


    I winked at Lavender and she burst outughing.


    ¡°What are youughing at?!?¡± Hermione asked, angrily.


    ¡°Hermione, he''s joking. Harry already promised you that he wouldn''t do anything to pressure you, remember? What he just said ispletely opposite of that.¡± Lavender said and Parvati nodded.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Hermione said and looked back at me. ¡°That wasn''t funny.¡±


    ¡°Lavender wouldn''t haveughed so hard if it wasn''t.¡± I said and motioned to the dining room table. ¡°We should get started on our homework.¡±


    Hermione turned towards the table and remembered she held onto the thick tome. She gave me a questioning look and I waved her towards the still open trunk and then waved to her backpack. She gave me a nod and went to the table, put the book down briefly, and took out what she needed from her backpack before putting therge book inside. Well, she tried to.


    I chuckled and closed the trunk and opened the secondpartment with my crafting supplies inside. I summoned an expanded backpack from it and walked over to her. I opened it without a word and easily slid therge book into it. She stared at it, at me, then at it again.


    ¡°It has featherlight and expansion charms.¡± I said and took one of her fingers to nick it on the zipper''s edge. She hissed briefly and then gasped when the backpack glowed. ¡°It''s yours now and no one else can open it, steal from it, or take it from you.¡±


    Hermione again stared at it, then at me.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and looked at Lavender and Parvati. ¡°I know you two prefer form over function, so whatever bags you normally carry things in, bring them to meter and I''ll modify them for you.¡±


    Both girls smiled brightly at me. ¡°Thanks, Harry!¡±


    I went back to my trunk and closed the secondpartment and opened the library again. ¡°We might need some of the books as references for our homework.¡±


    Hermione looked like she wanted to snog me senseless, shook her head slightly, and quickly transferred everything from her old backpack into the new one. I sat down at the table and told her the outside smaller pockets were also expanded, so she could sort her things and keep them separate if she wanted. Her lips were on mine a secondter and she blushed, broke the kiss, and sat down beside me.


    Both Lavender and Parvati looked amused and sat across from us. We got to work and talked about what we were doing, revised some of our essays, and kept asking questions as we worked. The library dide in handy a few times, especially the index book, which made Hermione give me several longing looks.


    We finished up all of the homework that would be due on Monday and Lavender and Parvati packed up and left. Each gave me a kiss on the cheek and a wink. Both were still amused at me so easily seducing Hermione without even trying.


    As soon as the door shut, Hermione let out a hungry sound and dragged me over to my bed. I didn''t fight as she stripped me off, growling the entire time, and she pulled off her own clothes as if they itched her skin and she had to get out of them as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Good lord, you''re sexy.¡± I said when she was naked.


    Hermione blushed for only a moment, then she pushed me onto the bed and crawled up on top of me to stare down into my eyes. ¡°Is... is it true that you can''t get a girl pregnant unless they want you to?¡±


    It took me only a single second to figure out how she heard about that, Lavender and Parvati. ¡°I guess most of the school must know about that by now.¡±


    Hermione reached down to position me in the right spot, so I cast the same spells on her as I did for Parvati. She sat down and gasped and moaned, then gave me a very sexy look. ¡°They didn''t lie.¡±


    I pulled her down into a soft and sensual make-out session and she kept moaning as I started to thrust up into her. She rocked her hips to help me get as deep as possible and she wrapped her arms around my neck to stay as close to me as possible and still be able to move and breathe. It was terribly intimate for the both of us and Hermione almost had a full body blush while we had sex like that for quite some time.


    Since I didn''t want to disappoint her, I timed my own ejaction to one of her orgasms. The fifth one, I believed, and she moaned so sexily as I filled her up that I moaned as well. Her tender kisses didn''t stop as she whispered about having the best first time and that she would remember it for the rest of her life.


    I whispered back about never forgetting our first time together, either... and she better be ready for random snogs and an asional shag in a random ssroom, just because I can''t keep my hands and lips off of such a beauty for very long.


    Hermione''s blush rushed back and she looked both embarrassed and pleased, so I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom and introduced her to the fun that a couple of horny teenagers could have in the shower. She kept muttering about being caught in one of her mother''s smutty fantasy novels.


    That made me mentallyugh, because she admitted to reading her mother''s posh softcore porn stash. Since I didn''t want to disappoint her, I told her how beautiful she looked, how she had caught my eye right away, and how I was too nervous to approach her for more that what she wanted to offer.


    Hermone''s blush was bright red at me admitting that, so I also warned her that now that she had been in my bed, she was stuck with me and was never getting away. She was mine now and that was that.


    ¡°OHHHHhhhhh!¡± Hermione moaned and came hard. If I hadn''t been pressing her up against the shower stall, she would have fallen when her legs gave out. She flopped her arms around my neck, almost absently. ¡°I love you, Harry.¡± She said and then blushed. ¡°I... I mean...¡±


    I gave her a kiss and cut her off. ¡°It''s all right, Hermione. You feel how you feel.¡± I said and carefully sat her down on the toilet. ¡°I hope it''s okay if I''m not quite there yet myself.¡±


    Hermione started to shake her head, then nodded, then looked embarrassed.


    I chuckled and knelt in front of her. ¡°I''m sure if you had been my first time, I would have said it right back... and meant it.¡± I told her and she blushed again. ¡°I''ve never had such... intimate feelings... while having sex before. It was... it was wonderful, Hermione. You''re wonderful.¡±


    Hermione ducked her head and looked away. ¡°H-Harry...¡±


    ¡°It shouldn''t take me long to feel as deeply for you. You''re intelligent, beautiful, passionate, and when you choose to do something, you do it with everything you have.¡± I said and nced down at myself as my erection came back. ¡°Especially me.¡±


    Hermione softlyughed and her hand lightly grabbed me and stroked me. ¡°Well, I am a Griffindor.¡±


    I leaned into her hand as she stroked me faster. ¡°You''re more... of a... Griffinw.¡±


    Hermione smirked at me. ¡°A Griffinw. I like that.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and leaned in to kiss her.


    After a few minutes, I moaned and let another shot go. It sshed up onto her chest and she moaned at getting me off so quickly. I broke the kiss and she looked a little proud.


    ¡°We need another shower.¡± I said and nced down at her breasts.


    ¡°Just a shower.¡± Hermione said as I stood up.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said and grinned at her.


    Hermione huffed and stood as a smile grew on her face. She followed me into the shower stall and we went at it again. She didn''t mind at all.


    *


    After I talked to Madam Pince about what I could do for her and for the library, she sent out an urgent school-wide announcement for all loaned out and wayward books to be returned before supper. No matter who it was, they were to return the books for the evening and they could be checked out again the next morning.


    Anyone not returning the books on time would lose their house 50 points and earn a week of detentions, even the professors. Needless to say, as many books as possible were returned by the deadline. As if expecting a few stragglers, Madam Pince herself stood outside the library at the end of the hallway to ensure that anyone rushing towards her with books were being careful.


    When the books were all inside, Madam Pince and I skipped supper and spent close to an hour and a half putting all of them back onto the shelves they needed to go on. Neither of us were surprised that there were still books missing and Madam Pince made a note of them, so she could check her records and who signed them out. She would make sure they were returned or reced by that person, or their head would roll.


    I believed her, because like Hermione, she absolutely loved books and would do anything to protect them. The index book would help her immensely with doing that and would also streamline her own job. Instead of searching on foot and with her eyes for a book, she could call for it and summon it to her hand.


    We both had to step out of the library for me to cast the spells needed on the new nk tome I created. I had thought about copying the index book I had for my trunk library, except all the spells on it were linked to the books there and would have to be dispelled and recast for a new set of books anyway. I took a moment to cast a notice-me-not on the end of the hallway by the stairs to stop anyone else froming near the library while I worked.


    I created a plinth and a pedestal to set the open nk book on. It needed to be halfway across the threshold of the library for the magic to work. ¡°This is going to take a while, Madam Pince.¡±


    ¡°I am well aware of how long aplicated indexing spell can take to look through so many books, Mister Potter.¡± Madam Pince said.


    I turned my head from the book and raised my eyebrows at her. ¡°You''ve done it yourself?¡±


    ¡°On myself, yes. I''ve personally read each and every book in the library, then used my own knowledge to cast the spell. The headache was massive and itsted for three days.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°That sounds surprisingly like what happened to me when I stupidly tried to cast a magic detection spell in the Entrance Hall.¡±


    Madam Pince snorted and covered her mouth with her hand to stop herugh from escaping. ¡°You''re lucky that you didn''t blow your brains out with all that information mming into your head!¡±


    ¡°It sure felt like it did, Madam Pince.¡± I said with augh. ¡°I cancelled the spell almost instantly and then healed myself just in time... I think.¡±


    Madam Pince had to chuckle at that. ¡°Yes, it''s difficult to tell if you have brain damage after suffering it, isn''t it? It''s not really detectable if you don''t know you need to look for it, hmm?¡±


    I nodded and looked back at the open book. ¡°All right. First thing''s first. Layering the protection spells and the updating charms for the book itself. Then adding the endless pages enchantment to the metal covers. Then prepping the self-inking charm, simted quill writing charm, and information copying spell.¡±


    Madam Pince watched me as I worked and I exined what I was doing, while also promising to give her copies of the spells for her to try and cast the same thing inside her own library at home. When the book was fully prepared, I moved on to start casting the spells needed on the room. Since the space had already been expanded and had a minor sorting enchantment,yering spells on top of it was easy.


    Once the sorting, summoning, and return enchantments were in ce, I cast the long andplicated spell on the book to start indexing everything. I didn''t cheat and used Karma points to do it instantly, because there would be no way for Madam Pince to duplicate it. Instead, we stood there for the next four hours as the spells worked and the book started to fill in with information.


    Book names, authors, spells, topics, shelf numbers, row locations, and everything else needed to find whatever you wanted inside the massive library. It was a ridiculous amount of information. It would have been a lot for a much smaller library, like mine. For the one in Hogwarts? The endless pages enchantment in the index book was put through its paces.


    When it was finally done and thest of the pages flopped over and the spell ended, Madam Pince reverently closed the book. She ran her fingers over the embossed gold lettering on the front of it that said it was the Hogwarts Library Index Book, Madam Irma Pince, Sole Proprietor.


    Madam Pince picked up the book and the plinth and pedestal faded away. She gave me a look and I chuckled and waved at the floor. She went to put the book down and the plinth and pedestal formed underneath it. Her soft gasp echoed in the deathly quiet library and she picked the book up again. The support faded once more and she nodded.


    ¡°Come with me, Mister Potter.¡± Madam Pince said and led me inside. A wave of her wand had shut and locked the doors and she carried the book over to her desk. She gave me a raised eyebrow and I nodded at her desk. When she tried to put the book down, the top of the pedestal formed and held the book properly.


    ¡°Only you can move and carry the book, so you don''t have to worry about anyone taking it.¡± I said.


    ¡°Not even you?¡± Madam Pince asked.


    ¡°I can''t even touch it without your permission.¡± I told her and she smiled. It practically lit up her face and I smiled back.


    Madam Pince picked the book up and turned to the side and ced it beside her chair and behind her desk. The plinth and pedestal formed under it and she nodded. Her hand caressed the gold lettering once more and she nodded again.


    ¡°I must thank you for this wonderful gift, Mister Potter.¡± Madam Pince said and turned away from her new treasure and took off her witch''s hat. She dropped it onto her desk and undid her cor.


    I suddenly realized what she meant when she started unbuttoning her robes. Her very restricting robes. Her robes that were hiding a whole heck of a lot inside of them.


    ¡°You should feel honored, Mister Potter.¡± Madam Pince said and slid the robes off to reveal a short skirt and a blouse so thin that it was practically see-through. ¡°Only one other man has seen me like this.¡±


    I couldn''t help asking what I shouldn''t have asked. ¡°And how many women?¡±


    Madam Pince let out a softugh. ¡°Ask me again afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam Pince.¡± I said and started undressing.


    ¡°Please call me Irma.¡± She said and took off her blouse.


    ¡°You can call me Merlin.¡± I said and she gave me a pointed look. ¡°It''s what most women say when I make theme.¡±


    Irmaughed and pulled me into a hug and a gentle kiss. She was taller than me until she kicked off her boots and now we were the same height. ¡°Well then, make me scream your name.¡±


    She did. It really was the quiet bookworms that screamed the loudest and we were both quite thankful for the silencing charms embedded in the walls.

 80 The Gauntlet

    80 The Gauntlet


    Instead of going back to the Griffindor Tower to go to bed when curfew arrived, I went to the third floor corridor and used the map in my storage space to look at the series of tests and traps to see if they were the same as before. Not surprisingly, they were. They were also easily bypassed if you had a broom avable and a spell to cut things... and erged kibble for a hungry three headed dog.


    Did you know that doors are not considered opened if the hinges never move and the door handle isn''t turned? I cut a Harry-sized hole in each door and nothing activated. I also decapitated the chess pieces from the air, just in case hovering over the board activated it. It didn''t, so I continued on.


    The mes in the potions room never lit, because I never opened or closed the doors on either side. There was no troll there, probably because that was a Quirrell specialty. Why the other teachers or Dumbledore never mentioned that in canon when a troll appeared at Halloween, was beyond me. Maybe because of that they used the troll for the testster?


    <i>Eh, whatever.</i> I shrugged the thought off and entered the final room. It was empty. I figured it would be. In the original story, Dumbledore waited until Christmas before he started ying his games with Harry, by giving him his own family heirloom as a gift. Pompous arsehole that he is.


    Thinking of the cloak had given me another thought and I had to smile. At the moment, I had two of the Deathly Hallows and the third was only part of the castle away. When I checked the map, Albus was pacing in his office again. I chuckled at that, because he was either restless and had to walk to tire himself out or he was nning something and paced to go over the details.


    I didn''tnd, in case that set off an alert ward, and I carefully checked over the map for the Mirror of Erised, only I couldn''t see it. I sighed and had to flip the map over to check the wards and their long list of exceptions. A third of the way down was the mirror, so I removed it. Surprisingly, the dark mark exception had been added again.


    I smiled and would wait for Albus to go to bed before I removed it again, because I was curious about what would happen to Snape if it was the middle of the night and the wards were not weing him. That gave me another thought and an idea about a good prank. I changed the exception to turn the object blue, so people could easily see it. The best part was that it only activated if other people were around to see it.


    I went over the map again and found the mirror in a far corridor, so I flew back through the tasks and left all the doors with the holes in them. It was a test of my own to see if any of the teachers or even Albus himself regrly checked the ce. I doubted it, since none of the other students were ever in trouble for being in the third floor corridor.


    I flew up the trap door, patted Fluffy on each of his heads, and floated out through the door hole... and stopped in mid-air when Fred and George Weasley gasped and pointed at me. ¡°Gentlemen.¡±


    ¡°Harrykins!¡± The twins eximed at the same time and then hushed themselves.


    ¡°Don''t worry about making sounds. The hallway is warded to stop the passing students from hearing Fluffy bark and growl.¡± I told them and they looked shocked.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± They asked in tandem.


    ¡°A simple detection spell.¡± I said and didn''t perform it, because it was actually on the map I copied. I did not need an information overload mming into my head again. Instead, I created a piece of parchment with the spell on it and pulled it out of my pocket to hand to them, then warned them. ¡°Make sure you cast it to let the results appear on a nk piece of parchment or another object.¡±


    ¡°No problem, Harry.¡± Fred said and tucked it away.


    ¡°Thanks, Harry. This is going to help a lot.¡± George said.


    I hopped off the broom and tucked it into my pocket, which made their eyes go very wide. ¡°Dammit, I shouldn''t have shown you that.¡±


    The twins exchanged looks and grinned at me. ¡°Do ours, too!¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Keep quiet about it and I will. No one else, though.¡±


    The twins did the cross my heart thing and the key to the lips and fake tossing it away.


    I had to chuckle at that and pointed to their pants. They each wanted the opposite pocket done, so I expanded Fred''s right pocket and George''s left. ¡°If anyone asks, it''s family magic.¡±


    The twins nodded. ¡°Thanks for sharing it, Harry.¡±


    ¡°I was going to give you a Tickle Trunk as a Yule present, so you were going to find out eventually anyway.¡± I said and they gave me confused looks. ¡°It''s a magical trunk that''s expanded on the inside and is full of different costumes, tricks, toys, and hand puppets.¡±


    Their eyes almost bulged out of their heads for a moment, they they hugged each other and started jumping up and down. ¡°We can''t wait!¡±


    I snorted andughed at their antics. ¡°I''ll put a rush on it and let you know when it''s done.¡±


    They let each other go and glomped onto me and jumped up and down with me suspended between them. ¡°You''re the best, Harry!¡±


    I swatted at their heads and hands to make them let me go. Theyughed and messed up my hair before I could flee. Thest I saw of them was them entering the room with Fluffy and they started singing. I shook my head at them and went to the Griffindor tower to go to bed, because I could check the mirror tomorrow. I easily avoided the Prefect patrols and made it to themon room.


    ¡°Oooo, someone''s being a bad boy.¡± Angelina''s voice said as soon as she saw me.


    ¡°You wouldn''t have it any other way.¡± I responded and she grinned at me.


    ¡°What were you doing?¡± Katie asked me.


    ¡°I was easily destroying the traps and things in the third floor corridor that the headmaster warned us would cause a painful death.¡± I admitted and the Griffindor Flying Foxes stared at me. Well, they weren''t technically the flying foxes, because Katie hadn''t joined the team yet. She would next week and she, Angelina, and Alicia would be the best chaser team in the whole school.


    ¡°Ladies, I think we need some privacy to hear all about this.¡± Angelina said and Alicia and Katie nodded. The three of them stood and the two ck beauties took my hands and Katie led us up the stairs to my room.


    What followed was me telling them about my adventure and them having a great time during our first foursome. Thankfully, I had enough experience to handle the three of them at the same time and didn''t leave anyone out of the fun. Boy oh boy, did we have a lot of fun. Who knew that girls would be so enthusiastic when they knew they couldn''t get pregnant?


    By the time we were finished and cuddled up in the bed together, with Angelina and Alicia at my sides and Katie on top of me, they were impressed by both my story and my stamina. I had handled it smartly and didn''t just overpower everything, even if I easily could.


    When I asked if they meant the series of traps or them in bed, they said both and thenughed. Iughed as well and gave each of them a lingering kiss, then thanked them for a wonderful evening and whispered goodnight. They looked quite happy and we all drifted off to sleep.


    *


    The abandoned ssroom had several alert wards on it. One on the door if it opened. One on the floor if it was crossed, not to mention theyer of dust to show footprints. Even the spot in front of the mirror had an area ward that when crossed, sent an alert to the headmaster. So, I cheated again. I went to the next room and made a temporary doorway in the wall and levitated the mirror through.


    Once I had it out of the room, I didn''t take the chance of standing in front of it. I knew it couldn''tpel me to do anything; but, heaven knows what Albus added to the thing if you stood in front of it to get the stone.


    Again, I cheated. I stood to the side and only put my hand in front of it with an empty bag in front of it. The mirror didn''t have a brain, so all it saw was something that wanted the stone and didn''t want to use it, since a bag couldn''t, and it dropped the stone into it. I put the bag into my storage space and levitated the mirror back to where it had been in the other room and removed the temporary doorway.


    I technically didn''t need the stone, since I could easily transmute metals on my own, thanks to the lessons from Tristain Academy. I was just stopping Dumbledore from ying his games. It did made me wonder why he was still going through the n when Quirrell wasn''t in the castle, though. You would think that if he failed to try and steal the stone earlier, things would have changed.


    <i>Oh, well.</i> I thought and left the other ssroom, cast a spell to put the dust back where my footprints were and evened it all out to hide that anyone was there, and went to lunch. I had a certain horny bookworm that was eagerly waiting to look at my copy of the Hogwarts Library Index Book.


    After lunch, I quickly found out that Hermione could read from a levitated book and ride me like a bucking bronco at the same time. Both things she enjoyed immensely, too. Being pleasured and gaining knowledge could really get her off, apparently.


    *


    Suppertime was a quiet affair, even at the Griffindor table. I was getting a lot of inquiring looks, especially from a particr blonde at the Ravenw table. The look of disappointment and loss that crossed Daphne''s face when our eyes met, told me all I needed to know about how far the rumors have spread.


    I slowly stood and gained the attention of the girls seated around me. ¡°Ladies, please excuse me for the evening. I have some contracted family business to attend to.¡±


    They all knew what I meant and nodded, even Hermione. She still had her nose buried in the index book and waved me away. I petted her head and she leaned into it slightly and kept reading. I walked around the Griffindor table and over to the Ravenw table.


    ¡°Heiress Greengrass, my apologies for interrupting your meal.¡± I said and bowed slightly to her. ¡°We have some family business to attend to and I would like to discuss it with you as soon as possible.¡±


    Everyone around us stared at us and my oddly formal way of speaking. Daphne opened her mouth to respond and I held a hand up to stop her.


    ¡°I would humbly request your answer be given in private, please.¡± I said and she closed her mouth. ¡°No one else needs to know the details of what our families agreed to when we were children.¡±


    Daphne nodded and whispered to her ssmates that she would meet them back in theirmon room. She stood up and looked at me expectantly. I smiled warmly at her and walked around the table to offer her my elbow. She smiled back briefly and slipped her arm around mine and I escorted her out of the Great Hall.


    I brought her up to the fourth floor and into an abandoned ssroom, secured the door and silenced it, added a notice-me-not charm, and waved my wand at the rest of the ssroom to vanish all of the dust and dirt. Daphne gave me a surprised look at both the casual use of magic and what I did to the door.


    ¡°Before you say anything, we were followed by 3 Ravenws, 2 Griffindors, and Tracey Davis from Hufflepuff.¡± I said and Daphne''s eyes widened. ¡°The 2 Griffindors followed me.¡±


    ¡°The gossips.¡± Daphne said right away.


    I chuckled and waved my wand at a chair. It floated over to us, changed into afy couch, and I set it beside us. Her eyes were quite wide now and I smiled and bowed as I sat her down primly onto it. I sat beside her and took one of her hands, then I gently held it and caressed it with my other hand.


    ¡°I told you at the station that you didn''t have to feel guilty about not writing to me this summer, Daphne.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°I bet Astoria yelled your ear off about it, too.¡±


    Daphne bushed harder and nodded. ¡°She wanted to keep up our monthly letters, just so you wouldn''t forget about us under your deluge of fan mail.¡± She said and then sighed. ¡°I thought it would be better to make you miss us, that way when you saw us on the tform, you would have greeted us more enthusiastically.¡±


    I stopped petting her hand and she stiffened slightly. ¡°May I put an arm over your shoulders?¡±


    Daphne looked shocked for a moment, then nodded.


    I slid my free hand up her arm, over her shoulder, across her back, and rested it on her other shoulder. I pulled her into my side and her face went bright red again and she looked flustered.


    ¡°The w in your n was two-fold. The first was that I couldn''t greet you more familiarly than normal, because of the press and the public.¡± I said and she sighed as she nodded. ¡°The second was because you assumed I would be happy to see you and not be angry or upset that you ignored me.¡±


    Daphne stiffened again and she looked embarrassed.


    I leaned in and kissed her cheek. ¡°It''s all right. I told you to not feel guilty about it.¡±


    Daphne had to take a full minute before she couldpose herself. ¡°But, you are upset about it.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Anyone that''s contracted to marry someone and has their sister convince them to ignore their betrothed for two months, would be upset.¡± I informed her. ¡°Wouldn''t you be if my cousin Dudley convinced me to do the same to Astoria?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I... I would be.¡± Daphne looked stricken and ducked her head. ¡°I''m sorry, Harry.¡±


    I let her stew like that for about ten seconds, mostly because she wouldn''t believe me if I spoke too soon. ¡°I forgive you.¡±


    Daphne nodded and didn''t lift her head to look at me.


    ¡°Where was Astoria, anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My parents left her at home. They thought the massive crowds waiting to greet you would be too much for her.¡± Daphne said, sadly.


    I sighed as well. Even though I had healed Astoria when she was a baby, they never tried to get her checked out again, despite me asking them to let a qualified healer check her. It made me regret not adding that stiption to the betrothal contract, not that her father would ever agree to it. The blood malediction curse was a family secret, after all.


    ¡°I suppose there''s nothing to be done about not meeting her in person first.¡± I said and Daphne stiffed again. ¡°Please don''t try to lord it over her when you tell her about this.¡±


    Daphne lifted her head and blinked her eyes at me several times. ¡°I''m not sure what you mean.¡±


    I let her hand go and reached up to cup the side of her face. ¡°I mean...¡± I leaned in and gave her a soft and tender kiss for several seconds. ¡°...I should have kissed her first.¡±


    Daphne made a squeak sound and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fainted. I held her steady and stayed there until she woke up on her own. Her eyelids fluttered as she came back to consciousness and then she blushed again.


    ¡°Would you like to try that again?¡± I asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Y-yes, please.¡± Daphne whispered back and closed her eyes.


    I kissed her again and she kissed me back for almost ten seconds before she fainted again. It made me chuckle that she was brought up so restricted that a little bit of affection was overloading her. I didn''t take it farther than that, considering her upbringing. Groping was not to be done until she was good and ready for it.


    That made me think I probably should add a mistress or consort use to the betrothal contract. If Daphne was this repressed, I would need to protect her from someone else trying to take advantage of her vulnerability.


    As if she expected it, Hedwig teleported into the room with a small sh of light and hooted at me. I stifled my bark ofughter at her ordering me to hurry up and give her something to deliver and I created a missive to send off to the Greengrass family. Hedwig epted it and teleported out of the room with another sh.


    Upgrading her to use teleportation magic had been one of my better ideas. It also made her one of the fastest delivery owls in the world and she absolutely loved the power and prestige it gave her.


    When Daphne woke up, I told her right away what I did to protect her and she made another squeak sound and fainted. I couldn''t stop myugh this time and itsted for quite a while. I made her an amulet simr to mine, nearly identical to the one I gave to her sister and to Tonks, and put it over her neck.


    After she woke up, Daphne saw the expensive spellden and enchanted pendant that I had given her. She blushed and put a hand on it, whispered her thanks, and voluntarily gave me a peck on the lips. She didn''t even faint after being so bold.


    When we left the room holding hands and I dispelled the spells on the door, the group of people waiting for us had reduced to only Tracey Davis.


    ¡°Did you do it?¡± Tracey asked excitedly before Daphne or I could speak.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said and she squealed like a stuck pig and started jumping around. ¡°I agreed to offer her a consort use to the marriage contract with her family. She kissed me on her own initiative afterwards.¡±


    Tracey looked like a punctured balloon that had just lost most of the air inside of it. ¡°That''s it?¡±


    ¡°For some girls, you can''t rush these things.¡± I said and gave Daphne a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I''ll leave you to talk to your friend in private.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡± Daphne said and gave my hand a squeeze before she let it go.


    ¡°Miss Davis.¡± I said to Tracey and walked away. I had a few things to do, now that I had the famous Philosopher''s Stone in my possession.

 81 Errant Thoughts

    81 Errant Thoughts


    I still had plenty of time before curfew, not that I paid it much attention anyways, and headed for the seventh floor. I checked the map for the usual suspects, noted they were nowhere near me oring towards me, and went to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to dance ballet. It was tastefully done and I promised myself to look up the techniques and spells to make moving portraits for myself.


    I paced three times in front of the nk wall across from the tapestry and asked for the room of lost things. When the door appeared, I entered the room and closed the door. It disappeared upon mymand and I looked at the mounds and mounds of discarded things that the house elves had piled in the ce.


    I imagined there were hundreds of years of things inside, if not everything lost since the castle was built. That was a heavy thought, especially if there were some old school books from back then. So, I did the only responsible thing I could.


    I called for Nanny.


    The house elf popped into the room with me and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She then gasped at the mess. The football stadium-sized mess. She put a tiny hand over her little heart and wavered on her feet, so I took her into a hug to hold her steady and patted her back.


    ¡°It''s going to take us a long time to work through all of this safely.¡± I told her.


    Nanny nodded her head several times and herrge ears flopped violently. ¡°Youse not be summoning anything! Youse causes everything to crashes!¡±


    ¡°I don''t doubt that, my little friend.¡± I said and thought about what I knew would be in the roomter. I took out the map and thought about how I would find a vanishing cab before it was damaged.


    In the normal story, Fred and George would throw Montague into it before a big Griffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch game and he disappears for several days. He apparates out and ends up in a toilet in one of the bathrooms, then Peeves the Poltergeist tosses the cab down the stairs and breaks it, which makes the castle elves put it into this room, because it''s broken.


    The problem was, there were so many magical cabs in the school that narrowing it down to just one on a map was just as difficult as searching the school by sight. I had the brilliant thought to cast another magic detection spell on the map for only the vanishing cab and hoped that asking about it by that name would count, since I didn''t know what it was actually called or who made the thing.


    I cast the spell on the parchment and all the other details vanished as it was reced with the new detection spell information. There it was on the second floor and I showed Nanny where it was. She nodded and disappeared with a pop and was gone for only a minute, then popped back in with her hand on therge cab.


    ¡°Thank you, Nanny.¡± I said. ¡°I assume you can''t shrink it?¡±


    Nanny shook her head. ¡°The magic bees stopping changing it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I figured as much. People would be carrying them around all the time if they could be shrunk.¡± I said and she gave me a pointed look. ¡°They are made in pairs and you could send anything back to the one you leave at home, even other people, and there''s no discernible or detectable magic use.¡±


    ¡°That bees just like youse teleport circles.¡± Nanny said and I nodded. ¡°The other ones not bees here.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s at a dark magic shop in Knockturn Alley. I doubt I can go there and buy it myself.¡± I said with a sigh.


    ¡°I bees handling thats.¡± Nanny said and popped away.


    I opened my mouth to call her back and ask how she was going to do that, then shrugged. If she could get it for me, there was no point in bugging her about how until she returned. In the meantime, I turned to the closest pile of things and wondered how I was going to handle dismantling everything to get at the good stuff that I was sure was hidden inside.


    *


    Andromeda was having a nice rxing evening by herself. Ted was off with the boys at the local pub, their usual fare every couple of weeks when a game was on, and she reclined on the sofa with a small sniffer of brandy.


    She didn''t usually indulge herself too much with the expensive alcohol; but, sometimes she couldn''t resist the heady aroma and internal warmth it gave her. The satisfying buzz she enjoyed all evening without a hangover the next day was great, too. She would never suffer from drinking the cheap stuff ever again, thanks to Harry.


    Andromeda sighed at the thought of the handsome young man. He had shot up in height during the summer, probably because puberty had started kicking him pretty hard in the ass, if his bulging muscles were any indication. The little devil she had loved so much all these years had grown up right in front of her eyes.


    Harry was now way past her own 5 foot 2 inches of height and was 6 inches taller than her. She sincerely doubted that he was going to stop growing, too. In fact, he was already an inch taller than her idiot daughter, Nymphadora. Oh, how she had yelled and berated that moron for dumping Harry right before his birthday!


    <i>How could Nymphadora be that stupid?</i> Andromeda asked herself, her mind full of incredulity. <i>So what if she wanted to focus on her career? Harry was the best thing to ever happen to our family and you don''t just chuck someone like that aside!</i>


    Andromeda sighed again and took another small sip of the liquid courage in her ss. She regretted that both she and Harry were strictly moral people, otherwise their flirting would have ended up with her under him and begging him to breed her like her body desperately wanted him to.


    Thest time they had gone to visit Sirius together, he had held her so tenderly during the teleportation that she became instantly wet for him. The knowing look Harry had given her when he let her go, had made her even wetter. Sweet Merlin, she wanted to feel such a strong man inside of her so much!


    The amused face on Sirius when they had talked to him and dropped off more food for him and the guard, let her know that he knew something was going on... and she really wished there was. The problem was, as far as Harry was concerned, she was married and that was that.


    Andromeda sighed once more and finished off her small sniffer. She didn''t get up to pour out more, though. She sat there and wondered what Harry was doing at school and if he was going to make their normally scheduled appointment at Azkaban for end of the month.


    A soft pop sounded and a nicely dressed female elf appeared in front of her.


    ¡°Hello, Nanny.¡± Andromeda said right away.


    ¡°Mistress Andi.¡± Nanny said and looked at the ss and at her face.


    ¡°I''ve only had two fingers worth.¡± Andromeda said, not that she would normally defend her actions to a house elf. She just wanted to make sure that if the elf talked to Harry, Nanny didn''t tell him that she was a drunk.


    ¡°Master Harry bees needing youse help.¡± Nanny said.


    Andromeda sat up and her slight mncholy disappeared. ¡°What does he need me to do?¡±


    Nanny smiled, because she knewing to Andi had been the right decision. The older woman was as eager to make Master Harry happy as much as she was.


    *


    Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore paced back and forth in front of his desk. His trick knee had decided that right before bed was the best time to act up on him. He was tired after a long day of sitting on his backside and doing paperwork. It was mind-numbing and necessary, mostly because the entire wizarding world would copse if he ever took a day off.


    That''s what Albus personally believed, anyway. He would never know that the Ministry, the school board, and the ICW executives intentionally sent him twice as much paperwork and things to do, just to keep him so busy that he couldn''t interfere in their lives so much. A Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump with nothing to do, was very bad for everyone else, because he always stuck his crooked nose into everything.


    As he paced, Albus went over his ns for Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world. His not-so-subtle campaign to make the boy famous and revered had paid of handsomely. Every witch and wizard in Britain, from young children to the old and infirm, knew his name.


    Albus thought it was a shame he couldn''t get any part of the royalties thatpanies paid for using the boy''s name or ess to the school subsidies donated on Harry''s behalf, since they bypassed the school board entirely and dealt with families directly. It had been a quite a bold and ruthless action by Andromeda Tonks and her husband to make such irond contracts with all of the businesses that sold Harry Potter products.


    He chuckled at someone sessfully blocking him from essing Harry Potter merchandise when he had one of the most important Potter objects stashed in his personal belongings. It was another shame that he couldn''t find the Potter vault key to give to Hagrid when he went looking for the boy to take him shopping.


    With that thought percting in his mind, he paced several more times as he thought about his n to entice the boy by giving him the invisibility cloak for Yule with thepulsion to look for the mirror, then he would leave hints for Harry to keep searching for it, thanks to the charms he ced on the mirror.


    That reminded him to add the tracking charms and to tie it to the boy''s location charm he set into the puffing whirligig of his own creation. It was a modified Sneak-o-scope that gave the precise location and not just warned that an enemy was near, not that he thought the boy was an enemy. Far from it. He was just an ignorant boy raised by muggles that was grateful to be rescued from his abusive family.


    Albus went to his stash that was full of other people''s property. Most of them were dead, so he saw nothing wrong with keeping family heirlooms, rare tomes of family magic, and other magical objects that he thought were too dangerous to leave in the hands of children, despite them being the real owners.


    The search for the invisibility cloak was casual at first for about ten minutes, then grew slightly more frantic over the next ten minutes. By the time half an hour had passed, Albus was kind of freaking out. He started tearing through everything, using both his wand and his hands to move and look under and inside everything.


    When an hour had passed, Albus finally realized the truth. He had lost the cloak. He almost stumbled back to his office and slumped into his chair behind his desk. His ns would have to change slightly if he couldn''t gift the boy his own cloak back or charm it to point Harry in the right direction.


    Albus would need to check on a few things, ns already in motion for years, and perhaps he would give Hagrid more reasons to invite the boy to tea and to talk about the Philosopher''s Stone... no, his family. Yes, his family. Stories about his brave and foolish father going on adventures would be best. It should put the boy into the right mindset to also go on his own adventures.


    His slightly altered n set, Albus went back to work and hadpletely forgotten about soothing his trick knee in order to go back to sleep. He had much more important things to worry about than sleep.


    *


    It took me nearly two hours and I was nearly done sorting through the first stack of junk and repairing everything to look for metal to convert, when Nanny popped in with her hand on a second vanishing cab. She also had an inordinately pleased look on her face, which made me smile. She had done something out of the ordinary to get the thing, I was sure.


    ¡°Do I even want to know how you got that?¡± I asked her and stored the second cab. With the pair, I could work out how they worked and how to duplicate them.


    Nanny gave me a smug look, which looked really odd on a house elf''s face. ¡°Jelly!¡±


    A male house elf that looked quite dapper wearing a butler outfit popped in. ¡°Nanny bees calling her Jelly?¡±


    I had to mp my mouth shut to stop myugh from escaping. She worked fast to have already imed a Hogwarts elf as her own.


    ¡°Youse bees staying here to keeps the Come-and-Go room for Master Harry.¡± Nanny ordered him.


    ¡°I bees doing it, Nanny.¡± Jelly said with a slight bow to her.


    ¡°I bees back.¡± Nanny said and gave the male elf a very particr look that made the elf shiver and give her a huge smile in return. She nodded at him and took my hand. ¡°You bees going somewheres for a bit, Master Harry.¡±


    Before I could ask her where, she popped us out of the castle to the grounds where the teleportation circle was. It lit up briefly and we disappeared in a sh of light, only to reappear on the one in Andromeda''s backyard.


    ¡°You didn''t.¡± I said and Nanny gave me a simr look to the one she gave her elf. It made me shiver and I let out theugh I was holding in. ¡°Damn, you really did ask her for help.¡±


    ¡°She bees waiting for youse.¡± Nanny said and handed me a pepper-up potion.


    I took it and drank it, handed her the empty vial back, and went to the house as Nanny teleported back to Hogwarts. I didn''t bother knocking on the door, because my detection spell told me that Andromeda was the only person in the house. I also went through the unlocked back door to let her know I was there. She had tweaked the alert ward years ago to my magical signature.


    ¡°Harrrry.¡± Andromeda said in a low tone, her voice dripping with sexiness.


    I entered the living room and there she was, wearing tight jeans that hugged her shapely hips and a blouse that barely contained herrge breasts. Shortstack, I believed was the term for a woman like her. She also had a small sniffer ss with an inch of amber liquid in it.


    ¡°How can you look even sexier than thest time we met?¡± Andromeda asked me.


    I couldn''t help answering her with my trademark joke prompt. ¡°I''m Harry Potter...¡±


    ¡°...the best Harry Potter.¡± Andromeda said with augh and downed the mouthful of alcohol.


    ¡°I was going to say the same thing to you, actually.¡± I said and intentionally ran my eyes from the top of her head to her feet, then slowly went all the way back up to her face as I let her see how much I appreciated the view.


    Andromeda blushed at the look of desire on my face. ¡°Harry...¡±


    ¡°You know it can only be flirting.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°You''re married and...¡±


    Andromeda walked over to the coffee table and put her empty ss down and picked up a sheaf of papers. She walked over to me and handed them to me.


    I took them and quickly read through them, my eyes wide. ¡°You can''t be serious.¡±


    ¡°No, that''s your godfather.¡± Andromeda said and closed her eyes. ¡°Nanny gave me those and Ted signed the separation papers barely ten minutes ago. We agreed to split everything in an amicable divorce, now that we no longer have Tonks in the house to keep the family together...¡±


    I tossed the papers into the air and she stared at them flying all over, then I scooped her up into my arms and stored the papers before I teleported us to my castle and then to myvish trophy room. Andromeda''s stare changed to my face and then her eyes dropped down to my chest as I stripped off for her. She let out a sexy moan at the tant invitation and started to tear off her own clothes.


    We were soon naked and rolling around on the shag carpet that was the pelt from the Manticore I had in. Andromeda''s desperate kisses on my face, my chest, and down my abdomen, made me rock hard by the time she reached where she really wanted to kiss me.


    What was it with older women being able to do that so much better? Was it experience alone or was it because they knew what they wanted and how to get it? Because sure as hell was hot, I never wanted her to stop doing what she was doing.


    Andromeda looked at my face when I let out an indecent moan for her and I could feel her trying to smile while she also sucked on me like a champion. She didn''t try to finish me off, though. She slowed down and moved to sit up on my waist.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°If we''re only doing it once, I want to feel it inside when you let it go.¡± Andromeda said and rubbed herself along my length to slick me up even more than her saliva had. She must have had a hidden river down there, because it just kept flowing without stopping.


    ¡°Why in the world would you think I''d only do you once?¡± I asked her.


    Andromeda looked surprised for a moment, then she gave me a very smug look and shifted her hips. ¡°All right, Harry. After tonight, you no longer have to pretend Nymphadora''s me.¡±


    I waited until she shoved my member inside before I spoke. ¡°I never pretended she was, Andi.¡±


    Andromeda caught her breath and stopped moving.


    ¡°I always made sure we were easily found and easily seen. I wanted you to stop us, because I suspected a long time ago that you were right. I was just a phase and easy for her totch onto until she got what she wanted.¡± I reached up and dug my hands into herrge breasts to make her moan. ¡°I have patiently waited years to make love to such a beautiful and sexy woman.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Harry!¡± Andromeda eximed andid down on top of me to kiss me passionately.


    *


    In the Come-and-Go room, two house elves were having their own little get together. The sorted, cleaned, and repaired items around them that Harry had done, drove them on to greater heights of passion. They had found someone else that cared about having a family to take care of and wanted little ones of their own to take care of while they waited for their masters to have little ones of their own.

 82 Just Having Fun

    82 Just Having Fun


    To my surprise, Andromeda wanted to be bred by me. She actually begged to have my child and that it was her fondest wish to start fulfilling my boast to her that I would have tons of little Potters and cks running around. By the time morning came around, she had convinced me. Now she was pregnant and happier than I had ever seen her.


    Andromeda gave me a toe-curling kiss when I dropped her off at her ce and a look so sexy that I was instantly hard for her. She saw that and patted it, then promised when I visited at the end of the month to give me another night to remember.


    I agreed and she sauntered towards her house with her ass swaying so much that I thought her hips were going to fall off. She turned around at the door and gave me a wave, a smug look, and entered the house. I chuckled at her intentionally and sessfully keeping my attention to watch her walk, and teleported back to Hogwarts.


    ¡°Nanny.¡± I said and after a few moments, the house elf popped beside me and she had the exact same look on her face that Andromeda had after I had impregnated her. ¡°Was it your n for the both of us to have fun?¡±


    Nanny nodded her head several times and her ears flopped violently. Iughed and took her offered hand. She popped us back into the Room of Requirement and I was d that I didn''t see a tiny bed or a half naked house elf getting dressed.


    ¡°Thank you, Nanny.¡± I said and hugged the little elf.


    Nanny hugged me back. ¡°Youse bees wee, Master Harry. I goes home to takes care of Miss Amy nows.¡±


    I nodded and she popped away. My eyes went right over to the sorted piles of items I had fixed the night before. There were piles of clothing that were a few centuries out of date, several out of print books, a mixture of furniture, school desks and chairs, two empty trunks, and a leather satchel bag with several leather pouches around the outside.


    I stored everything that wasn''t school property and put the desks and chairs off to the side near the front of the room. I had a bit of time left before I had to change into my school clothes and head to breakfast, so I left the room wearing my invisibility cloak and took the map back out. I cast the magic detection spell on it again and it reced the specific one I had cast the night before.


    With it showing me there was no one in the hallways, I went over to the Griffindormon room entrance and spoke the password. Funnily enough, the Fat Lady in the portrait opened without actually seeing anyone there. I kept the cloak on and entered, crossed the room, and went up the stairs.


    Thankfully, no one was waiting for me in my bed and had believed me when I said my evening would be filled by talking to Daphne. Thest thing I wanted to do was disappoint someone by making them wait for me all night.


    I stored my cloak and took off my clothes, had a quick shower, and dressed in a high quality Griffindor uniform. It was almost funny that no one mentioned how much nicer my school clothing was than everyone else''s. Was it expected that I would have better versions, or did it just be something that they didn''t question?


    I shrugged and left my room and went down the stairs. The Flying Foxes were there with the fifth and sixth year prefects and all five of them gave me smiles and waves. ¡°Good morning,dies.¡±


    ¡°I bet it was.¡± Angelina said with a smirk. ¡°Did you get the little diva to spread her legs for you?¡±


    The girls around herughed.


    ¡°I will have you know I sessfully inserted my tongue into Daphne''s mouth and she only fainted for ten minutes.¡± I said in a snooty voice and they keptughing. ¡°All joking aside, she was adorable in how innocent she was and I can''t wait to meet her sister, my future betrothed.¡±


    All of them quieted and looked a little sad.


    ¡°Hey, it''s all right. The contract doesn''te into effect for another three years when I turn 17, then I can choose to either agree to it and pay the stipted bride price or pay the cancetion fee.¡± I said and all of them looked quite happy to hear that.


    ¡°We can have a lot of fun while waiting for three years.¡± Angelina said sexily and Alicia and Katie nodded.


    ¡°You say that now.¡± I said and she gave me a questioning look. ¡°What will you say when I join the team as the new seeker?¡±


    All five girls gasped and stared at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°The flying lessons are tomorrow afternoon for first years. If you don''t have sses...¡± I said suggestively and Angelina, Katie, and Alicia nodded. ¡°With that settled, are you going down to breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let''s go.¡± Katie said and jumped to her feet and took my hand. ¡°Are you really going to try and get on the house team?¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask for a meeting with Professor McGonagall for lunch, so I''ll find out then if she can lift that restriction for the youngest seeker in a century.¡±


    Katie giggled as the girls followed us out of themon room and down the hall. ¡°I think if you tell her that first thing, she''ll agree without you having to argue about it being a good idea to let you try out for the team.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. McGonagall is a stickler for keeping the Quidditch Cup in her trophy case.¡± Angelina added. ¡°She''ll do anything to make sure it stays there.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± I promised and led them down two secret passages and through a tapestry to end up in the Entrance Hall.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± The fifth year prefect named Eleanor Birchgrove asked. ¡°I thought only Fred and George knew the castle like the back of their hand?¡±


    ¡°I''d say it''s a trade secret, except I don''t want to piss you off.¡± I said and she smiled. ¡°I''ve been exploring every evening before I went back to themon room. There are tons of little passages and tunnels between here and everywhere else in the castle.¡±


    The girls nodded as we entered the Great Hall and I did my duty to sit Katie first, then did the same with the other girls. They were allughing and happy at being treated like a high ssdy by the time I sat down myself.


    We started eating and chatting about Quidditch as the hall slowly filled up with students. It was then that a certain potions professor entered from a side door that the teachers used, when loudughter rang across the whole hall.


    I turned to look and had a hard time notughing myself. Snape looked like a Smurf with his bright blue skin. His trademark sneer didn''t lessen as he red at everyone, as usual, then he sat down and reached for the food to load his te. He froze when he saw his blue skin and his sneer changed to anger.


    ¡°MISTERS WEASLEY!¡± Snape yelled and it echoed off the walls. ¡°Undo this prank right now!¡±


    As if perfectly timed, that was when Fred and George entered the Great Hall. The pair looked shocked at being used of something, then they saw Snape and burst outughing. The pair hung on each other as theyughed so hard that they were crying.


    Minerva stood and walked over to them. ¡°You will be in detention for a month if you don''t fix this!¡±


    ¡°Wasn''t us.¡± Fred managed to say between guffaws.


    ¡°Brilliant, whoever did it.¡± George said and he calmed down to cough and elbow Fred.


    ¡°You are the castle pranksters.¡± Minerva needlessly reminded them.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am. We are.¡± Fred said and stood up straight.


    ¡°We''d im it if it was ours, you know we would.¡± George said and looked at their friends at the Griffindor table, probably for backup.


    ¡°That''s so true.¡± Eleanor said. ¡°We usually can''t get them to shut up about their next prank.¡±


    ¡°It''s making what''s left of the Slytherins glued to their seats in History of Magic this morning.¡± Alicia offered and several groans came from the half-empty table.


    ¡°Yep! We''ve been nning it all week.¡± Fred said.


    ¡°We brewed special glue for it and everything.¡± George added, unnecessarily.


    Minerva gave them a good re, then sighed. ¡°If it wasn''t you, then who could it have been?¡±


    ¡°You''re assuming it was a person responsible.¡± I said into the silence.


    Thatment made a few people blink in confusion and more than a few immediately turned to look at the castle ghosts floating near their house tables.


    ¡°PEEEEVES!¡± Snape yelled and stormed out of the Great Hall.


    Everyone startedughing again at the angry blue professor''s back.


    ¡°It wasn''t Peeves, was it?¡± Katie asked me in a whisper.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I said and winked at her.


    Katie''s eyes widened briefly and then she started giggling uncontrobly. No one really noticed because of all the other peopleughing. I put an arm over her shoulders and she snuggled into my side and kept giggling.


    ¡°You''re so bad.¡± Katie whispered in my ear when she eventually calmed down.


    ¡°Like Angelina, you wouldn''t have it any other way.¡± I whispered back.


    Katie smiled and gave my neck several kisses. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°It''s people-based.¡± I said and she stopped kissing my neck to look into my eyes. ¡°He''s only blue when people can see him. If he''s alone, he''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh... oh, that... that''s just <i><b>evil</b></i>.¡± Katie whispered and her voice was full of admiration.


    ¡°Thank you, my dear.¡± I said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°We need to eat.¡±


    Katie nced down at my waist and back at my face.


    I chuckled at the invitation and whispered. ¡°If we eat quickly enough, there''s a broom cupboard on the first floor we can visit before first ss.¡±


    Katie gained a determined look and nodded.


    We were out of the hall ten minutester and had a bit of fun in the dark. Apparently, Katie really liked it when someone pulled a sessful and non-harmful prank and got away with it, especially on the most hated teacher in Hogwarts. We both had smiles on our faces for the whole morning after our quick shag.


    Thanks to Katie''s suggestion on leading with my youngest seeker in a centuryment, Minerva agreed immediately to allow me to try out for the house team, as long as I borrowed a good broom. Of course, I had to tell her about the gift of brooms I gave to Hooch, just so she didn''t think I was using an inferior broom.


    We didn''t make it to lunch.


    *


    The next day was the most anticipated first year flying lesson in years. Even though the girls had tried to keep it quiet and only known to their teammates, most of the school knew I had been given an exception to the school''s policy of no first years on the House teams and a lot of them were there in the Quidditch stands to watch the ss.


    Because there was only one Slytherin in first year, all four houses had the ss that day, which saved Madam Hooch from having to teach two different sses and repeating the same thing twice every week. She was in a very happy mood when she carried out the shrunken packing crate onto the Quidditch pitch.


    That was something the girls actually managed to not let slip, so when Hooch opened the thing and proimed loudly that she had 50 brand new Numbus 2000 brooms that everyone could borrow for flying sses, everyone cheered, even the people in the stands.


    New brooms meant that casual flying time could be freely booked and scheduled in the evenings and on the weekends, as long as there wasn''t a game or team practice going on. Everyone was happy about that.


    Madam Hooch beamed a smile at everyone as she went along and ced each broom next to a student and went back to the crate when she was done. Her brief words to thank the mysterious donor, went over everyone''s heads, except for those in the know. I nced over at the Griffindor stands and saw five girls with very happy faces and knowing looks.


    The professor taught her first lesson eagerly about broom safety, how to handle it, and how to stop. Her enthusiasm infected everyone, even myself, and we were all eager to use the brooms and prove we were responsible enough to use them safely and not kill ourselves. Well, everyone else was, anyway. I had tons of experience with flying things and wasn''t worried about it at all.


    We did the basic drills needed, then we did the exercises necessary to show we knew and followed her safety procedures, then she released us to do some casual free flying. The very pointed look she gave me as the other students slowly floated up into the air, had me grinning back at her, because she knew full well how good of a flyer I was. She shook her head at me and waved towards the open sky.


    I nodded and hopped onto the broom and took off like a rocket. People cheered and hollered when they saw me streak across the Quidditch pitch like it didn''t exist. I did several loops in midair first, then I flew at a breakneck speed down the field and through one of the goal rings, looped it, and shot off to do the same to a goal ring at the other end of the pitch.


    I slowed down near the Griffindor stands and the looks of utter desire on Angelina''s, Alicia''s and Katie''s faces, made me smirk at them. ¡°Hey, Oliver! You wouldn''t happen to have a game snitch nearby, would you?¡±


    ¡°I''LL GET ONE RIGHT NOW!¡± Oliver yelled and practically dove down the stairs and almost killed himself to get to the equipment shed as soon as possible. The rest of the team howled inughter at how excited he was.


    Needless to say, Minerva McGonagall mysteriously appeared within the Griffindor stands and her sharp eyes watched me as I did several seeker exercises that Oliver put me through, then he let the snitch go and counted to ten and nodded to me.


    I blew through and around the other students flying and had it ten secondster. I brought it back to him and he had the same look of desire on his face that the girls had. He let the snitch go again and counted to twenty this time. I was back ten secondster and handed him the snitch back.


    ¡°We are going to be spending a lot of time talking strategy, Potter.¡± Oliver said.


    ¡°As long as it''s just talking. I''m a witch''s bloke, just to be clear.¡± I confirmed.


    Oliver smiled and then chuckled. ¡°I doubt me sucking you off could make you fly faster.¡±


    ¡°I would to get away from that offer.¡± I joked and heughed.


    ¡°That''s good to know for emergencies, Potter.¡± Oliver said and looked over my shoulder as he smirked. ¡°I''ll release you to the foxes now.¡±


    I felt several hands touch my shoulders and arms, so I turned around and was engulfed by the three beauties. They hugged me like I was one of my plushies and I didn''t fight it or tell them to stop.


    ¡°No one is going to touch us this year.¡± Angelina said, her voice low and sexy. I grew hard for her and she felt it, smiled at me, and gave me a discreet kiss that no one but our little group saw it.


    ¡°Not to score, anyway.¡± I said and she nodded, as did Alicia and Katie.


    They let me go and I walked over to the crate and Madam Hooch.


    ¡°Thanks for the loan, Madam Hooch.¡± I said and handed her the broom back.


    ¡°After seeing you fly like that, I''d let you keep it if it was allowed.¡± Madam Hooch said. ¡°Thank you for not endangering your fellow students.¡±


    ¡°Safety first when non-quidditch yers are involved. During a game? All bets are off.¡± I grinned.


    Madam Hooch nodded and put the broom in the crate. She called the rest of the students back and had them sign a broom out if they wanted to keep flying until suppertime.


    I walked back over to where Oliver had gathered with the team to talk about my performance. I saw Minerva in the back of the crowd. She gave me a nod and disappeared, which meant she was probably a cat and slipped away without anyone seeing her.


    ¡°Why didn''t you keep one of the brooms out to keep flying?¡± Oliver asked me.


    ¡°A simple reason, my friend. I wanted to take my teammates out for a casual fly in style.¡± I said and turned to the side. ¡°Nanny!¡±


    My house elf popped in beside me. ¡°Youse be calling me, Master Harry?¡±


    ¡°Could you pop home and grab the family magic carpet?¡± I asked her.


    Nanny nodded and popped away. The team stared at me like I had grown a horn on my head.


    ¡°It''s only illegal to buy and sell them in Britain. I already own it, so it''s okay.¡± I said and Nanny popped in with the rolled up thing. ¡°Thank you, Nanny.¡±


    ¡°Youse bees wee.¡± Nanny said and popped away.


    I unrolled it and it gained a lot of attention, because it was so big and colorful.


    ¡°This looks well used.¡± Katiemented and knelt to pet it.


    ¡°I picked it up in Egypt a long time ago when I was there.¡± I said, dropping a huge hint to anyone that read my book.


    Fred was the first one to get it. ¡°The Mummy''s Curse!¡±


    I smiled and nodded at him as I waved everyone to climb on. ¡°I guess your brother Bill must know a lot about that by now.¡±


    ¡°He apprenticed under one of the survivors.¡± George said and sat down. ¡°This is reallyfy!¡±


    The others quickly copied him and sat own, the girls rxing and sighing after sitting on the hard wooden benches in the stands.


    ¡°I really regretted not being able to show up sooner.¡± I said and let them hear the pain in my voice.


    Angelina pulled me into a hug and tenderly kissed me. ¡°Hey, no more of that. You arrived and saved who you could. That''s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s right. Imagine if you never showed up at all.¡± Fred said. ¡°Bill would have been stuck learning under a goblin. They hate teaching almost as much as Professor Snape does.¡±


    That had everyoneugh and I motioned to the carpet. Angelina reluctantly let me go and I sat at the head of the carpet.


    ¡°All passengers, please note that the fasten seat belts and no smoking signs are lit.¡± I joked and mimed taking the flight controls. Katie and Oliverughed.


    ¡°He''s pretending to be a muggle airne pilot.¡± Katie exined.


    ¡°Have any of you been on the goblin mine carts at the bank?¡± I asked and they all nodded. ¡°Then this is going to feel very familiar. If you''re not flying fast enough to ruffle your hair, you have to fly faster.¡±


    They were all enthusiastic broom flyers, so they knew what I meant. They yelled happily as the carpet''s protective charms activated to stop them from falling out and I flew it up into the air almost as fast as a broom. They shoved their hands up into the air like people did on a rollercoaster and cheered as I put the carpet through its paces.

 83 Summarizing Things

    83 Summarizing Things


    The rest of the week passed by without incident, mostly because Potions sses were cancelled. Snape was being petty and didn''t want anyone seeing him looking so sad and angry, which meant he had normal colored skin until he went to Dumbledore or one of the other professors for help. As long as he stayed sequestered in his rooms and out of sight, he was fine.


    Since they hadn''t figured out the visualponent yet, every time Katie heard someone mentioning the potions teacher, I correct them and call him Grumpy Smurf. She absolutely looses it and giggles as sheughs uncontrobly, each and every time, then she hauls me off to the nearest broom cupboard or empty ssroom for some p and tickle fun. Her reactions were both hrious and satisfying.


    I easily made it onto the Quidditch team, as if there was any doubt. I did try out officially, just so anyone that missed my flying ss would know that I earned my spot on the team and it wasn''t just because I was famous. Our first practice was that weekend and I slotted into the team as if I had always been there.


    No one was surprised that Katie fit in so well, too. It was pretty much just extending her year-long friendships with the other two chasers, Angelina and Alicia, and they worked like a well oiled machine to score. Fred and George were the experienced beaters and even they had trouble messing up the girls when they practised their ys. The new Nimbus 2000 brooms made us all perform spectacrly.


    I did a lot of studying in the library and working in the Room of Requirement during all of the free time I had with so many sses being horribly taught or not taught at all. The assigned homework wasughable, since I could create a report with what I wanted on it with a wave of my hand, wand or not.


    I never did it where anyone else could see, though. tant cheating like that would anger all of my friends that worked so hard atpleting their homework. However, I did let them look at it if they were having trouble and told them to paraphrase it in their own words.


    Not surprisingly, Hermione was usually one of the first ones to ask for it andpared it to her own. Her huffs of indignation were pretty cute, so I never objected. I actually enjoyed seeing her look of concentration as she meticulously went over what I had in my essays and she actually did change some of hers to be more simr to mine.


    My old book stash grew as I went through each pile of junk in the Room of Requirement, as did my trunk collection, lost bags, clothing, money, sparse jewellery, and antique furniture. Any library books I found, I copied for myself and set aside for Madam Pince.


    The look of desire on the librarian''s face when I passed her a normal trunk full of missing library books at the end of the week, made me shiver and promise to visit her that evening when she was off work. She had a fairly nice set of rooms like an apartment that was simr to the Head Boy''s suite I stayed in, which meant I was fairlyfortable there and she looked happy about that.


    Hermione''s birthday was a huge affair, considering she was much more personable after getting all the knowledge she could ever stand and had be good friends with her dorm mates, Lavender, Parvati, and Fay. I also pleasured her to the point that she was quite casual with showing public affection, as long as she was distracted with a book.


    Hugs and kisses were now easily shared with me and Hermione was happy. She was also getting to the point that she now expected our little secret encounters and she had a sly and smug smile whenever I managed to slip us away from our friends and we had some fun together. I even heard her whisper once that she was d I had chosen her, despite all of the much prettier girls in the school.


    Needless to say, I took her to bed that night and pampered her as I whispered that she was the only one I would do that with, because she deserved it. I also said something that made her blush all the way down to her feet, which I kissed on my way back up to her face. I told her that I loved her. Her response that it was the best present I could have ever given her, had me making love to her for the rest of the night.


    At the end of the month after visiting the prison, Andromeda gave me another night to remember. It was honestly funny that the guard looked forward to our visits just as much as Sirius did. They both imed to have gained weight, which was amazing, because everyone lost weight if they stayed at Azkaban, prisoner or guard.


    During the second week in October, Lavender eventually did give me a blowjob in ss under a notice-me-not charm, which she had me include Parvati in, just so she could watch us. The brown-skinned girl was almost driven insane with lust as she watched Lavender work me over while Professor Flitwick taught the ss the levitation charm.


    Parvati''s quick warning to me that I better cast a notice-me-not charm for her too, didn''t stop her from joining Lavender under my desk before I could cast it. Thankfully, no one noticed us, because we were at the back of the room. Double blowjobs were the best, especially when they were Griffindors with apetitive streak, and they wanted to outdo each other by being the one to get me off first.


    When one of them won, Lavender of course, I temporarily expanded the space under the desk and silenced it with a spell, then asked her to turn around. She didn''t protest, even though this was way past anything we had agreed to do in public.


    Parvati flipped up Lavender''s skirt for me and pulled down the girl''s soaked underwear, then helped guide me inside. Lavender''s loud moan didn''t escape the confines of the desk, thankfully. Parvati helped her move her hips more forcefully and both I and Lavender appreciated the assistance.


    I didn''tst long under their ministrations, despite it being my second shot, probably because having a beautiful pussy to rail under my desk was such a rare and wonderful sight. I filled her up and Lavender moaned so loudly that it strained the silence spell. I reinforced it and Parvati cleaned the both of us up, then she made us promise to let her win next time. We agreed, since doing that again was definitely something to look forward to.


    Halloween arrived and passed without incident. The feast was mostly Halloween candies from both the muggle and wizarding worlds, so no real food was had untilter in my room and Nanny served myself and my friends enough to counter the huge sugar rush that most of us were suffering through.


    I finally turned off the ward to stop Snape from bing blue when people saw him. He had be so twitchy that I almost felt bad about it, then he opened his mouth and spewed his usual diatribe and that feeling disappeared. Katie still dragged me to a broom cupboard for never getting caught.


    I met Andromeda that weekend for another prison visit and she was just as enthusiastic in bed as she had been the first time. Her ims of having so much fun while having so much fun, made meugh. She wasn''t wrong, though. It really was fun and after only exchanging letters and short visits for more merchandise deliveries, so spending an entire evening with her was quite fun.


    We didn''t always have sex the entire time, either. Sometimes, we sprawled out on the couch and ate snacks as we watched television. Another time we went out on the town in London and I bought her anything she wanted. She could have bought it all herself, since she was rich as well; but, that wasn''t the point. I was indulging her and she adored getting the attention.


    The first Quidditch match of the season happened during the first week of November and we kicked Ravenw''s butt. They never scored once and we were at 120 points when Oliver told me to catch the snitch. We won the game with 270 points to Ravenw''s 0, and the party in themon room was a huge blowout. Minerva showed up at curfew to shut it down, then joined in instead. Everyone cheered.


    November flew by before I knew it and December rolled in with snow aplenty. Santa Harry was going to be extra busy this Yule holiday with all of the friends I had made at school. Putting personal touches on so many presents would make them all individually happy, so I was happy to do it. I was also not staying at the castle, so most of them had to be done before I took the train home for the break.


    *


    ¡°You know, it''s kind of nice that you''re not demanding all of our time and trying to control our lives.¡± Hermione said out of the blue. ¡°You''re not even trying to tell us who we can be friends with or who we spend our time with when we''re not with you.¡±


    The train was about a quarter of the way to London and herment almost startled me because of how sudden it was. I turned to look at her and she didn''t have her nose buried in the book on herp.


    ¡°I''m just going to ignore that you said that pretty much at random and without any hints or lead-up.¡± I said and she smiled. ¡°Instead, I''ll ask you a question.¡±


    Hermione nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What right would I have to ask any of you to do any of that?¡± I asked and her eyes widened. ¡°You''re all being wonderful about the antics I get up to, so why would I ever try to restrict anything you do?¡±


    Hermione opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and looked thoughtful.


    I reached over and ran my fingers through her hair and she leaned into my hand. ¡°I''ve never made it a secret of what I get up to, because that would just cause hurt feelings and maybe make some of you feel neglected. I would never do that or tell you to sit around and wait for me. That would be selfish and greedy.¡±


    Hermione hummed and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Now climb onto myp and wait for me to snog you senseless.¡± I ordered her.


    Hermione made a snort sound andughed. She opened her eyes and saw my grin, put her book aside, and did as I ordered. She straddled myp and settled herself on my growing erection as she stared deep into my eyes. I put my arms around her waist and held her tenderly.


    ¡°You don''t need sses, do you?¡± Hermione asked me after examining my face.


    ¡°No, they''re just clear ss. Everyone expects me to have them because my dad wore them when he was a teenager.¡± I exined and took them off for her.


    ¡°I can''t tell if you look better or not.¡± Hermione said with a hum and tilted her head slightly as she stared at me for another few seconds. ¡°Did you really do everything that the books imed you did?¡±


    ¡°In the ones with text, yes.¡± I corrected and she raised her eyebrows at me. ¡°The children picture books were stories of other wizards that someone else stole. I made him pay for his crimes and I anonymously donated the proceeds from the book sales to the wizards he obliviated of their deeds aspensation.¡±


    Hermione shivered and let out a soft moan. ¡°You are too good to be true, Harry.¡±


    ¡°That''s because I''m Harry Potter...¡± I prompted with a smirk.


    ¡°...the best Harry Potter.¡± Hermione finished and leaned in to kiss me.


    We stayed there for several minutes as we enjoyed the feeling of each other''s lips and tongue. A knock on the door had Hermione break the kiss and sigh.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I said and didn''t let Hermione go when she tried to move.


    Thepartment door opened and Hannah was halfway through the opening before she saw the position we were in and blushed. ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to interrupt anything.¡±


    Susan stepped in and they both sat down on the other bench seat.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± I said and waved her apology away. ¡°I can''t keep my hands to myself and I was bound to be caught mauling a beautiful girl like Hermione eventually.¡±


    ¡°You prat.¡± Hermione said with a blush and lightly pped my shoulder. ¡°You can let me go now.¡±


    I opened my mouth to protest and she gave me a quick kiss to stop me. I opened my arms and she carefully slid off myp and stopped her skirt from lifting up and shing thepartment.


    ¡°What can I do for youdies?¡± I asked them as Hermione picked up her book and started reading.


    ¡°We wondered why you never made any time for us since school started.¡± Susan said, boldly.


    ¡°Susie!¡± Hannah gasped.


    ¡°What? We agreed toe here and confront him about it.¡± Susan said and gave me a self-righteous look. ¡°After what happened during the train ride to school, we both thought you would have made at least some effort to speak to us.¡±


    Hermione huffed and didn''t say anything. She knew how busy I had been thest 4 months.


    ¡°Hannah, is that how you feel? That it was solely my responsibility to make an effort to speak to you?¡± I asked her.


    Hannah had the same look on her face as Susan and nodded.


    ¡°Even though we have no shared sses, no mutual extra curricr activities besides meals where we usually don''t see each other, and ourmon rooms are in different parts of the castle, it was me that had to go out of his way to go to you to start talking? That you didn''t have to do anything at all but wait for me to approach you first? Is that what you''re trying to tell me?¡±


    That was when both girls realized it was them that hadpletely ignored me. Their self-righteous looks quickly changed to guilt and embarrassment.


    ¡°I think we should go.¡± Susan said and stood, took Hannah''s hand, and dragged her to thepartment door. ¡°My auntie already sent you a letter about...¡± She stopped and sighed. ¡°Please ignore whatever it says.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I said and she looked surprised. ¡°I will send an appropriate response, whether she wants one or not. Neither my honor nor my reputation will be trampled upon, by either you or her.¡±


    Susan looked really embarrassed now. ¡°H-Harry...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care if she''s the Head of the DMLE and honest to a fault.¡± I said and stood up to my full height. ¡°If she disparages me with false usations, I will respond in kind... and everyone will hear of it.¡±


    ¡°No! You... you don''t have to...¡± Hannah mumbled and looked embarrassed, too.


    ¡°I see you''ve already spread your falsehoods to the Hufflepuffs.¡± I said and sighed at their guilty looks. ¡°Thank you for making even more work for me this holiday season. I need to release an announcement in the Daily Prophet and I will also send out personal notes with my Yule cards this year.¡±


    Susan looked like she was going to say something, opened thepartment door, and stepped out.


    ¡°You should warn your aunt that she might need to call a press conference to publicly make up for your mistake.¡± I told her and she blushed and nodded as she shut the door.


    ¡°That was harsh and fair.¡± Hermione said.


    I sat down beside her and sighed again. ¡°It really will be a pain in the butt having to fix this.¡±


    Hermione closed her book and gave me a searching look. ¡°What''s Tonks going to say about the Puffs having a bad opinion of you?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don''t care. She burned that bridge during the summer. If she says anything negative to me about it, maybe I''ll threaten to take back the protective amulet I gave her for being even more stupid than she already is.¡±


    Hermione chuckled and cuddled into my side. ¡°That won''t set her off or anything.¡±


    ¡°That''s okay. I have something to shut her up that I never told her about.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Hermione asked.


    I smiled at her and slowly morphed my face to look like her favorite movie actor and changed my hair color and shape to match.


    Hermione''s eyes widened so much that I thought they were going to pop out of her head. ¡°I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!¡± She yelled and tackled me onto the bench seat and snogged me senseless.

 84 Yule Be Good Or Else

    84 Yule Be Good Or Else


    Fixing the Hufflepuff''s false opinion of me was a propaganda storm of... normal proportions. It did take a lot of effort and time to set it in motion, especially after Amelia''s Howler. Of course, I sent one right back and tore her apart for her assumptions and for not gathering proper evidence and only relying on a single witness to make her conclusions to close the case.


    After the small blitz of the newspapers, magazines, and Yule cards that I had sent all over both Britain and the rest of the world to make sure that my ster reputation was still intact and well deserved, Amelia herself showed up at the castle on Christmas Day to talk to me. She looked both embarrassed and contrite, the guilt on her face was in to see.


    Petunia was quite smug about it, too. After she had delivered her own dressing down to the woman, making Amelia wince every time Petunia pointed out how much I had helped the DMLE over the years with my efforts to reduce crime and dangerous roaming beasts, I brought Amelia to my trophy room.


    Let me tell you, it was quite the sight to see the experienced older woman stare with an open mouth at all of the evidence of my adventures. I hadn''t made it a secret that I really did all of the things that were written about; but, most adults needed a lot of convincing to ept that I really had done everything they had read about.


    They could easily ept that I might have done a thing or two that were simr to my books, only exaggerated and embellished to the point to make it a great story that would sell. They justified their opinions by the fact that I was a child at the time and couldn''t really have done everything. Now Amelia knew that I really had.


    I didn''t tell her about the restrictions of doing exactly what was written and not adding anything, though. No one else needed to know that. I still felt guilty about it, even yearster. On the positive side, the books and merchandise were still selling like hotcakes with free syrup.


    Amelia needed a good twenty minutes topose herself and she used her official persona to apologize to me and promised to arrange the press conference to set the record straight. Then she let out a long and drawn out sigh and rubbed her face with a hand, then she apologized personally for jumping to conclusions about what Susan had told her.


    ¡°I had wondered why none of the Hufflepuffs had approached me or talked to me for thest four months. Their blind and unearned loyalty to one of their own was a detriment to both them and their House.¡± I said and Amelia looked even more embarrassed. ¡°I assume Susan told you about the Yule cards?¡±


    Amelia opened her mouth to say something, then nodded instead. ¡°Was it necessary to embarrass every single Hufflepuff in the school?¡±


    I couldn''t stop a huge fake smile from appearing on my face. ¡°Can you really stand there and tell me that each and every one of them didn''t write home to their families and tarnished their opinion of me as they told them all about how the famous Harry Potter had snubbed Hufflepuff House?¡±


    Amelia opened her mouth again, then realized Susan had done exactly that. She let out another sigh and shook her head.


    ¡°That''s right. Every family was finally allowed to hear my side of the story, which was the truth. Any embarrassment their children felt was of their own making.¡± I said and that made her wince, so I changed my fake smile to a real one and also changed the subject. ¡°So, have you prosecuted anyone that sent me cursed objects yet?¡±


    Amelia''s face went to a bright red and she turned her head away.


    ¡°Ah, I see. You dropped them because of your <bpletely</b> <b>wrong</b> opinion of me and to punish me.¡± I said and she flinched. ¡°Will an article appear in the Daily Prophet about how you mishandled hundreds of criminal cases before or after your promised press conference in two days?¡±


    Amelia turned her head back to look at me with anger on her face. ¡°How dare you threaten...¡±


    ¡°I really did regret that you never had the guts to approach me to thank me for everything I''ve done for you.¡± I interrupted her rant. ¡°After seeing how you will intentionally ignore <b>doing your job</b> for personal reasons, I don''t regret it now.¡±


    Amelia''s mouth snapped shut and she red at me.


    ¡°You have a very important choice to make right now, Madam Bones.¡± I said and she winced at me not using her given name to address her. ¡°Will you correct your deplorable mistakes on my behalf or will the famous Harry Potter speak out about how his long term support for the DMLE, both politically and financially, will end because of your actions?¡±


    Amelia''s face drained of color and she looked faint.


    ¡°Will 10 minutes be long enough for you to make the decision?¡± I asked her and she didn''t react, so I cast the truth spell on her. ¡°Tell me what you did with the years of evidence of crimes against me.¡±


    ¡°I had it all destroyed.¡± Amelia said and gasped as she covered her mouth.


    ¡°Tell me why.¡± I ordered.


    ¡°You hurt my niece and it was the only way I could hurt you back without getting into trouble myself.¡± Amelia said as tears came to her eyes.


    ¡°You destroyed the records of it all, too.¡± I said. It wasn''t a question and she nodded anyway. ¡°How good does it make you feel to discard your own strict morals and allowed hundreds of criminals to get away with assaulting a child?¡±


    Amelia looked sick. ¡°It felt good at the time and now I realize how wrong it was.¡±


    ¡°Can you arrest yourself as a conspirator and contributor to crimes against a minor for destroying official DMLE evidence and records?¡± I asked her and she shook her head. ¡°I hope your empty victory on Susan''s behalf was worth the personal and political embarrassment this is going to cause you for the rest of your life.¡±


    Amelia didn''t wipe at the tears rolling down her face. ¡°Harry, please don''t...¡±


    I gave her a nk look. ¡°Shall I give you ten minutes to convince me that what you did was <b>right</b>? That it was <b>justice</b>? That you had every intention to never help me ever again because I didn''t talk to the girl that never once tried to talk to me?¡± I asked her and she didn''t answer. ¡°TELL ME!¡±


    Amelia sobbed. ¡°I was going to keep burying everything you sent me to keep hurting you for hurting her.¡±


    ¡°And now what will you do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I''ll cancel the press conference and your ims will fade away and be forgotten. No one will believe you because you''re just a teenagerining because you can and everyone epts that''s what teenagers do.¡± Amelia said as her hands tried to stop her mouth from moving and failed.


    I smiled at that. ¡°Then isn''t it great that I''ve recorded everything you just said?¡±


    Amelia gasped and looked around for whatever it was.


    ¡°Don''t bother trying to deny anything. You chose your niece over your integrity, proving that even honest people like you will throw everything away for what they think is the right reasons.¡±


    Amelia looked shocked at that, then she grit her teeth. ¡°All right, Harry. I understand what you''re doing.¡± She said. ¡°It''s a basic shock and awe tactic. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°You tell me.¡± I ordered.


    ¡°You want me and it annoyed you that you had to settle for my niece, so you ignored her to get back at me for it.¡± Amelia said.


    I stared at her for a few seconds, then I startedughing. Iughed pretty hard for several minutes and she looked really angry. I eventually calmed down and looked into her angry eyes with my own.


    ¡°You''re wrong. I didn''t even think about your conceited niece even once since the train ride to school. She made it abundantly clear that she was not going to date me, so why would I ever bother with her?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Amelia asked, her anger floating away in her confusion.


    ¡°The first thing I told her was that Tonks dropped me to be an Auror, because she wouldn''t have time for me, and Susan immediately told me she was bing an Auror. Is there any doubt at all that she was intentionally refusing to be my girlfriend?¡± I asked. ¡°Well? Is there?¡±


    Amelia looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oing car. That look made me smile.


    ¡°She never told you that, did she?¡± I asked with satisfaction and she didn''t shake her head no. ¡°Isn''t it too bad that it''s much toote to undo everything you''ve done?¡±


    Amelia didn''t respond and more tears rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°I hope your recement will be less likely to react emotionally if any of their family members gets the false impression that I''m ignoring them when they ignore me.¡± I said and motioned to the door of the trophy room. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡±


    Amelia didn''t move or say anything, so I walked over to her, took her arm, and led her out of the room and eventually to the floo room. I saw no point in taking her outside to the edge of the protection wards to let her apparate home.


    ¡°By the way, you can''t cancel the press conference. I''m going to send a letter to Minister Diggory and he should be quite happy to ept changing my next DMLE donation to be a campaign contribution instead.¡± I said and she didn''t react. ¡°I suggest taking a few minutes to get your wits about yourself before you decide what you''re going to do next.¡±


    Amelia blinked her eyes at me for several seconds. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I gave her my best smile. ¡°This is my world, Madam Bones. I won''t let anyone mess things up for me.¡± I warned her. ¡°I got rid of Voldemort. I got rid of the death eaters. Now, I''m getting rid of you.¡±


    Amelia''s face drained of color again. ¡°You can''t kill me!¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I don''t have to kill you, Madam Bones. You destroyed your career and your credibility all on your own. No one in the Ministry Of Magic, or anyone else in the world, is going to trust you again after you betrayed the Boy-Who-Lived and let hundreds of criminals off from persecution.¡± I said and used a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the firece. ¡°Bones Manor.¡±


    Amelia disappeared in the green mes with a look of horror on her face.


    I created the things I needed and Hedwig teleported into the room. ¡°Thank you, Hedwig.¡± I said and gave her some owl treats. She gobbled them down, took the letters, and teleported away.


    I went downstairs to the living room and talked to Petunia about what just happened for several minutes. She sighed when I was done exining, took me into her arms to hold me, and kissed my forehead. She didn''t say anything and just held me in a tight hug, so I stayed there in her embrace and enjoyed herforting warmth.


    Petunia let me go and looked into my eyes as she put her hands on my shoulders. ¡°At least she didn''t try to disrobe when she tried to distract you with her ridiculous usations.¡±


    I couldn''t resist briefly looking down at her heaving chest in her tight sweater and back at her face.


    Petunia made a snort sound and smacked me upside the head. ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡±


    I grinned at her. ¡°You can''t me me for being curious. Uncle Vernon can''t get enough of them and brags about them all the time.¡±


    Petunia shook her head and gave me a little shove to push me away. ¡°Go get washed and changed. You''re due at the Greengrass Estate in 45 minutes.¡±


    I nodded and left the living room at a fast walk. I still heard Vernon tell her that I had made an excellent point and heard Petunia''s soft moan before the door closed. That made me chuckle and I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and the personal bath there. Nanny popped in and gathered my discarded clothes and I showered quickly, dried off, and put on my most expensive fancy robes.


    ¡°You really outdid yourselves with these robes.¡± Iplimented Nanny as she helped me add the right essories.


    ¡°Youse bees meeting youse future wife.¡± Nanny said and her little hands rubbed over the front of the robes to smooth them with both her hands and a touch of elf magic. ¡°Youse bees charming and keeps youse hands above the misses waist.¡±


    I barked augh and gave her a quick hug, so I didn''t undo what she just did to my robes or bothered the little bump on her front. ¡°I can''t promise that, Nanny.¡± I told her and let her go. ¡°The most I can promise is to keep them away from the front part.¡±


    Nanny sighed and then smirked at me. ¡°Youse is thinking she bees wanting that?¡±


    ¡°After all the letters about her being so frustrated by her parents trying to keep her isted because they still believe she''s sick? I think I''ll be lucky if she doesn''t try to tear all my clothes off as soon as she sees me.¡±


    Nannyughed a high squeakyugh. ¡°That would bees funny.¡±


    ¡°The look on Daphne''s face would be even funnier.¡± Imented and the little elf keptughing. ¡°I''ll see you tonight if they don''t ask me to stay for the night.¡±


    ¡°Youse bees epting if they offers. Don''t bees ying hard to get!¡± Nanny warned me and wagged a scolding finger at me.


    Iughed. ¡°You think I should y hide and seek to let Astoria find me alone?¡±


    ¡°If youse bees smart.¡± Nanny said with a sharp nod.


    I leaned down and kissed her cheek to make her blush. ¡°Thank you for the advice, Nanny.¡±


    Nanny blushed again and looked pleased. ¡°If Hopsy pops in, tell her hellos.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± I said and left my room to go to the floo room. I entered and held in my sigh at who was waiting for me.


    ¡°I don''t want you to go.¡± Amy said, her head ducked and her eyes downcast.


    I walked right over to her and used a hand to lift her head and looked into her eyes. It didn''t take a genius to see that she was deeply in love with me, despite being several years younger than me.


    ¡°I still have three years before the contract is enacted.¡± I told her.


    Amy blushed. ¡°But... but that means...¡±


    I waved my hand and secured the room, then I cast a cleaning charm on the floor and knelt on one knee. After what happened with Amelia today, I didn''t want someone else that would work behind my back to try and make me hurt for some perceived insult.


    ¡°Amy, I do love you...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°I know.¡± Amy interrupted and blushed as she turned her head to look away. ¡°I know I shouldn''t think of you like that and that it''s wrong to...¡±


    ¡°I never said it was wrong.¡± I interrupted her right back.


    Amy''s head snapped back to stare at me with wide eyes. ¡°But...¡±


    I leaned in close and kissed her. She let out a cute little moan and wrapped her arms around my neck. We didn''t move our lips or anything and just pressed them together. It was both innocent and exactly what Amy wanted. Confirmation.


    Amy broke the kiss and blushed to a deep red. ¡°H-Harry...¡±


    ¡°When we''re old enough, no one will care about the age difference between us.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°For now...¡±


    Amy sighed and nodded again, because she understood. ¡°Dad really hates you.¡±


    I smiled and told her a secret. ¡°He always has.¡±


    Amy looked surprised for a moment, then she nodded once more. ¡°You made him rich.¡±


    ¡°Rich and happy enough to tolerate me. He and Petunia are in the living room right now.¡±


    Amy giggled. ¡°I saw.¡±


    ¡°Not too much I hope.¡± I said with augh.


    ¡°Butter pulled me away from peeking through the door frame when mum lost her sweater.¡± Amy said, a bit proudly.


    ¡°Sneaky.¡± I said and reached out to cup her cheeks with my hands. ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Amy sighed and stepped aside. She didn''t say goodbye or anything like have fun or good luck.


    I used some floo powder and paused before I tossed it into the firece. ¡°I left you something in your room.¡±


    Amy perked right up. ¡°Another present?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I said and waved a hand to dispel the secure spell as Amy squealed and ran out of the room. ¡°So easily distracted.¡± I muttered and tossed the floo powder down. ¡°The Greengrass Estate.¡±


    The mes shot up and engulfed me to take me to see my betrothed and her family.

 85 The Greengrass Is Always Greener

    85 The Greengrass Is Always Greener


    I waited for the spinning to stop before I stepped out of the grand firece into the Greengrass Estate. Before me were four people, my ssmate Daphne, her father, her mother, and my betrothed, Astoria.


    ¡°IEEE! You''re GORGEOUS!¡± Astoria shrieked and lunged at me.


    As if I had practised it hundreds of times, I easily sidestepped and avoided her attack, carefully grabbed her arm and swirled her around in the other direction, and pointed her right at Daphne.


    ¡°AHH!¡± Daphne yelled as her little sister plowed right into her at full speed and the two of them tumbled and fell onto the floor in a heap of tangled arms and legs.


    The father looked shocked beyond belief as he stared at his daughters and they started fighting and trying to get away from each other on the floor, messing themselves and their fancy clothing up. The mother on the other hand, giggled like a little girl at watching the same scene.


    ¡°Mister Greengrass, it''s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance in person.¡± I said and held a hand out for him to shake.


    Cyrus Greengrass didn''t move his eyes from staring at his daughters on the floor as he shook my hand absently. ¡°Same.¡± He said and let my hand go.


    I had the distinct feeling he had a whole speech prepared for this first face-to-face meeting and had beenpletely distracted by his daughter''spletely unexpected antics. I actually felt relief at avoiding the stuffiness.


    ¡°Mrs. Greengrass, I can clearly see where your daughters inherited their beauty from.¡± Iplimented her and held my hand out to her.


    Iv Greengrass tore her amused gaze from her daughters and gave me a quick and thorough examination with just her eyes. She definitely liked what she saw. ¡°It''s a pleasure, Mister Potter.¡±


    I kissed the back of her hand, which seemed to amuse her and made her blush. I remembered how sheltered Daphne was and wondered if she was the same, because if she was, then I could have a lot of fun trying to innocently flirt with her. I pushed that thought aside for now, though.


    ¡°Please, call me Harry. We''re going to be family when I''m of age in 3 years.¡± I said and she let out another little giggle. I leaned in and whispered. ¡°Is thatugh natural or do you practice it?¡±


    Iv looked even more amused now. ¡°A little bit of both, Harry.¡± She whispered back.


    ¡°Charming.¡± I breathed and let her hand go and stepped back.


    It was just in time, because Cyrus reached into the pile his daughters had made and plucked Astoria up from the floor, since she was the smaller one and easier to lift. He flicked his wand at her to clean her up and Iv flicked her own wand to straighten up her very messed up robes.


    It didn''t help much after a scuffle like that and a house elf dressed in a cross between a maid''s and a nurse''s outfit popped in. The female elf snapped her fingers and little sprinkles of magic flowed over Astoria to put her back to rights and fixed her clothing and her messed up hair. Daphne finally stood up and red at her little sister, so the elf gave her the same treatment.


    ¡°Hopsy?¡± I asked and she nodded, so I knelt on a knee to be closer to her height. ¡°Nanny told me to tell you hello if you popped in.¡±


    Hopsy looked surprised. ¡°Youse bees Nanny''s favorite?¡±


    I nodded back. ¡°That''s what she ims, even though we all know she adores Amy.¡±


    Hopsyughed a high pitchedugh. ¡°Course she doos! Amy bees thedy of the house!¡±


    I chuckled and stood up. ¡°That was my thinking, too.¡±


    The four members of the Greengrass family stood there and watched us as if we were the most fascinating thing on the.


    ¡°I''m sorry for distracting you.¡± I said to the elf and also meant it for the Greengrasses. ¡°When will supper be ready?¡±


    ¡°Youse don''t bees worrying about that. Hopsyes and gets youse when it''s time. Teas and biscuits bees in the sitting room.¡± Hopsy said.


    ¡°Thank you, Hopsy.¡± I said and she smiled and popped away. I looked at the stunned faces of Cyrus and Daphne and then at the amused faces of Iv and Astoria. ¡°Shall we sit and talk for a while?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Astoria shouted as she darted forward and grabbed my hand before anyone else could. She led the way and pretty much dragged me behind her. I had a hard time notughing at her taking charge like that, because she was a lot more forward than Daphne was.


    Daphne and her parents followed us and we all settled in therge sitting room. Astoria imed the small love seat and was snuggled up to my side as if she was a cat and I was a nice scratching post. The nk look on her father''s face and the amused look on her mother''s, let me know exactly what they thought about their youngest daughter being so bold with someone she just met for the first time in person.


    ¡°I hope you liked the present I left for you.¡± I said to no one in particr, just to see the reactions I would get.


    Daphne blushed and nodded, so the diamond bracelet was well received. Iv also blushed and nodded as she gave me a pointed look, so she might think an emerald ne might have been a bit too much. Cyrus looked quite happy, probably because I had given him the first quarter of the bride price, with another quarter to be given each Yule until I was 17 and the bnce was due.


    Astoria looked excited about her gift of a new wardrobe that I would pay for. We would be shopping for it and she would be allowed out of the house to do it, which made her extremely happy. I wouldn''t be telling her parents that it wasn''t the clothing that was the gift, it was the excuse. The gift was getting Astoria out of the house to have fun.


    ¡°We''re leaving first thing in the morning, right after breakfast.¡± Astoria proimed.


    ¡°You don''t think that''s too early?¡± I asked her and made up a cup of tea for her.


    Astoria and her mother let out matching giggles.


    ¡°She would have dragged us out to get started on it already, if you hadn''t promised toe along and make a whole day out of it.¡± Daphne informed me and made her own cup.


    ¡°I''m a calming influence?¡± I asked and all three females shook their heads.


    ¡°You''re the excuse to not tear through all the shops immediately.¡± Iv said and both Daphne and Astoria nodded.


    I chuckled and handed Astoria her tea before tending to my own. ¡°I''ll be sure to let the shop clerks know of your restraint on my behalf.¡±


    The three of them let out softughs and then we all enjoyed the tea and a few biscuits. After a short time, we all sat back and rxed.


    ¡°How do you like school so far?¡± Iv asked me.


    ¡°It depends on if you want me to be honest or maintain the school''s reputation of being the best.¡± I responded. Both hers and her husband''s eyebrows rose in surprise.


    ¡°Honesty, please.¡± Iv said after a moment of contemtion.


    ¡°Half of the sses are garbage and have horrible teachers.¡± I said and all four of them gasped. ¡°Potions ss isughable and Snape can''t teach. I''ve done a better job than him teaching the others in ss and I''m only a first year student.¡± I lightly chuckled. ¡°Mind you, I''ve had years of brewing experience because of my adventures.¡±


    This shocked the adults and Astoria let out a sigh as she stared at me with adoration. Daphne had a nk expression on her face and seemed to be fighting to not speak.


    ¡°Defense Against the Dark Arts is taught by a drunk that Bumblemore probably pulled out of Knocturn Alley after a night of debauchery.¡± I said and they gasped. ¡°History of Magic should be filled with the antics of wizards across time and the ghost of the most boring professor only talks about goblin rebellions. He doesn''t know the names of any of the students or what year it is.¡±


    The four Greengrasses stared at me and didn''t speak.


    ¡°I''ve heard Divination is taught by a drunk as well. I''ve also heard that Muggle Studies is taught by a pure blood witch that''s never been outside Hogsmeade and the book is almost a hundred years out of date. There''s practically nothing she could teach other witches or wizards about what the muggle world is really like.¡± I finished and they continued to stare at me. ¡°But, that''s just my personal opinion.¡±


    ¡°That... you...¡± Cyrus mumbled.


    ¡°But that''s neither here nor there, since there''s nothing I can really do about it.¡± I partially lied. I didn''t want to tell them that I could easily remove them and force the school to hire recements. The problem would be that the recements would probably be a whole lot worse. The current DaDa professor being the proof of that.


    ¡°If the people knew what you really thought about the school...¡± Iv whispered.


    I held up my hand to stop that line of thinking. ¡°I don''t have a bad opinion of the school. Hogwarts as a whole is great. Transfiguration is top notch with Madam McGonagall, Charms is fun with Professor Flitwick, Herbology with Professor Sprout is fun with how much she enjoys her work, and Professor Kettleburn is as happy as ever to teach Care of Magical Creatures after some mysterious person appeared in his room and healed him of all his injuries.¡±


    ¡°When did that happen?!?¡± Daphne asked with a gasp.


    I opened my mouth to say just before we left for the Yule break when I was giving out presents, then realized my mistake. I had just given away that I knew something that no one but the person doing the healing would know. As if they knew I messed up, probably because some guilt showed on my face, both of the adults squinted their eyes at me.


    ¡°Yes, Harry. Do tell us how you would know about what happenedte at night in a professor''s private rooms in the castle?¡± Iv pointedly asked me.


    I lowered my hand and sighed. ¡°It''s not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you are... that way... and that''s why you''re okay with marrying our sick daughter?¡± Cyrus asked. ¡°To cover up your... peculiar... and illegal proclivities?¡±


    I needed to nip that thinking in the bud right this moment, so I turned to Astoria. ¡°I believe I owe you a particrly good snogging, my future wife.¡±


    Astoria''s face immediately lost the doubtful look and grabbed me by the neck to pull me into a sound kissing. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her one of my best kisses, usually reserved for a girl that had just given me a particrly spectacr blowjob or a great shag.


    After a few seconds, Astoria moaned fairly loudly and her hands started to roam over me. I didn''t stop her and she grew bolder and grabbed me in ces that surely surprised both her parents and her sister. When her hands tried to open my pants to see my erection directly, I had to stop her and broke the kiss.


    ¡°We are in public, my dear.¡± I whispered to her and saw her disappointed face. ¡°Do you have somewhere we could be alone?¡±


    ¡°FOLLOW ME!¡± Astoria yelled and jumped to her feet, grabbed my hand, and dragged me from the room. We quickly reached her room and she mmed the door after pulling me inside. ¡°Lock it!¡±


    I waved my hand at it and it clicked and then glowed blue for a second. ¡°Done.¡±


    Astoria beamed a smile at me. ¡°Now show me what I made you do.¡±


    I had to chuckle at her confidence and pulled off my outer robes before I motioned to my pants and cast a cushioning charm on the floor.


    Astoria let out a giggle and knelt as her hands dug at my pants, opened them, and slid my boxers down just enough to show her what she had caused. ¡°Oh, Harry.¡± She moaned and gave me a look of love and desire. ¡°We can''t... um... you know.¡±


    I chuckled again and tucked myself away. ¡°I read the contract and I know we can''t do anything below the waist until 6 months before we marry.¡± I said and helped her stand. ¡°That leaves us only a few options for ying, if you''re up for it.¡±


    Astoria pulled her fancy dress down to show me her budding chest. ¡°I''m hoping I''ll take after mum and not Daphne.¡±


    I grinned and scooped her up into my arms in a princess carry. ¡°My dear, I honestly don''t care how big or small your beautiful breasts are. We have 3 years before we''re allowed to consummate, so a lot can change in that time.¡±


    Astoria hugged my neck as I carried her over to the bed. ¡°But... Harry...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have slept with other girls and I''ve made no secret of that.¡± I told her and she looked sad. ¡°It''s all right, my dear. I''m learning everything I can so that our wedding night will be one that you will remember for the rest of your life.¡±


    Astoria''s sad face changed to happy. ¡°I love you, Harry!¡±


    Iid her down on her bed. ¡°I can''t say that back yet, Astoria. We need to get to know each other in person before I can confess something so important to you.¡±


    Astoria blushed and looked down at her bare chest and up at me.


    ¡°Ah, matching you would be appropriate, wouldn''t it?¡± I asked her and she nodded several times. I pulled off my suit coat, vest, and shirt, making it as sensual as possible.


    Astoria stared at me and her blush flowed down her neck as I revealed my rippling muscles. Her hands reached up and rubbed my abs and then my pectorals. I twitched one and then the other to make her giggle, then Iid down beside her and started to make out with her as I gently fondled her bare chest. She returned the gesture and her fingers tweaked and pinched one of my nipples, so I did the same to her.


    ¡°Mmmm.¡± Astoria softly moaned into my mouth and closed her eyes to lose herself to the snogging session. It seemed to go on forever and went by almost instantly, because Hopsy popped in and interrupted us.


    ¡°Suppers be ready in a few minutes and youse be cleaning up and dressing rights.¡± Hopsy said.


    I broke the kiss and Astoria made a sad sound. ¡°Thank you, Hopsy. We will be right out.¡±


    Hopsy nodded, gave Astoria a happy smile and a nod of approval, and popped away.


    Astoria giggled. ¡°Well, at least there''s someone else in this house besides me that approved of this.¡±


    Iughed and climbed off of the bed. I quickly dressed and used a bit of magic to clean and straighten my clothing, then I helped Astoria to put her back to her pristine self.


    ¡°Harry.¡± Astoria said and put a hand on my chest. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I knew what she was talking about, because I had treated her like she was normal and not like she was made of ss. ¡°My dear, I am only just getting started. Our shopping trip tomorrow should give your family some clue that you''re not some fragile thing that will break if handled normally.¡±


    Astoria blushed and then smiled smugly. ¡°You really wanted me to handle you today, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°I did and then my nanny advised me to keep my hands firmly above your waist.¡± I told her and she giggled. ¡°Damn me and epting proper behavior.¡±


    Astoriaughed and took my hand to lead me to her bedroom door. I dispelled the spells I used and the door suddenly opened and Daphne and her mother fell into the room. I helped Iv stand and Astoria helped Daphne. Both of them blushed from embarrassment at being caught. Astoria gave them searching looks.


    ¡°I didn''t silence the room.¡± I said and Astoria''s eyes widened slightly, then she giggled. ¡°That''s right. Unsupervised supervision. They could hear us and couldn''t see us, so they know we kept to the contract uses.¡±


    Astoria nodded as she took my hand again and we left the room. Her mother and sister left right behind us. Supper was a quiet affair and I didn''t mind. It was easier to eat and y footsie with Astoria sitting across from me. She was surprisingly good at it, despite not practising before. Was it instinct or her desire to tease me as much as possible before I had to leave?


    When the meal was over and Cyrus gave a toast to the future, we all took a small sip of table wine. Before he or his wife could invite me back to the sitting room for another chat, Daphne spoke.


    ¡°Since we are leaving so early in the morning, why don''t we invite Harry to stay with us for the night?¡± Daphne asked the room.


    The look of surprise on her father''s, mother''s, and sister''s faces was priceless.


    ¡°It''s just a logical conclusion, isn''t it? Why make him go home, sleep fitfully as he waits for the morning, then he has to get up extra early to rush here to be ready for us when we leave?¡± Daphne asked. ¡°We could save so much time and trouble if he stayed here instead.¡±


    Complete and utter silence answered her. However, Nanny had given me advice for that, too. Don''t y hard to get if the option to stay the night was offered.


    ¡°Who am I to object to your sound logic, Daphne?¡± I said and saluted with the small wine ss. ¡°I humbly ept your offer of hospitality for the night.¡±


    Daphne beamed a smile at me,pletely happy at my eptance. I suspected that she was a little eager to ask me what Astoria and I did and had to get me alone for that. Of course, once she did get me alone in the guest room, I was going to offer to show her what we did. I wouldn''t silence the room, either.


    Unsupervised supervision was a great way for me to tease the other two females of the house and I was sure that Daphne would enjoy the experience even more than her sister did.

 86 On The Other Side Of The Fence

    86 On The Other Side Of The Fence


    Daphne did sneak into my room that night, mostly because Astoria had been ordered to bed to stop her from doing it. It was quite Slytherin for her to arrange that and keep me alone, so I did offer to show her what Astoria and I did. After our little snogging session and mutual chest feeling, her blushsted all night, even asleep.


    We left Greengrass Estates right after breakfast, just like Astoria warned me the day before. Not surprisingly, all three females had an absolute st as we went through every store in Diagon Alley. My whispered words to Daphne and Iv about paying for their shopping as well, might have had something to do with that. Maybe. It was difficult to tell under the deluge of random kisses and groping hugs I received from all three of them.


    Yes, from all three of them. Iv seemed to have a gleam in her eye and a teasing smile as she sneaked quick kisses and not-so-innocent touches while out of sight of her daughters and the other shoppers. It was honestly endearing as she copied both of her daughters that thought they were getting one over on her by kissing and touching me secretly.


    Before lunchtime came around, we had already cleared out Diagon Alley and had moved on to Hogsmeade. We tore through the smaller amount of stores there, too. They had Hopsy appear once more and she popped in to take thetest filled shopping bags home.


    We went to The Three Broomsticks to eat a light lunch and the three Greengrasses almost gushed as they talked to each other and Madam Rosmerta about being able to enter any store they wanted and to buy anything they saw. It was freeing in a way that they had never experienced before and had a wonderful time.


    Madam Rosmerta was quite envious and said so, then she gave me a pointed look and a sexy smile as she bent over to show off herrge breasts. Her tant and poor attempt at seduction, made meugh. That broke the underlying tension her attempt had caused and the three Greengrasses looked happy that I wasn''t so easily swayed.


    I did tip her well for the show when we finished eating and Madam Rosmerta looked pleased. We went to the floo to travel and I made them stop before they used it. All four women gave me searching looks as I pulled out appropriate and stylish clothing that Nanny had made for them to fit in with the muggles.


    ¡°You don''t think I''m only taking you shopping in magical areas, do you?¡± I asked them with a knowing smile. ¡°The day is only half over and I promised Astoria a whole day of shopping.¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡± Astoria said and gave me a kiss for several seconds.


    ¡°We can borrow a back room from Madam Rosmerta for you to get changed.¡± I said and handed each of them their outfits to make them look like rich muggles. By the looks on their faces, the three of them approved of my choices for them. I handed a galleon to Madam Rosmerta and she opened the door behind the bar for them to use the storeroom.


    ¡°You wouldn''t happen to have another muggle outfit tucked away, do you?¡± Madam Rosmerta asked seductively. ¡°I could close up early and...e along with you.¡±


    I had to hold in my snort andugh at another tant attempt. ¡°Madam, would you really want to only have a quarter of my attention if I took you out shopping?¡±


    Madam Rosmerta blinked her eyes at me for several seconds. ¡°I didn''t think of it like that.¡±


    I smiled at her understanding what I meant about having topete with three others for my time. ¡°Hogsmeade visits start in third year.¡± I reminded her and she smiled back.


    ¡°I''ll be waiting patiently for that, Mister Potter.¡± Madam Rosmerta said, as if it was a promise.


    Iv led her daughters out of the back room and Madam Rosmerta gasped when she saw Iv''s very expensive and form-fitting dress, her fur shoulder wrap, her slightly tipped to the side hat with part of a bouquet of colorful flowers on it, and calf-high leather boots.


    ¡°Isn''t this outfit gorgeous?¡± Iv asked and did a little twirl to show off how the dress hugged her in all the right ces.


    I knew she had really done it for me, because that gleam was in her eyes again.


    ¡°My daughters are just as eye-catching.¡± Iv said and stepped aside to show off Daphne and Astoria. Neither girl could pull off the same style of dress, so Nanny had opted for blouses and skirts, petticoats, and matching hats and boots to Iv''s.


    ¡°They''re adorable!¡± Madam Rosmerta eximed and both girls blushed and preened.


    ¡°I have to agree with the expert''s opinion.¡± I said and Madam Rosmerta looked pleased. ¡°We need to go back to the Leaky to go out into London proper.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Daphne asked as she looked at my fancy robes.


    I pulled off my outer robes and then did a quick transfiguration to make my suit more like a tuxedo.


    ¡°Aww! I wanted to see you change!¡± Astoria pouted.


    Her mother gave her a bit of a re and Daphne blushed as she imagined it.


    ¡°What? He''s gorgeous.¡± Astoria said, unrepentantly.


    Iv opened her mouth to probably argue with her, nced at me, and sighed as she lost the argument before it even started.


    ¡°I''ll gost.¡± I said and took Iv''s hand and helped her step into the firece.


    ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡± Iv said and I dropped a pinch of floo powder at her feet. ¡°Leaky Cauldron.¡±


    I helped Daphne next and she thanked me as well, then disappeared in a swirl of mes. Astoria, being the bold tease that she was, grabbed me and kissed me soundly, then stepped into the firece on her own with a grin on her face. She disappeared in a swirl of mes, too. As I was about to step into the firece to follow her, I felt a hand on my arm and paused to look.


    ¡°I sincerely hope that isn''t the extent of your experience.¡± Madam Rosmertamented.


    I took a moment to think about that. ¡°You haven''t talked to the Griffindor Flying Foxes yet?¡±


    Madam Rosmerta caught her breath. ¡°You''re the one they can''t stop talking about!¡±


    I smiled because the girls had told her and didn''t say it was me. ¡°I also gave them the nickname.¡±


    Madam Rosmertaughed and her chest jiggled. ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    I stepped into the floo. ¡°If it happens, you won''t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Don''t I know it.¡± Madam Rosmerta said with a smirk and winked at me.


    I chuckled and tossed some floo powder down. ¡°Leaky Cauldron.¡±


    Astoria gave me a squinted look when I stepped out of the firece. ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Madam Rosmerta told me that she was jealous and regretted I wouldn''t let hering along to try and steal my attention from you.¡± I responded, twisting the truth a bit.


    Astoria beamed a smile at me and kissed me. ¡°I love you!¡±


    I gave her a huge smile in return and took her hand, nodded to Daphne and Iv, and led them out of the Leaky Cauldron and into London. We walked down the street at a sedate pace so that they could look around. ¡°I believe Harrod''s is the premier department store in London and it should have a lot of things you''ll like.¡±


    They looked pleased as we reached the cross road where there was heavier traffic. I raised a hand to call for a taxi and one pulled over almost immediately and stopped in front of us. I helped the girls and Iv into the back and sat in the front.


    ¡°Where to, gov''ner?¡± The older man asked.


    ¡°Harrod''s, my good man.¡± I said and handed him a fifty pound note. ¡°Lighter traffic and a bit of scenery on the way wouldn''t go amiss.¡±


    The man grinned and logged the fare before he pulled away from the curb.


    We had a kind of impromptu tour of London as I told the Greengrasses about the different sights andndmarks we passed, with the driver offering some tidbits along the way as well. We reached the department store after twenty minutes and the driver looked a bit sad as he dropped us off.


    ¡°We''re going to be hours inside, old boy.¡± I said as I leaned in the passenger window. ¡°I can''t in good conscience ask you to not do your job until suppertime.¡±


    The older man barked augh. ¡°Addie lookin'' out for old Smithy! Ye gots a heart of gold!¡±


    Iughed and handed him another fifty pound note. ¡°Drive by about 5 or 6 and you might get lucky.¡±


    The older man pocketed the money and nodded. ¡°I''ll be crossing my wizened old fingers, too.¡±


    I nodded back and stood to pat the roof. The car pulled away from the curb and was hailed almost right away. It stopped and a man wearing a business suit climbed in and the cab drove away.


    ¡°You didn''t have any trouble dealing with random muggles.¡± Iv said, almost absently.


    I couldn''t resist spouting my catch phrase. ¡°I''m Harry Potter, the best Harry Potter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Astoria said and took my hand as a look of adoration appeared on her face.


    I smiled at her and motioned to therge building behind us. ¡°Shall we? It might be a bit overwhelming at first; but, you three aredies of high standing and I''m sure you can handle it.¡±


    All three of them smiled at the praise.


    ¡°Oh, before I forget. You can''t call for Hopsy while we''re inside. We have to deal with things the muggle way until we get back to the Leaky.¡± I told them and they nodded in agreement.


    What followed was an hour of pure awe and walking around in a daze for the pure-blood witches. Then the shopping bug bit them and they realized they could actually buy the things they were seeing. They reacted just like Andromeda had when I took her shopping and they wallowed in both expensive things and my attention.


    It was honestly a great experience, because they practically took turns showing off for me and letting me admire them. The store staff were also outrageously happy to have rich customers that didn''t ask about the prices of things as they added them to the pile of items they were buying.


    The time seemed to pass like water as Iv, Daphne, and Astoria had a wonderful time indulging themselves and teasing me. The three of them had huge smiles on their faces as a store clerk provided arge push cart to hold all of the bags of things we had and the store manager himself arranged for the delivery of therger items that we couldn''t take without revealing magic to the muggles.


    The taxi cab was waiting for us and the older manughed pretty hard at the piles and piles of bags we had. My excuse about there being three beautifuldies to make happy by showering them with gifts, just made himugh harder as we loaded up the trunk to the top. A few bags had to be carried by the girls and piled onto the floorboards, just to have enough room for everything.


    The driverughed the entire time he drove us back to Charring Cross Road, because Astoria couldn''t stop bragging about how much fun she had fleecing me of all my money. He unloaded everything onto the curb near the Leaky Cauldron. I handed him two more fifty pound notes and he keptughing as he drove away.


    ¡°Are all muggles that happy all the time?¡± Iv asked me.


    ¡°Not even close. Our shopping trip pretty much made his year.¡± I said as I tucked the bags into my expanded pockets. There were no muggles around, so I didn''t have to cast a notice-me-not on the area to hide what I was doing.


    ¡°He did seem to enjoy your groans of agony as much as I did.¡± Astoria said, happily.


    I had tough at that. ¡°I hammed it up for exactly that reason, my dear.¡±


    Iv looked pleased, Daphne smiled, and Astoria pouted.


    ¡°You''re too cute to not make as happy as I possibly can, Astoria.¡± I said and gave her a quick peck on the lips. ¡°Let''s grab a quick meal from Tom and then we can get you home and the three of you can sort out and put away your new things.¡±


    Astoria nodded as she took my hand. We went inside the dark pub and Tom was happy to give us a te of his daily special. We ate quickly, I paid, and we flooed to the Greengrass Estates. Iv let out the relieved sigh that everyone seems to let out when they arrived home after a long day.


    I quickly unloaded the bags onto the floor and Hopsy popped into the room. ¡°Have fun going through all of this.¡±


    ¡°I bees helping the misses be happy.¡± Hopsy said and snapped her fingers to make all the bags float up into the air. ¡°Youse bees telling Nanny things be going goods.¡±


    I chuckled, because I knew she meant the things that happened between Astoria and I. ¡°She''ll be happy to hear it, Hopsy.¡±


    The elf nodded and walked out of the room with all the bags floating behind her.


    ¡°Thank you for today, Harry.¡± Astoria said and gave her mother a look.


    Iv sighed a bit and nodded, giving her permission.


    Astoria beamed a smile at her, then at me, and gave me another solid kiss as her hands roamed down to my butt and grabbed it. I squeaked into her mouth for her and her muffledugh escaped when she broke the kiss.


    ¡°You are staying for a week this summer.¡± Astoria ordered me and gave her mother another look. She received a nod in return and left the room with a skip in her step.


    ¡°That girl.¡± Iv said and shook her head.


    ¡°I think she had a good idea.¡± Daphne said and also gave her mother a look.


    Ivona huffed and nodded to her.


    ¡°Thank you for today, Harry.¡± Daphne said and gave me a real kiss with some tongue and also grabbed my butt, so I squeaked for her, too. ¡°I''ll see you on the train.¡±


    I nodded and she left the room with a small sway to her hips.


    ¡°That girl, too.¡± Iv said with a soft chuckle and another shake of her head.


    ¡°I think she''s thriving with her perceivedpetition with her sister.¡± I said.


    Iv''s eyebrows rose. ¡°Perceived?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because there''s nopetition. They are different and both are contracted to me. Daphne is older than her, and yet it''s Astoria that is daring to do what she wants with me and it''s pushing Daphne to do them, too.¡± I responded and Iv looked surprised. ¡°She''s enjoying it, so I see no harm in encouraging it.¡±


    Iv looked thoughtful and I could almost see her going over everything that went on today. She sucked in a quick breath when she finally realized that she had been fully engaged in that perceivedpetition, too. She had a lot of fun showing off for me, especially with the more risque muggle clothes of thin cloth and silks.


    I stepped close to her and hugged her tenderly. ¡°I appreciated everything that happened today, Iv. Everything.¡±


    Iv blushed and I felt her nipples grow hard and poke me. ¡°H-Harry...¡±


    ¡°Your husband is a very lucky man and I fully expect him to have a goofy smile on his face all week until the new year.¡± I said and her blush deepened, because I had guessed what she was going to do after getting herself so worked up by teasing her daughter''s betrothed.


    ¡°New Year''s Eve.¡± Iv whispered and unconsciously licked her lips as she looked at mine.


    ¡°Thank you for chaperoning us today, Iv. You went far beyond my expectations and made it fun for everyone.¡± Iplimented her.


    Iv looked up from my mouth and into my eyes. ¡°You''re wee, Harry.¡±


    I nced down at her now damp lips and back to her eyes. I saw a need there and wondered if I needed to prompt her to make her act on that desire. ¡°Happy New Year.¡± I whispered.


    Iv let out a little moan and leaned in to kiss me. It wasn''t like the quick little pecks on the lips that she had been teasing me with all day, either. She kissed me like I was her husband. So, I kissed her back the same way. It was probably the only time she had ever kissed anyone else and I wouldn''t disappoint her for giving me that honor.


    I wasn''t surprised when her hands grabbed my butt like her daughters had and I squeaked into her mouth as well. Her responding moan made me hard almost instantly. She felt it pressed against her, because we were wearing much thinner muggle clothing and not the normal thick winter robes we would both usually wear.


    After several minutes of making out with her, my hands had drifted down past her waist to give her ass a few squeezes like she was giving mine. Iv broke the kiss and was blushing so hard that her face was a deep red and her eyelids were fluttering as if she was going to pass out. That told me she had been just as reserved as Daphne was during our first kiss.


    ¡°H-h-happy n-new y-year, Harry.¡± Iv whispered, her voice trembling.


    ¡°It really will be.¡± I responded and eased my hold on her.


    Iv looked reluctant to let me go, sighed softly, and opened her arms.


    I stepped back from her and gave her a warm smile, then took out one bag she hadn''t seen. ¡°This is why I know your husband is going to have a goofy smile on his face all week.¡±


    Iv took it from me and opened it slightly, gasped, and closed it.


    ¡°Some muggle things are important to add to a witch''s wardrobe.¡± Imented on the sexy lingerie that was in the bag. ¡°Have a good holiday, Iv.¡±


    Iv could only nod and hugged the bag to her chest.


    I grabbed a pinch of floo powder and stepped back into the firece. ¡°Potter Castle.¡±


    As the mes red up and I started spinning, I heard Iv shout. ¡°You really do live in a castle?!?¡±


    I had to hold in myugh as I travelled by floo to the castle, because I didn''t want to inhale ash and choke. As soon as I stepped out into the floo room of the castle, Iughed andughed. Even after years of Astoria''s and Daphne''s letters, Iv hadn''t believed I actually lived in a castle.

 87 The Rest Of The Break

    87 The Rest Of The Break


    The next day I spent with Andromeda at her ce. It was nice rxing day, mostly because all we did wasy in bed after sex and thenid on the couch to watch television together and y with each other. We also absently snacked on our meals as we rxed, not in any rush. It was technically our day off and we didn''t want to do anything but be there for each other.


    Andromeda''s belly was starting to show as well. I didn''t tell her that I liked seeing the loving smile she kept giving me when my hand would randomly reach for her and lightly caressed the bulge. I suspected she knew, though.


    ¡°Andi? I just had an odd idea.¡± I said when the episode of her favorite cooking show ended.


    Andromeda softlyughed. ¡°No, Harry. I can''t get pregnant twice, no matter how hard you try.¡±


    I barked augh and rubbed my hand over her belly again, which made her smile lovingly at me again. ¡°I was thinking we could spend New Year''s Eve together.¡±


    Andromeda looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°As long as I don''t drink anything to celebrate, I wouldn''t mind having someone else in the house to ring in the new year.¡±


    I couldn''t stop my smirk. ¡°In the house? Really?¡± I asked her and she nodded. ¡°I was thinking maybe France or Italy... or maybe Australia.¡±


    Andromeda looked startled. ¡°Harry, you can''t just decide to go to another country...¡±


    ¡°I''ve been doing that for years, Andi.¡± I interrupted her and her eyes widened. ¡°I''ve nted teleportation circles in every major country in the world.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Andromeda asked.


    ¡°Petunia is kind of addicted to travelling during the summers when she''s not busy.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°I have to admit that it was pretty difficult to convince her to visit those upstart Americans andid-back Canadians a couple of years ago.¡±


    Andromeda looked amused. ¡°You told her about New York''s shopping district and how much cheaper things are in Canada, didn''t you?¡±


    I tapped the tip of my nose to tell her she was spot on, and sheughed.


    ¡°All right, Harry. You convinced me.¡± Andromeda said and leaned in to give me a soft and tender kiss. ¡°Make arrangements for France and I''ll hunt down something nice to wear.¡±


    I smirked at her again and took out a fancy silver sequined dress that had a bit of give in the abdomen area. Andromeda gasped and her hands immediately started petting it.


    ¡°Nanny, Butter, and Moppy have been going all out with the things they can do with clothing.¡± Imented and handed the dress to her, then took out matching shoes and a silk wrap, both with warming charms on them.


    Andromeda let out a bit of a growl sound and grabbed me to pull me back to the bedroom.


    *


    Amyid in bed with her head under the covers. It was New Year''s Eve and the boy she loved above everyone else, even her parents, was out spending the night with someone that wasn''t her. Normally, that would bother her, except she had finally told him how she felt and she wanted more than anything to start the new year with her lips on his.


    ¡°Hey, Amy?¡± A very familiar voice whispered. ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Harry?!?¡± Amy asked and yanked her nket away from her face.


    Harry gave her a warm smile that made her heart flutter. ¡°I thought you were going to miss it.¡± He said and waved above his head. A countdown appeared and there were only a few seconds left.


    Amy squealed happily and glomped onto his neck and smashed her lips against his. A little bell rang, soft cheering could be heard, and then fireworks started exploding.


    Harry broke the kiss with augh and Amy giggled at him, because the sparkling fireworks were shooting from his ears. ¡°Happy New Year, Amy.¡±


    ¡°Happy New Year, Harry.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°I better get back to my date.¡± Harry said and leaned down to give her a quick peck. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Night.¡± Amy said and watched him sneak back out of her room. <i>This is the best new year ever!</i>


    *


    Hermioneid in her bed and regretted that she hadn''t had the idea to invite Harry to stay over for the whole holiday break. His brief visit the day before Christmas to deliver presents hadn''t been nearly long enough to spend with him. She was also getting really horny.


    A soft knock on her bedroom window made her hop up and think it was reallyte for an owl delivery, only it was Harry floating there on his magic carpet. She let out a squeal of happiness and pped a hand over her mouth to quiet herself, then saw Harryughing.


    ¡°You prat!¡± Hermione hissed and opened her window.


    ¡°I''m only thirty secondste.¡± Harry said and slipped into the room. ¡°I barely snuck away, so I don''t have long...¡±


    Hermione growled at him and pulled him onto the bed and pretty much had her way with him for the next ten minutes. Not surprisingly, they both got off in record time.


    ¡°I really needed that.¡± Hermione whispered, sweaty and satisfied.


    ¡°Happy New Year, Hermione.¡± Harry said and kissed her.


    Hermione let out a little moan at the tenderness and then she heard the fireworks. She broke the kiss and saw them popping out of his ears and had to p a hand over her mouth to muffle herugh.


    ¡°See youter.¡± Harry said and gave her another kiss, slipped out of the window, and flew off into the night.


    *


    Angelina sighed when she arrived home after the party with all of her friends and their friends. She really regretted not asking Harry toe along, mostly to stop all of the idiots from hitting on her. She had 6 different guys and 3 girls she didn''t know personally ask to be their kiss to ring in the new year. She had solved that problem by snogging Alicia and Katie, one right after the other.


    Not surprisingly her parents were already in bed, so she stayed quiet and made her way up to her room. She sighed when she kicked off her heels and reached for the zipper on her dress, then froze when she saw a suspicious lump under the nket on her bed. She took out her wand and flicked it to pull the nket off of her bed, only to gasp at seeing a very naked Harry Potter.


    ¡°It''s about time you came home, youngdy.¡± Harry admonished her. ¡°Do you even know howte it is?¡±


    Angelina abandoned all hesitation and jumped onto the bed as her wand ttered to the floor. Her clothing quickly joined it and then she was having a great time with a great guy that seemed to know exactly what she needed from him exactly when she needed it.


    *


    I stumbled into my room at nearly four in the morning, exhausted and bedraggled. All of the important visits I needed to do had been taken care of, so I wasn''t going to piss off or annoy anyone, even if a lot of them had been muchter than I had originally nned. Thest one with Ginny had been hrious, because just like Daphne, she had passed out after a simple kiss. I left her a note and a ne before I left.


    Having a date in another country first had worked out well, thanks to the time zone difference. Andromeda had her new year celebration in Paris an hour before I did my trek across Britain to make personal visits. Who knew that keeping so many witches happy was going to take up so much time?


    I stripped off and Nanny popped in to clean up after me. I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, climbed into bed, and went right to sleep. I didn''t hear her softugh or felt her lips on my forehead.


    *


    Thest few days of the winter break passed quickly and it was time to ride the Hogwarts Express back to the school. Everyone I passed on the tform were in good moods and looked happy, especially the ones I had visited personally. I waved back when I was waved at, said hello and greeted people that talked to me, and I made my way onto the train and found an emptypartment.


    As I sat there and waited for Hermione, whom I expected to be the first one to find me, I thought about the canon Harry Potter books. They were great stories and grew with the readers as the books progressed. The first one, The Philosopher''s Stone, had showcased Harry''s lot in life and made him out to be a tragic hero that dealt with a terrible threat to the world and set up future conflicts.


    I couldn''t publish it as a real book for my adventures, mostly because it would have to be edited to reflect what actually happened and I would have to change everyone''s names, to protect the guilty. Then again, the real story would be less than a short story and there was no more threat to the world, unless Albus Dumbledore counted.


    I had read a lot of stories about him being evil, a secret dark lord, a master maniptor, a senile old fool,pletely good and trying his best with a horrible situation, andpletely negligent. The reality was that he was so caught up in his ns and schemes while doing everything for the greater good, hepletely ignored everything about how his actions affected those around him.


    That reminded me about what I needed to do, too. After being away for the whole winter break and not staying in the castle for him to influence me, I expected that the headmaster was going to call me into his office as soon as I showed up at the castle. All I needed to do now was decide if I wanted to deal with him now orter.


    Hermione interrupted my thoughts as she dragged her suitcase into thepartment. ¡°Hi, Harry!¡±


    ¡°Hey, beautiful.¡± I responded and she paused putting her suitcase on the luggage rack just long enough to blush and then huff at me. ¡°Sorry, I meant gorgeous. No, spectacr. No, wait! Delectably delicious!¡±


    Hermione swatted at my head and then sat beside me. ¡°I really should get angry at you for teasing me so much.¡±


    I put my arm around her and cuddled in, then ducked my head down to nuzzle her neck. Hermione hummed softly and started to run her fingers through my hair. I kissed my way up to her cheek and then to her lips to give her a good snogging.


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Lavender said as she entered thepartment. ¡°I''m just dropping my bag here.¡±


    I waved at her and she waved back and left, probably to go find Parvati. I kept Hermione happy by not groping her, because I knew she didn''t want to take things too far. There wasn''t really anywhere on a train for us to safely sneak off to, so she didn''t want me to get her worked up and not be able to satisfy her.


    When I felt Lavendering back, I eased off on making out with Hermione. She gave me a look that said she would ept that for now, so I pulled a book out of my expanded pocket. She snatched it out of my hand and gave me a quick peck before she opened it and was lost to outside stimuli.


    I held in my chuckle and sat back as thepartment door opened. Lavender and Parvati entered and Lavender sat across from me. Parvati let out a sigh and stepped back out of thepartment for a moment, whispered something, and then dragged her twin Padma into thepartment and they sat with Lavender with Padma in the middle.


    ¡°I didn''t expect you to bring me such a valuable present, Parvati.¡± I said, teasingly.


    Padma blushed hard, Parvati looked surprised, and Lavenderughed. Hermione''s hand let her book go for a split second and she whacked my head. That made Lavenderugh harder and Parvati smiled. Padma didn''t stop blushing, though.


    ¡°Thanks, Hermione.¡± I said and stood up as I smiled warmly at Padma. I took her hand and gave it a light kiss. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet the other side of Parvati''s personality.¡±


    ¡°Th-th-thanks.¡± Padma said, clearly nervous.


    ¡°Please rx, Padma. I''mpletely harmless.¡± I said and Hermione made a sound of disbelief.


    ¡°I think he''s trying to be funny.¡± Lavender loudly whispered to Parvati across Padma.


    ¡°He''s failing pretty hard.¡± Parvati loudly whispered back and both girls giggled.


    I let Padma''s hand go and put my hand over my heart, let out a groan sound, and staggered backwards to my seat and plopped down. ¡°Ugggh, right to the heart! I think I''m dying!¡±


    More giggles came from them and I pretended to faint. None of them moved to check on me.


    I waited a few seconds before I opened one eye to squint at them.


    ¡°We''re not falling for that old trap.¡± Lavender said. ¡°As soon as we''re close enough, you''ll grab us.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you''re all smart and pretty.¡± I sighed exaggeratedly. ¡°The deadliestbination.¡±


    They all looked pleased at thepliments, even Hermione.


    ¡°Even if he''s not funny, that was kinda charming.¡± Parvatimented and her sister nodded.


    ¡°I noticed he didn''t deny it was a trap.¡± Lavender said and gave Parvati a pointed look.


    Parvati smirked at her and then she and Lavender put their hands behind Padma''s back and pushed.


    ¡°EEEK!¡± Padma squeaked as she half-rose from being shoved and waved her arms as she stumbled across thepartment.


    I instantly leapt up from my reclined state and caught her, scooped her up into my arms, and sat down with her cradled on myp in only a second. Complete silence filled thepartment at me moving so fast.


    ¡°Are you all right, Padma?¡± I asked her in a soft whisper and lightly rubbed her back.


    Padma seemed too surprised to speak because her mouth only moved slightly and no sound came out.


    I nced at Hermione and she rolled her eyes at me and went back to her book. <i>Good enough for me.</i> I thought and leaned in to give Padma a kiss and matched her mouth movements. Her whole body seemed to shiver and then her arms mped around my neck and she kissed me desperately.


    I matched her at first, then slowed myself down. She felt the difference and did as well, so we ended up having a very nice snogging session that wasn''t urgent or rushed. When I eventually broke the kiss, Padma was blushing and she looked like she wanted to go a lot further than that.


    ¡°Catch me next.¡± Parvati said and Padma was unceremoniously pulled off of myp and twirled around before shended on aughing Lavender''sp.


    Parvati stepped back a little and then pretended to fall. I didn''t react as I debated punishing her for ousting Padma before I could talk to her. Parvati looked a little put out at me not ying along, so I nced at her sister and back at her. She got it right away and sighed as she started to turn away. I tripped Parvati with a spell and waited until she was actually falling before I moved.


    I caught her the same as I did her sister and sat down with her cradled on myp. The look of shock on her face was the same as Padma''s and her heart was beating fast, probably because the shot of adrenaline from actually falling had shaken her.


    With her properly primed in the same way her sister was, I kissed her. Not surprisingly, she was just as desperate for the first few seconds as Padma had been for saving her from being hurt, then she rxed and we kissed normally for quite some time after that.


    ¡°I don''t need that kind of rush.¡± Lavender said and gently moved a happy Parvati off of myp to sit beside me, then she climbed onto both of ourps and snogged me normally. She didn''t need the adrenaline rush to get herself going, not after all of the things we did while sneaking around at school.


    A bang on the closedpartment door gained all of our attention, then everyone startedughing at what we saw. George was dressed as a Swedish Barmaid, long blonde wig and everything, and let out a girly scream, iled his arms in mock terror, and ran away.


    A secondter, Fred banged on the door and weughed harder. He was dressed as Count Drac, giant fake fangs and slicked back ck hair. ¡°Thanks for all the fun costumes, Harry!¡±


    I waved and he ran after his brother and yelled about ''vanting to suck yer blood''.


    About ten minutester, Fred ran back the other way, yelling in terror. Barmaid George ran right behind him and was carrying a bloodstained wooden stake and hollering for revenge. The girls and I exchanged amused looks andughed pretty hard.

 88 Dumbledore Bumblesmore

    88 Dumbledore Bumblesmore


    Almost as soon as I stepped into the castle, Minerva McGonagall sought me out. I was d I had checked the map in my storage space to see who would being for me, because it let me know that both she and Dumbledore could detect individual students. Minerva met the group of girls I was with as we crossed the Entrance Hall.


    ¡°Mister Potter, the headmaster has requested you meet him in his office before the returning feast starts.¡± Minerva said and her usually stern face and harsh voice were tinged with worry.


    ¡°Thank you, Deputy Headmistress. I''ll head right up to his office.¡± I said, to her surprise, then I really surprised her by giving Hermione a quick kiss, then Lavender, then Parvati, then Padma. Thest one looked just as surprised as Minerva and then blushed deeply. I smiled at her and rushed off up the grand staircase.


    ¡°Mister Potter!¡± Minerva eximed and I stopped at the top and turned back towards her. ¡°The headmaster likes Sherbert Lemon.¡±


    I nodded to her and ran to the right to ascend another smaller staircase. I didn''t need her to tell me that, since the map provided me with all of the passwords for everything that a person could pass through. I easily jogged as I went over my ns, my contingency ns if those failed, then my backup ns, then my ns to use as ast resort.


    As I approached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore''s office, I had to chuckle at a very simple solution that had just popped into my head. ¡°Sherbert Lemon.¡± I said, even though the map said Cockroach Clusters. I had always wondered how Albus determined who wasing up the staircase and the simplest solution was the right one. He gave different people different passwords.


    The gargoyle leapt aside and the stairs spiralled upwards, so I stepped on and slipped my sses off, then tapped each lens with my finger. I cast Reflect Magic on the clear ss and put the sses back on. If Dumbledore tried anything, he would get it right back instead.


    ¡°Come in, Harry.¡± The headmaster''s voice said as I approached the door.


    I opened it and stepped inside the ornate and cluttered office. I let my eyes roam around and thought that this would need its own smaller map to get all the details right. There were so many things in it that the main map I had couldn''t properly detect them without specifically looking for them and casting the magic detection spell again.


    ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Albus said and motioned to the hard-backed chair in front of his desk.


    The chair was shorter than necessary, just so anyone sitting there would have to look up at the man, no matter their age. It was a subtle intimidation tactic and quite underhanded, especially if this was supposed to be a friendly meeting.


    I sat down and pretended to fidget while he seemed to be examining me. ¡°What do you...¡± I paused and pretended to look embarrassed and coughed. ¡°Headmaster, why have you called me to your office? Have I done something so wrong that the head of the entire school has called me out in front of half the school? The whispers as I left the Entrance Hall were pretty loud and using.¡±


    The twinkle of Albus'' eyes faded and he looked surprised. I had exaggerated thatst statement, mostly because I wanted to see his reaction. It didn''tst long and the twinkle returned to the man''s eyes.


    ¡°Harry, my boy. I just wanted to ask you how your holiday has been.¡± Albus bullshitted.


    I blinked my eyes in fake confusion. ¡°Um... not to be mean or anything... but... is this special treatment because I''m so famous? You don''t know me and I don''t know you. We''ve never met before and...¡± I paused and forced myself to blush. ¡°I sincerely doubt you called any other student to your office for the same reason.¡±


    Albus looked even more surprised and the twinkle disappearedpletely.


    <i>Ha! Take that, you old maniptor.</i> I thought and kept the satisfaction off of my face. ¡°I had an okay holiday at home.¡± I answered his first inquiry. ¡°It... it could have been better.¡±


    The twinkle reappeared instantly at my hedging about my stay at home, which meant Albus really had fully nned for me to be abused during my stay at the Dursleys.


    ¡°Harry, my boy.¡± Albus said and leaned forward in his chair to get me to look at him. ¡°I assure you that I have your best interests at heart.¡± He lied, tantly. ¡°Please tell me if anything is wrong.¡±


    I saw his arm move in the corner of my eye as I locked gazes with the old man. I felt a spell hit my face and then Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore froze as his silent and invisible spell reflected off of my sses and hit him instead. I felt arge jolt of magic and Albus'' eyes seemed to gloss over, then he seemed to slump in his chair and he started to drool.


    ¡°Headmaster?¡± I asked, concern filling my voice, even though I wasughing in my head. I was sure the idiot had just lobotomized himself because he thought he saw in my head what he had in his, which was years of maniption, conniving ns, and callous acts that ignored individual people for the greater good. He apparently didn''t want a younger him walking around, I guessed.


    I stood cautiously and moved around the desk to check his pulse at his wrist, then I silently stored the Elder Wand without touching it and reced it with a conjured copy. I checked his neck next and pretended to put a panicked look on my face as I flicked my eyes around frantically.


    ¡°I think he had a stroke or something! Somebody! Anybody! HELP!¡± I shouted and a few of the people in the paintings gasped and ran out of their frames. I dispelled the spell on my sses, just in case anyone tried to check me.


    About ten minutester, which was a surprisingly long time to wait for someone that was hurt, Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey entered the office, as did the people in the frames that had left. I didn''t speak and just pointed at the headmaster as my hand trembled.


    ¡°Step back, please.¡± Poppy said and I hopped back, as if the headmaster was on fire. Her eyes widened at my reaction and she reached out to ce a calming hand on my shoulder. ¡°It''s all right, Mister Potter. Professional healing help is here now.¡±


    I nodded several times and stepped back to stand beside the shelf of trinkets. Both Poppy and Minerva checked the headmaster with several spells that I didn''t know. They were either specialized to their professions or they had made the spells themselves. Either way, I noted them and would ask about themter when I had the chance and wasn''t pretending to be panicked.


    It took fifteen minutes before Poppy let out a frustrated sigh and Minerva''s face looked grim. Both of them turned those looks towards me and I didn''t have to fake the cringe it caused. Both women''s faces softened at my reaction and Minerva walked over to me.


    ¡°Mister Potter, I need you to tell me what happened here.¡± Minerva said.


    So, I did. Word for word. I even told her about the weird twinkle in his eye going away anding back a couple of times. When I said at the end that we locked gazes and Albus froze, Minerva''s grim look returned. I finished with checking his pulse, then calling for help. I exined not trying to go myself, because you should never leave someone that''s hurt alone.


    Minerva patted my shoulder and went to the portraits. She cast a spell to create a barrier and I could still see her and couldn''t hear her, so I assumed she was confirming my story. As the deputy headmistress, she had the authority to question the portraits and they wouldn''t lie to her.


    Poppy conjured a floating stretcher and levitated Albus onto it. She had a difficult time tucking his long colorful flowing robes under his thin legs and then folded his hands over his chest and stuck him there. With him secured, Poppy turned to me and gave me a sad smile.


    I widened my eyes at her and said the only thing appropriate in this situation. ¡°Oh, no.¡±


    Poppy reached out to put a hand on my shoulder again. Since I didn''t want her to see my smug smile, I stepped close and buried my face into her chest and hugged her tightly. I conjured droplets of water on my cheeks, which dropped onto her nurse outfit. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me just as tightly.


    We stayed there for several minutes and I eventually schooled my face again. When I let Poppy go, I wiped at my face to hide that I didn''t actually cry. ¡°I''m sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I didn''t mean to...¡±


    Poppy gave me a very warm smile and one of her hands moved up from my back to cup the side of my face. ¡°It''s all right, Mister Potter. Even the strongest of us can have our emotions run rampant in situations like this.¡±


    I sighed and nodded. ¡°I''ll pay to have your uniform cleaned.¡±


    Poppy shook her head and tapped her damp top with her wand to dry it. ¡°There, problem solved.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and gave her a weak smile in return. ¡°Thank you for... well...¡±


    Poppy rubbed her thumb over my wet cheek and looked a little conflicted, then she shrugged slightly and closed her eyes as she leaned in and lightly kissed me. She broke it and kissed me again, and then did it a third time. She opened her eyes and gave me a warm smile again, then she let my face go and waved her wand at the stretcher before she walked out of the office with Albus floating behind her.


    ¡°Did you enjoy that, Mister Potter?¡± Minerva asked me.


    I blinked my eyes at her several times, because she had crossed the office without me noticing. ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± I said, telling the truth. That had been a little weird, especially considering what just happened.


    Minerva nodded and put a hand on my shoulder. She led me to the door and didn''t let my shoulder go until we had walked all the way to the Great Hall. She stopped me before we entered and pulled me into the anteroom where the first years usually waited to be sorted.


    ¡°You should not tell anyone what happened to the headmaster.¡± Minerva told me and I opened my mouth. She put her finger on my lips to stop me. ¡°I''ll make an announcement when Poppy determines what''s wrong with him. Until then, I''m acting headmistress. Please respect my wishes.¡±


    I couldn''t stop my eyes from dropping to her waist and darted them back to her face.


    ¡°You know what I meant, Mister Potter.¡± Minerva said with a slight smile.


    I nodded and she put her stern face back into ce, let my shoulder go, and we left the anteroom and entered the Great Hall. She went to the head table and I went to the Griffindor table, because it was a feast and we had to stay at our house tables.


    I sat beside Hermione and she gave me a pointed look. ¡°The headmaster wanted to know about my holiday.¡±


    Hermione gave me a confused look.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t know why, either.¡± I said with a shrug.


    Thankfully, that was enough to satisfy her curiosity. I whispered the same thing to Lavender and she nodded, as if it was expected for the headmaster to ask. Perhaps it was, because I was famous and they expected me to have some interaction with the old man.


    *


    Severus Snape entered the hospital wing after Poppy Pomfrey''s summons. He had wondered why neither she nor the headmaster had been at the returning feast. After a quick examination of the patient, he knew why. Albus Dumbledore had suffered from self-inflicted excessive spell damage to his brain.


    ¡°Can you confirm my findings, Severus?¡± Poppy asked, sadly.


    Severus sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. He damaged his mind by performing Legilimency on himself.¡±


    Poppy sighed as well. ¡°I thought so. There was no way a first year student could do this much damage in only moments.¡±


    Severus stiffened at her words. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Albus was meeting with Mister Potter when he did this to himself.¡± Poppy said, to the man''s surprise. ¡°Minerva couldn''t find any spells or effects on Mister Potter and his wand never left his robe pocket.¡±


    Severus wasn''t concerned about that, since it could be performed without a wand, only much weaker. The problem was that Albus must have seen or suspected something was wrong with Potter to attempt to read the child''s mind. Severus himself never got the chance, because the brat would never meet his gaze, despite the numerous attempts to goad him and attract his attention.


    ¡°His sses?¡± Severus asked, essentially grasping at straws.


    ¡°Clear ss with no enchantments or charms on them.¡± Poppy said. She wouldn''t tell the potions master that she had kissed the handsome young man several times to distract him as Minerva cast her spells discreetly without getting caught. She held in her smile at remembering the stunned look on Harry''s face.


    ¡°I see.¡± Severus said and his thoughts ran wild with the implications. He knew something was going on with the brat and he couldn''t do anything to prove it or bring it to light, not with this mess for the school to handle. He wondered if the oaths to Dumbledore he made were still binding if the old man was a vegetable.


    There was one simple way to test that and Severus pulled out his wand. Poppy didn''t object, since she trusted the man, and he had just cast several of his own diagnostic spells on the headmaster.


    ¡°Rictusempra!¡± Severus said and Albus jerked and moved as if he wasughing, since it was the tickling charm. However, the man never made a sound and looked confused.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Poppy asked when he cancelled the spell.


    ¡°His autonomic response worked, which means he can breathe and eat without choking. However, he had neither a mental reference forughing nor the ability to speak to tell me to stop.¡± Severus exined to cover up the real reason. He was actually testing if he could attack the headmaster without causing himself pain from breaking one of his oaths.


    Poppy sighed. ¡°Thank you for checking that. I hadn''t thought to do the same thing.¡±


    Severus nodded. ¡°I''m sorry that there is nothing I can do to reverse the damage.¡± He lied and tried to not smile as he felt tion fill him. He was finally free!


    Poppy waved her wand at Albus and a thick wool nket appeared over him and tucked him in. She nodded at Severus and went back to her office to start on the paperwork about the ident.


    Severus dropped his calm face and sneered at Albus, huffed at him debilitating himself for something so stupid, and strode from the hospital wing with his robes billowing behind him. He had work to do, ingredients to gather, and a resignation to work out the wording for. He would have to wait a month or so to submit it, assuming nothing else happened to make him submit it sooner.


    As soon as Severus stepped off the stairs and into the Entrance Hall, his normal ck robes morphed and changed into a clown costume and his long greasy hair from potions fumes changed into a poofy and curly red afro.


    All of the students that had been standing around and talking to their friends after supper, burst outughing. A muchrger crowd gathered at the noise and Severus growled under his breath. He had assumed the pranking had ended after he didn''t turn blue anymore when in public.


    ¡°If I find out who did this, you will forever regret it.¡± Snape snarled at theughing students.


    Not surprisingly, no one came forward to admit to it. He scanned the crowd of students with a light Legilimency probe to skim their surface thoughts to potentially find the culprit, then he froze when his eyes caught the gleam of sses. Before he could do more than twitch, his searching probe mmed into his own mind, thanks to him not having any defenses against his own prodigious mental powers.


    Everyone keptughing as Snape passed out and dropped to the floor in a faint. Thanks to a notice-me-not charm keyed to the students, no one noticed Harry Potter moving through the crowd or saw him disappear under his invisibility cloak.

 89 Too Many Rewards

    89 Too Many Rewards


    My life seemed to settle into a great routine. I had girlfriends that adored me, I would be weing my first child this summer, school was a breeze that I helped my fellow ssmates with, and I had lots of spare time. My books and merchandise were selling well like always, Hedwig loved delivering all the letters I sent out to my fans, and everyone in my life was happy.


    I honestly couldn''t have asked for a more rxing time. There were no longer any threats to me and mine with Voldemort, Dumbledore, and their minions taken care of. Even the press conference about Amelia Bones abusing her authority over a mistake and apologizing to a national hero, had only caused a small reaction in the poption and was quickly forgotten.


    Surprisingly, Amelia didn''t quit or was shuffled off into another department to hide her away. Minister Diggory had told her that he was relieved that she had proven to him that she was actually human that could make mistakes and not a criminal case solving machine like he suspected. Theplimentary insult made Amelia blush.


    The minister thing had worked out the way it did, because Lucius Malfoy hadn''t been around to pay the bribes needed to put Cornelius Fudge into office to influence the ministry. Since Fudge never ascended to power, neither did Deloris Umbridge. He would never be minister and she would never be the Senior Undersecretary.


    Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were sent off to St. Mungo''s Long Term Care Ward and were both popr with visits. Most for Albus were to talk to him and say how sorry they were about him being there. Those that visited Snape just seemed to amuse themselves to see the arrogant man brought so low. The nurses left him dressed in the clown costume, too.


    The funny thing was, the OWL and NEWT students performed better without the potions professor breathing down their necks as they took their exams. Self-studying and a few extra books and tips from me, had them all pass with a higher mark than they had expected.


    Speaking of marks, Hermione and I tied for the top spot in our year, thanks to her taking my advice in ss and learning from my essays to change how she approached homework. In fact, a good portion of the Griffindor first years were in the top ten, the rest were in the top twenty with a mix of Ravenws.


    The only outlier was Ron Weasley, because he had refused any offered help from whom he called ''the popr kids'' and didn''t bother studying. We all wondered how he had passed the year when he barely did any homework and failed nearly every test. The only ss we knew he did well in was Flying and that was only because of the brooms.


    *


    Andromeda gave birth to a beautiful little girl and called her Ermelinda Cassiopeia Tonks. I made her swear to let me name our next child, because that one was terrible, even if it meant ''tender universe''. On the positive side, I could call her Mel or Linda and Andromeda couldn''t get angry about it. Much, anyway.


    Neither of us were surprised that Nymphadora didn''t want anything to do with us or her new half-sister. Was it petty of her to react like that? Yes, it was. Did we understand why? Yes, we did. Did we yell at her for ming us for capitalizing on her mistake? Most definitely.


    I didn''t have to point out that it could have been her, because I had seen and felt her envy and jealousy. Nymphadora knew that baby would have been hers if she hadn''t thrown me away, mostly because I had gotten Andromeda pregnant as soon as she asked for it. No ifs, ands, or buts. No doubts and no worries about if she was or wasn''t. Andromeda asked, I delivered, and Andromeda delivered the baby.


    Right after that heated conversation, Nymphadora got back at us ''for doing this to her'' and told everyone about the baby, even though we warned her that we wanted to keep it a secret to keep both Andromeda and the baby safe. She started in the DMLE offices with Amelia Bones and then went to everyone that worked there.


    Word quickly spread to the rest of the ministry and soon reached the offices of the Daily Prophet. The next day''s paper had a controversial headline that shook the entire magical world and not just Britain.


    -


    <b>Wizarding World Savior Harry Potter Can Get Anyone Pregnant!</b>


    <i>By Barnabus Cuffe</i>


    It''s true, folks. After only a short investigation and a copied memory from a reliable source, which was a conversation with the young hero himself (printed on Pg.2), the young hero imed to be able to get any witch pregnant. No guesswork or hoping is needed. That''s right,dies. If you want a child, one night with the apparently virile and potent savior will guarantee pregnancy...


    -


    I groaned when I read that and immediately changed the mail redirect ward to an empty room, because I didn''t want all the new mail to mix in with my piles and piles of fan mail. I suspected what the majority of it was going to be about, considering the abysmal birth rates of pure blood families. I didn''t doubt that I was going to get a lot of hate mail about it, too.


    I also sent Nanny to fetch Andromeda and the baby. They would be moving into the castle and living there from now on, because even if her name hadn''t been mentioned in the article, everyone knew she had been pregnant because of her visits all over to deliver the merchandise for sale to our business clients. Nymphadora also wasn''t quiet about why she was so pissed off.


    ¡°Harry, I''m kicking her out of the family!¡± Andromeda shouted when she entered the new mail room to talk to me. ¡°Let''s see her try to ignore her first name when she can''t call herself Tonks anymore!¡±


    I opened my mouth to calm her down and she held up her hand in a stop gesture.


    ¡°She knows exactly how wrong it was to expose our baby like this.¡± Andromeda added.


    I sighed and created a document. ¡°All right. If you need my endorsement, you have it.¡±


    Andromeda took the offered parchment and read it, smiled, and tucked it into her robes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I opened my arms and she stepped close and ducked her head to cuddle under my chin. She started to shake and silently cried, so I whispered sweet nothings to her and held her as I told her how everything was going to be fine.


    ¡°I just need a chastity belt and a dozen guards to protect my manhood.¡± I said and rubbed her back.


    Andromeda sobbed andughed, which made her cough and choke briefly. ¡°That''s... not... funny.¡±


    I gave her a crooked smile and turned to wave at the empty room that was no longer empty. There were over a hundred letters already, some of them red howlers, and a dozen owls flew in through the enchanted window and dropped off more letters and stopped at the row of perches for treats and water, then they flew back out without making a sound.


    ¡°So soon?¡± Andromeda asked as the howlers popped open and started yelling, only no sound could be heard. ¡°Silencing ward?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°The constant flow of owls is really distracting around notable days like my birthday and holidays.¡±


    Andromeda nodded as another group of owls entered the room and dropped off their letters. ¡°What are you going to do about this?¡±


    I didn''t have to ask her to rify that, because I knew she didn''t mean the owls.


    ¡°There''s nothing I can do with the truth out there.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°I can''tin to the newspaper for reporting the truth and I won''t lie and say it''s not true, not after the argument with Nymphadora.¡±


    Andromeda sighed. ¡°She''ll think we told her all of that to spite her if you try to im it''s not true publicly.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± I said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I also doubt anyone would believe me if I did try to deny it.¡±


    Andromeda sighed again. ¡°A celebrity denying any fame wouldn''t be believed, that''s true.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Unwanted or not, I have it and I''m stuck with it.¡±


    Andromeda gave me a pointed look. ¡°What''s funny about any of this?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about all the girls I''ve fooled around with and told I couldn''t get them pregnant without their permission.¡± I said and Andromeda sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°They now have proof that I wasn''t lying.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh, my.¡± Andromeda whispered. ¡°You''re going to be mobbed with requests in September when you go back to school.¡±


    ¡°If I''m lucky, I''ll only be mobbed.¡± I countered and her eyes widened. ¡°So, about that chastity belt...¡±


    Andromeda let out an uncharacteristic giggle at the thought of me being molested on top of being mobbed. ¡°I really shouldn''tugh about what''s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing we can do to stop it, so mitigation is all I can hope for.¡± I said.


    Andromeda looked thoughtful. ¡°You can''t use another form of transportation, since the train ensures the students are registered as attending and the house elves are given the details for the number of students they have to care for.¡±


    ¡°I always wondered why it was tradition to have students go all the way to London to ride a train for 8 hours to get back to Hogwarts, even if they live in Hogsmeade that''s practically right next to the castle.¡±


    Andromeda gave me a smug smile. ¡°Yes, it''s odd, especially since it''s not a day school for them. They have to board at Hogwarts for most of the year like every other student, even though their homes are just down the road.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°That''s not odd, that''s stupid. Then again, they might not get a cheaper tuition if they chose to leave the castle every night and return every morning. They also risk beingte or missing days by pretending to be sick and skipping. They can''t do that in a dorm room with so many witnesses around.¡±


    Andromeda nodded and let out another sigh. ¡°Thank you for distracting me.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I better start digging though this mess for my actual mail before more howlers show up.¡±


    Andromeda pulled me in for another kiss, this one a little demanding, then she let me go and left the room. I let out a sigh at the situation and thought about casting a Fidelius charm on the castle, then shrugged. No one could approach that meant me or my family harm, so we were as safe as could be. The Fidelius charm wasn''t infallible, either.


    I took out my wand and pointed it at the piles of letters. ¡°io Hermione''s letters.¡±


    Only one shot out of the pile and it was a thick one, so I stated the names of each of my friends and summoned their letters, too. I had a small stack and sat down to read them. They only had words of encouragement for me, especially Hermione. Angelina loved that I had kept my word by not making her pregnant, despite my now documented 100% virility.


    Lavender on the other hand, teased me about a pregnancy fantasy. I didn''t bother asking why she thoughtctating breasts were a turn-on for me, because I assumed she guessed that I did that for Andromeda. I thanked her for thinking of my needs and promised to visit at least once this summer.


    With those out of the way, I started to summon any official letters from various businesses that sold my products, the Ministry, Gringotts, and my professors at school. If they had any kind of objection to things, I needed to get that straightened out as soon as possible.


    Today was going to be a really long day.


    *


    I was wrong about itsting only a day. It went on for the entire summer and the mail just never stopped. It was even worse on my birthday because hundreds of women demanded I visit to give them a present instead. Harry Potter couldn''t step anywhere in the wizarding world without being bombarded by requests and demands to ''share the wealth'' of my genes.


    That meant I spent the entire summer in my normal disguise and stayed out of the public eye. I didn''t like having to hide so much; but, neither I nor my school friends needed the negative attention that my presence as Harry Potter would bring. I was still disguised with my normal look when I boarded the train to go to school.


    As I sat and rxed to wait for my friends to show up, my mind drifted to the release of my new fantasy story book a month ago. It was clearly marked as fiction and had be a hot seller for the younger kids, because of how easy to read it was. It was also a great story.


    I did change McGonagall''s role slightly to be more involved and didn''t have her blow off Harry''s concerns. I instead had her go to the partially senile headmaster and he dismissed her concerns to allow the plot to continue. I also had to change the names of everyone and everything, then I imed all likenesses were coincidental to anyone living or dead.


    Of course, Minnie McGargle was still a stern Transfiguration Teacher at PiggyPimples Academy of Magic and Angus Bumblesmore was the Head Teacher. I definitely had too much funing up with puns and y-on-words for the teacher''s names. It made me chuckle just thinking about how much of augh I was giving parents and children all over the world that knew the real people.


    Funnily enough, the scandal of my virility at the start of the summer hadn''t hurt my merchandise sales. ording to Andromeda, it was mostly older housewives that wanted a second child that had caused the whole affair to blow up in the first ce. Oh, and she really did go through with disowning Nymphadora No-Name.


    Andromeda had served her former daughter with legal papers to stop her from using Tonks as her first name or she would be sued. This resulted in a loud shouting argument had made the newspaper, because Andromeda had hand-delivered the notice to Nymphadora at work in the middle of the DMLE offices.


    The smug look on Andromeda''s face when she came home afterwards, let me know that she had won the argument. Nymphadora''s role in endangering her half-sister and her mother was fully exposed, as was her being disowned for it. The next day''s paper had the damning headline and it was Nymphadora''s turn to be embarrassed when she showed her face in public.


    I turned my head when thepartment door opened and saw a thin blonde girl with a dreamy smile on her face standing there. ¡°Hi, Luna. Did you follow the bumbling humdingers or did the wrackspurts tell you how to find me?¡±


    Luna Lovegood''s dreamy smile changed to a beaming one. ¡°Mummy told me you would understand.¡±


    I chuckled and patted the bench seat beside me. Luna walked over and looked down at the spot and then at my face. Iughed and shimmied over just enough to let her fit next to the window instead. She sat down and her smile never wavered, so I put an arm over her shoulders.


    ¡°Do you think they reced the missing teachers yet?¡± Luna asked me.


    ¡°I hope so. Even if the potions and DaDa students did betterst year than thest five yearsbined, both courses should be taught by apetent professor.¡± I answered her.


    ¡°Not you?¡± Luna asked.


    I smiled slightly. ¡°I could probably teach every ss in the school... if I was allowed.¡±


    Luna giggled. ¡°I don''t think the school board wouldst long if they let you teach officially.¡±


    I gave her shoulders a little squeeze. ¡°I would pass my OWLs and NEWTs at a mastery level if I wasn''t restricted by the set age limits.¡±


    ¡°Mummy did say that homeschooling only counted if you never attended Hogwarts.¡± Luna told me.


    ¡°Damn, I never thought of that.¡± I said and thenughed. ¡°I was so caught up in the savior of the wizarding world attending Hogwarts, just to be there with the kids my age that grew up hearing and reading about my adventures, it never once urred to me to validate my magical knowledge in any other way.¡±


    Luna''s smile dimmed a little. ¡°Harry? Am I going to be one of your girls?¡±


    I didn''t hesitate in what I said next, because it was the truth. ¡°Luna, you have <b>always</b> been one of my girls. I just had to wait long enough for us to meet.¡±


    Luna''s eyes went wider than they normally went and she shivered like ice had rolled down her spine. ¡°You''re not lying.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not.¡± I said and nced down at her lips and back to her silvery-blue eyes.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Luna whispered and closed her eyes.


    I leaned in and kissed her gently, like she was made of ss and I didn''t want to shatter her. Luna made a cute little sound in the back of her throat and she opened her mouth for me as her small hand reached up and lightly pet my hair. We stayed like that for what seemed like a long time as we gently kissed each other and asionally used our tongues.

 90 Train Troubles

    90 Train Troubles


    Luna and I weren''t interrupted for almost half an hour, which was kind of a record for a snogging session. I whispered that to Luna as Hermione entered thepartment and dragged her clearly heavy trunk behind her. Luna blushed and looked proud, so she understood what I meant about her being the first girl I''ve done that with.


    ¡°I assume you lost or broke the multiplepartment trunk I gave you.¡± Imented as I put on my Harry Potter disguise with the fake sses and changed my hair back to ck and morphed my forehead to show the trademarked lightning bolt scar.


    Hermione shook her head. ¡°My mother saw the differentpartments inside and imed it for the family to travel with.¡± She said and dropped the end of her normal trunk with a loud thump. ¡°I hadn''t realized how much I had stored inside and it took us several days to empty it and restock it for our trip to Greece.¡±


    I gave her a pointed look. ¡°...and you didn''t owl me to bring you another one because...¡±


    Hermione opened her mouth to respond, paused with her hand half-raised, and sighed. ¡°I''m an idiot.¡±


    Lunaughed pretty loudly and I joined her, mostly because herugh was infectious.


    ¡°Oh, shut it.¡± Hermione griped and waved at her trunk.


    I waved my hand at it as well and floated it up onto the luggage rack. Luna didn''t react to that at all.


    Hermione sat beside me and looked at the tiny blonde under my arm. ¡°It''s nice to finally meet you, Luna.¡±


    That Luna did react to with surprise and her eyes went to my face.


    ¡°I''ve already warned her I was waiting for a couple of first years.¡± I said.


    Luna''s eyes made one long slow blink. ¡°Ginny won''t be here until the train is about to leave.¡±


    Hermione huffed and held a hand out to me. ¡°I think that''s a Weasley curse.¡±


    I took a new book out of my expanded pocket and handed it to her.


    ¡°Perpetualteness if it''s important?¡± Luna asked.


    ¡°You got it.¡± I said as Hermione moved to the other wall and kicked off her shoes before she put her feet up on myp. ¡°I stopped counting how many sses Ron waste for after the first month.¡±


    ¡°He''s neverte for meals, though. Not even breakfast.¡± Hermione said with her face as close to the pages of the book as possible without actually touching it.


    ¡°I swear he either has a ridiculous metabolism or he''s been cursed with a bottomless stomach.¡± I said with augh.


    Luna tilted her head as she looked at me. ¡°Something like that is possible after all of the things Fred and George have made him eat all these years. I suppose an unintended interaction between ingredients might have given Ron a gibbersnack in his gut.¡±


    I caught my breath as I looked into her eyes. ¡°Luna, do you think that happened?¡±


    ¡°It''s highly possible.¡± Luna said and beamed a smile at me for not calling her crazy or making fun of her.


    ¡°Harry? What are you two talking about?¡± Hermione asked and lifted her head from her book.


    I thought about the best way to describe it. ¡°In muggle terms, it would be called a magical tapeworm.¡±


    Hermione gasped and stared at me.


    ¡°If it''s true, Ron''s eating so much because he''s not getting enough nutrients from the food.¡± I said and thought about what he looked like. ¡°It would also exin why he''s sonky and doesn''t have a drop of fat anywhere on his body.¡±


    Luna nodded in agreement.


    Hermione bit her bottom lip. ¡°Harry, we have to get him to Madam Pomfrey. If he''s been suffering from it for years, there''s no telling how big the thing is inside of him or how long he''ll live if it''s not taken care of.¡±


    I patted her shin and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, Hermione. I''ll check him as soon as he''s close enough and then we''ll know for sure if he''s a walking ck hole by choice or because of a gibbersnack.¡±


    Hermione nodded and went back to her book.


    After a few quiet seconds, Luna kissed my cheek and leaned her head back against my shoulder to whisper in my ear. ¡°Thank you, Harry.¡±


    I nodded slightly instead of trying to whisper back. I turned my head just enough to look into her eyes and then nced at her lips. Luna smiled slightly and then puckered them as she closed her eyes. She didn''t mind trying to break our recently set record of the longest snog.


    We were close to that when it was time for the train to leave and the Weasley family showed up. Luna pouted and looked really cute, so I had to promise we could make another attemptter when we were at school.


    As most of the Weasleys slowly passed by ourpartment looking for their friends, I cast a quick diagnostic spell on Ron and looked specifically at his stomach and intestines. I actually did detect something there and nodded at Luna. She nodded back and I quickly went to the door and opened it.


    ¡°EEP!¡± Ginny squeaked and dropped her trunk.


    ¡°Go on in. Luna''s already here.¡± I said to her and she nodded several times and darted past me and mmed thepartment door shut.


    All of her brothers chuckled at her reaction, even Percy.


    ¡°She finally meets her childhood hero and instead of telling him how much she loves him...¡± Fred started to say.


    ¡°...she acts like a scared little mouse and squeaked and hid.¡± George finished.


    ¡°It''s all right. I expected it.¡± I said with my own chuckle. ¡°Luna''s here to act as a buffer for her, so she''ll rx around me eventually.¡±


    The twins nodded and started to walk off with Percy.


    I reached out and grabbed Ron''s arm. ¡°Hey, you.¡±


    Ron gave me a nk look. ¡°It''s been a year, Harry. My name is Ron. R.O.N.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it doesn''t ring a bell.¡± I said and paralyzed him. ¡°I just need to check on something for a second.¡± I told him and cast specific healing on him.


    Ron glowed softly for several seconds and he seemed to fill out in front of my eyes. His own eyes went wide, probably because the gnawing hunger in his belly was suddenly gone and he was healthy.


    ¡°A brief memory edit should fix your overeating habit before it makes you into a beached whale.¡± I said and took out my wand. ¡°Obliviate.¡±


    Ron''s face went nk again.


    ¡°You finally realized you''ve beenpensating with food instead of making friends. Work on your table manners and people will start liking you.¡± I said and made sure to remove hispulsion to eat and removed this conversation.


    Ron blinked his eyes at me when I was done. ¡°What were we talking about again?¡±


    ¡°I asked about your summer and you said it was okay.¡± I said with a smile and he nodded. ¡°It''s nice seeing you again, whoever you are.¡±


    Ron gave me a nk look. ¡°It''s been a year, Harry. My name is Ron. R.O.N.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it doesn''t ring a bell.¡± I said and patted his shoulder. ¡°See you around.¡±


    Ron sighed and walked away with his trunk dragging behind him, even though it was featherlight.


    I slowly opened thepartment door and peeked in. I saw Ginny and Luna huddled in the corner and fiercely whispering, so I sat down across from Hermione. She briefly looked up at me and I nodded and made a wiggly snake motion with one finger and a pair of scissors with the other, then snipped at my fingertip.


    Hermione nodded in understanding and went back to her book with a relieved look on her face.


    I sat there and waited patiently for Luna and Ginny to finish whatever they were discussing. I thought about taking out a book or something to read, then mentally shrugged. I didn''t want them to think they would be interrupting me if they wanted to talk, so I rxed and looked out the window.


    After about twenty minutes, a blushing redhead stood up and took a step towards me. Ginny''s mouth opened and closed a few times, probably trying to ask me if we could talk. Instead of saying anything like asking her what she wanted, I patted the spot right beside me and then held my arm up as if I would hug her when she sat.


    Ginny''s blushpletely covered her face and she turned around and tried to sit, not realizing she was about a foot away from the bench seat. I reached for her when she started to lose her bnce and scooped her up into my arms and sat down with her on myp.


    ¡°Are you okay? You almost fell.¡± I whispered and held her tenderly.


    Ginny lookedpletely stunned and stared at me. She also wasn''t breathing. I had to use a specific healing spell to stop her from making herself pass out fromck of oxygen. She rxed enough to sigh and started breathing again, to my relief.


    ¡°How was your summer?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I LOVED YOUR NEW BOOK!¡± Ginny yelled, looked really embarrassed, and fainted.


    Hermione snorted and muffled herugh with her book and Luna seemed to be caught between amusement and embarrassment.


    ¡°On myp was too much, I guess.¡± I said with a sigh.


    ¡°No, she wants this more than anything.¡± Luna said and walked over to us to reach into Ginny''s top and pulled out the ne I had given her at new years. ¡°She''s strong and brave like a Griffindor and had nned how to meet you in person for years. Her problem is she can''t get over the fact that you''re being nice to her and not keeping her at arms length like you do with your other obsessive fans.¡±


    I nodded and Luna slipped the ne back into Ginny''s top. ¡°I knew I had to take things slow.¡±


    ¡°cial.¡± Hermionemented without looking up from her book. ¡°Or you risk blowing her mind.¡±


    I nced at Ginny''s unconscious face and had to agree. ¡°Right. No snogging sessions for a while.¡±


    ¡°That would be for the best.¡± Luna agreed and sat beside us and patted herp. ¡°Do you want me to take her for a while?¡±


    I gave Luna a searching look. ¡°Do you think she''s going to do something when she wakes up?¡±


    Luna gave me a dreamy smile. ¡°Why ever would you think that, Harry?¡±


    I had to chuckle at her evading the question. ¡°It''s just a feeling.¡± I said and carefully handed the unconscious Ginny over to her and Luna cradled her in the exact same way I had.


    After about five minutes, Ginny came back to consciousness with a gasp. ¡°I LOVE YOU!¡± She yelled, wrapped her arms around Luna''s neck, and mmed their lips together. They stayed like that for a good thirty seconds before Ginny broke the kiss and realized it wasn''t myp she was on. ¡°LUNA!¡±


    Luna giggled and kept that dreamy smile on her face. ¡°Just like old times.¡±


    Hermione barked augh, probably because Luna was 14 and her old times wasn''t that long ago. ¡°You were lucky to have someone to practice with, Luna. I yed the ''kissing the prince'' game with my pillow.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to y pretend anymore.¡± Imented and didn''t specify who I was talking to. All three girls looked happy about that.


    Thepartment door opened and Angelina Johnson walked in, saw me sitting there, and dragged me to my feet to give me a good snogging. She stepped back when she was done and smiled smugly at my surprised look, gave my cheek a light caress, and turned to leave.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and she waved at me over her shoulder as she left.


    Lavender, Parvati, and Padma came in and saw me standing there. Lavender gave me a quick kiss, then Parvai did, then Padma looked embarrassed and kissed me, too. Even after months of sneaking off to have fun, and we had a lot of fun, Padma was still nervous about having a rtionship with me. When they sat down, there was no space left for me to sit.


    Not surprisingly, the three girls quickly started a conversation about what they did during the summer and sessfully drew in Hermione, Luna, and Ginny. I opened my mouth to say something and paused as I remembered what Hermione had told me before. She was happy that I didn''t try to interfere in their lives or demanded that they sit around and make time for me.


    With that thought in my head, I stepped out of thepartment and silenced the door as I closed it. I took a deep breath and let it out, then picked left as the direction to go and started walking. A fewpartments had their doors opened and a few people said hello, so I said it back and stopped to talk for a few minutes.


    I moved on and this continued until I came to what was considered the Hufflepuff section, since most of them hung out together, no matter their year. It was eerily quiet as I moved through the train car where most of them had gathered. None of them had ever apologized for their behavior or even pretended to try.


    ¡°Harry.¡± A soft voice said and I stopped walking and turned around to look into thepartment I just passed. Inside was Hannah, Susan, Ernie, Justin, and Neville.


    ¡°Hey, Neville. How are the new cuttings from Floppy''s greenhouses working out for you?¡± I asked.


    Neville''s face flushed red. ¡°Th-they''re doing great.¡± He said and looked up at my face. ¡°I still can''t figure out where you''re getting magical nts and fruit seeds that no one''s ever heard of.¡±


    I had to smile at that. ¡°You must have brought some to Professor Sprout.¡±


    Neville nodded. ¡°She almost tore my hands off when I gave her that weird apple peach thing and told her it came from a twisted vine instead of a tree.¡±


    I held in myugh at that image. ¡°Did you tell her how to properly prepare and cultivate the seeds?¡±


    ¡°She had me take over the project and watched me like a hawk.¡± Neville grumped.


    I couldn''t hold myugh anymore and let it out. ¡°Hahahaha! You poor bloke! Having to do all of that work twice!¡±


    Neville groaned and sighed, then he smiled. ¡°She marked me with a passing grade without having to take the end of year exam.¡±


    ¡°Good for you.¡± I said and leaned against the doorframe as I crossed my arms. ¡°How''s your mother, Alice? Is she still as cute as a button as she keeps your dad in line?¡±


    Neville blushed and had to look away. ¡°Unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Heh. She always was a little spitfire. Five foot nothing and she has Frank wrapped around her little finger.¡± I said with a smile. I had kept an eye on the Longbottoms over the years and nothing else had happened since that night.


    Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, Neville turned his head back to look at me. ¡°I never told anyone I saw what you did that night.¡±


    That made me smile. ¡°Were you worried no one would believe you or were you proud that you shared a secret with the savior of the wizarding world?¡±


    Neville straightened his back and no longer slouched. ¡°I was proud I knew something that no one else did.¡±


    ¡°Until now.¡± I said and Neville stilled. ¡°I sincerely doubt Hannah won''t hound you endlessly to hear about the secret.¡±


    Neville closed his eyes and sighed.


    ¡°It''s all right, Neville. Just swear her to secrecy as your wife and everything will be fine.¡± I said and basked in their reactions.


    Hannah squealed like a stuck pig, Susan''s face paled, Ernie looked shocked, and Justin looked devastated. Neville''s was the best, though. He looked catatonic and stared at me without blinking.


    While they were like that, I quickly cast a spell on them to never speak of the secret, because I didn''t want anyone in authority knowing what I did.


    ¡°See youter, Neville.¡± I said and turned to walk away.


    ¡°Harry, wait!¡± Susan nearly shouted, so I turned back and gave her an expectant look. She looked embarrassed and reluctant to speak, which was funny, because she had gained my attention specifically to speak.


    ¡°Are you still bing an Auror?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then whatever you might have expected to happen between us is never going to happen. You know my ex chucked me aside for her careerst year and there''s no way you''re not going to do the same.¡±


    Susan looked devastated and sighed with resignation.


    I stood there and waited for her to apologize, about anything, and she stayed quiet. ¡°Yeah, I knew it was true. Thanks for the confirmation.¡± I said and stepped out of thepartment. ¡°Also, thanks for the apology on Hufflepuff''s behalf.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Susan asked, confused. ¡°I never said...¡±


    ¡°I was being sarcastic.¡± I said to cut her off and started to walk away. ¡°Buh-bye.¡±


    ¡°Harry, wait!¡± Susan nearly shouted again.


    I ignored her, mostly because all of the Hufflepuffs around had been eagerly listening to our conversation. I cast the same spell on them to keep quiet about Neville''s secret and walked on down the train. I reached Angelina''spartment and Alicia and Katie were there.


    ¡°Is this thepartment that Heaven was assigned? Because all I can see in here are angels.¡± I said with a huge grin on my face.


    The three girlsughed and pulled me in as the door mmed shut and locked behind me.

 91 Some Work And All Play

    91 Some Work And All y


    The rest of the ride to school passed by quickly with three eager and fun girls to spend it with. I had gifted them all with expanded trunks for their birthdays, so no one struggled with their things, except for Hermione. When I met up with her and mentioned that in the carriage ride from the train to the castle, she smacked me on the head and huffed at me for reminding her.


    I couldn''t tell if the sorting went the same as it did in canon, since Harry hadn''t attended it and the story had been told from his biased perspective. The only clues I had that it might not have changed, were that Luna still went to Ravenw and Ginny went to Griffindor.


    I needed to head off that potential years-long problem before it started, so as soon as the sorting was over, I stood and walked right over to the Ravenw table and gave Luna a hug and a kiss, said pretty loudly that I was happy for mytest girl, and made a show of giving her one of my Official Girlfriend ID cards while slipping her one of my protective amulets.


    Let me tell you, a lot of the Ravenws looked envious, some looked angry, and some looked thoughtful. I was sure it was because most of them hadn''t realized I liked smart girls, even with Hermione as a prime example. House rivalry was still a limiting thing, apparently. It was almost funny that Padma and Daphne hadn''t swayed them already, even though they had a card, too.


    I gave them each a quick kiss as well, just because I wanted to see them blush again, and went back to my table. Of course, now that I was already up, the amused looks on my other girls made me go to each of them and give them a kiss, too. I only kissed Ginny on the cheek, since she was blushing too hard and looked faint already.


    I didn''t want to knock her out with a kiss on the lips, so I whispered to her that I would give her a proper kisster when we weren''t in public, which made her swoon anyway. I held her steady for a moment and then went back to my own seat.


    ¡°Now that Mister Potter seems to have finished his ministrations...¡± Minerva McGonagall said and a lot of the students let outughs, myself included. ¡°...let the feast begin.¡± She pped her hands and made the feast appear.


    I put some food on my te and discreetly watched Ron as he loaded up his own te, then he looked surprised and stopped. He couldn''t put the food back, so he picked up actual utensils and started eating with surprising slowness. I smiled at it working already and nced over at Luna. She was looking at me and had a dreamy smile on her face as the Ravenws around her talked to her.


    I raised my ss of pumpkin juice to her and took a sip, then went back to eating. Hermione noticed me do that and didn''t mention it, so I assumed she would be interrogating me as soon as the meal was over. I held in my chuckle at her being so obvious and looked at the head table where the professors sat. Not surprisingly, the drunk from first year wasn''t teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.


    <i>I really should have searched for that curse.</i> I thought, because Professor Lupin sat there.


    Some unknown man sat where Professor Snape used to sit and I didn''t recognize him. I didn''t bother trying to figure out who he was or listened in to his conversation with Professor Flitwick. I''d find out as soon as I had potions ss. There was no one else new, so Binns was still teaching History of Magic. I hoped that meant I had more full afternoons off again this year.


    Minerva gave some announcements that amounted to the same ones every year and dismissed us to go to our dorm rooms. Percy was a sixth year this year, so I still had ess to the Griffindor Head Boy''s room. I would have to make new living arrangements next year when he became Head Boy.


    <i>Maybe I could stay in the Head Girl''s room?</i> I asked myself and followed my friends up the stairs to go to Griffindor Tower.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Hermione asked me.


    ¡°I''m wondering if the house elves assigned to move your trunk have copsed from the weight of all those books you piled inside.¡± I joked.


    Hermione smacked my arm with a smile on her face. ¡°No, really.¡±


    ¡°Percy''s going to be head boy next year and I''ll have to find somewhere else for my famous butt to sleep.¡± I said and Hermione gasped. ¡°It''s a severe problem and we need to work on it immediately.¡±


    ¡°I am not losing my quiet study room without a fight, Harry.¡± Hermione said, her face determined.


    I chuckled. ¡°Rx, Hermione. I already have a couple of solutions.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Hermione asked.


    I thought about revealing the Room of Requirement and decided not to. This was too public of a setting to let that secret out. ¡°The Head Girl is going to be a Ravenw, so the Griffindor Head Girl''s suite will be unupied until you take it in seventh year.¡±


    Hermione looked surprised, then she blushed. ¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and gave her a one-arm hug. ¡°I''ll have Nanny bring you a trunk tonight.¡±


    Hermione gave me a bright smile. ¡°Thanks, Harry.¡±


    We reached themon room and everyone else split off to go their separate ways.


    ¡°It''s my job to give you everything you want, remember?¡± I reminded her and gave her a kiss. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Hermione said and looked quite pleased as she went up the stairs of the girl''s dorm.


    Before I could do more than take a step towards the boy''s dorm room stairs, a dark-skinned hand caught my arm and held me back.


    ¡°Did I hear you say it''s your job to give your girlfriend everything she wants?¡± Alicia asked me.


    I turned and smiled at her. ¡°Angelina figured that outst year.¡± I said and decided to deflect the me. ¡°She didn''t tell you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no you don''t!¡± Angelina said with augh and pulled me in for a few seconds of lip locking. ¡°You can get yourself out of your own mess, Mister Potter.¡±


    Iughed as well. ¡°It''s not my fault I''m rich, popr, and really can do everything you''ve heard I can... no, wait! Yes, it is. Never mind.¡±


    Angelina let me go and rolled her eyes. ¡°Just give her what she didn''t realize she could ask you for.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± I said and saluted her to make herugh, then I turned to salute Alicia, too. ¡°The Ebony Goddess of Sexiness hasmanded me to give her protege whatever you want, so speak and it shall be done.¡±


    Alicia looked embarrassed and Angelina looked proud. Katie just looked at us expectantly.


    ¡°Well?¡± I asked and dropped the silliness to step close to Alicia and gave her a serious face. ¡°What is it that you want? Or need? Or desire? If it''s within my abilities to grant, you''ll have it.¡±


    Alicia looked into my eyes and her embarrassment grew as she looked sad. ¡°I don''t think I can ask for it.¡±


    I figured it had to be either personal or financial, so I motioned towards the corner of themon room that was more private than standing out in the middle of the room. Alicia nodded and took my hand to lead me over there. I cast a privacy spell and sat her down on one of the chairs and sat across from her.


    ¡°No one can hear us or see us right now.¡± I told her and she turned her head to look, only to see a fuzzy film and not the rest of themon room.


    ¡°Can you teach me that spell?¡± Alicia asked as she looked back at me.


    ¡°We don''t get our schedules until the morning, so if we don''t have an off ss at the same time during the week, I''ll set aside some time in the evenings or the weekend.¡± I promised and she nodded. ¡°What is it that you need?¡±


    Alicia blushed again. ¡°Harry, I... well...¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, Alicia. Just say it.¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°Money.¡± Alicia said, with embarrassment. ¡°My family is struggling, even with the school supplements...¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked and pulled out a cloth bag of galleons from my pocket. ¡°Is 1,000 enough?¡±


    Alicia looked stunned as I put the heavy bag on herp. ¡°H-H-Harry!¡±


    ¡°If you need more than my pocket change, I have to pop over to the bank to get it.¡± I said and she made a choking sound as she hugged the bag. I knelt on the floor in front of her and patted her back. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Alicia nodded and looked down at the bag of money. ¡°Harry, this... why would you...¡±


    I moved my hand from her back to cup the side of her face. ¡°Because you asked.¡±


    Alicia looked like she was about to cry, so I leaned in and kissed her to distract her. She let the bag of money go and hugged me tightly as she did her best to snog me senseless. After a few minutes, she let me go and looked nervous as she hugged the bag of money again.


    I cast a notice-me-not charm on it. ¡°There. No one but us can see it. You can put it in your trunk and no one will find it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Alicia said, her voice full of gratitude. ¡°I mean that, Harry. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are quite wee, Protege of the Ebony Goddess.¡± I joked and she barked augh.


    ¡°I hope you realize that Angelina is never going to let that nickname go.¡± Alicia warned me.


    I smirked at her and stood. ¡°I know.¡±


    Alicia stood as well, still hugging the bag. I dispelled the privacy spells and motioned towards the stairs to the girl''s dorm rooms. She gave me a quick kiss and quickly walked towards the stairs and her friends. Angelina gave me a knowing look and put an arm over Alicia''s shoulders, then the three of them went up the stairs.


    I went up the stairs on the boy''s side and right up to the Head Boy''s suite. Nanny popped in and helped me unpack my trunk. When we were done, I asked her to retrieve a multipartment trunk from my workshop at home and to give it to Hermione. Nanny popped away and I changed for bed. I climbed in and Nanny popped back into the room to tuck me in.


    ¡°Goodnight, Nanny.¡± I said and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Goodnights, Master Harry.¡± Nanny whispered and lightly petted my head as I drifted off to sleep.


    *


    My ss schedule sucked, because I had double sses of History of Magic in the mornings this year. I didn''t want mornings off, because I couldn''t really start anything important, like crafting or enchanting, because I would be interrupted by the ss before lunch, which was usually Defense Against the Dark Arts.


    My frustrated sigh made Hermioneugh, because she knew the mixed up schedule cramped my style. She did promise to not let me get bored, which Lavender enthusiastically volunteered herself to help with, because she believed it was a worthy cause. She also loved that I would go down on her for as long as she wanted withoutining about it. Not surprisingly, Hermione loved that, too.


    Of course, this was the first morning of my Schedule of Suck and myments about the title made the girlsugh. On the plus side, we all went to an empty ssroom instead of going to History of Magic and studied ahead for the DaDa ss. Barely half an hour in, Lavender enjoyed herself as she licked Parvati and I licked her.


    An hour in, Hermione was having no trouble reading up for DaDa as she rode me. My chest made a great bookrest, apparently. She barely got off for the second time when we had to stop and get dressed.


    ¡°I''m going right to McGonagall about this.¡± Hermione groused as we all left the empty ssroom to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts. ¡°It''s interfering with my study time and that is not eptable!¡±


    Lavender and Parvati giggled, because they knew what she really meant. Fay hadn''t participated, even though she had sat off to the side and enjoyed the show.


    We entered the DaDa ssroom and it was changed around from the year before. It still had the dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling, though. The differences were the various creatures in jars and containers all around the walls of the room. It was a little creepy and eerie, because most of them were still alive.


    Remus Lupin introduced himself and told us what DaDa was going to be about that year, which was fighting dark creatures and defending yourself if you were ever attacked. I held in myment about him teaching us that a year early, since in canon he taught that to the third years. I hadn''t mentioned it, because I suspected that it was because I was in the ss and he changed the curriculum to show off.


    When the bell rang to end the ss and let everyone go to lunch, Remus spoke up. ¡°Mister Potter, if you could stay for a moment.¡±


    I nodded and gave Hermione a look. She nodded as well and would wait for me right outside the ssroom. Everyone else shuffled out and left. When everyone had gone and the door shut, I was all alone with the professor. Before he could speak, I decided a little ribbing was in order.


    ¡°Well, well, well. The Tin Man has finallye back to Oz.¡± I said.


    Remus looked surprised. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You know, the Tin Man? He went to the great and all powerful wizard to grant him a heart?¡±


    ¡°I have read the story.¡± Remus said. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±


    I held in my huff of indignation and spoke with my best Surfer Dude ent. ¡°Hello? Because you''re heartless? Duuuh.¡±


    Remus looked a little angry. ¡°That''s uncalled for, Harry.¡±


    ¡°Is it, Mister Remus J. Lupin, former best friends with my murdered dad and imprisoned godfather?¡± I asked pointedly and the man winced. ¡°You''re not going to ask why Ipared you to characters in the Wizard Of Oz?¡±


    Remus shook his head.


    ¡°Well, I''m going to tell you anyway.¡± I said, magnanimously. ¡°My mother was Dorothy venturing through a newnd of magic, my dad was her faithful sidekick, Toto. You are the heartless Tin Man, Sirius ck was the brainless Scarecrow, and that traitor Peter Pettigrew was the Cowardly Lion.¡±


    Remus looked stunned that he and his friends actually fit the metaphor I was using.


    ¡°Oh? You''re not going to argue that Sirius should be the dog? I was ready to counter you and say Sirius was the brainless scarecrow because he abandoned me and went after Peter.¡± I said. ¡°Peter was the cowardly lion, because he was a Griffindor that abandoned his friends when the going got tough.¡±


    Remus didn''t deny it and looked sad.


    ¡°You on the other hand, chose to stay away after hearing what happened. No letters, no visits, and no offers to take me in or take me away.¡± I said and he shrunk in on himself. ¡°You''ve stayed away from me for 14 years, Mister Lupin. Why did youe back now?¡±


    Remus sighed and looked guilty. ¡°Minerva contacted me and offered me a job.¡±


    I stared at him and he didn''t say anything else. ¡°That''s it? You came back for a job and not to visit me, or Sirius in prison, or the grave of your best friend?¡± I asked and let disgust fill my voice. ¡°Well, that tells me everything I need to know about your character, Mister Lupin.¡±


    ¡°Harry, I... Albus told me to stay away.¡± Remus said in his defense.


    I put a fake smile on my face. ¡°Then shouldn''t you have stayed away, Mister Lupin? If Albus is the end all to be all for your life, then you are here in direct defiance of the senile old man.¡± I said and he winced. ¡°I will remind you to leave me out of whatever ns you had for me this year, Mister Lupin. I neither want nor need you in my life after all this time.¡±


    ¡°Harry...¡± Remus started to say.


    ¡°At the end of the year, you can tuck your tail back between your legs and scurry off to wherever you''ve been hiding. I''ve gotten along just fine without you and I will continue to do so.¡± I said with finality. ¡°Is there anything else? I''mte for lunch with my friends and they will wonder what''s keeping me away from them.¡±


    Remus wilted at thatst dig at his friends wondering where he was. He waved towards the door and didn''t speak.


    ¡°Have a good day, Mister Lupin.¡± I said and opened the door, stepped out, and closed the door quietly instead of mming it like he expected.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Harry.¡± Hermione said and hugged me.


    ¡°He is, too.¡± I said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Thanks for waiting and keeping an ear out for me.¡±


    Hermione and I walked down the hallway, an arm around each other''s waists, and went to lunch.

 92 Another Time Warp Ahead

    92 Another Time Warp Ahead


    My school''s Schedule of Suck continued all week. None of my off sses matched anyone else that wasn''t in my year and in Griffindor, so I couldn''t meet up with anyone that wasn''t in my year in Griffindor until the evenings and weekends. Which really sucked, because it cut my socializing down to the bare minimum.


    Potions ss ended up being the same as when Snape did it, only the man wasn''t knowledgeable enough to stalk around the room to sneer at us for doing things wrong. It was only a small improvement, so no oneined about it. Except me. Minerva gave me a detention for it. She had been frustrated by the limited choices that Snape''s bad teaching for 15 years had given her.


    I did manage to sneak off and give Luna a few good snoggings during the week. We''re still trying to break our half hour record, too. It made her giggle every time we failed, because she knew we would have to keep trying and me pretending to be upset about it really amused her.


    Remus didn''t try to talk to me privately all week and just gave me a sad look every time we had Defense ss. I ignored him, of course. He had ignored me for 14 years and I thought it fitting that he was ignored in turn. I did send a letter to Andromeda about Remus suddenly showing up out of the blue and her returning howler had made meugh. The one Remus received made him flee the Great Hall in embarrassment.


    On the weekend, I taught Alicia, Angelina, Katie, and Hermione the hazy fog privacy spell. They all learned it fairly quickly and weren''t disappointed that they couldn''t make arge barrier with it like I could. Just learning a new spell that no one else knew had made them happy and they would eventually expand it with practice.


    After settling in to my disappointing school routine, time seemed to pass quickly. Hermione''s birthday was a nice blowout near the end of September and she loved having arge group of friends that actually liked her. October passed and Halloween didn''t have anything happen for the second year in a row. Just likest year, my friends and I gathered in my suite to have a real meal after the feast.


    I took care of the pesky basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, too. It was in an enchanted sleep, I suspected was from the Draught of Living Death, so dispatching it was as easy as slicing its head off with my mythril sword. I mounted the preserved head in my trophy room and added charmed lenses over the eyes, just in case.


    I harvested the meat from the body and sold it for a fortune to the goblins, since it was a delicacy for them to eat a strong monster like that. I also donated the skeleton with a transfigured snake skull to them and they hung it up above the main room of the bank. My idea to charm it to hiss at wizards when they were rude, made themugh. They actually did it and scared the hell out of people, which was hrious.


    My prediction about Ron actually bing likeable and getting friends after cleaning up his mealtime antics, proved to be true. He, Seamus, and Dean ended up bing as thick as thieves, as the old saying goes. I was honestly happy for him and anonymously arranged for a bit more spending money to make its way to him.


    Sirius ck was just as upset about Remus showing up out of the blue like Andromeda was. He had forgotten about the man in his grief and his time in prison wasn''t as bad as it could have been. Even the guard had been upset about it and that was both funny and touching. We gave him an extra drumstick and cranberry sauce in his food containers during the next visit.


    Christmas, or Yule as it was in the wizarding world, came and went. It was another busy time for Santa Harry and I didn''t mind it at all. Making people smile and be extra happy during the holiday season was worth the effort. I stayed for two days with the Greegrasses again and Astoria had a great time egging on her sister Daphne to do more with me and Daphne rose to the challenge eagerly, blushing the whole time.


    New Year''s Eve was another trek across Britain, with added stops for Luna and Ginny, the redhead still passed out after getting a new year kiss, so that rtionship was still a work in progress. She had boldly grabbed my butt, too. Yep, progress.


    School resumed and Minerva McGonagall still hadn''t changed things for Hermione, no matter how many times sheined that the odd ss schedule ruined her ''study time'', probably because Minerva knew what the 16 year old Hermione really meant.


    I juggled my spare time with my girls and did my best to make sure they were happy and not be annoyed at me for not having as much time for them as they wanted. At least they didn''t me me for it, since they all knew my schedule sucked and I was quite vocal about it.


    Not surprisingly, the rest of the year passed by without any incidents, except for Remus having his deepest and darkest secret getting out just after the exams. How that happened was a bit of a mystery, since I and my friends honestly didn''t care. That was when I remembered not searching for and dispelling the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship.


    I mentioned it to my girls and they allughed about me being absent-minded about things that didn''t concern them. I couldn''t deny that they were my priority and that made them all preen a little and look proud, because I wasn''t lying and they knew it.


    I prepared another fiction book, this one about the Chamber of Secrets at PiggyPimples, and it was another best seller. People seemed to love the adventures of Harry Potter, even if they were fake. The basilisk plushie quickly became a huge favorite, because you could squeeze it and it opened its mouth to hiss at you. Little boys all over the world had a great time chasing little girls with it.


    The best part about it was that no one figured out that the hiss the toy made was the same one that Gringotts used to scare their rude customers. Every time they heard the hiss, no matter the source, the little blightersughed.


    The summer passed before I knew it, thanks to the visits with my girls. Astoria was excited for the school year toe, because she could finally attend school and get away from her oppressively caring parents for most of the year. I did not point out that she should be happy they cared so much, mostly because I didn''t want her angry at me. She had been smart and followed Daphne''s example and went into Ravenw, too.


    Since I was 16 and only had a year left before my betrothal contract kicked in, my girls seemed a little desperate to spend as much time with me as possible. Thankfully, Minerva had taken the thousands of tant hints that Hermione had thrown at herst year and changed our schedules. She let us drop History of Magic and Potions officially and both of them were afternoon sses this year.


    Since we took Ancient Runes and Arithmancy as our electives, our mornings were still filled with sses. Hermione wasn''t nervous about the new sses, because she knew I was well ahead of everyone, even the OWL and NEWT students. It was me that helped them each year to pass their exams, after all.


    It was surprisingly easy to slip Astoria into my less restrictive social schedule. Not surprisingly, she almost always tried to rope Daphne into it at the same time. I had an inkling that Astoria enjoyed thepetition as much as Daphne did, probably because she was setting the pace and liked seeing Daphne struggling to keep up with her.


    Funnily enough, Luna seemed to be in the same position, only with Ginny as thepetition and Luna had to urge the girl on to do more. That was hrious, because Luna was a Ravenw and she was forcing a Griffindor to be brave and outgoing. I didn''t mind being the object of their contests of bravery, either. It was adorable watching thempete and try to outdo each other.


    *


    Halloween, Christmas, and New Year''s flew by without incident and a lot of work on my part. Again, I didn''t mind, since everyone appreciated it and I would show up personally. Was I spoiling my girls? Yes, I was. Was I ruining them for any other man''s expectations? Most definitely. Did I regret it? Not even a little bit. Until I was married, they were mine and I wasn''t going to disappoint them.


    *


    No one questioned why Hermione and I were the top of our ss for the third year in a row. It was expected and our friends were along for the ride and filled the top ten, like always. Luna and Ginny were the top of the year below us and Astoria was the top in her year, to her utter delight.


    On the train ride home at the end of the year, Astoria hadn''t glued herself to my side or stopped me from spending time with my other girls. She hadn''t even asked them to return the Official Girlfriend ID cards I had given them. That was fairly mature of her and I thanked her for it, which made her giggle and tell me they would be rare collector''s items after our marriage. Iughed, too.


    *


    I turned 17 on my birthday and the wedding was the biggest event in the wizarding world. It had been years in the making and her parents had been surprised that I had booked St. Paul''s Cathedral for it. I didn''t tell them I had booked it three years ago, just so they thought I did it on a whim and managed to snag the famous church on short notice.


    The entire street was temporarily warded it to keep the muggles away and everyone had been invited. By everyone, I meant everyone. Almost 10,000 witches and wizards showed up to attend and witnessed the marriage of the savior of the wizarding world and his blushing bride. It was ornate, ostentatious, and exactly what everyone expected to see.


    It took half an hour for the ceremony and the binder came to the final words. ¡°Do you, Harry Potter, the best Harry Potter...¡±


    A lot ofughs came from the audience from the joke and the man grinned at my own chuckle.


    ¡°...take this woman, Astoria Greengrass, as yourwfully wedded witch?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I said and slipped the wedding ring onto her hand. It clinked against the four carat diamond engagement ring that Astoria had been too nervous about wearing until today.


    ¡°Do you, Astoria Greengrass...¡± The man started to say.


    ¡°I DO!¡± Astoria blurted excitedly and then blushed, which made everyoneugh again.


    The man chuckled and motioned to the ring.


    Astoria almost fumbled it before she sessfully slipped it onto my ring finger.


    ¡°I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss to your heart''s content.¡± The man said and stepped back, because he knew what wasing.


    ¡°YES!¡± Astoria squealed and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately.


    Cheers and ps came from everyone as we kissed for a full minute. Astoria broke the kiss and looked both embarrassed and proud. I took her hand and held it up, and everyone cheered. There were a lot of teary faces in the crowd, too. We walked down the aisle and the pping continued, as did the tears.


    I waved to everyone and said people''s names when they hollered at us. It was almost like a test, because they looked surprised when I got their names right. I led Astoria out to the waiting limousine and the crowd gathered outside cheered and pped. I waved again, yed the name game a bit more, then ducked into the limo with my bride.


    Astoria looked flushed and her breathing was a little heavy. ¡°How can you handle that so well?¡±


    I gave her a kiss. ¡°Celebrity is as celebrity does, my beautiful bride.¡±


    Astoria shook her head. ¡°That''s not really an answer.¡±


    I grinned at her. ¡°I dealt with a Nundu, dragons, and a basilisk. A crowd of people is nothing.¡±


    Astoria caught her breath and looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°I thought the basilisk was a story!¡±


    ¡°It was a story.¡± I said and she rxed. ¡°That doesn''t mean I didn''t deal with it in another way.¡±


    Astoria opened and closed her mouth several times.


    ¡°The skeleton hanging in the bank is the actual basilisk. It''s not a prop.¡± I said and chuckled. ¡°Well, the skull is. I kept the real head myself.¡±


    Astoria didn''t say anything in response and just stared at me. I patted her thigh and told the driver to head out. I rolled the window down and waved to all my fans, which made them scream and cheer.


    *


    The reception was held in thergest park in London and an open buffet was provided for everyone that came to the wedding. The Hogwarts house elves had been delighted to have so much work to do during the summer and had gone all out to provide enough food for thousands of people, setting a record for the number of people fed during a single meal in the whole country.


    Our families and friends had the central table, so we could be seen and I wasn''t kept from the public. My house elves attended to us and we all enjoyed the meal, conversation, and discussing what was going to happen next... converting the whole park into an outdoor dance hall when the meal was done.


    The whole crowd cheered when they were invited to stay and party.


    *


    ¡°We survived!¡± Astoria eximed as I carried her over the threshold of Greengrass Estates. Because we were still in school, we had decided to hold off on buying a ce to live together. We would split our time between her estate and my castle until we graduated, making both families happy.


    I held in myugh and carried her to her bedroom. Astoria''s face flushed red as I closed the door with my foot. I knew she was nervous, so I stood her up beside her closet instead of tossing her onto the bed. She looked a little lost until I started undressing her.


    ¡°We need to keep your dress so our daughter can get married in style.¡± I whispered to her and her blush went to a deep red.


    ¡°H-H-Harry...¡± Astoria stammered.


    ¡°I know. No kids until you''re ready.¡± I said and she rxed. ¡°That''s not going to stop me from practising a lot.¡±


    Astoria''s eyes widened and I kissed her to distract her from the touchy subject. I kept stripping her and she didn''t even notice she was naked until I dropped to my knees and licked her between the legs.


    ¡°OHHHHHH!¡± Astoria moaned and came hard. It had been the first time I had touched her down there and using my tongue right off the bat hadpletely undone herposure.


    I carried her over to the bed and made sure she enjoyed us finally crossing that line. I eventually kissed my way up her body and ended with my lips on hers and had cast a pain numb spell on her privates. Astoria gasped when I slipped inside of her and then she moaned as I paused to let her body adjust. After a minute, she nodded, so I kissed her again and started to move.


    I used all the things I learned over the years on her and Astoria had the best first time, or so she imed the next morning when she woke up. She was exhausted and blissfully happy, because I was finally hers.


    We stayed in bed until noon, just holding each other, and then dressed and went to the teleportation circle I installed in the spare bedroom. We had packed our bags the week before and I stored them and we teleported to Spain for our three week honeymoon. It would have been longer if we didn''t have to return to get ready for school.


    The Quidditch World Cup happened while we were gone and nothing of note happened, except that Bulgaria won when Victor Krum caught the snitch. Having a few extra years to train their team had made all the difference when they fought against Irnd. Since there were no death eaters left, no one had disrupted the after-game celebrations and everyone had a great time.

 93 The End Is The Beginning

    93 The End Is The Beginning


    I released another best selling book called The Prisoner of Arkham Asylum. The plushie Dementors weren''t as big of sellers as the plushie Acromants, which reminded me that I should take care of that giant spider nest before school started. So, I did that the day before the train left and cleared out the entire brood, stored all of the acromant silk webbing, and sold it by the ton to Madam Malkin.


    With no Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge working together to keep the world ignorant and to bring back the worst dark lord of the century, the Triwizard Tournament hadn''t been brought back into being as a distraction and a political manoeuvre to keep the public''s image of Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts in a positive light.


    So, my fourth year at Hogwarts was a rtively quiet one. Minerva assigned me married quarters in the faint hope that I wouldn''t abuse it, like I had abused the Head Boy and Girl suites in Griffindor Tower thest three years. On the positive side, I was in a central location on the fourth floor. On the negative side, I no longer had constant and easy ess to the Griffindor Flying Foxes.


    I still performed on the Quidditch team to the best of my ability when the captain allowed me to catch the snitch. I was just too good at it to not be held back while they had fun ying, and then I would be allowed to end the game. With the game so skewed towards the seekers, it was no wonder why I didn''t enjoy it anymore. I put in my notice that I was quitting at the end of the year and Angelina didn''t fault me for it.


    The year passed by and the summer arrived, as did the quiet wedding with Daphne. She had grown ustomed to being Astoria''s rival for my affections and she loved that it was now down to just her and her sister. They seemed to wallow in my attention and Daphne was quite tempted to get started on making a Greengrass Heir.


    Her mother Iv convinced her to wait for at least another year, until we passed our OWLs. She also wanted me to time it so that Daphne could have the baby in the summer and wouldn''t have to worry about having it during the school year. Since I had done that with Andromeda, I had no problem doing it again.


    A new DaDa teacher was hired and I thought about disabling the curse, then shrugged. If the staff wasn''t smart enough to change the course name and the ssroom it was held in after all these years, it wasn''t my responsibility to do it for them. I also wanted to wait and see if the person was any good.


    A weekter, I knew the man wasn''t any good and left the curse in ce. Hopefully, Minerva would find someone good for next year.


    My days weren''t as full with having to restrain myself in sses and during my off sses. I hadn''t realized how much time I used up and kept myself upied by making my girls happy and keeping them entertained. With only Astoria and Daphne for me to y with, neither of which were in any of my sses, my days became long and boring.


    My only light in the darkness of boredom was when Luna would suddenly appear, gave me a good snogging and thanked me for giving her the best shags of her life, then she would disappear just as quickly. Every time I tried to say the same thing back, she always stopped me and gave me a dreamy smile, a knowing look, and kissed my cheek.


    *


    With my expert help, my friends and I passed our OWLs with Outstandings. All of them. Even the ones we didn''t take sses for, since we had pretty much self-studied and barely paid attention in ss. Hermione was so happy that she broke Albus Dumbledore''s record of the most OWLs that she offered to marry me with the same contract as Daphne.


    I immediately epted because I wasn''t going to let her get away after making an offer like that. We were married in a quiet ceremony, just like I had with Daphne, and Hermione screamed her head off with pleasure during our wedding night. She had been backed up and hadn''t done anything with anyone, because she loved me and couldn''t force herself to sleep with anyone else.


    Of course, once Hermione opened that avenue to legally get back into my bed without breaking my marriage vows and contract with Astoria, all of my girls chose to follow in her footsteps. Consort contracts were drawn up and were signed by Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Luna, and surprisingly Ginny. Her mother Molly was not happy that she wasn''t Mrs. Potter, though.


    The marriage bonder was busy for the entire summer with so many services to perform and made a lot of money. Since I was super rich, I paid for everything, including new wardrobes for all my girls and anything else they wanted. Most wanted their families protected and living in better homes, so that''s what I did.


    I bought out the rest of Grimmauld ce, the entire subdivision, and converted the row houses into individual mansions. I also bought a bunch of house elves to take care of them. Needless to say, all of their families were ecstatic about it, except for Molly Weasley. She didn''t want to move into some big airy house that didn''t have a homey feel to it and also refused to have The Burrow upgraded.


    So, Ginny, Fred, George, and Percy moved in instead. It was funny that Ron wouldn''t, because he said he was the only child at home now and had all of his mother''s attention. None of the other children had ever had that, so his secret wish to stand out from the rest of his siblings, had been inadvertently granted. I gave him 10,000 galleons for his birthday.


    Sixth year came and went, the only notable thing was getting Ginny and Luna through their OWLs. With mine and Hermione''s notes, they both passed with Outstandings and were very happy. My new book and my merchandise was just as popr as my first releases and my vintage items were worth a lot of money by this point, too.


    Seventh year was what I called ''the pregnancy year'', as most of my wives wanted children and I delivered on that promise. Hermione wanted at least one child before going into the Ministry of Magic to start thesting changes she wanted to implement and make magical society better. Daphne started learning her family''s business and wanted an heir to the Greengrass Estates before she took over.


    The Griffindor Flying Foxes already had their Quidditch careers started with the Wimbourne Wasps and were having a st blowing through their opponents. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie were bing famous in their own rights, only using my name and fame to get them into the sport, because they really were the best chaser team to exist and easily outpaced the veteran teams they went against.


    The only exceptions to the child boom were Luna, Ginny, and Astoria. It was Astoria''s OWL year and she couldn''t take time off to have her child be born at the same time and grow up together with the rest. Ginny only had one more year before she graduated and wanted to be a Quidditch star with the Griffindor Flying Foxes. Luna put it off and wanted to travel and look for more fabled beasts.


    With their choices made, Ipromised and let them do what they wanted. Yes, it was a cop-out. It was also the best way to make them happy and only required a lot of work on my part to make it happen. So, that''s what I did. I became a stay-at-home dad, spent my Karma points liberally to ensure my family''s happiness, and took over running the household to let my wives have careers.


    I also released thest of the fiction books about Harry Potter''s seventh year at PiggyPimples. It was pretty funny seeing people''s reactions to horcruxes and how Moldevort cheated death, especially when they expressed relief that he never did that for real. That made meugh pretty hard when I was alone.


    *


    Life continued and my girls were as happy as can be. I stayed at home and released more books over the years, just to keep myself busy. It was fairly easy to steal stories from other people when those people didn''t exist in the HP world and their stories were never published or made into cartoons, anime, manga, or movies.


    The fictional Harry Potter went on many new and outrageous adventures and everyone loved reading them. They also loved me, since I was not reclusive and made sure to go out with my wives and children every couple of weeks, which kept myself and my brand in the public eye. That I could still do the naming trick with random people, gave them all a thrill.


    I still wouldn''t call Ron by his name, though. It was always ''hey, you'' and ''it doesn''t ring a bell'' when he tried to get me to say it. Ron and his kidsugh about it now. He married Fay Dunbar, the one Griffindor girl in my year that didn''t sumb to my charms. Our kids yed together when we visited the Burrow to watch the memories of Ginny''s Quidditch games.


    Making a portable pensieve that worked like a projector was fairly easy, once Minerva retired from Hogwarts and donated the one the headmaster had to me. I gave her a new one and a trunk filled with my most precious memories, which included several of her detentions. I didn''t mean to make her cry over my gift, so I contacted my wives and they gave me permission for onest detention.


    *


    All of the kids went to Hogwarts in a huge group. The mix of boys and girls were almost a whole ss by themselves and took the school by storm. They were as smart as Hermione and as boisterous as Lavender, which meant they were extremely popr with the other kids. They were all sorted into Griffindor, too.


    The sorting hat made everyoneugh as he sat on each of their heads and groaned about having to sort another damn Potter kid. Even the professors wereughing by the time thest went into Griffindor, as if there was any doubt about where my progeny would end up.


    *


    I might have gone a little overboard with the Karma point spending when I ensured my grandchildren were taken care of and were magically powerful. I just couldn''t resist passing a few of my abilities on to them, since this was my reward world and I wanted my family to be happy for years toe.


    Handing over my extensive teleportationwork to Harry James Potter The Third, cost me 5,000 Karma points. The wide eyes and brilliant smile he wore, gave me reassurance that he would maintain it and would have fun with all the ces he could travel for only a touch of magic.


    I was aging normally and getting up there in years, which meant my time wasing to an end. I could almost feel iting and was prepared for it. My wives were getting up there, too. Since I didn''t want to watch them pass away, I told them I was moving on before they could make me suffer like that. Hermione''s wizened old hand smacked my head and everyoneughed.


    I gave each and every one of my wives a kiss on the lips and each child a kiss on the cheek, then gave each grandchild a kiss on the forehead and wished them to have long and fruitful lives like I had. I packed up my backpack and my trunks, stored them in my extra-dimensional space, and left the house. It didn''t take me long to reach where I needed to go.


    I handed over the passkey that Minister of Magic Hermione Granger had given me when I reached the security guard detachment in the Ministry''s lobby. The head guard stared at the gold card and shook his head, then hit several buttons on his desk. A secret door behind him opened and a ck cloaked figure stepped out.


    ¡°Right this way, Mister Potter.¡± A feminine voice said and waved me into the passage.


    ¡°Thank you, madam.¡± I said and walked by her. I stopped just inside the doorway and waited for her to shut it before I spoke again. ¡°I assume you know why I''m here?¡±


    ¡°We''ve been waiting for you to show up for about 70 years.¡± She said with a soft chuckle.


    I barked augh and motioned for her to lead the way. She nodded and I followed her down the stairs ten levels and we came out into a circr room. She didn''t close the door and opened the door right next to it, then closed the first one. I stepped into the room and there it was. The thing I had put off for decades. The Veil of Death.


    ¡°Do you mind if I observe this?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I would have stunned you already if I did.¡± I said with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Grandmum warned me you were direct to a fault.¡± She said, fondly.


    I understood right away who she was and why I almost recognized her voice. ¡°Since I''m leaving, I don''t feel guilty about saying Susan Bones-Fletchly ruined her only real opportunity for true happiness.¡±


    The cloaked woman sighed and pulled her hood down to reveal strawberry-blonde hair and looked a lot like Susan. ¡°People imed they don''t remember what happened that first year. They''re all liars.¡±


    I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It''s okay, Fiona. Nymphadora No-Name is familiar with Susan''s pain, too. She was too focused on her own goals to bother thinking about how much I could have helped her.¡±


    Fiona looked surprised that I knew her name and sighed. ¡°The Potter family is well known for that. How the men choose to stay at home so that their wives can have happy and fulfilling lives.¡±


    I smiled at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. ¡°I can''t offer you the same thing, since I really am leaving.¡±


    Fiona gave me a pointed look and then looked at the stone arch. ¡°I think you''re the first person documented to volunteer to go through the thing.¡±


    I let her shoulder go and walked over to the Veil. ¡°I doubt I am the first. You lot are too curious to not try different things like only putting a hand or a head in, using a rope and jumping in, or trying to use muggle things to probe it.¡±


    Fiona looked shocked and I chuckled, only it sounded like a cackle because I was so old.


    ¡°There was one thing you lot forgot to do, though. You see, in order to properly traverse the barrier without dying, you need to find an appropriate bribe.¡± I said and took out my invisibility cloak.


    Fiona gasped at the thing. It was almost glowing, since it was so close to the source of its power.


    ¡°The Deathly Hallow, the Cloak of Invisibility. It''s centuries old. Older than most of the family names in Britain.¡± I said and moved it towards the Veil.


    ¡°NO!¡± Fiona gasped and tried to run to me, only to find she was frozen in ce. ¡°You can''t let such a powerful magical object be destroyed!¡±


    I chuckled my cackleugh. ¡°I''m not destroying it, my dear. I''m returning it to an old friend.¡±


    Fiona watched as the edge of the cloak touched the barrier and it was sucked in. She let out a sad sound and I smiled as I took out the stone.


    ¡°The Deathly Hallow, the Resurrection Stone.¡± I said and held it up for her to see. Tears came to her eyes and I created a tray to put the stone on and put the edge of the tray into the Veil. Nothing happened until the stone touched the energy and then it and the tray were sucked in.


    ¡°Please... please don''t.¡± Fiona whispered, her cheeks wet from her tears.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Fiona. I''ve put this off for far too long. I really should have left years ago and couldn''t resist sticking around to see how things turned out without any evil in the world. A magical utopia where everyone is happy, was worth the dy.¡±


    Fiona gasped when I took out the Elder Wand.


    I held it up to show her. ¡°The Deathly Hallow, The Death Stick. Nothing good ever came from it.¡± I said and turned it around in my hand, so that I was holding the end with the handle out. ¡°Goodbye, Fiona.¡± I said and smiled at her, turned around as I held the wand out as if offering it to the Veil, and stepped though.

 94 Everyone Must Pay The Toll

    94 Everyone Must Pay The Toll


    Instead of showing up in Kings Cross Station or the ce Limbo would be to represent whomever passed on as a safe ce, I was floating back in the nothingness.


    <b>You really need to take a ss about excessive spending and financial security.</b>


    I snorted andughed. <i>I really did go all out, didn''t I?</i>


    <b>More than you realize, especially at the end there with exchanging the Deathly Hallows.</b>


    <i>Hold on, that cost me Karma points and didn''t earn them?</i> I asked, curious as to the reason why.


    <b>Definitely. You see, you removed Death''s influence from the world. The wand will no longer im extra souls early from all the deaths and destruction it caused, the stone can''t inflict more misery in the future to im more souls, and the cloak can''t deliver the souls of your descendants to greet Death as a long lost friend.</b>


    <i>Oh.</i> I thought. My screw up was a fairlyrge one after hearing that. <i>Can you give Death my regrets? I hadn''t realized the consequences of giving them their possessions back. I thought I was helping them by returning their lost powers.</i>


    Fate''s smaller blue box appeared. <b>Don''t worry about it, Sweetie. Death is only slightly pissed at you, since you did have good intentions about returning those Objects of Power.</b>


    I felt a shiver go down my spine. <i>Wait, wait, wait. You, my Fate that screws me over regrly, has been talking to Death about how pissed they are?</i>


    The little blue box showed the word ''giggle''. <b>We''ve be good friends.</b>


    <i>Well, fuck.</i> I thought and the small blue box showed a winking eye and disappeared.


    <b>Please choose a Protagonist to rece. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Night Of The Living Dead: Rece Ben</b>


    <i>I can''t believe the dearth of choices I have! Thank you.</i> I thought sarcastically.


    <b>World Chosen: Night of the Living Dead. Kharmic Debt: -835. Timeline Insertion choice removed. Appropriate memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    Before I could do more than open my mouth, everything went ck.


    *


    I slowly opened my eyes and felt something inside my forehead. Not on it. Inside it. With dawning horror of where in the movie I had been inserted, I braced for the hit of memories. A heavy weight mmed into my forehead and I groaned loudly as 26 years of normal memories and two days of living in a zombie horror film filtered through my mind.


    I didn''t hear the shuffling of feet or the clicks of guns, because I was reeling from the fact that it was the end of the movie and I had been shot in the head. They hadn''t even checked to see if I was a zombie first and had shot me through an open window.


    ¡°You must have missed, Fred! This one''s still kicking!¡± A man''s voice said.


    I groaned again as I opened my eyes and saw several gun barrels close to my face, then they fired.


    *


    Thankfully, I didn''t feel my head exploding and woke up back in the nothingness.


    <b>That was fast.</b>


    <i>Yeah, waking up already dead with a dozen men around you with their guns already aimed and cocked to kill you again, doesn''t take long.</i> I thought, my mind still reeling from being inserted and then removed so quickly. I hadn''t finished processing the memories yet and I was already back.


    <b>Let''s get right back to it.


    Please choose a Protagonist to rece. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Dawn Of The Living Dead: Rece Steven Andrews</b>


    <i>I''m pretty sure I know where this is going.</i> I thought with resignation.


    <b>World Chosen: Dawn of the Living Dead. Kharmic Debt: -535. Timeline Insertion choice removed. Appropriate memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    I held in my sigh as everything went ck, because I knew this was going to be bad.


    *


    I woke up on the floor of an elevator, covered in blood and bite marks, with pieces of me missing. I didn''t try to move, because I was about to be hit with a massive amount of memories. I braced as best as I could while writing in pain and the familiar heavy weight mmed into my forehead.


    I groaned as 36 years of normal memories flowed through my mind. After that was a month of dealing with a zombie outbreak crisis in Phdelphia and escaping the city with my girlfriend in a stolen helicopter. We had some near misses gathering fuel and eventually ended upnding on a shopping mall. I liked the months of luxury as we lived inside a fully stocked shopping mall.


    Then it was ruined by a motorcycle gang breaking in and destroying all our hard work to secure and clean up the ce. The zombies were everywhere and Steven had been stupid in trying to get revenge on the idiots by being an idiot himself. He ended up shot, mobbed by zombies, then died.


    That''s where I was now. It was also why I wasn''t healing or able to move on my own. I was dead. How that worked, since if the protagonist dies, I was supposed to move on. Suddenly, my body stirred as if on autopilot. I slowly rose to my feet... well, one foot and one broken ankle that hurt like a son of a bitch every time I stepped on it and the foot hanging off of it flopped out of the way.


    The elevator doors opened and several zombies were there. They struggled briefly to attack me, only pausing when they saw I was a zombie as well. I rolled my eyes at them for being stupid and they moved off. My body stumbled on its own out of the elevator and started walking a familiar path.


    I tried to not groan and watched helplessly as I entered the hidden area that Steven and his friends had so meticulously hidden. I banged and wed at the fake wall and other zombies joined me. We broke through after only a few minutes and my body led the others down the hidden hallway to the door and hidden stairwell.


    My body stumbled up the stairs, imcably moving towards where his friends lived, and I tried to stop myself. I could do nothing but watch as my blood covered hand opened the door at the top of the stairs. I stumbled into the room beyond and tried to close the door, only it hit the foot of the zombie behind me.


    I held in my sigh at seeing the tall ck man pointing his high powered rifle at my forehead. I opened my mouth to groan at him, maybe to tell him I wasn''t a danger to him, though I clearly was, and he didn''t pause as he took aim and fired.


    This time, I actually did feel the bullet pass through my brains and blow out the back of my skull. I stumbled backwards with my eyes wide, stunned at the feeling, then the door opened and pushed me aside. I fell to the floor and ckness consumed me.


    *


    <b>Yousted a bit longer this time.</b>


    <i>Not that I had a choice. I was just along for the ride.</i> I thought and tried to work through why I was being systematically tortured. I had been in a much higher negative Karmic Debt before and I didn''t suffer like this. Then I remembered that Death was a little pissed at me. If this was what happened when they were only pissed off, I was supremely d that death wasn''t angry at me.


    <b>You seemed to be doing well, so let''s keep going.</b>


    <b>Please choose a Protagonist to rece. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Day Of The Living Dead: Rece Miguel Szar</b>


    <i>I can''t wait to find out how I die this time.</i> I thought sarcastically.


    <b>World Chosen: Day of the Living Dead. Kharmic Debt: -235. Timeline Insertion choice removed. Appropriate memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    I close my eyes and waited for the inevitable.


    *


    I opened my eyes just in time to feel thirty zombies chewing on my guts that were no longer on the inside. How Death could justify putting me in that position didn''t make sense, until I tried to move and my thumb pressed a button. There was a loud bang as locking brakes released and therge tform I was on shuddered. It started to lower as another 36 years of memories mmed into my forehead.


    I groaned under the weight of being eaten and also reliving Miguel''s pathetic life as a grunt soldier. His only redeeming quality was that he was dating a beautiful woman far out of his league, Doctor Sarah Bowman. He had also broken down emotionally as the world went to hell around him and was overrun with zombies.


    Since the idiot saw no point in trying to live in a hopeless world, despite being with the love of his life, he tried to end it all and condemned the underground army base to death by bringing in hundreds of walking dead. Right at the point that I realized I was now that idiot and had pushed the button to let them in, a heavy boot dropped down onto my face and ended my existence.


    *


    <b>I''m not even going toment.</b>


    I did not point out that in itself was ament. I already had an aspect of reality pissed off at me and I didn''t need another one.


    <b>Please choose a Protagonist to rece. Warning: Limited choices are avable.


    Land Of The Living Dead: Rece Cholo DeMora</b>


    I didn''t bother trying to think of anything in response. I just hoped this would be thest one.


    <b>World Chosen: Land of the Living Dead. Kharma points: 135. Timeline Insertion choice removed. Appropriate memories will be added when you wake up and you will be disoriented for several minutes. Good luck with your new life!</b>


    <i>Thank god I''m into positive numbers again!</i> I thought happily as everything went ck.


    *


    I woke up sitting against a stone pir in a parking garage, with several bullet wounds in my body, and it had bled out. My body moved on its own and stood as almost 40 years of life tore through my mind. The poor guy worked his ass off for years, surviving in the hellhole the world had be, and worked as thepdog of a scummy rich asshole on the side and doing the man''s dirty work.


    It was all for the promise to move into an apartment in a high rise building in the middle of Pittsburgh. Fucking Pittsburgh! Then the rich asshole denied him when he finished his contract. I was pissed, just as pissed as Cholo was, and I came to as my undead hands wrapped around the rich scum''s neck and my mouth tried to bite him.


    I was pressing him up against the front of a limousine when I heard a metallic rattleing closer. Both I and the rich scum I was trying to eat turned our heads to see what it was, only to freeze at the sight of a lit propane tank rolling towards therge puddle of spilled gasoline on the ground at our feet.


    ¡°NOOO!¡± The rich moron yelled and then the gasoline fumes lit and the tank and car exploded.


    I smiled in satisfaction as the rich scum was blown apart and everything went ck.


    *


    <b>You''re actually happy about that, even though you didn''t have a hand in the oue.</b>


    <i>Yeah, it''s satisfying when the real bad guy gets it in the end.</i> I thought with a chuckle.


    <b>You humans are weird.</b>


    Iughed. <i>You''re just getting to that conclusion?</i>


    <b>You just died four times in a row without any powers. Just because yourst death killed a weak man, your entire countenance has changed to show relief and happiness. It''s weird.</b>


    <i>I agree. As long as those in charge are getting a good show out of my performances, especially my best girl Fate, I think this thing is going to go on for a while.</i> I thought and then remembered I really should get a move on. <i>All right, handler. Now that Death got what they wanted, hook me up with the next set of choices. I''ve finally got positive Karma points and I want to see what it unlocks.</i>


    <b>Like I said. You humans are weird. Here you go.</b>


    <b>Please choose a Protagonist to rece. Warning: Only avable choices are shown.


    Terminator: Rece Kyle Reece


    Terminator 2: Rece John Connor


    Dragonball: Rece Goku


    Dragonball Z: Rece Goku


    Dragonball Super: Rece Goku


    The Chronicles of Riddick: Rece Richard B. Riddick


    Konosuba (God''s Blessing on this Wonderful World): Rece Satou Kazuma


    The Wick Chronicles: Rece John Wick


    The Matrix Trilogy: Rece Neo (John Anderson)


    Neon Genesis Evangelion: Rece Shinji Ikari


    The Robocop Trilogy: Rece Alex Murphy


    The de Trilogy: Rece de


    The Power Rangers: Rece The Green Ranger


    Transformers (The 80s Animated Series): Rece Spike Witwicki


    Transformers (The Animated Movie): Rece Spike Witwicki


    Transformers (The Live Action Movies) : Rece Spike Witwicki


    Bleach: Rece Ichigo Kurosaki


    Sword Art Online: Rece Kazuto ''Kirito'' Kirigaya


    Star Wars Episode I: Rece Obi-wan Kenobi


    Star Wars Episode II: Rece Anakin Skywalker


    Star Wars Episode III: Rece Darth Vader


    Star Wars Episode IV: Rece Luke Skywalker


    Star Wars Episode V: Rece Han Solo


    Star Wars Episode VI: Rece Luke Skywalker


    One Piece: Rece Monkey D. Luffy


    The X-Men (90s Animated Series): Rece Cyclops


    The X-Men Trilogy (Live Action Movies): Rece Wolverine


    The X-Men (Comics): Rece Professor Xavier


    Buffy The Vampire yer (The TV Series): Rece Xander Harris


    Full Metal Alchemist: Rece Alphonse Elric


    Star Trek (The Original Series): Rece Captain Kirk


    Star Trek The Next Generation: Rece Commander William Riker


    Star Trek Voyager: Rece Commander Chakotay


    Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Rece Commander Benjamin Sisko


    Star Trek Enterprise: Rece Chief Engineer Charles ''Trip'' Tucker III


    Star Trek Discovery: Rece Saru (pacifist alien)


    Star Trek Picard: Rece Jean-Luc Picard</b>


    <i>Holy shit!</i> I thought, shocked. I knew I would be getting some options with positive Karma; but, this was a little ridiculous. <i>I''m almost scared to ask why I have so many choices.</i>


    <b>You had 700 choices thest time you had positive Karma. This is a severely truncated list.</b>


    <i>Right, right. Okay. Let me just read these options again.</i> I thought and spent a very long time just reading everything and then seeing if there was any additional info for them. Most were self-exnatory, so I didn''t waste too much time on those. It was the ones I wasn''t familiar with that I needed in-depth information on.


    I would skip a lot of them, mostly because I didn''t want to be hooked up toputers or have my body only be armor, a programmed metal endoskeleton, or experimented on. That really cut down on my choices. My skills and abilities wouldn''t help me much in the Star Trek options, so those were out. The Star Wars ones would work really well, since Jedi and magic almost went hand-in-hand.


    I read them over again and looked at the anime choices. Bleach was out, since a lot of it dealt with the soul and leaving my body behind. I did not want my soul corrupted, either. Full Metal Alchemist was out for a simr reason. I also wasn''t fussy on being a pirate on the open seas with a severe weakness to water. That was just asking for trouble.


    After reading them again, I was leaning towards one of the Dragonball options. Then again, nearly all of them had world-ending creatures and aliens attacking all the time. If I didn''t power up fast, I would be killed before the story even got started.


    With my thoughts about powering up quickly, my eyes drifted over the X-Men, the Power Rangers, and Transformers. I was severely debating bing Professor X, then my eyes caught the only option that could shoot me to immense strength very quickly.


    <b>You have chosen ''Konosuba: God''s Blessing on this Wonderful World''. Since there is only a single instance where the protagonist died and it affected the story, your insertion point will be after his initial death and when he appears in front of the minor goddess Aqua.


    Good luck with your new life!</b>


    <i>Wait a second! You didn''t say anything about getting memories!</i> I thought as everything went ck.

 95 Blessing From A Goddess (Konosuba – God’s Blessing on… World)

    95 Blessing From A Goddess (Konosuba ¨C God¡¯s Blessing on¡­ World)


    I opened my eyes and I was sitting on a in wooden chair in a ce shrouded in darkness. The only thing I could see was a more borate white chair with a nightstand beside it about ten feet away. A book was on the nightstand and I wondered what it was, because I wasn''t being forced to relive however many years Satou Kazuma lived in the normal world. It was an honestly freeing experience to not have an instant headache like usual.


    I heard high heels cking on the floor behind me, so I turned my head to look. There she was, an inappropriately dressed goddess named Aqua, and holy hell I could see right up her skirt without her bending over. She was wearing a white thong and I honestly thought that was too in for a goddess to be wearing.


    <i>Where was thece and ck garters? The thigh-high see-through hose? The low-cut cleavage bearing top?</i> I shook those thoughts from my head and tried to not let my disappointment show on my face.


    Aqua walked by me as she spoke. ¡°Satou Kazuma-san. Wee to the Afterlife.¡±


    My eyes went to her practically bare ass as she strutted by. <i>Yep, she definitely needs somece to highlight that ass properly.</i>


    ¡°Unfortunately, you passed away moments ago.¡± Aqua said and walked over to her chair and sat down, crossing her legs. ¡°Your life was a short one; but, you are in fact dead.¡±


    Silence filled the air around us, mostly because I had nothing to say. She did, though.


    ¡°By the way, the girl you pushed out of the way to save her life? She would have been fine if you hadn''t acted.¡± Aqua said, a smile blossoming on her face. ¡°That tractor was going to stop before it hit her.¡±


    I remained silent, just to see if she would keep going without me prompting her. She did.


    ¡°You died of shock because you mistakenly thought a truck had run over you.¡± Aqua said and uncrossed her legs, barely holding herself back, then she burst outughing and gave me several nice shots up her skirt as she writhed on her chair andughed her ass off. ¡°I''ve been doing this for a long time and you''re the first human to ever die in such a bizarre way!¡±


    I watched as she turned mostly to the side and herughs slowed to giggles.


    ¡°You were so terrified that you''d be run over, you wet yourself. You passed out and were taken to a nearby hospital and the doctors and nursesughed at you as you had a heart attack!¡± Aqua said as she calmed down, then she stood and walked over to me to bend down with her face in front of mine. ¡°Your family rushed to the hospital and now they''reughing out loud at the cause of death.¡±


    I didn''t react and she let out a little huff.


    ¡°Anyways, I''ve vented enough stress for now.¡± Aqua said and stood up straight. ¡°My name is Aqua. I''m a goddess who guides humans who die young to the afterlife.¡±


    My eyes dropped from her face to closely examine her breasts. Surprisingly, they were a little saggy and hung slightly to the sides, clearly showing that she wasn''t wearing any kind of support there. When she moved her arms, they jiggled and proved that she needed it.


    ¡°You have two choices. You can start from square one with a new life or you can go to Heaven and carry on like an old man.¡± Aqua said.


    My mind immediately reyed thest twenty years of my life as Harry Potter. Being an old man surrounded by family sounded pretty damn good. She must have seen it on my face, because she immediately bent over at the waist and her breasts jiggled a lot. Like, a lot a lot.


    ¡°To tell you the truth.¡± Aqua stage-whispered loudly. ¡°Heaven isn''t the dreamy ce you all imagine it to be. Not only is there no TV, there''s no manga and games, either.¡±


    That didn''t really discourage me, actually.


    ¡°You don''t have a physical body, so nothing sexual goes on, either. There''s nothing to do but bask in the sun for all eternity.¡± Aqua said. ¡°You don''t want to go to a boring ce like Heaven, do you?¡±


    I raised a single eyebrow at her.


    ¡°On the other hand, starting over from square one isn''t so fun, either.¡± Aqua said, conspiratorially. ¡°On that note, I''ve got a great offer for you!¡±


    I watched as she stood up and her breasts shook, then she took a dramatic pose and began her speech.


    ¡°A world that has long known peace is being threatened by the Devil King''s army! The livelihoods its citizens have worked for are being trampled by monsters! Everyone lives in fear of the Devil King''s army''s merciless pige and ughter!¡± Aqua eximed and spread her arms wide as a dramatic light turned on overhead to bathe her in golden light.


    I blinked my eyes at the show, because her skirt billowed and gave me another great view. The light suddenly turned off with a loud click and Aqua bent back over to look into my eyes.


    ¡°Since that''s the sort of world it is, everyone refuses to be reborn and the poption is declining.¡± Aqua said in a normal voice.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°So, we decided. Why not send people who''ve died in other worlds there with their bodies and memories intact?¡± Aqua asked, rhetorically.


    ¡°So, you''re sending me there to die?¡± I asked, just in case she needed the excuse to keep going.


    ¡°Ha ha! No! I''m going to do you a huge favor. I''m going to grant you the right to bring any one thing of your choosing with you. It could be a powerful weapon or a tremendous talent.¡± Aqua said and crossed her arms. ¡°You''ll be able to redo your life with all of your original memories and bring one thing of your choosing.¡±


    An odd glow came from behind me, which I ignored.


    ¡°The people of that parallel world will earn someone battle-ready to help them.¡± Aqua said, her face beaming a fake smile. ¡°Not a bad deal, don''t you think?¡±


    I sat there as the light behind me faded. ¡°All right, Aqua. Show me what you got.¡±


    Aquaughed and did a kind of magical girl pose as she twirled around and lights and magic sparkled all over as dramatic music yed. ¡°Now choose! I''ll grant you one power that is second to none!¡±


    Then she tossed a pile of parchment papers at me and sat down on her chair. A bowl of potato chips appeared on her nightstand and she started eating them.


    I flipped through the pages quickly and didn''t see what I wanted. ¡°I need a list of skills and abilities, please. These are just worthless items.¡±


    Aqua gasped and gave me a re. ¡°They are not worthless!¡±


    I held up the page with the picture of a hammer. ¡°A cheap copy of Thor''s Mijolnir. It''s only half as powerful and doesn''t grant the user magical armor.¡± I said and held up another with a sword. ¡°An even cheaper copy of the legendary Excalibur, only it doesn''t grant the King title or gives mends to rule over.¡±


    Aqua waved a hand at the stack of parchment and they scattered and disappeared. ¡°We aren''t legally allowed to use the real items. Copyright infringement is a real thing, you know!¡±


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°Does that go for the skills and abilities, too? I can get the adamantium skeleton of Wolverine and not the healing factor, so I die of metal poisoning in a few hours?¡±


    Aqua opened her mouth to respond hotly and arge glowing portal opened above us. We both turned to look at it as a gorgeous pink-haired angel with white wings floated down tond about twenty feet away.


    ¡°Your analysis is correct, Kazuma-san.¡± The beautiful angel said. ¡°What is it that you would request if certain restrictions can still be met?¡±


    I thought about that for a moment and then smiled. ¡°Asking for you toe along would be out of order, because with God as my witness, your wings wouldn''t stay white for long.¡±


    The angel giggled and gave my body a searching look. ¡°It''s tempting to descend to the mortal world to experience that, as long as we married first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I''ve met that qualification before.¡± I said and bowed slightly to her. ¡°It''s just as restrictive now.¡±


    The angel nodded. ¡°Make your actual request, please.¡±


    ¡°Do the heroes have a level cap in that world?¡± I asked.


    The angel looked thoughtful for several seconds. ¡°Apparently, they do. No one has ever reached it.¡±


    I knew then what I wanted to ask for. ¡°If it''s possible, I want the skill ''unlimited rapid growth''.¡±


    ¡°You can''t ask for that!¡± Aqua gasped.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah! You said you would grant me a power that is second to none.¡± I said and her mouth snapped closed. ¡°Did you lie? Is this all a sham to throw cannon fodder at the Demon King as a dy tactic?¡±


    The angel looked surprised. ¡°Kazuma-san, I assure you...¡±


    ¡°A simple yes or no is sufficient.¡± I interrupted and her mouth snapped closed, too. ¡°I assume that means you can''t lie or obscure the truth when asked to answer directly like that?¡±


    The angel nodded. Wordy replies let them hide the truth, apparently.


    ¡°Shall I be granted the skill or not?¡± I asked. ¡°Again, a simple yes or no answer.¡±


    ¡°How dare you...¡± Aqua started to say.


    ¡°<b>Your skill will be granted.</b>¡± A booming voice echoed through the space we were in. ¡°<b>In exchange, if you seed in defeating the Devil King and his army, you will not receive the reward of any wish you want.</b>¡±


    I thought about that for a moment and nodded. ¡°That''s fair, Holiest of Holy. If the skill actually works as intended, I should be able to grant my own wishes eventually.¡±


    A chucklingugh echoed for a second and then faded away.


    ¡°You will be given a choice to stay or return to your world when your journey is over.¡± The pink-haired angel informed me.


    ¡°That''s also fair.¡± I said and gave her a warm smile. ¡°We can get married then and fulfill your fondest wish before I move on.¡±


    The angel''s eyes widened at my words and then sheughed. ¡°It''ll be the shortest marriage in history.¡±


    I grinned at her and didn''t correct her assumption. My marriage to Hestia was the shortest at 33 minutes. The floor below me lit up in a huge magic circle that I memorized, sure that it woulde in handyter, and I felt something poke the back of my brain.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I said and waved to the darkness, then my body floated up into the air and a huge portal opened up. A blinding sh lit the space up as I entered it... and I appeared standing on a dirt road just inside the walled-in starter town for adventurers called Axel.


    The first thing I did was duck behind the small house nearby and used my magic detection spell. There was someone inside the house, a woman and a child, so I avoided the windows as I stripped off my clothes and pulled my backpack out of my dimensional storage space. I put on my bodysuit and then donned my full armor set.


    I kept the Hestia Familia emblem on the chest, since the whole point was to show it off. If anyone asked me about it, my personal Goddess Hestia was going to be known here, too. I strapped my mythril sword to my hip and put my backpack back into my storage space, changed my hair to white and lengthened it, and walked around the house to go into the main part of the town.


    As I walked, I finished altering my features to my normal handsome face. There would be no insults or making fun of me for having an average-looking face. No sir. I didn''t want people to dislike me or think I was untrustworthy, just because I didn''t look rugged enough to be an adventurer.


    I saw a lot of happy peasants as I walked. The children ran and yed, men worked at odd jobs, and women looked happy to be tending house and taking care of their families. I also saw a lot of adventurers. The outfits on the female adventurers ranged from slightly provocative to downright sleazy; and yet, they carried it off with a confidence that wascking in any other culture.


    The men were like me, heavily clothed and armored. Anyone that wasn''t was probably a magic user of some kind. Or a thief. Or a rogue. Or poor andzy. I had to chuckle at those thoughts, because if you wanted to work, there were tons of jobs to do everywhere. This was the starter city for a reason. People started their careers here.


    A man wearing an armored chest te and thick helmet walked by. He wore normal pants and his arms were bare, so he either ran out of money for more armor or he was a close ranged fighter with a weak upper body defense. His femalepanion wasn''t much better.


    She wore a stylized bra and in brown cloth panties, two pieces of split cloth as a skirt that barely covered the cheeks of her ass as she walked, and had armor pieces on her shoulders. That was it. She was fairly pretty, though. Maybe that was enough for her? Even her boots were in and not armored.


    I slowed my walking down and looked over at a group of adventurers chatting beside the road. I could clearly see who was a fighter and who was a mage. It was almost like a uniform standard for the women to wear revealing clothing. Bare abs there, deep cleavage over there, and lengths of glorious thighs everywhere. Some outfits were like bathing suits, bikinis, and thin bodysuits.


    When I saw a young woman about 18 wearing a skin-tight purple bodysuit, I had to walk over and introduce myself. She was my preferred body type with a slender build, small breasts, and a cracking ass. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw me approaching her.


    I chuckled at her taking a step back from me and I reached up and took off my helmet. That let her see my shoulder length white hair and I cast a silent wind spell to have my hair flutter. The young woman blushed slightly and smiled at me.


    ¡°Hi, there. I''m sorry to interrupt your conversation.¡± I said and the other members of her party stopped talking and turned to look at me.


    The woman fighter was wearing a red and white bathing suit with a metal breastte and had a huge sword hanging from her belt. She gave me a very pointed inspection and looked like she liked what she saw as she smiled widely.


    ¡°You shouldn''t bother with the newbie until she has more experience. If you''re looking for some exciting... conversation... you don''t have to look any further than right here.¡± The woman fighter said seductively and motioned to herself.


    I ignored her tant flirting and only looked at the girl in the bodysuit. ¡°I saw you when I was passing by and realized I needed to introduce myself. I''m Satou.¡± I said and bowed slightly, took her hand, and kissed the back of it. ¡°Could I talk to you for a few minutes and ask you how to get to the Adventurer''s Guild?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I was talking to you!¡± The woman warrior said and took an aggressive step towards me.


    The guy with a bare chest and short leather jacket grabbed her arm to stop her. ¡°Denitha, stop. Look at his armor.¡±


    ¡°I saw it.¡± She spat at him. ¡°I was trying to stake my im on the rich boy!¡±


    That got my attention, so I looked at her. ¡°What makes you think I''m rich?¡±


    ¡°You had the piles and piles of Eris to buy that from a professional cksmith! Of course you''re rich!¡± The woman warrior almost shouted, which gained a lot of attention from other adventurers and most of the nearby peasants.


    ¡°I didn''t buy this armor.¡± I said and saw her face go angry, as if she was going to use me of stealing it. ¡°I made it myself.¡±


    That caused every single man, woman, and child in the area to freeze. The adventurers looked stunned, the thief trying to sneak up behind me stumbled and fell because he was in mid-creep, and the peasants all had open mouths as they stared at me.


    I ignored it all and looked back at the young woman whose hand I still held. ¡°How do I get to the Adventurer''s Guild?¡±


    ¡°Walk straight until you cross the bridge, take a left to get onto the main street, and then follow it to the city center. The guild hall is off to the right and you can''t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± I said and kissed her hand again. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Amilie.¡±


    The young woman nodded and I let her hand go before I walked away. No one moved or tried to follow me, not even the thief.


    There was a sharp intake of breath behind me. ¡°How did he know my name? I never told him what it was!¡±


    I chuckled and walked faster, just in case they got it into their heads toe after me and find out. Magic detection was a great spell and gave me all sorts of information when I spammed it.

 96 Adventure Waits For No One

    96 Adventure Waits For No One


    The Adventurer''s Guild Hall was quiterge, several stories high, and had arge cloth banner of the guild''s symbol on it. No written words were there, probably because not a lot of people could read on this world.


    I pushed open therge creaking doors and stepped inside therge open area. It was filled with statues, armor and weapon disys, creature skeletons, couches, nts, and a dozen tables with various adventurers sitting at them. There were also short plinths and short streetmps scattered around for some reason. Did they not have normal lights to hang from the ceiling?


    A pretty blonde barmaid was passing by and turned around to face me. She was holding severalrge tankards of ale easily, as if they weighed nothing. ¡°Wee to the Adventurer''s Guild. If you''re here to eat, please sit on any avable seat and someone will serve you promptly. If you need job guidance, head to the counter inside.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± I said and waved to her.


    The barmaid''s happy smile seemed to freeze on her face when her eyes actually saw me. My armor really was quite eye-catching, which was why I made it that way.


    ¡°Hey!¡± A muscr man at a nearby table almost shouted.


    The barmaid made an ''eep'' sound and quickly walked off.


    ¡°I haven''t seen you around before.¡± The man said and pointed to my chest. ¡°That''s some really fancy armor you have there.¡±


    I nodded and walked over to him. ¡°It has caught the eye of a helpless maiden or ten.¡± I joked and heughed. ¡°I just arrived in town and came right here. I want to be an adventurer to fight the Devil King''s army.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± He asked and turned towards me as he raised his tankard. ¡°Wee to the gates of Hell! HAHAHA!¡±


    A bunch of other guysughed, too.


    ¡°If you''re looking for the guild''s admission desk, it''s right over there.¡± He said and pointed where to go. ¡°Good luck!¡±


    ¡°You''re going to need it!¡± A bunch of them said at the same time.


    I lightly pped his shoulder in thanks and walked down the indicated path across the hall and passed the bar. There were a row of teller windows that had no one behind them, except for one. Behind that one was a short blonde woman with her long hair done up in a nice style and she had a boatload of her massive cleavage out on disy.


    ¡°Hello. What can I do for you today?¡± The pretty woman asked.


    ¡°My name is Satou Kazuma and I want to be an adventurer.¡± I responded.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said with a fake smile. ¡°In that case, you need to first pay the registration fee.¡±


    I nodded and reached for my money, then realized something. I didn''t have any of the local currency. I had a simple solution for that, though. ¡°I just arrived in town. You wouldn''t happen to ept foreign currency in exchange, do you?¡±


    The woman looked a little confused, probably because everyone on this world must use the same currency. ¡°It depends on what the currency is made of.¡±


    That made me smile and I took out several galleons to ce on the counter. The woman gasped loudly, which gained a few curious looks from the people at the bar. She didn''t say anything as she picked one of the coins up and held it, then smelled it, then bit it. A shudder went through her before she put the coin back down.


    ¡°I believe we cane to a satisfactory agreement of exchange.¡± She said with a real smile. ¡°And please, call me Luna.¡±


    After seeing that reaction, I couldn''t stop myself from teasing her and took out a 2 inch by 4 inch b of gold from my backpack. It was an inch thick and made a heavy thump on the wooden counter when I put it down.


    ¡°What about this? Do you ept smelted gold in trades for local currency?¡± I teasingly asked her.


    Luna shivered again, a full body one this time, and softly moaned. ¡°P-p-please tell me you have more to exchange.¡±


    I couldn''t refuse such a sincere request, so I put another one top of it, then another, then ten more.


    ¡°Oh, dear goddess.¡± Luna muttered and I saw her rubbing her thighs together.


    That was when I pulled out the big guns and dropped a full brick of 99.99% purity gold onto the counter.


    ¡°Ohhhhh.¡± Luna moaned and the front of her shorts showed a wet spot. With surprising quickness, she pulled all of the gold into her teller window, then she grabbed my hand and easily pulled me through as well. Barely a momentter, we were in a back room and she was on me like a ravenous beast as she tried her best to devour me.


    Half an hourter, we were dressed again, she was quite satisfied, and I followed her out through the actual doorway that was off to the side of the teller booths. She was back to being her professional self after paying me a ton of local money in exchange for my solid gold bars. I tucked the money away as she put a weird magical measuring device on the counter.


    ¡°Allow me to formally exin the procedure.¡± Luna said and I nodded. ¡°Adventurers each have their own upations and this is your registration card. It''s magical, so it keeps track of all the monsters you''ve vanquished.¡±


    ¡°Sounds handy.¡± I said and she smiled.


    ¡°As your level increases, you earn points that you can then spend to learn new skills, which you can then level up as you use them.¡± Luna said and beamed a smile at me. ¡°Please work hard and level up as much as you can. I know you can do it!¡±


    I nodded and she motioned to the device.


    ¡°You just need to hold your hand above the crystal. With this, you''ll learn your current status and what sses you are eligible for.¡± She said and put my card under it before she stepped back to give me room. ¡°When it''s finished, you can choose your upation based on your stats.¡±


    I put my hand over the crystal and it glowed brightly. Mechanical parts moved, even with no discernible moving parts joining them, then the glow filtered down into the bottom of the crystal and it formed a blueser that started filling in the card.


    The smile on Luna''s face started to shift slightly into a frown as theser kept going and going. When she leaned over to take a closer look, she gasped and stared. ¡°B-besides your Luck stat being extremely high, evenpared to a top tier Rogue, all of your stats are drastically far above average!¡±


    Her exmations gained us the attention of everyone in the guild hall, workers and adventurers alike.


    ¡°Saying this is amazing is an understatement.¡± Luna said and held up my card when it was done. ¡°With stats like these, you can be anything you want. A crusader, a sword master, an arch-priest, and every other advanced ss right from the start!¡±


    Sounds of awe came from the gathered crowd. Luna handed the card to me with a beaming smile. I asked for a list of the advanced sses and she handed it over without hesitation. I looked through them and kept my face nk as I read about each of them.


    There was the Minstrel or Advanced Bard ss, the Pugilist or Advanced Monk ss, the Sage or Advanced Mage ss right there with Arch-mage, the Artificer or Engineer (cksmith Mechanic) ss, the Alchemist or Advanced Potion Maker ss, the Psionisist or Psychic ss, the Beastmaster or Creature Tamer ss, the Crusader or Advanced Knight ss, and the Assassin or Advanced Rogue ss.


    After I read them all, I realized something. Despite being high level advanced sses, they were all closed and there was nothing else after I had mastered their specific ss skills. So, I did the only thing I could do in that situation. I chose the ss with the ability to learn any skill from any ss.


    ¡°Give me the Adventurer ss, please.¡± I said and handed her the card back.


    Completely dead silence came from all around me.


    Luna''s shaky hand updated my registration card for me. ¡°W-wee to the Adventurer''s Guild.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and put my card away without looking at the skills list, since I had already mastered all of the normal skills that existed. ¡°What kind of job do you rmend for a Level 1?¡±


    ¡°The outer walls need repairing.¡± One of the other guild workers said.


    ¡°Is it on the job board?¡± I asked and the man shook his head. ¡°Then I can''t do it right now. I''m here to adventure first and can work those kinds of jobs in my spare time.¡±


    A few of the adventurers gave me odd looks.


    ¡°Miss Luna? Your rmendation?¡± I asked her, putting her on the spot.


    Luna looked at where I had tucked my card and back at my face. She took in a deep breath and let it out. ¡°The most basic job we have avable is killing Giant Frogs.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°The details?¡±


    ¡°On the board.¡± Luna said and motioned to it. She was clearly resigned to losing me on the very first day, so I was going to have to disappoint her.


    I walked over to the board and saw I had to kill 5 frogs in 3 days. I took the paper and went back to her. ¡°Is that the limit of what the guild wants me to handle or can I kill more than that and keep getting more rewards?¡±


    Luna almost looked sad as she stamped it and handed it back to me. ¡°We''ll take any amount and you get 5,000 Eris for each carcass you bring back.¡±


    ¡°Intact?¡± I asked and she raised her eyebrows at me. ¡°I just want to know the damage limit to use on them if you''re saving them for some reason.¡±


    ¡°They''re a delicacy this time of year. It''s during their mating season that theye out in force and steal sheep and goats from the local farmers. We strip them and cook them up to serve in the hall.¡± Luna admitted.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± I said and gave her a warm smile. ¡°I''ll be back with as many as I can find by the end of the day.¡±


    Luna opened her mouth to say something, probably to be careful or something, and sighed. ¡°Try to not get eaten. Frog spit stinks.¡±


    I barked augh and looked at the notice details to get directions to where the main group of them were staying. For giant frogs that were the size of small houses, they could easily burrow under the ground and sneak up on people. Some farmers and their children had gone missing thest time, so the guild wanted them dealt with as quickly as possible.


    With that in mind, I started to leave and headed for the front door, then paused. I walked back and gave Luna another warm smile. ¡°I was wondering if you had something like a staging area nearby, where people could gather together to talk, form parties, or do other things.¡±


    Luna gave me a nk look and then literally pointed right behind me at the main room of the guild hall.


    Iughed and shook my head. ¡°That won''t work for what I want it for. Too much traffic.¡±


    Luna looked confused and I didn''t want to exin with everyone nearby and listening.


    ¡°I''ll ask again when I return tonight.¡± I said, a little disappointed that I couldn''t set up a teleportation circle at the guild hall, either in the yard or in a spare meeting room. <i>Maybe I could make a small personal one at an empty lot or field?</i>


    I shrugged mentally and left the hall at a fast walk and ignored the disappointed looks on a lot of people''s faces. I didn''t mind the men looking like that, though. It was the women that made me feel bad. I couldn''t really exin it to them, either.


    My Unlimited Rapid Growth skill unlocked the normal skill cap and my level cap, so why would I cut myself off from learning skills by taking an advanced ss with only a small amount of them? It would render my goddess given power almost useless and would stop me from bing strong enough to defeat the Demon King.


    I turned left after leaving the hall and started to jog. Since I never sweat, thanks to Fate and my system altered body, I ran at a constant pace until I saw an empty lot. I came to a stop and quickly cast notice-me-not charms all over it, then entered it and spent ten minutes creating a small temporary teleportation circle. I would make a more permanent er.


    With the single person teleportation anchor in ce, I ran all the way to the outer wall of the town of Axel. The giant frogs migrating were causing a disruption in severalrge open fields used for grazing by farm animals. My magic detection spell easily found the ones hiding under the ground and the one that was visible was shown as the distraction.


    It made me wonder if they set it up to let adventurers and unsuspecting animals walk over their nesting area to attack the visible one and then they get ambushed. That would be either a calcted n or learned behavior over generations. In either case, I was going to devastate their poption this year... and secretly capture a male and a female for breeding.


    Since I needed precision for what I was about to do, I took out a wand and walked over to the small hill where a giant frog slept underground. I took aim and a piercing spell went right through the thing''s tiny brain. It died and its entire body was still intact. I stored it and quickly filled the space by expanding the loose dirt, just so the ground didn''t copse or leave a crater.


    With the first of many giant frogs sessfully dealt with and their body retrieved, I started the hunt in earnest. The giant frogs weren''t going to know what hit them!


    *


    The main receptionist at the Adventurer''s Guild named Luna, held in her sigh as she looked out the window and saw the sun setting. She was regretting what was going to happen soon when Satou came back, mostly because the idiot had refused to ept one of the Advanced sses to start their career. He was only a basic adventurer and would never be able to unlock any advance ss ever again.


    Luna bit back her next sigh when the guild hall''s doors opened and in strode the idiot she was thinking about. That gleaming orange-yellowish armor of his really made him stand out and caught everyone''s eye and his skills in bed were phenomenal, too. It was just too bad that didn''t transfer into actual smarts andmon sense.


    ¡°I have returned, dear Luna!¡± Satou said proudly and it echoed through the whole hall, letting everyone know he had returned. He strode over to the teller windows and gave her that damn sexy smile that she regretted wasn''t on a more intelligent person.


    <i>Why couldn''t he be rich and smart?</i> Luna asked herself as she forced herself to smile back. ¡°Wee back, Satou.¡± She said and looked at his armor. She couldn''t see any signs of damage, or even dirt on the thing, so her initial thoughts that he would fail the easy quest were spot on. She did not let her disappointment show on her face, though.


    ¡°Thank you, Luna. I had quite the easy time of it as I dealt with the local threat, so I returned to collect the bounty on what I''ve handled so far.¡± Satou said and handed her the notice from the board and his adventurer card.


    Luna softly sighed at him admitting to only taking care of a single frog and not the 5 needed toplete the quest. She was already mentally calcting how to divide up the 5,000 Eris into gold, silver, and bronze coins to give him a good mix to afford a meal and perhaps a room at a cheaper inn.


    ¡°I''ll update your registration card and will give you the bounty payout per frog.¡± Luna said and took the card, then used her own skill to check the monster kills on the back of it... and froze at the ridiculous number.


    ¡°I know it''s not much, considering the giant frog''s migration pattern; but, that was all I could reach in the area and I promised to return here to let you know how my first quest ended.¡± Satou said with a grin.


    Luna couldn''t breathe. It wasn''t possible for a brand new adventurer to kill 236 giant frogs in a single day. It couldn''t be true! She checked it again, and again, and then turned the card over to update his level. Because his card registered him as Level 1 for every single kill, the questpletion attributed all of those kills at the same time.


    A normal beginner quest was skewed slightly to help starting adventurers gain those first few levels quickly and awarded appropriate skill points, usually 3 to 4 levels after 5 frogs and 3 days of work. Each frog carcass had a bounty of 5,000 Eris and gave new members that first influx of money to get better equipment and better food.


    Satou Kazuma had just killed 236 giant frogs on a single mission. That meant he would gain 47.2 times the normal bonuses, because he was only level 1 for all of it. It ended up with him gaining 188 levels and 1,180,000 Eris. It was only his first kill mission. His FIRST! No one had ever earned 188 skill points at Level 1. No. One.


    ¡°So, do you have a storage room or something nearby?¡± Satou asked. ¡°I have all those carcasses in my dimensional storage and I''d like to drop them off.¡±


    Luna lost her battle to stay conscious and fainted.

 97 Nighttime Adventures

    97 Nighttime Adventures


    I had apparently set a record for gaining the most levels in the quickest time possible. Thest record was 30 levels in only three weeks, which was set by another mysterious hero that showed up with a magical sword that let him defeat any foe he went against. He had a party of women around him, too. The other adventurers couldn''t tell me if it was 2 or 3, though.


    Anyways, I asked about the lot I had left my teleportation circle and it was surprisingly for sale if I wanted to buy it. I honestly didn''t know if 750,000 Eris was a good price for that or not, so I cast the truth spell and asked Luna. Her exnation that the previous record holder said an Eris was equal to a Japanese Yen, was all she could tell me.


    With that knowledge, I did the conversion in my head. The price for thend was just over 5,000 US dors, which for a lot that size back home would be a steal, so I bought it. Instead of paying me outpletely for the intact giant frog carcasses, Luna discounted thend purchase and gave me the difference and the deed to the plot ofnd.


    I asked about renting a room for the night and Luna sighed, clearly sad. I didn''t bother asking her what was wrong, because she had the same look on her face that the other women did. She thought I was an idiot and was disappointed that I had picked a generic ss. So, I asked for the closest inn and she gave me directions.


    I left the Adventurer''s Guild and walked several streets over. There was a two storey house at the address and I entered it with a hopeful expression on my face.


    The older woman behind the counter gave me a hopeful expression right back. ¡°Hello! What can I do for you tonight?¡±


    I couldn''t stop my mind from adding a ton of sexual innuendo to that question and my eyes couldn''t stop roaming over what I could see. The older woman blushed and didn''t use me of stepping over the line with how I was looking at her.


    I checked her hands and didn''t see a ring. ¡°Are you married?¡±


    The older woman opened her mouth, probably to lie, so I cast the truth spell on her. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Then just the room for tonight, madam.¡± I said.


    The older woman sighed and there was that same look again, as if she thought I was an idiot. ¡°It''s 1,200 Eris for the night.¡±


    I gave her 12 silver coins and she handed me a wooden sign with a symbol on it. I took it and went up the stairs, saw it was on the second door, and entered. There was no lock, so that exined why there was no key. The symbol handled anyone that couldn''t read numbers or letters and they just had to match them. Efficient and easy.


    I cast the lock spell on the door, set an rm ward if the door was forced open, and then did the same for the small window. Just for fun, I cast magic detection again and found a false panel in the wall that went to the next room and a trap door in the ceiling that led to the attic. I cast the spells on them, too.


    Once the room was secured, Iid down on the bed and kept my armor on. I only needed to sleep until the break of dawn and would leave right away. I was not taking the chance that she would potion me or have someone else cast spells on me to keep me here. Was I being paranoid? Yes, I was. Was it justified? Probably. Normal people don''t have so many hidden entrances to a room.


    I went to sleep and was woken up an hourter when the door ward alerted me. The handle turned and clicked without opening the door, which surprised the woman in the hallway. She cursed and left before I could do more than wonder if I should cross the room and open the door for her.


    I drifted back off to sleep and the window alerted me next. That was a quick and easy one to get to, so I looked out at the shocked face of a young man trying to pry open the window.


    ¡°Boo.¡± I said and he yelled and fell backwards, tumbled through the air, andnded with a crunch. It was just his ankle, so I didn''t feel bad about it. I also knew who he was. The innkeeper''s son. I watched him get up and limp over to the back door and enter the inn.


    I didn''t try sleeping this time and walked over to the false panel in the wall. I waited for the alert ward to activate and I punched through the panel and hit the older man right in the head. He dropped like a rock and I could see the shocked look on the face of the older woman.


    ¡°I believe you will refund the cost of sleeping here, since you are denying me that simple service.¡± I said with a deep voice and she nodded. I motioned to the door of the room and she pretty much ran out through it and down the stairs.


    I followed at a normal walking pace and stopped at the counter with my hand out. She handed me my money back and pointed at the front door. I put the money away and pointed at it as well. She gasped and shook slightly, so I sighed and paralyzed her. I retrieved who I assumed was her husband and went into the kitchen to get the young man.


    I bundled them up and carried them to the Adventurer''s Guild. A stocky man withrge muscles was behind the teller booth this time and I exined what happened. The man sighed and told me that since they didn''t actually steal anything from me, because I asked for my money back, they wouldn''t be charged and would be let go.


    I huffed and dropped them right there and walked back out. I went to the inn and robbed the ce, set up a magical barrier, and cast Fiendfire inside. In barely a minute, everything was consumed and the magical beasts made of mes looked happy at being summoned. I chuckled at that, promised there would be moreter, and waved to them as I dispelled them.


    I removed the barrier and wondered what to do for the rest of the night. I sighed at just wanting a normal rest, because I had a lot of work to do tomorrow. My new home wasn''t going to build itself. I needed to find somewhere to sleep and I couldn''t do that by standing around.


    I walked down the street and was out of sight just in time, because the innkeeper and her family ran up to the burned out plot ofnd and started screaming and crying over losing their livelihood. I didn''t feel guilty about it, because all I could think about was how many people they had robbed over the years.


    As I walked around the quiet streets and looked for somece to crash, the time kept gettingter. My hopes of finding another inn, that was still open and wasn''t full, were being dashed. I held in my sigh at not going back to my plot ofnd right away and felt a pulse of magic.


    I turned towards it and saw a tiny subus flying near the second floor of a house and she was waving her little hands at the window and making it glow. I sighed at the tant thieving going on in a starter town and took out my wand to point it at her.


    ¡°io cute subus.¡± I said and she let out a soft screech sound as she was yanked through the air. I stored my wand and easily caught her in my arms, despite her struggling to get away. ¡°I''ve had a difficult and trying evening while trying to rest and dealing with thieves, littledy. Please don''t give me a reason to bind you.¡±


    The subus stopped moving and tears came to her eyes. She let out a hup and then started to wail and cry. I sighed and cast a privacy spell and took a chair out of my storage space before I sat and cuddled her to my chest. Now that I was seeing her up close, I petted her hair and estimated her age at about 10 or 12, assuming subi aged at a normal rate as other humanoids.


    Then again, she could be hundreds or even thousands of years old and this was just the mortal form she assumed when she was brought here. Morality was not a high priority for devils, as my own experiences with them had proven. Having a childlike body would not stop them from having fun.


    ¡°Shh. Shh. It''s okay. I won''t bind you.¡± I said with a soothing voice and she quieted down. ¡°Can you tell me what you were doing?¡±


    ¡°I... I was... trying to get to my assigned client.¡± She said, haltingly.


    I held in my sigh at the confirmation. ¡°Didn''t they arrange a way for you to get in?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We usually use a window, since it''s easier to fit our wings through. I don''t know why this one is locked. It wasn''t before.¡±


    I checked it myself with magic detection and ''saw'' that it was nailed shut and wasn''t locked at all. I also saw the smug look on the wife''s face and the sad look on the man''s. ¡°You visit couples?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We only cater to men. There are no incubus allowed here. Our boss wouldn''t let them join. Too muchpetition.¡±


    I wondered why she would think that, since they did have two different client requirements.


    ¡°This is only my third time out and I''m going to be in so much trouble for not delivering the naughty dreams he already paid for.¡± She said and more tears came to her eyes. ¡°We don''t give refunds.¡±


    My mind almost reeled at what she said and I mentally kicked myself for letting my own assumptions dictate how I reacted. ¡°Dreams? You''re delivering naughty dreams?¡±


    ¡°Of course! What else would we do?¡± She asked, her tears forgotten in her confusion.


    I thought about the situation and decided to rectify it for my own mistake. ¡°How much did he pay you?¡± I asked instead of asking what I really wanted to know. <i>How did they survive on so little sexual energy?</i>


    ¡°3,000 Eris.¡± She said and the tears came back.


    I braced her on myp with one hand and took out that much and showed her with my other hand. ¡°Let''s go put this where his wife will find it.¡±


    She caught her breath and stared at my hand and then at my face, then she realized what would happen and pped both hands over her mouth and giggled just like the little girl she resembled. I chuckled at her reaction and levitated the chair I sat on, which lifted us up into the air, and I stopped us in front of the bedroom window.


    ¡°Now watch carefully.¡± I whispered to her and used a touch of magic as I touched the pane of ss. I popped the ss out of the window and set it aside and I floated the money over to the wife and rested it on her chest with a created note about the refund. I put the ss back and another touch of magic secured it into ce.


    The subus in my arms waspletely shocked and her eyes were huge as she stared at my face.


    I levitated us back down to the ground and put my arm back under her to support her, stood, and stored the chair. ¡°Can you lead me back to your home? I think I need to have a talk with your boss.¡±


    She nodded and pointed where to go. I walked there at a good pace with the privacy spell still around us. I didn''t want anyone seeing me carrying off a little girl, because that was never going to end well. Subus or not, she still looked like a child.


    Surprisingly, we arrived at a maid cafe and the subus in my arms told me all about their operation. During the day, it was a normal business and they made quite a bit of money, because the men enjoyed being served by beautiful maids. In the evenings, the alcohol came out and deals were struck for the delivery of naughty dreams that the subi could harvest sexual energy from and return to the shop to share with everyone.


    It was a surprisingly good way to both maintain their high ss persona and not kill off their clients by sucking them dry of energy. The only problem was that it takes a lot of energy to feed so many subi and even more hard work toe up with so many sexual fantasies all the time and deliver them without getting caught.


    I didn''t bother knocking, even though the door was locked and secured. I cast the unlocking spell and overpowered it to make it open the door for me. The subus in my arms gasped and stared at me. I gave her a wink and used a single finger to poke the doorway, which glowed blue with a protective barrier.


    ¡°I should have known you could detect that because of what you carry in your arms.¡± A very sexy voice said from inside the unnatural darkness of the cafe. Light from the windows and the open door should have lit the ce up; but, it was still dark, so that meant at least one concealing spell. ¡°Most people can''t see or detect us when we are actively hiding ourselves.¡±


    I nodded into the darkness and carefully put the subus in my arms down and stood her on her feet. She was tiny and was barely four feet tall, which was significantly shorter than my usual height. The thing was, I was sure I was a few inches taller than my usual 5 foot 8 inches.


    On a whim, I cast detection on myself and it gave me my name, my age of 17, my height of 5 foot 10 inches, and my weight of 180 pounds. That weight put me at the top of the range for someone at that height and my muscles hadn''t significantly added to it. That exined why I could still move so fast, too. My slightly bulky muscles did not cause me any detriments while also looking great.


    The subus looked into the darkness, back at me, back into the darkness, and back at me.


    I chuckled and nodded at the darkness. ¡°Go ahead. I''m not keeping you prisoner or anything. I brought you home for a reason.¡±


    She looked conflicted, so I closed my eyes and thought back to the birth of my great granddaughter. She was the cutest little thing and Astoria couldn''t have been prouder of her daughter''s daughter giving birth to the next Greengrass heiress.


    I brought those feelings of love and affection to the forefront of my mind and opened my eyes as I knelt in front of her. The little subus trembled with anticipation as I gazed upon her and I leaned in to ce a loving kiss onto her forehead.


    The poor thing must have been on the verge of starvation, because she moaned like a grown woman and glowed with pink energy. Her legs suddenly gave out, so I caught her and cradled her on myp as I shared my love for my great granddaughter with her. Her arms went around my neck and she started to cry.


    The darkness suddenly dissipated and I was surrounded by fifteen subi of various ages. Well, they looked like they were different ages. Several of them looked like women in their thirties, some in their twenties, some in their teens, and a couple were as small as the one I held. Every single one of them put a hand offort on the subus in my arms.


    They all gasped as the soft pink glow spread to them and they shared in the feeling. They all knelt and cuddled into us both and hugs and tears started being shared, mostly with me and some with the one in my arms. A sad sigh made me break the kiss and inadvertently stopped the flow of love and affection.


    ¡°I had thought my method was working well.¡± A very pretty woman said as she stepped out of the cafe and into the light. She was also quite short, about the same height as the one I held in my arms, except she was only short and looked like she was in her forties. It was an odd but pleasantbination.


    ¡°It''s working by not drawing undo attention to your operation.¡± I said and felt like I needed to turn my head. I ignored it, because my mind wasn''t weak. I also knew a subus was right there and ready to im a kiss on the lips. ¡°Your problem is probably theck of stimtion your manufactured dreams give your clients.¡±


    ¡°I think I''ve only gotten three clients to release in thest month.¡± The one beside me said to get me to look at her. I still ignored her.


    ¡°Then what would you suggest I do?¡± The pretty woman asked, almost usingly.


    I slowly stood up and all of the subi stood with me. ¡°I have to assume that you aren''t allowed to feast on people directly?¡±


    The pretty woman nodded. ¡°I have an arrangement with the Lord of Axel to not harm the citizens and he won''t have us all hunted down and ughtered.¡±


    I could almost sense the deception there and carefully put the subus in my arms down. She pouted at me for not holding her anymore and I smiled and petted her head. She crossed her arms and pouted harder.


    I chuckled and took out my adventurer''s registration card and saw a short list of new skills and abilities to learn. I had to assume it was because of whatever the subi were doing and using around me, so I picked the most important ones.


    I learned a Detect Deception skill that went well with my own Mental Block ability, a Concealing Darkness spell, a Hovering ability, a Control Lust ability, a Lure skill to gain attention, and an Absorb Emotional Energy skill.


    I ignored the Look Less Intimidating skill, the Ignore skill since I already had a spell for that, the Chameleon ability because I was already a partial-metamorphmagus and could do that anyway, and the Enhance Sexiness skill. Thanks to Fate and my Casanova skill, I had that in spades already.


    ¡°After consulting my skills, I figured out that he''s ckmailing you.¡± I said and put my card away as the subi gasped. ¡°How much of your profit goes into the Axel Lord''s treasure chests?¡±


    The short pretty woman sighed. ¡°Far too much.¡±


    I smiled at that. ¡°Then I have two suggestions for you. First, starve him out of ckmailing you.¡± I said and she opened her mouth to ask me how. ¡°It''s all in the wording of whatever agreement you signed, assuming it wasn''t just verbal.¡±


    ¡°It was signed.¡± She said with resignation.


    ¡°Good.¡± I said, to her surprise. ¡°If he shares in your profit, then pretend your business is running down. Hire extra workers for clean-up around the ce and for security. You can also pay your girls a higher wage for all the extra work they do at night when the business isn''t open.¡±


    All of the subi were giving me shocked looks.


    ¡°If that''s not enough to bleed away your profits quickly, then give yourself a nominal sry that exceeds how much you make every week for all the back pay you''ve never taken to get the business started.¡± I said, correctly guessing at how it began if the sharp gasp from her was any indication.


    The pretty woman gave me a hungry look that was simr to what Lucy gave me when I showed off some gold in the Adventurer''s Guild.


    ¡°Your business would owe you everything after only a few months.¡± I added. ¡°You can then buy yourself out of both the failing business and the contract. My second suggestion is to shut the business down after that and end the contract by default, and open another business. Preferably in another location, because he would have people checking this ce out all the time looking for you.¡±


    The pretty woman nodded her head several times, her eyes never leaving mine. ¡°Perhaps you would like to...e inside... to discuss things.¡± She said, her voice husky and dripping with sexiness.


    ¡°I do need somewhere <b>safe</b> to spend the night.¡± I said, teasingly.


    She smiled wickedly, because we both knew that ''safe'' wasn''t anywhere near her.


    ¡°I would be honored to ept your invitation.¡± I told her and stepped close.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± She said and epted my offered elbow. ¡°We have a lot to talk about...¡±


    ¡°Satou Kazuma.¡± I said and she opened her mouth to tell me hers, so I interrupted her. ¡°You don''t have to give me your fake name. I know how that works. People can bind you if they know your name.¡±


    ¡°It''s a fake name.¡± She responded.


    ¡°It was... at first. After you use it for a while, it gains power over you anyway, because that''s what people know you by.¡± I informed her.


    She looked stunned for several moments, then she huffed. ¡°We have more to talk about than I thought, Satou. A lot more.¡±


    I nodded my head and she dispelled the barrier to allow me inside. I led her in, the perfect gentleman, and the rest of the subi scrambled in behind us in the hope that I would share some more.

 98 A Slight Complication

    98 A Slight Complication


    It was surprisingly easy to have a normal conversation about finances with the embodiment of sexiness that was the Head Subus. Yes, I know how punny that sounds, especially since she was currently sucking that head down her throat. It was my fifth load during our business meeting and all of the subi were writhing on the floor around us.


    Harvesting my sexual energy second hand had pretty much made them insensate. I had been celibate for thest ten years or so, because my wives had been olddies and didn''t have much of a sex drive left. I couldn''t cheat on them, or so they imed, so I was relegated to wait until I moved on to relieve myself.


    The subi definitely benefited from that particr side effect of my system. When I became Satou, everything seemed to reset inside of me, including my sex drive. I was nearing the end of puberty, so I wouldn''t be suffering from that condition for very long.


    The pretty woman on her knees in front of me moaned as I unloaded another shot down her gullet. Not surprisingly, we quickly discovered a second loophole in her contract that restricted her progeny and other summons from having sex. As the Head Subus, she could absorb sexual energy through willingly given ejactions, as long as they weren''t through her vagina, because that would kill anyone that tried.


    With that stiption in ce, she could filter any excess energy she gained, down through her connections to her progeny and subordinates, both from birth and through established contracts with other subi ns. It was a huge loophole that she was more than happy to exploit, now that she knew she could screw over the Lord of Axel for ckmailing her for thest ten years.


    She also adopted my suggestions to run her business into the ground. She reassured me that it would only be a little over a month before she would have to close down from going so far into debt... with herself... and screwing the Lord of Axel over just as much as he had screwed her over. He would no longer be getting any more free money from her.


    Of course, I offered my ''yet to be built'' Tower as a new home for her and her subi to start their new business. If I had their help to gather supplies, like stone and wood for the construction, we could have it all built up and operating in about a month. Both she and all of her subi agreed immediately.


    I climbed into the pretty woman''s bed, careful of leaving my asset guarded, and she purred as she felt the protective barrier between her hand and my erection. I joked and said it might have been worth dying to sleep with her, if I didn''t know she would die soon afterwards, because of her breached contracts with the Lord of Axel.


    She softlyughed and kissed me passionately. She knew I was more concerned about her welfare than my own, so she gave me full ess to her body to try and tempt me. The funny thing was, I really was tempted. Her tiny stature, while also being fully mature, just seemed to resonate within me. I dry-humped her for half an hour and then went down on her for several hours.


    She loved every second of it, because I poured as much sexual energy into her that she could stand. All of the subi were extremely happy and bubbly after being well fed.


    The next day, after sleeping in for about four hours past the crack of dawn, the subi proved their value by arranging a meeting with several influential people in the town. One for ess to a stone quarry, one for hiringbour, and one for transportation for both things.


    By the time lunch rolled around, the property I bought the day before had a one storey building on it that epassed the entire lot. There was no yard anywhere around it and the men that had worked on it were very proud of their achievement of building something so big in so short a time.


    A single storey was all I could manage on such short notice, no matter how much money I had to spend. The workers returned to their normal jobs after lunch and I was stuck with piles and piles of stone and no one to build for me. Thankfully, I had observed everything for the entire time they had been there and took out my adventurer registration card.


    I chose the appropriate skills for working with what I had and also used my magic to duplicate, erge, and cut apart the stones and bricks to give me a pretty much unlimited amount of materials to work with. I took over from the work crew that had to leave and continued to build... and build... and build some more.


    Over the next week, I had to order more bricks and stones to keep going, just to keep up the ruse that I needed them. It also let me spread my money around and kept the locals happy as I built my tower. I really should start saying that with a capital letter, my Tower, because I wasn''t going to stop until it was at least thirty stories high. I would have to decideter if I was going to build higher than that.


    I also modified things with metal to enchant the inside to massively expand the space, because why wouldn''t I? Needless to say, the subi all loved having their own rooms on the tenth floor. They also hadrge windows that were enchanted like an owl ess window, only altered for subi, and could be flown through without having to open it.


    I spent a bit of time in the evenings of the next week making new wardrobes filled with clothes for them, too. Some loved the frilly outfits more than the practical ones, while some adored the more provocative outfits and how sexy they looked in them.


    All of them tried on everything and made sure that I had a great time during the impromptu fashion shows every few days. During those shows, they each soon discovered they had an innate ability to feed on passive lust without having to concentrate on it.


    I refused to admit that I had anything to do with that, no matter how often they pestered me. They already loved me a lot for everything I was doing for them, especially because of all the sex toys they had never seen or heard of before, and I didn''t need them obsessed with me. The passive feedings I gave them kept happy smiles on their faces, too.


    The Head Subi could never convince me to admit I had unlocked their abilities, no matter how many times she sucked on my balls. She suspected it was true, though. All of her girls were much happier than ever and they all epted my suggestions for naughty dreams and fed very well instead of barely getting any energy like usual.


    *


    Two weekster, or a month after I had arrived on this world, I was putting the finishing touches on the thirtieth floor of my Tower when an armored group of knights marched down the street and stopped in front of it. I sighed when the one in front knocked on the massive oak doors, because I suspected whatever they were here to tell me was going to annoy me.


    I teleported to the ground floor and walked over to the door. I cleaned myself up and changed my clothing to receive guests, then nodded at the subi dressed as a maid. She easily opened the left door without trouble. Her strength and speed had increased, as did her magical power, thanks to the regr sexual energy feedings.


    ¡°Good afternoon Special Prosecutor Sena.¡± I said and the woman with sses looked shocked I recognized her. I didn''t and had used my knowing random names trick. She was also the only one not wearing armor and wore a uniform suit and skirtbo. Her long ck hair was straight and wasn''t very ttering, especially with that little round hat hanging off to the right.


    Sena''s shock disappears and she frowned. ¡°How do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t everyone know the Kingdom of Belzerg''s representative assigned to Axel that investigates serious crimes like treason and conspiring with the Devil King?¡± I asked her. It had been the Head Subus that had filled me in on everyone that was anyone in the town. Yes, we actually talked and didn''t just have oral sex all the time. Yes, it was a novel experience for the both of us.


    Sena shook her head and took a deep breath. ¡°Satou Kazuma, you have been used of coborating with the Devil King and building a bastion tounch an attack on the town.¡±


    I gave her my best smile as I cast the truth spell on her. ¡°Who falsely used me and why?¡±


    ¡°The Lord of Axel. You cost him his illegal source of ie with the subi and your tower disrupts his view of the countryside. He wants it torn down as soon as possible.¡± Sena responded, gasped, and snapped her mouth shut.


    ¡°I see.¡± I said and took out thend deed and my building permit. ¡°As you can clearly see, neither of these official documents, that I paid a lot of money for, do not say I am restricted in the height of the house I can build. I could make it a hundred stories high if I wanted to.¡±


    Sena held her hand out for them.


    ¡°I''m not an idiot, despite what everyone thinks.¡± I said and created copies of them and handed those to her.


    Sena looked surprised briefly and read the two documents. She looked at the money amounts on them and looked a little sick. ¡°Lord Axel has... ahem... revoked your building permit.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then it''s lucky I just finished my Tower, isn''t it? I don''t need the permit anymore and shall head to the town center to retrieve my payment for it.¡±


    Sena folded both papers and put them into her jacket pocket. ¡°I''m sorry, that money was used for...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what it was used for. If the Lord of Axel can revoke it at any time, then I can retrieve my money at any time. You saw how much I paid for the right to build on my own property.¡±


    Sena sighed, probably because she couldn''t lie. ¡°If you try to get that money back, it won''t be your property for long.¡±


    ¡°It won''t?¡± I asked and she shook her head. ¡°What can he do?¡±


    ¡°He will im it for the essential defense of the town and you''ll be tossed out.¡± Sena told me.


    ¡°Which he will then tear down because it''s in the way?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± I said and stepped out it the street.


    Sena and the squad of knights took a step back and the knights drew their swords.


    ¡°Rx, I''m not going to attack you.¡± I said and took out my wand and pointed it at the tower. I tapped it and the entire thing shimmered and then disappeared. ¡°There, problem solved.¡±


    Sena and the knights all looked shocked.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± I asked her and she didn''t react, so I put my wand away. ¡°I suggest you drop those false charges and investigate why the Lord of Axel is bothering to send you out to do his dirty work for him and is too cowardly to do it himself.¡±


    ¡°He''s not a coward! He defended this town...¡± Sena started to say.


    ¡°Over a decade ago. Yes, I know. I also know he''s a fat tub ofrd that abuses his position.¡± I said and stopped smiling. ¡°If you''re smart, you will warn him to return my stolen funds before I have to visit his nice fancy mansion and retrieve them myself.¡±


    Sena frowned at me. ¡°How dare you threaten...¡±


    ¡°It''s not a threat. A threat is implying something. I''m literally telling you I''m going to do it.¡± I said and started smiling again. ¡°By the way, that''s not a crime. You also can''t arrest me until Imit one, unless you abuse your own position as much as he does.¡±


    Sena didn''t respond and only red at me.


    <i>I probably should have phrased that as a question.</i> I thought and stepped back inside my Tower. ¡°Have yourself a great day, Sena.¡± I said and nodded at the subus maid.


    She shut the door with a m and a giggle.


    ¡°It seems I need to update my defensive wards a lot sooner than I nned.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°After I do that, I''m going over to the Adventurer''s guild to post a notice. I have all this money that I''m not spending and there are a lot of skills I don''t have.¡±


    The subus maid giggled again. ¡°I don''t think anyone has ever thought of doing that.¡±


    I gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead to make her glow pink briefly. ¡°That''s because no one had the skill points to spare for it.¡±


    She put her arms around me and sighed happily. ¡°Are you sure I''m not allowed to suck you off?¡±


    I chuckled and gave her another kiss on the forehead before I let her go. ¡°The contracts are still in effect for another week at least. Once they are cancelled, you have to negotiate with your boss again to see what she will allow and with whom.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡± She said and giggled once more, reached around me and briefly grabbed my butt with both hands, then she ducked my reaching arms and ran. She deployed her wings and flew away as quick as a sh.


    ¡°Get back here, you!¡± I shouted in fake anger and shook my fist at her to make herugh.


    The Head Subus faded into view about ten feet away. ¡°You spoil them too much.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± I asked her with a smirk on my face.


    She softlyughed and took my offered arm. ¡°Noment.¡±


    I winked at her and led her down into the basement that no one knew the tower had. The whole floor was lined with small ward stones that allbined into a full enchantment to cover the entire tower. It was simr to the ones I had encountered back in Avalon on the Familiar of Zero''s world.


    ¡°You''re not going to activate it, are you?¡± She asked me and petted the center stone.


    ¡°No, I haven''t added any offensive capabilities yet. Making the Tower float above the town won''t benefit anyone. Not yet, anyway.¡± I said and started to update the defensive wards. Reflective enchantments, magic absorption, physical attack redirection and partial negation, and a few other things like tasers if the tower is ever climbed on the outside by anyone not keyed into the wards.


    The Head Subus watched and admired me as I worked. ¡°You are much more knowledgeable than a normal adventurer.¡±


    I nodded and added onest surprise if anyone ever tries to blow the ce up. ¡°That''s why I haven''t fought too much against everyone thinking I''m an idiot for only choosing the basic adventurer ss.¡±


    ¡°They severely underestimate you.¡± The Head Subus said and smiled. ¡°Like I had at first.¡±


    ¡°Hey, my act is a good one. Don''t me yourself for falling for it.¡± I joked.


    ¡°Yes, it''s only an act.¡± She joked right back and thenughed.


    ¡°Ha!¡± I said and stepped close to her.


    She put her arms around my neck and pulled me down to her height, gave me a sexy smile, and kissed me. She purred like a cat as she glowed bright pink and then I was on the floor and she had me down her throat. Her powers had grown as well from regr and direct feedings, and she couldn''t have been happier.


    She also enjoyed it a lot more because I was fully willing to let her feed. That always got the both of us off quickly... the first time, anyway. We both worked hard for the second, third, and fourth times, which was a great time and made it worth the effort.


    When we were done, I cleaned us up with spells. She thanked me again for everything I''ve done for her and her people before she led me up the stairs to the ground floor and the front door. With a kiss goodbye, I left to go to the Adventurer''s Guild. I had an easy quest to post on the notice board and lots of money and skill points to spend.

 99 The Best Of The Rest Part One

    99 The Best Of The Rest Part One


    I barely sat down at my table at the back of the room after posting the notice on the board when I had my first volunteer approach me to teach me something. Was 1,000 Eris a little too much to offer to show me a skill? Maybe. Would it get me ess to a ton of skills I might have never seen before? Definitely.


    I did qualify that it had to be a skill I didn''t already have, unless it was an upgraded or stronger skill, in order for them to get paid. I would also pay them 1,000 Eris for each and every skill they could show me. It was a great deal that I doubted anyone would pass up, because it was essentially free money.


    What was the very first skill I learned, you ask? It was a party trick called Hollow Leg. No, it did not actually hollow out my leg. It''s a term used to describe being able to eat or drink any amount of food and beverages for up to 6 hours every day. Any amount. It essentially gave me a bottomless stomach while the skill was activated.


    The next set of skills were offered by the cooks of the guild. They were prepping the giant frogs to be cooked and I eagerly watched as they performed their jobs and showed me how to properly do it without damaging the meat and increasing the vor with a specific spicebination.


    I paid them 4,000 Eris each, because the fancy chopping, rare cooking, skinning, and de-boning skills were worth it. They even let me help and I levelled the skills up really quickly. As a thank you, I showed them a tenderizing technique after creating and transfiguring a tenderizing hammer, then I erged it to show how it worked. The funny part was that they thought it was supposed to be that big.


    The head cook promised me his first born if I traded him for the wonderful new cooking tool that made the slightly tough strips of frog meat into melt-in-your-mouth tenderloins. I asked if his first born was going to be female and heughed as he pointed to the young woman standing next to him.


    ¡°Ignis, are you married?¡± I asked and she shook her head. ¡°Do you want to keep working as a cook or do you actually want to be part of my party for adventuring?¡±


    ¡°Cook, please. It''s all I know and I''m really good at it.¡± Ignis said, a little shyly.


    I held out therge hammer to her and she blushed. ¡°How about we just settle for a roll in the hay and you can own this to lord it over your father?¡±


    ¡°DONE!¡± Her father yelled, snatched the hammer out of my hand, and tossed his daughter at me.


    The young woman let out a yell as I caught her and it wasn''t because he had tossed her. ¡°You can''t use my stuff without my permission!¡±


    The man waved her away and started happily swinging the foot wide meat tenderizing hammer at the piles of frog meat. The other cooks looked amused and went back to cooking up what we had already prepared.


    ¡°We can use the back storage room if you want.¡± Ignis said in a whisper.


    I gave her a warm smile. ¡°I have a much better ce to have you instead of bending you over a wooden crate in a storage room.¡±


    Ignis blushed a little and then licked her lips. ¡°That... um... doesn''t sound so bad, Satou.¡±


    I barked augh and she blushed fully, then she gave me a sexy smile. I brought her to the back room and did her exactly like she wanted, bent over a wooden crate with her ass in the air. She enjoyed it a lot.


    *


    Megumin was 15 years old and she was an Archwizard. She had been trying to be part of an adventurer party for months after running away from the Crimson Demon n. Unfortunately, she always failed, because they discovered her pathetic uselessness after she cast her one and only spell, Explosion. She was also quite hungry, because she hadn''t eaten in three days.


    She entered the Adventurer''s Guild like she did every week, just to see if anyone new had shown up and she could scam them... convince them into epting her into their party... and maybe feed her. It was a faint hope, because she wasn''t allowed in the temples anymore to mooch from them. On the positive side, at least she hadn''t gone into debt. Yet.


    Megumin ignored the hustle and bustle in the far corner of the hall as she cautiously approached the job board. She hoped beyond hope that someone needed to hire an Archwizard with her prodigious skill to clear out an area and didn''t mind therge crater she usually left behind after casting her favorite spell.


    Her eyes roamed over a lot of the same notices she had seen a week before and she started to sigh, then caught her breath. Someone was paying 1,000 Eris to learn skills and abilities! Any skills and abilities! She almost vibrated with excitement and read where the location was... and it was right across the hall where the gathered people seemed to be having a lot of fun.


    Megumin took a deep breath and put herself mentally into her most confident mode and prepared her sales pitch. She had to convince this new guy that she would be perfect to add to his party, because he would need to keep her around if she taught him the sacred path to the ultimate spell of destruction, Explosion!


    She walked confidently over to the rowdy group that were chatting and having a great time. She caught bits of conversation where they told the others about pawning off even their simple skills for 1,000 Eris. It was like free money and most of them had earned several days pay by just showing off for the rich noble.


    <i>That''s perfect for me.</i> Megumin thought and didn''t try to force herself through the mostly standing group. She was much too short, skinny, and weak to move therge muscr men out of the way. So, she used her small stature to slip through the brief openings their movements gave her. Under an arm, by their leg when they shifted weight, and even between the legs of that big bowlegged Ruffian.


    Megumin finally reached the table with a sigh of relief, because she hadn''t been identally stepped on or crushed in the press of bodies. She looked at the rich noble the men talked about and she gasped. His shiny orange-yelllowish expensive armor almost shined in the guild hall''s lighting. He had his helmet on the table and his long white hair made him stand out even more than his handsome and aristocratic features did.


    ¡°Thanks for teaching me that, Gerald!¡± The handsome man said and pped a bare-armed man on the shoulder. ¡°Here''s your money and the drinks are on me.¡±


    ¡°Anytime, Satou.¡± Gerald said as he epted the 2,000 Eris and raised his hand to call over a waitress. One seemed to easily get by the gathered men and she handed him two tankards of ale and epted the money for it from Satou, whom also tipped her for being so diligent in tending to his official meeting.


    Megumin fought down her jealousy at the barmaid''s smooth movements and steeled herself for the following confrontation. She fully expected to have to argue a lot to get the chance to show off what she could do, and stepped forward with her staff raised and was going to m it onto the table to get his attention.


    ¡°That''s not necessary, Crimson Demon Archwizard.¡± Satou said as he turned towards her, making her pause with the end of her staff just above the wood of the table. ¡°I saw you long before you managed to get yourself to my table through all these big brutes that love free ale.¡±


    That had all of the men around the tableugh and raised their tankards and cheer. ¡°Free ale!¡±


    Satou chuckled and patted the seat beside him. ¡°You might as well have a seat. I have 3 others to get through before you can have a chance to show me what you can do.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Megumin whispered and sat, careful of not sitting too close. She didn''t want to give him the wrong impression. Before she could do anything else, her stomach chose that moment to betray her and loudly proimed how empty it was.


    After a moment, the menughed and cheered again. ¡°Free food!¡±


    A barmaid seemed to materialize beside her and put down a huge te filled with the most delicious smelling frog meat Megumin had ever smelled. ¡°Satou prepared a lot of this after catching it.¡± She said and added a tankard of ale. ¡°Enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Please, keep iting.¡± Satou said when he saw that Megumin couldn''t stop herself from shovelling as much food into her mouth that she could. The barmaid nodded to him and disappeared through the crowd.


    The next guy stepped forward and showed off his ability to dual-wield knives and swords. After that, he showed off several attacks, one even splitting the table right down the middle. Satou quickly caught the two halves before they fell and held them together, then the table looked brand new.


    ¡°Thank you for showing me all of that, Farris. Here''s 7,000 Eris.¡± Satou said and took the money out. ¡°Have a seat and the drinks are on me.¡±


    Farris epted the money and walked over to the closest table with a free seat and the barmaid delivered two tankards of ale and a te of food. A momentter, the barmaid was beside Megumin and switched her empty te for a full one.


    Megumin took a small sip of ale to wash down the food she barely tasted. Instead of wolfing down the new te of food, she took her time and actually enjoyed it as she watched the next two men showed off their skills. She was surprised that the rich noble really did want to see any skill be performed, no matter what it was. Thest guy juggled applies, for goddess'' sake!


    He still got paid, though. Megumin''s surprise hadn''t abated by the time it was her turn, because she still had half a te of absolutely delicious, murder your best friend to steal and eat it, frog meat.


    ¡°Miss Crimson Demon, show me what you got.¡± Satou said with a deep voice and a sexy smile.


    Megumin blushed and her face was the same color as her robes.


    The men around themughed and raised their tankards. ¡°Free show!¡±


    Satouughed and lightly patted her shoulder. ¡°I apologize for making that joke...¡±


    ¡°Every time!¡± The men cheered and took another drink.


    Satouughed again. ¡°I can''t help myself. You all know I took in all the maids from the failing cafe.¡±


    The men cheered again and thanked him.


    ¡°You did what now?¡± Megumin asked, shocked.


    ¡°The cafe has been losing money for a long time.¡± Satou said, sadly. ¡°Once I found that out, I contacted the owner and she was too far in debt to ept help. She didn''t want to throw more money at the problem, only to lose that as well.¡±


    Megumin could understand that thinking. Every bit of money she earned went right into her stomach. She had taken to sleeping inside anything she could find thest few weeks. A broken off log, an unguarded barn, a tool shed, and once even under a hay bale, just because it was warmer than sleeping in the nearby ditch.


    Satou twitched slightly for some reason and gave her a warm smile that made her heart flutter. ¡°I opened the home I was building to her and her employees, which gave them an actual home with their own rooms. I hadn''t known they were all sleeping in the back room of the cafe to save money on rent.¡±


    <i>I wish I could do that. I haven''t slept in a bed since I left home.</i> Megumin thought and then pushed that aside. She needed money to eat and showing off her only skill was the easiest and best way. ¡°We need to go outside for me to show you the best spell in the world.¡±


    ¡°Outside the city!¡± The men said as one, raised their tankards, and emptied them.


    Satou chuckled. ¡°That''s not a problem.¡± He said and nodded at the half-eaten te of food. ¡°Do you want that packed up to take with you?¡±


    Megumin nodded and started to raise her hand to call for the barmaid, then the food lifted up and was wrapped in some kind of thin metal that crinkled.


    ¡°It''s called aluminum foil and will keep the food warm for a half hour or so and preserved for a day.¡± Satou said and handed it to her.


    Megumin put it into her small overstuffed satchel and barely closed it.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Satou asked and stood as he held a hand out to her.


    Megumin blushed and very slowly took the offered hand. The men cheered again and several barmaids brought them ale.


    ¡°I''ll be back in a bit.¡± Satou promised and the men raised their new tankards.


    Everyone watched as they left the guild hall and Megumin did her best to not squirm under the undeserved attention. She didn''t question why her normal arrogant stance wasn''t working for her, because just walking beside this rich noble made her feel small and insignificant. Everyone that greeted him was greeted in return, by name, and that was so astonishing that she stayed quiet until they reached an empty lot.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± Megumin asked. ¡°I can''t show you anything inside the city without getting into severe trouble. Again.¡±


    Satou gave her a crooked smile and stepped forward, only for the air to seemingly split open like a door and a very pretty maid smiled at them.


    ¡°You just can''t help yourself, can you?¡± She said with augh and waved them inside.


    ¡°No.¡± Satou said and brought Megumin inside. ¡°Wee to my Tower.¡±


    Megumin stared around at therge lobby that couldn''t have just been in an empty lot. It was actually bigger than the lot!


    ¡°We''re heading outside the city for a bit.¡± Satou told the maid.


    ¡°Oh! I''ll get the girls!¡± The maid said and mmed the door shut, popped out her bat-like wings, and took off flying.


    Megumin gasped and stared at the woman flying away.


    ¡°Yes, the maid cafe was run by subi.¡± Satou said.


    Megumin turned her head and stared at him. ¡°Why aren''t you dead?¡±


    Satou chuckled. ¡°I''m not sleeping with any of them, despite the rumors.¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡± Megumin asked.


    Satou gave her a pointed look for a moment, then gave her a very big smile. ¡°I''ll tell youter.¡±


    Suddenly there was the sound of a bunch of wings pping and 15 maidsnded in front of them.


    ¡°I have the pic things.¡± A sexy female voice said and a short woman faded into view.


    Megumin did her best to not be jealous of the woman of equal height to her withrge breasts. It wasn''t working, because she didn''t have a chest at all topare them. It wasn''t fair! How could she have huge breasts like that and she had none! NONE!


    All of the subi shivered and a few of them made soft moans. Satou motioned to the stairs and they all went up to the second floor. They all stepped onto a 20 foot wide circle of stone and Megumin''s raging emotions calmed as she also stepped onto it. She had never seen anything like it before and she wondered what kind of magic it was and how long it would take for word of it to reach the Crimson Demon n leaders.


    The circle glowed with some unknown magic that Megumin felt along her spine, then a bright sh of light briefly blinded her and she suddenly felt the wind on her face. She had to blink her eyes several times before her brain caught up to what her eyes were showing her. They were beside a hugeke and an old rundown and ruined castle.


    ¡°We love it here.¡± The subus with the pic basket said and handed out a huge folded checkered nket that the other subi took a short distance away and unfolded to be 30 feet wide and 30 feet long. She then started handing out containers of food and things that the subi set out for everyone and then they all settled down.


    ¡°We''re on the far side of the thick forest that''s outside the city of Axel.¡± Satou exined and pointed off to the side and away from the pic nket. ¡°With the Tower so high, it''s easy to see for miles and miles around. Getting here was easy, once I saw it with my own eyes, and I put a teleportation circle where I knew they would be useful.¡±


    ¡°That''s what that was?¡± Megumin asked.


    ¡°It''se in handy before, so once I arrived here, it was one of the first things I did.¡± Satou said let her hand go as he stepped back. ¡°What spell was it that you wanted to show me?¡±


    Megumin felt a thrill go through her, because she was going to unleash her best and most powerful spell. That it was her only spell was beside the point. ¡°Let me show you the pinnacle of power!¡±


    Satou nodded and Megumin took several steps away and held up her staff as she drew her magic from deep within and chanted with all her heart as she pointed towards the old ruined castle.


    ¡°Darkness cker than ck and darker than dark, I beseech thee! Combine with my deep crimson. The time of awakeningeth! Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortion! Dance, Dance, Dance!¡± Megumin chanted.


    Power flowed and swirled about her as an unnatural wind rose up to blow around her robes. Her clothes fluttered and the brim of her witch''s hat waved and somehow stayed on her head.


    ¡°I desire for my torrent of power to be a destructive force! A destructive force without equal! Return all creation to cinders ande from the abyss! This is the mightiest means of attack known to man! The ultimate attack magic! EXPLOSION!¡± Megumin shouted and a bright st of crimson light shot out of her staff towards the old ruined castle.


    *KAABOOOOM!*


    The blowback wasn''t much, thanks to the castle being far enough away and also up on a small ridge. The bright fireball was pretty, too. The subi all pped politely, even though the castle was barely damaged.


    ¡°That''s not bad.¡± Satou said and mentally graded the technique as he saw Megumin start to copse from magical exhaustion. He easily caught her and cradled her in his arms, which made Megumin blush, despite no other part of her being able to move.


    ¡°That is a powerful spell.¡± The Head Subus said and reached over to touch Megumin''s forehead. ¡°You enjoyed that a lot, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡± Megumin admitted in a whisper. With her so helpless, she saw no reason to lie about it.


    ¡°Then you are going to adore our benefactor.¡± The Head Subus said and patted Satou''s head. ¡°You might as well show her what a real explosion can do.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? She didn''t put any skill points into anything except her main spell.¡± Satou said.


    The Head Subus giggled like a little girl. ¡°Show her what a little bnce can do for her.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I get it.¡± Satou said and Megumin glowed as she felt energy fill her. ¡°Hold her for me.¡±


    ¡°dly.¡± The Head Subus said, knowing full well Satou was giving her a great gift by letting her feel Megumin get off from what she was about to see.


    Megumin wasn''t sure what was going on until a beach ball sized ball of blue energy formed above Satou''s hand. The sheer power flowing off of it made her and all the subi tremble with desire... then it started to shrink and increased in power. It became smaller and smaller until it was only the size of a pea and almost too bright to look at.


    It was covered in a solid substance somehow and then Satou pointed it at the old castle ruins. The thing disappeared, there was a very small echo of shattering ss, then the world went white.


    *<b>WHAAAA-BOOOOOM!</b>*


    They all covered their eyes from the bright sh and then yelled with pleasure as the bacsh from the explosion washed over them. Even Megumin, so used to using her own explosions, had shivered with desire as she finally opened her eyes and saw the atomic cloud of dust that was hundreds of feet in the air, then she saw that there was no longer a castle on the ridge. Or a ridge.


    Megumin''s eyes rolled into the back of her head, the pleasure too much for her, and she passed out. All the subi shivered as well andid down to bask in her afterglow.


    The Head Subus cuddled her and held her tenderly. ¡°She has seen the light, dear.¡± She said fondly as Satou sat beside her. ¡°Now she knows what real explosion magic can do.¡±


    Satou chuckled as he leaned close and gave the happy subus a kiss.

 100 The Best Of The Rest Part Two

    100 The Best Of The Rest Part Two


    <b>Congrattions! You have taken your first step in defeating the Devil King''s Army.</b>


    <i>HUH?</i> I thought as I read thepletely unexpected popup.


    <b>Devil Army General Belial, the undead Duhan, has been vanquished. His gathered troops of 10,000 undead have also perished. Death itself has asked to give you a blessing.</b>


    <i>No! No, that''s okay!</i> I already had them pissed at me. <i>I don''t need...</i>


    <b>Blessing Of The Dead has been granted.


    You can sense and detect Undead within your range without having to cast a spell. You can turn Undead with but a thought, empower them, make them yours, or utterly destroy them and return them to whence they came.</b>


    <i>Wonderful.</i> I thought. I kept any sarcastic feelingspletely suppressed, especially because I knew that both Fate and Death were watching me very closely after myst screw-up. That they both benefited from it was beside the point. I had gained their close attention and that was not a good thing for me. Not at all.


    We returned home after thete pic and the subi were all inordinately happy. Whether it was because of what I did or having a new female around to tease, was debatable. Not surprisingly, I was left alone for the evening as they concentrated on making Megumin wee.


    I returned to the Adventurer''s Guild to see if anyone else showed up to ept my offer. No one did, so I squared up the outstanding bill for the ale and food and went home. The night passed by and my bed was unupied except for myself.


    I wouldn''t find out until the morning that the subi had sequestered Megumin to ''show her the way''. That made meugh, because Megumin couldn''t see any way except for the destruction caused by her spell, Explosion. At least, that was the way she was yesterday. She had really weird thoughts about worshipping that singr spell and only that spell.


    Breakfast in the morning was both odd and familiar, because Megumin''s blushing face made it odd and all of the subi acting like nothing happened had made it familiar. I served the food like usual and Megumin couldn''t meet my eyes as she ate. That made me chuckle, because as far as the subi were concerned, she was a member of the household now.


    Funnily enough, Megumin didn''t object to this development at all. The Head Subi took me aside after breakfast and told me about her situation, so I gave my permission to keep the Archwizard with them and to give her a room with new clothes and ess to the kitchen, assuming she could cook. If not, then I would buy more food to bring home for everyone to help cook.


    That made them all very happy and Megumin''s blush was as dark as her crimson red clothing. We all went out to buy more food and they had a great time flirting and teasing. I had stopped protesting their antics a long time ago, since I knew they couldn''t do more than that.


    The food was sent back home with Megumin and the subi and one of them was assigned to keep a discreet eye on me when I went back to the Adventurer''s Guild. She was ecstatic that I trusted her enough to stay hidden on her own and her not-so-hidden lust for me gave herself a charge without me having to do anything.


    I still gave her discreet kisses on the forehead when I could, since that was the least I could do in thanks for her sticking around all day. I mean, I didn''t need anyone''s help with my level so high; but, it was nice to have an entire group of women that cared so much about me and wanted to keep me safe.


    About noon, a tall blonde woman wearing fancy knight armor entered the guild hall. I cast a detection spell and got her name and that of herpanion, whom were both reading over my notice on the board. Well, I said the blonde was tall; but, she was only 5 foot 5 inches in height, heels not included. With the 2 inch heels of her armored boots, she was still 3 inches shorter than me.


    My full attention was on the barely 5 foot tall whitish-silver haired young woman beside her. She wore a kind of armored or reinforced grey bra, denim shorts with a belt, a green quarter cape, a white scarf for some reason, thigh high white stockings, and calf-high leather boots that matched her gloves. That wasn''t why I was staring at her, though.


    Her body type was damn near my ideal choice. With a little tweaking of her hair and face, she could have passed for Koneko''s twin, the cat-girl back in the High School DxD world. That alone had endeared me to the woman immediately. She was whispering something to the taller blonde and I saw the blonde ponytail bounce with a nod.


    I tried to keep the excitement off of my face when they both turned towards me and started to walk over. I couldn''t have seeded, because the blonde started blushing and fidgeting. A quick pluck at her mind and I easily saw that she was a masochist that enjoyed being denied and punished for it, which was a really weird fetish to have and also be the advanced knight ss of Crusader.


    <i>How could you sessfully fight if you enjoyed being beaten?</i> I asked myself.


    ¡°I saw your notice on the board. My name is Darkness and I have many useful skills to show you.¡± The tall blonde said with confidence as the pair stopped near the table. It was early enough in the day that there wasn''t a crowd around me likest night.


    I didn''t say anything as I stood, just so the pair could see my glimmering armor that was better than the crusader armor Darkness wore. Both women had wide eyes, until I walked around the table with my arms held out. The blonde blushed harder and opened her arms to receive my hug... and I walked right by her and swept the smaller woman up into my arms.


    I hugged her close and ignored the moans from Darkness. ¡°Hello, gorgeous.¡± I said loudly, then I kissed her passionately.


    ¡°HMM hmm mmmmm.¡± The woman hit the back of my armor a couple times in protest, then she sighed and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back just as passionately.


    I was very tempted to let my hands roam, only I somehow knew that would be very bad. I did not ignore my feelings, because that always led to trouble. I slowed the kiss down and broke it, quite reluctantly, and I saw the look on her face that showed the exact same reluctance.


    I gave her a crooked smile and dove back in to kiss her again. She didn''t fight at all this time and kept kissing me back for quite some time. Again, I did not let my hands roam. It was our first meeting and I wasn''t going to ruin a potential rtionship because I desperately wanted to dig my hands into her shorts to grab that pert little ass.


    She must have sensed something, because she broke the kiss and gave me a very pointed look.


    ¡°You can''t me me.¡± I said as an exnation and nothing else.


    Her pointed look became a searching one, then she smiled a little and nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and let her out of the hug, took her hand, and brought around the table and sat her down beside my seat and sat down myself. ¡°I''m Satou Kazuma and that''s my notice on the board.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She said and didn''t say what part she knew about. The slight smile was back on her face and I chuckled.


    ¡°May I know your name?¡± I asked her, even though I knew it already, and Ipletely ignored the blonde still standing on the other side of the table. I also ignored her muffled moan at being ignored so tantly.


    ¡°You can call me Chris and I''m best friends with Darkness.¡± She told me. Her eyes didn''t betray anything and I could tell she didn''t quite lie, which meant it wasn''t her actual name that my spell told me, Eris. Chris must have been what the local people called her.


    ¡°SHE IS!¡± Darkness yelled and then moaned when everyone in the hall turned to stare at her. ¡°No, don''t... undress me with your eyes. It''s so... degrading. Ohhhh.¡±


    I raised a single eyebrow at Chris and she looked embarrassed. I dropped the eyebrow and smirked at her. ¡°So, should I fold Darkness over my knee to spank her in front of everyone for drawing so much unneeded attention or should we keep ignoring her and let her suffer as you show me some of your skills?¡±


    The nk of the blonde''s armored bootsing together was pretty loud and we both looked at her to see her trying to not rub her thighs together while also looking like she wanted to strip off right there.


    Chris eventually decided what was best. ¡°You can save the degrading spanking for in privateter.¡±


    Darkness moaned and dropped to her knees, her face flushed, and she was breathing heavily.


    I couldn''t help teasing her after that. ¡°Maybe I''ll kidnap her and lock her in my dungeon with a bunch of subi, too.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh... so mean... and evil. Goddess Eris... thank you for delivering Chris and I... to this degenerate man... to ensure I am... appropriately punished.¡± Darkness muttered between gasping breaths. ¡°I bow to... your divine power... and wisdom.¡±


    I held in my chuckle at bringing her to orgasm with just words, then I noticed something. Chris had blushed from embarrassment again and she couldn''t hide the brief glow of her skin that appeared before I saw it. I didn''t react to it and she didn''t notice that I noticed, thankfully. I knew what it meant, though. The name of the goddess matched the different name of the woman beside me.


    I didn''t try to cast another detection spell, because I was sure that Eris... no, Chris would notice it being cast right beside her. I had gotten away with it once and that was more than enough. It had revealed her secret that no one else knew.


    I turned to face her fully. ¡°Do you want to show off your skills here or should we take this...¡± I nced at Darkness and gave her an evil smile. ¡°...somewhere with more privacy?¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Darkness moaned and shivered.


    Chris sighed and nodded. ¡°Let''s get her out of here before my face explodes from so much blood rushing to it.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that and put my helmet on as I stood. ¡°I''ll take the useless knight in hand.¡±


    Darkness moaned as I approached her and she didn''t try to get away or tried to not let me pick her up. I grabbed her up in my arms in a princess carry for a second, just long enough for her to blush at me, then I unceremoniously tossed her over my shoulder in a fireman''s carry and held her thighs to keep her steady and her skirt hiked up.


    ¡°Ohhhh... so degrading!¡± Darkness eximed and kept softly moaning as I carried her out of the guild hall.


    Everyone saw her shapely ass in only her ck under-armor bodysuit that was nearly identical to mine. Each time theymented about seeing her draped over my shoulder, or about how lucky I was to hold those thick thighs, I felt her shake and moan. The musky smell was getting stronger, too.


    Chris kept blushing as we walked through the town towards my Tower. Several civilians also saw Darkness andmented, some a lot more rudely and sexually, which made Darkness twitch and moan even more. She was definitely getting off a lot from having so many people seeing her cloth covered ass.


    ¡°Here we are, my Tower of Eeeeevil.¡± I said, dramatically.


    Darkness let out a very loud moan at hearing that.


    Chris snorted and then barkedugh. ¡°Darkness, rx. It''s an empty lot.¡±


    Darkness sighed, sadly.


    ¡°Is it?¡± I asked and walked over to it, only for the door to open and seemingly split the air.


    ¡°Wee home, master!¡± A different maid greeted me. ¡°Are these new ymates for us?¡±


    Both Chris and Darkness gasped at the implication.


    ¡°One of them is.¡± I said and tossed Darkness to the floor at her feet. ¡°Take her to the dungeon and lock her up on The Rack.¡±


    Darkness shivered and moaned, her face bright red. The look of anticipation and trepidation was an oddbination to see. Both she and Chris gasped when five more maids of various sizes came out of different rooms and rushed over. They looked happy as they picked up the blonde, whom moaned at the very rough handling.


    ¡°Strip her down to the bodysuit and be careful to not be too rough... with her armor.¡± I ordered and Darkness moaned as the musky smell grew strong around her. The subi all shivered and gave me brilliant smiles, then they deployed their wings and flew off with her.


    ¡°NO! Don''t... oh, please! YES!¡± Darkness yelled in both terror and delight to actually be carried off by subi.


    Chris looked apprehensive. ¡°They aren''t really going to hurt her, are they?¡±


    I chuckled and motioned to the stairs. ¡°They are under both a geas and a contract to not absorb sexual energy directly.¡±


    Chris sighed with relief and took my arm as I led her up the stairs.


    ¡°That doesn''t stop them from taking it passively, though.¡± I said and she gasped. ¡°It''s all right. Darkness seems to love being degraded and roughly handled, so they are going to have a lot of fun giving her exactly what she wants.¡±


    Chris looked worried. ¡°Satou, she... she um... she doesn''t have a normal stopping point.¡±


    It took me a moment to understand and I nodded. ¡°I need the youngest, please.¡±


    The first subi I ever met flew down the stairs andnded in front of me. I knelt on one knee and gave her a kiss on the forehead to make her glow pink, then told her what she needed to let the others know about not going too far with Darkness.


    ¡°I''ll warn the boss.¡± She said and gave Chris a brief look, smiled wickedly, then she hopped up and kissed my cheek before flying down the stairs and out of sight.


    Chris looked surprised. ¡°How... why... how...¡±


    I chuckled and stood. ¡°I''ve been feeding them supplementary style for about a month now and they keep wanting to push things.¡± I motioned up the stairs and we kept walking.


    We reached my room on the top floor and Chris sucked in a sharp breath. I had put huge windows on all four walls inside the expanded space, so I could see all over without having to go up on the roof. I let her arm go and motioned to the far window.


    ¡°The view is beautiful.¡± Chris said as she crossed therge expanded space and stopped beside the window.


    ¡°It just so happened to be a central property when it was just an empty lot.¡± I said and quickly stripped off my armor. ¡°It was also 750,000 Eris.¡±


    Chris gasped and turned to look at me. She gasped again because I was only wearing my armor bodysuit.


    ¡°It was a steal, really. Once I started building the Tower, I realized it was on a slight rise and everything around it kind of sloped downwards, which gave me even more reason to want to make the Tower higher. I reached my initial goal of 30 storeys when my building permit was revoked.¡±


    Chris looked angry. ¡°Why did they do that?¡±


    ¡°It was in the way of the Lord of Axel''s view.¡± I said and pulled off my bodysuit.


    Chris blushed bright red and turned away. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Seducing you.¡± I said without hesitation.


    ¡°Wh-wh-WHAT?¡± Chris gasped.


    ¡°You remind me of the very first girl I dated when I started my journey. I ended up sleeping with her just before I had to move on and I''ve always regretted having to leave her behind.¡± I said and walked over to her.


    Chris kept her eyes locked onto the view and didn''t turn around.


    ¡°Normally, I would take things slow like I did with her. I want to show you that I do care about you and want you to be happy, except I made the mistake of going too slow and the end was rushed. I don''t want to make the same mistake again.¡± I said and loosely draped my arms around her waist.


    ¡°You''re not wanting me. You want a recement her.¡± Chris said, a little sadly.


    ¡°No, you''re wrong.¡± I said and bent down to kiss her cheek. ¡°As soon as I saw her, I told her that I preferred girls like her over the big breasted beauties that were right there trying to get my attention.¡±


    Chris sucked in a sharp breath and turned around to look into my eyes. ¡°You did that with me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I wanted you to know that despite Darkness being a tall buxom blonde that everyone else was focusing on, I was specifically looking right at you. It was you I went to, you I hugged, and you I called gorgeous and kissed.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°You could tell I wasn''t lying, couldn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, I... I could tell.¡± Chris said with a blush.


    ¡°I want to get to know you better and I also don''t want to go too slow and miss this opportunity.¡± I said and stepped back to let her see I was wearing boxer shorts. ¡°Will you join me in the bath and we can talk? Or just rx? Or maybe we can scrub each other and have a bit of fun before we rx and then talk?¡±


    Chris looked down at my boxer shorts and the tent pole there. She blushed and looked back up at my face. ¡°We''re not having sex.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Not yet.¡± I said and she opened her mouth to correct me. ¡°Please don''t tell me you never will. My heart can''t take it.¡±


    Chris blushed again and turned her head away. ¡°I really shouldn''t. My religion...¡±


    ¡°If you worship a specific goddess, I have no problems with that, as long as you don''t expect me to abandon my own personal goddess to start worshipping yours.¡± I said and again she opened her mouth to probably correct me. ¡°I didn''t say I wouldn''t worship yours, just that I won''t do it exclusively.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t work. You have to choose which religion to follow and their doctrine...¡± Chris started to say.


    I closed my eyes and knelt, so that she wouldn''t know I knew who she really was when she glowed. ¡°Oh, mighty Goddess Eris! I pray to thee and praise thee like your devoted follower Darkness has, to thank you for the same thing. You have brought Chris to me and I will forever be grateful to you for that. I will donate 100,000 Eris to your temple in your name. Amen!¡±


    The bright glow that came from Chris made it through my closed eyes and I almost felt her shuddering from the power I had just fed to her. Having such a high level really gave me a lot of power that I couldn''t really gauge until it was used in certain situations.


    A small hand lightly touched my cheek and she wasn''t wearing her gloves. ¡°You really are going to help the Followers of Eris like that?¡±


    ¡°I can send someone over with it right now or it can wait until after my bath.¡± I said and opened my eyes and looked up at her. She had a happy look on her face and I smiled.


    ¡°I think a bath with you should let us get to know each other better.¡± Chris said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and stayed kneeling as I reached up to unbuckle her belt. She didn''t stop me and I slid her jeans shorts off and saw she wore something simr to bicycle shorts underneath. I didn''t touch them and reached for her boots instead. She stepped out of them and I pulled off her stockings next.


    Chris took off the scarf and then the quarter-length cape, gave me a smile, and I pointed to where the bathroom was. She led me there and gasped at therge Japanese-like bathhouse inside. I stepped in and kicked off my boxer shorts and sat down on a stool tother up. She sat beside me after taking off the rest of her clothes andthered up as well. She had a small smile on her face and we rinsed off at the same time.


    I stood and took her hand, and we stepped into the giant stone depression in the floor. I sat her down on the seat there and sat down a few feet away and looked at her face. She looked a little dismayed at me sitting so far away, so I wagged my eyebrows and grinned at her.


    Chris huffed at me and rolled her eyes, which was all the invitation I needed. I slid over to her and pulled her onto myp, then reclined on the seat to let her getfortable. She settled down against me and let out a sigh.


    ¡°I''ll go first, shall I?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°First thing you should know is that I wasn''t born here in Axel.¡±


    ¡°No, really?¡± Chris asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°It''s shocking, I know.¡± I said and she kept softly chuckling. ¡°To tell you the truth, I wasn''t born anywhere on this world.¡±


    The soft chuckling cut off and Chris turned her head enough to look back at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°It''s true. I died on another world, was whisked away from my eternal rxation as an old fogey among other old fogeys, and was given a choice to head off to save another world.¡±


    Chris was silent for several moments before she managed to speak. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°I want to be honest with you from the start.¡± I said and she blushed, as if I caught her at something. I had, only she didn''t know I knew who she was. ¡°I''m not going to tell you everything right off the bat, though. That defeats the whole point of getting to know one another.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Chris started to protest.


    ¡°You already know my preferred body type and that I''ve been sent here to fight the Demon King''s army. What is it that you do?¡± I asked her to distract her.


    ¡°I... um...¡± Chris paused and looked nervous. ¡°I''m a thief.¡±


    ¡°Mmm hmm.¡± I hummed and nodded. ¡°What kind of man are you looking for?¡±


    Chris looked at me like I was crazy. ¡°I just told you I was a thief!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. I got that. I''m an adventurer and can learn any skill, so I need you to show me some thingster at 1,000 Eris for each one.¡± I said and her face didn''t change. ¡°So, preferredpanion type? Or do you have one?¡±


    Chris just stared at me without speaking.


    ¡°I can''t really change my looks and behavior if you don''t tell me what you want.¡± I said and she made a choking sound. ¡°What? I''m going to do what I can to make you happy. If you like long red hair instead of white, I''ll change it.¡±


    Chris gasped when my long white hair changed to bright red.


    ¡°Beard or moustache?¡± I asked and had both appear on my face. ¡°Long or short?¡±


    Chris kept staring as my beard grew to a foot long and then both it and the moustache disappeared.


    ¡°Bigger pouting lips?¡± I asked and inted mine to be three times their normal size.


    Chris mped her mouth shut as she muffled herugh.


    ¡°Mookayy, you bike dem. I wibb beave dem bike diss.¡± I said as my huge lips flopped around and pped my chin and nose.


    Chris burst outughing.


    ¡°Wad''s fubby?¡± I asked with a look of confusion on my face.


    ¡°BAHAHAHA!¡± Chrisughed andughed and I had to hold her above the water to stop her from drowning. When I tried to smile charmingly at her, it only made herugh harder.


    *


    Darkness was in hell and in heaven at the same time. She was in hell physically because of where she was and in heaven emotionally because of how she was feeling. She had never been treated so horribly or been so happy in her life. Ever.


    The subi somehow knew exactly what to do to her. They were just rough enough to not injure her and just degrading enough verbally to insult her, both of which got her off over and over. Her whole body trembled with pleasure and desire. It was so much that arge puddle of her juices was on the hard stone floor below the contraption she was strapped to.


    When her eyes darted down to look, she blushed and felt shame that several women werepping at the liquid. Of course, that shame got her off more and the puddle increased enough that another woman knelt and started licking it up, making Darkness feel more shame, more desire, and she added to the puddle.


    ¡°Are you sure we can''t dig our dirty tongues and grimy fingers into her filthy drenched opening?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°Ohhhh... my Goddess... I beg of you... never let this stop.¡± Darkness prayed. ¡°This gift... should never... be denied!¡±


    ¡°Someone get me the spiked paddle to discipline this trash knight.¡± The Head Subus ordered as she faded into view.


    Darkness almost passed out when she heard that. The puddle at her feet grew and another woman knelt top at it.


    ¡°Just look at those big fat tits.¡± The Head Subus said and grabbed one through the cloth.


    Darkness moaned and came hard when her nipple was pinched.


    ¡°I''m surprised your disgustingly huge nipples haven''t destroyed this expensive fabric from poking it so hard.¡± The Head Subus said and pped the other breast to make it jiggle.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Darkness came again and it squirted out andnded right into the mouth of a waiting subus. When she moaned and copsed, twitching on the floor, Darkness felt a p across her face.


    ¡°Look at that! Your disgusting fluids have poisoned my daughter!¡± The Head Subus eximed.


    Darkness cried out in ecstasy, shook for a moment, and passed out. The pleasure she felt had been too much for her. The other subi around her copsed as well, joining their new friend in unconscious bliss.


    ¡°I am very d to have epted Satou''s offer to live here.¡± The Head Subus whispered as she lightly caressed the red imprint of her hand on Darkness'' face. ¡°I never knew that there were so many other kinds of love and sexual energy to enjoy and we don''t have to consume their life force to keep it.¡±


    The subus she sent away gasped when she entered the dungeon with the spiked paddle. ¡°I missed it?¡±


    The Head Subus reached out and touched her daughter''s forehead to give her the same taste.


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± She shivered and dropped unconscious to the floor andnded on the pile of her sisters.


    ¡°Yes, we are all very happy to live here.¡± The Head Subus said with a loving smile.

 101 Give And Take

    101 Give And Take


    The bath ended up taking an hour after Chris finally calmed down. Her eyes asionally darted to my normal lips the whole time, as if she was waiting for me to start talking gibberish. I knew I could set her off again by just inting my lips and not even say anything, so I didn''t, mostly because she never gave me enough time between nces to do it without her seeing it.


    We climbed out and dried off as she kept her back to me. I was tempted to just walk around her to let her see me, only I was sure she would take offence that I was pushing too much. The bath had been as far as she was going to go this soon and I was okay with that.


    I quickly dressed in a normal suit and summoned her clothing. I saw the state they were in, so I fixed them up for her, making them like new, and I thought about adding a few discreet pieces of metal and enchanting them. Her back was still turned, so I didn''t have to hide that I was doing it. I nodded to myself.


    I cleaned and freshened her panties first and added a constant temperature charm before I handed them to her. Chris gasped when she slipped them on and whirled around to stare at me. I had known she was going to do that and had already turned away to not stare at her jiggling bare breasts. She let out an odd sound and then turned back around.


    I fixed her skin-tight bicycle shorts next and passed them to her. She made another little noise after she pulled them up. I fixed and slightly altered each under-piece and then passed them to her to let her get dressed. She let out little sounds as she put each thing on, her stockings, her leather boots, her above-the-elbow thin cloth gloves, and her leather gloves.


    When I reached her bra, I saw that it was stiff and didn''t move at all, even though it had a shoulder strap to hold it in ce. That wasn''t good for her continued health if it didn''t move with her, so I changed it.


    Instead of the stiff cloth, I transfigured it into an actual bra that would size to fit her snugly and not tightly. I then added thick padding over it, then attached movable metal tes on the straps and between her breasts that worked like an ordion. She could cross her arms now and it wouldn''t dig into the flesh of her sides or her breasts. She would actually be protected and not vulnerable.


    Once I added the metal breastte and changed all of it to the same dull grey of the original, I handed it to her. She wentpletely silent and didn''t say anything or moved. I didn''t dare turn to look at her, though. Whatever she was doing was not for me to see, especially if she still had her back to me.


    After a few minutes of nothing, the sound of the new metal sp closing sounded behind me. I picked up her denim shorts and frowned at them. They were both worn and looked new, which was weird, so I repaired them and added metal strips along the inside of where the belt would go. After enchanting them with a few safety features and spell deflection, I handed them to her.


    Chris let out something like a sigh and I heard the rustle of denim as she put them on. I had the belt done with a shield enchantment on the belt buckle and strength runes on the inside of the thick leather. She put it on without a sound and held her hand out.


    I didn''t bother adding anything to the scarf and she made a disappointed sound. ¡°It''s awkward and unwieldy. I have no clue why you wear it, since it serves no purpose, practical or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I like it.¡± Chris said in her defense.


    ¡°I like drinking tea and you don''t see me draping a long knitted series of tea bags from my neck that can easily choke me, do you?¡± I asked without turning around.


    A long drawn out sigh came from behind me. ¡°Just give me my cape.¡±


    ¡°It''s not very practical as it is.¡± I said and enchanted it to expand when needed and gave it several protection spells, then added in a transfigured magic crystal to the sp, that was now a portkey, and handed it to her.


    Chris gasped when she grabbed it and I could almost feel her staring a hole through the back of my head and silently asking me what I did to it.


    ¡°When you say the phrase, ''Tower home'', you and anything you''re touching or carrying will be brought from wherever you are to here in the Tower''s lobby, including people.¡± I said and turned to look at her, now that she was dressed. ¡°It would normally only work once; but, the crystal has enough inherent magic to be used about 10 times before I need to recharge it.¡±


    Chris stared at me like I was crazy.


    I took out a piece of stone and did some fake wand waving over it, fully exaggerating what I had to do to make the thing, and tapped it as I silently cast the Portus spell. ¡°There you go. One free ride to the alley beside Adventurer''s Guild.¡±


    Chris didn''t say anything or tried to take it.


    I sighed and stepped close and put the stone in her hand. ¡°You''re lucky I need to go there to check if anyone showed up to show me some skills.¡±


    That got a reaction and Chris gasped. ¡°I haven''t showed you anything!¡±


    I smiled at her and put my hand on the stone. ¡°It''s all right. I figured you wanted to wait until I gave the Temple of Eris my donation before you would ept any money for showing off your skills.¡±


    Chris looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded.


    ¡°We can stop off at the town center as well. I need to pick up the permit fee I paid that the Lord of Axel cancelled.¡± I said and tapped the stone with my wand.


    We disappeared with a swirl and then reappeared in the alley as the swirl ended. I wasn''t surprised that she didn''t lose her bnce and took the piece of stone back, crushed it, and tossed the dirt to the ground.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± I asked and motioned to the street.


    Chris nodded and we left the alley and went into the guild hall. No one was there, probably because it was between mealtimes and everyone was out. Luna at the counter admitted that no one hade in to take me up on the offer. I ignored her sad look as I bid her a good day and left.


    ¡°Do I want to know why she looked at you like that?¡± Chris asked me.


    ¡°She thinks I''m an idiot for epting the basic adventurer ss when my initial stats were good enough for an advanced ss.¡± I said and Chris gasped. ¡°She''s wrong, because I took the ss specifically because I wanted the ability to learn any skill.¡±


    Chris fell silent and I didn''t say anything as I let her think it out. We went to the main town building where they did the administration duties for the town and the clerk there handed over the voucher for my payment. Sena must have impressed upon them the urgency of not pissing me off.


    I normally would not have epted an IOU like that, since I wasn''t an idiot. This time, I let the clerk know that the money was going to the Temple of Eris and that I hoped the Lord of Axel was happy about handing all of that money over to a major religion. The clerk looked sick and Chris looked ecstatic. Only an idiot would piss off religious fanatics.


    We left there and went right to the temple. Chris knew the way, of course. We entered and she showed me what to do to give the proper respect, then we met with the head priest. The man was absolutely delighted to receive 10,000 Eris in cash, 15,000 Eris worth of gold slivers, and a 75,000 Eris voucher from the Lord of Axel.


    As we left the temple, Chris was almost floating as she skipped and hopped around happily. ¡°I can''t believe you actually did that!¡± She nearly shouted andughed as she did a pirouette. ¡°They can help so many people with ess to that much money!¡±


    I smiled warmly at her as she danced and showed off a lot of skill. I felt like she was giving me a lot more skills than what she intended, though. She suddenly stopped and gave me a pointed look, then she nodded and started showing me some of her Thief ss skills. Sneak, Stalk, Track, Stealth Climb, Lockpicking, and one of her special skills called Steal.


    It was a luck based skill that could steal a random item from someone. The higher the skill and the Luck of the person, the more unique or singr the item it could steal. We entered an old alleyway to cross streets and she suddenly challenged me. She would use it on me to take something and I would use it back. Whatever we stole, we kept.


    I wanted to say no, because I didn''t want her to think that stealing from me was okay. She must have seen it on my face or felt my hesitation, because she blushed. She didn''t back down or rescinded the challenge, though. I did not like that at all.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± I asked her and she nodded. ¡°All right. You go first.¡±


    Chris looked excited as she held her hand out to me and whispered. There was a soft glow from her hand and she caught her breath. She turned her hand over and opened it to show off the expanded money pouch I had taken the 10,000 Eris from.


    ¡°All right, moneybags! It''s your turn.¡± Chris said after looking inside the pouch and seeing piles of Eris. She put the money pouch on the ground by her feet, specifically so I couldn''t steal it back. When she stood up, she had handfuls of rocks in her hands instead.


    ¡°That''s cheating.¡± I said and she smiled. ¡°You''re going to im there''s no rules in this, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Satou, there are no rules for anything around here.¡± Chris said and her smile changed to a grin.


    I opened my mouth to refute that, then realized something. I could cheat, too. ¡°Very well.¡± I said and held my hand out to her as I activated my Blessings for both Fortune and Forge and paid enough Karma points to make my sess rate 100%. ¡°STEAL!¡±


    A bright glow appeared in my closed hand and I felt power thrumming from inside my fist. I turned my hand over and opened it... and there was a silver ne with a red jewel that was supposed to be around her neck.


    ¡°NO!¡± Chris gasped and tore off her scarf, only to show a bare neck. She dropped to her knees with a shocked look on her face. ¡°No.... no, it... how... there''s no way...¡±


    I walked over to her and let the ne dangle from my fingers. ¡°Finders Keepers, right?¡±


    Chris trembled with a look of utter loss on her face. ¡°Satou... please... please... give it back.¡±


    I knelt on one knee and looked into her eyes. ¡°What is it, Chris?¡±


    Chris didn''t answer me and only stared at the red jewel.


    ¡°Shall we go again?¡± I asked and stood. ¡°Let me just grab an armful of rocks and you can try it.¡±


    Chris looked devastated and shook her head. She knew she would never get it back that way.


    ¡°It''s not very fun or entertaining when someone uses an underhanded trick against you, is it?¡± I asked and looked down at her.


    Chris still didn''t say anything and only had eyes for the stone.


    ¡°I can see it on your face.¡± I said and moved my hand to the side and her eyes and head followed it. ¡°As soon as I let this go, I''m never going to see you again.¡±


    Chris barely moved her eyes to my face before she put her gaze back onto the stone. ¡°It''s too valuable. I never thought anyone could ever take that from me, not in a million years.¡± She said, her voice soft. ¡°I thought... even if I died... there''s no way...¡± She stopped talking and looked at me. I <b>need</b> that <b>back</b>!¡±


    ¡°Vow to me.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°Make a solemn vow...¡±


    ¡°<b>Never!</b>¡± Chris said and the ne thrummed with power as an immense pressure mmed down onto me and the surroundings, crushing several buildings in a circr area around her. She slowly stood to stare at me. ¡°How <b>dare</b> you <b>demand</b> that a <b>Goddess</b> make a <b>vow</b> to <b>you</b>, a lowly <b>mortal</b>!¡±


    The jewel on the ne thrummed with power again and the crushed buildings were ttenedpletely.


    I smiled at her, unaffected. ¡°I suppose this is the conduit your powers flow through when in the mortal world.¡± I said and thought about what she said. ¡°You were perfectly fine cuddling and kissing this mortal not long ago. What changed? This?¡± I asked and swayed it back and forth.


    ¡°You have <b>stolen</b> something that should <b>never</b> have been stolen from a <b>divine</b> being!¡± Chris shouted.


    I flipped the jewel up and itnded in my palm. ¡°You''re not a divine being right now.¡±


    Chris gasped and all that pressure disappeared. She started to hyperventte and dropped to her knees again. It was a little sad how quickly her demeanour and attitude changed when she didn''t have the upper hand, perceived or not.


    ¡°I''m sorry I had to point out the w in your logic.¡± I told her. ¡°You thought the normal rules didn''t apply to you. You thought, quite wrongly, that having a little fun at my expense was worth annoying me.¡±


    Chris lifted her gaze to look at me.


    ¡°I really liked you and I really wanted to get to know you.¡± I said and looked at the jewel in my hand and then at her face. ¡°How sorry are you that pretending to be a thief has shown you how big of a mistake it was to underestimate a lowly mortal?¡±


    Chris looked very sorry indeed.


    ¡°I''m sorry, too.¡± I said and turned my hand over.


    The jewel was barely away from my skin when Chris lunged for it and disappeared in a small sh of light. Not surprisingly, the money pouch was gone, too. I suspected it would get anonymously donated to the Temple of Eris, since she certainly didn''t need the money.


    I did another magic detection spell and no one was approaching, despite the damage and noise. With no witnesses around, I teleported back to my room in the top floor of the tower andid down on my big bed. My suit wasn''t dirty, despite kneeling in the dirt, and I took out my Adventurer Registration card.


    On it were a bunch of new skills and abilities that our little duel had shown me, thest of which was Connected Realm Teleportation. I chuckled and acquired that and the Divine Skill, along with Pressure Wave, Intimidation, and Words of Power. That used up thest of my free skill points, so I would need to visit the guild again and get my card updated for the second time.


    <i>I wonder how much experience defeating a hidden goddess in a personal duel will get me?</i> I asked myself andughed. Despite how it started, it turned out that the money she stole was worth it.


    *


    Goddess Aqua sat on her little throne and rxed. She hadn''t met anyone else that took her up on her offer and she didn''t really care. Despite her vehemence in her sales pitch, the situation had been going on for decades and she was sure it would go on for decades more. In any case, she leaned over the arm over her chair and kicked her legs up over the other arm and started to doze off.


    Aqua felt a disturbance was going to happen in her area of the realm and sighed. As soon as she sat up to receive whomever died, there was a little sh above her nightstand and a nicely wrapped box dropped onto her endless book of skills and items.


    Without even a first thought of cautiousness, let alone a second one, Aqua tore the wrapping off and opened the box. Inside were the most delicious smelling cookies she had ever smelled and she had two of them in her mouth before she saw the note.


    <i>Dear goddess Aqua,


    I made these as a thank you for how you treated me when I was there. Enjoy them.


    From: Urine Soaked Heart Attack Guy.


    P.s. You''re going to need what''s under the cookies.</i>


    Aqua immediately knew who had sent the cookies and was happy that he didn''t hold a grudge. She tossed the note aside and had a third cookie gone before she moved the rest of the cookies out of the way. She was confused by whatever it was and picked it up. The cloth unfolded to show her a pair of adult diapers.


    ¡°AHH! Get them away!¡± Aqua shouted and flung them out into the darkness... and then her stomach rumbled. ¡°Uhhh, I don''t feel so good.¡±


    *PFFFRRTTT!*


    Aqua''s eyes bulged and she pped a hand over her mouth and nose to stop the smell. It didn''t work. A secondter, she let another ripper go and it wasn''t just air this time. She immediately hopped up, scared of getting her nice white chair dirty, and ran for the little goddess'' room.


    Half an ourter, Aqua came back to her chair and sat with a relieved sigh. She smelled something delicious and looked at the nightstand beside her.


    ¡°Oh, look! Cookies!¡± Aqua said and started eating them.

 102 Buying What You Sell

    102 Buying What You Sell


    I made supper for everyone, the Head Subus, her 15 daughters and contracted subordinates, Megumin, and Darkness. They were all chatting normally, as was I, like nothing had happened to us today. It was both weird and alsopletely weing, because we were all doing our best to make it reality. None of us wanted to ruin what we discovered we needed.


    Megumin, after a night and a day with the subi, learned a valuable lesson on what it took to be a real family. She also epted that others could have different views on what spell would be the ultimate spell they would choose to have as the pinnacle of their magic. She still blushed when she looked at me, too.


    Darkness, after half the day being treated like a degenerate piece of trash, was extremely happy and acted normally. With her secret desires being handled by experts in delivering desire, her entire behavior had changed from her reacting to every little insult to her ignoring everything withposure. She knew the table was no ce for her to act like a masochist slut and specifically saved that for the dungeon, her favorite ce in the entire world.


    For myself, despite how my meeting with Chris turned out at the end, I wasn''t deterred in the least. Yes, I had scared her by taking her talisman and she reacted angrily. It also gained me skills she never would have revealed, even if I had confronted her about being who she was. I had a n to fix that, though. I had a job to do and I was serious in gaining every skill I could to achieve that.


    ¡°Darkness, my good friend let it slip that you''ve been looking to join a party for a while now.¡± I said and took a sip of wine. She also told me who the 19 year old woman really was. She was the daughter of a prominent and important family and went against her father''s wishes for her to marry another noble, namely the son of the Lord of Axel, and became an adventurer instead.


    Darkness nodded and spoke with conviction. ¡°It is my fondest wish to devote my body to the protection of my fellows, no matter how harsh, how terrible, or how degenerate the acts I must suffer to do it.¡±


    The subi tittered and blushed a little, because they knew exactly what she was willing to suffer.


    ¡°Then I would wee you with open arms into my party. I can always use a meat shield to toss at the Devil King''s army to keep the filthy enemies of this world at bay while I do the real work of saving the people.¡± I said and saluted with my ss.


    Darkness blushed with pleasure and gave me a huge smile. ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡±


    Megumin looked embarrassed at hearing me phrase it like that.


    ¡°Megumin, it''s all right. Everyone in this Tower havee to an understanding. What happens here, stays here. It''s no one''s business but our own what consenting adults do in the privacy of their home.¡± I exined.


    Megumin''s eyes looked from me to Darkness, to the Head Subus, and back to me.


    ¡°I''ve also heard from my good friend that you are a devoted follower of a very specific spell and have absolutely no other skills whatsoever.¡± I said and she blushed deeper, so I raised a hand to stop her from responding. ¡°I''m not calling you down, Megumin. I''m letting the other member of our party know that you can only use your magic to cast a spell for ultimate destruction.¡±


    Megumin looked surprised at me saying she was already a member of the party.


    ¡°Oh? Why is that?¡± Darkness asked, curiously.


    ¡°It''s because she put all of her skill points into her top tier spell every time she gathers enough to upgrade it to the next level.¡± I told her.


    ¡°I do that as well. My defense skills are second to none. I sincerely doubt there is anyone in the entire town that has a higher protection value than I do.¡± Darkness said, proudly.


    ¡°R-really?¡± Megumin asked.


    ¡°Of course. I''m absolutely terrible with attacking and can''t hit the side of a barn with my sword, even if I was standing next to it when I swung, so I put the points where they would do me the most good instead.¡± Darkness said, still proudly.


    <i>A few hours of getting what she needed has done her a world of good.</i> I thought with a smile and directed it at the Head Subus. She gave me a sexy smile back and I felt her dainty foot touch me under the table. I did not ask how her foot could reach me from that far away.


    ¡°That''s what I believe, too! I decided a long time ago that Explosion was the only magic I would ever need!¡± Megumin said, passionately. ¡°What''s a simple cleaning spellpared to the power an Archwizard can funnel into the ultimate spell of destruction?¡±


    Darkness nodded in agreement. ¡°The two of our skillsbined can make us be the best defensive and offensive team in the world.¡±


    Megumin''s eyes almost glittered at her words. ¡°Yes! We really can!¡±


    The Head Subus managed to dig her toes into my pants and she was giving me gentle strokes through my boxer shorts. ¡°My dear, I believe you have gained two valuable members. Will you go to the Adventurer''s Guild to register them officially?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see why not. I need to head over there to get my card updated anyway. We can go there first thing in the morning and take care of it.¡± I said and both Darkness and Megumin blushed. ¡°I hope that''s okay? I don''t want anyone stealing you from me after they find out how useful you both are.¡±


    That made the both of them blush harder.


    ¡°You don''t need to be worried about that. Our dear Megumin enjoys her new room too much to leave.¡± The Head Subus said and her toes wiggled on my tip.


    ¡°Was it the view, thepany, or the free food?¡± I asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°All of it, dear. All of it.¡± The Head Subus said with a sexy smile. ¡°Darkness will be given the room next to hers and I believe she will also enjoy it.¡±


    Darkness looked a little unsure. ¡°My Lord... and Lady. I appreciate the offer, I do. I... I don''t think I can move in here.¡±


    Both I and the subiughed.


    ¡°You don''t have to live here. None of them do.¡± I said and the subi all nodded. ¡°They have their own rooms, their own things, and their own lives. They cane and go as they please and they are not trapped here.¡±


    ¡°However, we chose toe here and made this our home.¡± The Head Subus said and the others nodded again. ¡°We''ve never felt more weed in our lives and Satou is responsible for that.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''m offering.¡± I said and nodded to Megumin. ¡°There''s no requirements needed. You don''t have to join my party; but, I know that''s what you really wanted. To use your skill in battle and to improve it and yourself.¡±


    Megumin blushed and nodded. ¡°It''s all I''ve ever wanted to do.¡±


    ¡°I know that the room and food is secondary to that.¡± I said and she nodded again. I looked at Darkness. ¡°The room is yours to do with as you wish while you are here. You can nap there, rx in a bath there, look out over the city, or you can choose to never enter it and it will still be yours.¡±


    Darkness blushed and smiled. ¡°You are very generous, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°I have 30 floors of fully expanded rooms. I could house half the townsfolk if I wanted to.¡± I said.


    Both Darkness and Megumin looked surprised.


    ¡°I couldn''t feed them, though. The kitchen isn''t that big and I only have two hands.¡± I joked and the subiughed.


    Darkness looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded. ¡°Then I ept your offer, my Lord. Thank you for epting me into your home, even if I never avail myself of the privilege to say here overnight.¡±


    I nodded back, saluted with my wine ss, and sipped it. I felt myself reaching my peak and needed to cover my mouth as I softly moaned. The foot had covered the tip to stop it from shooting up into view and no one knew I had gotten off... except for the one using the foot.


    The Head Subus gave me a very sexy smile and did several suggestive licks in the air, only it also licked me down there. I nced down to see my ejaction disappear and looked back up at her smug face. I gave her a salute with my ss as well and she softlyughed.


    ¡°Let us retire for the evening.¡± The Head Subus said. ¡°Goodnight, my daughters.¡±


    Each of the 15 subi stood as one and went to her to give her a quick kiss on the lips, glowed pink, and walked off with a swagger to their hips. I gave her a questioning look and she winked at me, stuck out her tongue to show a drop of white, and stood herself. I used the distraction to clean myself with a spell and closed my pants.


    ¡°Goodnight, Megumin, Darkness.¡± The Head Subus said and walked down the length of the table to me and bent down to kiss my cheek. ¡°Goodnight, dear.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± The three of us said and watched her walk away, her own sexy swagger kept our full attention until she left the room.


    <i>Damn, those were some nice hip movements.</i> I thought in appreciation.


    ¡°I will return in the morning.¡± Darkness said and stood. ¡°Goodnight, Megumin. My Lord.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Megumin and I said and watched her leave as well.


    <i>Damn, she learned to walk from them.</i> I thought, also appreciating the effort.


    ¡°I''m going to my room, too.¡± Megumin said and stood.


    ¡°I''ll walk you there.¡± I offered and stood as well.


    Megumin blushed and epted my arm when I offered it.


    I walked her up the stairs to the tenth floor and to the door of her room. ¡°Have a good night.¡±


    Megumin blushed again. ¡°G-goodnight.¡±


    I smiled warmly. ¡°Rx, Megumin. Despite what you may have seen or heard, I''m not going to ravish you in the dead of night or pounce on you as soon as your back is turned.¡±


    Megumin blushed hard. ¡°It''s not that. I just... I thought...¡±


    ¡°You do not have to join anyone in bed, Megumin. It''s not a requirement or a necessity. You''re 15 and an Archwizard. Your life choices are yours to make. In fact, you came all this way from the nnds to be an adventurer and now you''re here, a member of a strong party, and we''re going to take the fight to the Demon King.¡± I said and her back straightened. ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    ¡°I... I will.¡± Megumin said and smiled. ¡°Goodnight, Satou.¡±


    I smiled at her and walked up the stairs. I was not surprised to find the Head Subus waiting for me in my bed.


    ¡°Did you like testing out my new skill, dear?¡± The Head Subus asked with a wicked smile.


    I barked augh and took off my suit before I climbed into bed. ¡°I told myself I wasn''t going to ask.¡±


    She gave me a pout and crossed her arms, so I lifted the nket for her. She grinned at me and dove under it to receive another dose from the source. Funnily enough, I was sure that she liked the cuddling afterwards a lot more than the sex act itself.


    *


    Darkness, Megumin and I were standing in line at the teller booth in the Adventurer''s Guild when an rm sounded.


    ¡°Emergency Quest! EMERGENCY QUEST!¡± Luna''s voice came over a loudspeaker and I was sure I heard echoes of ite in from outside when the guild hall''s doors opened. ¡°We need all able bodied adventurers to assemble at the front gate! I repeat! All able bodied adventures! Assemble at the front gate at ONCE!¡±


    The town bells started to ring as everyone ran out of the guild hall. I nodded and the three of us joined the group and met a bunch of other adventurers in the streets. We all started running for the front gates of the town with our armor and weapons nking loudly. We sounded like a stampede and the townspeople fled into their homes.


    ¡°I hope you''re all ready for this!¡± Ruffian shouted.


    ¡°I was born ready!¡± Arge muscr man responded, his weapon held high in the air.


    After a few minutes, we all gathered just outside the main gates and I did a quick head count. There were about 60 adventurers in the group and that seemed like a lot.


    ¡°I think I see something!¡± One of the women shouted and pointed.


    Everyone turned to look and the entire horizon seemed to change to a green color, then a wave of it started flowing over thend.


    ¡°This is gonna get ugly.¡± Ruffian said, his face grim.


    ¡°A tempesteth.¡± Megumin said, her voice deeper than her young stature should allow.


    When the green flow of something was barely a mile out, nearly all of the adventurers raised their weapons and cheered. ¡°IT''S HARVEST TIME!¡±


    I was slightly startled by the cheer and concentrated on the flow of green as I cast a specific detection spell. ¡°Is that... a cabbage?¡±


    ¡°ATTACK!¡± Ruffian ordered and all of the other adventurers charged towards the enemy.


    ¡°In this world, cabbages can fly. During Harvest time, they reach peak vour. They don''t sit around and wait to be eaten, though.¡± Darkness told me as she stood by my side. ¡°They careen through the cities and meadows, across the continent and oceans, devastating the popce... until they reach a secluded space... where they stop moving and eventually die.¡±


    I blinked my eyes and stared at her. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Darkness nodded and looked ready to take on the iing horde of cabbages.


    ¡°It''s such a waste.¡± Megumin said and hefted her staff. ¡°We need to catch as many as we can and turn them into delicious meals to eat!¡±


    <i>I guess a couple days of normal meals wasn''t enough to curb that behavior over food.</i> I thought.


    Luna''s voice rang out behind us. ¡°Attention! The annual Cabbage Harvesting Season has finally arrived! This year''s crop is the best yet and the guild is offering 10,000 Eris per head. We have cages to store them in, so catch as many as you can!¡±


    ¡°YEAHHHH!¡± The adventurers cheered as the flying and hopping cabbages descended upon them.


    The heads of cabbages were sliced, diced, shot, smacked, batted, kicked, punched, and a whole bunch of things that the adventurers could do to subdue and capture as many of them as possible. There were tens of thousands of them, however.


    ¡°Darkness, brace yourself!¡± I said and she nodded. I picked her up handily, ignored her indecent moan, and threw her as hard as I could.


    ¡°Thank you, my LOOOOOORD!¡± Darkness yelled with delight as she flew several hundred feet and disappeared into the center of the wave of cabbages.


    ¡°You really do understand her.¡± Megumin whispered and I nodded.


    ¡°Megumin, I need your help.¡± I said and stepped close to her. ¡°Prepare to cast your best spell!¡±


    Megumin shivered at the thought of unleashing her magic upon the horde of green monsters. She raised her staff and pointed it as she started to gather her magic. She caught her breath when I stepped behind her and formed a bright glowing ritual circle at our feet.


    I hugged her waist with one hand and put my other hand over hers as my fingertips touched her staff. ¡°I''ll add to the chant when appropriate and will add more power.¡± I whispered to her.


    Megumin softly moaned at the thought of her explosion having more power, then her eyes went hard. ¡°I am the bearer of the me of destruction. The darkness shrouded in the light. The frenzied ze d in the night. In my n''s name, I reveal the fall of thine origin!¡±


    I felt the power build quickly and added some of my own magic. ¡°Burn! Burn with the righteousness of Ice! Let the fire consume you and let the ice preserve you! Feel the presence of the divine upon your delicious bodies!¡±


    Megumin''s whole body shook from excitement from the magic boost. ¡°I summon the root of thy power, a power so fierce that it lies hidden, in the kingdom of ash!¡±


    ¡°I summon the root of thy power, a power so feared that it lies hidden, in the kingdom of frost!¡± I said and we both poured our magic into the staff that was glowing with a mixture of bright red and bright blue.


    ¡°Feel the FIRE/ICE forevermore!¡± We both chanted at the same time. ¡°EXPLOSION FREEZE!!!¡±


    All sound seemed to stop as thebined beam of energy shot out of the staff in the blink of an eye and hit the center of the nearly endless flowing green horde of cabbages.


    *BOOOM-CRISH!*


    The explosion was bright and twice as big as Megumin''s normal explosion. It nearly blinded everyone and seared their skin... and then it was bitterly cold as every single cabbage instantly froze. The solid thumps of well-cooked and freshly frozen cabbages sounded as they dropped from the sky.


    Everyone ignored the very loud moan that came from the very center of the main pile of cabbages. After a few seconds, all of the cabbages were down and everyone cheered.


    ¡°That... was... glorious.¡± Megumin whispered and copsed into my arms, shivering with pleasure.


    I didn''t bother healing her this time and let hernguish in her exhaustion. She deserved it. I carried her over to the main pile of cabbages, thousands of them, and kept walking. It pushed a lot of the individually frozen cabbages aside and we reached the center of the mass.


    Darkness was there and she was on the ground, pressed down by the weight of the cabbages. She was pretty beaten and bruised, too. I had to hold in my chuckle at the sight, because she lookedpletely out of it and had a strong musky smell around her. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and her legs twitched with pleasure.


    I easily picked her up and slung her over my shoulder, getting a soft moan from her, and I walked back out of the main pile. ¡°I only im this main mound to split with my party. Everything else is up for grabs for those that can gather them.¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± The adventurers cheered and quickly went back to work.


    I carried my two party members over to the gates to the town and Luna was there. ¡°You heard?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Make it so. I''ll be back this afternoon to finish registering my party officially and to collect the bounty.¡±


    Luna looked at all of the adventurers bringing in the frozen cabbages that no longer needed cages to hold them. ¡°What are we supposed to do with them?¡±


    ¡°They''re sh frozen. If you want to keep them, toss them onto the preservation shelves I made for the giant frog meat in the guild hall''s kitchen pantry. They''ll stay frozen until you want to use them.¡± I said and she gasped, realizing what that meant. ¡°Yes, that''s right. You can now have year-round frog meat and cabbage sds for sale.¡±


    Luna nodded and watched me walk away, then she whispered. ¡°I made a huge mistake thinking you were stupid.¡± Shemented and sighed. ¡°And letting you get away.¡±


    I would never tell her that I had heard her and agreed with her.

 103 Squaring Things Up

    103 Squaring Things Up


    Both Darkness and Megumin enjoyed their enforced 6 hour naps and looked extremely happy after bathing and meeting me back in the Tower''s lobby. I had repaired the armor and bodysuit that Darkness wore and it gleamed with a few extra enchantments and was almost as bright as her beaming smile.


    ¡°Thank you for holding the main horde back long enough for Megumin to cast her spell.¡± I said to her.


    Darkness paused for a moment, shivered at remembering being crushed under the mass of cabbages, and her smile grew. ¡°It was glorious!¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what Megumin said after she cast her spell.¡± I told her.


    Megumin nodded several times and her hat flopped around and remained on her head. ¡°I''ve never felt so much power before. It blew up <i><b>everything</b></i> and then ourbined magic froze it all. It really was glorious!¡±


    I nodded and waved at the front door. ¡°Now that you''ve recovered, we can get our cards updated and im the payout for the main mass of cabbages.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want the money.¡± Both Megumin and Darkness said at the same time, looked at each other, and thenughed. Megumin with a giggle and Darkness with a husky bark.


    ¡°Adventuring is all I want to do and I''m rich already.¡± Darkness said and then blushed. ¡°Um... never mind. I didn''t say that.¡±


    I reached out and put a hand on her arm to give it a squeeze. ¡°It''s all right. Like I told you before, what happens in the Tower stays here.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°Plus, I''m rich, too. I''m just adventuring to gain as many levels and skills as possible before heading to the Demon King to defeat him.¡±


    Darkness smiled and nodded. ¡°Then I''ll follow your example and spread my money around.¡±


    I looked at Megumin and she blushed.


    ¡°You already promised to feed me as much as I want, gave me a ce to live for as long as I want it, and let me use my explosion as much as possible to make it stronger. I don''t need anything else.¡± Megumin reminded me.


    I thought about that. ¡°Why don''t we set your share aside? That way if we find anything to upgrade your staff, any special foods you want to try, or things you want for your room to make it yours, you will always have a huge pile of money to y with.¡±


    Megumin smiled and nodded. ¡°That sounds fair. We can do that.¡±


    I led them out of the Tower and we walked over to the Adventurer''s Guild. The delicious smell of frog meat and cabbage sd filled the air. The peasants and townsfolk were drooling from the smell, so I gave Megumin and Darkness a pointed look. Both of them gave me huge smiles in return. They knew what they were going to do with a good portion of their money now. Buying food for the locals.


    So, that''s what we did for the afternoon. I set up several buffet tables in front of the guild hall and Megumin and Darkness walked around and whispered to the people they passed abouting to the guild hall for a free meal. I hired two barmaids for the afternoon and the two women worked their asses off delivering hundreds of meals for the people.


    I made sure that everyone that passed by got one and only one, and there were no repeats. No one that showed up would be left out because someone else took their food. Not surprisingly, most of them took it and left instead of eating it there. Half an hour before suppertime when the barmaids had to return to work inside the hall, I ended the event and packed up, then gave thest of the meals to the family that showed up.


    With our good deed done for the day and hundreds of happy faces smiling at us, Megumin, Darkness and I entered the guild hall to finally register our party and have our registration cards updated. I knew that both Darkness and Megumin were going to be shocked when they saw their own, because I had already made them party members after we met, so the things I did since then would be applied to their cards as well, like defeating Chris and the cabbages.


    I didn''t want to go first, because I knew Luna would freak out when she saw that I defeated a Demon General and the embodiment of a goddess. I also didn''t tell Darkness about that, since that was Chris'' secret and I wasn''t going to ruin that rtionship without giving Chris a chance to exin it to her. Then again, who wouldn''t want to have a goddess as a best friend?


    ¡°You''re up, Megumin. You were the first one I epted into my party, so you can go first.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°Our party is called ''The Heroes of Axel''.¡±


    Luna looked surprised by that and made note of it.


    Megumin handed over her card and tried to not fidget as Luna updated it. Luna caught her breath when she saw what it showed and her eyes went to mine. I smiled and motioned to the card to remind her to hurry up. She sighed and finished epting the experience and converting it to gained levels and skill points.


    ¡°There you go. Congrattions.¡± Luna said and handed the card to Megumin.


    Megumin epted it and looked at her updated information, made a squeak sound, and fainted. I caught her and cast a quick revive spell on her, so she was only out for a second. Her breathing started to get heavy and she stared at her card with wide eyes, like it was going to bite her if she looked away.


    ¡°Go ahead, Darkness. You''re next.¡± I said and held Megumin as she worked through her shock at gaining so many levels and experience points.


    Darkness handed over her card with confidence and was fully prepared to ept the experience for surviving the cabbage horde. Luna worked on it and she caught her breath and gave me another look. I smirked at her and she sighed and went back to work.


    ¡°There you go. Congrattions.¡± Luna repeated as she handed the card to Darkness.


    ¡°Thank y...¡± Darkness stopped talking when she saw her current level and the skill points she had gained. She gasped and her eyes darted to mine, only to see the smirk that was still on my face. ¡°How? How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°You''ll see.¡± I said and had to let Megumin go to get my card, so I handed her to Darkness. I took out my Adventurer Registration Card and handed it to Luna. ¡°You might want to sit down for this.¡±


    Luna didn''t doubt me and pulled over the chair she usually sat on between customers at the teller booth. She sat down and took several deep breaths before she started working on my card. Her hands trembled as she read over who and what I had handled since the first time I had the card updated after killing hundreds of frogs at Level 1.


    Both Darkness and Megumin looked almost scared as sweat rolled down Luna''s forehead. Her fingers worked and her breathing wasboured as she finally finished sorting my experience points and assigning levels and skill points. Surprisingly, she also assigned bonuses and a few things I hadn''t expected... like the bounty for killing one of the Demon King''s generals.


    The guild workers behind her in the teller booths brought over bags and bags of Eris. Lots of bags. The smallest of which contained their few coins of mithril, each worth a million Eris each. All total, the bounty for just the general was 300 million Eris. The 10,000 undead army also added another 50 million Eris, which worked out to be 5,000 Eris each or the same as the giant frogs.


    I barely held in myugh at that. The 2,430 heads of cabbage were worth twice that and earned myself and my party another 24.3 million, which we would split three ways to get 8.1 million each. I took out a trunk and quickly put all the money inside and stored it.


    ¡°C-c-congrattions, Satou Kazuma, for defeating the undead scourge of the Demon King''s Army, General Beldia.¡± Luna said as her shaky hand passed over my card.


    The guild workers apuded and I nodded. Luna didn''t mention me defeating Goddess Eris in a personal challenge, probably because she was nervous about me having the Divine skill and Blessing of the Dead. I had also gained another 32 levels, putting me at Level 220. It was one of the highest she''s ever seen and I was still ''only'' the basic Adventurer ss.


    Needless to say, everyone in the guild hall cheered and congratted me. Darkness and Megumin were swept up in the celebration and food and ale were liberally shared. I picked up the tab, of course. Both girls stayed by my side, even when someone started ying music on a lute and people started dancing. I gave them each a dance as well, since I wasn''t a jerk.


    We went back to the Tower a few hourster and went our separate ways. Darkness told me to keep her share of the money with Megumin''s and left to return to her family''s mansion. Megumin gave me a weirdly longing look, so I took out the trunk and handed her a bag of 100,000 Eris. She made an odd sound, hugged it with tears in her eyes, and ran up the stairs.


    Three of the younger subi appeared and nodded to me before following her, so I knew they would look after her. I stored the trunk again as The Head Subi faded into view. She gave me a brief kiss as she hugged me and didn''t say a word as we walked up the stairs to my room at the top. We went to bed, even though it was still early, and cuddled for the rest of the evening until we fell asleep.


    The next morning, both Megumin and Darkness seemed filled with confidence when I saw them at breakfast. I hadn''t asked them what their levels were, mostly because I knew it didn''t really matter. With my level so much higher than theirs, anything I managed to defeat and gain levels myself, would power-level them up much faster than they could ever do it on their own.


    With that in mind, we went back to the Adventurer''s Guild and right over to the job board. There were a lot of difficult postings. By difficult, I meant that there were small red skull marks on them for the amount of times other adventurers attempted them and failed, hopefully without dying. Then again, each mark could represent an adventurer group or for each adventurer that died attempting it.


    Darkness let out a soft moan and her hand reached out and touched one that had a pile of red skulls on it. Her fingertip caressed the 15 skulls and then tapped on the subject of the notice.


    I couldn''t resist reading about whatever had gained her interest like that and stepped close to look. ¡°A manticore and a griffon are fighting over territory in the region and disturbing the peace. If you kill them, you will receive 500,000 Eris.¡±


    Darkness let out another soft moan.


    ¡°Do you think you can take hits from a giant spiked tail and ws from a giant monster lion with a man''s face?¡± I gave her a sideways look. ¡°Or is it the giant half-eagle half-lion that''s got you all excited?¡±


    ¡°Both!¡± Darkness eximed and bit her lip as she blushed. ¡°I''ve never faced either of those disgustingly powerful flying monsters before and I wonder if I can survive their vicious attacks!¡±


    Megumin softly chuckled. ¡°You have to hold one of them long enough for me to st them.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Darkness moaned and hugged herself. ¡°Hugging those filthy creatures as they maul me! It''s so shameful!¡±


    I barely covered up my snort andugh with a cough. ¡°Ahem. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°How about a pack of void wolves?¡± Megumin asked and pointed at a notice with 23 red skulls on it. ¡°The payout is a million Eris to hunt them down and kill them.¡±


    I looked at it and rubbed my chin. ¡°I wonder if we could get more for intact pelts and things?¡± I asked myself, then shrugged. ¡°That might be covered under the bounty, so probably not.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, there is a One Shot Bear Kill Quest!¡± Darkness gasped and pointed at a notice with 18 red skulls on it. ¡°I''m sure it could maul me a lot before it tries to finish me off. It''s 16 feet tall and one swipe with its ws will kill you!¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± I said and looked at the location. ¡°It''s a bit out of the way, same as the void wolves.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You''re right. We could waste a day or two just looking for them after travelling all that way.¡± Megumin said. ¡°What about the Destroyer?¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± I asked and looked at what she pointed to that had 14 red skulls on it.


    ¡°Destroyer the Mobile Fortress was sighted several territories away. Scouts are needed to locate it and to determine the route, so the towns and viges in the way can be warned and evacuated.¡± Megumin said.


    ¡°What is it, exactly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s a fast-moving giant fortress that walks around on huge legs crushing everything!¡± Megumin said and mimed a spider walking. ¡°It''s also weirdly popr with children.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at her. ¡°You''re serious?¡±


    ¡°Yep! Kids love it.¡± Megumin said and gave me a thumbs up.


    I did not rify that I meant the giant autonomous fortress part. ¡°There''s no stated reward, so I guess it''s based on how much information the scout gathers and how useful it would be.¡±


    ¡°More than likely.¡± Darkness said and then turned from the board to give me a pleading look.


    I did not have to ask her what she wanted, since her hand was back on the first notice she had pointed out. ¡°I suppose it''s not that far away and I have been meaning to set out on the main road to make a few waypoints.¡± I said and she let out a little squeal. ¡°Go ahead and let Luna know we''re taking the manticore quest.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Darkness said and pulled the notice from the board. After a moment, she gave me a very pointed look before she leaned in and kissed my cheek. She blushed and ran over towards the teller booths.


    ¡°She''s going to have a lot of fun this time.¡± Megumin said, her voice normal.


    I reached up and plucked the One Shot Bear notice from the board and handed it to her. ¡°We cane back the long way to handle that.¡± I said and she looked surprised. ¡°I want to see your one shot ruin the One Shot Bear''s reputation.¡±


    Megumin shivered at the thought of her explosion doing that and gave me a longing look. I chuckled and leaned down to let her kiss my other cheek. She blushed and ran off to the teller booths. With them distracted, I took both the void wolves and the Destroyer notices. I couldn''t let anyone else try to tackle them while we were off handling the other things.


    I walked over to the teller booths and both Darkness and Megumin had finished. ¡°If either of you have anyone that needs to know you''re leaving town for a while, you should probably do that before we leave.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Satou. I need to head home briefly to let my family know.¡± Darkness said. ¡°I can meet you at the Tower in half an hour to pack some clothes to take.¡±


    I nodded and looked at Megumin. ¡°Can you go to the Tower and start while I grab some extra provisions from the guild? I''ll be over in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll let them know we''re heading out, too.¡± Megumin said.


    I waited until the both of them went out the front doors before I turned to Luna. The look on her face told me that she was scared for us, considering the two quests the girls epted. I kept my own face nk as I put the void wolf and Destroyer quest notices on the counter.


    Luna caught her breath and stared at them, then at me. ¡°You... you can''t... that''s too much for you to handle!¡±


    I smiled and put a handful of silver Eris coins on the counter. ¡°I need a week of dry provisions and three helpings of frog meat and sd, too.¡±


    Luna waved at a worker behind her and she assigned my party to the two new quests. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said as the worker put the provisions on the counter and I took out a backpack and stored them inside. I gave them a wave and went to the front doors.


    ¡°Please don''t die.¡± Luna whispered.


    I opened the door and looked back at her. I flicked my hand at the counter and a dozen roses appeared there. ¡°Don''t worry about a thing, Luna. We got this.¡± I said in my most reassuring voice and left.

 104 Quests For The Questing

    104 Quests For The Questing


    Darkness was having an absolute ball. The ferocious manticore and the vicious griffon were no longer fighting over territory and hunting rights, because they were fighting over their new ything. Her loud moans echoed throughout the clearing as she was mauled with paws and ws, bitten by a giant mouth full of sharp teeth and by a giant beak, and tossed around like a piece of meat.


    ¡°How long are you going to let this go on for?¡± Megumin asked me. Her red face showed that the sounds Darkness made were quite sultry and enticing for her.


    ¡°I''m keeping a close eye on her health. When she''s down to about half, I''ll step in to ''save'' her.¡± I said and made sure Megumin heard the emphasis on the key word.


    Megumin softlyughed, because she knew that Darkness would be disappointed when I did.


    We watched as Darkness was handled roughly and getting off on it. She didn''t even bother trying to curb the beasts or their fight over her and let them do whatever they wanted. The drool and slobber was coating everything and I reminded myself to never ask why she enjoyed monsters salivating over her.


    ¡°I think that''s enough.¡± I said when the manticore gripped Darkness in its paws and she let out a pained moan. I drew my mythril sword and nced at Megumin. ¡°Which one do you want to blow up?¡±


    ¡°The manticore.¡± Megumin said without hesitation.


    I gave her a smile and a nod. ¡°One wingless wondering right up.¡±


    Megumin''s eyes widened when my sword glowed like the sun as I channelled Light through it, then I disappeared from her sight.


    *<b>Swish!</b>* *<b>Swish!</b>* *<b>SWISH!</b>*


    Megumin''s mouth dropped open when the manticore''s dragon-like wings flopped off its back and the griffon''s giant eagle head slid off its body. All three things hit the ground at the same time and I was suddenly back at her side.


    ¡°Start chanting.¡± I ordered and Megumin jumped and stared at me. ¡°Darkness is getting crushed.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Megumin said and pointed her staff at the now wailing manticore as she poured her magic into her staff. ¡°I call forth the power of fire and brimstone.¡± Arge magic circle appeared below her feet. ¡°I bring forth the evesting destruction of the universe.¡± A second and third magic circle appeared over her head. ¡°Heed my call! Feel my wrath! Behold my power!¡± All three circles glowed. ¡°Explosion!¡±


    A bright red and orange beam shot out from the staff and hit the creature right in the chest.


    *<b>WHABOOOM!</b>*


    The manticore reared up on its hind legs as it roared in defiance of its death, its paws letting go and inadvertently tossed Darkness away from the center of the st. I instantly ran over and caught her before she could hit the ground, tossed her over my shoulder, and ran back to stand beside Megumin to watch the rest of the explosion.


    ¡°It''s... so... beautiful.¡± Megumin whispered as our clothes and hair were blown around by the st wave. She lost all her strength and I caught her with one arm to let her see the results of her work.


    ¡°Good job, both of you.¡± I said and pped Darkness on the ass. She moaned and shivered, probably because she only wore the torn remains of her bodysuit and my hand had touched her skin directly.


    ¡°So... indecent.¡± Darkness muttered.


    I chuckled and cast my area effect healing spell. It cost more and took longer to cast, because it affected more than one person, and Megumin and Darkness sighed as we all glowed and were healed over the next two minutes.


    ¡°Do you want me to help you dig through their stomachs for the pieces of your armor, Darkness?¡± I asked her as I pped her ass again.


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡± Darkness moaned and shivered. ¡°Satou, please... stop... teasing me.¡±


    I barked augh and dropped her on the ground, which made her moan and look up at me with adoration on her face. ¡°I should take you over there and let you wallow in all that blood and gore, on your hands and knees, as you search for each and every piece.¡±


    Darkness shivered and her hand went between her legs and the other went to her breasts. She wasn''t trying to cover herself up, though. Two of her fingers pushed the cloth barely covering her aside and disappeared inside of her opening as her other hand pinched her nipple and squeezed her breast.


    ¡°You''d like that, wouldn''t you?¡± I asked and she nodded as her hands sped up. ¡°That''s too bad. You have toy there and suffer while I do it for you.¡± I said and snapped my fingers to form hands from the ground to hold her ankles and waist.


    ¡°OHHH!¡± Darkness moaned and came hard. Her body trembled and her breathing was ragged as sheid there and stared at me, the adoration changing slightly to something more.


    ¡°I''ll be back in a half hour or so.¡± I said and gave her a little wave before I started walking over to the battleground. She moaned indecently and I heard her fingers moving again.


    Megumin quickly followed me and left Darkness by herself. ¡°Is she getting better or worse?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly better.¡± I said and Megumin gave me an odd look. ¡°This was pretty much one big forey session for her. It takes a lot to get her going now, thanks to the efforts of the subi. If we had gone on one of the other normal quests, she wouldn''t have reacted at all during the fight.¡±


    Megumin''s look changed to thoughtful. ¡°I think you''re right. She needed a much bigger monster this time to get worked up.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I bet during the next mating season for the giant frogs that she won''t even flinch at being eaten or covered in slime.¡±


    Megumin nodded as well. ¡°Frogs really can''tpare to a giant griffon or arge manticore.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Not even close.¡± I said and reached down to clean the giant eagle head of blood and stored it.


    ¡°Are you really going to get down on your hands and knees to search through its innards?¡± Megumin asked me as we walked over to the main body.


    ¡°Nah. I just wanted to get Darkness off quicker.¡± I said and took out one of the lightsaber keychains I bought in the shop.


    Megumin stared as I activated it and used it to slice all the way down the belly of the griffon, spilling its guts out onto the ground. I did the same to the remains of the manticore, after a quick repair spell to remove the explosion damage.


    With easier ess to their insides, I walked over to Megumin and took out my wand. ¡°io armor pieces.¡±


    Severalrge squelching sounds came from both carcasses and a lot more than the pieces of armor Darkness wore came out of them and flew over tond in front of me.


    ¡°E!¡± Megumin covered her mouth and nose with a hand.


    ¡°I thought they smelled bad on the outside.¡± I joked and waved my wand over the armor pieces to clean them up, then repaired them with magic. I took out a trunk and separated the pieces that Darkness owned and put the rest into the trunk. ¡°io weapons.¡±


    More things squelched and came over tond in front of me. I cleaned them and put the sword Darkness owned aside and put the rest into the trunk.


    ¡°io magic items. io adventurer items. io money.¡± I said and each earned smaller and smaller squelches and smaller piles of things. I cleaned it all and added it to the trunk. I couldn''t think of anything else to summon, so I cast diagnostic spells on the creature remains. Nothing else showed, so I repaired the two creature bodies enough to look normal and stored them.


    ¡°Why are you taking them?¡± Megumin asked.


    ¡°Trophies.¡± I said and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°I doubt anyone will want the manticore''s face; but, therge dragon wings would look cool hanging over the bar at the guild.¡±


    Megumin huffed. ¡°Only you would think that.¡±


    ¡°What about a whole stuffed griffon hanging over the notice board?¡± I asked and ignored the moans from Darkness.


    ¡°Are you trying to give the guild workers heart attacks?¡± Megumin asked.


    I barked augh. ¡°Well, it doesn''t hurt to ask.¡±


    Megumin rolled her eyes at me and picked up the armor pieces for Darkness. ¡°Let''s get Darkness fixed up in the travel trunk before we have something to eat.¡±


    I nodded and stored the trunk of other things. ¡°It has been a long day and we should sleep for the night before going to look for the bear.¡±


    We went over to where Darkness was still secured to the ground and she looked half-asleep. Her thighs were soaked, as was her hand, and her half-lidded gaze on me let me know that she would have no problems with letting me have her. None whatsoever.


    I took out the travel trunk and set up the protections for it, including the notice-me-not and aversion wards. I opened the fourthpartment and picked Darkness up in my arms, gently this time, and she cuddled into my chest with a contented sigh. Megumin climbed into the trunk apartment and I climbed in after her.


    *


    Breakfast the next morning was filled with talking as Darkness shared her analysis of the battle that she had a front row seat for.


    ¡°I''m telling you, that griffon was a speedy beast! No matter how many times the manticore tried to shoot its tail spikes at it, and no matter the range, it dodged easily and swooped in to attack in retaliation.¡± Darkness praised it, her eyes almost alight with passion.


    ¡°It was trying to bite you in half.¡± Megumin said with a deadpan voice and her forkful of eggs was briefly forgotten.


    ¡°It was, despite my much higher defense rating.¡± Darkness said, delight clear on her face. ¡°It fiercely wanted me and fought to the death to have me. I couldn''t feel more ttered if I tried.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Megumin said and remembered her fork of eggs and ate it.


    ¡°Your explosion was much more powerful as well.¡± Darkness said with admiration. ¡°I assume you had enough skill points to push it to the next level?¡±


    ¡°The next two.¡± Megumin said, proudly.


    ¡°Ha! Of course. Our fight with the cabbage hoard benefited us immensely, as did forming our party.¡± Darkness added, quite pleased. ¡°I daresay we are close to the highest levels in the entire town of Axel.¡±


    ¡°If not the highest.¡± I said and cut up a sausage. ¡°I''m sure there are a few around that are near us or higher.¡±


    Megumin nodded. ¡°Whoever they are, they havepetition with us. This quest journey is going to earn us a few more levels.¡±


    ¡°We can hope.¡± Darkness said and nodded as well. ¡°Half a million Eris is nothingpared to the experience we gained for fighting those two giant monsters.¡±


    Both Megumin and I exchanged amused looks, because Darkness didn''t actually fight and just let them y with her. Maybe that counted, since she did sessfully distract them from tearing up the region in their dominance fight. She definitely put her defense stat to the test and could easily im to have survived being attacked and mauled by a manticore and a griffon.


    We finished up breakfast and cleaned up, dressed in our adventuring outfits and armor, and left the trunk. I removed the protection wards and stored the trunk, gave both girls a warm smile, and offered my elbows to escort them. Megumin blushed and epted while Darkness took it like thedy she was pretending not to be.


    I maintained casting my detection spell as we walked, so nothing could sneak up on us. We made our way along some of the back roads and throughrge swaths of thick forest as we hunted the next object on our quest, the One Shot Bear.


    We had to be more cautious as we approached the rumored area where the man killer had beenst sighted. I whispered words to Darkness that if she could ambush the thing, she could hold it for Megumin to st. It made her softly moan with pleasure and she swore she would be as sneaky as a mouse to aplish it.


    Surprisingly, less than an hourter, Darkness really did sneak up on the grazing giant bear and leapt at it from inside a bush she had used as cover. Neither I nor Megumin asked her how she had gotten the thing into a Full-Nelson arm and neck brace, even though she was only 5 foot 7 inches with the 2 inch heels and it was 16 goddamn feet tall.


    Barely ten secondster, Megumin unleashed her best Explosion spell and Darkness didn''t try to contain her moan of ecstasy as she and the monster bear were blown away in the st. Thankfully, the bear took the brunt of it and Darkness was merely pummelled into unconsciousness and not mostly obliterated like her armor and bodysuit.


    Megumin was also out of it, because she asked me to not heal her this time. Like Darkness, she actually enjoyed suffering from the use of their abilities. I didn''t want to deny them too many times by healing them, so I took the travel trunk out again, set up the protections, and put them into their own rooms inside the apartment.


    I marked it with a beacon and created a small temporary teleportation circle and sealed and locked the trunk. With them as safe as they were going to be, I disillusioned it and took out my magic carpet. I flew up into the air and followed the directions to find the pack of void wolves.


    They were surprisingly easy to track down, despite the fear and terror they caused by just existing, and I made short work of them with a wide area immobilization spell and then beheaded them with my mythril sword. Just for fun, I removed their pelts and left their paws attached to them, affixed the heads as if they hadn''t been cut off, then stored them and the bodies.


    With them out of the way, I took out the notice about the Destroyer. The drawing made it look like a giant spider and I would probably deal with it like I would any other giant spider. Cut off its legs and it was pretty much defenseless and couldn''t move.


    I flew on my magic carpet two territories away and I saw that the giant mechanical spider was approaching a small vige, crushing the defenders and defenses as it shot an energy beam to st the protective wall of the vige. I felt conflicted, because I wanted to sigh at not getting to it before it started attacking and was happy that I hadn''t been toote.


    It didn''t matter how I felt about it now, so I stored the carpet and dropped down in front of the next part of the wall that the energy beam targeted. I drew my sword as therge electronic eye in the foretress powered up.


    *<b>WOOOONNNN!</b>*


    I held my magical de right in the path of it and the townspeople screamed at me to dodge. After a few seconds, the beam cut off and my mythril sword glowed like a blue sun.


    ¡°I believe this is yours.¡± I said and pointed the sword at the giant electronic eye.


    *<b>WOOOONNNN!</b>*


    The beam tore through the eye and the top of the fortress like it was made of tissue paper. The entire thing seemed to shudder and shake, then sparks started to flow over all over it.


    ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± I said and charged up my sword with Holy Lightning.


    *<b>KRACKOWW!</b>*


    The entire mechanical monstrosity was covered in electric arcs of power that short-circuited everything. The thing shuddered for several seconds, let out a whine like a sad child caught doing bad things, and lost all power as its main body sank to the ground and stopped moving.


    There wasplete and utter silence for several moments before someone cheered that it was dead. That set everyone off to yell and cheer with happiness, especially the few adventurers that had been hired to rescue the richer families and the mayor. They hadn''t been able to escape before the Destroyer had descended upon the vige and would have lost their jobs and their lives.


    Rather than stand there like an idiot and ept the praise, I ran over to the Destroyer and cast a diagnostic spell at it. It was only powered down and wasn''t destroyed, so I made one of my smaller explosive ss beads and stored the machine as I teleported a short distance away.


    *<b>WAABOOM!</b>*


    Everyone screamed and ducked for cover, only for the light to fade and there was nothing left but a crater. Another moment passed before they cheered again.


    I shook my head at them not caring I had died and teleported back to where the trunk was safely hidden. I unsealed it and unlocked it, climbed into the apartment, and closed it up. I could definitely use a nap after the full morning I had. I checked Megumin and Darkness, both were fine, so I went to my own room and climbed into bed. Before I knew it, I had dozed off and was asleep.

 105 Back To Town

    105 Back To Town


    Both Megumin and Darkness were in high spirits when they woke up. Their happiness was quite infectious as we ate supper and I couldn''t keep the smile off of my face. I didn''t have to try reading their minds to know that thest few days had been the happiest that either of them had ever been. They tested their skills against fierce opponents and lived to tell the tale.


    I thought about telling them I handled the other two quests while they were recovering and decided not to, mostly because I didn''t want them to think I left them behind because they were useless. It was their choice to bask in their victories and I wasn''t going to ruin that for them. I would just have to do what I did thest time and have them get their cards updated first.


    We left the trunk with Darkness dressed in normal clothes and Megumin and I dressed in our adventuring outfits. I dispelled the protections on the trunk and stored it after looking at the area for enemies. I checked the remains of the bear and the head was mostly intact, so I repaired it and the body before I stored it.


    Neither of the girls asked me why this time and we made our way back to one of the main roads that traversed the kingdom. I had made a permanent teleportation circle at the crossroads that led to different towns and cities, including the capital, and we teleported back to the outskirts of Axel.


    We could have gone right to the Tower, except we left the normal way and had to be seening back, just so I didn''t give away the fact that we could travel so quickly. It was only another few hours of walking anyway and it was a nice sunny day, despite the chill in the air.


    ¡°Winter ising.¡± Darkness said as she looked around the thick forest we passed through. There were light traces of snow around the roots of therger trees that were losing their dying leaves, which meant the ground was cooling off and starting to freeze.


    ¡°I assume the quests are going to dry up during the winter months?¡± I asked and they both nodded. ¡°What do people usually do during the winter?¡±


    ¡°There''s not much else to do but make babies.¡± Darkness said and then gasped, blushed, and pointedly looked away from me. Megumin blushed and looked straight ahead.


    Iughed and they blushed harder. ¡°Again, neither of you have to do anything you don''t want to. You are experienced adventurers and have faced dangers that other adventurers run away from.¡±


    ¡°You are right, my Lord.¡± Darkness said and looked back at me. Her blush didn''t go away. ¡°We haven''t known you for long; but, you are honorable and haven''t taken advantage of us when you very easily could have.¡±


    ¡°The two of you do pass out a lot.¡± I said, suggestively. ¡°What makes you think I haven''t?¡±


    Instead of moaning at the thought, Darkness smiled knowingly. ¡°Because I''ve tried to give you as many opportunities as possible without seeming to. You haven''t once tried anything, even thisst time after my clothing and armor were pretty much destroyed.¡±


    ¡°We''llmission something new for you when we get back to town.¡± I said and avoided her tant hint that I should have tried something.


    ¡°You really are a noble noble.¡± Megumin said.


    I chose to notment on that. ¡°Since we''re going to get Darkness some new armor, how is your staff holding up?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Megumin answered a bit too quickly.


    I held in my sigh at that and cast a specific diagnostic spell on her staff. I wasn''t an expert on things like that, since it wasn''t something I had encountered in my travels. The closest was with Tsubaki and her forging magical armor and weapons. I never learned how to do that, though.


    ¡°The most I can do is cast repair on it and maybe add reinforcement charms and things.¡± I said and Megumin blushed. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed about that, Megumin.¡±


    ¡°It... it''s not that. I...¡± Megumin kept her gaze forward. ¡°An Archwizard''s instrument of destruction is sacred. This staff has been through a lot during my journey to perfect my magic, and... it''s shameful... to have to have it fixed, re-enchanted, or reced with something new.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said and gave her a searching look. ¡°Is that why you refuse to wear anything but your adventuring outfit while outside? It''s a Crimson Demon secret code of conduct or something?¡±


    Megumin''s blush deepened and she didn''t say anything.


    ¡°You do know that you''re rich and can buy anything you want, right? You can keep your Crimson Demon uniform and your main staff safe back in your room at the Tower while you use something else in the field.¡± I told her. ¡°Just because you be more powerful and it''s starting to not be safe to use something, that doesn''t mean you have to throw it away or abandon itpletely.¡±


    Megumin turned her head to stare at me and wasn''t watching where she was walking. Her toe hit a loose root and she let out a squeal and threw her arms out to windmill them as she fell. I caught her instantly and held her for a moment, then stood her back on her feet. Her face was as red as her clothing and she looked faint.


    ¡°Don''t let sentimentality for the past hinder your pursuit for the ultimate explosion, Megumin.¡± I cautioned her. ¡°Your passion for your craft will fade if you focus too much on equipment that can''t keep up with your progress.¡±


    Megumin opened her mouth to refute that as she looked into my eyes. She saw the sincerity there and she sighed. ¡°I suppose... since we''re taking a break to wait for Darkness to have more armor made... I might as well try and see if I can find a new staff.¡±


    I smiled warmly at her. ¡°If you can''t find anything locally, we can travel to one of the bigger cities and take a look around. We shouldn''t limit ourselves by what''s avable here.¡±


    Megumin nodded and the three of us fell into afortable silence as we walked on towards the walled in starter town. We had been gone for several days and it was a relief to finally be home.


    *


    Luna was surprised when the Heroes of Axel party entered the guild hall. It was only the fourth day since they left on their quests and she knew from experience that it took at least that to reach the area where the manticore had established its territory. That meant they only went half the way and then turned around for some reason and came back.


    She thought she had hidden her disappointment as they approached the counter and saw by the look on Satou''s face that she hadn''t. She let out a soft sigh at him always knowing what she was trying to hide and didn''t try to stand and bend over to show off her enormous breasts like she usually did for the other adventurers as a reward forpleting a quest.


    ¡°Go ahead, Megumin. You first like usual.¡± Satou said.


    Megumin struck a pose and gave Luna a ''V'' sign with her fingers. ¡°The great Heroes of Axel have returned and are victorious!¡±


    Luna almost winced at the tant lie and held her hand out.


    Megumin didn''t notice the slight flinch and gave her the One Shot Bear quest notice and handed over her Adventurer Registration Card.


    Luna epted both and started working on sorting the experience and assigning appropriate levels. Her thoughts were that they must have found the bear first and returned for the bounty. It wasn''t until she was done and saw exactly how much experience she had sorted that she realized she made another huge mistake and embarrassed herself by assuming the worst.


    Megumin''s level had jumped way too high for someone that was already one of the highest levels in the town after only killing the One Shot Bear.


    Luna handed the card back and stamped the notice with apleted stamp as she set it aside.


    ¡°Darkness, you''re next.¡± Satou said.


    Darkness proudly put the manticore versus griffon notice on the counter and handed over her card. ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡±


    Luna did hers up as well and again felt embarrassed that the Crusader''s level jumped up much further than fighting those two monsters should have given her. She assigned the skill points and handed the card back, then stamped that notice aspleted as well.


    ¡°You two can go check out the notice board and see if there are any other local things to handle while I get my card updated.¡± Satou said.


    ¡°Right away, my Lord.¡± Darkness said and she and Megumin walked over to the notice board.


    Satou put the two notices for the void wolves and the Destroyer on the counter and handed over his own card.


    Luna tried to not have her hand shake as she epted the card and started to work it over. The experience he had gained was phenomenal, since he had taken out both the pack of void wolves and the Destroyer by himself. It was almost soul crushing that his party had done all 4 quests so quickly.


    ¡°I was wondering if there were extra bounties for bringing the monster carcasses back?¡± Satou asked her as she started to tally up the bounties.


    Luna thought about not answering, mostly because she knew he had asked specifically because he must have somehow skinned the creatures and saved the pelts intact. Instead of staying quiet, she sighed and told him what he wanted to know.


    ¡°Depending on the condition, you could double or triple the bounties on the void wolves. The bear skin and meat isn''t that umon, so not much extra for them. The manticore pelt, teeth, ws, and tail spikes could you another 200,000 Eris if they aren''t too damaged. The griffon is about the same, except the feathers would earn an extra 100,000 Eris.¡± Luna said, her voice even.


    ¡°No chance of stuffing them and hanging them in the hall, then?¡± Satou asked with a smile.


    Luna caught her breath and stared at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Heh. Megumin asked me if I wanted to scare the guild workers. It seems she was right.¡± Satou said and started to take out the void wolf pelts, 12 of them. He then showed the giant bear and dropped it off to the side. ¡°I''ll keep that one, stuff it, and bring it back here to mount by the bar. It''ll give people something to talk about.¡±


    Luna could only nod as he then took out the giant eagle head. She let out a sad sound against her will, because he was giving her even more proof that she had severely underestimated him.


    ¡°I''ll be mounting that in my own trophy room.¡± Satou said and took out the griffon''s body. ¡°I left the innards at the site, just because they stank to high heaven and I figured no one would want to eat them.¡±


    ¡°That''s solid reasoning.¡± One of the guild workers said and waved over several more. ¡°We''ll take these high quality wolf pelts in the back for safe keeping.¡±


    ¡°What about the dragon wings from the manticore?¡± Satou asked and took one of them out. ¡°I was going to ask if you guys wanted them to mount above the bar or the notice board.¡±


    The big guy chuckled. ¡°Are you going to stuff them like you''re going to do to the bear?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I''ll even lighten them so they won''t be a danger and easily mounted.¡± Satou promised.


    ¡°Then the guild hall will graciously ept your generous donations.¡± The man replied.


    ¡°Great! I''ll have them done by tomorrow night at thetest.¡± Satou said and stored the wing and took out therge manticore''s body. ¡°Have fun tearing that apart.¡±


    ¡°We usually do while extracting the useful parts.¡± The man said with another chuckle. ¡°We''ll be right back with your bounties and the extras for the pelts and things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Satou said and turned to the bear''s carcass and giant eagle head to store both before he turned to the counter and held his hand out.


    Luna briefly looked at his card and the level of 252, saw his unnatural and ridiculously long list of skills that no one else in the world had, and wondered why she ever thought that being a basic adventurer was so detrimental to a person''s growth. She let out a soft sigh and handed the card over to him.


    Satou gave her a smile and stayed there until the workers cleared out the things he had delivered and returned with several sacks of money with a total of 7 million Eris. He took out the trunk for such things and added them, stored it, and shook the hands of the workers as he gave them tips of silver coins.


    ¡°Thank you and have a good day. All of you.¡± Satou said and put a silver coin on the counter in front of Luna before he walked over to the notice board.


    ¡°There''s not much left.¡± Megumin said. ¡°Someone took the wolves and Destroyer, so we won''t be heading back out for a while.¡±


    ¡°All that''s here is the request for a swordmaster for lessons with a noble family''s young son and this weird request that wants someone with a high defense stat or high magic resistance to be experimented on.¡± Darkness said with a shake of her head. ¡°Only an idiot would subject themselves to that one.¡±


    Megumin and Satou exchanged amused looks. If they hadn''t shown Darkness much better ways for her to get her fetish handled, she would have been all over that in a heartbeat and wondering exactly what she would have to endure when she showed up for it.


    ¡°Come on, let''s go home. There should be arge steaming bath just waiting for us to soak in it.¡± Satou said and offered his elbows to the two girls. Both epted and the three of them walked out of the guild hall with smiles on their faces.


    Luna watched them go and did her best to not be sad. With the Heroes of Axel around, the people in the town were going to be safe.


    ¡°You could have asked him for a date.¡± One of the barmaids said and handed her a tankard of ale.


    ¡°So could you.¡± Luna said automatically and took a sip. She was on a break, so it was okay.


    The barmaid with short brown hairughed. ¡°As if a rich noble would ever notice someone like me.¡±


    The front doors of the guild opened and the barmaid and Luna looked over and saw Satou enter and he strode right over to them at the teller booth.


    ¡°I''m sorry to bother you again.¡± Satou said and actually sounded apologetic. ¡°I forgot to ask if anyone came in about my notice about showing off their skills.¡±


    ¡°There was one man asking about you, the hero Kyoya Mitsurugi. He showed up here about a month before you did and has earned a reputation for himself.¡± Luna said.


    ¡°Any idea about his skills?¡± Satou asked, his eyes squinted slightly. He knew that was not a normal name for this world.


    ¡°I heard he has a powerful sword called Gram and has defeated many creatures, even a dragon.¡± The barmaid said with a smile.


    ¡°Really?¡± Satou asked and smiled back at her. ¡°Maybeter when you get off work, we could meet up and you can tell me more about what you heard?¡±


    Luna stopped breathing and stared at him, then at the happy barmaid. <i>Don''t take my advice! Don''t take my advice!</i>


    ¡°I''d be delighted to go out with you to... talk.¡± The barmaid said with a sultry smirk.


    Satou paused for a moment and then chuckled. ¡°I''ll be by about 8 to pick you up. How does a moonlight pic beside theke outside of town sound to you?¡±


    The barmaid''s smirk changed to a beaming smile. ¡°It sounds like I''ll be... talking... a lot, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Satou barked theugh and nodded to her, nodded to Luna, and left at a fast walk.


    ¡°I guess I was wrong.¡± The barmaid said and looked down at her barmaid uniform. ¡°Dammit, I have to run home and grab a change of clothes. I hope he won''t think I ditched him if he shows up and I''m not here.¡±


    Luna wanted to not help her, then internally sighed, because it was her own fault for encouraging her. ¡°You can leave ten minutes early and I won''t dock your pay.¡±


    The barmaid gasped and stared at her, then let out a squeal and hugged her. ¡°I''lle in ten minutes early tomorrow to make it up!¡±


    Luna watched as the excited barmaid returned to work. Her happier attitude made their customers buy more food and drinks and earned the guild more money than if she had kept her normal behavior.

 106 Meeting Someone New

    106 Meeting Someone New


    Brianne was having the time of her life. The rich noble that had asked to spend time with her, had gone above and beyond with the pic. That he had cooked the food himself made it taste that much better. The conversation was light, and a little fun, and he didn''t interrogate her like she thought he would.


    You see, she had moved to the adventurer starter town a few years ago and thought she could make it as an adventurer. Unfortunately, she was a peasant and didn''t have a lot of money or any real skills. She was still determined to try, so she took out a loan and paid the fee to join the guild and bought some equipment and armor. It didn''t take her long to figure out that was a huge mistake.


    Trying to live a normal life while also paying back arge debt, left her with little or no spending money. She eventually gave up trying to do it and quit, turned in her card, and started working as a barmaid to pay off her loan. It took her almost a year before she was in the clear.


    Instead of quitting like her boss thought she would, Brianne realized she actually liked her job and stayed on. She met and talked to interesting people every day and heard really interesting stories when they drank and she served them ale. It was as close to being an adventurer as she could get and she liked it. She liked it a lot and she was good at it.


    Tonight she wasying under the stars and was cuddled up to the handsome muscr man that had everyone talking. Some talked because he was only an adventurer and had chosen it instead of an advanced ss. Some talked because of the huge things he did and didn''t brag about. Some talked because of how rich he was before he joined the guild.


    Then there was the cook, Ignis. She practically had stars in her eyes for days after her father traded her for that magical meat tenderizer. It had taken several tankards of ale and a lot of begging and pleading for her to tell the secret of what happened between her and Satou in the back storage room... and what a story it was.


    Once Ignis started talking about it, she wouldn''t stop. Her im to have never felt so much like a woman before had all of the female workers there letting out disbelieving hums. She described what he did to her, while standing up no less, and then him bending her over a wooden crate and taking her like she always dreamed.


    Surprisingly, when asked about if she ever wanted a repeat, Ignis refused. She said that there was no way for him to top the perfection their first time was and she didn''t want to ruin the memory with cheap followups.


    Brianne wanted to find out for herself if that could be true, so she moved up from her cuddling to his side to look deep into his eyes. Without saying a word, she begged him to take her and make her feel like a woman, too. As she hoped, the expressions on her face had clued him in, because Satou smiled warmly at her and pulled her down into a passionate kiss.


    *


    I woke up the next morning just before dawn and the barmaid beside me stirred as well.


    Brianne sighed with contentment and rolled over to give me a kiss. ¡°Ignis was right.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± I asked and then nodded to the horizon.


    ¡°There''s no way you can do better than what you''ve already done.¡± Brianne said and caught her breath as the sun broke over the horizon and lit up the sky. ¡°And now that.¡± She whispered. ¡°Perfect on top of perfect.¡±


    I held in myugh at that. There was so much more we could do together; but, the moremon women of this world thought that being treated well by a man was going to be the height of their rtionship and didn''t want to ruin things by trying to keep that great thing going. They were so set to be disappointed that they never once thought things could actually get better.


    ¡°Breakfast will be served as soon as you lift the bottom of the basket.¡± I said with a smile.


    Brianne huffed and rolled away from me to dig her hand into the empty basket and yanked it back out, thinking she was lifting the basket. ¡°Look, see? There''s nothing...¡± She stopped talking when all she had in her hand was the wicker divider. She looked down into the basket and saw the preserved food I had made the night before and let out a groaning sigh. ¡°Damn you.¡±


    That I had tough at and sat up. ¡°Good morning, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Brianne said and started to hand out the containers of food.


    We sat there, still naked under the nket, and ate a nice breakfast. Her eyes kept darting to mine and she gave me a pointed look each time, as if I was going to surprise her with yet another thing she wasn''t expecting. I didn''t, even though I could have, and we finished eating. I cast cleaning spells on us after that and we both dressed quietly.


    ¡°This was a really great time, Satou.¡± Brianne said, her voice filled with finality.


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± I said and pulled her close to give her a kiss. ¡°Thank you for spending time with me.¡±


    Brianne blushed. ¡°You''re wee, you shameless charmer.¡±


    I grinned at her and knelt to pack everything back up. She helped a little by handing me the empty containers and then she folded up the nket for me. I nodded in thanks and put the nket into the basket, then stored it.


    ¡°Are you heading home or to the guild hall?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Since you took care of cleaning my clothes and myself already, you might as well take me to the guild.¡± Brianne said with a smile. ¡°Thank you for that, Satou. My uniform looks brand new.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and nced around to make sure we didn''t forget anything. I held a hand out to her and she took it, then she smiled and stepped close enough to hug me without hugging me. ¡°We can barely walk if you stay next to me like that.¡±


    Brianne smiled up at me and didn''t move away. I chuckled and bent down to give her a slow kiss, making her close her eyes, and I teleported us to my Tower and then over to the alley beside the Adventurer''s Guild. I broke the kiss and she didn''t notice the scenery change right way. It wasn''t until she turned to start walking that she saw where we were and gasped.


    I didn''t exin anything and walked her around the corner and over to the front doors of the guild. The door wasn''t locked, so I opened it and led her just inside. I gave her a brief kiss and stepped back out to shut the door. Brianne silently stared at me the whole time with disbelief all over her face.


    I barked augh at the expression on her face and teleported back to the Tower. I had a few hours before the hall officially opened and I needed a good bath and to take care of some personal needs. I was not surprised to find the Head Subus was already in my giant bathtub and I stripped off my clothing and stepped into the already prepared bath.


    Her heavy moan as I slid into the spot next to her, made me hard right away. She took immediate advantage of that and moved down to engulf my hardness with her warm mouth. Her split tongue did wonders to tease and titite me, earning her a quick shot that shepped up with enthusiasm. She lifted my hips up to allow her just enough air to not drown and kept working me over.


    ¡°You''re getting really good at that.¡± Iplimented her and she hummed in appreciation, then plunged back under the water to deepthroat me. She stayed there a bit too long and pushed off me with a gasp for air, took several deep breaths to hyperventte herself, and dove back under the water to keep going.


    The newness of her technique got me off again in record time and the Head Subus came up for air with a smug smile on her face. I cupped her face with both hands and gave her a tender kiss, then we both started washing each other. It was her turn to get off as I scrubbed and cleaned her all over, and I meant all over, and she looked quite happy about my diligence.


    We dried off and went to bed after that. No more ying around was needed, since we both felt contentment after the bath. We took a nap with the knowledge that spending time together was also making us happy, which was something I had learned from Andromeda.


    The time soon arrived for me to head to the guild and find that guy named Kyoyo Mitsurugi. I suspected we had a bit inmon and a lot to talk about. That did make me wonder if he bothered trying to get any other skills besides sword master ones. Then again, it was an advanced ss and he might not have any choice in what he could and couldn''t take.


    I dressed in my armor and kissed the Head Subus goodbye, made sure she was set up to finally cancel the geas and contracts she was under, and left to go to the Adventurer''s Guild. I stepped inside and Brianne gave me a wave from the bar before she picked up three tankards of ale to deliver them to the adventurers waiting for them.


    ¡°It''s a little early for drinking, isn''t it?¡± I asked and the few adventurers thereughed, as did the barmaids.


    ¡°Not if you just got back from a month long trip to the capitol.¡± A man wearing gold-trimmed blue armor said and took one of the ales and sipped it.


    He sat at a table with two cute young women on either side of him and they were barely dressed. The one with long green hair in a ponytail had a purple cloth strip across her small breasts and a loincloth and thong at her waist, while the other one with long red hair in a braid wore a kind of sports bra with a short cape and a red skirt that barely covered her privates. It was not appropriate attire for cold weather.


    I nced at Luna behind the teller booth and she nodded, so this was the guy that had been there the day before looking for me. I walked over to his table and the two girls with him stared up at me with slightly wide eyes, probably because I was wearing my eye-catching armor. I took off the helmet and shook my head to fluff my long white hair out, which made the girls gasp and stare harder.


    ¡°Mind if I sit down?¡± I asked and both girls shook their heads. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Brianne came over and handed me a tankard and a te of food as I sat down across from them.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and gave her several silver coins.


    ¡°You''re wee, Satou.¡± Brianne said and walked back to the bar to get more ale for someone else.


    ¡°Oh! You''re the one that posted that notice!¡± The green haired young woman said.


    ¡°That''s right, Cremea. I did.¡± I said and started eating. ¡°I took the Adventurer ss and have been building up my skill list.¡±


    The faces on the three of them changed from interested to disgusted.


    I took a drink of ale. ¡°That immediate judgment you gave me? That''s one of the reasons why I took the ss instead of any of the advanced ones I could have taken.¡±


    The redhead tried to change the look on her face and couldn''t. ¡°Why would you limit yourself like that? You can''t advance at all if you''re a basic adventurer!¡±


    I ate a bit more and smiled at her. ¡°My dear Fio, the advanced sses are too limited and are dead ends. Once you fill up your skill slots with the skills you have avable, you''re done. You can''t get any better, you can''t learn anything else, and levelling up after that to get skill points doesn''t matter, because you can''t buy skills not rted to your ss.¡±


    All three of them paused with their tankards of ale halfway to their mouths and stared at me with their mouths open.


    ¡°I chose the best ss for me to learn <i><b>everything</b></i>. I can learn <i><b>any</b></i> fighting technique, <i><b>any</b></i> magic spell, and <i><b>any</b></i> job or profession I want. As long as I have the skill points to spend, I can learn it and eventually master it.¡± I said and finished my food and the tankard of ale. ¡°So, what sword master skills were you going to show me?¡±


    Kyoyo Mitsurugi just stared at me and didn''t say anything.


    I shifted my gaze to the green-haired girl beside him. ¡°Cremea? How about you? What warrior skills do you have besides the basics?¡±


    Cremea made a little choking sound and blushed.


    I looked at the redhead on Mitsurugi''s other side. ¡°Fio? How about showing me a few thief skills? You might have something I haven''t seen before.¡±


    Fio blushed as well and turned her head to not meet my gaze.


    ¡°Not one skill? Really?¡± I asked and no one spoke. ¡°If you didn''te here to show off your skills and get paid, why did you want to talk to me?¡±


    Kyoyo Mitsurugi reached into a pouch and pulled out a quest notice and pped it onto the table. ¡°We came here for the bounty on you.¡±


    I looked at the notice and there were no red skulls on it, which meant no one else had tried it. They probably thought it was an easy job with a huge payout of 100,000 Eris. I lifted my eyes from the paper to his face and saw the smug look.


    ¡°Are you going to attack me right now or wait until my back is turned?¡± I asked him.


    Both girls made choking sounds and then gasped.


    ¡°He''s not like that!¡± Cremea eximed.


    ¡°He''s a Hero!¡± Fio eximed.


    ¡°Is he?¡± I asked and tapped a finger on the notice. ¡°Committing murder for 100,000 Eris is not a very heroic thing to do.¡±


    Mitsurugi scoffed as he stood up to try and intimidate me by looming over me. ¡°We know all about how you ruined the Lord of Axel''s business dealings and shacked up with a dozen subi, which is against thew andmon decency.¡±


    I didn''t ignore his dominance y and slowly stood. All three of them had their eyes watch the top of my head as it rose up, and up, and up. When I stood up to my full 5 foot 10 inches of height and with 2 inches added for my boot heels, my 6 feet total height was 5 inches higher than his. I was also broader across the chest and my armor wasn''t as bulky as his.


    ¡°I will have you know it''s 16 subi, not 12.¡± I said in my defense. ¡°They are also quite happy and satisfied with their current living arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Oh my.¡± Cremea whispered and stared up at me with a blush.


    ¡°Believe me, he''s amazing.¡± Brianne whispered as she walked by and delivered more ale.


    ¡°So, you admit to your degeneracy?¡± Mitsurugi said with squinted eyes and an angry face. ¡°Of course you would, you scoundrel! I''ll deliver your head on a pike to the Lord of Axel!¡±


    I gave him a pitying look and held in my sigh at him not backing down. ¡°I think we need to take this outside.¡±


    Mitsurugi nodded with a satisfied look at getting his way and walked around the table. The two girls jumped to their feet and ran after him as he walked to the front doors. The three of them left and the doors mmed shut.


    ¡°Please don''t kill him.¡± Luna said and I turned to see that she was out in front of the teller booths.


    ¡°I''m not sure what else to do to him to make him stoping after me, considering he literally wants to behead me.¡± I responded and put on my helmet before I picked up the notice to show her.


    Luna sighed at the irrefutable evidence. ¡°He rarely everes back here.¡±


    I walked over to her with the notice in my hand. ¡°You really want me to let him go, even knowing it was the Lord of Axel that legally hired him to murder me?¡±


    Luna opened her mouth to answer and then sighed.


    ¡°I''ll be putting up a notice when Ie back for the disposal of the fat tub ofrd, since it''s apparently legal to do that.¡± I told her and walked over to the front doors.


    ¡°Satou.¡± Luna said and I stopped to turn and look back at her. ¡°If you kill him... a recognized Hero... you''re starting down a dark path that won''t end well for you...¡± She said and then whispered. ¡°...or for anyone else.¡±


    I gave her a pointed look and then sighed. ¡°I''ll offer him twice my bounty to give up and end the Lord of Axel instead. If he chooses to not take it, that''s on him and not my fault.¡±


    Luna nodded and I walked over to the doors and out into the street. I had an idiot to deal with and he wasn''t going to kick his own ass.

 107 Just Deserts

    107 Just Deserts


    ¡°It''s about time you came out of hiding, you coward!¡± Mitsurugi shouted when I stepped outside the guild hall.


    It drew the attention of the people that had somehow gathered in the brief time I had been inside talking to Luna and she pleaded for the idiot''s life. I suspected that he and his party had made a bit of noise to get them toe out to watch and now he was ying up to the audience.


    ¡°I''m not the one that''s decided being an assassin for hire is better than being a hero saving people.¡± I countered and a few of the crowd gasped, as did his twopanions.


    ¡°I''m saving them from witnessing your degeneracy! Laying with women outside of marriage! You''re despicable!¡± Mitsurugi shouted.


    The crowd didn''t react that time and his twopanions did. Both seemed shocked and exchanged odd looks, then frowned about something.


    I did a quick check and probed their thoughts, only to find that they had been fighting over his affections and not getting anywhere, then fighting each other because they thought the other was getting in the way. Now they knew it was his mentality that was getting in both of their ways.


    ¡°What I do with a woman that is kind enough to give me some of her time, is none of your business. You are not the sex police, so kindly piss off and keep your self-imposed cuckholding to yourself.¡± I said and he gasped. ¡°You have no authority to tell anyone who they can and can''t have a rtionship with.¡±


    Mitsurugi grasped the hilt of his sword. ¡°I am a hero! Of course I can!¡±


    That had a few people react and they booed him. His twopanions didn''t look happy, either.


    ¡°You''re not acting like a hero right now. You were hired to do the Lord of Axel''s dirty work and kill me because he couldn''t get me arrested.¡± I said and held up the notice for the crowd to see and their jeering became louder. ¡°In fact, why don''t I offer you twice the bounty to leave me alone and deal with him instead?¡±


    Nearly everyone gasped.


    ¡°I knew you were a scoundrel!¡± Mitsurugi said and drew his magic sword that boosted his stats and skills by ten times. ¡°Prepare yourself, criminal! I am about to dispatch you to the hell where you belong!¡±


    ¡°I assume that''s a no?¡± I asked and tucked the notice away. ¡°What about your two party members? Are they going to attack me as well?¡±


    ¡°I don''t need their useless help to deal with a wretch like you!¡± Mitsurugi said and posed to attack.


    His twopanions looked surprised and then scowled at him.


    ¡°A warrior and a thief are useless?¡± I asked him and he nodded. ¡°What kind of stupid quests are you taking that you can''t use their help?¡±


    ¡°He never lets us help.¡± Cremea said and crossed her arms as she red at him.


    I got it immediately. ¡°Ah, I see. He''s protecting you from having to do the dirty work.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Only I, the hero of this world, am fighting to protect everyone!¡± Mitsurugi said, proudly. ¡°The honor and the glory are mine.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you''re not full of yourself or anything. How many times have you hurt your hand patting yourself on the back?¡± I asked him, genuinely curious.


    ¡°A lot.¡± Cremea said as her re lessened and both she and the redhead Fio smiled.


    That gave me an idea. ¡°If that''s the case, then let me make you two an offer. Leave his party and join mine, and I won''t kill him for insulting me and treating you so badly.¡±


    ¡°Leave them out of this!¡± Mitsurugi shouted and his pose stiffened as if he was about to dash forward.


    ¡°I''m trying to save your life, you idiot. Let them speak!¡± I shouted back and he looked surprised.


    The two girls put their heads together and whispered furiously. I listened to them and had to stop myself from smiling at their decision. I didn''t want to spoil the surprise for the idiot and therge crowd that was eagerly watching.


    ¡°Satou Kazuma!¡± Cremea said loudly. ¡°We refuse your generous offer and also refuse to help Kyoyo when he loses against a superior opponent.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Mitsurugi and the crowd shouted at the same time.


    ¡°You heard me. We didn''t want toe all the way back here from the expensive inn we lived in to do a foolish errand for a big fish in a small pond.¡± Cremea said and Fio nodded. ¡°Satou is right. It''s none of your business who he spends his time with. You came here to kill him for offending your sensibilities and not for the payout.¡±


    ¡°You make more cleaning up thends around the capitol every week.¡± Fio added.


    Mitsurugi looked shocked. ¡°You... you... don''t agree with me?¡±


    Both girls made scoffing sounds.


    ¡°Do you think we would let you dress us like this if we did?¡± Cremea asked and motioned to her tiny loincloth that only covered the front of her thong. ¡°Winter is almost here! If I had tits, they''d be frozen and probably falling off right now!¡±


    Fio nodded and put her hands over her own breasts and shivered.


    I couldn''t let thatment stand, so I took out my wand and hit them both with warming charms. ¡°I hope that helps. It shouldst a few hours.¡±


    Both girls sighed with relief. ¡°Thank you, Satou.¡±


    I put my wand away. ¡°All right, Mitsurugi. Yourst reprieve chose to let you face your mistake on your own.¡± I said and took a draw stance and put my hand on the hilt of my sword. ¡°You came here to murder me for stupid reasons and refuse to make the one that hired you pay for it, so I have to deal with you in an appropriate manner.¡±


    ¡°As if a demon lover like you could ever handle a Hero of the people!¡± Mitsurugi said and went back to his other attack stance.


    ¡°You might want to change that to a defensive stance, not that it''s going to save you.¡± I said and looked over at Cremea. ¡°On your word, Cremea.¡±


    Cremea caught her breath and then blushed at the honor. ¡°Then...batants, you will attack on three. One... two... three!¡±


    *<b>Swish!</b>*


    My sword made a click sound as I set it back into my sheath and I was 10 feet behind Mitsurugi. Everyone blinked and stared at me moving instantly 20 feet, then Mitsurugi mage a gurgle sound and his head flopped off of his severed neck and dropped to the ground. His body stayed standing in the attack pose for several seconds, then it dropped the sword and teetered and fell backwards.


    There was a small sh of light and his physical body lost a bit of color and the sword disappeared. I took a deep breath and let it out, nodded to the two girls, and walked over to the armored body. I stored the head and the body to leave the armor empty. I took the money pouch off of it and stored the fancy armor that was worth quite a lot of Eris.


    I walked back over to the two girls and held out the money pouch. ¡°I doubt he ever shared the money he earned with you, considering he never shared the experience, either.¡±


    Both of them took the sack with trembling hands. ¡°He can do that?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I''ve been boosting up my own party members by sharing my experience with them. Since I''m such a high level, they are jumping a bunch each time we update our Adventurer Registration Cards.¡±


    They looked scandalized and angry.


    ¡°We''ll be dissolving...¡± Cremea started to say.


    I held up a hand and interrupted her. ¡°Before you act rashly, if he has money kept at the guild or anywhere else, because you are his party members, you can im it and split it.¡±


    Both of them gasped and stared at me.


    ¡°I''m sure Luna can arrange any inter-guild transfers to here if you decide to stay for the winter.¡± I suggested and both girls gave me a longing look and then blushed. I smiled warmly at them and stepped back as I motioned to the guild''s doors. ¡°Shall we? I have a notice to post.¡±


    They nodded and I walked ahead of them to hold the door for them. They gave me a shy smile and entered the guild hall and I turned to the waiting crowd, gave them a deep bow, and entered the guild behind the girls.


    Luna was more than happy to transfer the 15 million Eris that Kyoyo Mitsurugi had the main Adventurer''s Guild hold for him. Both girls split it and put it into their own ounts. They didn''t take anything out because the sack they held had 300,000 Eris in it already, which they happily split. It was then that they dissolved the party and submitted requests to join mine.


    I tried to tell them to not be too hasty in jumping right into another party and theyughed. They didn''t try to exin that I was the best option for them to go with, since I had defeated whom they thought was so strong that he was undefeated up until he met me. They just gave me longing looks.


    I chuckled and nodded. ¡°I''ll talk to Megumin and Darkness when I go back to the Tower. I''m sure they''ll enjoy having two more beautifuldies in our party.¡±


    ¡°We''ll get a room nearby for the night and you can let us know their decision.¡± Cremea said and Fio nodded.


    I thought about that and nodded as well. I couldn''t bring them to the Tower if they weren''t going to be epted into the party. Teasing the subi like that would earn me their ire.


    ¡°We''ll look around tomorrow for some winter clothing.¡± Fio said and Cremea nodded.


    ¡°I can rmend a few ces.¡± Luna said and gave them both a look. ¡°As long as you don''t use your skills on the people running them.¡±


    Both girls shook their heads.


    ¡°That policy is my fault, actually.¡± I said and then exined about the inn she rmended being run by thieves, the guild not doing anything about it, and me burning their building down.


    Instead of looking revolted, both girls almost had stars in their eyes as they smiled brightly.


    I smiled warmly at them again and then set up and paid the posting fee on the quest notice to deal with the underhanded scoundrel that lived in therge mansion. He was a criminal that ruled through ckmail and fear of reprisal and needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.


    Luna sighed as she filled it out and then she caught her breath at the 1,000,000 Eris reward. She gave me a wide-eyed look as she finished it, stamped it officially, and walked over to the notice board to put it up. As soon as her hand moved away from it, I grabbed it and walked back over to the teller booth. She sighed and walked back over behind the booth and sat.


    I handed her the new notice to ept it and she logged it with my name on it. I smiled and handed her the quest notice to kill me and she had to stamp it with a red skull, registered it as failed, and went over to the board to put it up.


    ¡°That won''t be there for long.¡± I said and Luna looked sad, so I turned to Cremea and Fio. ¡°Ladies, if you''ll excuse me. I have a quest toplete.¡±


    Both of them exchanged looks and then smiled at me. ¡°Can we watch?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± I barked theugh and motioned to the front doors. ¡°It won''t take but a minute or two.¡±


    The three of us stepped out of the guild and I used the Hover skill and slowly rose up to above the surrounding buildings and houses. The Lord of Axel''s mansion could easily be seen from that vantage point.


    I dropped back down to the ground and smirked. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    The two girls stared at me disappearing in a sh of light and I reappeared beside the mansion. A quick detection spell told me there were only a few staff members and there was a lot of gold all over the ce. A more detailed spell casting gave me the specifics and I shook my head at the moron keeping all of his money there in a central location.


    I used my spells to make myself invisible and shrouded myself in shadows, then teleported inside to the kitchen I could see through the windows. The shadow stopped the sh of light, so no one saw me enter. I spent the next few minutes cleaning out all of the valuables in the mansion and then teleported the staff and their possessions to the spot in front of the guild.


    ¡°Only the man himself is left inside.¡± I said and rose up into the air with Hover and created a smaller energy ball and shrunk it. After it was covered in ss, I shot it at the mansion.


    *<b>WHAAABOOM!</b>*


    The small mushroom cloud dissipated fairly quickly and I dropped back down to see all of the astonished faces of the people there.


    ¡°Those of you that were staff in the mansion and need held finding jobs, I''m sure the next Lord of Axel will be happy to hire you.¡± I said and walked over to the guild''s front doors. No one tried to stop me or said anything, so I went inside and handed in the quest, my card, and a sack of 1,000,000 Eris.


    Luna sighed loudly as she epted all three things, updated my card, stamped the quest notice aspleted, and handed me my card and the sack of money back. She stood up and walked over to the notice board and caught her breath, because the notice to hunt me down was gone. Because she hadn''t stamped it as inactive, it was still valid.


    ¡°I''ll get it back when whomever it is tries to collect.¡± I reassured her.


    Luna walked back over to the teller booth and sat behind it. ¡°Be careful out there.¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°I''m going home to work on some projects and won''t be back here until tonight.¡±


    Luna knew that was when I would be returning with the monster donations for the guild and nodded.


    I left the guild and everyone outside stepped back away from me, except for Cremea and Fio. They both took a step forward and gave me huge smiles. I nodded to them and went to each of the staff from the mansion and gave them 10,000 Eris each as severance pay. Those that didn''t have homes, I offered to rent rooms for. They epted the extra money and then stayed with their friends instead.


    Imended them for their ingenuity and they looked happy as I went back to my Tower. I had a lot of work to do today and had to talk to my party about the potential of two new members.


    *


    The goddess Aqua reclined across her throne and sighed, because she really missed those delicious cookies. She never did figure out why she had an upset stomach afterwards and shrugged the thought off. She picked up and started to read thetest magazine that told her about the newest fads that all the hip goddesses were getting into and she kicked her feet in the air.


    Suddenly, arge glowing circle appeared on the floor around the in wooden chair that was 10 feet away from hers. She didn''t pay it much attention, since the color let her know it was someone from the world she was monitoring and not a new soul from another world. Why would she have to do the whole song and dance to recruit them when she knew they all would choose to move on instead of reincarnating?


    ¡°Goddess Aqua!¡± A male voice gasped and then started wailing. ¡°Please forgive me! I''ve failed in the task you gave me!¡±


    Aqua lifted her gaze from a very interesting article about taking vacations on the safer worlds. She saw a wreck of a man on his knees and his face was covered in tears and snot because he was a very messy crier. It wasn''t until she saw the sword Gram on the floor that she realized the pathetic mortal was one of the ones she had sent to fight the Demon King.


    ¡°I don''t want to know what happened.¡± Aqua said and waved a hand at him to freeze him in ce. ¡°I can''t break the rules and send you back, unless I was already there and resurrected you.¡±


    Mitsurugi cried more and swiped at his face, which spread the snot and tears around instead of wiping them off. ¡°My goddess... what... what do I do now?¡±


    ¡°You have the same two choices. Go back to Earth as a newborn or move on to Heaven and be an old man for eternity.¡± Aqua said.


    ¡°I... I... yes, I... please send me back to Earth. I want to forget all about what happened to me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever.¡± Aqua said and another wave of her hand had a red circle form under him. ¡°Good luck or something. See ya.¡±


    Mitsurugi sighed with relief as he was sucked down into the floor instead of floating up into the air. Being a baby again was preferable to being an old man for eternity.


    Things went ck for a few moments, then his eyes shot open and he sucked in a huge breath. His chest hurt and he felt like he was dying, mostly because he couldn''t move or speak. His ears also caught what he thought wasughter before it cut off.


    ¡°Oh, great. The stupid NEET didn''t really kick the bucket after all.¡± One of the doctors said.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± A nurse said. ¡°Well, it''s still a good story. We''ll just say he actually died when we tell it.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea.¡± Another nurse said and looked down at his face. ¡°He''s going to be weak as a kitten for months, assuming he recovers at all from such a massive heart attack.¡±


    ¡°I''ll step out into the hallway and let the Kazuma family know he''s alive.¡± The doctor said, clearly disappointed. ¡°I hope they don''t sue us for malpractice.¡±


    Mitsurugi blinked his eyes. <i>Kazuma family? What... what''s going on?</i>


    A minuteter, the doctor was back and two older people stood over Mitsurugi.


    ¡°He really is alive.¡± The mother said, sadly.


    ¡°There goes the insurance money for idental death.¡± The father said, even more sadly.


    ¡°Well, we do have those rickety stairs that lead up to the attic.¡± The mother suggested.


    The father beamed a smile at her. ¡°I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you, my dear.¡±


    The mother blushed and smiled sexily back.


    <i>Nooooo!</i> Mitsurugi yelled in his head and was terrified of the happy smiles he could see on all of their faces, the doctor and nurses included.

 108 I Need To Take A Wiz

    108 I Need To Take A Wiz


    I did up the monster donations for the Guild Hall quickly, stuffing the wings and mounting them on a nice wood que with a description of where the manticore wings came from. I also did up the Oneshot Bear and enchanted both to never need cleaning, to repel insects, and to make them lighter and easier to move.


    It was the least I could do and it was easily done. I made the bear have an attack pose as well and Luna looked both a little scared and really turned on to see the thing in person when I delivered it to the Guild and stood it beside the bar. I caught her thoughts about severely underestimating me and regretting letting me get away. I fully agreed with her.


    I stayed there for about an hour as the workers hung the wings over the notice board and bought ale for the regrs and meals for everyone, even the workers. A few of them checked out the 16 foot tall stuffed bear when they were liquored up enough and one even pretended to wrestle it. Someone made a growling sound and the guy screamed like a little girl and ran away, which made everyoneugh.


    I went home after that and spent the night with the Head Subus. Surprisingly, she didn''t try to push things more than what we already have. Her penchant for enjoying the intimacy instead of just the sexual act itself, seemed to give her a lot more energy and made her very happy. She funnelled a lot of her feelings and extra energy to the rest of the subi and they loved her all the more because of it.


    The next morning, both Megumin and Darkness were okay with meeting two new prospective members. After I had exined how I met them and what had happened with the previous hero that had been brought to this world, they were downright eager to talk to Cremea and Fio and we met for breakfast at the Guild Hall.


    Their sses would synchronize well with us and would round out our party that now consisted of a Crusader (Darkness), an Arch-wizard (Megumin), a Warrior (Cremea), a Thief (Fio), and an Adventurer (myself). That was 5 sses for the perfect mix for a party. The only thing we were potentially missing was a Cleric or a Rogue, and the Thief could easily upgrade to Rogue after a dozen levels or so.


    If my calctions were right, a single mission with my own massive level to bnce out the rest of the party, would give her the new option if she wanted to chose it. Then again, maybe she would upgrade Thief into either Master Thief or Infiltrator.


    Of course, the second option would eventually upgrade her ss into Assassin, the same as the advanced Rouge ss, and that route could benefit her in several different ways. I wasn''t going to tell her what to do, however. It was her choice and she blushed a little when I told her that. She had been used to Kyoyo telling her what to do for so long that she was embarrassed to realize she didn''t have to let the hero make all the decisions.


    We all needed to get new equipment, too. Darkness put in her requests to the cksmiths, like she usually did when she wrecked her armor. Instead of her family footing the bill like usual, she handled it herself. It was one of the only times she didn''t regret having her own money to spend on things like that.


    Her family was happy for her, mostly because she was now independently wealthy and her father was one of the most influential members of the local nobility, which meant their own worth within the town rose up for having a well known adventurer in the family. It was no surprise to anyone when he was elevated to the position of Lord of Axel.


    The problem came when the contract the man had arranged with the previous Lord of Axel to marry off his daughter to the other man''s son. Since it hadn''t been enacted yet, and he was now the new lord, there was no way that he was going to allow his daughter to fulfill that contract and marry one of her brothers.


    Thankfully, because of his new position and his veto power, he cancelled that particr contract. Both Darkness and her still single little brother were quite relieved about that. Darkness showed up at the Tower that evening and spent a lot of time with the subi, then she entered my room with the Head Subus that night.


    Darkness was almost timid as the Head Subus slowly stripped off the nightgown Darkness wore. Her blush was epic as she climbed into the bed and under the covers. She admitted that she had neverid with a man before and had no experience with it, despite how everyone knew about her fetish and teased her about it.


    Both the Head Subus and I took our time and did our best to show Darkness the joys of normal sex. It was quite the experience for her, considering how much the Head Subus could get off on fulfilling people''s fantasies, because this was not about doing that. This was about loving a woman and showing her that there was a time and a ce for fetishes.


    Having that kind of excitement all the time would either cheapen its value or inure you against it and you would have to raise the stakes more and more to get the same satisfaction. Once it was exined to Darkness, she fully agreed that she had been taking more dangerous tasks in order to get that same little thrill of being dominated by the monsters.


    With that understanding, the Head Subus and I made here a lot before the three of us drifted off to sleep. In the morning, we did it again, to her surprise and enjoyment. When we went to the kitchen for breakfast, we met Megumin there and she had a bright red blush on her face. I didn''tment about it and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went to work on cooking breakfast for everyone.


    The normal chatter happened during the meal as the rest of the subi joined us, just like every morning, and both Darkness and Megumin rxed. What happened in bed usually stayed there and having normal rtions was okay in everyone''s opinion, so there was no need to be embarrassed about it.


    After breakfast, Darkness, Megumin and I met up with Cremea and Fio in the lobby of the tower. They were dressed in appropriate attire for the colder months, including nice warm winter coats, and the five of us left the tower to check in with the cksmiths to add more armor pieces for Cremea to wear.


    She tried to protest that she didn''t really need it and I told her that I was getting them for her anyway to enchant them myself, because I wanted her to be protected and she couldn''t refuse. She blushed and nodded, clearly not used to having someone actually taking care of her and caring about her welfare.


    Our next stop was the magic shop that Luna rmended to Megumin when she asked about a new staff as a magic focus. Since it was my first time going to such an establishment, I was fully prepared to be awed and shocked at what someone in an adventuring world would have for sale to the average adventurer in a starter city.


    Almost as soon as the door was opened, all my hopes were dashed. I could feel the twisted nature of everything inside and I mentally sighed at already being disappointed in whatever might be there. I started to feel bad about it, mostly because I couldn''t detect any redeeming qualities in any of the enchantments I could detect. I didn''t even need to use any spells to figure that out.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± A cheery voice said from across the room and we all turned to see arge-chested woman wearing a practically skintight purple dress. Her long brown hair was a little unkempt and partially covered her face and one of her eyes.


    <i>Maybe that was why she couldn''t tell she was selling junk? She couldn''t really see it?</i> I asked myself and then I felt it. My recently acquired perk after defeating the undead Demon King General, Bil. Blessing of the Dead let me detect undead within my range, which was a little off. My range was huge and I didn''t detect anything until I was about ten feet away from her.


    I managed to not p myself on the forehead for being so stupid. Of course she had deflection and anti-detection spells up. No one else knew she was an undead and she was using magic to hide that fact. It made me wonder if it was an enchantment on the business or something she wore. Then again, she was an undead and probably enchanted one of her bones.


    ¡°What can I help... you with... today?¡± Wiz haltingly said as her eyes locked onto mine.


    I could feel the blessing trying to do its work. I knew her. I knew all of her. Her desires, her dreams, what she did to be what she was, what she gave up to stay alive and to save her friends, and her deal with the Demon King.


    I walked over to her and she walked around the counter to stand in front of me. Wiz was only 5 foot 3 inches and I was 5 foot 10 inches, so she had to look way up to keep eye contact.


    ¡°What... who are you?¡± Wiz asked me, her voice full of wonder. Her hands reached up and rested on my shirt-covered chest.


    I couldn''t resist what I said next as I hugged her and let my magic fill her to empower her. ¡°Your salvation.¡±


    Wiz gasped as she started to glow. Her eyes widened as her hair floated up out of her way and she started to float. I let her slip slowly out of my embrace and slid my hands down her arms and held onto her hands as her body hovered and glowed brighter.


    Surprisingly, none of the others said a thing as Wiz''s glow became so bright that it was almost blinding, then it changed to gold and was sucked into her body. Instead of disintegrating and destroying her undead flesh, she was converted into a living being once more.


    As the glow faded, she lowered back down to the floor and her beaming smile was infectious. I returned it and she started humming and kicking her feet in a little dance.


    ¡°You did it! You really did it!¡± Wiz said and hummed as she led me in a waltz.


    I started humming along with her and we danced around her little shop. Surprisingly, the others started pping and Cremea tapped her foot along. It was cute and soon Megumin was swinging around us and Wiz let me go and grabbed Fio. I pulled Megumin in close and we kept dancing, then Darkness and Cremea joined us.


    I took several things out of my storage and shared some food and drink. They added to the party and we had a grand old time spending the next half an hour celebrating Wiz bing human again. She introduced herself to the others and to me, not that I needed her to.


    With the party over, she showed us around her shop and told us about the verifiable heap of crap she had for sale. Who wanted to buy an enchanted toilet seat that only makes pee smell better and makes poop smell worse? Wouldn''t the reverse be much better? Oh, and it curses you with the runs for no reason.


    Everything she had for sale had a small benefit and a huge drawback. Whoever was selling her these things was making a fortune, because she was aplete airhead about business. I didn''t try to mention that, because I didn''t want to make her feel bad about being so gullible, not right after making her so happy about regaining her humanity.


    I didn''t try to alter or remove any of the enchantments, either. They had some kind of failsafe to stop anyone from fixing them, which I had to assume was also part of the curse enchantment. Even wiping thempletely would make the things explode, implode, or dissolve into a melted mess and probably killing whomever used them and maybe those around them.


    The original enchanter must be a real asshole to make Wiz sell so many potential bombs. Of course, once I had that thought, I had another that was a logical conclusion from that. It would be horrible if it was true, however.


    ¡°Wiz, dear.¡± I said when the tour was over and she blushed as she gave me her full attention. ¡°You have an exclusive contract with the enchanter to only sell his things, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes! He insisted. He said he didn''t want anyone else having their things mixed up with his own and stealing his fame.¡± Wiz said, happily.


    The other four girls cursed for me and saved me the trouble. They knew what that meant just as much as I did.


    ¡°So, how much money have you lost since you started buying his... ahem... beneficial products?¡± I asked her.


    Wiz lost the happy smile and looked embarrassed. ¡°I... um... don''t really know the exact number...¡± She said in a soft voice and trailed off into silence.


    <i>A lot then.</i> I thought instead. ¡°Well, there''s only one thing you can do.¡±


    Wiz perked up and gave me a hopeful look.


    ¡°Close the store. It ends the exclusive contract because you can''t sell his things anymore.¡± I told her.


    ¡°I can''t do that!¡± Wiz eximed. ¡°It''s my only source ie besides sanctifying the graveyard every week and letting the souls of the dead move on.¡±


    I gave the girls a look and they nodded. Wiz was soon surrounded and Darkness, Megumin, Cremea, and Fio reminded her that she wasn''t making any money and that she would have to close the store anyway when all of her savings were gone.


    Wiz started to cry andined in hushed whispers that running a magic store was her dream. That was when I stepped in and told her we could fix her dream if she would let us. The girls nodded and patted her back and arms in encouragement as I hugged her.


    ¡°Will you really?¡± Wiz asked.


    ¡°Of course. You''re a member of our party now. We''re not going to let you suffer.¡± I said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Wiz asked, her eyes wide.


    ¡°You''re human again, Wiz. I have a feeling that all your old skills have be active again and your adventurer''s card needs to be updated.¡± I told her and she trembled in my arms.


    ¡°But... but, I... I was...¡± Wiz stammered.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and she looked up at my face and I let her see that I really did know who she was. ¡°You''re not that anymore. As soon as we fix your business, your life will be back on track and you can stop pretending to be happy and actually be happy.¡±


    Tears flowed out of her eyes and she hugged me tightly and let it all out. All her frustration, years of worrying about being caught, and the things she had to do as one of the Demon King''s generals.


    ¡°Shh, it''s okay.¡± I said and held her tenderly. The girls huddled around us and hugged her, too.


    ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Wiz said when she calmed down and wiped at her wet face. ¡°I mean it. Thank you.¡±


    I let her go and motioned to the front door. ¡°I''ll put up a closed sign, you grab the paperwork for both the contract and the business, and we''ll head over to the guild to take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Wiz said and went into the back room. We all saw the small cot she had there and what little possessions she owned. She took out a small metal box from under the cot and came back out. ¡°I''m ready.¡±


    The six of us left the business and I closed and locked the door, put up arge banner across the whole storefront saying it was closed and out of business. All of the people on the street and nearby that saw it,mented that they were surprised she had stayed open this long because she never sold anything.


    Wiz had a sad face the whole time we walked and after we entered the Guild Hall. She tried to not let it show and it didn''t work. Luna behind the teller booth gave her a sad smile in return. I exined what had been happening and Luna took the seller''s contract, the business contract, and Wiz''s deed to the building.


    After a quick check, it was zoned as a business only and couldn''t be converted into a house for her, not even temporarily. Wiz let out a single sob and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll buy it from you, Wiz.¡± I offered and she gasped.


    ¡°You... you can''t! It''s... it was...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care how much it is. It''s worth any price to make you smile again.¡± I reassured her and she hugged me.


    ¡°I''ll handle that right now.¡± Luna said and cancelled the business contract for Wiz and refunded her registration fee and the business taxes for the rest of the year. Once that was done, she easily voided the seller''s contract, because it could only apply to someone that owned a business.


    With both important things out of the way, Luna handled the sale between us. I didn''t blink at the 1.5 million Eris price for a lot that was a quarter of the size of my own and twice the price. Businesses were taxed a lot heavier thannd owners and I quickly found out the difference.


    I was also limited in the height I could make the building to only three stories. They really did want to keep the small town aesthetic to the businesses in town and I agreed. I would only add on another story and I would keep the same outside look. I was going to expand the hell out of the inside, though. I had a lot of things to sell after the few worlds I had been to.


    I paid the taxes for the rest of the year, too. Not surprisingly, it was more for a new business that was just being established, since newer ones tended to fail and they wanted their money upfront in case they didn''tst. Mine was not going to have that problem at all.


    ¡°She''s joining the Heroes Of Axel party.¡± I told Luna and nodded at Wiz.


    ¡°I''ll need your adventurer''s card to add it to the party officially.¡± Luna said and Wiz timidly handed it over.


    Luna''s eyes showed a bit of surprise at the card not being updated in a long time. She started to run it through the process of sorting the experience and assigning the learned skills for the first time in years, only to gasp and stare at the thing. Her eyes went to Wiz, to the card, to me, back to Wiz, then to the card again.


    ¡°Why don''t we all get our cards updated?¡± I asked to prompt Luna to finish with Wiz''s card. She did so and handed it back to a blushing Wiz. ¡°Megumin, you first.¡±


    ¡°The best is always first!¡± Megumin said and took her victory pose, then handed the card over. Shepletely missed Wiz''s epic blush, because she realized that she had been first and Megumin had inadvertentlyplimented her.


    ¡°A... another 30 levels for you.¡± Luna whispered and finished assigning the experience and skill points.


    ¡°Wow, really? That''s awesome!¡± Megumin shouted and took her card back. She didn''t bother trying to pretend she wasn''t doing what she always did with her points and put them all into her main spell.


    Darness went next and did the same thing, only with her Defence skill. I didn''t tell her to give herself some points in any other skills, since she was right. She couldn''t hit the side of a barn if she was standing right next to it.


    Cremea went next and she gasped when Luna told her she gained 65 levels. Her hands shook as she epted the card back and she stared at it like it was made of solid gold and she didn''t want to touch it and potentially ruin its value.


    Fio was worse, because her Thief ss had lower XP requirements and she had gained 79 levels. That was a lot of skill points for a single update and she couldn''t get her hands to work as she tried and failed to take her card back from Luna.


    ¡°Let me help.¡± I said and wrapped my hand around hers and held her card for her.


    Fio''s red face was almost the same color as her hair and she leaned against me and stared at the card.


    ¡°You shared your experience with us.¡± Cremea said, her voice full of disbelief. Her green ponytail bobbed slightly as she looked up at my face. ¡°We only joined your party yesterday and you already started sharing?¡±


    ¡°You weren''t lying.¡± Fio whispered as well and hugged me.


    I put an arm over Cremea''s shoulders and hugged her, too. ¡°I told you I would.¡±


    ¡°But... but...¡± Both girls said at the same time.


    ¡°I didn''t expect to deal with a second Demon King general so quickly, though.¡± I said and gave them each a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°It worked out, so now everyone''s happy.¡±


    Wiz gave me a sad look and didn''t say anything.


    I barely held in my chuckle as I spoke. ¡°I have a new business to open soon and I need to hire someone to sell my wares. I wonder where I can find someone with such special skills?¡±


    Wiz let out a squeal of happiness and jumped up to hug my neck. ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡±


    Darkness and Meguminughed at the short woman hanging off me and her little feet kicked backwards as if she could get higher if she kicked harder.


    I let my chuckle out and let Fio and Cremea go to hug Wiz properly and lifted her up to where she wanted to go. She looked into my eyes and let me see how much she appreciated what I did for her, then she leaned forward and kissed me deeply.

 109 Making Choices

    109 Making Choices


    Half of the people in the Guild Hall cheered and hollered congrattions for someone finally getting with the elusive magic store owner. Wiz broke the kiss and her blush was epic, so I kissed her again to distract her and she hummed happily and kissed me back. I handed over my card as Wiz and I made out and Luna let out a sad sound as she did the experience conversion and awarded me more skill points.


    That was two generals of the Demon King''s Army I had defeated, even if the second one was pretty much just Wiz not fighting against what happened. It was almost funny at how easy it was and the bounty would be split between the six of us. It was pretty much free money and Wiz was very happy and grateful for her share, even if sheined that she didn''t deserve it.


    Another 300 million Eris split 6 ways had shocked the others in my party, even though that wasn''t the most money they had ever seen. It was the easiest money they had ever earned, however. They hadn''t had to do anything for it and they all felt guilty about it, which made meugh.


    So, Ipromised. I set the entire amount aside and said I would donate a percentage of it each week to feed the less fortunate in the town by providing several meals in front of the Guild Hall to be given out like we did a few weeks ago after the massive cabbage harvest. I''d leave it to the guild to handle it all, though.


    It made the girls in my party very happy and the guild workers looked just as happy, because they would be making twice their sry for the day each time and the cooks would earn bonuses for it as well. After my card was updated, we left the Guild Hall and went to my tower. It didn''t take us long to get there and Wiz, Cremea, and Fio were warmly weed by the subi that lived there with me.


    They chose rooms on the floor above the subi, just like Darkness had, except they moved in officially and loved having their own space. It was more than they ever had previously, especially Cremea and Fio that had been a party with the previous hero, and the view was spectacr. They were used to living in an inn all the time and the Tower was so much better.


    Having their own room that had fancier furniture and a higher level of living quality, really made them appreciate joining my party. Of course, being rich helped as well. It changed their priority from adventuring to pay the bills like rent at an inn and to afford good food, to adventuring to gain more skill points and experience to level up.


    It was a novel experience for them, just like it had been for Megumin and Darkness the first time they went out to have an adventure only for the sake of having an adventure and not because they were desperate to continue living to get another chance to eat or to enjoy the thrill of battle.


    Wiz on the other hand, was absolutely delighted to have a real bed to sleep in and room for her clothes to be stored. That also gave me an excuse to teleport the two of us over to her old business to pack up her things. She looked a little sad about that, until I told her my ns to make the store twice as big and to give her a lot more things to sell. She would be making a lot of people happy when my business opened.


    That earned me another kiss and she gave me a longing look before she blushed. ¡°Kazuma... I... well... you need to know that I... I won''t be falling into bed with you on the first night after falling for you.¡±


    I held in my chuckle at that and whispered back. ¡°I''m not going to rush you, Wiz. It''s up to you how quickly you fall into my bed and I won''t push you or try to pressure you. That''s not how rtionships work.¡±


    Wiz nodded. ¡°We need to learn to trust each other.¡±


    I gave her another quick kiss and we started packing up her things. It didn''t take long, since she hadn''t had many personal things after sinking so much of her savings into the store''s useless stock. She gave the front disy room a sad look and I understood what she was thinking.


    ¡°Don''t worry about them. I''ll try sending them back to your supplier for a refund first. If he refuses, I''ll set them off in a safe area to see how devastating they could be.¡± I promised her.


    Wiz sighed and nodded, because she knew they were more dangerous than she had been led to believe. It was one of the reasons no one ever bought anything from her. I thought about packing them up and chose to cover them with temporary walls instead. That way, no one looking in would see anything.


    We teleported back home to the Tower after that and I helped her set up her things in her room that was twice the size of her old business. It made her realize how much she had been missing out on by living in the back room of the shop. A home was supposed to be where you went to unwind and rx, not where you slept until you needed to work again.


    I kissed her goodnight and left her blushing as I went up to the top floor to my room. The Head Subus was there and she looked inordinately pleased. I didn''t have to ask her why, because I had brought three new people into our home and also fulfilled their heart''s desire. Since both her and the other subi fed off of ambient emotions, their ''meals'' had been enhanced by a significant amount with all of the positive emotions.


    I climbed into bed and she gave me a quick blowjob and then cuddled me like a teddy bear. It was honestly the cutest thing she had done in a while, probably because she was riding the same high the other subi were enjoying from the new founts of emotions that were in the Tower. We fell asleep and didn''t wake until the next morning.


    I always woke at the crack of dawn and I stayed in bed instead of starting my day. It wasn''t going to be azy day; but, we had nothing nned. The armour pieces and weapons would take a few weeks toplete, mostly because the cksmith had a bunch of orders to fulfill. It was mostly repairs and alterations, so having to make almost two full sets of stylized armour would take a lot longer.


    I thought about doing my own transfiguration trick and enchanting the armour myself, except I decided I wanted to be there to try and pick up the skills the cksmith was using to construct them. It would benefit me a lot in the long run to make actual armour pieces first and then use my transfiguration trick, since they would keep the original stats and I would just add to them.


    The Head Subus stirred and her half-lidded eyes almost glowed as she lifted her head from my chest and looked at me. Neither of us said anything as her hand moved down under the nket and she took my hardness into a firm hold and started ying with it. She seemed to like that I never stopped her orined that she was pretty much using me for her own pleasure and to gain power.


    I had fully epted that was what she would be doing and she was amazed that I was willing to let her. That had never happened to her before, in her entire existence, and she whispered that to me as her hand sped up. My hand went down to between her legs and she moaned as I fingered her. She was still very tight, as if she had never been touched before, and she got off in mere moments.


    Of course, I was shoving as much loving affection into her as well as my fingers. That always got her off in record time, too. She purred as my fingers kept moving and then she felt me twitch down there. Her face almost lit up and then she ducked down and turned around under the nket. This presented me with her delicious dampness and I dove in there with my tongue going full st using Parseltongue.


    Her body jerked and she let out a muffled scream as she tried to swallow me and orgasm at the same time. It made meugh, mostly because she had such a hard time doing both. She was supposed to be the representation of a sex goddess and something this simple messed her up? It was hrious.


    She wore a pouting re when she switched back around, so I pulled her in to cuddle her again as I cast cleaning spells on us. She let out a contented sigh and rxed against me once more.


    ¡°What are we going to do all winter?¡± The Head Subus suddenly asked.


    ¡°I''ve been thinking about that. We have a couple of choices as the colder weather settles into the region.¡± I said and she listened intensely. ¡°The first choice is we all hole-up in the Tower and be hermits for the next three months.¡±


    The Head Subus looked thoughtful for a few moments and then gave me a very sexy smile. ¡°Just you and 21 sexually repressed women locked up in a castle tower for three solid months? With nothing to do but each other? I chose that one!¡±


    I almost snorted when Iughed. The pleased smile on her face let me know she had sessfully teased me, so I gave her a deep kiss for several moments. She sighed happily and snuggled in some more.


    ¡°Second choice is we take a few runs at the local dungeon to get everyone a few levels and some experience in an actualbat situation.¡± I said and she hummed.


    ¡°That''s not an ideal one. My girls are not anywhere nearbat oriented.¡± She responded.


    I had to agree with that. ¡°Third, we join a caravan going to the capitol and set up teleportation circles in key ces. Once we''re there, we explore for a few weeks to a month and see what local stuff we can do, then we join another caravan and head to other areas and set up more teleportation circles before heading back here in the spring. It should keep us busy for the entire winter break.¡±


    The Head Subus looked stunned at that suggestion.


    ¡°I know it might be a bit difficult being on the move for so long...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°I vehemently vote for the third option.¡± She interrupted me.


    ¡°Are you sure? It''s a hugemitment to...¡±


    ¡°My girls have already adjusted to the tastes of the locals and are getting less and less from them.¡± She informed me and it made me think about it.


    ¡°Is it because they are getting stronger and need more or is it because the locals have almost no imagination and the girls are getting bored with the same old things?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s both, of course.¡± The Head Subus said and kissed me. ¡°I warned you a long time ago that you were spoiling them.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°<b>I''m</b> the one that spoils them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear. It''s all your fault.¡± She said in a sexy voice and kissed me passionately.


    I couldn''t argue against such a good argument and we fooled around for a while before getting up to go make breakfast for everyone. They all gathered together at therge breakfast table and the three new people were shocked at the spread of food that was avable. While they ate, I gave them all the same three options. Surprisingly, it was Wiz that spoke up first.


    ¡°We''re taking the third option. It will give us a good chance to survey what people actually want in a magic item store.¡± Wiz said, as if that was the end of it. By the looks on everyone''s faces, they all agreed with her.


    I raised my ss of orange juice and saluted her. ¡°Our sales manager has spoken, so shall it be.¡±


    Wiz blushed as everyone cheered and started hugging each other.


    ¡°We have so much to pack!¡± One of the subi eximed and suddenly the entire table was empty except for me.


    I actually did snort before Iughed and shook my head at that reaction. They were more than happy about just taking a trip and the reasons didn''t matter to them. I finished eating and used cleaning spells to deal with the mess they left and stored the dishes in the cupboard. With that done, I left the Tower and went to the Guild Hall to find out when the next caravan left for the capitol.


    Luna gave me a sad smile and handed me the schedule. I checked for one that would fit our needs and made note of how to contact the man running it. I also asked about procuring a wagon and horses. She gave me the address for a good stable and wagon builder and I tipped her a silver coin. Instead of dropping it into her cleavage to make me admire herrge breasts like her thoughts suggested, she slipped it into her pocket.


    I had to smile at her not giving in to her normal actions and left the hall to head over to the wagon builder. The man epted themission and let me help him, too. We had the thing built in under an hour and it was a solid wood carriage with the full top and everything, instead of the normal canvas cover. I had also enchanted it with several different things along the way.


    When I paid him for the job and for the six skills he had demonstrated for me, he looked stunned. It had me chuckling so much that I stored the thing without thinking about it. The man fainted and Iughed pretty hard at getting that reaction. I didn''t bother trying to revive him and just propped him up beside his workbench to let him wake normally.


    I left a nice tip for the rush job and went to the stables next. The woman running the ce gave me a searching look for several moments, then she agreed and sold me her two best horses. They were a mated pair and would remain happy as long as I kept them together. That was quite insightful for her to ensure the animals were happy after being sold, so I bought everything she rmended to take care of them.


    That made her very happy and she showed me how to use each thing on the horses, including how to drive the carriage and handle the horses properly. When she was done, I paid her for the eight skills she showed off and she looked both embarrassed and surprised.


    ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± I asked her and didn''t mention her red face.


    ¡°I thought only adventurers could qualify for notices on the job board inside the Adventurer''s Guild.¡± The stable owner said, sheepishly.


    I held in myugh. ¡°I''ll have you know that the first skills I learned and paid for, were from the cooks and kitchen helpers at the guild hall.¡±


    That revtion made her happy and she whispered something.


    I didn''t quite hear her and leaned in close. ¡°Could you repeat that? I didn''t hear...¡±


    She smirked at me and kissed me instead of responding. I jerked back from the unexpected kiss and gave her a surprised look, then she dropped to her knees and my pants were down around my ankles as she showed off another skill she had.


    The blush on her face when I paid her 1,000 Eris for it, was worth the joke. I had gained that skill almost right after I had arrived in this world and I was never ever ever going to level it up. I was not that kind of a protagonist. No, sir.


    I took the reins of the horses and led them back to the Tower. I would have to add a garage or something with ess to the road the Tower was on when we came back. For now, I set the whole thing up right in front of the front doors of the Tower. After I had the horses hooked up to the quite fancy carriage, I entered it and did the same enchanting trick to expand the inside.


    Since I had previously enchanted the underlying parts with other things, the carriage counted as ''magical materials'' for the skill and the expansion was almost ten times what it would have been with normal materials. I was quite pleased with it and quickly set up individual areas for the girls, all of them, and they could chose to sleep alone or with their friends.


    Just as I finished adding the appropriate furniture and securing it to the floor to stop it from sliding around as the carriage moved, the front doors of the Tower opened up and a literal flood of subi and luggage poured out and into the street.


    ¡°There''s no way we''re getting all of this up there on top of the luggage rack.¡± One of the subi said and pointed to the small space on top of the carriage. ¡°Mine alone will take up half of that!¡±


    I chuckled as I opened the carriage door and stepped out. ¡°Then it''s good that we''re not using it for that.¡± I said and motioned towards the door I just stepped out of. ¡°Go on in and find the rooms with your names on them.¡±


    Every single subi squealed like a little girl getting a pony and rushed inside. Without their luggage. The Head Subi''s demureugh came out through the still open front doors of the Tower.


    ¡°I know, I know. I spoil them too much.¡± I said and gave her a kiss, then used the Lotor spell on each of the suitcases and bags and brought them inside. I left them in the mainmon area for the girls to sort out for themselves as the Head Subus sat down on one of the veryfortable couches that were there.


    ¡°The others will be out soon, too.¡± She said and gave me a searching look. It made me chuckle and I told her about what happened with the stable owner while we waited. She softlyughed at the joke I yed, mostly because it gave the woman the impression that she had been the first to do it and now she would always have the thought in her head to teach me more things like that for more money.


    Iughed, too. I hadn''t thought of it like that and would have to visit the stable when we returned, just to see the look on the woman''s face and to read her thoughts. I needed to know if the Head Subus was right or not.


    ¡°This ce is great!¡± Megumin eximed and dropped her luggage on the pile. ¡°Where''s my room?¡±


    I pointed to the door with her name on it.


    ¡°Thanks, Kazuma!¡± Megumin said and blushed slightly, then she took a deep breath and walked over to me to firmly kiss me on the cheek. She nodded in satisfaction at my wide eyes for her being so bold and she grinned as she walked over to her room and went inside.


    ¡°It appears my girls are not the only ones you are spoiling, my dear.¡± The Head Subus said, her voice smug.


    I shrugged and went back outside to wait for the others. Darkness, Cremea, Fio, and Wiz came out wearing travelling clothes that were tougher and designed for it. I helped them with their luggage and we all entered the carriage.


    Only Wiz was shocked at the expansion and getting her own room. She gave me another searing kiss for being so considerate of her feelings and took her luggage into her room. The others left their luggage in the pile and went to their own rooms, too.


    ¡°You will have all of them in your bed soon, my dear.¡± The Head Subusmented.


    ¡°That''s not why I do things.¡± I said and sat down beside her to cuddle her.


    ¡°I know.¡± She said and nuzzled my neck. ¡°We all know that, dear. It''s what makes you so desirable. You being so amodating is a huge turn on, especially here on this world.¡±


    ¡°Is it amodating and not indulging?¡± I asked and she giggled.


    ¡°Some believe they are interchangeable. However, we both know they are not.¡± She whispered and kissed my earlobe. ¡°You can bend over backwards doing things for some people and they will assume they deserve it, even when they know they don''t.¡±


    I nodded and had to agree with that.


    ¡°Then there are people like myself and my girls. We have never had anyone take care of us before, just like the girls in your party. We are not used to someone caring about what we think, asking us our opinion on things, or even bothering to speak to us when it''s not necessary.¡±


    I opened my mouth to refute that and she kissed me to stop me. I sighed into her mouth and she broke the kiss.


    ¡°It''s one of the things we all adore about you, Kazuma.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at her using my name and not dear.


    She smiled warmly and gave me a soft and tender kiss. ¡°I needed you to take what I said seriously, dear. You would dismiss it as unimportant, otherwise.¡±


    Now that I couldn''t refute.


    She saw the look on my face and giggled. ¡°I will help sort out the luggage while you go outside and finish enchanting the things on the horses. We will be ready to leave when you are.¡±


    I nodded and stood, then bent back down to return her soft and tender kiss. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are very wee, my dear.¡± She said and watched me leave.


    I went outside and did as she suggested. I made several protection amulets and enhanced their speed by fixing their horseshoes and enchanting the metal on the reins to make them morefortable. The horses neighed happily as their restrictions eased and I warned them that the carriage was really light and we could move very fast when we were outside the city. They neighed in agreement.


    ¡°Momma said to tell you that we''re ready to go!¡± The smallest subi shouted as she hung her head out through one of the many windows.


    I waved to her and she disappeared back inside. I went to the Tower and locked and secured the doors with spells, raised the protective enchantments to their highest level, and climbed onto the front of the carriage. I picked up the reins and flicked them to p the soft leather on the backsides of the horses. They didn''t jerk in pain like they would have with normal reins and started walking.


    I smiled at the soft cheer that came from inside the carriage. We were on our way and our cross-country trip had just started.

 110 Quick Travels

    110 Quick Travels


    I drove the carriage and horses across the town of Axel and over to the staging area for the caravan that was leaving. All eyes were on me as I parked in a good spot that would allow me to easily turn the horses and carriage around to leave the area. I secured the reins and hopped down to the ground as I greeted the closest man and woman that were tending to their own horses.


    They mumbled something in return and I figured they were too surprised by my fancy carriage and the horses that looked like they were in their prime. I smiled and walked on. I waved to a few people and greeted them by name, surprising them, and I softlyughed as I made my way over to where I could see the name of the caravan organizer. Identifying spells were awesome.


    ¡°Hello there, my good man!¡± I said to the short and slightly rotund man with dark hair and a trimmed beard. ¡°I heard from Luna at the Guild that you were the important man to talk to about joining the caravan to the capitol.¡±


    The man puffed out his chest a bit and his smile was wide at the praise. ¡°That I am, good sir.¡± He said and held a hand out to shake. ¡°Maximillian Arturo, at your service.¡±


    ¡°Kazuma Satou, Adventurer Extraordinaire.¡± I said and shook his hand. ¡°My party and a few friends decided to head to the capitol for the winter. Since travelling alone would only invite more danger, I hoped we could join your caravan and enjoy the extrapany.¡±


    Maximillian let my hand go and motioned at the seven other wagons and open carriages. ¡°You won''t be spoiled for choices, Mister Satou. My caravan is small and there are only a few that have more than the people driving them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it''s mostly products and goods for sale?¡± I asked, genuinely curious.


    Maximillian nodded. ¡°We do have a few hired men to keep guard when we stop for rests, so a nominal fee needs to be charged to handle the expenses.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a problem.¡± I said and took out a bag with money in it and handed it to him. ¡°Is 10,000 Eris enough?¡±


    The man sputtered and held the bag like it was going to bite him.


    ¡°I''ll volunteer to help protect everyone as well. I brought my armor and weapons with me.¡± I offered, probably unnecessarily.


    ¡°Th-that... that... is very generous of you, Mister Satou.¡±


    I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You can call me Kazuma. We''re going to be in close quarters for the next month.¡±


    Maximillian recovered from his shock and smiled. ¡°Then you can call me Maximillian.¡±


    I smiled and let his shoulder go. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and nced around. ¡°It looks like nearly everyone is ready. When are we heading out?¡±


    ¡°I have to check with the others to make sure their wagons are secured and their horses are rested. After that, we can leave.¡± Maximillian said.


    I nodded. ¡°Would you mind if I join you? I recently learned a few things about the proper things to look for and to take care of.¡±


    Maximillian smiled. ¡°An extra pair of eyes and hands won''t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Great! Let''s go.¡± I said and he led me over to the closest set of horses and therge canvas covered wagon behind them.


    *


    Maximillian was amazed as he watched the newest member of the caravan expertly handled the horses, secured the wagons and carriages, and ensured the cargoes wouldn''t shift or get damaged as the wagons traversed the rough roads.


    Whoever this man was, he definitely knew what he was doing. He also went faster and did more as they went to each of the other members and checked their supplies. He also talked to them like he had known them for years and also called them by name somehow, even though they had never met before.


    It was little wonder that they finished the inspections in record time and his own conveyance that held the hired guards needed the least amount of checking. Everyone mounted up and Kazuma chose to go first to make sure that if anything happened, his carriage would be the first hit and would act as a warning to the others.


    Since that position really was the most dangerous, Maximillian only agreed if he went second and had the guards at the ready to deploy. Kazuma hadughed at the qualification and told him he needed to be either at the front to protect the caravan or at the back, since Kazuma was taking the front, he should be at the back where the end of the caravan was vulnerable.


    Neither Maximillian nor the guards could argue that, so they wentst and would switch positions at the first rest stop. It made all the other people in the caravan rx at having two sources of protection and the whole atmosphere of travelling in dangerous areas reduced to only a small worry. Even though they didn''t have any proof that Kazuma was as strong as he imed, they still rxed.


    As the caravan moved out through therge gates of Axel and left the safety of the starter town, no one saw the soft glow that epassed Kazuma''s horses. It was still early in the afternoon and the glow didn''t stand out at all. By the time they travelled at a good pace for the rest of the day and reached the first rest stop, the glow had faded.


    Travelling at night was too dangerous with all the creatures and bandits, so they circled the wagons and carriages and set up camp for the night. Everyone''s mouths dropped open when a shocking 21 people piled out of Kazuma''s enclosed carriage and gathered around the campfire in the middle of the camp. This was also when the caravan''s other members saw the rest of Kazuma''s party.


    Surprisingly, it both worried them and made them rx. Darkness the useless Crusader and Megumin the Explosion Disaster, made them worry about coteral damage. Cremea the Warrior and Fio the Thief that used to be with the Hero''s party, made them feel relief to have experienced adventurers along. Wiz the failed magic store owner was kind of just there.


    ¡°Dear, you have to ept that until they all see you in battle with their own eyes, you are an unknown.¡± The very beautiful and quite short woman said to Kazuma and kissed his cheek.


    Kazuma chuckled. ¡°They''ll get their chance to see it tomorrow.¡± He said and reached for a tiny girl to pat her head and she giggled. ¡°Thanks for the early warning.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee!¡± The girl replied, excitedly.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Maximillian asked.


    ¡°This little darling used a newly discovered detection ability just before we stopped.¡± Kazuma said fondly and the girl climbed onto hisp and made a kind of purring sound as he hugged her. ¡°She found a very... excited... man at the edge of her range who has been watching us and following the caravan.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Most of the other people eximed and started looking around for him.


    Kazumaughed. ¡°It''s all right. He''s handled for now.¡± He said and gave the short woman a kiss on the lips. ¡°He''ll warn his friends tomorrow and we can expect an attack about noon when we reach the first crossroads.¡±


    Maximillian sighed. ¡°That is the worst spot for travellers. There''s no cover and nowhere to run to if they block the roads.¡±


    The other caravan members nodded, as did the guards.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. After we deal with the bandits, I''ll set up a few things to keep the ce clear and safer to travel through.¡± Kazuma promised.


    ¡°You can do that?¡± One of the guards asked.


    ¡°I can also set traps and things, too.¡± Kazuma said with a grin. ¡°Trust me, no bandit will be having any fun tomorrow when theye after us.¡±


    Maximillian nodded and reached over to pat Kazuma''s knee. ¡°On behalf of all of us, I want to thank you, young man. Your confidence alone is easing the worry in our hearts.¡±


    Kazuma nodded back and opened the bag at his side. He started handing out some ready-made meals and he was suddenly swarmed by his people as they pilfered them. Hisughter let the others know he had expected that reaction and then handed out more to the caravan members.


    ¡°Eat up. We have a big day tomorrow.¡± Kazuma said and opened his own.


    Everyone else opened theirs and the delicious smells filled the campsite. They all dug into the food with eagerness.


    Maximillian savoured the still hot and tender frog meat and delicious chilled cabbage sd. He had suspected that he wouldn''t regret letting the clearly rich man join their caravan and he had been right. The man brought a lot more to their trip to the capitol than he ever expected. The fee Kazuma paid had made the whole thing profitable by itself!


    *


    The bandit ambush happened exactly when I predicted. Right at noon, we reached the crossroads and a group of ten men waited there for us. I had left a teleportation circle hidden back at the first rest stop, mostly because it was where all of the caravans stopped for the night. Even the faster ones stopped there, because there was nowhere else that was close enough if they decided to push on. They never travelled at night and had to stop, so they always stopped at the known spots.


    The guards deployed from the caravan master''s carriage and prepared for close rangebat as several of the caravan drivers and their helpers pulled out crossbows and bows. It was only a deterrent and that was all they really needed sometimes. Smaller creatures were easy to scare off that way. Men? Not so much. It could slow them down just enough for the wagon and horses to make a getaway, however.


    ¡°Circle up!¡± I ordered as I and my party rushed to the front of the caravan and the people did exactly that. ¡°Darkness, take the lead near the front. You''re our shield as Megumin charges up.¡±


    Darkness gave me a warm smile and nodded. Even without her armor, she was a formidable barrier. I handed her arge bright gold tower shield with Hestia''s emblem on it and she shivered slightly as she slipped it onto her arm. The enchantments on it would give her quite the bonus to her Defense.


    ¡°Megumin, use your quickest speech. We want to make a point, not reduce everything to ash.¡± Imanded and Megumin sighed. ¡°It''s all right. There''s a few things we''re going to encounter after the capitol that will need your biggest speech, just like we did with the cabbages.¡±


    Megumin shivered and blushed at the same time. She always loved sharing her magic with me and it had been a while since then. We were both a lot more powerful now and she knew whatever weunched would cause a lot of devastation, because unlike the cabbages, we wouldn''t need to preserve the target.


    ¡°Cremea, right nk.¡± I said and handed her one of the many swords I found back in Danmachi.


    Cremea shivered as she epted it and the sword glowed. ¡°It... it''s warm.¡±


    ¡°It likes you.¡± I joked at the sword bonding to her. ¡°It''s enchanted to help you, so give it some magic and it will never fail to cut your opponent.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you, Kazuma.¡± Cremea said and hugged it.


    I handed two small short swords to Fio, the thief. ¡°Fio, left nk. They''re paired enchantments that should help you a lot more than your normal des.¡±


    Fio shivered and carefully gripped the twin des. She sucked in a sharp breath as the enchantments kicked in and boosted her stats by 20 percent. ¡°K-Kazuma... these... these are...¡±


    ¡°I''ll help you both learn how to use them properly at the next rest stop.¡± I promised and they both nodded.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Wiz asked, her voice unsure.


    I smiled at her and pulled out one of the spare wands I had bought from Louise''s supplier.


    Wiz''s eyes widened as she took it and her hair flipped around briefly, as if in a soft wind.


    ¡°I think you know how to handle a proper magic focus.¡± I said and she shivered and nodded. Copying the effect of someone bonding to a wand was easy when you had ess to imagination magic.


    The sound of horses behind the ten bandits gained our attention and twenty men on horses rode over to support the men on foot.


    ¡°Now would be a good time, Megumin!¡± I said and pulled out my mythril sword. We were all fighting in our civilian clothes and the bandits had no idea what we could do. I thought about putting on my orangey-yellow armor and chose not to. Standing out only mattered when I needed to draw everyone''s attention.


    ¡°Witness the power of the end! The world will tremble in fear from the best magic in the world! EXPLOSION!¡± Megumin shouted and pointed her staff at the horses.


    *WHABOOOM!*


    Horses and men disintegrated inside the miniature mushroom cloud. The ones not hit and were still close to it were mostly blown apart by the pressure wave. Thankfully, they had been a hundred feet away and Megumin''s minimum power spell was only mostly devastating. It did knock down the ten men facing off against us, though.


    ¡°Good job, Megumin! Everyone with a weapon! Attack!¡± I shouted. ¡°Darkness! Keep us covered!¡±


    The guards charged forward to hit the downed bandits and they were not merciful. A bolt of lightning barely missed them as it flew by and hit a man standing up that had a look of craziness and murder on his face.


    I stopped running forward and turned to Wiz and saw her surprise at the effectiveness of the wand. ¡°I''ll teach you a few things, too.¡±


    Wiz blushed and nodded as she kept her wand trained on the bandits.


    I turned back to run the rest of the way and saw that the fight was already over. The guards were proudly congratting themselves for a job well done and they heaped praise on Megumin. The girl took it and preened as she told them that wasn''t much proof that her magic was the best magic in the world.


    I chuckled and walked over to Darkness. ¡°I''m sorry there wasn''t much for you to do.¡±


    ¡°I blocked a few sword thrusts from the downed men and protected the guards.¡± Darkness said with a smile. ¡°This shield is fantastic, Kazuma.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you like it, since it''s yours now.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°I''ll make another when I get the chance, so don''t worry about me being without.¡±


    ¡°Kazuma...¡± Darkness said, her voice soft.


    ¡°I''ll be enchanting your new armor when it''s ready, too. Believe me, if you thought you were tough with your old armor, you''re going to be practically invincible with the new set.¡±


    Darkness moaned and rubbed her thighs together, then seemed to make a decision. She straightened her back and grabbed my hand and walked with purpose back to the carriage. I didn''t fight her and she led me inside and to the room I shared with the Head Subus. She was there waiting for us and was already naked, which made meugh.


    <i>Of course she knew this would happen.</i> I thought as Darkness pushed me down onto the bed and stripped me off. She kept her own clothes on, for the most part, and had me right there in front of the Head Subus. She rode me hard and kissed the smaller woman at the same time, letting her grope her breasts.


    It was pretty hot, actually. I blew a load inside of the Crusader and Darkness moaned, then she hopped off and dragged the Head Subus on top of her and shoved her face down between her legs. The subus moaned sexily and her tail swished happily as shepped all of my deposit out of Darkness.


    The dripping wetness of the Head Subus was very, very tempting and I was instantly hard again. I wasn''t an idiot, so I didn''t try to have sex with her. I used my tongue and fingers instead and jerked off as she moaned and got off, her tongue got Darkness off, and then she turned around to suck me off and swallowed my next deposit directly.


    ¡°A-a-again.¡± Darkness moaned as she fingered herself.


    Who was I to deny such a sincere request? I could also feel the other subi as they rode along with the passion and love they could feel. They were definitely getting a much better feeding than normal with how turned on the three of us were.


    The Head Subus finished undressing Darkness to reveal her bodypletely. ¡°You look absolutely delicious, my dear.¡±


    Darkness had an almost full body blush and looked so cute. ¡°I... don''t deserve... to be looked at like that.¡±


    I blinked my eyes in surprise for a moment, then I made a pretty foolish decision. I didn''t want her to think like that, because she did deserve to have someone look at her with love and affection. I opened my mouth to say something that would eventually doom me, just because I knew this would be the start of the end. Giving in to temptation was always a risky proposition.


    ¡°Subi, we need your help.¡± I said, my voice sure.


    Squeals of happiness came from all around us and the room was crowded with 15 happy subi. They were also quite naked and they were all dripping fluid all over the ce. Their tails swished happily and their wings fluttered in anticipation.


    ¡°Dear, are you sure about this?¡± The Head Subus asked me.


    ¡°We need to show Darkness how much we love her. If she can say what she did, we haven''t made it clear that she deserves it.¡± I said, adamantly.


    The Head Subus kissed me and nodded. ¡°Everyone, we have been invited to a feast. Do you ept?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± They all yelled and pounced on us. The overlyrge bed was covered in bodies as lips, tongues, and hands were... well everywhere. It was honestly one of the oddest and most pleasurable experiences I had ever been in.


    Have you ever had 17 different mouths and tongues give you a practically endless blowjob? I lost count of how many times I blew my load down someone''s throat. I felt the Head Subus use her powers on me asionally to ensure that my erection never went away, too. I didn''t really need the help; but, I also didn''t want to disappoint them. It was a feast after all.


    Surprisingly, I wasn''t bored or was numbed to the tastes of each of the womanhoods I ate out. Each of them had a distinct vour and I made sure they knew I knew who they were as I yed with them.


    By the time the feast ended a day and a halfter, the only one that wasn''t exhausted and sated was the Head Subus. I tried to sit up and was hampered by the press of bodies. She softlyughed and eased a thigh off of my chest, 20 pairs of hands, and then she pulled someone''s head off of my morning wood.


    <i>How in the world could they sleep with my dick in their mouth and not choke to death?</i> I asked myself and sat up. I blinked my eyes when I saw the subi and Darkness weren''t the only ones in the bed. Megumin, Wiz, Cremea, and Fio were scattered on the outskirts.


    ¡°They never made it through the gauntlet to get to you before they passed out from pleasure.¡± The Head Subus said with amusement.


    I chuckled as well andid back down. It seemed like I was in for quite the time if all of them tried to brave the subi to get to me. It made me wonder if they were jealous of them or they just wanted to not be left behind because we were having so much fun.


    The Head Subus crawled on top of me andid down. I hugged her and she kissed me softly and tenderly for several minutes. I felt her wrap her tail around my erection that wasn''t going away and she started jerking me off. I moaned for her and she moaned as well, because she could feel my emotions.


    ¡°We can never... top this... feast.¡± The Head Subus whispered and kissed me.


    ¡°We... can try.¡± I whispered back between kisses.


    Her hips shifted and her tail pulled on me down there while she gained a particr look in her eyes. A predatory look. ¡°Kazuma, my dear, I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± I said.


    ¡°No, my dear. You misunderstand. I. Love. You.¡± The Head Subus said and then sat down on me.


    The most pleasurable feeling I ever felt flooded through my body and locked me up. My eyes widened as the Head Subus looked sad and tears came to her eyes. She started to move her hips and waves of pleasure started to grow and get stronger as I felt myself get weaker and weaker.


    ¡°My love must im you, my dear. My race is cursed to do so.¡± She said and more tears came from her eyes. ¡°I have tried to deny it and I have protected my girls as much as possible... but... despite my warnings, you have made the others fall in love with you, too. I cannot let them taint their souls with this burden, so I must do it for them and I gave in to my nature.¡±


    There was nothing I could do as a red glow formed around us. She sat up on me and her perfectly-sized breasts bounced and mocked me as she drained my powers. I couldn''t even enjoy it properly as her power grew and more waves of induced pleasure flooded through me. I knew it was fake, however. She severely regretted having to do this.


    ¡°I am very sorry, Kazuma. So very very sorry.¡± The Head Subus said and sped up her movements as she cried and fucked me to death. There was no love in it, no passion, and no satisfaction. I was going to blow my load; but, that was only a biological function. It would also signify the point where my soul would be devoured and I couldn''t allow that.


    I tried to fight the paralysis and nothing worked. I couldn''t conjure anything, no magic worked, and I couldn''t pull anything out of my inventory. I felt weaker and weaker as my levels were forcibly sucked away and the red glow increased more and more. I knew the crescendo was getting closer and closer, because I could feel the buildup. I didn''t have much time left.


    I desperately searched through my powers and abilities and even begged the system to help me, only for nothing to work. I was going to die and there was nothing I could do about... my mind came to a screeching halt at that thought and I realized something.


    What happens when you die?


    You get transported to the realm above to be reincarnated!


    My mind seized onto both that sliver of Divinity I had taken from Eris and poured it into my transportation ability to cross connected dimensions. The red glow changed to gold and the Head Subus screamed as we were pulled from the mortal realm and into the realm above. Since she was connected with the subi under hermand, they were dragged with us.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHH!¡± All 16 subi screamed as they entered the holy realm and their demonic nature was attacked with purifying energy.


    ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Eris screeched as the subi were literally torn apart from the inside.


    I was still paralyzed and I was also on the brink of blowing my final load. The Head Subus was screaming the most, since it was taking a long time for her to be cleansed. The youngest subi disintegrated and she screamed more, then the next and the next. Her screams increasing in pitch with each one''s death.


    Eris, being the smart one that she is, leaned over me slightly and grabbed the hair of the Head Subus and pulled her off. I couldn''t yell at her to stop and the movement as the instrument of my death was pulled out of the excessive tightness of the Head Subus. Unfortunately, it was enough to push me over the brink.


    A literal geyser of white fluidced with gold flew out of me and Eris stared at it with her mouth open, only to flinch as it sshed onto her face and some of it went into her mouth. Thest thing I saw as I lost consciousness was the glow around Eris as the body of the Head Subus disintegrated.


    *


    Eris stared in shock at the body of the summoned hero that had defeated her. She could also feel the Divine energy in the fluid on her face and the taste in her mouth was something she would remember for the rest of her life. It was heavenly and disgusting, which easily imprinted upon her mind. Yes, she was never going to forget this. Ever.


    To her surprise, his soul was sitting right there, too. It hadn''t moved on and seemed to be in a state of flux. She reached out and touched the body to find out what was going on, only to realize it was covered in fluid. She winced as she felt the massive hole where all the man''s levels had been. The Head Subus had killed him after draining him and taken most of his power. Thest of which was... oh.


    Eris blushed as she swallowed, then she did something she never thought she would ever do. She bent down and started licking it all up. It just felt like the right thing to do. So, she spent the next half an hour making sure she licked and sucked up every single drop of that goldced fluid and swallowed it all down.


    As onest concession to how heavenly the energy was, Eris took him into her mouth and bobbed her head on his surprisingly still hard manhood as she sucked out thest little bit that was still inside. She let out a sigh as she stood up and gave the summoned hero a look that was conflicted.


    ¡°Send him back.¡± A female voice said.


    Eris looked up and saw the golden portal as an angel slid out of it. ¡°He died, so he''s supposed to move on.¡±


    The angel shook her head. ¡°He would have lived if you hadn''t interfered. Hisst breath was expelled here, in this realm, and not on the mortal ne.¡±


    Eris opened her mouth to refute that and exin he was dead anyway from being drained, and the angel reached out and poked her chin. She was going to ask what that was for and her eyes widened as the angel pulled her finger back and a small drop of white fluid was on it.


    ¡°He has defeated you twice, Eris. Once as a trick to prove you aren''t the only one who can cheat, and now with you sumbing to temptation.¡±


    Eris sighed. ¡°I knew it was a mistake. I just... it felt right.¡±


    The angel smiled. ¡°You have tasted my future husband before I have.¡±


    Eris watched as the angel licked her finger and her golden glow doubled in intensity.


    ¡°Send him back.¡± The angel said and floated back up to the portal.


    ¡°What about his levels? I can''t restore his lost power because the subi have been cleansed.¡±


    The angelughed. ¡°Reset him to level 1. He still has all his skills and will be meeting a Devil General near the capitol. He will get most of his levels back after a single battle and will gain more skill points as well.¡±


    Eris nodded and watched as the angel went through the portal and it disappeared. She looked down at the hero and sighed as she ced her hand back on top of his chest. She did not caress his rippling muscles. No, she did not. Her hand slipped only a few times.


    ¡°We''re even now, Kazuma.¡± Eris whispered and bent down to look at his face. She wasn''t sure why she did what she did next, since sending him back only required her to touch him. Her lips met his and she felt a giddy feeling as her powers surrounded him. ¡°Say hello to Darkness for me.¡±


    The hero glowed gold and then disappeared with a pop.

 111 Running Out Of Time

    111 Running Out Of Time


    <b>You have died!</b>


    <i>Yeah, I kinda figured that one out by myself, thanks.</i> I thought sarcastically.


    <b>Primary Mission failed. Secondary mission iplete. Hidden missions 3 of 8pleted.


    Severe penalties will be applied and your choice of the next world will be...</b>


    <b>WARNING! Soul transference interrupted!</b>


    <b>Divine Intervention has stalled normal procedures. Reinitializing... ... ...attempt failed.</b>


    <b>Please remain calm while we investigate this problem. </b>


    <i>Sure, take your time. I''ll just float here for a while and then head over to the gift shop.</i> I thought and I was suddenly there and it was much bigger than before. I chuckled at the sudden transition and saw another bill was already on the counter waiting for me.


    It made meugh that both Death and Fate had bought a few things under my ount and they went right into my inventory, which severely hinted at what those penalties were going to be. The items were a handgun with infinite ammo, full disease immunity, and MRE ration packs for a year. Yay.


    Of course, it made me wonder if I was still going to suffer the penalties for the registered failure, even with the interruption. I did die, even if it was right there in front of a goddess. Oh! Maybe she''s the one that''s interfering? Did Eris forgive me for what I did to her?


    A little blue box appeared with the word ''giggle'' inside, which was from Fate. Then it expanded and showed a video. I stared as Eris, the goddess in control of the world,pped up every drop of my massive expulsion and then she shocked me by giving me a quick suck and happily swallowed it. A goddess just... wow. I mean, it was a little rapey for her to do that with me being technically dead and not giving consent, though.


    <b>I think she''s a bit of a necrophiliac, considering a good portion of the souls in the world she cares for are undead.</b> Fate''s little box said.


    I chuckled at that. <i>All it took was an incredibly handsome corpse and a massive load of cum for her to admit it?</i>


    The word ''giggle'' appeared again. <b>It was quite impressive. Even Death was surprised to see how much yourst hurrah contained.</b>


    Iughed. <i>Of course! I was going out with a bang. I wasn''t going to disappoint anyone.</i>


    The little box stayed empty for several seconds before more text appeared. <b>We''re sorry that we weren''t allowed to intervene. Being who we are, remaining neutral is vital to our function.</b>


    I lost my amusement as I remembered thosest few moments. My desperation and my begging had gone unanswered and that hurt more than dying did. <i>Why didn''t the System answer my pleas?</i>


    The word ''sigh'' appeared for a moment. <b>The Head Subus was locked onto your soul. If the system allowed you ess, her absorption ability would havetched onto it. If she had gained even a fraction of the power it has, shunting her to Heaven itself wouldn''t have hurt her.</b>


    That revtion made me pause. <i>Was my system that powerful? Why couldn''t it fight against her ability to protect itself?</i>


    <b>It actually was protecting itself. She would never gain ess if the system remained inactive. When you die usually, you are shunted into the system itself, adjusted by the choices you make or are forced upon you when you make a mistake, then you are sent to the next world.</b>


    <i>Not if she consumed my soul!</i> I almost shouted in my mind.


    The word ''sigh'' appeared again. <b>We do have failsafes, you know.</b>


    <i>No, I don''t know.</i> I responded, a little angrily. <i>I haven''t been told anything beyond I have a system and that''s it. There wasn''t even a tutorial.</i>


    The little box stayed empty for several seconds and then disappeared.


    I huffed at that reaction, because I had stumped Fate itself by reminding her how I had gotten into this in the first ce. My Karma points had been exactly zero and I was sent on with no preparations. It was kind of fun at first and I had to admit to myself that I had been treating it like a game. It took me a few worlds to be sure there were no consequences for myself, besides leaving behind the friends and family I became close to.


    It still hurt to do that, too. I just couldn''t refrain from interacting with people, though. Why would I hurt myself and stay lonely like that? I''d rather have a normal rtionship and not something faked. I was also gaining skills and abilities with each world and I was sure that I would eventually figure out The Protagonist System and could abuse the hell out of whatever loopholes it has.


    For now, I had an expanded gift shop to look through. I went to the weapons section and picked up the shotgun that also had infinite ammo, so it matched the handgun I had. Not only did it have more stopping power, it was better for close-quartersbat. When I noticed the maintenance manuals for them, I bought those, too. I nced through the shotgun one andughed.


    As long as I had magical power, they would never jam or needed to be reloaded. I smiled and put them into my inventory and thought about buying a baseball bat or a machete, then mentally shrugged. I had a sword already, well dozens of swords, so I wasn''t going to run out anytime soon. I could also repair them with magic by using spells or transfiguring them.


    I moved on to the clothing section and gained a few ideas for clothing choices. Transfiguration was a huge cheat for making new clothes out of whatever I wanted and I was going to abuse the hell out of it. I made note of the different enchantments on the clothing like self-cleaning and self-repair and moved on to the food section.


    I checked the snacks section andughed when I found a never-ending bag of potato chips. I bought it for 150 Karma Points, just because I knew it would surprise whomever I shared them with. The best part was it could be any vour you thought of as you reached into the bag. Now I just needed a cookie bag that did the same thing and... one just appeared on the shelf and Iughed.


    <i>Thank you, store owner!</i> I thought happily as I bought it. I regretted not thinking about this before going to High School DxD, because Koneko would have been all over me right from the start if I had an endless bag of cookies of every vour.


    Thest thing I bought in that section was a container of endless liquid for 500 Karma Points. The base was always water if you didn''t add any magic. Depending on the magic you did add, it could be anything from orange juice to milk to alcohol. I was definitely going to have a lot of uses for it.


    I moved on to the merchandise section and snorted at the huge variety it had now. It had things from every choice I had been given so far and Iughed andughed as I browsed through everything from Goku''s weighted under-clothing from Dragonball Z to the Star Trek and X-Men action figures.


    I bought the weighted clothing, because why wouldn''t I? I also bought the Terminator''s cool sunsses. The temptation to grab Full Metal Alchemist''s transmutation gloves was pretty high, too. The 1,000 point cost was a bit outrageous, even if I could swap out the effects with a touch of magic. I sighed and remembered that I could do the same things with normal magic already and moved on.


    I skipped buying Geordi Laforge''s visor and the one Cyclops wore, too. They simted the real effects and that wasn''t as appealing as you''d think. Who wants to only see in the electromaic spectrum or have everything look red through ruby-quarts lenses? Not me, thank you.


    As I reached for Riddick''s trademarked goggles to see if they worked, I realized I was in a much better mood and that I shouldn''t hold anything against either Fate or Death. It wasn''t their job to micromanage my life and I knew I was there for someone''s entertainment. It wasn''t their fault I had let my guard down around someone I knew was dangerous.


    Before my hand could grip the goggles, I was suddenly pulled out of the gift shop and was floating in the space I first appeared in.


    <b>Thank you for waiting. The problems have been mostly resolved. The Protagonist System has been stalled and will need to be worked on while you are returned to your current world. The management would like to apologize for any inconvenience this caused.</b>


    <b>Warning: Personal Level reduced to 1 by Divine Interference.


    Damage to System resulted in your previously bought upgrade ''All Basic Skills Maxed Out'' has been lost. All current skills and abilities have been reduced to their lowest levels.


    Upgrade package is no longer avable (data corrupted).


    Karma Point spending has been suspended until next world.


    In-world options have been suspended until next world.</b>


    <i>Geez, what else are you going to do to screw me over?</i> I asked with a sigh.


    <b>Next world choice has been suspended.</b>


    <i>Fuck.</i> I thought and resigned myself to being shunted off into a post-apocalyptic world. <i>All right, send me back. I have work to do.</i>


    <b>Current world mission must bepleted within: One Month.


    Failure will result in severe penalties being applied.</b>


    I could practically feel myself being reamed in the butthole as I read that, as if what I was already being given weren''t enough penalties. My ns for a leisurely trip to the capitol have just been thrown out the window and into a woodchipper.


    Without warning, I was suddenly back on therge bed inside the carriage and wide awake. A sudden painnced through both my head and my chest as I felt an ungodly amount of information being sucked out of my head. Thankfully, the pain in my chest was just an echo of my power being ripped out of my chest that the Head Subus had stolen.


    I closed my eyes and felt incredibly weak. I hadn''t been like this before, not even when I had started this whole adventure, and I was fully aware that I could be very easily killed if I didn''t take precautions. I tried to cast a cleaning spell and my magic kind of sputtered and nothing happened. I received a popup warning that I had insufficient magic to perform that spell and I sighed.


    With that severe blow to my pride, I carefully sat up and groaned at the full body ache I had. I crawled over to the end of the bed and managed to not wake anyone as I slid off of it and onto the floor. On hands and knees, I made it to the bathroom and pulled myself up to look in the mirror. My surprised face was reflected back to me and I was amazed I didn''t look like I felt.


    I stumbled to the shower and took my time as I washed myself. It took a while. I dried myself off and sat on the side of the tub and went over in my head what I had avable to boost myself. Being weaker than a normal human was not going to allow me to survive long enough toplete my mission.


    ¡°Can I see my conditions?¡± I asked and a popup appeared.


    <b>Magical Exhaustion


    Physical Exhaustion


    Skill Depletion Sickness


    Level Reduction Sickness


    Mental Extraction Sickness</b>


    I sighed. ¡°What''s that sickness thing?¡±


    <b>Your skills and knowledge were forcibly removed.


    Your body is suffering from excessive trauma.</b>


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± I said and didn''t bother asking how long it was going tost for. I also knew I wasn''t going to be doing anything magical for a while and couldn''t give myself temporary boosts as I recovered. That meant I could only do one thing.


    I pulled out my under-armor from my inventory and slipped it on. Just doing that hurt my head and it throbbed. Using my inventory counted as magic apparently, so I was really d I didn''t try to put on my entire armor set in one shot. It might have killed me.


    Over the next half an hour, I took out each individual piece of enchanted armor and put them on. I hadn''t done it this way in a very long time and it was both nostalgic and frustrating, because I was only going to receive the benefits of the enchantments after Ipleted putting the whole suit on.


    It was the first time I regretted giving it the multi-enchantment, because my head was pounding like a drum and I was copsed on the floor by the time I finally managed to take my helm out of inventory, the final piece. I almost lost my grip on it and groaned as I gripped it with my remaining strength. I didn''t realize how heavy my armor was until now.


    With a turn of my head and a deft pull that almost knocked me out, the helm slid onto my head and the enchantments kicked in.


    ¡°UGGGGHHHHHHH.¡± I loudly groaned and felt myself almost inte. It didn''t do anything to the metaphorical holes I could feel in my mind and my chest; but, it did allow me to ignore them for now and filled my body with strength. It was artificial and I didn''t care.


    I stayed there on the floor and revelled in not feeling like crap as the armor''s enchantments went to work on me. Regeneration, healing, buffs galore... it was like slipping into a warm bath after a heavy workout when you pushed yourself too hard.


    I didn''t move for another ten minutes, since I knew none of the girls in my party were going to wake up until tomorrow. That was when I remembered I had been in bed with the subi for a day and a half, which was much longer than the caravan was supposed to travel and stay at the next rest stop. Since we were still at the crossroads, that put my carriage almost two days behind the caravan.


    That also reminded me that I had a severe problem. All my skills and abilities dropped to level 1. Everything I had learned and experienced had been taken and I was starting from the ground up. I was going to suck at driving the carriage until I levelled up the skill and I had no other higher abilities to depend on topensate or to forcefully level other things up like I was used to.


    I sighed and sat up like I wasn''t exhausted or sick, then I stood and left the bathroom. I went to the girls and checked each of them and made sure they hadn''t been drained as well. I couldn''t cast the inspection spells and had to rely on good old-fashioned fingers to the neck to check their pulses. They were breathing and alive, so I left the bedroom and went to the kitchen to cook something.


    I chuckled at being stupid and sat down on a chair and pulled out the endless bag potato chips, endless pack of cookies, and endless container of liquid. I had just enough magic to make root beer soda pop and had a great snack that gave me a lot of energy.


    When I was done eating, I brought out enough bowls for the girls and filled them with chips, added tes and filled them with chocte chip cookies, and poured tall sses of root beer for them. With their future snacks set, I went outside and saw that the carriage had been left off to the side of the main road and the horses had been left to fend for themselves.


    For the next few hours, I tended to the horses and started levelling up the skills I needed for both that and handling them. It added a level to my driving them when I was done and that made me rx. Associated skills still worked and I went inside to talk to my party. I had a few things to exin, including what happened to the subi, and I would wake them up if I had to.


    It was not going to be a good conversation for anyone, especially for Darkness. I somehow knew she was going to me herself for it and I would have to convince her that it was all my fault instead. She wasn''t going to believe me, though. I gritted my teeth and promised myself that I had to try anyway.


    It really was my fault that it happened and I decided to lie to her and tell her I was sent back to apologize to her. It wasn''t that big of a lie, after all.

 112 Dancing Through The Tulips

    112 Dancing Through The Tulips


    I chickened out. Yeah, yeah, I know. I''m a horrible person for hiding the truth. I just couldn''t do it. One look into the sad eyes of Darkness after she saw that all the subi were gone,pletely derailed my entire n. I still lied my ass off, except it was to tell her that the Head Subus, her daughters, and her contracted servants, had been brought in front of the Goddess Eris and given their just rewards.


    It made her happy to hear that and she sent a quick prayer to her goddess for it. I regretted that I had to leave out the reason it happened, namely the Head Subus trying to kill me, just because I didn''t want to taint their memories. That I hadn''t intended for them to die was beside the point and they had all paid for the rash decision of the Head Subus. Well, I paid for it, too.


    I did not exin about receiving a message to hurry up with my mission, mostly because them knowing about the rush wasn''t going to matter. It had to be done and I had to work my ass off to try and build my skills back up. With luck, I could find something easy soon to get a bunch of levels and skill points.


    After a short rest, I went outside and spent the next two hours making a teleportation circle. It was a pain in the ass, mostly because I had been so used to making the entire thing and not piece by piece like I had when I first started making them. Luckily, the thing activated without trouble and I only felt a little drained when it was finished and connected to the others.


    <i>Thank you, armor boosts.</i> I thought and told my party that it was time we moved out. Thanks to Wiz, she activated the enchantments on the horses and they popped up in my system as registered mounts. I didn''t bother asking why that hadn''t happened before and drove the carriage towards the next rest stop.


    The speed was head and shoulders above what it had been and that was when I realized why. I hadn''t used the horses for more than trotting and had stayed with the caravan, while now I was using them as actual mounts and at their full potential. I kept a smile on my face the entire time we travelled and we reached the rest stop just before dusk and night had fallen.


    I set up a temporary ward line, since I didn''t have the power to make a full or permanent one, and we stayed inside the carriage. When I went to have a shower and stripped off my armor, exhaustion settled in again and I felt weak and pathetic. My sigh was pretty loud and Wiz entered and saw me leaning against the tub.


    Surprisingly, Wiz didn''t ask me what happened and came over to me, gave me a tender kiss on the lips, and she set up the tub for me. I soon found myself bundled up and cuddled in her arms and she whispered sweet nothings in my ear and caressed and petted me like I was a child.


    I was way too tired to protest the treatment and let her do whatever she wanted. I ended up enjoying it, as did she, if the blush and happy smile on her face was any indication. She was almost bubbly as she dried the both of us off and then she pretty much carried me into my bedroom. The bed was huge and I wasn''t surprised to see Darkness, Megumin, Cremea, and Fio were there waiting for us.


    None of them questioned why Wiz was manhandling me and I was ced in the middle of the bed and had all five of them cuddling me. Again, I was too tired toment about it and embraced them as much as I could with my noodle-like weak arms. I also ignored Megumin''s soft giggling when my hands kind of just flopped over her when I tried to hug her.


    The warmth they generated was almost heavenly and I drifted off to sleep as I felt several soft kisses on my face, lips, and chest.


    *


    Goddess Eris sat on her throne and was thoroughly bored. She wasn''t sure why she felt that way, however. She had never before imagined she would believe sitting on her throne and watching over her assigned world would be boring. How had it happened? It didn''t make sense. She loved her job and had been doing it for thousands of years, she loved her people, and they worshipped her in return.


    With a wave of her hand and her talisman''s slight glow, a viewing spell was cast and Eris looked through it at her temple in Axel, the starter city for all adventurers. She smiled at them putting the donated money to good use and... her mind stuttered at remembering how she had gained that money.


    The viewing window changed without her consent, or so her conscious mind believed. Her unconscious mind wanted to see what it now showed and Eris blushed at the sight of Kazuma in bed with five women. A mix of a smile and a frown was on her face as she saw her friend Darkness was there and was being held so lovingly.


    <i>What is this feeling?</i> Eris asked herself as her heart seemed to pound in her chest. The view zoomed in to look at her friend''s face for a moment and then shifted again. She stared at the face of the man she had sent back to the world to resume being a hero and that feeling surged again and she blushed as she examined both her feelings and his face. They were both strong and made her heart flutter.


    Her thoughts about him not being allowed to exist without her intervention, gave Eris a reason to do what she did next. Her talisman glowed brightly and she closed her eyes as her mortal avatar came into being inside the main temple in the capitol. She opened her eyes and she was Chris once more.


    Chris reached up and secured her scarf over her talisman and cast several obscure protection spells to hide it from all detection, especially Kazuma''s. With that done, she left the small room that only she could enter and left the temple at a fast run. She went to the attached stable and stole a horse.


    The thief didn''t feel guilty about it because she was going to return it, eventually anyway, and rode out of the capitol at the horse''s best speed. She had a few things to discuss with her friend Darkness about who she spends her time with.


    *


    I woke up and wallowed in the soft warmth that engulfed me. I gave out liberal kisses and several pleasant hums responded. I still felt weak, so that meant I really had to level up to remove that feeling. Just resting and rxing wasn''t going to let me recover by any significant amount.


    ¡°Good morning, Kazuma.¡± Wiz whispered after our lips met for the second time and she woke up.


    ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± I responded and she blushed.


    ¡°Kazuma...¡± Wiz started to say.


    ¡°You can''t deny it.¡± I said and motioned to the roof of my room where the Head Subus had insisted I install a mirror. ¡°Look at that and tell me you don''t look beautiful.¡±


    Wiz''s blush didn''t lessen as she turned her head to look up and she let out a squeak sound.


    ¡°You see? You can''t deny it.¡± I said and kissed her cheek.


    ¡°You... you''re terrible.¡± Wiz whispered and her face had a bashful look on it.


    ¡°I am, especially since I''m currently too weak to avail myself of your bountiful body.¡± I said.


    Wiz looked away from her reflection and looked back at my face. ¡°Kazuma, after you exined what happened to the subi, you didn''t really tell us what happened to you.¡±


    I opened my mouth to lie again, only I couldn''t do it. Notpletely, anyway. ¡°Unlike what I said before about using up all my energy, it actually cost me all my levels and skill levels to send the subi to their final judgment.¡±


    Wiz''s eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed several times before she let out a very sad sound and pulled me close to her and gave me several kisses. She deepened them and continued to let her passion rule her as her hands caressed me all over.


    I tried to reciprocate and she stopped me with a re, which was honestly cute to see. I didn''t tell her that, though. I wasn''t that big of an idiot. Instead, I puckered my lips to let her keep kissing me. She immediately lost the re and let out a littleugh and did so. I soon became hard and Wiz moved down and took me into her mouth.


    She had never done anything like that before and had only seen the subi do it, at least I assumed so, because she copied a few of their techniques. In my current state, I couldn''t resist her ministrations at all and I warned her she was too good tost long.


    Wiz made an odd sound and I could have sworn I saw small hearts appear in her eyes briefly. She doubled her efforts and I shivered as I had my first orgasm after dying. Did I count as a virgin again after dying and being sent back? Was this my old body or a new one? Eh, it didn''t matter. It was Wiz''s first time and she was doing it spectacrly.


    ¡°Stay hard, please.¡± Wiz mumbled as she sat up and climbed on top of me.


    ¡°There''s no worry about that, beautiful.¡± I said, my erection not waning in the least. Just that little bit had given my sex skill several levels and I was d I could use my Adventurer card while it was in my inventory. Can you guess where those points were concentrated?


    I assigned the avable points to let mest longer and Wiz looked happy, then she sat down on me and moaned. Herrge breasts swayed as she sat there and let her body adjust to the intrusion, then she started to move and rock her hips. She braced her hands on my chest and the look of love on her face made my heart flutter.


    ¡°So... beautiful.¡± I whispered.


    Wiz blushed andid down on me to softly kiss me as her hips kept moving. It was only enough to piston me in and out of her a few inches at a time and that was all she needed. Her moans were a huge turn on and her kisses let her show me how much she liked that I was letting her be inplete control.


    Not surprisingly, it took the both of us a fairly long time before we got off. Also not surprisingly, it was a very strong orgasm that we both had at the same time. Before I could wonder how she had timed it that perfectly, I lost the thought as my load poured out of me and filled her up. It wasn''t anywhere near what my ''final load'' had been; but, it was still a huge amount because we had been riding the edge for quite a while.


    Wiz kept kissing me softly as she rested and enjoyed the small aftershocks. She opened her eyes briefly to stare into mine, gave me a very wicked smile, and then she closed her eyes and continued kissing me. Her hips started to move again and we went at it again, still almost agonizingly slow, and neither of us minded in the least.


    After my second load filled her, Wiz slid up and off of me, then sheid down beside me and cuddled into my side. ¡°Is this... what they mean... about bodies beingpatible?¡±


    ¡°Most definitely.¡± I responded.


    Wiz beamed a smile at me, gave me another quick kiss, and fell right to sleep.


    I held in my chuckle at her exhausting herself after doing all the work and closed my own eyes. We had an hour or so left before we would all normally get up and I figured we didn''t have to leave right away anyway. I had a month to handle things and I was sure that would be plenty of time... after I gained some levels.


    Until I did, I was kind of stuck with the way I was. I needed to find something that wasn''t too challenging to start me off and I hoped for the best.


    *


    ¡°Look, I''m telling you, this is easy money.¡± Dust said as he and his party slunk through the woods along the road towards the next rest stop. He was a former Dragon Knight that used to be stationed in the capitol and now lived in Axel to enjoy the easy life of booze and petty crimes. In fact, he spent more time on the cot in the local jail than he did in his own bed.


    ¡°You always say that.¡± Linn said with a sigh. The arm of her favorite green coat hooked yet another stray branch and she growled at it as she gripped it and broke it off. The slight damage to her coat was just one more thing she hated about this mission. Thankfully, her long brown hair and her tanuki tail had survived the journey rtively unscathed and she would only need to wash them thoroughly once.


    ¡°It''s a new mission and it already has a failure marker.¡± Taylor said and swung his sword to cut away another branch to help Linn avoid it.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Linn said with a smile. Her short stature made it a bit easier to look after her.


    Taylor nodded back and they kept moving through the woods towards the clearing.


    ¡°I think I heard something about that failure.¡± Keith said, his bow at the ready. They hadn''t met anyrge animals or bandits along the way and it was a little unnerving. <i>How had the ce been cleared out? It was always supposed to be dangerous around here while on a trip to the capitol.</i>


    ¡°What about it?¡± Dust asked and slipped between two trees and came to a stop at the edge of the clearing where the rest stop was.


    ¡°I''m sure it was Ruffian that said the guy was all armored up and then his head was suddenly on the ground. There was no sign it was going to happen or anything.¡± Keith told them. ¡°People blinked and the fight was over.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I doubt that. Just drawing a weapon would make some kind of noise.¡± Trevor responded and showed it by sheathing his sword and then quick-drawing it.


    ¡°SHH! Quiet!¡± Linn said with a wave of her hand and bent down to squat beside her friend and party leader as she looked out over the cleared area. ¡°What does it look like, Dust?¡±


    Dust gave her a cocky smile. ¡°We found the fancy carriage our target owns and it''s all by itself.¡±


    The two men slipped beside them on either side and knelt.


    ¡°The caravan left them behind?¡± Linn asked, surprised. ¡°I wonder why?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. Whatever happened has just made our job that much easier.¡± Dust said and used a finger to sketch out in the dirt what he wanted them to do. ¡°I''ll make some noise to draw their attention. We know from their registration at the guild hall that they have that useless crusader that can''t attack, a magic user that only has one spell and she can''t use it in close quarters, and the two useless members of that idiot''s party where he did all the work and used them as a cheering section.¡±


    Linn, Trevor, and Kevin didn''t bother refuting his description, mostly because they knew it was true. Both Darkness and Megumin had tried to join their party at different times and had utterly failed during the simplest of missions. Darkness couldn''t hit anything at all with her ornamental sword and Megumin had no practical magic at all.


    ¡°They''re both pretty hot, though.¡± Dust added and Linn smacked him for it. ¡°Ow! It''s the truth! Their loincloths barely cover anything! Your short-shorts cover more than that!¡±


    Linn sighed loudly and smacked him again to cover up her blush, because she just realized Dust had to have checked her out a lot to realize the difference. He always made fun of her smaller chest and she hated that he always teased her over it; and yet, she also liked that he kept stealing nces at her chest at the same time.


    ¡°So, we''re doing the ssic ambush?¡± Trevor said and looked over the n Dust had showed them.


    ¡°As soon as they leave the carriage, we can deal with them and then collect the massive bounty.¡± Dust said, eagerly.


    ¡°Isn''t it only for this Kazuma fellow?¡± Keith asked as he readied his bow. ¡°Why are we attacking the others?¡±


    ¡°Because we have to go through them to get to him.¡± Dust said. ¡°My source at the guild hall said he always has his party members im the credit forpleting their missions before he turns in the smaller ones he did himself. It''s the best strategy for someone like him without a proper prestige ss. Put the more experienced fighters down first and then he will have to face us and we can take him down.¡±


    Linn couldn''t find any fault in the n and nodded. ¡°All right, I''ll set up over here on the right. I''ll get my main spells prepped and we can go in ten minutes.¡±


    Dust, Trevor, and Keith patted her shoulders and back before she sneaked off through the woods to get to the best ce for her spells to work and for their optimum range to reach the carriage.


    ¡°What about the horses?¡± Keith asked. ¡°They''re still attached.¡±


    ¡°Coteral damage.¡± Dust said and drew his sword. ¡°I know we''re giving up free money; but, I''ll take them out first and it stops the carriage from moving and their party from running off.¡±


    Trevor nodded and moved off to his assigned spot on the other side of the clearing. Keith looked at the n and motioned towards one of the taller trees, which Dust gave an authoritative nod to. The archer moved off and did his best to climb to a good perching spot to have the best coverage of the whole area. He took out several arrows and set them in easy reach as he stabbed them into the bark of the tree.


    Dust smiled as his party followed his instructions without argument and he let that smug feeling that they looked to him as the leader fill him with confidence. He didn''t feel bad that he was about to TPK another party, because it happened asionally. An adventurer pissed off someone important and didn''t deal with it, so they get a bounty on their head.


    A hundred thousand Eris was a huge payday and no one in their right minds would pass up such an easy task. Also, someone else had scabbed the Fortress sighting task that he had nned to do during the long winter months, mostly because it was easy to find a giant autonomous walking spider thing when there was snow on the ground.


    Dust readied his sword as he crawled into the clearing and stayed as low as he could as he approached the carriage. His magic sense skill went off when he crossed an alert barrier and he cursed his stupid luck for failing him right when he didn''t need it to. He abandoned stealth and rushed towards the two waiting horses that were going to be his distraction.


    He didn''t realize how big of a mistake that was until he was right in front of the closest horse and his sword was swinging for its neck for a quick kill. The horse itself was about half a foot taller than a normal horse and had well ced armor tes over key areas that couldn''t be seen from far away. His sword bounced off of the thing''s neck and then a heavily armored hoof mmed into his chest.


    ¡°GAH!¡± Dust eximed as he was thrown backwards and his charge waspletely countered. His chest armor also had a distinctive horseshoe shape embedded into its reinforced surface. He wasn''t sure how the thing had kicked him so hard with a front hoof, then his eyes widened as both horses lunged for him and easily pulled the carriage behind them.


    ¡°DUST!¡± Linn yelled and she let off her first spell, an overcharged Fireball, and abandoned her prepared position to get closer.


    To everyone''s shock, therge fireball hit the left horse in the side of the head and it bounced off.


    ¡°NNEEEIIIGGGHHHH!¡± The other horse yelled, clearly angered beyond belief, then he proceeded to trample Dust as far into the ground as possible.


    ¡°NOOO!¡± Linn yelled and ran over, forgetting she still had spells to use at range.


    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Trevor cursed and also abandoned the strategy to try and save his party''s leader and his friend''s crush. That she was his crush and was also in danger had nothing to do with it.


    Several arrows hit the ground around the horses and Kevin cursed. Whatever enchantments were on the horses, they deflected direct attacks. He couldn''t shout loud enough to tell his friends, either. He scrambled down from his perch and thought about what he could do to cause area damage, except he couldn''t with his party members right there beside the horses as they tried to get to Dust.


    *


    ¡°Are we going to sit here and watch the horses beat down an experienced adventuring party?¡± Wiz asked, genuinely curious. She didn''t mind if they did, since the idiots had attacked the innocent horses instead of trying to open the carriage door to get to them. Plus, the couch was reallyfortable.


    ¡°It''s a great show.¡± Kazuma said and handed her a surprisingly delicious bowl of ''popped corn'', whatever that was. ¡°I''m d I spent the extra time taking care of the horses and adding as much defensive and protection magic as I could.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Darkness said and ate some of the popcorn. ¡°Will you be adding those to my new armor?¡±


    Kazuma gave her a searching look that made her blush, then he smiled. ¡°Maybe. You''ll have to go into battle and wonder if my magic will protect you or will leave youpletely defenseless instead.¡±


    Darkness shivered and enjoyed the implied danger, then she leaned in and kissed him. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Kazuma put an arm over her shoulder and they all watched out the front window as Dust and his party were easily overwhelmed by a pair of horses defending themselves. The enchantments on the carriage stopped them from feeling the sudden jerks and pulls the horses had to do to keep attacking.


    ¡°I''ll grab the healing potions when the fight''s over and the male horse is satisfied the threat to his mate is dealt with.¡± Wiz said and snuggled into Kazuma''s other side. She didn''t mind his much weaker state, because he had be a very cuddly person and she loved that he didn''t try to stop her taking full advantage of that.

 113 Capitol Punishment Part One

    113 Capitol Punishment Part One


    We severely underestimated how vicious horses could be when the clearly one-sided battle was over. The four adventurers were more pulp than people when we checked on them. Only one of them wore an actual armor piece, that was now heavily damaged, while the others settled for leather pelts and thick cloth for the most part.


    The cute mage on the other hand wore a thin jacket over short shorts and it was flipping winter! The tanuki tail she had was a bit odd, too. She didn''t have the matching ears and that stood out to me. Had she cast a transformation spell and it went wrong somehow? Why didn''t she cancel it? Maybe it was contaminated polyjuice potion or something?


    In any case, Wiz acted like a mother hen with new eggs as she took control and treated the poor souls while I cleaned up the horses and thanked them for defending us. The female looked pleased and the male huffed and looked proud. I mentally checked my Adventurer''s Card from the Guild and both mounts had gained a bunch of skill levels for defeating a group of enemies.


    The best part of that was some of my own skills had also risen up. My level wouldn''t change until I went to a guild hall to update the card, however. That just meant I could abuse the heck out of being level one and letting the XP gains blow through the roof until I do update the card, just like I had when I wiped out so many of those giant frogs.


    ¡°I recognize these guys!¡± Megumin eximed and pointed to the white-haired male when his face healed enough. ¡°That''s Dust and his party!¡±


    Darkness looked as well and nodded. ¡°I know him, too. He''s a shameless womanizer.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why they attacked the horses?¡± Cremea asked as she used her sword to move their fighter''s sword away from his limp hand.


    ¡°It was a distraction.¡± I said when I realized what had happened and knelt beside the leader and rummaged through his pockets. ¡°They weren''t after the horses or the carriage, though.¡±


    The five women gasped when I pulled out the Quest Notice for my bounty and showed them.


    ¡°At least now we know the idiot that took it.¡± Megumin said and used the end of her staff to whack Dust on the forehead. He didn''t feel it, being unconscious and all, so she gained no satisfaction from the gesture.


    ¡°What do we do with them?¡± Fio asked. ¡°We can''t just leave them here.¡±


    ¡°We could if we wanted to feed the local animals and possibly make them sick.¡± I joked and the girlsughed. ¡°You''re right, though. We can''t leave them.¡± I said as I put the Quest Notice into my inventory and took out some rope to tie up the prisoners. ¡°I''m open to suggestions.¡±


    The debate began and there were some good arguments for turning them over to the authorities for banditry. epting a hit on a fellow adventurer was pretty low, even if the payout was fairly high. Still, it was an official quest and hadn''t been cancelled yet, even though the man that issued it was dead.


    ¡°We''re much closer to the capitol than we are to Axel, so we might as well bring them there.¡± Darkness said and the others nodded. ¡°There''s plenty of room in the carriage and we can keep them safely secured and won''t have to worry about them escaping or attacking us.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± I said and picked up the cute mage. ¡°Wiz, want to give me a hand checking this one out? I''m curious about the tail and no other markings or indications she''s part animal.¡±


    Wiz walked over to me and gave the young woman a quick once-over. ¡°You''re worried it was an ident and she''s either suffering or stuck like that?¡±


    I smiled warmly at her. ¡°That''s exactly right, my dear Wiz. Will you help me?¡±


    Wiz blushed at the praise. ¡°O-of course I''ll help you.¡±


    Darkness and Cremea were the strongest and gathered up the three males and dragged them over to the carriage. We all helped them carry the men inside and we put them into one of the unupied rooms that was the farthest away from themon area. When it was locked, Wiz and I took the mage into her room and didn''t shut the door.


    What we were doing didn''t require privacy and only a nice bed toy the patient down on. The other girls gathered in the doorway to watch as Wiz and I performed a physical examination and Wiz cast several spells. I was only level one and I couldn''t really contribute magically to help, so I let her handle that part. I could still see and feel the results, however.


    ¡°What''s the final diagnosis?¡± I asked, just so the other girls would know as well.


    ¡°It''s merged into her spine like a hybrid. Her nervous system is fully integrated into it and she''s adapted to using it for bnce and the surrounding muscles have changed to support it properly. She must have had it for a while to have it be such a huge part of her.¡± Wiz said, sadly.


    ¡°You can''t help her?¡± Fio asked, sadly.


    ¡°Removing it from her wouldn''t help her at this point.¡± I said and pet the tail lightly and it twitched and the end flicked automatically. ¡°It would be like cutting off one of her feet. She would have a hard time walking and would be considered hobbled.¡±


    The girls gasped and their sad expressions made me feel guilty that it couldn''t be reversed.


    ¡°It''s not that bad, really. She seems to have adapted to the mutation and it shouldn''t impact her life too much.¡± I reassured them and they rxed. ¡°It might help if we talk to her after she wakes up.¡±


    Wiz looked ufortable and gave the others a searching look.


    Darkness picked up on it right away. ¡°Where do we put her? She can''t stay with the men and she might be afraid if she wakes up and they aren''t nearby.¡±


    I had to think about that. ¡°Well, she''s a mage, so if she needs time to prepare her spells, we''ll have anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes before she can attack us magically. If we tie her up in the room next to the men and cut a window in the wall between the rooms...¡±


    Wiz smiled and nodded, as did the others. So, that''s what we did. Unlike the men, we put the mage on the bed and didn''t just leave her on the floor. We also left her on her side so she wouldn''t hurt her tail.


    ¡°With the excitement over, we need to get going.¡± I said and there was suddenly a line of girls waiting by the carriage door to give me a kiss. I held in my chuckle at the near instant reaction and kissed Darkness passionately, then I kissed Megumin tenderly, kissed Cremea hard, kissed Fio feather light, and kissed Wiz as I suddenly dipped her and made her squeal in both surprise and delight.


    The girls giggled andughed at her reaction and Wiz was blushing hard as I stepped outside and checked the alert wards. Nothing else hade near and I dismantled them and checked the horses were still attached and their bindings to the carriage were still intact and in no danger ofing loose.


    I mounted the driver''s seat and gently pped the reins against the horses butts to get them going. Surprisingly, the male horse huffed and looked a little annoyed while the female horse made a soft neigh sound and looked... ahem... a little happier.


    Yeah, I wasn''t going to think about that too much. Or at all. Nope, nope, nope.


    I drove the horses onto the main road and they opened up to their best speed on their own without my prompting. Now both horses looked happy and their breathing was even and notboured, which was definitely a huge improvement over thest time they had pulled the carriage.


    The fight must have given them a few more benefits than my card could show. Maybe I needed another one for mounts or familiars? Did they even have something like that or would I have to be satisfied with the mention on my adventure card and no real details? Eh, it didn''t really matter for now. It was time to grind the skills I could while the horses pretty much drove themselves.


    *


    Dust woke up with a huge headache and he groaned as he opened his eyes. He couldn''t remember when he fell asleep and he tried to stretch and see what jail cell he was in this time. The problem was, his hands were secured behind his back and his ankles were tied together. That had never happened before when he was arrested and it confused him... until he remembered thest thing he had done.


    His eyes darted around to see where he was and was surprised to see a very nice room and his two male teammates tied up like him on their sides. He did not see Linn anywhere, not even on the bed. He shimmied like a worm over to Kevin and nudged his shoulder with his forehead. Nothing happened and he tried to move around him to nudge Trevor.


    Dust was mostly sessful and would never tell Kevin his face had been anywhere near his crotch, not even as a joke, despite it being kinda funny. He nudged Trevor a couple of times and quickly retreated to not let anyone see thepromising position he had been in.


    ¡°Ughhhh.¡± Trevor groaned and blinked his eyes. ¡°What... where...¡±


    ¡°We''re caught.¡± Dust told him.


    Trevor immediately stiffened and then groaned again, because his arms were behind his back and slightly strained. His eyes darted around and he frowned. ¡°Where''s Linn?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Dust admitted. ¡°I just woke up myself.¡±


    ¡°If they''ve hurt her... or worse... I''ll make them pay.¡± Trevor said, his voice deadly.


    ¡°Get in line, buddy.¡± Dust said, his own voice angry.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Linn''s voice said from nearby and she was d they couldn''t see her blush. She hadn''t realized they cared that much.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Dust asked.


    ¡°I''m on the bed in the next room.¡± Linn said. ¡°I don''t know how I got here, though.¡±


    ¡°None of us do.¡± Trevor said. ¡°How long were we knocked out?¡±


    ¡°How in Eris'' name would we know that?¡± Dust asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Don''t use the goddess'' name in vain, you scoundrel.¡± A harsh female voice said from the other side of the closed door. ¡°It''s been about 6 hours.¡±


    Dust silently cursed when he heard that voice. He knew it well because he had abused her nature a few times and left her behind on quests without splitting the rewards with her afterwards. It wasn''t his fault she kept falling for the same tricks he pulled on her to get her cooperation. She was pretty much useless except as a meat shield anyway. Why wouldn''t he abuse the heck out of that?


    ¡°What are you going to do to us, Darkness?¡± Linn asked, getting to the heart of the matter.


    ¡°We were tempted to leave you tied up at the rest stop.¡± Darkness said and the three conscious people shivered in fear, because being left tied up anywhere was dangerous. Being left on the side of the road in clear view? That was just begging to be captured and sold as ves or used as fodder in some criminal''s gang.


    ¡°We thank and praise Eris you didn''t.¡± Linn prayed.


    ¡°That''s much more respectful.¡± Darkness said. ¡°We''re a few hours away from the capitol, so you''ll be handed over to the authorities there.¡±


    Dust cursed a lot more in his head after hearing that. He opened his mouth to protest and the words died in his throat. What was he going to say? That he was a previous guard and plead for his life? He hadn''t left on the best of terms... and he may have helped himself to some of the payroll of the garrison before he left. Okay, he took all of it. Why wouldn''t he? He was leaving anyway.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Trevor asked. ¡°The rest stop was a day and a half away from the city.¡±


    ¡°The horses are Kazuma''s registered mounts. The more they perform well, the better they get.¡± Darkness said, proudly.


    Dust let out a sigh at hearing that. If he had known... he still would have attacked. He just would have taken it into ount first and changed his strategy a little.


    ¡°You can''t hand us over to the guards. They''ll hang us for being bandits.¡± Linn said, saving Dust from having to try ande up with a different exnation as to why they shouldn''t be handed over.


    ¡°How is that my problem? You attacked a carriage carrying the Lord of Axel''s daughter and her unarmed and unarmored adventurer party that were asleep at the time.¡± Darkness said and they felt pits form in their stomachs. ¡°What were you going to do to us, hmm? Tickle us and give us treats? We found the quest notice in your pocket, Dust.¡±


    The pits in their stomachs grew and they realized they were in real trouble this time. This wasn''t a prank or a trick gone wrong that there would be almost no consequences for. They had attacked a noble''s carriage intending to kill the inhabitants to collect the bounty on a fellow adventurer.


    ¡°I think that''s enough, Darkness.¡± A strong male voice said and there was a loud smack.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Darkness moaned and there was a soft thump against the door. ¡°K-Kazuma...¡±


    ¡°Did you like making them feel despair?¡± Kazuma asked and there was another smack and a soft moan. ¡°Getting revenge for how they treated you?¡± Another smack and a louder moan. ¡°Did it make you wet to hold their lives in your hands?¡±


    There was a tearing sound and then a wet squelching sound.


    ¡°OHHHH, Goddess!¡± Darkness shouted. ¡°It did! IT DID!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kazuma said and then the door was softly pounded on.


    Kevin eventually woke to the thumping noise and asked what was going on. He was hushed quiet by the others and they allid there and listened as whatever was going on at the door continued on for quite some time.


    *


    Outside the door, the group of girls held a hand over their mouths to muffle theirughs as Megumin kept tapping the end of her staff on the door and Darkness fake moaned asionally. Kazuma had quickly left after their prank and resumed driving the carriage to the capitol. It was the best way for them to keep Dust and his party from trying to escape.


    ¡°How long are you two going to keep doing that?¡± Cremea asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Until my arm gets tired, so about an hour.¡± Megumin whispered back, her smile tinged with evil.


    They all giggled and Darkness felt satisfaction that she could get some measure of revenge on one of her tormentors. It had been really nice of Kazuma to let her handle things and she would make sure he could spank her for real with the paddleter. He deserved to benefit from the prank as much as she did.

 114 Capitol Punishment Part Two

    114 Capitol Punishment Part Two


    Chris the thief cursed her timing, which was the first time she had ever done so, because she met the carriage carrying her target and they had already defeated Dust and his party. She had nned to swoop in at thest moment to ''save'' them and ingratiate herself with Kazuma to make up for what happened thest time they met... as Chris, she meant. What she did as Eris would stay a secret.


    She followed the very fast carriage back to the capitol and may have enhanced her borrowed horse a little to keep up with them. She also dyed the encounter he should have had with one of the Demon King generals, because he was in no condition to handle them.


    Chris was only three spots back in the line to get back into the capitol at the gates, since the guards were on high alert for a horse thief. It was a good thing the horse no longer looked the same after her alterations and she could sell it back to the stable where she found it. What? That was fair. She made it better and it looked like a different horse. The money would be donated to her church anyway, since she didn''t really need it herself.


    She followed the carriage as it went to the Adventurer''s Guild and she debated staying outside and waiting or going in first to have them stumble into her inside. A chance meeting was preferable to being followed, right? Right. She secured the horse and put a spell on it to be ignored and dashed inside the building as Kazuma helped the rest of his party out of the carriage.


    Chris stood near the bar beside the teller booths, where she knew they would visit first to get Kazuma''s card updated. Defeating Dust''s party would gain him a dozen levels or more and then she would put his encounters back on track.


    Kazuma entered the guild in full armor and everyone in the whole ce turned to look at his orangey-yellow full suit and the formed mes of his helmet. Chris tried to not fidget or draw attention to herself as they approached the booths, then her eyes widened when they changed directions and went over to the quest board.


    <i>No, no, no! You need to level first! You''re too weak to take anything on!</i> Chris mentally pleaded and didn''t know what to do as several of the quests were chosen and the women of his party chatted happily about the much wider choice of things in the capitol city than had were back in Axel.


    They finally ended their browsing and walked back toward the teller booths.


    Chris started freaking out again as they submitted four quests that were too high level for them, or so she assumed. She slipped away without being seen and made her way into the back offices to talk to one of the higher officers of the guild. She had to stop Kazuma before he made another mistake and kills himself again. The fate of the world depended on him!


    *


    I stood behind the girls as they were assigned the easy repeatable missions that would us a lot of XP and myself a bunch of levels. It had been a surprise when they all said they knew I had weakened myself and they had no problems with taking up the ck and sharing their XP with me like I had with them.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir. Can I see your adventurer''s card?¡± A harsh male voice asked as he approached me.


    I turned to face him and used my naming trick on him and almost choked at the Level 80 King''s Knight named Lancealot. I was not ready to throw down with this guy as I was, not even with the cheats my armor gave me.


    ¡°That''s a bit personal to ask without even introducing yourself, stranger.¡± I said, my voice even and didn''t show how nervous I was. I went through what I had in my inventory and chose a few things I could use to disable the guy and get away, especially if he was as hostile as his voice indicated.


    The man squinted his eyes. ¡°As a high rank official in the guild, it is my right and duty to check the cards of those I deem are unfit for this life.¡± He said and put his hand on his sword hilt. ¡°Now hand over your card and I will determine if you will still be a member.¡±


    I almostughed in his face. ¡°You expect me to hand my card that controls my skills and levels over to some pompous asshole that demands it without any cause or excuse?¡± I asked and pointed at the teller booth without diverting my eyes from the knight. ¡°I demand the guild''s manager appear here immediately! I''m being threatened to hand over my guild membership for no reason.¡±


    The girl behind the counter looked guilty. ¡°I''m sorry, sir. He is one of our officials and he does have that right.¡±


    The knight smiled smugly at me and held out his hand for my card.


    ¡°I don''t care if he has the right to piss on the floor and can order you to lick it up.¡± I said in a loud voice and put my own hand down on my sword hilt. ¡°I paid my fees and Ipleted my missions. If this idiot can deny me my rights on a whim and stop me from levelling up to helping this world, then I want the manager here to tell me to my face.¡± I said, my tone changing to an authoritative one. ¡°Call them NOW!¡±


    ¡°The manager doesn''t speak to weak scum like you.¡± The knight said and drew his sword.


    ¡°Now your mad dog is breaking Guild Law and is going to attack me INSIDE the walls of this fine institution.¡± I said and didn''t draw my own sword. ¡°What kind of honorable example are you setting for everyone that''s looking at us, Lancealittle?¡±


    The knight nced around and saw disapproval on a lot of faces, especially on my party members. ¡°Exceptions are made in cases where a disruptive element has trespassed on Guild grounds and they need to be removed.¡± Lancealot said.


    ¡°You mean disposed of, don''t you?¡± I asked and he smiled. ¡°Then go ahead and attack me without provocation. Prove to the world the King''s Knights have no honor and we''ll see how long you live afterwards.¡±


    *


    Chris was hiding off to the side and stared at the utter disaster her interference had caused. She hadn''t meant for the knight to go this far with his demands. It was supposed to only be a check to see if Kazuma could handle the tasks chosen, notpletely deny him his rights to level up!


    The knight lunged forward, his sword extended for a chest sh. Kazuma didn''t block him and the sword sent sparks flying as it skidded across his armor. The knight growled and tried to tackle him, only there was a light hum and the knight came to a sudden stop and hugged Kazuma.


    Blood came from Lancealot''s mouth as he slid to his knees, then he fell backwards onto the floor. Everyone saw the inch wide hole burned through his armor, his chest, and his heart. No weapon could be seen, though.


    Chris didn''t want to be anywhere near there and slipped away again. Her nned meeting was ruined again and she didn''t know what to do now.


    *


    I had never been more grateful for my inventory and those lightsaber keychains. Five of them together saved my life and made a big enough hole to get to the man''s heart. His follow-up swing was going for my neck and I couldn''t have blocked it or survived long enough for a healing potion.


    There was a loud ttering noise nearby and I was suddenly surrounded by other knights.


    ¡°You are under arrest for the murder...¡± The lead knight started to say.


    ¡°Hold.¡± A very sexy voice said and everyone froze.


    I could only move my eyes as I watched a gorgeous woman walk into the room and over to me.


    ¡°You can still move your eyes? How?¡± She asked and I couldn''t respond. She smiled sexily and patted my cheek. ¡°You''re an interesting one.¡±


    I felt a flow of magic over me and she caught her breath.


    ¡°Oh. Oh, you poor dear.¡± She whispered and leaned in close. Her dark hair hiding what she did from everyone except me. ¡°Divine intervention? How surprising.¡± She breathed and her lips touched my skin. ¡°Hmm, you have a touch of divinity as well. I wonder how that happened.¡±


    I could see the amusement on her face when I tried to do my name trick and it failed.


    ¡°Yes, very interesting.¡± She said and stepped back. ¡°I am Selene and I am the manager of the Guild. May I see your card?¡±


    I could move my hand and I did so to reach under my armor and took the card out of my inventory. Selene read the things on the back and she gave me raised eyebrows. Without a word, she slid the card back into my hand and gave me a smile that probably meant a lot more than what I thought it did.


    Selene turned away from me to address everyone and we could all move normally again. ¡°The Adventurer''s Guild is a neutral ce of meeting. It always has been and always will be. Lancealot will be publicly disgraced for breaking the rules, hisnds seized, and his titles and aplishments stricken from the record.¡±


    The knights looked murderous at her words.


    ¡°If anyone disagrees with this judgment for his illegal act of attacking another adventurer inside the walls of my guild hall, where everyone has my protection while inside, you may hand over your Guild cards immediately.¡± She said and the knights looked even angrier. ¡°Shall I order you to?¡±


    None of the knights said anything and only red at her, making her nod.


    ¡°Very well. I will issue amand if you won''t do so willingly.¡± Selene warned them and they didn''t move. ¡°All knights in officer positions are hereby suspended. No knight may enter any guild hall in any city or town, nor can they update their Adventurer Cards.¡± She said and everyone gasped. ¡°Go back to the king and let him know the truth of what happened here. If he wishes to talk to change my mind, he knows how to contact me through proper channels.¡±


    The knight in the front took a step forward, clearly aggressive.


    Selene''s hand shot out and cleaved his head from his body. ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    The rest of the knights stepped back and shook their heads.


    ¡°Then leave and do as you''re told.¡± Selene ordered.


    The knights started to march out and a few of them bent down to grab the knight and Lancealot.


    ¡°Leave them. They are evidence in an ongoing investigation.¡± Selene said and the knights grumbled under their breaths as they left. ¡°Such a mess.¡± She said and turned to me. ¡°My people will clean this ce up.¡± She held a hand out to me. ¡°You and I have a meeting in my office.¡±


    I started to turn to my party.


    ¡°They will have their turns to talk to me soon.¡± Selene said and wagged her hand at me. ¡°Erika, show them to the guest rooms for them to wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes, manager.¡± The counter girl said and closed the booth.


    I tried to not sigh as I epted the offered hand, then I felt another flow of magic over me and the sigh left me anyway when I felt a little better. I tried to not stare at her and she smiled that sexy smile again.


    <i>This is going to be another kind of trial for me, isn''t it?</i> I asked myself as I was led into a part of the guild hall I had never seen before. The offices.


    It was a bit surprising to find out the manager''s office was just that. A normal office. There was nothing oundish to show off the sheer power her office held, considering she was the overall manager of all the guild halls and not just the main one here in the capitol.


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Selene said, ordered really, and indicated the in chair in front of her normal sized desk. I expected a huge oak monstrosity for her to keep her distance from those she talked to and it was only a couple of feet wide.


    I wasn''t a barbarian and stood beside the chair as I waited for her to sit down first. The small smile on her face as she sat down, let me know she understood why I didn''t do exactly as shemanded right away. When it looked like she was settled, I sat without being prompted again.


    ¡°So.¡± Selene said and put her elbows on her desk and rested her chin in her hands. ¡°What''s your story? How did someone like you defeat two of the Demon King''s Generals and the roaming Fortress of Destruction?¡±


    <i>Yes, it''s definitely a personal trial for me to be judged.</i> I thought and held in my sigh. It took me several moments to decide if I wanted to bepletely frank with her or not, and the amused look on her face told me she knew exactly what I was thinking. <i>Right, balls to the wall. Go big or go home.</i> ¡°I assume you''ve seen or heard about several oddly behaving people appearing suddenly out of nowhere with skills or abilities beyond those of normal people?¡±


    ¡°Or oddly powerful equipment that shouldn''t exist, yes.¡± Selene said. ¡°How does that apply to you, a basic adventurer?¡±


    I wondered how much I could twist my story to my advantage as I motioned to my armor. ¡°As you might have noticed, I''m pretty much relying on my armor to keep me mobile right now. All of my skills and abilities have been reduced to almost nothing after I was forcibly reset to Level 1 recently.¡±


    Selene nodded her head slightly and motioned for me to keep going.


    ¡°Well, my story started after I arrived in Axel, the starter city for adventuring. My goddess assigned mission was to save the world from the Demon King.¡± I informed her, her eyes widening slightly, then I kept talking, and talking, and talking. I held her spellbound as I told her pretty much everything that happened to me and what I did to fix things in the city.


    Selene did not look happy to hear about how the previous Lord of Axel had clearly abused his powers and ran the ce like his own little kingdom. She looked quite pleased when I eventually told her I had dealt with the problem and a much more respectable noble had reced him. I even whispered that his daughter was a member of my party as well, whom I had saved from a forcibly arranged marriage.


    It took quite some time for me to tell her everything, even in an abridged version, and she didn''tment or spoke at all as she listened to what I had to say. By the time I was done, concluding with thistest incident that could have killed me, I was pretty sure she was impressed with both my honesty and the outrageous situation I was now in.


    Selene sat there for several minutes as she gazed at me intensely and didn''t say a word. I didn''t say anything either, mostly because I knew if I did, it would change whatever decision she was going to make. It was the first time I regretted not having the ability to spend Karma points to affect the oue of something in my favor.


    ¡°You will be shown to the rooms assigned to your party and will stay the night as my guests. I will make my determination in the morning about your position in the guild.¡± Selene finally said.


    I let out the breath I didn''t realize I was holding. This woman held the future of the world in her hands and she looked like she knew it. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, genuinely grateful. ¡°I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my request personally, even if it reached you a little toote to stop what happened.¡±


    Selene let out a soft sigh. ¡°I will be having a talk to Erika and the rest of the workers. If anyone in the hall requests my presence, especially if there is a question of a guild member''s rights, I should be contacted immediately.¡±


    I didn''t want to add fuel to that fire, so I only nodded in response. Selene gave me another slight smile, as if she knew my thoughts, and stood and motioned for me to follow. I did and we went to her office door.


    Selene opened the door to see Erika standing right there. ¡°Bring Kazuma to the guest rooms and return here. I need to talk to you about proper procedure.¡±


    Erika''s face lost some of its color. ¡°R-r-right a-a-away!¡± She barely stammered a response, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down the hallway as quickly as she could, mumbling ''hurry'' constantly as she did so.

 115 Working Things Out

    115 Working Things Out


    With Selene''s promise of protection inside the walls of the guild hall, I feltfortable removing my armor, much to my party''s relief. Of course, this also opened the floor to us doing a few other things. My first clue was when Darkness blushed and handed me therge wooden paddle.


    ¡°Assume the position.¡± I dered and she stripped off in record time and knelt on the edge of the bed with her ass in the air.


    Megumin was still shy when things like this happened, so she covered her eyes with her hands and only spread her fingers a little bit. Wiz on the other hand, fully embraced the act and crawled onto the bed to shove Darkness'' head down into the nkets, eliciting a moan from the crusader.


    I was fairly weak without my armor, so I couldn''t put a lot of effort into my swing; but, this wasn''t really about the actual power used. It was about a fetish and Darkness willingly submitting to someone she loved and putting them inplete control.


    The loud smack made Cremea and Fio flinch slightly, despite Darkness moaning loudly. I was a little surprised that the paddle left a red outline on her ass cheek and I looked at it and at my hand that held the paddle.


    ¡°This counts as well, considering where we are.¡± Wiz said and blushed as she nced down at the bed she and Darkness were on.


    <i>Ah, then my skills work to boost me with this too. Good to know.</i> I thought and gave her a warm smile, then swung backwards to smack the other ass cheek and Darkness moaned like a cheap whore. Her sexy sounds turned the others on, because who couldn''t get horny when they heard someone enjoying themselves so much?


    I didn''t stop my casual assault until Darkness cried out with pleasure and her womanhood gushed with the proof she had gotten off on the dominance y. I was also hard as a rock and she begged for me to take her, now that she was ready. So, I mounted her from behind and she yelled out how much she loved me and then kept moaning at the same volume as she had when being spanked.


    Now that we had moved on to normal sex... well, normal for us anyway... the others stripped off and joined us on the bed. I sincerely doubted anyone from this world had any clue what to do past sticking it in and going at it. Then again, I had bedded a couple of women and had shown them a few things, so maybe it would spread. Perhaps I had inadvertently started a sexual revolution without realizing it.


    I pushed those thoughts out of my head and concentrated on the woman under me and her reactions. I wanted her to know that her trust was not misced and made sure she knew how much I cared about her. It must havee across, because Darkness managed to change positions and let me do her missionary style and kissed me passionately.


    *


    Selene sat in her bedroom and her face was a deep red. Her eyes were locked on the viewing spell as it showed Kazuma''s bedroom and she saw things she never thought two people could do in a bed. Then three people in a bed. Then four people. Then five and six people. Oh, my!


    She blinked her eyes and couldn''t stop her hand as it dove into her soaked underwear that she was a little embarrassed about because they looked so in whenpared to the things Kazuma''s party wore under their clothes. It made her wonder where they bought such nice frilly andcy things and would ask them privately where to obtain some for herself.


    *


    Erika had camped outside the guest rooms to make sure she was avable if the manager''s guests needed anything, anything at all, and she wouldn''t fail the manager again. She was also horny beyond belief and had to use a towel to stem the flow of her juices.


    Thankfully, she had been smart enough to bring a pillow and nket, so no one could see that she was fully naked under it and constantly yed with herself. She didn''t once wonder how Kazuma could keep going and going, making each of his women moan with pleasure, because she assumed he was a strong adventurer, despite Lancealot''s im he was weak.


    The manager had told her some of his aplishments and the Eris the man had earned in so short a time. That meant if they did kick him out of the Adventurer''s Guild, the people would revolt if they knew they stopped someone that was seeding in defeating the Demon King''s armies by determining he wasn''t worthy of being a member. That wouldn''t go over well at all!


    Erika muffled her moan as she came again and her arms shook. Luckily, her sounds came at the same time as some from the room and there was no danger of her being found out. She just hoped she wasn''t too exhausted for her work shift in the morning after staying up sote. With the way she felt right now? It was worth a little lost sleep to feel so good.


    *


    I woke up in the morning surrounded by happy women and felt better than I had the night before. Did Selene''s little magic boost help me more than I thought it did? I hope she didn''t screw me over by giving me a single level of power or something. That would be terrible and would ruin my n to boost my gains by a considerable amount by abusing the XP sharing of my party.


    Speaking of my party, I checked each of them and they weren''t excessively sore or more tired than usual. I woke them up and kissed them good morning, then we all dressed for the day. I donned my armor and we left the room, noticing a slightly familiar smell in the hallway. Darkness gave me a particr look and blushed, which let me know we had an unexpected audience and she was okay with it.


    We went downstairs to the main hall to eat breakfast and were served right away. Either the service was much better than back home or we had been given preferential treatment. I was betting on thetter, since Selene herself had tended to us yesterday.


    Once we were done, we were brought to the manager''s office by the same girl as yesterday, Erika. She knocked politely on the door and waited to be called in.


    ¡°Enter.¡± Selene''s sexy voice ordered.


    Erika almost jumped in response and opened the door with a whoosh. ¡°Here are Kazuma and his party, manager.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Erika. You may return to your normal duties.¡± Selene said, her voice soft.


    ¡°Yes, manager.¡± Erika said and bowed before she fled.


    I watched her disappear down the hallway and looked back at Selene.


    ¡°That happens most of the time.¡± Selene said, not embarrassed at all.


    ¡°Is it because of how strong you are or because you''re the manager and hold their lives in your hands?¡± I asked and she gave me that sexy smile.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Selene said and waved us inside. ¡°Unless you are less observant than a snail, I''ve made my decision on your viability as an adventurer.¡±


    That gave me the opening I needed to ask an important question. ¡°You didn''t auto-level me with the magic you performed yesterday, did you?¡±


    Selene looked slightly surprised at the question and then looked guilty.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I whispered and she flinched, clearly hearing my anger. ¡°Thanks for screwing up our ns for the next week, manager.¡±


    ¡°We need to return the quests we picked yesterday and you need to officially update your card to get the few skill points you have avable.¡± Megumin said. ¡°We''re going to be in a lot more danger, too.¡±


    I started to pace the office. ¡°We can''t take the bigger quests, since we don''t have a big hitter to help finish off anything wee across. Power-levelling me won''t work anymore, either.¡±


    ¡°Kazuma, it''s all right. We''ll figure this out.¡± Wiz said and grabbed my arm when I passed her.


    I stopped walking and tried to not let my frustration show. I turned back to the manager and gave her a searching look. ¡°Can you undo what you did before I update my card?¡±


    Selene shook her head. ¡°Whatever happened to reset you is beyond my abilities. I was just trying to help you stabilize...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I shouted and everyone''s eyes widened at my reaction. ¡°If you had simply asked, I would have refused your oh so generous offer to ruin everything! Goddess dammit, you don''t even realize what you''ve done!¡±


    ¡°Kazuma...¡± Darkness started to say.


    ¡°No!¡± I said and she stopped talking. ¡°I''m sorry about snapping at you, Darkness. I''m upset this idiot screwed me over and I can''t level up quickly and I absolutely have to level up quickly!¡±


    Selene''s face changed to anger and she stood up. ¡°Did you just call me an idiot?¡±


    ¡°I did, because you messed up a goddess given quest to save the world after someone else already did that! I told you all about it, didn''t I? DIDN''T I?¡± I yelled and her face lost the anger. ¡°Now do you realize what you''ve done? DO YOU?¡±


    Selene looked sad as she sat back down. ¡°I think you are overreacting. It''s just a few levels...¡±


    ¡°I lost all the first adventurer bonuses and extra stat points for defeating creatures as a level 1! I lost all the experiencepensation for the extra danger! I lost the chance to jump back to my previous power in a single shot instead of crawling level by level that I have to do now because of YOU!¡±


    ¡°Kazuma, calm down. This isn''t helping.¡± Cremea said.


    I took several deep breaths and let the situation settle in my mind. ¡°I''m not sure what I''m supposed to do now. I can''t even go after any of the lieutenants or generals of the Demon King''s army, because I''m so weak and it''s going to take weeks I don''t have to get stronger instead of days.¡±


    Wiz, Darkness, Megumin, Cremea, and Fio all looked sad at my words.


    Selene looked at the others and her eyes went to me. She saw the desperation I tried to hide and she knew I only had a month left to defeat the Demon King, so her help really had screwed me over.


    ¡°Perhaps... if you want to risk it... there is an option you can take.¡± Selene said, her voice reluctant.


    ¡°This should be good.¡± I whispered and everyone heard me with the office so quiet. ¡°Let''s hear it.¡±


    ¡°You can power level in the World''s Most Dangerous Dungeon.¡± Selene said.


    There wasplete silence for several seconds and then everyone shouted and yelled in surprise. All of them except Wiz were arguing about how stupid that was for someone as low level as me to enter such a ce.


    ¡°I can send a couple of the higher level members of the guild to apany you...¡± Selene added.


    ¡°You''re pawning off your mistake on someone else?¡± I asked before I could stop myself.


    Selene stood again to re at me and her voice wasn''t sexy at all as she spoke. ¡°I have many more responsibilities than babysitting a child throwing a temper tantrum.¡±


    I knew then she was using a skill to sound and act sexy and she wasn''t using it now. ¡°Most of my party, including me, aren''t ready for a risk like that. I also doubt your high level members would agree to party up and share XP, considering they''ll be doing most if not all of the work.¡±


    The look on Selene''s face told me I was right. Apparently, my own view about sharing was a novel one, which exined why Darkness, Megumin, Cremea, and Fio had been surprised when I shared XP with them right from the start. By the looks of things, they didn''t do that until a party member could pull their own weight.


    ¡°Well? Is the offer still on the table?¡± I asked. ¡°We''ll take it if you can find someone with a high enough level and is willing to share.¡±


    Selene had a thoughtful look on her face as she sat back down. Since I didn''t have anything else to say, I turned to face Wiz. She had an odd look on her face and she seemed conflicted about something. I didn''t ask her what was wrong and took her into a hug instead. She almost melted into my arms and I whispered I was sorry for losing my temper.


    All we could do now was hope that a solution could be found. If not, I only had a month left before I would be forcibly removed from this world.


    *


    Chris inspected the carriage and didn''t find anything but an alert ward on it. She easily bypassed it and entered it, only to gasp at the huge expanded space inside. It was a shock for her to see so much room inside a normal carriage and she was an embodied goddess.


    <i>What kind of magic could do this?</i> Chris asked herself and searched around. She couldn''t see anything giving off enough magic to cause such asting effect and it stumped her. When she went to sit down on one of thefy couches, she heard mutterings from nearby. She shot to her feet and crept pver to the door she heard it from.


    ¡°I''m telling you, no one is out there. It''s just the carriage creaking.¡± A male voice said.


    ¡°I''d cast a detection spell if my hands weren''t tied behind my back.¡± A female voice responded.


    ¡°That would give us away.¡± A different male voice said.


    ¡°It''s all a moot point anyway. As soon as they hand us over, we''re dead.¡± A third male voice added.


    Chris sighed and realized they were Dust and his party and they were still Kazuma''s prisoners. She had thought he handed them over already and wondered why he hadn''t. That was when she had the brilliant idea to have them help Kazuma with his quest and opened the locked door. For an aplished thief, it was easy.


    ¡°We''re saved!¡± Dust proimed when he saw her. ¡°Untie us! They could be back any second!¡±


    ¡°I need assurances...¡± Chris started to say.


    ¡°I''ll give you 1,000 Eris to shut up and cut us free!¡± Dust cut her off.


    Chris sighed at being so easily manipted and did as he asked. She took the money first from his pouch, though. She wasn''t stupid. Her church could do a lot of good with that money.


    ¡°Thanks, Chris.¡± Trevor said as he rubbed his sore arms.


    ¡°I''ll get Linn.¡± Dust said and somehow slipped through the small window into the other room without his armor or clothes catching on the rough edges.


    In only a minute, both Linn and Dust were back through the hole and with their party.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡± Dust said, ordered really, and the group stepped out of the room to stare at the huge space. ¡°Where the hell are we?¡±


    ¡°You''re still inside the carriage.¡± Chris told them.


    Dust exchanged looks with the rest of his party and started to smile.


    ¡°You can''t think what I think you''re thinking! Don''t be stupid!¡± Linn almost shouted.


    ¡°We are totally stealing this carriage!¡± Dust eximed and his party sighed in defeat.


    Chris stood there as the previous prisoners discussed how to find the horses to pull the thing and wondered how everything was going wrong for her. She hadn''t even proposed the deal to get them to team up with Kazuma and they were already ruining any chance of it happening.

 116 Revelations

    116 Revtions


    Selene left us in her office as she went to try and find someone to babysit us as we did quests. It was both insulting and demeaning to have to rely on someone else''s good will for something like that, especially for me. I was used to handling things myself and I used to be powerful enough to back that up. Now? I was the shmoe of shmoes, even with my armor as a crutch.


    ¡°It''s going to be okay.¡± Wiz consoled me and patted my shoulder.


    I sighed and leaned against her slightly. ¡°I''m sorry I can''t take the armor off to hug you properly.¡±


    Wiz smiled and gave me a quick kiss. ¡°It''s okay. We can make up for that tonight.¡±


    ¡°Assuming the manager doesn''t find someone and we stay here for another night.¡± Megumin said.


    ¡°We could go to an inn or something instead.¡± Cremea offered after a few minutes of silence.


    I shook my head. ¡°Only a fool would give up Selene''s protection without good reason.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you understand that.¡± Selene said as she entered the office again. She didn''t walk by us to go to her desk, so the news was either really good or really bad. ¡°I''m sorry I couldn''t find anyone that was willing to share with someone that has such a low level.¡±


    <i>Bad it was.</i> I thought and didn''t voice it as I tried to not let my emotions show on my face.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Fio asked as Cremea hugged her tofort her. ¡°All of our ns are ruined.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± I told her. ¡°I honestly don''t know. Nothing is working out like it usually does.¡±


    Wiz caught her breath and we all turned to look at her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked her.


    Wiz blushed a little at all the attention. ¡°Well, I... I just... I think I know what''s wrong.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Megumin asked.


    Wiz looked up into my eyes. ¡°Kazuma... after what you went through... you... you are no longer favoured by the gods and goddesses.¡±


    Everyone in the room gasped, even Selene.


    ¡°N-n-no, that... that can''t be true.¡± Darkness whispered. ¡°My goddess Eris likes him. I can feel it.¡±


    Wiz shook her head. ¡°Liking someone doesn''t mean you have their favour.¡± She said and reached up to slip her hand inside my helm to cup my cheek. ¡°She has returned you to us; but, she may have damned you as well.¡±


    I opened my mouth to tell her she was wrong, then thought about it. Even Fate herself said she couldn''t directly interfere after the system had been threatened by the Head Subus, and now that system was unavable because it was being worked on to fix the damage done to it by Eris when she stopped me from moving on to the next world.


    Something must have shown on my face because I was suddenly surrounded by my party members and Wiz gave me a tender kiss that was full of love and understanding. Of everyone there, she alone fully understood being damned by the gods and goddesses. She had been cursed as an undead Lich for years until I saved her.


    Selene stood there and watched us with eyes that seemed to see more than was there, or at least I hoped so. I doubted that I could do anything to her to stop her if she tried something I didn''t like. Well, not without dying again, anyway. I did have a pile of old military weapons from the Familiar of Zero world sitting in a backpack in my inventory and I was sure most of the grenades still worked.


    ¡°I think I''ve changed my mind.¡± Selene said and I fought off the dread that tried to fill my heart. ¡°I know the importance of your mission, Kazuma. If you have lost the favour of the very beings that gave you the mission, then you''re going to need as much help as possible to achieve it.¡±


    Before I could ask if she was going to order someone to apany us, she smiled knowingly.


    ¡°I''m due to book off a few vacation days. If you can wait for a day or two for me to get things in order, I will guide you through the first few levels of the dungeon until your level is high enough that you can continue on your own.¡± Selene said and then raised a hand to stop anyone from asking questions. ¡°That''s the most I can offer without severely hampering the entire guild''s operations.¡±


    I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, because I knew her time was very valuable. I took one of the trunks out of my inventory and opened it, making Selene catch her breath at what was inside. Piles and piles of money. It took me a good fifteen minutes to dig out what I wanted and made sure to count a good portion of it to let her know it was all there.


    ¡°I hope that one million Eris is an appropriate fee for three days of your time.¡± I said and saw the approval on the faces of my party. Offeringpensation was the right call, apparently. I closed the trunk and stored it again, leaving the piles of gold coins on the floor.


    Selene just stared at it for several seconds before she nodded. A snap of her fingers had several workers enter the office withrge bags and they gathered it all up in record time. She whispered instructions to Erika and she nodded eagerly and motioned for us to follow her. We left the office and went back to the guest rooms to wait, since Selene clearly needed us out of the way to get back to work.


    Our meals were delivered to the room, probably so we wouldn''t potentially cause another incident in the guild hall''s main area. That was fine. It gave me more time to spend with my party and they all enjoyed the endless snacks I could provide.


    *


    Two dayster, we were all geared up and ready to go. We also had a huge problem. Someone had stolen our carriage. By someone, I meant Dust and his party, because they were nowhere to be found. At least they didn''t try and hurt the horses that had been stored at the nearby stable.


    ¡°If you will excuse me for a few minutes, I need to return to the guild hall.¡± Selene said, her voice deadly. ¡°No one is allowed to steal from those under my protection. That it was an expanded magical carriage filled with valuable goods just adds insult to injury.¡± Her hand touched my armored arm. ¡°Don''t worry, they will pay dearly for what they''ve done.¡±


    I nodded and she walked away with only a slight sway to her hips. <i>Was it her armor restricting her or was she that determined to find Dust and his party?</i>


    ¡°Should we find another carriage?¡± Wiz asked, a little unsure.


    ¡°It''s going to be a tight fit, because I don''t have the magic avable to enchant even a basic expansion charm right now.¡± I said without sighing and turned to face each of the women around me. ¡°I sincerely apologize that they got away with all your things. I just hope they didn''t sell everything before they left.¡±


    I was hugged multiple times and told it wasn''t my fault, even though it was. We should have left a guard or something to keep an eye on them and now we didn''t even know how big of a head start they had after they escaped. After two or three days, they could be anywhere.


    ¡°I think the wagon ce is over that way.¡± Cremea said and pointed off to the left.


    ¡°Help me find a good sized one, hopefully with a top, and I''ll spend some time adding featherlight runes to it while we wait for Selene.¡± I said and we moved off in the direction Cremea said to go.


    ¡°Selene said she would only be a few minutes.¡± Darkness pointed out.


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°I''ve spent time with women before, my dear Darkness. When they say ''a few minutes'', they really mean it will be at least half an hour.¡±


    Not surprisingly, none of the women around me objected to my words. They all knew it was true.


    *


    Chris watched as Kazuma and his party hunted for a new carriage. She felt really guilty about that and thought about finally revealing herself and talking to Darkness, only she felt a shiver go up her spine and heard a whispered prayer.


    <i>Goddess Eris, please help my dearest Kazuma. He has been cursed by the gods and goddesses after you graced him with life and returned him to my embrace. He is suffering and I don''t know what to do. Please, please, please! I beg you! Help and guide me down the right path! I promise to make a donation at the nearest church as soon as I can. I am your humble worshipper, Ltina Dustiness.</i>


    Chris let the shiver go back down her spine and she thought about how best to do that. Everything else she tried had backfired spectacrly and then what Darkness said registered in her mind. She caught her breath at what that would mean and looked up into the sky with a silent inquiry.


    Unfortunately, there was no response, which meant Darkness was only partially right. Kazuma wasn''t cursed by them, because he was beingpletely ignored instead. It definitely exined how her own luck had twisted in on itself, because she wasn''t allowed to affect anything that dealt with Kazuma. She did not wonder how they knew she was acting through her human avatar, because it didn''t matter.


    Her actions would be thwarted, no matter what she tried. That meant she couldn''t help Kazuma, even indirectly through Darkness. It saddened Chris that all of her efforts were for naught and the urgent and sincere prayers of one of her most fervent worshippers would remain unanswered and unfulfilled.


    Chris gave Kazuma''s party onest longing look, her eyes lingering on her friend Darkness for a bit longer than a normal friendship would allow, then she dropped her head and slipped away as her heart broke a little. Not being anywhere near them was the only way for her to help them now.


    *


    I managed to lighten the canvas covered wagon significantly by the time Selene returned. She also had two armored guards with her. She asked what the carriage looked like and I easily produced a piece of paper and used magic to put an image of it on the surface. I also added smaller pictures of the interior and of my party''s things.


    ¡°Check the stalls, businesses, and less reputable parts of the city for everything.¡± Selene said and handed the paper to the guards. ¡°I want the city scoured and everyone involved drawn and quartered if they don''t cooperate. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, manager. No mercy for assassins, bandits, and thieves.¡± One of them said. They both saluted her and then trotted off with the sounds of clinking armor.


    ¡°Thank you, manager.¡± I said, my voice full of sincerity. ¡°I mean that. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°It''s the least I could do. If I went myself...¡± Selene shook her head.


    ¡°There''s no better kill than overkill.¡± I joked and she softlyughed. ¡°I''d like to apologize for my behavior as well. I was being an ass and you were just trying to help.¡±


    Selene smiled. ¡°You were right as well. I should have asked to perform triage on you. If I had, we wouldn''t be here right now.¡±


    ¡°We would have handed Dust and his party over to the guild right after arriving if we hadn''t been distracted.¡± Megumin said. ¡°At least we removed that defunct headhunter quest from the quest boards.¡±


    ¡°With the method of payment dead, the quest should have been automatically cancelled.¡± Selene said. ¡°It seems I have a few mandates to send out to the other guild halls across the country.¡±


    I kept my mouth shut, mostly because I didn''t want to anger the only person not in my party that was willing to help me in my quest to save the world. I just hoped staying quiet didn''t bite me in the asster.


    We attached the two horses and Selene admired them for both their prowess and their speed. The horses preened under her praise and looked proud, making the guild manager chuckle and she patted their necks before she climbed up into the driver''s seat. I gave her a look and she didn''t say anything and held her hand out for the reins.


    With a sigh, I handed them to her and sat beside her as Wiz, Darkness, Megumin, Cremea, and Fio climbed into the back onto the padded benches. I didn''t have time to change anything besides adding the cushions and wouldn''t until we stopped near the dungeon. It would be dark when we arrived and Selene warned us that nighttime was the worst time to enter the active dungeon. We would camp for the night and enter in the morning.


    Without a bed or somewhere safe for me to remove my armor, there would be no cuddling or anything for me. The odd look on Selene''s face told me that she understood our problem and she slipped into the heated sleeping bag I gave her and she let out a contented sigh. I stayed up for first shift watching the alert wards and the others tucked into their own sleeping bags and quickly fell asleep.


    It was a long four hours as I tried to level up some easy skills that didn''t require a lot of movement or magic. Honestly, it was pathetic. The armor''s crutch pretty much stopped me from making any easy gains and I had to work that much harder to get even a few levels in fighting with a weapon and fighting without.


    When it was time, I put my sword away and woke Selene. She would finish the next four hours on watch and then we would enter the dungeon. After my performance, I was sure it was going to be a lot of me standing there and watching everyone else fighting on my behalf, and that was going to suck.

 117 Speed-Running A Dungeon

    117 Speed-Running A Dungeon


    I was right. Just standing there while everyone else worked so hard, made me feel terrible. Even when I pulled out my magical guitar and sang an encouraging song to buff them up, it barelysted five minutes before it faded away and I was tired. I had to wait an hour before I felt up to ying again and the temporary boost didn''t really do much.


    As the day wore on, I also found out something important. The XP sharing a party did when formed at the guild was very different from the sharing I did when forming a party with my system. It was shared by ranking, which meant Selene was getting the lion''s share, Megumin got a much smaller share Darkness next, then Wiz, then Cremea, then Fio, and then way way way at the bottom was me.


    Since I was technically support, despite not being able to do anything else besides hand out food and medical supplies like potions, it meant I was contributing in some capacity and it gained me the minimum amount.


    It was going to take forever for me to gain any levels this way.


    When we paused for lunch in a safe area, I brought this up. My party discussed it furiously and Selene just looked resigned and said that was how it worked. Unless I could fight on par with the others, I wouldn''t get much XP at all.


    ¡°Then let me get the final hit before you kill something.¡± I suggested.


    Selene shook her head. ¡°That doesn''t matter. I still did all the work. Getting the final blow doesn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that for sure?¡± Wiz asked her.


    ¡°I''ve been an adventurer for years and I''ve never encountered anyone gaining more experience with only one hit at the end of the fight.¡± Selene said.


    I sat there and thought about that. ¡°Is it because you were all about the same level or because you always concentrated on killing the enemy and never tried to dole out who gets the final shot in each battle?¡±


    Selene gave me an odd look. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, you''ve had a party before and can work well with others when taking down bigger creatures.¡± I said and motioned to Darkness, because she had used her as a shield a few times to deal out enough damage to take down some of the creatures in the dungeon. ¡°But, did you ever rotate who gets thest shot or did you always have the same person finish them off because that was what you were used to?¡±


    Selene looked surprised at my question and then ducked her head for several minutes. None of us said anything and let the woman think about it. We also didn''t try to talk about anything else, because we didn''t want to distract her.


    ¡°You''re right, Kazuma. It was always me. I was always at the forefront and we would whittle downrger enemies until they were weak enough and I would take the opportunity to deal the final blow. Since there was always a lot of XP to spread around, it never urred to me that I could be getting a bit more than the others for ending things and not because I was the better fighter and contributed more.¡±


    ¡°We''re not used to confining and subduing enemies, either.¡± Wiz said, who was also an experienced party member in the past. ¡°Why would we stop attacking to let someone else finish off what we were fighting? It goes against everything we''ve learned.¡±


    Selene nodded in agreement. ¡°It''s not something we ever had to do before. You fight until it''s dead and that''s that. We usually work out a split of the loot afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Which we mentally applied to XP as well to give everyone a more even share because of their contributions to the fighting.¡± Wiz said, realizing the truth. ¡°I wonder if that''s how it works because we believed it worked that way or if it''s set up that way and our magic makes it so?¡±


    Selene looked thoughtful for several seconds. ¡°It will be much harder to pull back in thest moments of a fight to capture the creatures instead of killing them.¡± She said and gave me a look. ¡°Will your armorst long if you stay much closer to the fighting?¡±


    ¡°The armor will.¡± I said, confidently.


    Wiz reached over and cupped the side of my face. ¡°What about you inside the armor?¡±


    ¡°I am very squishy.¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°One good hit, maybe two. I will have to drink health and mana potions like crazy to keep up with you, too.¡±


    ¡°Then that''s what we''ll do.¡± Selene said and finished off her meal. ¡°We''ll lure out the next set of creatures and we''ll try to beat them down into unconsciousness instead of death. We can try removing their limbs or something and then bashing their heads to knock them out. Once they are...¡±


    ¡°...I can try killing one with minimal risk of death.¡± I finished for her and she nodded. ¡°All right, let''s do this.¡±


    *


    Sylvia, the Demon General in charge of the Monster Division for the Demon King, was in one of her favorite ces and enjoying herself. It was one of the monster breeding pits in the world''s most dangerous dungeon and she was overseeing a new addition to the army.


    By her looks alone, you couldn''t tell that she was a chimera, a creature that could absorb traits and skills from the things her body consumed and merged with. Her 6 foot tall figure had gigantic breasts that were barely contained in her skimpy red dress and her long ck hair had red bangs that highlighted her face.


    She hadn''t started out as a woman and had only gained those traits over the years of her absorbing more feminine targets than male ones. Of course, this meant she had the equipment of both as well. That''s right folks, she was a true hermaphrodite and identified more as a female than a male, since embracing her feminine side attracted many more targets than any other form did.


    A disturbance was felt not far away and she immediately sent a few scouts to check it out. They didn''t return. Curious, she decided to go herself to check it out. It wasn''t like she would encounter anyone that she couldn''t handle, considering she was a Demon General and had a legion of monsters under hermand.


    It didn''t take her long to find the source of themotion. It was an adventurer party and they were kind of exploring the upper levels of the dungeon. She watched them for a short while as they pretty much stumbled around and didn''t do more than aggravate the dungeon''s creatures. They beat them up instead of killing them, which intrigued her, then she saw that suit of orange-yellowish armor.


    Sylvia''s eyes almost sparkled at the magic it contained. It was so beautiful and so eye-catching that she immediately wanted it. Despite all her reservations about not revealing herself or letting anyone know about one of her secret hideouts, she abandoned her hiding spot and strode over the the figure stabbing a wicked mythril sword into the head of the gremlin, one of the weaker creatures in the dungeon.


    The shouts of warnings from the rest of his party made the armored man turn and face her. A magical barrier formed around him and Sylvia almostughed at how weak it was. A p of her hand shattered it and she formed her own barrier around him and her.


    ¡°Fuuuuck me.¡± The man said with a sigh, as if he knew who she was.


    The offer kind of surprised her, because most men were intimidated by her looks and then very intimidated when they saw what she had between her legs. She wasn''t overlyrge down there; but, she wasn''t small, either. Then again, she was confident and proud of her sexual exploits and she wouldn''t mind giving him a go if he was up for it. He was handsome and had a nice muscr body under that armor, as well as being her exact height.


    Kazuma saw her face and sighed again. ¡°I''m sorry, that was an expression of loss, not an invitation. Not that I would refuse, because you know...st moments and all that.¡±


    Sylvia gave him a very sexy smile as various magical sts and weapons impacted the barrier she had put up. ¡°Would you really strip out of that armor and let me fuck you if I let you live?¡±


    Kazuma''s eyes dropped down briefly and saw Sylvia''s dress move and a bulge formed in a phallic shape. ¡°We both know you''re not going to let me go.¡±


    Sylvia stepped close and pressed her breasts and her erection against his armor as she hugged him. ¡°I said I''d let you live, not let you go.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Kazuma said and took a deep breath, then let it out. ¡°How long will this take?¡±


    ¡°I want your armor and you are just a bonus.¡± Sylvia admitted and started the process of absorption. ¡°It could have been a lot more fun than this, though.¡±


    Kazuma gave her a crooked smile. ¡°Do you absorb only things or do you get their memories, too?¡±


    Sylvia''s own smile reduced. ¡°I can only absorb the physical and not the metaphysical.¡±


    ¡°Then you''ll never know how much fun this could have been.¡± Kazuma said and kissed her.


    Sylvia closed her eyes and felt the intensity of his passion, his tongue battled hers, and she let out a soft moan as the first armor pieces sank into her flesh. She would gain a lot of resistances from it and could also form it over herself, so she was very happy. She ground herself against his belly with the armor out of the way, and his hands sank into her back.


    The rest seemed to disappear fairly quickly and Sylvia felt a small amount of power flow into her and she wondered why an adventurer delving into the dungeon would be so weak. It was almost like he was drained before and she wouldn''t get much beyond the armor and his muscr frame. It was a shame, really. She thought she was going to have a great meal and all she had was a nice snack.


    <i>Where did that nice sword go, anyway?</i> Sylvia asked herself and took several minutes to recover from the absorbing process.


    It took her adaptive body that long to make sense of the weird armor and the enchantments it held, then her body changed. She formed the orange-yellowish pieces of armor in appropriate spots, adjusted for her more feminine frame, and her muscles were more defined. That was it.


    ¡°It really was disappointing.¡± Sylvia said and turned to the rest of his party, only to see there was no one there. She regretted not kidnapping the man first, killing the others and then absorbing him, because it gave the rest the opportunity to escape.


    Sylvia couldn''t sense them nearby, so she sighed and went back to the closest breeding pit to gather up hertest creations. Now that someone knew she was there, she needed to leave before the King''s Knights and the army showed up to confront her.


    *


    <b>You have died! Again!</b>


    <i>As if you didn''t know I would.</i> I thought with as much disappointment as I could. <i>Nothing was going my way at all after the system was suspended and with under a month to achieve what I should have had years to aplish? Yeah, I wasn''t going tost long.</i>


    <b>Primary Mission failed. Secondary mission iplete. Hidden missions 3 of 8pleted.


    Severe penalties will be applied and your choice of the next world has been set. Please wait while we initialize the transfer.</b>


    <i>That''s new.</i> I thought.


    A smaller blue box appeared that indicated Fate herself was talking. <b>That''s because things are not quite back to the way they were.</b>


    <i>Is it fixed, though?</i> I asked, wondering how much things were going to change.


    <b>Technically.</b> The blue box showed.


    <i>That doesn''t sound good.</i> I thought and tried to not let my worry get to me.


    <b>It''s been patched enough to still function and you should have ess to the same options.</b> Fate replied.


    <i>I heard a huge ''but'' there.</i> I thought back.


    <b>''You should have ess'' and ''you do have ess'' are two slightly different things.</b> Fate answered. <b>We won''t know if there are any problems until you try things out.</b>


    I sighed mentally, since I didn''t have lungs at the moment. <i>Give me a few minutes to poke around and we''ll see what we can find out.</i>


    <b>Thank you.</b> Fate said.


    I pulled up the system interface and chose the Party option. As I suspected, Darkness and the others were all greyed out. I went through the lengthy process of dismissing them and paying the points, going into debt slightly as I ensured they sessfully escaped from Sylvia. I didn''t see any penalties being applied, however.


    <b>You''ll discover them when you wake up in the next world.</b> Fate said without me having to ask.


    I noticed she avoided telling me, which meant she knew and it was going to be bad. I sighed and kept going over the options. One of the ones missing was buying fertility and I pointed it out, mostly because it affected Fate''s job as well. I hadn''t left any little rugrats running around on thest world and that severely hampered her and probably everyone else.


    <i>I didn''t even get to say goodbye.</i> I thought and would have cried if I had eyeballs or tears to shed.


    The word ''sigh'' appeared in the little blue box. <b>I''m not really supposed to tell you anything.</b> Fate said and then a smile icon appeared. <b>Wiz uses her knowledge of the other generals to convert Vanir to the hero''s side and they gathered other adventurers to the cause. It takes them years and they eventually defeated the Demon King.</b>


    I floated there as I thought about that. <i>Thank you for telling me.</i>


    <b>I know it bothers you when you leave a world before you''re supposed to. Thisst time was aplete fuck-up because of Divine Intervention.</b>


    That reminded me of my promise to that angel to show up in the afterlife and marry her. <i>Hey, about what happened...</i>


    <b>You were plucked directly from the world and your soul didn''t reach the upper realm like thest time. The system learned that lesson the hard way and avoided the entire problem.</b>


    <i>Ah, that exins why I didn''t meet Eris again after dying.</i> I thought. <i>I wonder how they reacted to losing a soul?</i>


    The word ''giggle'' appeared in the little box. <b>It was hrious! Goddess Eris is in a lot of trouble for screwing up a hero''s reincarnation so badly.</b>


    I mentallyughed and thought that was appropriate.


    <b>System fully calibrated. Thank you for your patience.


    Good luck in the next world, you''re going to need it.</b>


    <i>Wait! Where are you sending...</i> I couldn''t finish the question as ckness engulfed me.

 118 Dead Days Go Bye (The Walking Dead TV Show)

    118 Dead Days Go Bye (The Walking Dead TV Show)


    I felt the world form around me as I regained consciousness and groaned in pain, because my body felt terrible. I opened my eyes to assess the damage and saw that I was inside a hospital room. It was kind of dark, despite the sunlighting through the window. That was odd, as was theplete silence.


    My eyes darted to the IV attached to my arm and it was nearly empty, which meant I had been here for a while. The electronic leads taped to my chest were connected to a silent machine beside the bed and I realized there was no power going to anything in the room. I also saw a dried out bouquet of flowers on the nightstand.


    I sighed at not getting the normal memory download and I had no idea what world I was in or what I had to handle. When I tried to move, searing pain in my side stopped me and I took several panting breaths to work through it. My shoulder was also extremely sore and I nced down to see both wrapped in bandages.


    I also saw that I was thin as a rake and emaciated, almost starving, and my stomach felt both empty and ravenous. That meant I had lost the divine body that Fate gave me at the start and I barely had any muscles, so I couldn''t rely on always being fit and good looking. It was a disappointment and also expected, since I knew I would be made to suffer.


    When I checked my inventory, I saw a severely limited version instead of my normal unlimited one. I could still feel that everything I had was still there, only just barely out of reach. I somehow knew that usage, effort, and time would let me ess more of what I had and I would just have to deal with things the normal way for a while.


    For now, I only had ess to a normal sized room and it was filled with the year of MRE rations, my two guns, some ammo, my various swords, my two endless snacks, the endless water container, several changes of clothes, and the souvenirs I bought in the shop.


    I also had a single rack of 30 potions instead of the huge store of them I had packed back in the Harry Potter world. It was only 10 healing, 10 headache, and 10 mana potions and that severely limited my options. I was only slightly confused that I also had ess to one of the trunks of treasure for some reason.


    I took out a healing potion and drank it, hoping the world didn''t screw me over and made the thing almost ineffectual. I only had 9 left and would have to try and find some kind of substitute ingredients to make more. Either that or abuse my limited inventory to open the next ''room'' and hopefully gain ess to more of them.


    The pain in my side abated by about half and my shoulder stopped aching so much, so I sighed and drank a second potion, reducing my limited supply even more. Then again, if I started out handicapped too much, I was pretty much screwed anyway. It was better to be fully functional right now and not have to wait to recover normally.


    The pain disappearedpletely and I felt much better as I sat up and pulled off the eletronic leads and then carefully removed the IV. I was still kind of thin and starving, however. The potions only healed me to a certain point and didn''t make me buff or anything. Only time and working out would get me close to being like my previous self and I would have to be happy with walking around in a regr body.


    I slid off the bed and stretched, as if I just had a great sleep, and took a single step towards the nightstand when I felt something like a burningnce was shoved through my mind.


    ¡°GAAHHHHH-AHHHHHHHH!¡± I screamed and screamed as 34 years of memories were very painfully forced into my head and I copsed onto the floor in a tight ball to ride it out.


    It took a very long ten minutes of torture before the flood finally ended.


    I silently cursed and raged at both the system and Fate for making me go through that and I wasn''t surprised when a popup appeared and it apologized and told me they had to re-calibrate the memory transfer protocols.


    ¡°Yeah, fuck you, too.¡± I said and stayed there on the cold floor as I tried to recover. My head was pounding from the abuse it went through and I took out a headache potion. Thankfully, I only needed one to stop the pain and sighed with relief.


    I now knew who I was and where I was. My name was Rick Grimes and I was a Deputy Sheriff in King County, Georgia. I had a wife and a son, too. I had also been assaulted and shot by a criminal several weeks ago and put into the hospital.


    Unfortunately, this was where my own memories came into y. I knew this story. I had watched it eagerly in anticipation as the very first television show about the zombie apocalypse called The Walking Dead. I also knew there wasn''t a cure after you died, no matter the cause or if you had been bitten or not. Bites just turned you much much faster.


    <i>Well, they''d turn other people. I was immune, thanks to Fate and Death buying me that.</i> I thought and stayed on the floor for several more minutes, since I wasn''t in any rush. I also had a handgun and a shotgun with unlimited ammo and they were going toe in very handy very soon.


    I climbed to my feet and I didn''t feel wobbly or dizzy, which was great. I tore off my bandages before I sat on the bed and took out an MRE to prepare it and eat it. I did this three more times and then took out the pack of endless potato chips and my container of water. Several handfuls of chipster, my hunger was sated and I felt full. I even topped it off with some liquid courage, namely tequ.


    It burned down my throat and I felt better, even better than back in thest world. I paused and let the ache in my heart throb for several moments as I thought of the people I left behind, then I raised my container in a salute and took another drink, then let it revert back to water and put it and the chips away.


    I went to the bathroom first and there was running water, so I spent some time taking a sponge bath. When I felt rtively clean, I went back out into the room and over to the dresser. I opened and checked several of the drawers and found my sheriff uniform, bloody shirt and all.


    What I did not find was my old gun, my badge, my handcuffs, or the holster that should have been there. The bulletproof vest was gone as well, not that it had helped me much, considering I had been shot right where it didn''t cover.


    I quickly dressed and felt more legitimate, even with the blood stain, and I took several deep breaths to prepare for what I was about to do. With liquid courage in my stomach, I went to the door of my room and opened it.


    In front of it was a stretcher, which Shane had ced there to stop walkers from entering my room. If he hadn''t be such a scheming bastard after I died, I would have thanked the guy for having the foresight to protect my body from being eaten.


    I pushed the stretcher out of the way and closed the door, then put the stretcher back. It got it out of the way and also kept protecting the room, not that I ever nned toe back here. When I nced around, I saw the hospital was trashed. I made my way down the hall to the nurse''s station and tried the phone, even though I knew it didn''t work with the power out.


    An emergency generator must have still been functional or something, because there were asional lights flickering here and there. That could mean it''s damaged or it''s running out of fuel. Either way, I would find nothing there to help me on my quest and ignored it.


    I continued on and looked through doors and windows, searching for my first target. I found a mostly eaten dead body in the middle of a hallway. Surprisingly, the head looked undamaged, so I didn''t know why it wasn''t up and about looking for food. I wasn''t taking the chance it would, though. I went through the double doors and took out the 9 millimetre handgun and shot the thing in the forehead from a safe distance.


    I checked each and every room if they weren''t locked and cleared the entire floor as I searched for the stairs. I ignored the damaged walls, ceilings, the blood everywhere, and the garbage on the floor. My only concern was the dead and killing them before they killed me.


    I found a pair of chained up double doors that had ''don''t open dead inside'' written on them in blood. I knew what to do to handle it properly, no matter how many dead were actually inside. I raided several rooms of their beds and put them in ce in front of the doors, thanks to using my inventory, and I made a spot where only a single person could pass through.


    Once I had my kill corridor ready, I didn''t bother trying to pick the lock on the chain or tried to cut the chain. I inventoried it and ran to the end of the corridor I made. Barely a secondter, the doors burst open and a flood of walking dead shambled out. Either they were hungry or they could smell anything living nearby and it made them energetic.


    ¡°That''s right, motherfuckers! Come and get me!¡± I shouted and took aim at the closest walker.


    The bark of the handgun was loud in the smaller area and the noise only drew them in faster. I kept shooting and they kepting. It was almost too easy to go for head shots with them so close and I put each and every one of them down before they could reach me.


    When thest of them had a bullet in her head, a nurse by the outfit she wore, I was almost numb to what I had done. The thing was, it had to be done. Leaving them there as a perpetual danger, was never going to end up as a good thing.


    I entered the room, in case there were stragglers or something, and found it was a cafeteria. I almostughed at what could have been a missed opportunity and made my way into the back. Severalrge fridges and a storeroom were full of food, the backup generators keeping things cold as a priority. I stored it all.


    I went to the pantry next and stored everything I could after checking it to make sure it was still good and wasn''t contaminated with blood or insects or anything. No other walking dead were around and I left there with a smile on my face. It had been dirty work and it had been more than worth it for the amount of foodstuffs I had acquired.


    I found the stairs and saw it was dark inside. I sighed at not having the simple expedient of a shlight in my inventory and took out one of the lightsaber keychains. It''s glow was fairly bright in theplete darkness and I went down to the next level of the hospital. My work continued as I removed the stragglers that hadn''t found their way outside already and I went out the exit myself when I reached the ground floor.


    It was at the back of the hospital, so I had some protection from being detected right away. At least, I hoped so, because the back lot of the hospital was filled with dead bodies. They were spread out all over and there were also several containers filled with them. None of them were moving and the sheets covering them had blood near the heads, showing each of them had been dealt with properly.


    I carefully made my way around the building and didn''t see any more walkers, which was odd. I didn''t question it, though. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? I went back around the building and up the hill and found an army camp and supply depot. There were two helicopters that looked partially stripped and six Hummers in desert camouge colors.


    Unfortunately, there were no weapons, food, tools, or anything else left behind. When I checked the vehicles, they had all been expertly disabled with essential parts removed. When the army left, they made sure no one was using what they had to abandon.


    I mentally sighed at not being able to find a working vehicle and left the camp as I walked down the road. I had my handgun out and any walkers I saw I put down, even if they looked dead already. No hole in the head? You better put one there, just to be sure.


    I found a bicycle and shot a rotted body nearby and rode the bike to my house. I didn''t see any walkers along the way, which was weird, and I stopped in front of the house. I saw movement nearby and pointed my handgun at it as I brought out my shotgun to point it at the walker that just stepped out onto the street a few houses away.


    ¡°D-d-d-don''t shoot, mister!¡± The dark-skinned boy said and raised his hands after he dropped the shovel he was using as a weapon.


    ¡°You can talk?¡± I asked and he nodded without speaking, which made me chuckle.


    A ck man stepped out from between two houses and walked over to the walker, pressed an older pistol to the thing''s head, and pulled the trigger. I didn''t lower either the handgun or the shotgun as he approached me. I also kept both people in my sights.


    ¡°We don''t mean you no harm.¡± The man said and lowered his weapon. He didn''t put it away, though.


    ¡°That''s a double negative, so that means you do.¡± I said with a smile and lowered my own weapons, hearing a sigh of relief from the boy. ¡°You need to be more clear about things.¡±


    The man smiled as well and tucked the gun into his waistband as he held his hand out to shake. ¡°Name''s Morgan and that''s my boy, Duane.¡±


    ¡°Sheriff Rick Grimes.¡± I said as I shook his hand, embellishing myself a little. Technically, anyway. If everyone else was dead, I was in charge, wasn''t I? It just wasn''t officially documented.


    Morgan''s smile disappeared and he let my hand go as if it burned him.


    Iughed. ¡°Rx, Morgan. Martialw applies in this situation. I won''t be disputing squatter''s rights or kicking you out of somewhere safe you''ve found to hole up.¡±


    The man let out a loud sigh and nodded.


    ¡°I only came by here to get the keys to the station from my house here.¡± I told him and hopped off the bike. ¡°Feel free to keep that. Appropriated vehicle in an emergency situation and all that.¡±


    Morgan smiled and Duane looked conflicted.


    ¡°As long as you stay in the yard with it.¡± Morgan ordered.


    Duane was no longer conflicted and hopped on the bike to ride it to the backyard.


    ¡°Thank you, Sheriff.¡± Morgan said and we watched the boy have fun, probably for the first time in weeks.


    ¡°I''m not wearing the hat or badge, so you can call me Rick.¡± I said and motioned for him to follow me into the house. I grabbed a picture of my wife and kid, went to the cupboard with tons of keys on it, and grabbed the spare set to the station and this house. ¡°Give me a hand locking up the house, will you?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Rick.¡± Morgan said and we spent several minutes locking and securing the windows and doors of the ce. There wasn''t much we could do about blocking the windows unless we found a ton of wood from somewhere to cover them up.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and shook his hand. ¡°I''m heading out, so you might not see me again for a while. I''m going over to Anta where a survivor''s camp is to look for my son. If there are any spare weapons at the station, I''lle back here and give them to you with some ammo.¡±


    Morgan looked shocked at the offer. ¡°Rick, I... that''s more than generous and...¡±


    ¡°...you think I''m crazy for giving weapons away.¡± I finished for him and he chuckled.


    ¡°With the way the world is going, it''s soon going to be every man for himself.¡± Morgan said.


    ¡°Or every man for his kid.¡± I said as I reached out and ced a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It''s always been that way, only with a whole lot more of society''s rules to abide by.¡±


    Morganughed. ¡°Yeah, that''s true.¡±


    I patted his shoulder and let it go. ¡°I''ll see you in a few hours.¡±


    Morgan nodded and I walked down the street and towards the police station. I had some looting to do and some walkers to blow the heads off of.

 119 Potential Rescue

    119 Potential Rescue


    The police station was empty of walkers. Either all of them had been out on call during the outbreak or they all sumbed to the virus and died. Honestly, it didn''t matter what happened, because it was empty and that was all that mattered.


    I entered through the back door and raided the picked over armory. Several long range rifles and the few shotguns left there, went right into my inventory and all of the ammo that was there. The normal guns were all gone, as were most of the ammo for them, so I didn''t have much left to give to Morgan for his pistol.


    The showers were working with hot water and I spent a stupid amount of time having a hot shower and enjoying it. I thought about taking both the propane tank and the hot water tank when I was done and realized that no one else would ever use it, so I disconnected them and stored them. I wasn''t sure how I was going to produce power to run them and assumed I would find something in a hardware store with various connections for camping stoves and portable heaters, which should work in the short term.


    I changed my uniform out for a fresh one, including the stylish hat, and went to the sheriff''s office and found both a service pistol and a badge. I strapped both onto my uniform and made myself official by signing a paper on the desk, in case anyone ever came here and found it. I doubted it, since everyone would go either to the wilderness and spread out or would congregate in the cities, making it easier for the walkers to overwhelm them.


    The storeroom had sets of handcuffs, bottles of pepper spray, zip ties, and several sets of walkie-talkies. I stored everything as well as the packs of batteries after checking if they were expired, then I went outside. The parking lot had several patrol cars parked there and I found the keys hanging behind the security desk.


    I spent a few minutes hunting down a piece of hose and then siphoned off the gas from every other car in the lot. I filled my tank and several gas cans with the remains and wouldn''t run out of gas anytime soon.


    I locked the station up and drove the car back to where Morgan had set himself and his son up. I gave him one of the long range rifles and one of the shotguns, then a third of the ammo I had gathered. I also warned him about conserving ammo and limiting target practice, because killing walkers should take precedence over bing a better shot. He thanked me for the advice and the guns before I left for good.


    Using a map, I headed off towards Anta and towards where I was meant to go. Was I looking forward to what I was going to have to do? Not really. Was I going to do it anyway? Yes, I was. There were people to save and things to change, so I had to get there long before I was meant to. I had enough gas to not need to steal a horse on the way or waste so many days travelling.


    I did stop on the way at any spot that had walkers and dealt with them, however. It would save me timeter, I was sure. Removing the walking dead was a lofty goal that most people would have ignored or hoped they didn''t have to do. I wasn''t that naive. I knew I was there to deal with the threat it represented, because I was to entertain whomever had set me up as the protagonist.


    With my Karma as far into the negatives as it was, I would have to do something worthy to counter it. Cleansing the dead as much as I could in an apocalypse world, should give me some leeway from my punishment. At least, I hoped so.


    As I drove along the highway towards therge metropolitan city that was Anta, I didn''t fail to notice that all of the traffic was going out of it and all of the vehicles were either abandoned or burned out, meaning there had been a huge altercation along the road and either everyone died or they became undead.


    With a sigh, I drove into the city and fully expected to run into a mass of walking dead. It didn''t take me long to prove myself right and I easily gained the closest one''s attention with the noise of the car and my screeching tires. Before they started to move, I hit the police sirens to let them all know there was fresh meat to chase.


    The mass of walkers rushed towards the car, just as I nned, and I quickly backed away in reverse and drove backwards until I reached a cross street and changed back to drive. I led the mass of undead all the way back to a smaller street clogged with abandoned cars and parked out of the way. I had a short amount of time to set things up and made a simr corridor as I had in the hospital, thanks to therge amount of debris that was nearby.


    I used the shotgun this time as soon as the dead started to walk into the killing area and I unloaded into them without hesitation. The first few died easily, since they took the full st of the shotgun. The ones on the outskirts barely flinched and crowded in instead of fleeing like they should have.


    I kept shooting and they kepting, just like in the hospital. The noise made more and more of them appear and I kept shooting and shooting at the almost never-ending horde of walkers that streamed towards me. I changed to the handgun a few times for a change of pace and even switched hands. I also never stopped shooting.


    It took well over an hour before thest few stragglers stumbled over the piles of bodies and I easily put them out of their misery. Of course, this also meant the entire road was blocked by the mass of dead bodies and rancid blood flowed like a river from the piles and piles of remains.


    Fortunately, I wasn''t an idiot and I didn''t try storing them to get them out of the way, because I was sure my system wasn''t going to keep them separated from the food supplies I also stored. It would be a dick move I fully expected after everything I had gone through thest little while and I wasn''t going to take that chance.


    I spent half an hour driving around and looking for some kind of construction business. I found a small one near the edge of the city and they had a smaller backhoe that was easy to figure out and drive. I left the patrol car there, since I couldn''t store it with my limited space avable, and I drove the tractor over to the area where I had killed all of the walkers.


    It only took a few minutes to scoop them out of the way and pile them off to the side of the road. It was a much shorter time than it took to drive the thing over to that spot and I drove it back to the small lot with the other construction vehicles. I really considered keeping the thing forter use and tried again to store the police car, only to get the same warning message that I needed more room.


    The car was smaller than the tractor, so I knew I couldn''t store the tractor either. Instead of wasting more time, I spent half an hour gathering up the diesel fuel from the various vehicles into the avable barrels and stored them instead. I knew the fuel was more versatile than gas was and anyrger generators used diesel as a main fuel, so having barrels of it would only help meter.


    I hopped into the police car, without the siren of course, and drove back to where I first encountered the walking dead horde. I saw arge tank in the middle of the street and there were several Hummers scattered around, so I thought about changing vehicles and parked near one of the Hummers and checked it out.


    Unfortunately, it was out of fuel and the keys were not in it. I also didn''t see any soldier bodies around or had any clue where the keys could be. I checked the other vehicles and they were in the same state, unusable, and the tank was worse than useless without themand codes to activate theputers and the keys to start the engine.


    Hell, even the ammo for the main guns was pretty much useless, since there was no simr calibre anywhere near any of the other military vehicles. It exined why someone else hadn''t raided them, because they couldn''t be used by a normal person. Even an army grunt wouldn''t be able to use them without an officer''s rating to unlock things for them.


    It made me wonder if a warrant officer would count and then I dismissed the idea, because I would need to raid an army base to find both the codes and the instructions for unlocking things to be used. That wasn''t going to happen in the current environment and I pushed the idea aside.


    I had work to do and people to save, which meant I needed to check the radio frequency inside the tank. It was easy to get inside with both hatches open and I changed my walkie-talkie to the right frequency and climbed back out of the tank.


    *


    Glenn was back on watch on a nearby roof a couple of hours after that police car had mysteriously shown up out of nowhere and skidded to a stop, red its sirens and alerted every walker within several blocks, then the car tore out of there with all of them following it. It was the stupidest and bravest thing he had ever seen and he wasn''t sure if he should praise the idiot for clearing the ce out or yell at him for being so stupid as to get a majority of the city''s walkers chasing him.


    Then again, Glenn wasn''t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, because his search for a safer way to leave with the horde surrounding the building they were holed up in had ended. They could now leave the way they came in and head back to the camp without worries. He just had to decide if he wanted to tell the others about the idiot that had saved them so much trouble.


    At the time, Glenn had waited for half an hour before he decided that was long enough to see if any walkers returned or if the guy lived after such a ballsy move. He had made his way back to the building to let the others know that the way was clear and he still didn''t decide if he should tell them how the way was cleared. Would knowing someone sacrificed themselves for them to leave, make them feel better or worse about things?


    In the end it didn''t matter if they knew, because as soon as he told them the way was clear, the group hunting for supplies had unanimously decided that they would stay much longer than they originally nned and would raid more locations for food and essential items. With the local walker threat pretty much neutralized, there wasn''t anything else that they needed to be worried about.


    Glen had done his best to not roll his eyes or called them idiots then, because he knew that with the main force gone, that didn''t mean the danger from stragglers wasn''t real. Some of the walkers might not have heard that very loud siren as it went through the city or bothered following the horde, even though that was usually their normal behavior.


    Of course, with many more things to take back to the camp, they had to figure out how to get it all back there, which was Glenn''s second task. Looking for something they could use to carry everything, like a small trailer that they could easily pull or something simr. As he searched with a pair of binocrs, the walkie-talkie clipped to his belt clicked twice.


    Glenn pulled it from where it hung and clicked once back before speaking. ¡°No, Andrea. I still haven''t found anything to carry the stuff back yet. Stop bugging me every five minutes with the same question. Over.¡±


    A couple of secondster, the walkie-talkie came to life and a man''s voice he didn''t know was heardughing. ¡°If you told them you would only call if there was a problem or you found something, she wouldn''t bug you so much for information.¡±


    Glenn was very nervous about talking to someone that he didn''t know that also had their radio frequency, so he didn''t respond.


    ¡°Damn, I forgot to say over. Over.¡± The man said and Glenn still didn''t respond. A minuteter, the man spoke again. ¡°I''m pretty sure you can see me from wherever you are, so I''ll let you know where I am. Look down into the street where the huge tank is. Over.¡±


    Glenn couldn''t resist the temptation and hoped the guy didn''t have a sniper rifle or something to pick him off. He crept over to the other side of the building and peeked over the edge at where the tank was, only to catch his breath at the nicely dressed sheriff standing on top of it and waving his hat around.


    ¡°Sheriff Rick Grimes.¡± The man said from the radio. ¡°Before you ask, under the rules of martialw, I won''t be prosecuting certain crimes or keeping note of what people appropriate for necessary survival. Over.¡±


    Glenn let out the breath he was holding and double-clicked the speak button to send the man the signal that he had his attention.


    ¡°If you''re looking for vehicles to haul things and to offer your group of people a more secure way to travel, there''s an enclosed parking area about four blocks away with several moving vans inside.¡± Rick told him.


    Glenn again felt relief and wondered if the guy was going to solve all their problems so easily.


    ¡°I also found a mostly untouched cafeteria and raided their pantry of dry goods, all untainted, and I''m willing to share. Over.¡± Rick added.


    <i>Fuck, he really did.</i> Glenn thought with a chuckle. ¡°Okay, cop-man. You bought my approval. I''ll let the others know and I''ll see if they ept, too. Over.¡±


    ¡°I''ll just sit here and wait.¡± Rick said and put his hat on and sat down on the tank''s main gun. ¡°It''s too bad this thing doesn''t work. It would be fun taking it for a spin and crushing some walkers. Over.¡±


    Glennughed and made his way back over to the main building where the group had made a temporary base. ¡°I checked the Hummers and they''re disabled, too. I don''t know how they did that in the middle of getting attacked. Over.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure it''s SOP, or standard operating procedure, to never give up a working vehicle to the enemy. I went through a temporary army depot back in my home town and everything was out of order, not that they left much of anything when they bugged out. Over.¡± Rick told him.


    That was disappointing for Glenn to hear, because it meant they wouldn''t be raiding any military bases in the future. ¡°Going radio silent until I hear a decision from the group. Over.¡±


    ¡°Copy that, over.¡± Rick responded.


    Glenn reached the building and went inside, greeting the two guards dressed in protective gear that had been waiting for him, in case he was followed and they had to disable any walkers. The three of them went into the break room and the rest of the group gathered there, except for Merle.


    ¡°We heard.¡± Andrea said and held up the other walkie-talkie. ¡°We''ve been discussing it.¡±


    Glenn nodded and sat down withoutmenting that Andrea hadn''t told him off for what he said.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Therge ck man named T-Dog asked.


    ¡°It''s too good to be true.¡± The ck woman said. ¡°He shows up out of nowhere, lures off all the walkers in the area, and offers food and a vehicle that we desperately need? It''s suspicious.¡±


    One of the guards removed his face mask to talk. ¡°He also knew what frequency we use for the radios.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about that, too.¡± Glenn said and everyone in the room shifted slightly and looked ufortable.


    ¡°So, what do we do about him?¡± One of the men asked. ¡°He''s got the only working vehicle in the area and turning down free food would be stupid.¡±


    ¡°It would depend on where he stashed it, since I doubt he could pack much into a police car''s trunk.¡± Andrea said and a few of them nodded.


    ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± Merle suddenly said and everyone jumped in surprise, because they hadn''t heard him approach or knew he was nearby. He chuckled at them being so skittish and rested his rifle on his shoulder. ¡°Give me five minutes alone with him and I''ll have all the information the guy knows.¡±


    The others exchanged nervous looks and looked at Andrea, whom nodded approval.

 120 A Rocky Start

    120 A Rocky Start


    I knew something was wrong with my n to ingratiate myself with the group when it was Merle that came out the side door of the building and approached the tank. I held in my sigh at them sending the crazy nut out to meet me instead of Glenn, whom I had been nice to and thought I had established a good connection with.


    ¡°Hey there, fe.¡± Merle said with a slight southern drawl. ¡°Come on down from there so we can have a nice long talk about your offer.¡±


    Since I wasn''t an idiot, I knew he was trying to get me close enough to attack and probably rob me, not to mention the implication he made about us talking that I knew he really meant interrogating. I carefully stood and walked over to the side of the tank and he took a step back, clearly not enough room for me to safely climb down without him being right there on top of me.


    So, I did the only thing I could do. I jumped and drop-kicked him right in the chest.


    Merle grunted with the hit and wheezed out of breath as we both fell to the ground. The rifle on his shoulder ttered and slid a short distance away and out of his immediate reach, which was great for me. I stood up, only slightly hurt from the short fall after making sure Merle took the brunt of it, and I straddled the guy''s chest with my fist raised. The resigned look on his face let me know that he knew that I knew what his n was.


    I smiled and punched him as hard as I could, popping his head on the pavement and knocking him out. I looted him of his bullets for the rifle and heard the sound of running feete from the alley where the side door was, so I quickly stood and walked over to the dropped rifle and picked it up before I rested it on my shoulder casually, just like Merle had when he walked over to the tank, and I watched as several men arrived.


    They stopped about fifteen feet away and gave me angry looks as they held baseball bats threateningly.


    ¡°It seems my generous offer was rejected, if you''re here to attack me instead of weing me.¡± I said and the three men tensed up, ready for an attack. ¡°I can clearly tell when I''m not wanted, so I''ll graciously let you pick that asshole up and carry him back to your group instead of arresting you all for threatening an officer of thew while performing his duties.¡±


    Those words made them look a little pale and they took a step backwards.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for?¡± I asked and motioned to the unconscious Merle. ¡°Go ahead and take the trash back inside and tell Andrea she made the <b>wrong</b> choice.¡±


    The three men exchanged worried nces before two of them stepped forward nervously and grabbed Merle''s arms and dragged him back over to the third guy that had kept looking at me, as if making sure I wasn''t going to shoot them. His eyes shifted from mine to the rifle on my shoulder and back to my face.


    ¡°Confiscating a dangerous weapon during a criminal act is well within thew.¡± I said and rubbed it in their faces.


    The guy winced and then sighed. He motioned for the other two to withdraw and they all walked backwards to keep me in sight and dragged Merle all the way down to the side door in the alley. Several other people came out to help carry him and they all went back inside together before the door was mmed shut behind them.


    I walked over to my patrol car and put the rifle in the backseat, in case anyone was watching me from somewhere, and I hopped into the driver''s seat and drove away. Hopefully, they took the hint and went to get one of the vans instead of ignoring all of my advice. Did everyone suddenly be less intelligent? Why would they choose to attack an officer of thew after he offered to help them? I had to shake my head at those questions.


    The problem I had now was that I didn''t know where the survivor''s camp was. I had wanted to help the group and travel back to where Lori and Carl were, since they were there at the camp with Shane and the other survivors. My only hope now was to keep an eye out for any moving vehicles and then I could follow them at a safe distance.


    Memories of stakeouts and tailing suspects floated up from the back of my mind and I smiled because they were going to be very useful. For the next few hours, patience was going to be a virtue.


    *


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck.¡± Andrea cursed and almost stomped around the break room as everyone talked about what just happened. She didn''t know how the guy knew Merle wasn''t going to be friendly with him or why he quickly disarmed him and knocked him out. Then again, in her mind, she knew it was the best way to deal with the borderline psycho.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± The ck woman asked when the conversation wasn''t going anywhere.


    ¡°We''ve been away for a lot longer than we nned for already. We can''t waste any more time without risking more walkers showing up.¡± T-Dog said and looked at Andrea. ¡°Did you call the camp and let them know we''re okay now and not trapped?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and they cheered.¡± Andrea said and sat down after burning off her nervous energy.


    ¡°Did you tell them about the cop showing up?¡± Glenn asked. He had stayed inside and didn''t want to get involved with whatever the others were going to do to the officer. He was a gofer, not an interrogator or an enforcer.


    ¡°No, and neither are you.¡± Andrea said and Glenn looked surprised. ¡°They already questioned this mission from the get go. We don''t need to give them proof that we could screw up something like that.¡±


    ¡°We''ll lose everyone''s trust.¡± One of the guards said.


    ¡°I wish we thought of that before letting Merle make a move.¡± The other guardmented.


    ¡°We all supported it, too.¡± The ck woman said, remembering her opinion had swayed them.


    ¡°It should have worked.¡± The other manined. ¡°How did he know not to trust Merle?¡±


    Almost everyone shrugged and said they didn''t know.


    ¡°Maybe he has a cop sense or something.¡± Glenn offered.


    Andrea took a breath and sighed. ¡°It doesn''t matter now. He''s gone and we''re still stuck with how to get everything back to the camp.¡±


    ¡°We can use his idea.¡± Glenn said and everyone gave him pointed looks. ¡°What? It''s only four blocks. I went further than that just scouting for this ce and that was with all the walkers around.¡±


    ¡°He''s right. It''s the best option.¡± The ck woman said, her hypocrisy matched her guilt.


    ¡°Glenn, can you handle it alone or do you need one of us to go with you?¡± Andrea asked.


    ¡°You offering?¡± Glenn asked with a smirk.


    ¡°God, no.¡± Andrea said and shivered, because she could never do Glenn''s job. ¡°T-Dog?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''ll go. I need to get out of here before Merle wakes up.¡± T-Dog said and picked up a bat.


    ¡°Why?¡± The ck woman asked.


    ¡°He''s going to be pissed he was taken out so easily by that skinny cop and lost our only long range gun.¡± T-Dog said and patted Glenn''s shoulder. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Glenn nodded and the pair left before anyone else could say anything. With no walkers to avoid or run from, it didn''t take long before the pair reached the rental ce. It was enclosed with a chain-linked fence that was easily climbed and it had several vehicles inside that were perfect for their needs. Glenn and T-Dog exchanged guilty looks because they should have trusted the cop.


    They easily broke open the key storage and grabbed the numbered keys that matched the number on the closest truck, checked the gas, and T-Dog drove the moving van with therge square back area out of the lot as Glenn opened the locked gate. He hit the close button and ran to the van, climbed into the passenger seat, and they went back to the building without any incidents.


    They backed the vehicle up to the loading dock at the back of the building. They had been smart and had left all the things they gathered there and the rest of the group met them and were ready to help load it up. It didn''t take long with all of them working, even without Merle awake, and they loaded him in as well.


    T-Dog suggested tying the guy up with rope and the others decided against it, so he sat as far away from the unconscious man as possible. His reasons for being wary of Merle were still valid and he didn''t want to suffer the man''s anger when he woke up.


    One of the guards drove and everyone settled down to rx for the ride back to the camp. With a reliable vehicle that offered a lot more protection than anything else they had, it wasn''t going to take long for them to get back to the others. They also had enough supplies that they wouldn''t have to go out scavenging for a long time.


    Neither the driver nor the passenger noticed the police car trailing them from far behind, even with no other cars on that side of the road. Since they thought they were safe and alone, the driver didn''t bother trying to mislead anyone that might be trying to follow them and drove right back to the camp with no deviations.


    The sheriff actually following them was surprised that they had no situational awareness, despite being survivors in an apocalypse, and they led him right to their hidden base camp. It was nestled at the edge of the woods and slightly camouged, which was both good and bad, because people were not going to stumble across it looking for survivors and it was also difficult to defend if any walkers showed up.


    The moving van came to a stop near the end of a driveway-like passage that had several vehicles already there, like a jeep, a motorcycle, and a van with many windows from a church youth group. Several people rushed over to greet the returning group and celebrated as they hugged and kissed their loved ones, like they were heroes.


    Andrea hugged her excited sister Amy and whispered to her that she was fine, that everyone lived, and they had brought lots of things back for the camp. Nearly everyone was happy that they had survived and had returned unscathed, except for Shane. He was a little skeptical, because one update said they were surrounded and trapped and the next update said they were clear without any exnation.


    While the others celebrated, Carl was almost in tears as he told his mother he missed his dad a lot. It always hit him harder when other people returned to the camp and it reminded him that he would never see his own dad again. Lori tried tofort him as Shane asked Andrea and Glenn what had happened to change things.


    Both of them were reluctant to speak, because they didn''t want to exin what happened. Before they could make an excuse to avoid answering, another car pulled in behind the moving van. A police car. It gained everyone''s attention, especially the returning group, and most of them cursed their luck at the cop showing up at their camp right after what they tried to do to him.


    Out of all of them, Shane was the most nervous. He recognized the markings on the car as one from his hometown and he knew things were going to change for him if there was another deputy sheriff at the campsite. When the door opened and the man stepped out and hid most of his face with his stylish hat, Shane suspected the guy also knew things would change with him there. He was also clean and his uniform looked new, too.


    The guard hugged his wife and child tightly as he stepped back and away from the neer, making a few of the people that stayed in the camp nervous, which really made sure that everyone was focusing on the officer, then the man stood up to his full height and moved his hat back to reveal his face.


    The reactions were a mix of surprise, awe, trepidation, and shock. Surprise from the older man and a couple of the women in the camp, awe from Amy and another woman at seeing the handsome and clean man that looked great in a uniform, trepidation from the group that just returned, and shock was felt by both Shane and Lori, because they knew that face well.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Carl''s voice asked, as if unsure. He took a stumbling step, then another, then he started to run towards him with his arms out. ¡°DAAAAAAD!¡±


    The sheriff beamed a smile at the boy and knelt on one knee to catch him as Carl leapt into his arms. They hugged and Carl cried as he held his father for the first time in almost a month. He normally wouldn''t cry, because he was a big boy; but, he had his dead father back and a few tears were okay, just this once.


    ¡°It''s okay, son. I''m here. I''m here.¡± Rick reassured him and stayed kneeling.


    Lori exchanged nervous and guilty looks with Shane and he couldn''t keep his face nk like he wanted. He knew she would toss him aside, now that her husband was back among the living. It didn''t matter if he thought Rick was dead when he left him at the hospital during the evacuation, because he was there now and everything would change... or so he thought.


    When Lori started to walk over to Rick and Carl to join in on the family reunion, Rick held his hand up behind Carl''s back in a stop motion. It gained everyone''s attention, because he then wiggled his ring finger. His empty ring finger. The small band of whiteness where a ring should be, stood out like a beacon.


    Lori''s heart plummeted at the sight, her guilt almost crushing her because she also wasn''t wearing her wedding ring, and Shane''s heart stuttered for a second before it silently rejoiced. Maybe he wouldn''t be shoved aside after all.


    Andrea''s sister Amy also felt really happy at the reveal, because it meant she didn''t have to settle for either of the assholes that were still single in the camp. She hated both brothers, despite their skills at survival, and had hoped more people would eventually show up at the camp to give her some options besides bad and worse.


    Rick let Carl go to stand up, or tried to, and Carl held onto him. Rick chuckled and scooped the boy up into his arms and stood, easily carrying the extra weight like it was nothing. Before he could do more than nod at Shane, there was an inarticte yell from the back of the moving van.


    The back door slid up and Merle stumbled out. ¡°What the hell just... wait...¡± He stopped mid-rant and looked around, realizing he was back at the camp. His eyes saw Rick and he stomped over to him.


    Everyone was prepared to witness a knock-down dragged-out fight and Rick tried to put Carl down, only he wasn''t letting go. Merle reached them and raised his hand... then he burst outughing and pped Rick on the back.


    ¡°What... what the hell are we seeing?¡± T-Dog asked, shocked at the reaction.


    ¡°You gotta respect a man that can hit hard enough to knock me out long enough for you guys to drag my sorry ass all the way back here to camp.¡± Merle said and keptughing at everyone''s shocked looks. He walked away from Rick towards his own living area at the campsite. ¡°I''ll look for youter to talk about getting my rifle back.¡±


    Everyone watched him until he disappeared from sight, fully expecting him to run back and tackle the sheriff. He didn''t. Merle meant what he said and wouldn''t cause trouble over someone getting the drop on him when he was trying to get the drop on them. Plus, he knew with a sheriff around, things were going to change within the group and he wanted to see what happened next.


    ¡°You''re alive.¡± Lori said, her voice soft and full of disbelief.


    ¡°I am now.¡± Rick said, confusing her. ¡°I''m pretty sure I died at least once back in the hospital.¡± He said, shocking her and everyone else. ¡°With no power and no nurses or anyone else taking care of things, I was left all alone when everyone else was evacuated.¡±


    Lori felt tearse to her eyes at his words.


    ¡°Hey, it''s all right. I eventually woke up and made my way out and came here looking for Carl.¡± Rick said and Lori almost choked on the sob she held back at being so easily dismissed. ¡°We can talk about thatter.¡± He said and looked over at Glenn. ¡°At least you didn''t ignore everything I said and used my moving van idea.¡±


    Glenn looked embarrassed. ¡°The group decided not to trust you and I wasn''t going against that.¡±


    ¡°What does he mean?¡± Amy asked and red at her sister. ¡°He''s a goddamn sheriff!¡±


    Andrea looked embarrassed, too. ¡°He showed up out of nowhere with all the answers to our problems and even had our radio frequency. It was too suspicious and too convenient, so we discussed it and voted on it.¡±


    Amy''s re didn''t lessen at all. ¡°Really? His job is to protect and serve! He showed up to help and you decided to not trust him? What would he have to do to convince you he was being honest? Strip off and hand over his weapons?¡±


    ¡°No, Merle was going to interrogate me and find out where I stashed the supplies I found.¡± Rick said and several people gasped, because they knew Merle wouldn''t be gentle at all. ¡°It''s all right, since I handled him before he could handle me, and he apparently respects that.¡±


    ¡°You also took his gun from him, so he''s a little lost without it.¡± T-Dog said.


    ¡°It''s useless as a weapon in close quarters, anyway. The stock will onlyst a few hits before splintering and rendering it worthless for shooting afterwards.¡± Rick told them and they looked surprised. ¡°I brought five more with me from the police station, so there''s plenty to go around if anyone else wants one.¡±


    They all looked surprised at the offer.


    ¡°I have some ammo for them, as well as a few shotguns. The handguns were all gone except for this one.¡± Rick said and patted the holster on his hip. ¡°I won''t be handing anything over without some gun safety lessons first.¡±


    A few of the survivors chuckled at the qualification.


    ¡°Before any of that happens, who wants a meal of army rations?¡± Rick asked and they were surprised again. ¡°I have a crate of them in the trunk of the squad car.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I''ve always wondered what they tasted like.¡± Amy said and stepped away from her sister and gave Rick a very weing smile. ¡°You''ll have to teach us how to prepare them.¡±


    Rick gave her the same smile back and motioned to the car''s trunk. ¡°Sure, it''s really easy. Step into my office and the lesson willmence immediately.¡±


    Amyughed and her hand went to his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. ¡°By the way, wee to camp. It''s really nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Rick said and shifted Carl to his hip and used the keys to unlock the trunk, then held a hand out to her to shake. ¡°Sheriff Rick Grimes, at your service.¡±


    Amy took the hand and held it without shaking it as she smiled at him. ¡°Amy Harrison, and I can''t wait for you to service me.¡±


    A few people made surprised sounds and someoneughed loudly.


    ¡°I think you and I are going to get along just fine.¡± Rick told her and smiled back.

 121 Camping Is Fun

    121 Camping Is Fun


    Amy was not subtle at all with her flirting as we all sat around the unlit campfire. It was kind of refreshing, to be honest. The yful banter with her as I showed everyone how to prep the MREs, actually made me feel a lot better about showing up at the camp right after the group returned, instead of waiting and pretending to find themter. The looks on Lori''s and Shane''s faces made it worth it, too.


    With everyone around, neither of them could confront me about anything and they would have to wait until we were rtively alone, assuming I could get Carl to let me go sometime today. It made me chuckle how even with him right there, it didn''t stop Amy''s flirting even a little bit. Thankfully, a lot of it went over my son''s head and only the adults near us understood what was really going on.


    Amy was a good-looking woman with dirty-blonde hair and a nice figure. It was even better because she was sisters with Andrea, whom had declined my generous offer of help and Amy was pretty angry with her about it, pretty much cementing me as a means for her to tease and get back at her sister.


    While everyone ate and enjoyed the much tastier MREs, the situation back in Anta came out and a few of the people at the camp were not happy with how the group had handled things. Then again, they also said they should have brought me in and watched me instead, then turned on me if I proved to be lying or was too dangerous to have around.


    I agreed that would have been a better choice, mostly because it would have given them time to see that I was genuine with my offer and I wasn''t trying to trick them. I did not call them out for keeping Merle and his brother around, either. Sometimes having dangerous people around during certain situations actually helped.


    After the meal, the moving van was raided and emptied of everything as they dispersed it all to wherever it was needed the most. A lot of the food and things went inside the RV, the biggest vehicle they had, because it had a refrigerator and storage space for a lot of it. They had even drained the fuel from the other vehicles to keep the RV topped up for the small amount of power needed, as well for the CB radio and the small single person shower it had.


    I offered one of my full gas cans from my trunk and a lot of the survivors thanked me graciously, because they had to use the shower sparingly with so many people around. Of course, being the idiot I was for not keeping my big mouth shut, I mentioned raiding the police station''s huge hot water tank and a full propane tank. I was immediately bombarded with requests to go get them right away and to set them up.


    My excuses of not having the power to hook them up or run them properly were ignored and I was pointed to arge generator that they didn''t have any fuel for. Luckily, I wised up and did not mention the barrels of diesel fuel I had raided from the construction site and instead I promised to head out soon to go to my stash with the moving van.


    Nearly everyone cheered and I was enthusiastically thanked, with Amy being the most thankful when her hand sneakily slid down onto my butt and her lips pressed to my cheek. The pleased look she gave me when she let me go, let me know she was very happy that I hadn''t reacted negatively or said anything about the casual grope.


    I debated returning the favor and decided against it for now, because I didn''t want to be too tant about things. I also didn''t ask for anyone toe with me to help, since I didn''t want to give away where my stash was. When I mentioned that and going alone for safety reasons, no one objected and a few of them gave me approving nods.


    ¡°Are you sure you don''t want me toe along for somepany?¡± Amy asked, suggestively.


    I couldn''t let that question go without an appropriate response. ¡°You''d being along all right, only you wouldn''t be much help in moving things. We''d be busy all night.¡±


    Someone made a snorting sound and softlyughed. I was pretty sure it was a woman this time, too. I didn''t try to see who it was, though. Amy on the other hand, gave me a huge knowing smile and a look of anticipation. Yep, she was going to be a fun one.


    ¡°Carl, I need to hand you off to your mom...¡± I started to say and his arms tightened around my neck, almost choking me. ¡°Hey, don''t worry. I''m not leaving you.¡±


    The others watched as I stood and carried him over to the front of the squad car and pulled out a set of walkie-talkies. I turned both on, hooked one to my belt, and gave him the other one.


    ¡°I''ll keep mine on the whole time and you can talk to me whenever you want to make sure I''m okay. All right?¡± I asked him.


    Carl let my neck go and hugged it to his chest as he nodded.


    ¡°Just press this button twice to get my attention and wait a few seconds. Hold it in to speak, say ''over'' when you''re done, then let the button go. That way I know I can speak back.¡± I exined. ¡°Want to give it a try?¡±


    Carl nodded again and tapped the button twice. The one on my belt chirped twice, as did Glenn''s and the one Andrea had in her bag.


    ¡°Oh, right. They all match right now. You can change frequencies like this.¡± I said and showed him how to put the channel onto the next one. I did mine and smiled at the looks the group from Anta had on their faces at the simple exnation of why I had the same frequency as them. It was a lie; but, they didn''t know that. ¡°Try it again.¡±


    Carl did so and only mine chirped.


    I pulled the walkie-talkie from my belt and held it up close to my ear.


    Carl pushed the button. ¡°Dad, this is kinda fun.¡± He said and let the button go without saying anything else.


    ¡°You need to say ''over''.¡± I whispered. ¡°I forgot that the first time talking to Glenn, too.¡±


    Carlughed and it almost sounded like a giggle as he pushed the button. ¡°Over!¡± He almost shouted and let the button go.


    I waited a couple of seconds and pushed the button on mine. ¡°Hi, Carl! I haven''t heard from you since a few seconds ago. You must be at least ten years old by now. Over.¡±


    Carl pushed the button. ¡°Daaaaad! I''m twelve! No! I''m twelve and a half!¡± He said and giggled. ¡°Over!¡±


    Iughed and hit the button again. ¡°This concludes the demonstration of proper radio operation. Thank you. Over and out.¡±


    ¡°Over and out.¡± Carl said and let the button go.


    ¡°I won''t be long.¡± I said and walked around the people gathered and knelt to sit Carl next to Lori. ¡°I think it''s about an hour or so to get there?¡± I asked with a shrug. ¡°The traffic''s surprisingly clear on the inboundnes and the speed limit is pretty much only a suggestion at this point.¡±


    That earned me a fewughs from the men andments about speed demons from a few women.


    ¡°I''m not sure where the closest hardware store is, though.¡± I said and stood.


    ¡°What do you need at a hardware store?¡± Glenn asked.


    ¡°Some essential stuff like piping, fasteners, and maybe some wood for bracing? I''ll definitely need some caulking as a sealer.¡± I said and almost everyone gave me confused looks. ¡°I''ll exinter.¡±


    Glenn stood and walked over to me as he pulled out a map of Anta. ¡°There''s a pile of ransacked and wrecked businesses along here, between Lake Avenue and Fourth Street near the outskirts of town.¡± He said and ran his finger along a stretch of road. ¡°I''m sure I remember passing a hardware store around there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I''ll check it out on the way back.¡± I said and started to walk away.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Glenn suddenly said.


    I paused to turn back to look at him as I gave him my best amused smile. ¡°I''m not that big of an ass to me you for not wanting to go against everyone on my behalf. We just met and trust has to be earned, right?¡±


    ¡°I... yeah.¡± Glenn said and ducked his head slightly. ¡°I''m just sorry I doubted you instead of giving you the benefit of the doubt.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°That saying sounds weird, doesn''t it? What''s the benefit of the doubt? Not doubting? Then why is it called a benefit of doubt?¡±


    Everyone stared at me like I was speaking nonsense.


    ¡°Someone remind meter that we have to raid a library or something.¡± I said and walked over to the squad car.


    I climbed in and drove it back slightly before I pulled it off to the side just enough to get the moving van out. I took the rifle out from the backseat and locked the doors, then put the gun inside the trunk and locked it. They already had a crate of MREs and one of my gas cans and wouldn''t be getting any more for a while. I slipped the keys into my pocket and went to the moving van''s driver''s side.


    ¡°Here.¡± One of the guards said and I turned as he tossed me the set of keys.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and climbed in, started it up, and backed up slowly. I reached a wider area and turned the moving van around, waved at Carl, and drove off.


    Barely a minuteter, the walkie-talkie on my belt chirped twice to get my attention. I unhooked it and held it up as I drove with one hand.


    ¡°Hey, Dad! Is it working?¡± Carl asked and was silent for a few seconds. ¡°Over!¡±


    I decided to y a bit of a prank and pushed the button. ¡°No, it''s not working. Please leave a message and try again. Over.¡±


    There was a click a few secondster and I could hearughs in the background.


    ¡°Mom said you''re being a dick.¡± Carl said and there was some scrambling sounds, a lot moreughter, a shouted ''hey'' from Carl, and another click cut off the sound.


    Iughed and put the walkie-talkie on the seat beside me and within easy reach. Someone would be calling me back soon... right after Carl was told off for cursing.


    *


    ¡°I can''t believe he''s funny, too.¡± Amy whispered after watching the poor kid getting told off for repeating what his mom said. She watched as Lori pretty much dragged Carl over to their tent and they went inside, probably for some privacy.


    The other survivors moved off to do their own things as well, with Shane and Dale on afternoon watch, and they left the two sisters sitting by the unlit campfire alone.


    Andrea sighed. ¡°Look, you know I love you...¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Amy said with a roll of her eyes, because she knew her sister was going to rant at her about something.


    ¡°I wish you weren''t acting like such a slut over a married man.¡± Andrea said.


    ¡°Uhhhhh.¡± Amy groaned and managed to not p herself as she palmed her own forehead. ¡°You saw how he acted when he first saw Lori.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean they''ve broken up.¡± Andrea said and Amy gave her a pointed look.


    ¡°Uh huh. He clearly saw the guilty looks Shane and Lori shared, then he showed off the missing ring on his finger. We all saw that.¡± Amy reminded her and Andrea reluctantly nodded. ¡°Everyone knows Shane and Lori have been getting it on for weeks now, despite how they think they''re sneaking around and hiding it from everyone.¡±


    ¡°His wife cheating on him doesn''t give you the right to throw yourself at him every few minutes.¡± Andrea tried to exin.


    ¡°No, no, no. You left out the best parts. She''s cheating on the father of her son, her loving and devoted husband, with his best friend. And his patrol partner. And Shane saved his life after Rick was shot. And then left him for dead at the hospital when everyone evacuated.¡± Amy exined right back.


    ¡°For fuck''s sake.¡± Andrea sighed and rubbed her face. ¡°You''re not going to let this go, are you?¡±


    Amy gave her a tooth bearing grin that was worthy of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wondend. ¡°You heard what he said to her. He died back in the hospital. Do you understand what that means?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Andrea said and used as sarcastic of a tone as she could when she spoke next. ¡°Why don''t you enlighten me, oh wise and ancient one.¡±


    Amyughed and punched her shoulder. ¡°Their wedding vows, you idiot! What do they say?¡±


    Andrea gave her a confused look for several seconds before her mouth dropped open.


    ¡°That''s right. Til death do us part.¡± Amy said, almost triumphantly. ¡°He told them he died and pretty much gave Shane permission to keep his cheating wife. Rick can move on to the next best thing to ever happen to him without feeling even a little bit guilty about it.¡±


    Andrea closed her mouth and looked away from her very happy sister. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck.¡±


    ¡°You get it now.¡± Amy said and stood up to grin down at her sister. ¡°You didn''t trust the hottest cop to ever show up, and probably messed up his ns, because he wasing here looking for his son anyway.¡±


    Andrea didn''t say that wasn''t why she was cursing. It was because she just realized she had ruined any chance she had of getting with the guy herself and had pretty much handed the most eligible bachelor over to her very horny sister without a fight. Hell, even the couple of women around the camp that were flexible with rtionships, wouldn''t stand a chance against Amy''s brazen attitude.


    ¡°I think I''ll go see if I can borrow something nice from Miranda and take a shower in the RV.¡± Amy said and started to walk away as she muttered to herself. ¡°I wonder if Dale would let me borrow his wife''svender soap?¡±


    Andrea watched her sister for a few moments before she stood and went to their tent. She might be disappointed in her sister for acting like she does; but, she also didn''t want her feelings to be hurt if she was rejected. She pulled out a tiny bottle of expensive perfume from her backpack that she had found in the department store back in Anta.


    Since she knew she could still do something about the situation, her sister was not going to smell like stale flowers when Rick came back to the camp tonight.


    *


    It was kind of freeing to drive at ungodly speeds on an open highway. I had to at least pretend to leave the area and would camp out for a short while, unload some of my limited inventory into the back of the moving van, and then head back. The ruse would be good enough to fool them, since I doubted they had the means to detect me from so far away.


    The only hole in my n was the distance the walkie-talkies could reach. I hadn''t lied and said Carl could call me at any time to check on me, and he did. He just didn''t know how far away I actually was. Actually, I didn''t really know, either. I chuckled at that and came to a stop at a rtively clear stretch of highway on both sides, set up an alert ward around the moving van, and tried to take a short nap.


    Surprisingly, I was out for about an hour and nothing showed up and neither Carl nor Lori called. I dropped the ward and cleaned up, then drove all the way back to Anta. I had a hardware store to check out and to see what I could find.

 122 Handy Dandy Part One

    122 Handy Dandy Part One


    It wasn''t difficult to find therge hardware store. It was also half-burned out and torn apart, as if there had been something valuable inside and someone wrecked it all to stop other people from getting it. Most of the wood was gone to ash or ruined, so I had to pick through it all to find some good pieces. I didn''t have the time to search for somewhere else to get wood to build what I needed.


    It wasn''t until I was cutting through the fifth partially burned 2x4 with a hand saw that my eyesnded on the metal shelves I was using like a sawhorse and I noticed they were bolted together and had multiple holes to screw things together in many different configurations.


    Iughed and cursed at myself for being so stupid to miss something so obvious and gathered the few pieces of wood I did harvest into my inventory and then ran for the tool section. I loaded up on everything, including different hammers and things, then I grabbed the biggest socket and wrench set they had and ran back to quickly and easily disassemble a bunch of shelves and stored them.


    With a good portion of my inventory in the back of the moving van, I had lots of room for other things. I answered Carl''s call when he checked in on me and walked back to the front of the store to check the fronts of the aisles where they listed which items were in which aisles. I found where the camping supplies were stored and didn''t have high hopes, because anyone trying to survive would have raided there first.


    To my utter surprise, the area was almostpletely untouched. There were several tents of different sizes, blow up mattresses, sleeping bags, camp stoves, small propane tanks for them, portable heaters,nterns,rger barbecue grills, and therger propane tanks for them as well. Thankfully, they were all still viable and hadn''t leaked or were empty.


    I stored everything I could, especially the recement parts, then went to the aisle with plumbing supplies. I grabbed everything I could that I might need, and a few extras, including tools, taps, hoses, fasteners, elbows, sealing tape for pipes, and plumber''s glue.


    My next stop was the electrical section and I grabbed wiring, plugs, light sockets, a small electrical panel, fuses and circuit breakers as recements, and then went to the automotive section. I grabbed all the car batteries still there, hookups for them, spark plugs, tools for engines, a smattering of oil filters, all the different kinds of oil they had for engines, and a few spare parts that usually needed to be changed in a car after a lot of general use.


    Just for the hell of it, I popped by the housewares section and grabbed several kettles, a coffee maker, a microwave, and a toaster. It might take me a while to figure out how to rig something up to run it all, since I still had all of my general skills in the back of my mind, only they were all reduced to minimal levels. It would take practice and time to get my skills back up to normal.


    Then again, I could also cheat a bit and set something fake up and then magic up the inside of the electrical panel instead to generate power. I still knew all the runes and enchantments in my head and only had to get back into the habit of carving them instead of just waving my hand or a wand to form the runes automatically.


    <i>I really miss having my full powers.</i> I thought with a sigh and left that area. As I was walking by the next aisle, I saw the bathroom section and had a really cool idea. I went down the aisle and it was only slightly messed up, as if someone shoved things out of the way to get at something else. That was fine, because therger items were too heavy to do that and had been left alone.


    The three things I had in my mind to check were at the end of the row. A toilet, a pedestal sink, and a shower cubicle. All three of them were in boxes and only needed to be assembled, which was perfect, because I could set up a full-size bathroom in the back of the moving van with lots of room left over for a normal bed, a small couch, and maybe a television or fake firece.


    The shower was great, because it was formed stic on three walls with a plexiss door. It could be easily attached to any surface, especially in a corner, and therge square base that came with a drain had enough room inside for two people.


    Another stop at the plumbing section gained me enough piping to run the drain out through the side of the van, if I used the wood pieces I had to make a small tform and a metal shelf for the shower to sit on. It was perfect.


    I grabbed some quick-setting caulking and sealer, so I wouldn''t have to wait for a day for the thing to set, and ran over to where therge stic containers for water storage were. None of them wererge enough to work as reservoirs, unless I stacked them and connected them with gravity-fed hoses and sealed them.


    That gave me the idea to grab water filters and one of the smaller sump pumps, which should let me connect the drainpipe back up to the top of the water reservoir. With that idea mapped out, I could then hook the reservoir to the hot water tank for it to draw on, in which it boils the water for use and would conserve a lot of water if it was a closed system.


    I would have to leave ess points for the filters to clean them, though. Then again, if I put them between each container on the connecting hoses and added valves, it would be downright easy to pop the filters off and clean or rece them. I nodded to myself and grabbed more filters and other things I would need, then left the store.


    Two businesses down was a bed store and it had been ransacked as well. I knew the good stuff was always kept in the back, so I made my way through the store, stepping on ruined mattresses, and kicking a few broken frames aside, then I used a sledgehammer on the doorhandle to the back room.


    I almostughed at the near warehouse that revealed and figured I could surprise the people back at the camp with a few fresh mattresses and simple metal bar frames that were easily assembled. That''s assuming they cared about it and wanted to use it. They barely used up any space anyway and I stored a bunch of them.


    While I was there, I loaded up on as many pillows and bedding supplies I could before I found and stored thergest and most expensive wooden frame and matching mattresses. The deluxe model was three grand and I didn''t feel guilty about stealing it, since it was going to be put to good use and as soon as possible.


    After I grabbed piles of tarps, my supply run was done. I loaded up what I could in the back of the moving van, filling up the rest of the space with the expensive bed frame, and I stacked the ten mattresses on top of the roof, with five at the front and five at the back. I tied them down and secured them, then drove out of the city and watched to see if there was anyone following me.


    I drove off the highway using a different exit and backtracked a bit, checked again for followers, and then made the loop and went back to the camp. No one was following this experienced cop back to his hideout, no sir.


    *


    Amy was almost beside herself with excitement when Carl had yelled out from his tent that his dad wasing back. It was a bitter than Rick had told them, and that was okay, because Carl had kept them updated with where he was and what he was doing. She wasn''t sure where they were going to put up a bunch of metal shelving or what he wanted it for, though.


    She pushed those thoughts aside and tried to not think about what was going to happen when he arrived. If she did, she was sure she would be concentrating on the wrong thing and her expectations were going to be too high for anyone to meet, let alone a man that actually understood her. At least, she assumed he did.


    Rick had bantered with her like a champion and Amy had a lot of fun just hanging out with him, even with all the other people around them and with his son on hisp, and wasn''t that really weird?


    Amy''s eyes went to her sister and she felt adoration for her, because she had given her some really nice perfume that made her feel extra pretty in Miranda''s borrowed dress. The blue color really brought out her eyes and highlighted her hair, making Amy''s opinion of the Latino woman go through the roof for somehow keeping the thing wrinkle-free after everything they had been through.


    The sound of tires on dirt gained her attention and Amy held herself still to stop herself from fidgeting or to run over to where she knew he was going to park. She didn''t want to seem too eager to see him and she also didn''t want him to think she was desperate, even if she was. She hadn''t had a good time in so long that she was sure she would be dry as a bone down there before anyone else saw it.


    Some of the others saw the moving vaning and also stopped what they were doing to look, then they were all surprised when the van turned near the end of their driveway-like road and then it swung around and backed up towards the camp instead of driving in.


    ¡°Are those full-size mattresses on the roof?¡± Juan asked. He and his wife Miranda had walked over to watch Rick''s reaction to seeing Amy all dolled up.


    ¡°They are.¡± Dale said and walked over too as he dropped his binocrs around his neck. ¡°I wonder why he put them on top with all the room the cargo area should have in the back?¡±


    Thatment had a few of the survivors at the camp wonder as well. What could be in the back?


    The van''s driver''s side opened and Rick carried out a handful of tarps. ¡°Can I get a hand spreading some of these out? I need to unload a pile of stuff to make enough room in the back to set up my bed.¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡± Amy shouted and blushed a little in embarrassment.


    Rick''s eyes went to her and he took in all of her as he gave her a very warm smile. Amy''s heart started to pound in her ears at that look and she blushed fully, because she knew he really liked what he was seeing. It was definitely worth the price of doing all of Miranda''sundry tomorrow to borrow the dress.


    ¡°I''ll give you a hand if you hand over one of those mattresses for me and my family.¡± Juan offered.


    Rick looked over at him and nodded. ¡°I''ve got the metal frames and some shelving for braces buried under the shower stall and toilet box, so we need to move those first.¡±


    ¡°Honey, don''t get mad if I tell him I love him, too.¡± Miranda joked and her husband looked surprised, then he barked augh.


    Rick chuckled and tore open the tarp packages and put one down at the side of the road. ¡°Where''s a good spot to store things temporarily and out of the way?¡±


    ¡°Right over there.¡± Dale said and pointed to a rtively t area past the parked vehicles. ¡°How long are you going to leave the stuff there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a day or two while I work on making the van livable and put up shelving.¡± Rick said and handed half the tarps to Juan and they both walked over to the spot. ¡°Who wouldn''t want a tiny apartment on wheels with proper facilities inside?¡±


    Dale chuckled, too. It was his RV everyone was using for washing up and it was a small apartment on wheels. He helped them spread the tarps out and the three of them walked over to the moving van. Rick didn''t warn them before he pulled up the rolling back door and everyone gasped, because the thing was packed from floor to ceiling with stuff.


    ¡°Don''t ask me how I got it all in there, because I don''t really know myself. It just ended up this way.¡± Rick said and started handing a few of the smaller things out. ¡°Try to keep the boxes of plumbing supplies and the different pipes and taps separate. I need those to set up the full shower tomorrow and to hook up the hot water heater.¡±


    ¡°What about power?¡± Dale asked and let them pile the smaller boxes in his arms.


    ¡°I have a pile of car batteries, wiring, and electrical things I need to figure out. I''ll do it quick and dirty at first, just to get the thing up and running, then I''ll make something that''llst a lot longer and fix it.¡± Rick told them and pointed to where the batteries were stacked up.


    ¡°Goddammit, we didn''t have half this amount of stuff after the raid and we had a whole crew.¡± Juan said and pulled out one of the long pieces of wood bed frame.


    ¡°Leave that right here.¡± Rick said and pointed to the tarp beside the road. ¡°It''s part of my bed frame.¡±


    Amy watched as they unloaded a ridiculously expensive looking bed that needed to be put together and two very nice mattresses were put on them. One was a half box spring and the other had a padded top that looked both firm andfortable. Yep, yep, yep! It was definitely worth getting dressed up for a date if she could sleep on a bed like that!


    A few of the other men came over, including Shane, and the unloading happened much faster with Dale directing them at the drop-off point. Of course, the two men also asked for the same payment as Juan and Rick agreed, if they could find adder, because he forgot to bring one. That made them allugh, because he had pretty much brought everything else from the hardware store and forgot that.


    When they had cleared out a good portion of the cargo area, about halfway to the front, they saw the things Rick himself had said he raided from other ces. That included the dry foodstuffs from the cafeteria as well as all the different propane tanks stacked together off to the side. No one mentioned the small gun rack or the nice shotguns and rifles hung there.


    ¡°How the hell...¡± Shane started to ask when he saw the huge water tank and propane tank from the police station at the far front of the cargo area.


    ¡°Don''t bother.¡± Juan said and pped him on the back. ¡°He doesn''t know how, either.¡±


    ¡°I won''t need help moving them around, since I''m going to build them in ce.¡± Rick said and the men gave him odd looks. ¡°It''ll cut off some room; but, I''m putting the bathroom and shower there anyway, so keeping it all at the front makes more sense than trying to do it here at the back and having it all in the way.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I didn''t even think of it that way.¡± Juan said. ¡°If you need a hand with it...¡±


    ¡°...call someone else?¡± Rick asked and heughed.


    ¡°You''re going to fit in just fine here.¡± Juan said and picked up the four metal pieces to his bed frame. His wife Miranda called over their two kids and they helped her carry several metal shelves. ¡°I''ll be back for some tools and the mattress.¡±


    ¡°And adder!¡± Rick reminded him and his chuckle echoed a little.


    The other two men also grabbed the metal frame pieces and promised toe back for the shelves and mattresses, too.


    Shane stood there and didn''t say anything for several seconds, then he took a deep breath.


    ¡°Don''t.¡± Rick said without looking at him and Shane sighed. ¡°I don''t want to know.¡±


    ¡°Rick, I...¡± Shane started to say.


    ¡°It''s only been a few weeks and you both moved on already.¡± Rick said and looked at his best friend with as nk of a face as he could. ¡°I know where I stand and I know where you stand.¡± He said and tried to not smile. ¡°Lori chose to stand with you. Whether I was dead or not, doesn''t matter. She chose you.¡±


    Shane tried to keep his face as nk as Rick''s and he couldn''t. His smug smile flickered to life before he could stop it and he didn''t try to fight it anymore. ¡°I really did think you were dead.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Rick said and turned away. He didn''tment that it took almost no convincing on Shane''s part for Lori to spread her legs for him, probably because she wanted to make a more stable environment for Carl to grow up in. Being a single mother in the apocalypse was a daunting task.


    ¡°Do you need a hand with that?¡± Shane asked as Rick picked up one of therge bed frame pieces.


    ¡°No, thanks. I got this.¡± Rick said and slid the heavy wood into the back of the moving van. ¡°Let me know what the watch schedule is tomorrow and I''ll try to take a shift or two this week.¡±


    Shane nodded and walked away, very happy with how things were turning out.


    Amy watched in anticipation as Rick spent a short amount of time putting the huge bed together properly. He added the mattresses on top of it in the right order, the half box spring on the bottom, and then pulled out the pillows and bedding from somewhere. Had he hidden them or something?


    Rick hopped down from the van''s back and closed it, then walked right over to her. ¡°Hi, Amy.¡±


    ¡°H-hi!¡± Amy squeaked and tried to not look nervous with him so close.


    Rick gave Amy that warm smile she was really starting to like and her heart sped up. ¡°I''m a bit gamey, so if you can wait for a few minutes while I get a quick shower, I''ll be ready for our date.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Amy said, excitedly. ¡°I mean, sure. No problem. I can wait a bit longer.¡±


    Rick chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek briefly. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    Amy nodded and watched him walk across the camp and over to the RV, her mind racing at all the possibilities the night might hold for her.


    ¡°Steal one of the pillows for me.¡± Andrea said from beside her.


    ¡°AH!¡± Amy nearly jumped out of her skin at the fright. ¡°What the hell!¡± She eximed and smacked her sister''s arm. ¡°Don''t sneak up on me like that!¡±


    Andrea gave her a deadpan stare. ¡°I''ve been standing here the whole time.¡±


    Amy blinked her eyes at her, then blushed to a deep red from embarrassment. Rick had been so distracting that she hadpletely forgotten that her sister was right beside her.

 123 Date Night

    123 Date Night


    Taking a cold shower sucked. On the plus side, it woke my tired ass up for my date and I mentally promised myself to get the heated shower up and running as soon as possible. A feeling of regret briefly touched me when I realized I could have stored some of my civilian clothing back at the house before I left home, then I chuckled.


    Going back there would be stupid for clothing when I could just pop over to the city that''s like 20 minutes away and could raid a department store or something. I dried myself off and put my uniform on, the only clothes I had. It felt slightly warm and looked freshly pressed, which surprised me, and I put on my equipment belt and gun.


    When I stepped out of the RV, a woman with short hair named Carol was there holding an iron and I saw an ironing board leaned against the RV. I gave her a huge smile and her cheeks went a little red, so I couldn''t resist giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before I leaned in to hug her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said loud enough for others to hear and then I put my mouth by her ear as I whispered. ¡°Nod your head if your husband Ed is abusing you or your daughter Sophia.¡±


    Carol stiffened slightly and then her head moved only slightly, almost too small to see. I saw it, though.


    ¡°I''ll be by sometime tonight to handle it.¡± I whispered the promise and let her go. Her wide eyes let me know she was shocked at both the offer and that I knew what was happening to her.


    I didn''t remind her that it was my job to take care of people and that things would be changing around here. It wasn''t like I was going to take over, since that was too much work and responsibility for a single person to handle alone. I would be making things a lot more safer, however.


    I walked around her and went back over to the moving van, because the two men that helped before were there. I opened the back and gave them each two metal shelves for the bases of their beds for the mattresses to rest on and handed over two of the smaller tool sets and said to drop them off at the pile of materials when they were done.


    Juan came over with adder that Dale usually used to climb up on top of the RV to keep a lookout and he untied one of the stacks of mattresses before pushing three of them off. The two men on the ground caught them and leaned them against the moving van where they put the shelving.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Rick.¡± Juan said and climbed down. ¡°A proper bed is going to make camping here so much better.¡±


    I nodded and waved them off, closed the van, and walked over to where Amy and Andrea still stood. I stopped about five feet away and pretended to knock on the air near Andrea, making the noise by clicking my tongue and echoing the sound at the base of my throat to copy a thick wood sound. It worked surprisingly well.


    *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*


    ¡°Hello? Is anybody home? It''s Rick and I''m here to pick up Amy for our date.¡± I said, cheekily.


    Andrea just stared at me like I was crazy while Amy cracked upughing.


    ¡°Ce on.¡± Amy managed to say betweenughs and took my hand. She led me over to the side of the camp with the least amount of tents and I saw that we were on the edge of a medium-sized rock quarry. It exined why there was a constructionpany with severalrger vehicles like tractors and dump trucks near the city.


    ¡°This is quite the view.¡± I said and motioned towards all the piles of rocks and gravel, making herugh some more.


    ¡°Are you always this funny?¡± Amy asked me and the smile on her face could have lit up a room.


    ¡°I''m not sure I should answer that with the truth or with a lie.¡± I said and she gave me a questioning look. ¡°One would make you sad and the other would make me sound foolish.¡±


    Amy''s look changed to understanding and her hand squeezed mine.


    ¡°Shall we go for a walk around? I want to see how big the camp is and I want to check how safe we are.¡± I told her.


    Amy sighed. ¡°You''re going to do cop stuff on our date?¡±


    I chuckled and squeezed her hand back. ¡°No, I''m taking you for a walk on our date... to start, anyway. While we''re walking, I''ll be doing some cop stuff in the back of my head. I just didn''t want to lie to you if you catch me looking somewhere else besides at you.¡±


    Amy''s face went red and she looked very ttered. ¡°Okay.¡±


    She started talking as she led me around the perimeter of the camp where everyone was staying. It wasn''t organized or orderly and I tried to not frown at it. Haphazard was the word, I believe, and it did have a few protective measures. Unfortunately, it pretty much relied on istion to keep the walkers at bay and that wasn''t good. That wasn''t good at all.


    Of course, I made sure to keep my eyes mostly on her and Amy would blush a little every time she looked at me and caught me staring. As we walked, I found out she was 24 years old, about 6 and a half years younger than me, and she was a college student and living in Anta when the outbreak happened. She and her sister were found by Dale in his RV and they found the camp not long after.


    Amy quickly became the camp''s cheering squad and tried to keep everyone''s spirits up, because she was so outgoing and positive, even with everything going to hell. Her rtionship with her sister had been strained before the outbreak, mostly because of the age difference.


    Andrea was 12 years older than Amy and had moved out to go to college and pretty much left her behind for years. Amy had felt abandoned back then and it wasn''t until the world ended that they had reconnected and talked things out. Amy was also a great fisherman and had loved spending time with her dad fishing on ake near their home.


    When it was my turn to speak, I filled her in on the memories I had. I was 31, had Carl almost right out of high school, and my marriage was rocky long before the outbreak happened. Me being in the hospital after getting shot and then dying, gave both Lori and I the excuse we needed to break things off officially without needing a divorce.


    Amy looked really happy about that. ¡°I''m d you didn''t try to rekindle things to be with her again.¡±


    I gave her a crooked smile. ¡°Like I told Shane, I don''t want to know.¡±


    Amy leaned into my side and hugged my hand with both of hers. ¡°They thought no one noticed them sneaking off together thest few weeks.¡± She said and rolled her eyes. ¡°I usually watch the kids during the day when their parents are busy and I keep them out of trouble.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You would know every time either Shane or Lori were busy, because they dropped Carl off for you to look after.¡±


    ¡°Yep! I''m not an idiot.¡± Amy said happily, making me chuckle.


    We had made the full circuit of the perimeter of the camp and I brought us to a stop at the end of the driveway where the vehicles were parked. Her eyes went to the moving van and she blushed before she looked at me with both hope and a little nervousness.


    ¡°We can sit down for a while and talk some more if you want.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Amy almost shouted and then blushed some more.


    I held in myugh at her reaction and walked her over to the back of the moving van and opened it up. I helped her climb inside, careful of her dress, then I watched as she kicked off her shoes and jumped onto the huge bed. She bounced on it and giggled, which I didugh at as I climbed in. I closed the back, locked it, and took off my equipment belt.


    ¡°Are you really going to make this into a moving apartment?¡± Amy asked and her eyes nced around at everything still there.


    ¡°I''m going to do my best with it.¡± I said and pretended to reach into one of the boxes of supplies and took out the package of endless cookies before I sat on the bed. ¡°I don''t have the wood to make walls or can inste it; but, I have a bunch of portable heaters that I can either pull apart for the elements to link together or ce the heaters strategically around to keep the ce warm during the winter.¡±


    Amy gave me wide eyes as she looked into the container and saw piles of Oreo cookies. ¡°You''re really thinking that far ahead?¡± She asked and took a handful instead of just one.


    I handed her a napkin and she looked grateful. ¡°It''s only a week until the end of October. If I get it all set up as soon as possible, I won''t be scramblingter when it''s too cold to try and get it to work.¡± I said and kicked off my own shoes before I moved up toy down beside her to put the container between us. ¡°The first thing to get installed is the shower, because using cold water to clean myself sucks ass.¡±


    Amy looked startled with a cookie half-stuffed into her mouth, then she burst outughing with a spray of cookie and crumbs everywhere. I grinned at her and let herugh herself out as I brushed the crumbs away from her and the dress and onto the floor. I would have to clean itter, anyway.


    ¡°You did that on purpose!¡± Amy used me, her happy smile telling me she wasn''t angry.


    ¡°Noment.¡± I said and took my own cookie. ¡°I really love these things.¡± I said and ate it quickly to stop her from saying anything to make me choke, which she looked amused by. ¡°All we need are a couple of sses and some milk for this to be perfect.¡±


    ¡°I can go grab some from the RV.¡± Amy offered and didn''t get up as she ate another cookie.


    ¡°That''s okay. Maybe we can n that for our second date.¡± I said and took another myself.


    ¡°Oh? What makes you think we''re going to have a second date?¡± Amy asked, clearly teasing me. She started eating another cookie carefully as she waited for me to say something shocking.


    ¡°Wishful thinking.¡± I answered her instead of trying to make herugh and ate my own cookie. ¡°I mean, I never imagined meeting someone like you, even if it took the world ending for us to stumble across each other.¡±


    ¡°Someone like me?¡± Amy asked, her tone guarded.


    I turned my head and let her see a serious look on my face. ¡°Someone that''s smart, beautiful, has a great outlook on life, doesn''t let the world get them down, and you''re interested in an older boring man like me.¡±


    Amy blushed a little at mypliments. ¡°I don''t think you''re boring.¡±


    ¡°And now I know you''re an aplished liar.¡± I joked, making her smile. ¡°You''re an exciting woman and you''re also clearly out of my league.¡±


    Amy''s smile faded. ¡°I''m not.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I know when I''m outssed, Amy. You had ns, a bright future, and a life you wanted to live... and now here you are in the back of a van after an old man offered you sweets.¡±


    ¡°Don''t.¡± Amy said and sat up to look down at me. ¡°Don''t joke about that. That''s not what''s happening right now.¡±


    My own smile faded and I couldn''t resist asking the next question. ¡°What''s happening right now?¡±


    Amy closed the container andid it beside the bed. She gave me a searching look for several seconds, then she moved to a kneeling position and grabbed the hem of the cloth dress. My eyes widened as she easily slipped it up and off, revealing sexy ck underwear and a bra that supported her perfectly.


    I couldn''t help myself and my eyes went to her heaving breasts and then dropped to her waist before I looked back at her face. Her own eyes dropped to my crotch and liked what she saw, which was me being instantly hard for her.


    ¡°Someone''s a little overdressed.¡± Amy said, suggestively.


    My hands moved almost like lightning as I unbuttoned my shirt and I flung it off, earning another smile from her, then my pants quickly followed. My boxers had a prominent tent pole, now that my pants weren''t hiding it or keeping it restrained.


    Amy let out a wanton moan as she pulled my underwear off, then she reached for me and her hand wrapped around my silky hardness. Her eyes almost zed over and she seemed to surrender herself as she dropped down and slipped me into her mouth and started sucking without any preamble or teasing.


    We both moaned as she went to town on me and neither of us wanted her to ever stop. She was talented and I was pretty pent up, plus the sight of a beautiful blonde going down on me was a huge turn on. I did warn her when it was time and she gave me a searching look.


    ¡°I''ve beenid up in the hospital for a month. It''s not going to taste anywhere near close to good after being backed up for so long.¡± I informed her and she hummed, then she went faster and brought me that much closer to the edge. She felt me twitching and she pulled her mouth off of me with a pop and grabbed the napkin I gave her for the cookies.


    We both watched as I groaned and then I shot my load. My quite huge load spurted fairly hard against her napkin-covered hand, then it spurted again and again. Amy''s eyes widened at the force of it and then she frowned slightly at the darker, almost yellowish fluid, that was nowhere close to looking like normal healthy white sperm.


    ¡°H-having blue balls is a real thing?¡± Amy asked, clearly surprised, and she stared at the napkin that was quickly bing soaked as the surrounding fluid was absorbed into the napkin and left the more solid parts behind.


    ¡°It''ll take a shot or two to clear out the stagnation and then the new production should start.¡± I exined and saw she wasn''t sure what to do with the napkin. I took it from her, folded it up, and ced it on the floor beside the head of the bed, so I wouldn''t step on itter. ¡°Lay down.¡±


    Amy did so without any other prompting and the look on her face was a mix of trepidation and anticipation. I did not tell her that I wouldn''t disappoint her, especially after what she just did. The look on my face was all I needed for her to understand my intention and she didn''t fight me as I slid her very damp panties down over her ass and her thighs.


    I saw that she hadn''t shaved there in a while and she looked embarrassed at letting me see it. I didn''tment on it, mostly because sometimes the hairs could be used to enhance things, like with a bit of tugging or slight pulling near certain areas. Since she didn''t see anything like disgust or aversion on my face, she blushed and spread her legs for me.


    I epted the silent invitation and she moaned pretty loudly when I settled my head between her legs and gave her more attention down there than she gave to me. I went to town on her, making sure she felt every brush of my tongue, every stroke of my fingers, and every kiss and nuzzle. We both lost count of how many times she got off and it didn''t really matter. This wasn''t apetition to see who would win.


    I eventually kissed my way up her body, lingered for a few minutes on her beautiful breasts, then I kissed her passionately as she wrapped her legs around me. I ground myself against her and she moaned as my hardness gave her another orgasm easily. It must have been a while for her if she was this responsive, so I wasn''t going to make her wait any longer for the main event.


    Amy almost screamed when I adjusted my strokes and speared her right up to the hilt in a single go. Her wetness doubled, then tripled, and her legs were trembling as she held onto me and tried to recover. I wasn''t going to let her. I started moving and she kept moaning, louder and louder, and I let my pace match her breathing.


    Despite me doing the majority of the work, she set the pace, and I was sure she really loved having that control. Even in the heat of passion as we christened the new and very expensive bed, Amy never quite lost herselfpletely. Oh, there were moments she was almost incoherent, then she woulde to her senses and would even escte.


    It was quite the experience and I was very grateful for my own skills and abilities, muted as they were. That was one of the things I had been able to keep, my prowess in the bedroom, thanks to Wiz and the others helping me so much.


    I felt a pit form in my stomach and decided that now was not the time to miss my previous lovers. I had a gorgeous blonde under me and my promise to not disappoint her was going to be kept.

 124 Nighttime Antics

    124 Nighttime Antics


    Amy was in heaven. Good god, she was almost floating! Her mind and body had been flooded with so much of everything that she almost couldn''t think straight. Rick had been... attentive wasn''t the word. He was responding to her every reaction like he was a bloodhound and she was a fox trying to avoid being caught. He always caught her, every time she moved, and she loved every second of it.


    The tingles were the best and the worst, because her shivers let Rick know exactly how much she had been enjoying him. Amy wasn''t really embarrassed about that, even if she had wanted to hide some of her reactions. She thought she wouldn''t have any real power in the rtionship if he knew he could nuzzle her neck a certain way and she would let him do whatever he wanted to her.


    Amy would also never admit that her sister was right. She really was acting like a slut for a man that somehow knew how to work her over so well. It was also a lot of fun. There hadn''t been a lot of fun for her, either naughty or innocent, for thest two months.


    At least she wasn''t that far gone to let him finish inside of her, despite thinking it would feel a whole lot better than what he usually did. That Rick had a ''usual'' technique with her already, after only one night, almost made herugh. Of course, getting pregnant right now would be horrible, because who wanted to bring babies into the world while it was ending?


    Rick pulled out of her and his much whiter and healthier fluid sshed onto her back. Amy gave him a very sultry look over her shoulder as he finished spectacrly, even though it was his fourth shot, then heid down beside her while he very kindly used a napkin to wipe up the mess and cleaned her off. Again.


    <i>Who was this nice guy and why couldn''t I have meet him years ago?</i> Amy asked herself and then answered herself a secondter. <i>Oh, right. He was married.</i>


    Amy''s eyes went to his hands as Rick hugged her from behind and pulled her in close. She saw the white line on his ring finger and she really was d that he hadn''t tried to get back with his wife. Just because the world was ending, that didn''t mean all of their other problems had magically disappeared. It would have been a disaster in the making, especially if Rick hadn''t realized his wife had been cheating on him with his best friend.


    <i>I wonder how long that has been going on behind his back?</i> Amy asked herself and didn''t hold back her sigh of contentment as Rick snuggled into her. Being the little spoon was really nice and she hoped this first date wasn''t going to be thest.


    *


    I waited for Amy to drift off to sleep before I cast a cleaning spell on her. My magic was still pathetically weak; but, I could almost feel it stretching after each spell I used. I had to wait a few minutes before I could cast it on myself and then I waited another few minutes to cast Sleep on Amy, just to make sure she wasn''t going to wake up when I opened the back of the van.


    I waited for another few minutes as I dressed and then I cast silence on the moving van''s rear door that slid upwards on tracks. I didn''t want to leave her vulnerable, so I only opened it enough to slip out afterying down on the floor, grabbed the multiple napkins I had used, and closed and locked the door. I would be back long before she woke up from the basic sleep spell.


    It was fairlyte at night and everyone but the guy on watch was asleep. He sat on top of the RV wearing Dale''s binocrs, and waved to me. He was one of the helpers I had earlier, so I waved back and mimed going for a bathroom break. He gave me a thumbs up and pointed to where I needed to go. I gave him a wave in thanks and moved off towards the designated spot and tossed the used napkins into the designated garbage pit.


    The bathroom wasn''t my only target, however. I did relieve my dder, since my pipes needed cleaning out after all the fun, and I cast Stealth on myself as I moved off through the surrounding woods towards where I knew Carol, Ed, and Sophia had their tent. How did I know where it was? It was the onlyrge family tent that didn''t have part of a normal bed sticking out of it that I had noticed during my date with Amy.


    The thing that surprised me was that Merle hadn''te over looking for his rifle. Maybe when he saidter, it wouldn''t be until he needed it for something like guarding the camp or hunting? That reminded me of a few things I had decided while looking over the camp, mainly more defenses. I would have to make a trip to the constructionpany to get the backhoe tractor I had used before.


    On the plus side, with most of my inventory empty, I was sure I could store the police car safely. I could also do a few runs up and down the highway nearby with the siren ring to clear out any stray walkers in the area. Better safe than sorry, right?


    As I approached the tent, my stealth spell was still working, so I settled near the left side and cast silence on the tent. I took out a knife and made a small cut near the ground, just enough to peek through, and saw I was lucky and was behind therge man as he slept in his sleeping bag. I took out a small screwdriver with a very sharp and pointed head, then cast sleep on the man.


    His heavy breathing eased off, letting me know he wasn''t faking it, and I sliced the hole big enough to slip my hand through. I lined up my attack and jabbed as hard as I could into his neck. Ed caught his breath for a moment and that was it. I lined up again and jabbed right beside thest puncture, as if a snake had bitten him, and he didn''t react.


    My attack hadn''t killed him, though. That wasn''t what I had nned. You see, if he died while asleep, he would probably turn before morning and be a walker, endangering Carol and their 13 year old daughter, Sophia. No, what I did was cripple the abusive bastard and severed the nerves in his spine.


    I normally couldn''t get away with the snake excuse, except this quarry had a few of them. None of them were poisonous, so everyone would know the man wasn''t going to die from just the bite. I just had to hope that Carol didn''t take things into her own hands when she woke up in the morning and realized her husband could no longer raise his hands against her.


    With my gruesome taskpleted, I made my way back to the bathroom area, dropped my stealth spells, and walked back across the camp to the van. I waved at the guy on watch to let him know I was okay and he nodded. I opened the back of the van just enough to slip back inside on the floor, then I closed and locked it. Amy was still out and didn''t react, so I undressed and slipped back into bed with her.


    <i>To cuddle or not to cuddle?</i> I asked myself and thought about what was going on in the world. <i>It''s definitely okay to be clingy.</i>


    Even asleep, Amy let out a soft sound of happiness as I hugged her with one arm from behind and held her tenderly. Her own arms hugged mine automatically and I drifted off to sleep with my mind at ease about everything.


    *


    Carol woke up in the morning and was surprised Ed wasn''t looming over her or threatening her to behave. He had been worsest night after seeing the new guy... an actual sheriff and not a deputy like Shane... talk to her. The bruise forming on her cheek throbbed and she wondered if Ed would hit her again after she made breakfast.


    She opened her sleeping bag and sat up before she turned slightly to look at her husband, only to see wide eyes that were full of panic. His mouth opened and closed several times as his chest barely moved up and down while he took shallow breaths.


    ¡°Honey?¡± Carol asked with the dull tone she usually used when talking to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Ed couldn''t respond and he couldn''t move anything except his eyes and eyelids.


    Carol easily noticed this and leaned over him, looming in the same way he usually did over her, and a small smile grew on her face when he didn''t move. ¡°Honey? Can you move?¡±


    Ed couldn''t shake his head no and he couldn''t even grunt, because he was only getting enough air to breathe. He didn''t know what happened to him and he couldn''t feel anything, not even his throat!


    Carol''s smile didn''t lessen as she leaned over a little further to look behind him. She saw two small trickles of blooding from the top of his neck. ¡°It looks like a snake bit you.¡±


    Ed''s eyes couldn''t really react any more than they already were, so her words didn''t seem to shock the man.


    Carol''s smile changed to look slightly deranged as she gazed into her husband''s eyes. ¡°Don''t worry, Ed. I''m sure a doctor or a nurse will show up here eventually. Until then, I am going to take good care of you.¡±


    For the first time in his life, Ed felt true terror and watched as his loving wife hefted the length of metal pipe he used to beat on walkers that approached the camp. It was almost a relief that he couldn''t feel anything as Carol took aim at his legs and swung.


    The meaty thump was music to Carol''s ears and she swung again and again, her huge smile almost splitting her face.


    *


    I woke up to the feeling of soft kisses on my lips and face. I opened my eyes and Amy was pretty much nuzzling me, probably half asleep, and she looked really happy with my arms still wrapped possessively around her.


    ¡°Morning.¡± I managed to say between kisses.


    Amy barely stopped her ministrations as her own eyes opened fully. ¡°Morning.¡± She said and turned enough to face me while she kept kissing me.


    I wasn''t going to turn down such a tant invitation and returned her enthusiasm, then she turned all the way around and spread her legs for me. I slipped inside of her again easily and we had another great time. I restricted myself to only the once, even if my hard-on didn''t wane at all.


    Amy gave it a pat and promised to take care of itter when she had the time. When she realized she had said it to my dick and not to my face, she blushed hard and gave me a surprised look. I couldn''t help it andughed pretty hard at her expression and she quickly joined me.


    Some cleaning wipester, since I couldn''t do magic in front of her, we both dressed and left the back of the moving van. I grabbed some of the dry food supplies and added some kitchen utensils on top and Amy gave me a questioning look, so I asked her for a good sized frying pan for homemade pancakes and she nodded and walked off at a fast pace towards the RV.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Carl shouted when he saw me and there were several groans from around the camp.


    I barked augh and knelt briefly to brace the boxes of supplies to give him a one-arm hug. ¡°I''m making pancakes for everyone, so thanks for giving them a wake-up call.¡±


    Carl wasn''t embarrassed at being called out for yelling and took therger box of flour from me. ¡°I think we might have some jam left.¡±


    I pretended to reach inside my jacket and pulled out arge stic bottle of maple syrup. ¡°We''re going with the rich stuff today.¡±


    ¡°YAY!¡± Carl yelled and more groans came from around the camp. ¡°SOPHIE! PANCAKES!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± A young female voice responded from the tent where Carol and Ed stayed and then a cute blonde girl shot out of the tent and ran over to us, giving Carl a hug and making the kid blush.


    Amy was softlyughing as she met us by the unlit campfire carrying arge frying pan, a big mixing bowl, arge wooden spoon, and some butter. ¡°He''s as good as a foghorn for getting attention and we''re lucky we''re in an area that catches the echoes.¡±


    I smiled at that and set down the things in my arms beside the fire pit. ¡°I''ve never overslept and it''s all thanks to this guy.¡± I said and rubbed Carl''s head and ruffled his hair.


    ¡°Daaaaad!¡± Carlined, even though he didn''t push my hand away. Sophie beside him had an odd look on her face that I didn''t miss.


    I gave Carl a quick hug and then let my hand reach over and patted Sophie''s head, earning a blush from the girl. ¡°I''ll have arge batch whipped up pretty fast, so you won''t have long to wait. Amy? Can you start the fire for me?¡±


    Amy nodded and easily did as I asked. She used a small squirt of firestarter fluid and lit the half-burned logs before she put the rack over the top of it and set the frying pan on top and dropped a dab of butter on it.


    While she did that, I added the right amount of flour for arge batch of pancake batter to the bowl, a sprinkle of baking powder to make them fluffy, a dash of salt, a handful of granted sugar, and nodded to Amy to drop a bit of butter into the mix.


    ¡°Any chance there''s an egg or two in the RV?¡± I asked and she shook her head. ¡°Then it''s a good thing I brought a crate of them with me.¡±


    Amy''s mouth dropped open and she stared at me as if my skin was blue and she was trying to figure out what I was. It made meugh.


    ¡°We''re not wasting them if they''re used for pancakes to feed everyone.¡± I said and handed her the bowl. ¡°Mix that up and I''ll be right back.¡±


    Amy held the bowl with the unmixed ingredients inside and didn''t move or say anything.


    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± Carl shouted and tried to grab for the bowl.


    ¡°NO!¡± Amy yelled and dove out of the way of his grabbing hands, miraculously didn''t spill any of it, and rolled to a stop on her knees a few feet away. Carl stuck his tongue out at her and Amy looked smug as she started stirring with therge wooden spoon after mulching the butter.


    I barely held in myugh at the scene and walked over to the moving van to climb into the back. I pretended to move some things around as I reached into my inventory and pulled out one of the crates of eggs I had taken from the hospital cafeteria''s industrial fridge. If I was lucky, no one would ask why they were still cold and I added a bag of paper tes and a box of stic forks.


    I locked the van back up and went over to the campfire. The other kids were there already and I was happy that Carl had made friends with them. I also noticed that they were talking back and forth so quickly that it was almost too hard to follow.


    Amy saw me looking at them and whispered that they were always like that and I''d get used to it. I nodded and opened the crate and added several eggs that the pancake recipe needed and used my water container to add enough liquid for the batter. The key to good pancakes was to not overbeat the batter and to not let any lumps form.


    The frying pan was hot enough when we were done mixing and I used argedle to scoop out four smaller pancakes and they started cooking right away and fluffing up. As I waited to flip them over, most of the adults came out of their tents and Dale came out of the RV. Not surprisingly, most of them looked well rested.


    ¡°Those mattresses were the best, Rick.¡± Juan said as he sat across from me and his wife Miranda sat beside Amy as her eyes went to the dress. She smiled knowingly, because there were not a lot of wrinkles on it, not like there should have been if worn for a longer time than it had been.


    Amy gave the woman a very happy smile back and leaned in to whisper to her.


    I didn''t miss the byy as I cooked and started handing out pancakes to the kids, making them giggle andugh as I pretended toin as I ''identally'' squirted too much maple syrup onto their tes. The adults easily understood what I was doing and looked grateful for it as the kids dug into their food with enthusiasm.


    Amy apparently couldn''t resist bragging about our datest night, probably because she was so outgoing and wanted to bring everyone''s spirits up. I should have warned her that she might bring their spirits down instead if she wasn''t careful about how much she shared, then realized I was okay with that. If it gave the other women ideas about how to coax their men into doing more for them, then I was all for it.


    Every little bit of happiness counted these days.

 125 Handy Dandy Part Two

    125 Handy Dandy Part Two


    The adults didn''t mind waiting for their own pancakes and more than a few of them looked happy at both the taste and the syrup. The paper tes and stic forks might have had something to do with it, too. No dishes to wash afterwards.


    When nearly everyone was fed, myself included, Carol came out of her tent and just stood there beside it with an odd smile on her face. I was pretty sure I was the only one that saw her, so I did up a te of six pancakes and syrup.


    ¡°I''ll bring this over to Carol and Ed.¡± I said and added two forks as I stood. ¡°Amy, use up the rest of the batter and spread them around. If anyone wants more than that...¡±


    ¡°If you''re offering to keep cooking meals for everyone, you can do it all you like!¡± Miranda said and a few of the womenughed. Amy had a look in her eye that said she was more than okay with it.


    I did not miss the longing look on Lori''s face as I walked around the group sitting around the campfire. I also saw how happy Shane was beside her. I nodded slightly to him and walked away from the camp and kept myself between them and Carol. Her odd smile changed to a genuine one as I approached her.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Rick.¡± Carol said as she epted the paper te from me. ¡°Will youe inside for a minute? Ed''s feeling a bit off this morning.¡±


    I barely held back a bark ofughter at her dryment. ¡°S-sure, I''ll take a look. I''m up to date on my first aid course.¡±


    Carol ducked back inside the family tent and I followed her. She sat down beside her husband and started eating the pancakes without saying anything.


    When I looked at Ed, I could tell things under the nket weren''t quite right, since the lumps didn''t really match the right outline for a person. I very carefully moved the nket up and out of the way, only to wince at the multiple broken bones, bruises all over, and the panicked look in Ed''s eyes.


    <i>Yeah, he definitely abused her a lot for her to be this vicious with her retribution.</i> I thought. ¡°Baseball bat?¡± I asked out loud.


    Carol didn''t say anything as she pointed towards a length of metal pipe within reach of where Ed slept.


    I didn''t say anything about it and put the nket back over Ed before I ced a hand on his shoulder. It took me a minute to cast a very weak diagnostic spell and I let a small chuckle slip out at what it showed me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Carol asked with mild concern in her voice.


    ¡°I''m not sure if I shouldpliment you on being so precise with your hits or worried that you managed to break both of his arms and his legs in multiple ces without killing him.¡± I said with praise in my own voice.


    Carol blushed and seemed to take it as apliment.


    ¡°Well, the good news is he won''t die like this, as long as you don''t move him. The bad news is he can''t swallow solid food or much water with a partially crushed throat.¡± I said and Carol frowned. ¡°No, don''t worry about it. I got this.¡±


    I took something from my pocket, that was actually from my inventory. It was a long piece of thin flexible pipe I was going to use on the pedestal sink. I measured the length of Ed''s throat and added a few inches, cut the pipe with a knife, then I tapered the ends slightly, one end wider and the other end thinner.


    Carol watched as I massaged Ed''s throat and I slid the thinner end of the flexible pipe into his mouth and down his throat. I could feel with my fingers where it reached and it was past where Carol had whacked him good with the pipe. The wider end barely stuck out of his mouth and I bent the edges out a little further.


    ¡°There we go. I''ll make up some slurry that''s full of nutritional things for him and you can pour it right into his stomach. With luck, he can stay like this for a very long time.¡± I said. ¡°Just make sure you don''t move him or hit him again until he heals up a bit.¡±


    The beaming smile on Carol''s face should have worried me; but, it didn''t. She could keep taking revenge on him without killing him and making him a walker.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Carol said and her eyes went down to my empty ring finger and back to my face.


    ¡°Amy already called dibs.¡± I said, just in case.


    Carol let out an udylike snort and then half-choked and halfughed, probably because she hadn''tughed in a very long time and wasn''t used to it. She slowly leaned in and pressed her lips to my cheek, let them linger for a few seconds longer than she should have, and moved back. There was that odd smile on her face again and I wondered what it meant.


    ¡°I''ve never kissed another man before.¡± Carol said, her tone slightly happy.


    ¡°Me, either.¡± I joked.


    Carol looked surprised and then she snorted and did that chokingugh again.


    ¡°I''ll tell everyone that Ed''s not feeling well after being bitten by one of those snakes and I tended to him as best as I could. Everyone should leave you alone for a while.¡± I said and she looked relieved.


    When I went to stand, her hand reached for mine and held on to stop me from moving. I looked down at her and she looked up at me, her eyes full of gratitude. I knew she would never say anything about how Ed really ended up this way, so I smiled my best smile as I bent down and gently lifted her hand to kiss the back of it.


    Carol''s plush was near epic scale at that chivalrous move and her arm trembled a little. ¡°Th-those damn snakes.¡±


    I chuckled and she smiled as her blush faded. She let my hand go and I left the tent feeling much better about everything. I walked back over to the group around the campfire and everyone looked well fed and happy, even the kids.


    Amy was talking to her sister and I saw that she had packed up the dry food packages. There were quite a few eggs missing from the crate; but, that was okay. If I didn''t want people eating them, I wouldn''t have left them there.


    I also did not ask where the bottle of syrup went. If someone wanted to have a bit of fun with something tastyter, I wasn''t going to call them out on it. After I had everything piled up, I took the time to exin what happened to Ed, to everyone''s surprise. It set off a quick search of the camp looking for snakes and several of them were found and heavy boots were applied.


    ¡°I''ve got a bit of work to do in the moving van to get the hot shower hooked up, so I''m going to be busy for a while. If anyone needs me, that''s where I''ll be.¡± I said when we all gathered back at the campfire. Not surprisingly, no one offered to help me. Apparently, none of the men had any handyman experience and the women had other things to do.


    ¡°Does anyone have a spare set of pants or shorts I could borrow?¡± I asked and picked up the dry goods. ¡°I''m pushing my luck with my uniform as it is.¡±


    ¡°I should have something for you while I take care of your clothes. I''m onundry duty today.¡± Amy said and nced at Miranda, whom nodded.


    ¡°I''ll watch the kids as they y in the quarry.¡± Miranda offered. ¡°Two of them are mine anyway.¡±


    Juan chuckled and put an arm over her shoulders. ¡°I''m on watch, so I''ll kind of help you, too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you soooo much.¡± Miranda said, sarcastically.


    That made a few of the othersugh.


    ¡°Come on, my tent''s this way.¡± Amy said and whispered something to Andrea. She nodded and I followed Amy over to where they slept. ¡°We used to stay in the RV with Dale, until it got crowded with people trying to cook food and shower all the time.¡±


    ¡°You answered me before I even asked the question.¡± I said and she smiled knowingly at me before we both ducked into the smaller two person tent. I watched her ass in the tight dress as she bent down and dug through a rtively neat stack of clothing. Admiring the sight didn''tst long as Amy pulled out a pair of basketball shorts without knocking everything over.


    ¡°Tada!¡± Amy said and held them up.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and started to strip off.


    Amy didn''t tell me to stop, or go back to the van first, and watched me as I pulled off my clothing. I felt a bit yful, so I started humming a stripping song and did a little dance as I tossed things aside and went right down to my underwear. I pulled them off with a flourish and twirled them on my fingertip for a second, then I tossed them at her and she caught them.


    ¡°Tada!¡± I said and posed, my erection still quite prominent. She had a really nice ass.


    Amy gave me a look from head to toe for a few seconds, then she threw the basketball shorts at my face. I let them hit me and they draped over my head, making herugh. Before I could pull them off, I felt her warm mouth engulf me and I moaned with pleasure. I let the shorts fall to the floor of the tent as I looked down at her and into her eyes.


    ¡°Good god, you''re beautiful.¡± I whispered and Amy blushed, then she hugged my thighs and sucked harder. I cupped the sides of her head, caressing her hair, and she moaned as she worked me over fairly quickly. ¡°I''m close.¡±


    Amy hummed and closed her eyes as she gave herself over to the sensations. She felt me twitch down there and stopped moving in order to swallow it all as it came out. She moaned at both the taste and the feeling, which let me know my skills and abilities really had carried over from thest world. Those modifications had been magic rted and I thought they had been removed.


    It was at that moment my inventory expanded slightly. To my utter shock, my Adventurer Card appeared with one of my wands, another 30 feet of space filled with books, Goku''s workout weights I had bought a while ago, and pieces of the ne I had stored back in Familiar of Zero and the directions on how to put it together.


    Luckily, I managed to school the shock from my face before Amy opened her eyes. She sat back and looked up at me with satisfaction on her face and licking her lips. I didn''t say anything as I bent down to pick up the shorts, slipped them on, and grabbed my equipment belt and keys as I left the tent.


    Amy let me go and didn''tment about my quick retreat, which was a relief. I did catch a few lingering looks from the women still around the campfire as I passed them, since I was pretty much naked except for the shorts. I couldn''t tell if they were appreciative of the view or not, though.


    I made it over to the moving van, unlocked the back, and slid in and closed and locked it again. Iy there on the floor and just... zoned out. Just the implications of what I gained was going to alter the things I had nned, let alone what I was going to do in the future.


    What I had just unlocked was going to change everything.


    *


    Amy felt really smug and secure in her new rtionship with Rick. She had gotten him off in record time and she was sure he really liked her, even if being called beautiful while sucking him off was kind of embarrassing. She slipped off the dress and hung it back on the hanger Melinda had given her and she would add it to the delicates of her own that she had to wash.


    Then again, maybe if she put that off until Rick had the hot water shower set up, they could be washed properly and there would be room to hang them up to let them dry properly while out of the way. Amy slipped on jogging pants and a t-shirt and grabbed her pile of dirty clothes, Andrea''s pile, and left the tent.


    Amy met Miranda at the spot for doingundry and she handed off three baskets full of clothes. Hers, her husband''s, and their kids. She still didn''t regret the decision, despite how much work she had ahead of her. Miranda gave her a quick hug, an apology, and fled. It made herugh and she set up the washboard and took out the soap.


    As she worked, Amy went over the date, the absolutely wonderful feeling of having an experienced man giving her many many orgasms, and how Rick had treated her respectfully. It was a new sensation for her, since she was used to guys just pounding her and not bothering to see if she got off or not. Did all married guys do that or was Rick someone special?


    Amy shrugged mentally and started washing out the hardiest clothes, the denim jeans and thicker cloth pants and skirts. It was best to get them out of the way and leave the easier stuff forter. In the back of her mind, she was imagining christening the new shower with Rick and having more fun than was safe to do in such an enclosed space, which made it even more fun because of the danger.


    *


    After my little existential crisis, I got up off of the floor and realized most of the things I needed to make the bathroom were still outside in the piles of parts in the clearing. I didn''t berate myself or anything over that, though. What was the point? I didn''t have any more time to waste.


    I opened the back of the moving van and ran over to the pile. I grabbed the things I knew I would need and a few I was sure woulde on handy, and walked back. I gained more inquisitive looks as I did so and wasn''t surprised that no one offered to help me carry anything. They were all busy doing something, probably chores to keep the camp running, and I put the things into the back.


    I climbed in and closed and locked the door, then stored everything not essential into my inventory, including the huge expensive bed, to give me lots of room to work. I built a metal tform out of shelving for the entire bathroom in the front third of the moving van''s space and set both the propane tank and the hot water heater above the floor. It gave me room to hide the electrical wiring, the feed pipes, hoses, and soapy water drainage to hook everything up.


    As I worked, I could feel long forgotten skills slowlying back to me, as if a fog was lifting from the back of my mind. I wasn''t sure if it was memories of past journeys or previously bought skills resurfacing, and it didn''t really matter. I mentally checked my Adventurer Card and nodded at the levels ruing under the skills reforming there. It was such a relief!


    It became easier to work and faster to finish things, making the whole task simpler and easy toplete. Pipe flows here, electrical wiring and a junction box there, a few runes for lightning embedded in the casing and a power buffer and capacitor between that and the regtor, which was just a reworked car''s alternator to keep things from blowing up.


    The subtle maniptions of magic were bing much easier with ess to a wand. I even popped apart two camp stoves and transfigured the round heating elements into a long strings that were easily hooked up to the junction box and I formed an air gap and a metal casing around them to help distribute the heat under the metal floor of the bathroom.


    The shower was the biggest and easiest to set up, especially after my stacked water purification thing that I technically didn''t need, now that I had ess to magic. I still used it anyway, just in case someone looked closer than a token inspection. The thing worked and no one would question why I never had to change out the filters or added more water. It was out of sight and out of mind, as the old saying goes.


    Adding a drain under the toilet was a bit more difficult, since I didn''t want to damage the moving van''s undercarriage, so that took a bit of work and a few drilled pilot holes in the floor to check. I filled them closed after I found a good spot and then I had to use one of therger containers as a repository that would be hooked up under the van.


    It was easily disconnected and stored for travel, because I couldn''t hide that I didn''t really need it. That was too big of a thing to hide, because everyone expected there to be a lot more remains after using the toilet and if they saw therge container, they wouldn''t ask why it didn''t quite fill up as quickly as it should have. Most people only knew there would be more and not how much that actually was.


    The sink was simplicity itself to hook up to the hot water and the water purification system, since soapy water was easy to recycle, just like the shower. With that done, I stepped back and admired the full sized bathroom I had made. I turned everything on and the metal floor was warm and the hot water heater hummed quietly.


    <i>Oh, right. I need to build a wall to hide that and the propane tank.</i> I thought, then realized I would have to raid arge appliance store for a refrigerator and a stove, hook them up to the power and propane, and my little bachelor apartment on wheels would be set. I''d also have to get some cushion floor for the bathroom and kitchte and carpeting for the rest, too.


    I stopped my musing and chuckled, took out my wand, and pointed it at the pieces of stic pipe I had left over from hooking everything up. They melded together and rose into the air, expanded and changed into a ck and white diamond pattern, and I set it on the raised bathroom floor and spread it out to cover the metal flooring and formed it around the shower, toilet and pedestal sink.


    I took out one of the pieces of wood I had and ced it on the floor and transfigured it to be an inch thick and spread it out into the right size and shape for a temporary wall and picked it up and set it around the hot water tank, the propane tank, the water purifying setup, and the electrical panel with the car batteries. Doing it that way, left the rest to be covered with a curtain for now until I found a door to mount to close off the bathroom from sight.


    I did the same trick to section off the area where the kitchte was going to be and added a thin piece of metal along the edge to make sure I knew where it was going to be. I used a piece of wood from my inventory and expanded it and transfigured it into a small counter top to separate it from the living area.


    The next thing I did was use one of my baby shirts from the shop that said I saved the world and transfigured it into a nice durable carpet sample, set it on the floor, and ''grew'' it out to cover the rest of the open space in the back of the moving van. I put the huge bed back into ce and it almost filled it, making meugh, and I turned it and set the side against the wall to leave arge walkway to the bathroom.


    I knew I was going to have a lot of traffic when I opened the back of the van, so I set some of the dry food supplies back into a huge pile at the head of the bed and filled in the kitchte area with most of it. It both showed it was still there if Amy looked closely at it and also let her know that was going to be the kitchen area where food was supposed to go.


    The less questions she asked about things, the better. I was going to tell her eventually, especially since my ns had significantly changed. I was still going to secure the campsite, only I was also going to add anding strip for a world war 2 airne. How was I going to exin that I had all of the parts for that? Eh, I''d figure something out when it was time to build the thing.

 126 Making Progress

    126 Making Progress


    Almost as soon as I opened up the back of the van that afternoon, making sure to wait around enough to exin getting so much done so quickly, several of the women ran over and started chatting and pointing. Their attention at what I''d done, soon had most of the camp abandon their chores and tasks toe over and look, too.


    Merle and his brother Darrel came over as well and the looks on their faces were mixed. Darrel looked indifferent while Merle looked calcting.


    I ignored him for a moment and pointed at Andrea. ¡°I think the sister of my girlfriend should have the first hot shower.¡±


    That set off a lot of chattering and surprise, since they assumed I had already used it.


    ¡°I''m not done working yet, so I didn''t try it beyond testing that the shower, sink, and toilet all work.¡± I said and waved inside the back of the moving van. ¡°I''m only offering the use of the shower for now, if you bring your own towels, since I don''t have any until I make a run to the city. The floor''s heated as well.¡±


    Andrea cursed under her breath and gave me a longing look, almost exactly the same look Lori had given me that morning at breakfast. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    She almost ran across the camp to her tent and dove inside, making me and a few of the women chuckle.


    I walked through the small crowd to Merle and neither of us missed Darrel tensing up and gripping hispound bow tightly in his hands. ¡°I''ve got your rifle in my trunk and two spare boxes of ammo.¡±


    Merle''s face changed from resting bitch face to a smile. ¡°You really are making it hard to hate you on pure principle.¡±


    Iughed and motioned towards the squad car parked off to the side of the driveway. ¡°If you missed seeing the gun rack on the wall of the van, you should know yours is on par with the quality of what my old office had in stock.¡±


    Merle and Darrel followed me over to the car and I unlocked the trunk. They saw the two other full gas cans and the couple of boxes of ammo I had left there, including arge crate of handgun ammo. I lifted out the rifle and handed it to Merle, barrel down, and then kept my eyes on him as he checked it over and I used one hand to grab two boxes of rifle ammo for him, which Darrel took.


    ¡°I have some experience with gun maintenance, so if it needs some tweaking or fixing up, let me know. If you just want to buff out the scratches from the pavement when it was dropped, there''s sandpaper and polish in the pile of supplies over there.¡± I said and pointed to the tarps where I had left most of the things I stole from the hardware store. ¡°Oh, and here''s a strap for it for easy carrying.¡±


    Merle huffed and attached the strap to the right spots and hung the rifle on his back with the strap across his chest. ¡°You don''t happen to have an automatic or anything, do you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°The precinct was pretty much stripped when I finally made it there a couple days ago and I took what was left, which wasn''t much.¡±


    ¡°Figures.¡± Merle said and pped his brother on the back. ¡°We''re heading out to hunt for some meat.¡±


    I closed the trunk and nodded. ¡°If you''re worried about any stragglers, make your way off to the far side of the quarry and shoot off a couple of nks to get their attention.¡± I said and handed them to him. ¡°I should be on the highway by then and I''ll start ring my siren to clear out the area.¡±


    ¡°You''re fucking nuts.¡± Darrelmented, his voice t and without inflection.


    I chuckled. ¡°I did it twice already, once back home and then again in Anta. If you set things up first and watch your surroundings, they can''t sneak up on you... and you have lots of bullets...¡±


    ¡°HA!¡± Merle said and it was my turn to have my shoulder pped. ¡°Next you''re gonna say you''re turning this ce into a fortress or something.¡±


    I let a huge smile grow on my face and heughed.


    ¡°Let''s go have fun stalking prey, Dar.¡± Merle said and grabbed his brother''s arm and walked away.


    ¡°Are you going to do that?¡± Amy''s voice asked.


    I turned around and saw her carrying a couple of baskets full of wet clothing. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡± I said and took both of them, making her give me a relieved smile. ¡°Yes, I''m heading into town to grab a backhoe, then I''ll be back to start setting up some actual defenses for the camp.¡±


    ¡°A backhoe? For what?¡± Amy asked and waved me over to the multiple clotheslines set up to hang dry clothes on.


    ¡°I was thinking trenches and high mounds as barriers, since both are difficult to climb over, and then have them herd any walkers along a set path and into a huge pit.¡± I said and Amy stared at me. ¡°It''ll be easy to dispose of them when they''re pretty much helpless. I have sledgehammers and lots of handgun ammo.¡±


    Amy shivered a little and then shook her head. She took one of the baskets and pointed me to another line. ¡°Use the clothespins there. Double them up if you have to.¡±


    ¡°Double them up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Use one pin to hold the edge of two things. T-shirts and lighter things work best. Jeans and pants need to be hung separately.¡± Amy informed me.


    ¡°Ah, got it.¡± I said and walked over to the other line and quickly started to hang everything up. Even though it wasn''t really a skill I had before, at least not an active one that I knew of, I still ended up finishing off the entire basket and filled half the clothesline in only a few minutes.


    ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡± Amy asked me, clearly shocked.


    I turned and saw she had only the top part of her basket empty. ¡°I have great hand to eye coordination.¡± I said and nced down at her body and then back up to her face. My distraction worked, because she blushed and then bit her bottom lip. I walked over to her and anticipation was on her face. ¡°Is there any more I can help with?¡±


    ¡°D-down by the water. Three baskets. Over there.¡± Amy said, her voice wavering slightly as she pointed.


    ¡°I''ll get them.¡± I said and leaned in.


    Amy closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly for me, so I gave her a hug and a nice kiss that wasn''t too outrageous for being out in public. I felt her shiver and held in myugh as her hands rubbed my bare chest.


    I let her go and she opened her eyes, desire ring in her gaze. ¡°Don''t look down.¡±


    Amy of course did look, saw the tent pole in the shorts, and her hand reached for it.


    ¡°Work first, yter.¡± I said and stepped away.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Amy groused and gave me a mock re.


    ¡°We now have a private sleeping area all to ourselves, my dear Amy. Believe me, we won''t be wasting it.¡± I reminded her and she bit her lip again. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡±


    I walked off fairly quickly and didn''t bother trying to listen in as Miranda and another woman rushed over to Amy and started talking in hushed whispers.


    *


    Shane was on afternoon watch again and he used Dale''s binocrs to see what was going on around the camp. Did he spend a little too much time checking out the women as they did their chores? Maybe. Did anyone know he did? Probably not. There wasn''t much entertainment in the middle of an encampment that had been hastily set up, especially with no power.


    The situation with his old friend Rick had turned out better than he ever expected, even with him back to life. Lori was almost resigned to everything, even if it hurt her to admit that her and Rick had been having problems long before his stay in the hospital. It was one of the reasons Shane had so easily convinced her to let him give Carl another father figure to look up to.


    The best part? Carl saw him as a favorite uncle and Rick had alreadytched onto the most eligible blonde in the camp. Most people thought it was the older sister Andrea; but, he knew better. Amy was the fun one. The loud sounds she made while having sex, had set both him and Lori offst night, and he suspected that a lot of other couples had also enjoyed the secondhand help. There were definitely a lot more smiling faces today, that was for sure.


    Shane watched Rick gather theundry and went about putting the wet clothes on the lines, which kind of surprised him. When did he do domestic work like that? Lori alwaysined about doing all the cooking, cleaning, and washing since they were married.


    He shook that thought off when the back of the moving van opened and he used the binocrs to watch a very happy Andrea be helped down from the back. Her hair almost shined in the sunlight and her skin glowed with health. Heughed under his breath as there was a mad scramble to be the next one to take an actual shower.


    ¡°What''s funny?¡± Dale asked as he sat down beside Shane and handed him a sandwich.


    Shane handed him the binocrs and epted the offered lunch. ¡°Check out the moving van.¡±


    Dale looked through the binocrs and chuckled. ¡°Okay, I see what you mean.¡±


    ¡°We might have to make another schedule to keep them under some kind of control.¡± Shane said and bit into the spam sandwich.


    ¡°Naw, the novelty will wear off quickly, just like cooking on a tiny stovetop in my RV did.¡± Dale said and Shane nodded. ¡°I don''t see any power cords or anything.¡±


    ¡°Rick said he''d jury-rig something to get it up and running first, then would work out how to get constant powerter. We should ask if he can grab some extension cords, assuming there''s none in that huge pile of supplies already.¡± Shane said.


    ¡°Camping lights do suck up batteries fast, don''t they?¡± Dale asked and Shane nodded. ¡°I''ll head over with some sandwiches and ask.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dale.¡± Shane said and Dale handed him back the binocrs. The older man stood and went to thedder, climbed down, and went inside to make more sandwiches.


    A few minutester, just as Rick finished hanging up all three baskets of wet clothes and Amy was just finishing the first one, Dale approached them and handed out some sandwiches.


    Shane couldn''t hear what was said and could only watch as Rick nodded and then made the older manugh. Amy looked happy, not that she ever looked anything but happy, and she put her arm around Rick''s waist and leaned against him.


    <i>That''s right, show Lori she can''t go back.</i> Shane thought and moved his view slightly to see Lori and Carl beside the moving van with towels. The look on her face was almost a scowl and Shane smiled. <i>Yes, that''s perfect. You''re mine, Lori. All mine.</i>


    *


    I didn''t want to wait around long, not after what I said to Merle. I still only wore a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else, so when I put on my equipment belt and my hat, it made everyoneugh. I tipped my hat at them and made sure Carl knew I had my radio on me before I drove the squad car out to the highway.


    As I reach there, I heard Merle fire off the nks I gave him, which was the signal we agreed on. I hit the siren and drove at a normal pace for a mile each way from the camp. It didn''t take long before a virtual horde of zombies, some from the abandoned vehicles, started to swarm the highway. Since I was an old hand at this, I quickly found and set up a condensed area to funnel the horde into a much more manageable size.


    Since I suspected Merle and his brother would be watching me, I had to pretend to need reloading of my handgun. It was an easy ruse to keep up, since the narrow area I had set up was between a burned out bus and a transfer truck, which would give me plenty of time to fire and reload in both directions. The growing pile of bodies would also be a speed bump for the follow up walkers, too.


    So, I spent about an hour and a half firing and reloading, taking my time to get head shots every time, and moving when necessary to keep the flow of undead after me and flowing into the smaller firing area. I even used the shotgun a few times to keep things interesting, which kept their own interest for much longer than just the handgun sounds did.


    When the dirty work was done, there were more dead bodies on the highway than there were cars, and that was saying something. I definitely needed to go and grab that backhoe and I had to do it fast, because it was starting to gette. I also needed to stop in town for a bit of shopping, too.


    I spent a few minutes pulling the bodies aside enough to get my car through and I sped along the empty side of the highway to reach the city. I didn''t spend too much time searching, since I knew where to go. The department store where the group had raided already and the hardware store for a refrigerator and a stove, as well as more normal batteries and extension cords to share power.


    I needed to cheat and used my inventory to load therge appliances into the wide front bucket of the tractor and secured them with straps. With that ruse sessful, I filled the tank with diesel and stored the police car. I wasn''t going to leave it here to be either ruined or stolen, or worse, have a walker inside to stink it up or break the windows.


    I drove the tractor out of the construction business and down the road. It was a heck of a lot slower than a police car and it took me until near dark to get back to the highway and I had to shoot a few stragglers along the way. Tractors make a lot of noise when they move, apparently.


    It didn''t take me long to use the small rear bucket to clear off the side of the highway and piled them over the bus. I may have also crushed half of the bus because it was fun. What? It really was fun. It also brought more walkers, so I spent another half an hour clearing them out as well.


    It was quite dark out by the time I drove the tractor down the road to where the camp was. To my surprise, I was greeted with cheers and apuse by most of them. I turned off the tractor and climbed out of the cab, only to see a smug Merle saluting me with his rifle and a reluctant nod of respect from Darrel.


    I couldn''t do anything butugh at the situation and hopped down into the arms of a very happy Amy as she huged me, then she stepped back and took my hand and raised it into the air.


    ¡°Our hero!¡± Amy shouted and there were more cheers and apuse.


    I epted the praise for what it was, relief that I had cleared out so much hidden danger from the area, and spent a good fifteen minutes describing what I did and how. The awe on their faces wasn''t misced and I was sure I overheard two of the women in the crowd that were in rtionships had subtly suggested to Amy about having a ''couples night''.


    Thankfully, Amy vehemently refused and wanted to keep me all to herself. Not surprisingly, I was perfectly fine with that, mostly because I had seen Lori''s interested look at the suggestion. There was no way I was opening that can of worms again.

 127 A New Normal

    127 A New Normal


    I stashed my new clothes from my inventory inside the refrigerator and the batteries and extension cords were inside the stove, so only the stove was unstrapped and raided for the batteries. At least they thanked me for them before rushing off.


    ¡°Thanks for helping me put them in the van!¡± I shouted and a fewughs answered me.


    ¡°You can just load them from the bucket right into the back if you turn the van around.¡± Amy said. She had several packs of batteries stuffed into her own pockets and lookedpletely unrepentant.


    My brain kind of stalled and I stood there staring at her, making her blush slightly.


    ¡°I think you need folding steps or something, too.¡± Andrea said and we both jerked slightly, because we both had missed her approaching us. She rolled her eyes at us. ¡°Everyone''s showered already, even the guy now on watch, so no one''s going to bother you until tomorrow or the next day.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked, a little surprised.


    ¡°No one wants to waste the water or overheat the heater.¡± Andrea said and slipped two of Amy''s battery packs from her pocket and stuffed them into her own. ¡°I need them for... the camp light.¡±


    Amy blushed and looked away, so I understood immediately that it was for personal reasons and not for the camp light. That made me rethink exactly why the others rushed off so quickly.


    ¡°I just came back over to thank you for setting the hot shower up so fast...¡± Andrea said and then looked a little embarrassed. ¡°...and for letting me go first. I haven''t felt so clean in... in months.¡±


    Amy stepped between her sister and myself. ¡°Me, either. It felt great, didn''t it?¡±


    Andrea didn''t try to lean around her sister to look at me, even though the three of us knew she wanted to. ¡°Dale and Shane came up with a schedule for use and set hours, so it won''t inconvenience you.¡± She said instead of what I thought she was going to say. She pulled out a folded piece of crumpled paper from her pocket and handed it to Amy and not to me. ¡°The watch schedule is on there, too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, sis.¡± Amy said and put it into her own pocket.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Andrea said and stepped close to give her a hug, her head was over Amy''s shoulder and her eyes locked onto mine. ¡°You''re very lucky, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amy said and hugged her back.


    I nodded without speaking, getting her unspoken message that she would have made a move on me to have me for herself. Andrea let her go and stepped back, smiled at us, and walked back over to her tent.


    ¡°Well, that was awkward.¡± Amy whispered and turned around to look at me.


    I stepped forward and gave her a tender kiss. ¡°Thank you for protecting me.¡±


    Amy smiled crookedly. ¡°You''re not disappointed that you can''t be with a pair of sisters?¡±


    I thought back to my adventures and was surprised that I hadn''t been. ¡°Actually, I''m not. It''s nevere up before and I doubted it ever would... and here we are, you defending your imed territory from all threats, implied or otherwise.¡±


    Amy softlyughed. ¡°You''ve read too many fairy tales to think a line like that ever works.¡±


    I put my arms around her and gave her another tender kiss, this one a little longer and still respectable to do in public. ¡°I need a nice long shower after all the work I''ve done today.¡±


    Amy held me and didn''t let me go. ¡°Is that an invitation, Mister Grimes?¡± She asked, her hands caressing my back. They didn''t go down lower, despite seeing in her eyes that she wanted them to.


    ¡°We can unload the appliances and my new clothes tomorrow.¡± I said and let her go, took her hand, and helped her up into the back of the moving van. I climbed in as well and then closed and locked it, the small camping lights already on, probably because the air was a little damp and someone had a shower not that long ago.


    Amy didn''t bother waiting for me as she quickly stripped off and tossed her clothes on the floor beside the bed and had an eager look on her face. I had to smile at her almost vibrating in anticipation and tossed my equipment belt aside and dropped my shorts. Her eyes dropped as well and softly moaned at seeing me already erect for her. She stepped close and slid her hands around it.


    ¡°I''m really starting to love this thing.¡± Amy muttered under her breath and stroked me a few times. She paused for a moment and looked up at my face. ¡°Rick, I... I''m not... I don''t usually...¡±


    I put a finger on her lips. ¡°I''m your imed territory, remember? I didn''t protest or refute that.¡±


    Amy nodded and I moved my finger. ¡°You''re really okay with... with settling for me? The others...¡±


    ¡°...are not you.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°Unlike them, you were kind, and friendly, and joked around. You trusted me and weed mepletely. You treated me like everything''s normal, despite what''s going on all around us.¡±


    Amy let my hardness go and put her arms around my neck.


    I wrapped my arms around her waist and gave her another kiss. ¡°Do you know how rare that is? How great it is that I just so happened to meet you so far from where I used to live? Just the odds...¡± I shook my head. ¡°Forget all of that. We met, we clicked, and I''m not wasting this opportunity or want to give you up to waste a few hours bedding someone else.¡±


    Amy blushed at my words. ¡°Rick... I... I think...¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and kissed her again, this time passionately, and I let her feel how much I liked her. Amy let out a moan and she clung to me, almost desperately, then she hopped up and really moaned as she slid herself down onto my still very hard erection.


    I brought us over to the bed and we fell onto it, making her scream with pleasure as I shoved myself inside of her as deep as I could go. I pulled out almost all the way, then drove forward and made her moan and pant as she came again.


    ¡°Mmm... more... more... more...¡± Amy panted and then kissed me as my hips kept moving.


    We stayed in bed for several hours and Amy kept demanding I do her as much as possible while she tried to tell me how much she was falling for me. She also wouldn''t let me pull out, as if she wanted to make her im more permanent.


    I assumed she would probably regret it in the morning and I could tell her then that I was shooting nks, without telling her I would continue doing that until I paid the Karma points to make her pregnant. Maybe I could just say the hospital stay might have made me sterile instead? It depends on how she reacted when she woke up.


    We both fell asleep while wrapped in each other''s arms and forgot about having a shared shower.


    *


    Amy woke up on her side with Rick''s strong arm around her. She slowly opened her eyes and felt slightly achy all over. It was a good ache, though. She didn''t regret anything that happened and her mind was oddly okay with everything. Why she thought getting pregnant now was fine when the day before she hated the thought, didn''t really bother her.


    She felt... warmth inside... and she was sure it really was love when she thought about Rick. Having a kid with someone you love was fine, right? That''s what couples were supposed to do, weren''t they? Well, after a while, anyway. Was this too soon?


    She wasn''t foolish enough to believe in love at first sight, since that was mostly shallow and only gained people''s interests to get the ball rolling. It was only after getting to know someone that genuine feelings started toe into y. After only two days was a bit fast, especially for her; but, she knew she made the right choice. She even tried to tell him about it and he agreed and felt the same, which was awesome!


    Amy tried to move her arms and felt Rick shift slightly, then she moaned as he slid inside of her again. He was insatiable and she loved it. How could Lori screw things up with him? He was perfect. He was patient, listened to her, appreciated her, and didn''t take her for granted. She couldn''t believe anyone in their right minds would ever want to argue with him over something when he was always so reasonable.


    Her thoughts screeched to a stop as she considered that. Maybe that was why they had problems? Rick was too agreeable? Could Lori have hated that attitude? It made her wonder what else Lori would have wanted him to be like. Why would she want to change him?


    Amy gripped the sheets as Rick picked up speed behind her and she panted and moaned as he made her feel wonderful again. And again. She wasn''t going to tell him to stop, either. She had turned him on several times already with just a kiss and now all she had to do was show that she was awake and he was inside of her.


    She was d that he couldn''t see her blush, because she was really ttered that she drove him wild with such simple things. The other guys she knew, or used to know, were all cocky and full of themselves. It almost felt like a chore to try and get their attention, then she had to try twice as hard to keep it. Their eyes always wandered for greener pastures and she hated that.


    Now... now... Rick was nothing like those guys.


    ¡°HNNNNNNN!¡± Amy moaned as she orgasmed and mped her mouth shut to try and keep quiet.


    She knew the ce wasn''t insted or soundproofed, so someone was going to hear her this early in the morning with no other sounds around to muffle it. Rick pulled out of her and she groaned at the loss of feeling, then she was rolled onto her back and he was kissing her and making her feel loved as he entered her again.


    <i>YES! YEEESSSSS!</i> Amy screamed in her head and loudly moaned into his mouth as she had yet another orgasm. <i>How is he doing this? How can he... ohhhh, another one! He just came, too! OHHHHH!</i>


    Rick felt her mping down on him as he pulled out again. ¡°We need a shower.¡±


    Amy barely managed to grunt in agreement, her brain not quite up to making her mouth work.


    Rick chuckled and helped her sit up, then he slipped her over his shoulder and picked her up in a fireman''s carry. Amy moaned as he gripped her ass cheeks to keep her steady and he carried her over to the bathroom and into the shower stall.


    Amy''s expectations of some fun in the shower were fully met and then exceeded as Rick took her against the wall, then he washed her all over, and took her again from behind as she leaned under the shower''s spray.


    ¡°So... sexy.¡± Rick whispered as he kissed the back of her neck.


    Amy blushed and helped as much as she could by pushing her hips backwards to meet Rick''s thrusts. She really had fallen for the man... the older and quite experienced man... and she opened her mouth and let out the moans she had been trying to conceal. She decided that she didn''t care if people knew, because she loved him and that was that.


    *


    I wore Amy''s borrowed shorts again as I watched a very happy woman sexily walk towards the group campfire site with a pile of MREs for breakfast. I couldn''t help but agree with what she said after the shower, because I was falling hard for her as well. It wasn''t very often that you meet someone that you just clicked with, like you have always been together, and werefortable with each other. I didn''t try to fight the feeling, either.


    I waited for her to start passing out the food before I went to the tractor and backed it up and out of the way. I then had to turn the moving van around and faced the back away from the camp, since that was the easiest way to get the front wide bucket of the tractor up to the same level as the door. It also pretty much hid me from view.


    I still did the careful prep needed and drove the tractor slowly to the back of the moving van. The back opening was more thanrge enough, both in width and height, for me to set the edge of the bucket right on the floor. With it in ce and no one able to see, I used my inventory to store the stove and refrigerator.


    I next stored the supplies in the kitchte and put the stove and refrigerator in the right ces, then I started adding the metal shelving to use as makeshift cupboards. I added some to the other side of the moving van as well to put the misceneous supplies on, which I did. It didn''t cut down on the avable floor space because it was on the walls.


    Of course, I had to fix the facade that the small countertop was, since there was nothing underneath it. I used bits of wood and transfigured them into doors, drawers, and shelves to add and filled up the space, giving me more storage space that was out of view. No one would know exactly how much actual storage was down there and I could cheat by using my inventory to find more things. I still filled it with dry goods and made two tall bar stools for in front of the counter.


    I did have to make a few holes in the bathroom wall to gain ess to the electrical panel and added the appropriate wires and connections to hook up both the refrigerator to the electricity and the stove to the electricity and the propane tank. It also gave the moving van another source of heat, because the propane burners could double as heaters with the mes set on low. I didn''t need to do that except for appearances, though. Warming charms were great!


    Since I was cheating with magic anyway, I tried to add expansion runes at the corners with added strips of metal, only for it to fail. My level in the Enchanting skill wasn''t high enough, apparently. Dammit. I stripped the metal pieces out again and thought about transfiguring them into something else, then chuckled. I remembered Andrea''s suggestion about needing to make steps and I had lots of metal shelving left.


    The strips became four folded thicker pieces with holes, just like the metal shelving, and I used small bolts to screw each of the four pieces to the fronts and backs of three metal shelves. A slight transfiguration of the center of the boltster to make them smooth, the steps could be slid up or down and folded together to be t.


    I hopped out the back and moved the tractor out of the way, then went back to bolt the t piece of metal to right above the bumper. It was kind of in the way while up and that was okay, since it would only be up while driving. I pulled on it and it fell towards me, swung down, and unfolded to be three steps that could easily be walked up to get inside.


    ¡°That''s really handy.¡± Dale said and I turned to look at him.


    ¡°It''s technically still just metal shelving, just offset to make them angled out and with smoothed bolts holding it together.¡± I said and showed him how easily they folded back up to lock into ce and then I let them drop down again. ¡°It''ll let people enter and leave a lot easier, anyway.¡±


    Dale nodded and turned around to look at the camp. ¡°I heard some of the others talking about what you''re nning.¡±


    I turned to look at the people eating. The smiles on their faces made me feel good about things. ¡°Do you have any advice or suggestions?¡±


    Dale gave me a surprised look and I barked augh.


    ¡°Hey, I''m not in charge here. I''m here to help, that''s all.¡± I said and Dale smiled.


    ¡°Then yes, I have a few ideas.¡± Dale said and his smile changed to a smirk. ¡°Like a propertrine for more frequentte night users.¡±


    Iughed. ¡°An extra potty for the night owls needing more than a pee? I''ll handle it.¡± I promised. ¡°I''ll even put it near the usual spot where I was shown the other night. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°A few things.¡± Dale said and turned to look at the tractor. ¡°Can you handle everything on that?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± I said and motioned for him to follow me up into the moving van. ¡°Let''s sit down at the counter and work out what the camp needs over what I think it needs.¡±


    Dale grinned and followed me inside and whistled at the nearly finished interior. ¡°Geez, you do fast work.¡±


    ¡°I was highly motivated.¡± I said and wagged my eyebrows, making the older manugh.


    ¡°I understand, Rick. Ipletely understand.¡± Dale said, knowing I did it to impress Amy. We sat down on the two bar stools and started talking.

 128 More Progress

    128 More Progress


    Dale was pretty insightful about a better way to protect the camp. Instead of the rough circle I thought to use, we worked out making channels for them instead, so the walkers could only approach in a line and not in a mass. It also cut down on how high I needed to make the dirt barriers around the camp, which was great.


    He left with a happy smile on his face and seemed quite impressed that I had epted his suggestions without argument. It made me chuckle and realize he was probably marginalized with the younger men at the camp, since they did most of the heavier work around the ce and Dale could only help in certain situations.


    I was not that shortsighted and knew he had both time and knowledge on his hands that could be used for everyone''s benefit, so I used it relentlessly. I dressed in normal clothes for the first time since I woke up and checked the schedule Amy had stuck to the refrigerator.


    <i>Where the hell did she find a ma?</i> I asked myself and then shook my head. That wasn''t important right now. I read both the watch schedule and the shower schedule and nodded. The 10 AM to Noon shift was for the women and the 1 PM to 3 PM shift was for the men. Since I could shower whenever I wanted, I could volunteer to watch the camp from Dale''s RV for the afternoon shift.


    That meant I needed to get my ass moving. Thosetrines weren''t going to dig themselves!


    *


    Glenn had stayed out of the way thest two days and he was d he did, because it let him see just how much having a sheriff at the camp was affecting everyone. That Rick knew what he was doing was just a bonus, because everyone was happier and reassured with him there. He had cleared out hundreds of stray walkers ording to Merle and Darrel and now he was puttering around the camp inside a tractor of all things and was building something.


    His work caught a lot of people''s attention, especially the kids, and Carl was the most vocal as his dad dug huge trenches in odd patterns all around. He even used the front bucket to tear out some of the trees to clear out better sight lines for defending the camp. It was quite the n as it came together and everyone wanted to talk to Rick when he stopped working for lunch.


    Rick''s offer to take over the camp watch that afternoon, so the other men could go to his moving van to take a hot shower, was met with ps on the back and more happiness. He mentioned cooking supper and that earned the same from the women in the camp that usually did that chore. Keeping everyone fed was a chore that they had reluctantly epted taking turns with, because they had the most experience with cooking.


    Glenn remembered his first turn in the shower and it had been a mix of revtions and enlightenment, because the ce was surprisingly like a real bathroom. How did Rick do it? A heated cushion floor? Carpet in the living area? An actual kitchen counter? The damn thing was an empty box a day ago and now it was as close to a mobile apartment was without appliances, which he had added that morning.


    The best part about things changing at the camp was that he wasn''t asked to make another run to the city to scrounge things for people. Yet, anyway. He expected one of the women would approach him soon to go find their favorite shampoo or something. He always told them no and went anyway, just because he liked having something to do.


    Was it dangerous? Yes. Was he always careful? Definitely. Could he die at any moment from a walker surprising him? It was a constant worry. He still went when asked, though. He didn''t have any other real talent to do anything else, actually. Being the camp''s gofer was the best job he ever had, both before and after the world ended.


    Glenn did have an idea he wanted to share with Rick, so he made his way over to the RV and climbed up thedder. He didn''t say anything right away and sat down beside Rick, whom was using the binocrs to observe the camp.


    ¡°I''m sorry I kind of took over your job yesterday.¡± Rick said and broke the silence.


    Glenn gave him a searching look and saw he was genuine with the apology. ¡°You had a car and made it to town much faster than I did.¡±


    Rick chuckled. ¡°Yeah, and where''s that car now?¡±


    Glenn blinked his eyes and turned back to look at where the squad car used to be parked. ¡°Oh, right. You drove the tractor here.¡±


    Rick dropped the binocrs to hang around his neck. ¡°I didn''t realize it at the time that having someone else along might have been a smarter move, even if I had toe back to the camp first before going to get the tractor to clean up all the dead bodies from the highway.¡±


    Glenn nodded and his eyesnded on the motorcycle that looked like a Harley Davidson, even if he had no clue what it actually was or how to drive the thing. Now that he realized Rick no longer had a car to drive, maybe his idea would work better. He turned to look at Rick and saw he was looking back at him.


    ¡°I had an idea and I wondered if you wanted to hear it.¡± Glenn finally said.


    Rick smiled. ¡°I''m listening.¡±


    Glenn took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I had a shower yesterday and saw how well your apartment came out. It made me think that if you could do it once, why not do it a few times? There were four other moving vans back at that lot and the keys were right there.¡±


    Rick stared at him for several seconds, making Glenn a little ufortable, then Rick burst outughing. Glenn couldn''t stop himself from joining in andughed, too. He felt relief that Rick didn''t call him crazy or thought the idea was stupid.


    ¡°Is that why you were looking at the motorcycle?¡± Rick asked after he calmed down.


    Glenn nodded. ¡°With your car not a factor, you could use the motorcycle to get there, load the van up with the basic things you need, then load the motorcycle into the back using one of the metal shelves like a ramp.¡±


    Rick looked thoughtful. ¡°I did bring a crapload of smaller propane tanks for camp stoves I had in the van and they''re just sitting there and not being used.¡± He said and motioned towards the pile of hardware store supplies.


    Glenn looked over and noticed the stacks of tanks that hadn''t been there that morning and the boxes for camp stoves. <i>When did he put them there and where were some of the other things?</i>


    ¡°There were several other stoves and fridges in the back storage area at that department store, so it shouldn''t be too much of a hassle getting them, assuming I can also find the right electrical panels and other parts I used to regte the power from the car batteries.¡± Rick said and rubbed his chin. ¡°I just have to find or make the shower stalls, since I took the only one the hardware store had that could be used easily. The others there were not portable at all.¡±


    Glenn added in his own thoughts. ¡°You already have the bed frames and mattresses here, so you don''t need any more of those, except for the kids. Bunk beds, maybe?¡±


    Rick smiled. ¡°That''s a great idea. The kids should enjoy a sleepover, if they all get to stay together, and it''ll give their parents some extra privacy. Everyone needs a short break asionally.¡±


    Glenn smiled back, because he was happy that Rick thought his ideas were good ones.


    ¡°I''ll do a bit more work on the trenches and defenses this evening and then tomorrow morning I''ll look at the motorcycle and see if it works and only needs gas.¡± Rick said. ¡°Any idea who owns it?¡±


    ¡°Merle rode it here.¡± Glenn said and didn''t voice that he didn''t know if the crazy man owned it.


    Rick saw his face and chuckled. ¡°Remember what I said back in Anta.¡±


    Glenn''s memory shed back and realized what he meant. Rick wasn''t going to pursue people for acquiring materials and essentials for survival during an emergency.


    ¡°I''ll still ask for permission, just to be nice and all. Plus, I''m just borrowing it and it''s for a good cause.¡± Rick said and used the binocrs again to observe the camp. ¡°I only have two more hours on my watch and then I have to start cooking.¡±


    ¡°What are you making?¡± Glenn asked, instead of asking why he was cooking.


    ¡°Chicken curry.¡± Rick said and Glenn winced, so he pped the younger man on the back. ¡°Don''t worry, Glenn. It''s tangy and not spicy. I always go for a savoury vour instead of destroying taste buds.¡±


    Glenn sighed with relief and Rickughed.


    *


    The tasty curry was a huge hit, especially with the kids. They had two helpings each, surprising all of the adults except me. My levels in cooking had risen unbelievably quickly while I prepared the simple dish, probably because I had to make a huge stock pot full of rice and half that amount of curry.


    Preparing all those ingredients and cooking for so many people was significant, apparently. Well, either that or someone behind the scenes was artificially boosting my gains. I wasn''t going toin, especially since my inventory expanded again and gave me another 30 feet of space.


    Inside it was a rack of various potions, arge shelving unit full of potion ingredients, and my transfigured and enchanted guitar from Danmachi.


    I sat beside the lit campfire with Amy as we ate and everyone else talked to each other and seemed really happy. The kids had finished already and ran off to work some of that energy off, thankfully. I nced at Amy and she was also looking at everyone else talking and enjoying themselves around the fire.


    ¡°It''s kind of funny that something so simple can raise people''s spirits.¡± I whispered to her and ate another spoonful of rice after dipping it into the remains of the curry on my te.


    ¡°It''s amazing.¡± Amy whispered back and she turned her head to meet my gaze. Her head tilted slightly and she gave me a very odd look. ¡°Did you know it would do that?¡±


    I shook my head and chewed on another spoonful. <i>Damn, that''s tasty.</i> I thought and swallowed. ¡°I haven''t had a lot of time to practice cooking, so I wasn''t sure how it was going to turn out until it was nearly done.¡±


    Amy''s odd look went to surprise for a moment, then she giggled. ¡°I think Dale would murder you if you used up thest of the chicken and then made so much food, only to waste it all in the end.¡±


    I barely held back my snort ofughter at Dale being the one to try to kill me, and coughed to cover it up. Amy looked really amused at my expression and ate some of her own food.


    ¡°It still would have been edible, you minx.¡± I said after clearing my throat. ¡°It just would have been nd as cardboard for the curry and the rice probably dry as sand.¡±


    Amy barked augh and nudged me with her shoulder. I chuckled and we fell silent again as we let the other people''s voices fill the air around us.


    After I was done, I gave her a quick kiss and a promise to not work toote, and made my way back over to the tractor. Luckily, no one had any clue how long a tank of dieselsted on the thing and didn''t question me about it. Setting up a small notice-me-not spell on a diesel fuel barrel was doable with my avable magic and no one saw me using a siphon hose to put some fuel into the tractor''s tank.


    I stored the tank again and continued my work with the tractor as I made the trenches and mounds needed for the ns Dale and I had worked out. It really was a much easier way to handle things than my original idea, especially when Dale said to supplement my work with therger rocks from the nearby quarry.


    This worked into my other n easily and I spent a half an hour making an appropriate runway as I cleared out a space to get at therger pieces of rock, which I piled back near the camp. Completing sneaky ns in in sight was both amusing and funny, because only I knew what I was going to use the thing for.


    I finished up as it was getting dark and there were a lot of appreciative looks when I parked the tractor and walked over to my moving van. I smiled and waved, just to acknowledge that I saw them and understood, and I entered the back of the van.


    ¡°We need some real lights.¡± Amy said as she changed the batteries in one of the camp lights.


    ¡°Hello, Honey! I''m home!¡± I said and turned around to close the sliding rear door. I locked it and turned back to face her as I started to strip off.


    Amy looked confused for a moment, then she looked embarrassed. ¡°I''m sorry if I snapped at you, Rick. I just... I''ve already used up half of the batteries I have, because some lights need to be on while people take showers. When the back door is closed, it''s really dark in here.¡±


    I dropped my clothes onto the floor and gave her a look. Yep, that look.


    Amy blushed and turned away. ¡°Rick...¡±


    ¡°You''re allowed to feel annoyed, Amy. I''m sorry I didn''t think about working on the electrical panel to add wiring for light sockets and electrical plugs.¡± I said and hugged her from behind. ¡°It''s not like I''ve done anything like this before and there are a lot of bugs to work out.¡± <i>Because an enchanted carriage didn''t need electrical wiring. </i>I added on in my mind.


    Amy turned in my arms to face me. ¡°Are you sure you''re not angry?¡±


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°If you threw one of the camp lights at me, maybe. You''re only griping about recing all the batteries on lights we use ourselves to see at night and I''m okay with that.¡±


    Amy smiled before she leaned in and kissed me.


    ¡°I''m making another run into town sometime tomorrow to grab another moving van. I''ll stop in a few ces along the way to pick up more wiring, lights and electrical sockets, and maybe a coffee maker and a microwave.¡± I said and her smile grew. ¡°I''ll have this ce as normal as possible soon. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Amy said and let me go, then she pulled off her t-shirt and she wasn''t wearing a bra.


    My eyes dropped to her bare breasts and she softlyughed, then her hand gripped my firmness.


    ¡°I think I''m being spoiled.¡± Amy said and led me across the mini-apartment to the bathroom. ¡°I feel a little lonely if I try to take a shower by myself.¡±


    That made me smile and I twitched down there for her, making herugh again.


    We spent half an hour in the shower, cleaning up and getting dirty again, and neither of usined when we climbed into bed and our fingers were covered in water wrinkles. Amy turned onto her side and asked to be the big spoon this time, which surprised me. I figured she liked being held while she slept.


    With a shrug, I rolled onto my side and moved back to let her hug me from behind with one of her arms. I felt her nipples harden as they pressed into my back and then I felt her lips on the back of my neck and her hand slid down between my legs to cup my soft member.


    ¡°Let''s see how much you like it when the one behind you is in charge.¡± Amy whispered and lightly bit my earlobe.


    I instantly grew hard for her, making her moan, and then I started to pant as she yed with me.


    ¡°You''re my imed property, Rick.¡± Amy softly moaned into my ear and stroked me.


    I nodded and moved my hand backwards and gripped her hip to hold her close, silently urging her to keep going.


    ¡°Show me how much you love me.¡± Amy whispered and started sucking on my neck.


    Barely a minuteter, under her fairly expert handling of my body and sensations, I unloaded myself into her cupped hand. I don''t know how she caught it all and didn''t spill any, because there was a lot of it.


    ¡°That''s it, baby.¡± Amy almost purred and her hand moved away from in front of me.


    I heard her gulp and then she made a throaty moan. Surprisingly, she didn''t try to do anything else. Her hand came back around my waist with a napkin in it and she wiped me off, then she hugged me and kissed the back of my neck again.


    ¡°Goodnight, love.¡± Amy breathed against my skin.


    ¡°Goodnight, love.¡± I said back and drifted off to sleep.

 129 Moving Day

    129 Moving Day


    Merleughed his ass off when I asked him for permission to borrow his motorcycle. He didn''t admit to anything and only looked like he pulled the wool over my eyes as he tossed me the keys.


    ¡°Fill''er up before you bring her back.¡± Merle said and keptughing as he walked away.


    ¡°Everyone''s aedian.¡± Imented and heughed harder.


    I went over to where the motorcycle was and gave it a quick check-up. The fluids were fine and the tank was almost empty with only dregs of liquid at the bottom. Since the engine was fairly fuel efficient, I would have enough to make it to where I ''parked'' my police car for the gas cans I stored in the trunk. The ruse was easy to sell because the town was only twenty minutes away.


    Glenn debated going with me until I started therger motorcycle up. The loud rumbling turned him offpletely and he cringed away before he asked me to reconsider the n. I patted my walkie-talkie and waved to Carl, whom waved back, and I kicked the motorcycle into gear and rode out of there as quickly and safely as I could.


    I spent a few minutes doingps on the highway, just to see if there were any strays attracted to the loud noise, and nothing showed up. I nodded and poured on the speed and drove towards Anta. It really didn''t take me long to get to a good spot to take out the police car and I emptied the trunk into my inventory, so I wouldn''t have to keep pretending to travel to get things from it.


    I drove to where the moving van lot was and saw that it was still intact, with the fence still closed. I took Glenn''s advice and climbed over and hit the button, just to see if the generator was still running. It wasn''t. It didn''t matter to me, since I was taking the other four vans with me anyway. It really was an ingenious idea to make more and I didn''t berate myself for not thinking of it myself. I was kind of busy getting things done to think too far ahead.


    In any case, 30 extra feet in my inventory on top of the 30 feet extra I already had, gave me plenty of room to store three of the vans and the motorcycle. I drove thest van out of the lot and through the fence. The bumper wasn''t even dented from such a soft hit and I drove back to where the department store was. It really did have a good store of appliances, much better than the hardware store.


    I took out the three vans to leave in the back alley and opened the backs, then loaded in a refrigerator and a stove into each of them and severalmps each. I also added a toaster, a coffee maker, a teapot, a microwave, and several other things that would make an apartmentplete. Was I going a bit overboard? Probably. Did it matter? Only for aesthetics. You see, even if they are never used, it gave people a sense of normalcy that you couldn''t get while living in a tent.


    I stored the other three vans again and drove to the street Glenn had pointed me to before. It really was a shame that it was as wrecked as it was, because some of the other stores could have had some great stuff for survival... which was probably why they were ransacked a long time ago.


    I chuckled and gathered more electrical things I would need to fake adding the right setup for lights and plugs, filled a shopping cart with light bulbs and sockets, and grabbed more plumbing things to set the other bathrooms up. That reminded me that I didn''t have any more easily installed shower stalls and only therger disy models were avable.


    I was really d I had magic, because it made moving and installing them into the four vans much easier. I did not do the heated floor thing again, even if I did raise it for the plumbing to fit. That was afort only Amy and I were going to have. I did grab a few space heaters that used propane to add to the piles of materials, just in case.


    How cold did it get near a rock quarry during the winter, anyway? I had no clue. At least the makeshift barriers should cut down on both the heavy winds and blowing snow, assuming we had any of that. Maybe I could make a run to grab some firewood and dry it with magic? The newer stuff at the camp made a thicker smoke that might give us away during the day if we weren''t careful.


    Since I had magic, I easily harvested the kitchen setups, even the damaged ones, and added them into the vans. They wereing along at a really fast pace and it was almost too easy to replicate my work the second, third, fourth, and fifth time. My skill levels really were rising unnaturally fast and I was d for it.


    I had to leave a door in the bathroom walls to add in the propane tanks for the stoves to use and I would need to raid a few of the houses in the suburbs to find working water heaters. Why didn''t the hardware store have any for sale? Was it an order only item that they didn''t carry? That was kind of shortsighted of them and it sucked for me, because now I had a lot more work to do.


    *


    Amy was slightly worried as she waited all day for Rick toe home. Carl kept them all informed as his dad worked and talked to him, giving the people at the camp a fewughs. He really was a funny guy and Carl basked in the attention, much to his mother''s chagrin, probably because she thought it should have been her using the walkie-talkie to talk to Rick.


    Surprisingly, Amy did not feel jealous of Carl in the same way. Rick had somehow bnced his time to not let either of them feel neglected or marginalized, which was impressive, considering how much the man had done thest few days. Now he was doing that much more and the whole camp was waiting in anticipation for him to return with histest creation.


    ¡°He''s on his way and he said he has bunk beds, too!¡± Carl shouted and the other kids cheered.


    ¡°Bunk beds? What for?¡± Carol asked.


    Amy turned to the woman and wasn''t sure what to think about her. She almost seemed happy that her husband was incapacitated and could only eat the gruel that Rick had made for him. What had happened in that tent and where did the fading bruise on her chine from?


    ¡°That was my idea.¡± Glenn said and everyone turned to look at him, making him shrink slightly from the attention. ¡°He said it was a great idea and that the kids could have a sleepover asionally to give their parents a break.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I was kind of joking about saying I loved him before.¡± Miranda said and hugged her husband. ¡°But, that just earned him at least a kiss on the cheek, wouldn''t you say?¡±


    ¡°I''m not doing it!¡± Juan immediately shouted in protest and everyoneughed.


    ¡°I meant me, you lovable fool.¡± Miranda said, her giggles cutting off as he kissed her.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t mind kissing him in thanks.¡± One of the other women said, her voice a bit deeper than usual. The man beside her chuckled and put his arm over her shoulders.


    Amy decided to stay quiet and notment on that, because they were one of the swinging couples that wanted her to share in the experience. Hell no was she going to have another man inside of her when she could have Rick all to herself. Why would she go from fantastic to disappointing? There was no way the chubby guy was going to perform anywhere near as well as Rick could.


    Her thoughts stuttered at that, because she just realized the other woman knew that as well. She was stuck with the chubby guy and wanted a chance with a newer handsome one, because goddamn did Rick lookpletely tasty when he walked around camp wearing just shorts.


    <i>Didn''t he realize his forming muscles had them all wanting him? Even her sister?</i> Amy thought. <i>No, no he didn''t.</i>


    Rick wasn''t arrogant enough to think other women would want him, just for his body, even after what she did to him the night before. Amy''s face burned with embarrassment at remembering it and she wasn''t sure what she had been thinking as shemanded him to show her how much he loved her. She really had imed him like he had joked about and she absolutely loved that he went along with it.


    The rattling of tires on gravel gained her attention and Amy stood up from beside the campfire, as did everyone else. They all turned to look and saw a nearly identical van to the other oneing down the road and their spirits rose at the sight. Was it just the new van or that it was Rick returning that had them all excited?


    The van came to a stop where the motorcycle used to be parked and Rick climbed out of the driver''s side.


    ¡°Hey, everyone.¡± Rick said and closed the door and he looked sweaty for some reason.


    Everyone rushed over to greet him and to see what else he brought back with the bunk beds as they gathered around the back of the moving van. Amy hung back a little, mostly because she didn''t want to crowd him, and she held back the kids, too.


    Rick saw them all there and heughed a little. ¡°You need to make room enough for the ramp. I can''t get the motorcycle out with you all in the way.¡±


    They quickly parted and started whispering about how smart it was to do that instead of leaving the motorcycle behind.


    ¡°It was Glenn''s idea.¡± Rick said, throwing Glenn under the proverbial bus as a distraction, and then he unlocked the back sliding door and slid it up with a light push.


    The gathered crowd made surprised sounds, because there were two sets of bunk beds set up on either side of the wide space and the motorcycle was wedged between them. They watched as he pulled out a double length metal shelf and he bolted it to the back of the opening, right under the back tire.


    To their surprise, he then climbed up into the space above the motorcycle, using the top bunks as braces, and carefully slid onto the seat. The thrum of the engine made them all take a step back from the ramp and Rickughed as he cut it and kicked the motorcycle into neutral. He then grabbed the handlebars and pushed with his feet on the bottom bunks and the unpowered motorcycle easily rolled out and down the ramp to the ground.


    ¡°That was damn slick.¡± Merle said in appreciation from behind the crowd and his brother nodded.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Rick said and put the kickstand down and left the motorcycle there. ¡°I brought both bunk beds this time and we can transfer one out when I finish working on the next van.¡±


    ¡°Finish working? What do you mean?¡± Andrea asked, her voice betraying her confusion.


    Rick gave her a warm smile and she blushed. ¡°Why don''t you go up there and see for yourself while I grab the propane tanks I need to install for the water heater and the stove?¡±


    No one moved or said anything for several seconds, then there was a mad scramble as most of them tried to go up the ramp at the same time. Rickughed and walked over to where the piles of supplies were on the tarps and grabbed two of the medium-sized tanks, which would work perfectly.


    Rick casually walked back and set the two tanks on the ground by the back of the van because the inside of the van was full of people and they were all talking about how nice everything looked. Nothing was powered up or working, though.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Amy asked him as she hugged him from behind.


    ¡°I told you I was working out the bugs. Once I do something once, I get better and better at it the more I do it.¡± Rick said and turned around to see Amy''s epic blush. He smiled at her realizing he meant her as well and he kissed her deeply to distract her. No one was looking at them, so their hands went a few ces they probably shouldn''t have in public.


    *


    The next few days seemed to let me fall into a calm routine. A day working with the tractor to make the camp safer for everyone and the next day going to retrieve another van and converting it. The only problem was that I really was getting much faster doing them, so after I finished the third moving van, I had also spent a lot of time making noise and clearing out more of the walking dead from the city.


    I had an odd thought of blocking all the streets off and then building a barricade all around the ce, except I knew in the end it wasn''t worth the time or the effort. There was no possible way to supply a ce thatrge or support many more people than were already at the camp. I did make a concerted effort to look for more people that might need help, finding none, until I reached the Center for Disease Control.


    As I knew from the original story, the rest of the people working there had abandoned their posts over a month ago and left a single man behind, because the man wanted to verify his results. It took him that long to run every experiment he knew, and some he created, toe to the conclusion he had suspected all along.


    There was no cure for the virus. Once you were infected, that was it. Being bitten only hastened the spread and killed you faster. When you died, no matter the cause, you would rise as one of the walkers and hunt for the only food avable... other humans.


    Just like in the show, Dr. Jenner refused to let me inside, even though I had cleared all of the walkers from the area and stripped off naked to show that I wasn''t bitten. I didn''t bother trying to tell him I was immune, since it was based on my Karma system and not gained in-world. Not that it mattered, as he still refused to open up and talk to me.


    I let out a sigh and dressed in my clothes again, then had an odd thought. I had gained ess to some potions and I wondered if they would have any effect on either the people or the virus, especially the Pepper-up Potion. It was the cure for themon cold in the wizarding world, also an easily spreadable virus, and the ingredients were simple and easily grown.


    <i>Maybe it could help the man''s research?</i> I asked myself and prepared what I wanted to say.


    Unfortunately, when I tried to offer the potion and the nts, the manughed for several seconds and then cried. He kept saying it was contaminated like everything else and there was no hope for anyone. He told me he was going to save his research onto a portable hard drive and would let me take it, since there was no one else to give it to.


    Several hourster, I heard a thunk near the door and looked up to see the blonde haired man wearing a full hazmat suit. He waved to me and pointed down at the wrapped bundle. I nodded and opened the door to grab it and pretended to tuck it behind my back as I stored it into inventory.


    ¡°I''m enacting quarantine protocols when I''m back in myb.¡± Edwin Jenner said.


    I opened my mouth to tell him not to, then sighed. ¡°It doesn''t matter what I say, does it?¡±


    Edwin shook his head. ¡°The world is dying, Rick. Slowly, agonizingly, and inevitably. My wife, she already... I want to be with her and... and not...¡±


    I nodded and stepped back, knowing he didn''t want to be a walker. I waved to him and turned to climb into the driver''s side of the moving van, then I paused and looked back at him.


    ¡°Before I go, can you tell me if there''s a museum or something about nes around here?¡± I asked.


    Edwin nodded. ¡°It''s about five blocks that way.¡± He said and pointed. ¡°The historical aeronautics disy is in the back past the neanderthal disy.¡±


    Iughed at the mix of subjects. ¡°Thanks, Doc.¡±


    I hopped into the van and drove off with a smile on my face. The next step in my secret n was going to be fulfilled soon and thest moving van I would pretend to go retrieve in 2 days was going to have crates of ne parts in them for me to assemble in front of everyone.

 130 Turbulent Times Part One

    130 Turbulent Times Part One


    The camp became much more pleasant after I used the tractor to make individual parking spaces for the apartment vans around the camp to give everyone more privacy. The four vans acted like a temporary barrier and gave off an extra sense of safety, which everyone appreciated. That each could still be driven, after disconnecting the toilet refuse container, made them even more appealing.


    I took the same afternoon watch slot and the men all took showers. T-Dog won the draw to go first and he was really happy about it, because he had a date nned with a woman named Jacqui, pronounced Jack-E, because she made sure everyone knew how to say it right. They were going to be a good match, I was sure.


    The best part about that was Jacqui hadn''t met the good doctor at the CDC and the man didn''t convince her everything was hopeless. She didn''t give up and she didn''t die with him when he destroyed theb. That was a huge win in my book. Every time I saw her smiling face as she whispered about T-Dog, I knew her future was going to be a much brighter one than what she was supposed to have.


    I spent the rest of the afternoon with Carl, ying card games and making all the kidsugh, because you knew as soon as one kid was doing something fun, they all wanted in. It was Basic Kid Care 101. When I mentioned it to Amy, whom had drifted over as she followed the kids, she nodded and said she used the same tactic to corral them when they started acting up.


    Supper consisted of the leftovers of the curry and rice from four days ago, thanks to storing it in the freezer part of my refrigerator. It was just as good when it was reheated as it was when I first made it, which surprised everyone, and most of the women begged me to share the recipe. That made meugh and I said they couldn''t reproduce it because they couldn''t add the same tender loving care that I could.


    Instead of discouraging them, it only made them want it more, Amy included. I shared it with them, even though there was no more chicken to make it. That they knew of, anyway. I had insider information about where to go to find chickens, cattle, and goats, which would open up meat, milk, and egg production for the camp.


    I wasn''t going to reveal that until I built my airne, though. A quick overflight would let me discover them naturally and cover up how I knew about it, which was the best way to not ruin everything. If they knew the truth about what was out there, they would lose hope in the future and I didn''t want that. At all.


    Of course, once I had ess to a ne, there were a few ces I needed to visit, like arge distribution center and the closest army base. My n to stay away had to change when I gained ess to my magic again. It unlocked so many possibilities that I had a hard time not rushing off to put them into effect.


    The problem I have is that using foreknowledge can backfire pretty spectacrly if I''m not careful, like when I was in High School DxD. I screwed that up pretty badly before I had to leave it... even if it was with a bang. I barely ignored the phantom rush of power I felt tingle down my spine as I remembered exactly howrge that bang was.


    Amy saw something on my face, because she leaned in and whispered in my ear that she didn''t want to wait to have another date night. All I could do was nod and she kissed my neck and went back to eating.


    Needless to say, I spent the evening with Amy as I showed her around the inner fortifications I had built and what I nned for the outer ones and that we wouldn''t have to worry about walkers ever again after I installed the moat. Amyughed and hugged me, kissed me pretty soundly, and dragged me to our moving van and inside.


    That was a thing, too. She officially moved in after I fixed the wiring and added both lights and electrical plugs all over the ce. Andrea wasn''t too happy about that, until I offered to switch ces with her once a week, so that she and her sister could have a girl''s night hanging out in plush luxury. I used those words exactly and made them bothugh, because Amy had stolen one of our pillows a few days ago and had given it to Andrea.


    I didn''t miss the appreciative looks that the both of them gave me and I chose to ignore them, because I was making Amy happy by including her sister in our lives and not ostracizing her like Andrea was worried about. How did I know that? I didn''t use any magic spells or anything, I noticed Andrea''s eyes when she looked at us carrying on and I just knew she missed having that with Amy.


    The evening ended with Amy and I in bed and her muffled yells as she tried to scream my name. Yeah, I knew it wasing and I made sure to keep her mouth upied every time she came. The amused look she gave me each time let me know that she knew what I was doing and found it funny.


    The next morning contained another shared shower between us and I had to agree with Amy''s view. I was definitely spoiled by having a beautiful blonde in there with me and I took full advantage of it every time. Amy was perfectly fine with that, too. After a quick breakfast of eggs, using up thest of the crate I revealed a week ago, I dressed in my full sheriff uniform and earned raised eyebrows from her.


    ¡°I''m making onest search through the city before I bring back thest van. If I find anything interesting, I''ll bring it back as well and this outfit should mitigate any circumstances that mighte up.¡± I told her.


    Amy nodded in understanding and kissed me goodbye before she lifted the two full baskets of ourundry out of the van.


    ¡°You don''t have to do that, Amy. I can do it myself on the weekend when I''m not so busy.¡± I said and she looked surprised, then sheughed. ¡°What?¡±


    Amy put the baskets down and walked back over to me to kiss me passionately. ¡°I love you, you perfect bastard.¡± She said and went to the baskets and carried them away, her hips swaying more than normal to catch my attention.


    Yes, I stared at her ass covered in hip-hugging denim. Was I ashamed of doing it? Hell, no. She had a great ass and she loved that she could so easily gain my attention. The knowing smirk on her face when she looked back at me, kind of gave it away, too.


    I closed up the van and waved at the others getting up and moving around, especially the kids, and I hopped onto the motorcycle. Merle was near the campfire and was cooking several nice slices of deer meat and I waved at him and pointed to the motorcycle. He nodded and waved back, getting that I meant it was thest time I was borrowing it.


    I also may have enchanted it a little, just so it wouldst that much longer and was very easy on the gas I added to the tank. The empowering runes I used on the electrical panels seemed to work well on the engine and were the first ones I had managed to get working on something mobile. It was a great breakthrough.


    With it and a few other smaller experiments I had nned for today as I waited toe back to camp, I was sure that while I worked on putting the airne together, I could reinforce it like I had with the original. I couldn''t make any new parts yet, though. Even with a wand, the transfigurations needed were just out of range of my ability. It shouldn''t take much to unlock it, however.


    I did a couple ofps on the highway to see if any walker stragglers had shown up since thest time and a few dozen appeared in therge fields across the highway. I spent the next twenty minutes shooting them in the head and clearing out the area, then did a few moreps. No more showed up, so I drove off into the city to a particr area that I hadn''t gone near yet.


    I avoided it for the simple fact that we didn''t have enough food to support an entire old people''s home of residents and the Vatos gang that were protecting them and trying to make enough vehicles to take them out of the city. Why would they want to leave a heavily fortified facility for a faint hope of more food? They were probably running out of food and definitely didn''t have enough gas to go far.


    I slowed down the motorcycle and let it idle as I drifted in neutral to make the engine sound less loud. It worked and I pretty much coasted by the industrialplex that was the Anta Nursing Home. Unfortunately, I didn''t see any movement or could hear anything, which meant one of two things. Either their n already seeded or they had been overrun.


    I pulled the brake on the handlebars and the motorcycle slowed to a stop out of sight of the facility. I stored it in my inventory and crept back towards the building and around the back where the parking lot for workers was. Every vehicle remaining there had their gas tank covers removed and there was a couple of clearly empty spots and sets of abandoned tools.


    <i>They left in a hurry.</i> I thought and looked at the open back door. There were no sounds, so I entered the facility and it was the break room with offices and lockers in the next set of rooms. I checked every room I passed, my gun out, and I found nothing until I reached the patient area. I sighed at seeing each room had a secured body inside and they had clearly turned and had been shot in the head.


    I found arge group of bodies in the recreation area and some of them had been dealt with execution style. I shook my head at the waste and moved through the facility to theundry area. I wasn''t surprised to find two industrial sized washers and two dryers, giving me a very neat idea. There was a youth group van back at camp that both washers and dryers could easily fit in.


    When I checked the cafeteria, it was stripped to the counters and there was nothing left, not even baking soda to keep the stronger smells down. However, it could exin me finding and bringing back a lot of the perishable things I had stored from the hospital cafeteria I raided after I woke up.


    It took me quite a bit of time unhooking everything and I stored the fourrge machines. I could get them into the back of the van easily; but, I couldn''t fit them and the ne parts into the same space. I sighed and would have to make two trips, which annoyed me. Why couldn''t I have things be a little easier, hmm?


    I left the facility and went out the back, the same way I entered, and made sure I was out of sight when I took out the motorcycle from inventory. I hopped on and drove away, found a good spot that was out of the way and had no sight lines, and took out thest moving van. I added the industrial machines in the back and only had enough room to pile half of the crates and packages of fresh food on top of them. The motorcycle barely squeezed into the space by the door.


    I stored the food again and waited around a few hours as I did my experiments on scrap pieces of metal. I stayed there just long enough for it to be believable that I had worked on the van and I put the food items back on top of the machines and drove back to the camp. I would have to make up an excuse about finding the museum and wanting to check it outter, only I had found the food first and rushed back to camp to offload it.


    With some luck, it would all be distributed into the fridges of the five moving vans and wouldn''t spoil. When mixed with the piles of dry goods they already knew about, we would have enough food tost us for most of the winter. The supplements that Merle and Darrel added for meat and the fish Amy caught, that we could now freeze and save, would expand that to spring at least and that was without rationing.


    I chuckled as my radio came to life and Carl asked me what I was doing, just like he did every hour, and I was tempted to not say anything abouting back early. I couldn''t lie to the little guy so tantly, so I told him I stumbled onto a bunch of fresh and refrigerated foods that I was bringing back to the camp right away.


    The cheers were so loud that I winced and had to turn the volume down on the walkie-talkie. They were all overjoyed about the find, apparently.


    *


    Amy was in awe as she watched the rest of the survivors raid thest moving van of everything. Thankfully, Dale was there to stop them from eating bits of everything and possibly ruining it. He quickly organized a proper storing system and spread the food out to each avable refrigerator, including his own.


    Dale also made sure to group things together to stop any one person from having a monopoly on the avable food... and there was so much of it! Sooo soooo much! Amy hadn''t seen so much food in one ce before and she had seen what the college cafeteria had avable, and wasn''t that a surprise?


    No one else seemed to notice what the crates and packages of food were on as they emptied the back of the van of edibles. Amy did see what was there and her eyes went to her man... her <b>man</b>... and he gave her a look that instantly made her wet. She stepped forward and grabbed one of the boxes with some of the sorted food in it, took Rick''s hand, and went to their home.


    Amy calmly and methodically put the food into the refrigerator, picked several things that could be frozen and added them to the toppartment to freeze them, and then tossed the empty box over the kitchen counter and gave Rick that same look back.


    Her eyes dropped to his waist and saw him poking a tent and she turned around and peeled her tight jeans down over her hips, her thin panties following along with the thicker cloth, as if they wanted to be dropped off. She moaned as Rick entered her from behind and she leaned onto the counter, her moans not muffled at all as he took her right there.


    Amy lost herself in the sensations and she let her body do the talking, because she really didn''t have the words to express how he made her feel. In the back of her mind, her college education told her that it was her caveman or lizard-like hind-brain that was telling her that Rick was an excellent provider, giving her a home and food, and she needed to do everything she could to make him happy.


    ¡°And you called me perfect this morning.¡± Rick whispered in her ear as his hardness plundered her.


    ¡°OH GOD!¡± Amy yelled and came hard. She came so hard that her eyes rolled up and she almost passed out.


    ¡°That was a nice one.¡± Rick whispered and kissed her cheek, then he stood up and gripped her hips and kept going... and going... and going. He didn''t stop until it was time to cook supper and Amy was little more than a soft bag of loose muscle and flesh that could barely move. She tingled all over, felt absolutely wonderful, and couldn''t remember when they had moved to the bed.


    Rick wouldn''t be able to move the washers and dryers until the next morning and he worked on installing them in the youth group van, with T-Dog''s permission. He added a water tank and power, a water heater, and added lights in case anyone wanted to wash clothing at night.


    At lunchtime when he was done, everyone quickly realized they could have genuine washed and cleaned clothes that could be then dried in an actual dryer. It was no surprise that Rick''s reputation with the entire camp was now through the roof.


    None of them bothered to ask Rick why he was taking thest moving van back to town, not even Amy. It wasn''t that they didn''t care, because they did. They all just assumed he had a good reason and that was enough for them.

 131 Turbulent Times Part Two

    131 Turbulent Times Part Two


    I didn''t want anyone to use me of lying, so I actually did go to the museum to check it out. It was exactly what you would expect when you entered a museum and I wasn''t disappointed. I was tempted to pilfer some of the art, except it was pretty much worthless.


    Instead of raiding the office to find out which ones were the most expensive, I picked the best ones that would look good on a living room wall. I stored six of them and went past the caveman exhibit and into the next section. I whistled at all of the aeronautical memorabilia and spent half an hour just looking at everything.


    For ark, I took out one of my normal sets of clothing and transfigured it into a copy of a WW2 US Airforce uniform, minus all the badges and the rank identifiers. I didn''t want to be used of making fun of anyone or be seen as stealing their glory. I stored my new flight uniform and went to where the nes were.


    They didn''t have a copy of the ne I had in parts inside my inventory, so I went into the back and checked out what they had stored. All I found was the wings of an old bi-ne and the ns to make a new disy. I copied the papers and grabbed several of therge empty shipping containers and left the museum.


    I entered the back of the moving van and spent several minutes arranging and <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">filling the shipping containers with the ne parts I had ess to. I filled three of them to near the top and closed them up, then I set therger pieces of the fusge on top of them. It was surprisingly easy to set everything in ce and I went to the driver''s side to start driving back to camp.


    I was halfway there when I remembered I needed to alter the shipping paperwork. I stopped at the side of the highway and did that and added the parts list, assembly instructions, and a flight instruction manual. It was simple in design, because it was made for civilians in a medieval society to put together and to learn from, which was perfect.


    When I arrived back at camp, almost no one was there at the fifth parking spot to greet me, except for Carl and Sophia. Iughed at myself for being arrogant enough to expect a round of fanfare every time I came back, even though I didn''t have anything this time for anyone to really get excited about.


    ¡°Hi, <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Dad!¡± Carl said and waved, as did Sophia. Unlike him, she looked a little lost and unsure about things. ¡°You won''t believe what we ate for lunch!¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Iughed under my breath and climbed out of the van and walked over to him to kneel and hugged him, then I turned slightly and did the same to Sophia. Her blush was quite red and the strength in her arms as she hugged me back, was worth the extra effort of showing her some affection. If she held onto me for a bit longer than Carl did, neither of us were going to mention it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I have a feeling that there was some kind of sd that you can''t pronounce.¡± I joked.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">That''s RIGHT!¡± Carl shouted and several people around the camp groaned, because his voice echoed more than normal, thanks to the fortifications.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Iughed and swatted at his head to mess up his hair. ¡°You don''t have to answer like that every time someone asks you something.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Yes, I DOOO!¡± Carl shouted and we heard ''dooo'' a couple more times.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Sophia covered her mouth with both hands and giggled.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">That''s going to stop being funny eventually.¡± Amy said as she walked over to us.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Not TODAY!¡± Carl shouted and grabbed Sophia''s hand and ran off. The poor girl blushed hard at Carl being so bold in front of me and they disappeared from sight.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">You know, I didn''t think he could be even more rowdy after getting his dad back.¡± Amy said, her voice full of fondness.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I stood up and hugged her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips as a greeting. ¡°I think it''s more about not having as many things to worry about.¡± Imented and left a single arm around her waist as I turned toward the moving van. ¡°So, do you want to see why I had to rush back to the museum?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Nope! I am not interested at all and I didn''t leave the kids with Miranda or arranged for someone else to take the afternoon watch for you.¡± Amy said with a grin.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I barked augh and led her over to the van, opened the front door, and handed her the bulging folder full of papers. Amy gave me an incredulous look for giving her homework and I keptughing as I led her around to the back and opened it up. Before she could open the folder, her eyes caught sight of therge shipping containers and the secured fusge panels stacked on top of them.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Oh, dear lord.¡± Amy whispered and one of her hands reached out and touched a piece of tail section. ¡°This... this... you can''t... why...¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I gave her a kiss to distract her from being bbergasted at the ne parts. ¡°Read the folder.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Amy nodded and opened it and began reading as I set out some tarps and started hauling everything out. Not surprisingly, I started to gain attention as the more recognizable parts of the ne were deposited on the tarps beside the moving van.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Dale walked over and looked down at the quickly growing pile. ¡°Well, that''s something I never expected to see in person in my lifetime.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I know, right?¡± I asked and ced a long piece of wing frame beside the solid pieces of the wing covering. ¡°It''s a reproduction, too.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">How do you know that?¡± Dale asked, clearly curious.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I pulled out another long piece of wing frame and tossed it at him.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">AHH!¡± Dale yelled in surprise and caught it automatically, then his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he easily held the huge thing up. ¡°What is this thing made of? Air?¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Iughed and pped him on the shoulder before I took the piece of wing frame from him and added it to the frame pile. ¡°Close enough. It''s all aluminum.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Geeeee-zus.¡± Dale whispered and looked at the shipping containers in the back of the moving van. ¡°You''re trading off some flight stability using lighter materials... but, damn... the extended fuel efficiency...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Exactly.¡± I said and finished pulling out the rest of the framework. With that out of the way, I grabbed the first crate and pulled it to the edge of the floor. ¡°I need the ramp for this part or the tractor''s front bucket. There''s no way I''m risking trying to lift these things without a lot of help or a forklift.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Dale nodded and followed me over to where I parked the tractor and he climbed up and watched as I easily operated the thing. His eyes caught every movement and lever pull as I drove over to the moving van and raised the wide front bucket up to the same level as the floor.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">You should get one of the crates on safely and we can use the straps to hold it.¡± Dale said and we climbed down. ¡°I assume you''re going to move them somewhere you can assemble the thing?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Right over there in the quarry where I''ve been harvesting therger rocks for the barriers.¡± I said and Dale helped me slide the first crate into the bucket. It mostly fit and we used the straps I had secured the fusge parts with and tied it down. He climbed back into the tractor''s cab with me and I didn''t object, since teaching the man to drive the machine wasn''t costing me anything.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I dropped off the first crate in the right spot at the closest end where there was a lot of room and we went back to retrieve the other two crates. With them moved over, I added a tarp to the front bucket and then filled it with the fusge parts. It took one trip for those parts and one for the framing parts, and then everything was where I needed it to be.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I parked the tractor back where it was stored when not in use and Dale gave me a huge smile and lightly gripped my shoulder in thanks. ¡°I''ll set some time aside this weekend and we can have a few more lessons while we work on the outer barrier.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Dale nodded and we climbed down and went back over to the fifth moving van. Amy was still there and reading intensely with her sister, whom looked both interested and a little afraid. I didn''t ask about that look and brought Dale inside the moving van to prepare and share some food, since I had missed lunch. Amy and Andrea came in as well and ate absently as they sat on the bed and kept reading.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">*


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">It''s so simple.¡± Amy said when she finally finished reading the assembly instructions and the flight manual. ¡°How can it be so simple?¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Andrea put an arm over her shoulders to hug her. ¡°I think it was designed for people who... well, it was near the end of World War 2. There wasn''t a lot of time to train people to work the things before they were sent out to fight.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Amy sat there and thought about that. ¡°With things this easy, they... they... why didn''t they win?¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Andrea softlyughed at her sister''s reaction. ¡°A good n for a distraction, a higher production rate, a lot of luck, and a sacrifice that everyone will remember for the rest of time.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Amy blinked her eyes at her sister for the answer and realized what she meant. ¡°Oh.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Andrea leaned in and kissed her sister''s cheek. ¡°Yes, oh. A really big oh.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Amy blushed at the double meaning and Andreaughed.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">We should clean up and clear out before thest couplees here to im the new apartment.¡± Andrea reminded her.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">That''s a good point. How did you guys decide who gets to live in these things?¡± Rick asked as they cleaned up their mess from eating. When that was done, he hopped out of the moving van and attached the premade folding stairs on the back to let the others step down easily.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">We discussed it with everyone and decided your idea had a lot of worth.¡± Dale said and nodded at Andrea. ¡°There''s only three families with children here, so Juan and Miranda moved into the first avable one with their two children, Carol and Ed were moved into the next one with Sophia, and Lori and Shane moved into the next one with Carl. They all had to agree with the n to take the kids once a week for a sleepover, too.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Rick chuckled. ¡°Forced conscription as babysitters as an incentive? Nice.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">They didn''t include us in that because our huge bed is so impractical.¡± Amy said with a smile.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Oh, no. There was a method to my madness. What a shame.¡± Rick said with a t voice.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Amy made a snort sound and thenughed, making her sister roll her eyes and Dale barked augh.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Thisst van will be set aside as a kind ofmunal space and everyone will take turns staying here for... ahem... date nights.¡± Amy said, her face slightly red.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">That''s not a bad idea. It gives everyone a taste of proper living and no one is left out, even if it is only one night a week.¡± Rick said and nodded several times. ¡°I''ll keep a eye out for more appropriate vehicles and I''ll keep working on them when I find them.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">You don''t have to do that, Rick.¡± Dale said. ¡°We''re all more than happy with everything you''ve done so far.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Rick shook his head. ¡°I haven''t seen anything else in the city we could use as a mobile apartment, since that''s the whole point. If anything happens, we can pick up and move and not be too inconvenienced if we have to abandon this ce.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">The three of them gave him surprised looks and he shrugged.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I can think ahead sometimes, even when I''m distracted.¡± Rick said and looked right at Amy, making her blush. ¡°There''s some time before supper, so I''m going to go work on putting the airne together.¡± He said and Amy handed him the folder. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I''d help if I wasn''t watching the kids.¡± Amy said and then her eyes widened. ¡°I''m supposed to be watching the kids!¡± She gasped and ran off.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">How could she forget she handed them off to Miranda?¡± Andrea asked rhetorically and walked off after her while shaking her head.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">They are definitely sisters.¡± Rickmented and Dale nodded.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">*


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Carl had sneaked off from his babysitter and Sophia had gone with him. He knew he couldn''t stay hidden for long with her there, and for some reason, he didn''t care. He... he liked her... and his stomach did weird flip-flops when she smiled... and he wanted to keep seeing her smile. That meant kidding around and making herugh, which was a lot easier to do after her dad was bitten by a snake and hurt.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">He crept along the edge of the treeline and squatted by a stump, Sophia crouching right beside him. He didn''t know why he liked that she could copy him without him having to tell her what he wanted her to do.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">What''s your dad doing?¡± Sophia whispered, her eyes locked onto their target already.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I dunno.¡± Carl said and they stayed there for several minutes as they watched, then he chose to sit instead and gave his legs a rest. He held back a blush when Sophia sat right beside him and their arms touched from shoulder to hand.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">When his hand twitched, he was surprised when Sophia''s twitched as well and then she slid her hand into his and held on. Carl''s face flushed red as he thought furiously about it and didn''t notice that Sophia''s face was also red.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us"><i>They weren''t running or anything and she was holding his hand! What did it mean?</i><spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us"> Carl asked himself and didn''t know what to do or say.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">I think... he''s making something.¡± Sophia whispered.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Carl barely heard her and looked over, only to see his dad bolt something together and added it to a pile of assembled things. ¡°You''re right, Sophie. He is making something.¡±


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Sophie''s blush deepened at the praise because she waspletely unprepared to hear it. She nced at the boy she liked and was d he didn''t notice how red her face was.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">What could it... it''s a ne!¡± Carl said in surprise when his dad moved the frame enough to show off the shape.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">SHHHHH!¡± Sophie hushed him, only it was much toote for that.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">There you are.¡± Amy''s stern voice said from behind them.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Sophia jumped from the scare and almost fell over. If she hadn''t locked her hand onto Carl''s, she would have flopped over onto her side like a dead fish. Carl on the other hand, let out a sigh at being caught.


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Do you know how long I''ve been looking for you two?¡± Amy asked them and both kids looked embarrassed as they stood and continued to hold hands. She sighed, because she couldn''t stay angry at them, and looked over at Rick. ¡°Well, he''s seen us now. We might as well go over and see if he needs any help.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">YES!¡± Carl yelled and the echo bounced a couple of times. He grinned at Amy''s groan and his dad''sughter and happily led Sophia over to him and the awesome airne he was building.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">The four of them spent the rest of the time before supper talking about the coolest thing the kids had ever seen as Rick continued to bolt things together and adding in all the mechanical moving parts needed for a ne to fly. The brief history lesson was actually fun with both his dad and Amy telling it to them, because they didn''t make him or Sophia feel stupid when they asked questions.


    <spanng="en-us" xmlng="en-us">Carl was also secretly happy that Sophia held onto his hand the whole time, not realizing that Sophia was also secretly happy that he hadn''t let go, either.

 132 Turbulent Times Part Three

    132 Turbulent Times Part Three


    The entire ne could have been put together in about 12 to 16 hours, if I was an asshole andpletely ignored my girlfriend and son as I worked my ass off. Since I wasn''t an asshole or stupid enough to do that, the assembly was spread out for almost an entire week instead. Luckily, the parts list matched the avable partspletely and I checked them off as I put the thing together.


    I wasn''t sure why I thought someone was going to sabotage the build or would either steal or ruin one of the parts. Maybe it was my paranoia kicking in and warning me to keep a closer eye on things? Well, I''ve never ignored my gut feelings before and I wasn''t going to ignore them now.


    I set up an alert ward, thanks to those scrap metal pieces I practised on using runic magic and I didn''t detect anyone entering the space where the ne was, not even at night. It was a relief when I bolted the propeller onto the front of the thing and several sets of apuse came from the gathered audience of everyone in the camp.


    ¡°We''ve all watched you work on that thing in your spare time, Rick.¡± Shane said and waved at thepleted ne. ¡°Now what the hell is it?¡±


    Iughed at that and saw a lot of the other survivors also didn''t know. ¡°I see some history is in order.¡± I said and patted the spot beside the engine. ¡°This is the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter ne and it went into production in 1940 and ended in 1945. It almost made us lose World War 2, because it was cheap, fast, and could fly up to 1,600 miles and for up to 12 hours on a single tank of fuel.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Someone whispered, clearly shocked by the information.


    ¡°Shh! Language!¡± Someone else hissed and a few people chuckled.


    ¡°This one is a lot more fuel efficient, since it''s made almost entirely out of aluminum. ording to Dale, it should just about triple the fuel efficiency, the time it can stay in the air, and the distance it can go.¡± I said and a few of the men whistled at that.


    ¡°You could easily cross the whole country on a single tank.¡± Juan said, clearly impressed. ¡°It''s only about 2,900 miles from New York to California.¡±


    ¡°You''re thinking too small, Juan. He could leave here, fly to New York, then fly to LA, and he could almost make it back here if his tank was topped off.¡± Shane said, making them all look at the ne differently. ¡°The only downside is thepleteck of radio.¡±


    Someone let out a curse and the others grumbled about that.


    ¡°Before anyone suggests anything, I''ve already tried to scrounge something from the big rigs and buses along the highway. Everything''s wrecked or ruined, probably because they made a lot of noise when active and they were disabled by people to keep them quiet or smashed by the walkers.¡± I said and a few more people made angry sounds.


    ¡°We can''t offer to install the CB radio we have on top of the RV. It''s all we have left to listen for others.¡± Dale said and almost everyone nodded.


    ¡°All of the electronics stores I''vee across also didn''t have anything even close to a radio I could use.¡± I said and sighed. ¡°If I take this thing out for a flight, I''ll be going out deaf to the world, because the walkie-talkies don''t have the range for it.¡±


    One of the men raised their hands to ask a question.


    ¡°What is it, Jim?¡± I asked and he looked surprised that I knew his name.


    ¡°What''s the use of it if you can''t talk to anyone that might see you fly by?¡± Jim asked.


    Since that was a great question, I chose to answer in the only way possible.


    ¡°That''s what thending gear is for. There are thousands of smaller airports, wide highways, and even open fields where it cannd and take off easily.¡± I responded and now most of them looked surprised.


    ¡°How are you supposed to get that thing out to the highway to take off?¡± Andrea asked.


    ¡°Highway? What do I need that for?¡± I asked and motioned to the cleared out area. ¡°I just need to push those piles of smaller rocks aside a bit more and we''ll have our very own runway with plenty of room for taking off andnding.¡±


    Andrea''s head turned and looked, then she looked back where the ne was, then she looked back at the entire length of the runway. ¡°There''s no way... can you really...¡±


    ¡°I''ll make more room tomorrow, just in case. Until then, we can talk about where I should go first. A flyover can at least let some people know there''s someone else still alive around here.¡± I said and they all looked happy about that. I slipped a lock onto the cockpit and secured it, and walked over to Amy. ¡°Of course, there''s no fuel in it yet, so it''s not going anywhere until the tank''s full.¡±


    Amy smiled and put an arm around my waist as we started walking back to camp. ¡°Is this where I make a joke about you being grounded, flyboy?¡±


    Iughed and kissed her cheek. ¡°You can''t call me that until after I put on the uniform.¡±


    Amy almost stumbled and I easily held her steady and saw her reddening face. ¡°You... you have a uniform?¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t going to take off into the wild blue yonder and not be appropriately dressed.¡± I responded and Amy held on to me like she would fall if she ever let go. I brought her back to sit beside the campfire and she still wouldn''t let me go, so I stayed there and let her recover and get her thoughts in order.


    It took her almost ten minutes before she shivered and stood with a determined look on her face. She didn''t say anything as she pulled on my arm that she still held in a death grip and almost dragged me over to our home. I didn''t say anything either as she mmed the back door shut and locked it.


    ¡°Show me.¡± Amy ordered and went into the bathroom and shut the door.


    I wasn''t sure what she was doing, then realized she was giving me privacy to get dressed in the uniform and wanted toe out to see me wearing it, rather than me being in the bathroom and her being out here. She must have assumed I hid it nearby and she didn''t want to know where.


    I held in my chuckle at that and equipped the uniform, since my inventory allowed that now. It even had the stylish hat the pilots wore off-duty and I looked pretty dashing with it on. Since it was altered with magic, it fit me perfectly, and I was sure Amy was either going to freak out about it or was going to be too horny to care.


    I took out the clothes I had been wearing and tossed them aside as I spoke loudly. ¡°I''m ready for inspection, ma''am!¡±


    There was a soft thump from the bathroom and silence for a few seconds, then Amy slowly opened the door and stepped out.


    ¡°Captain Rick Grimes reporting for duty, ma''am!¡± I said and snapped off a perfect salute.


    Amy seemed to gasp and her mouth dropped open slightly. She had to grab onto the still open door to steady herself. My eyes dropped to her jeans and saw a growing wet spot there, which made me smile. I had apparently stumbled upon one of Amy''s fetishes and she really liked seeing me dressed up in a uniform.


    I walked over to her and she had that look in her eyes, like a deer caught in a car''s headlights, and I took her hand and walked over over to the bed. She stood there, a little out of it, and I stripped her offpletely. Her excitement dribbled down her thighs and she trembled a little as I admired her.


    ¡°I request permission toe aboard.¡± I whispered and Amy twitched and came again.


    ¡°Oh, God.¡± Amy whispered and her hands reached up and caressed thepels of the coat.


    I started to take it off and she shook her head, so I stopped. She reached down and opened the pants, fished my hardness out of the confines of my boxers, and jerked on me for a few seconds. Her eyes never left mine as she yed with me, then she sat down on the bed andid down on her back. She spread her legs and her wetness was even greater than it was a few moments ago.


    I epted her silent invitation and slid inside of her, making her moan, and she kissed me so tenderly that it felt like she was treating me like ss and I was going to break. I mentally shrugged at the treatment and went along with it, since this was her fantasy. The thought of making her a gold bikiniter and enjoying a little fantasy of my own, had me enthusiastically give Amy exactly what she wanted.


    *


    Before the meeting to discuss where I was going to go first on my maiden flight, I revealed having some of the artwork from the museum. No one asked where the paintings had been stored, even if I had the ready excuse that I found them in the storage crates for the parts. Well, I''d use it if anyone ever asked.


    The six paintings were quickly picked over and each was hung inside the living areas of the five moving vans and Dale''s RV. Out of all of them, Dale really liked the forest scene and the calmness he felt when looking at it, because it reminded him of his hometown and made the RV a lot more personable than it had been.


    Since people weren''t asking me where I was getting things and the discussion about flight paths was going to take a few days to work out, I started slipping a few more things into their lives. All those pillows I had pilfered weeks ago found better homes, much to the kids delight and made the pillow fights much more fun. I handed out warmer nkets and anything else I could think of to make the uing winter be morefortable for everyone.


    We had also changed around the tents and where they were positioned to bring them closer to the main campfire. I started making quick trips into the woods and bringing back piles of chopped wood to stack near the moving vans. No one questioned why they were all nice and dry and burned much better and cleaner than the older pieces of wood that the others had gathered.


    It ended up taking a full week before the map of Anta had the appropriate spaces marked for where I needed to go, with a couple of my own suggestions added, since they were on the way to checking the areas where the authorities had said the safe zones were before the power went out.


    My two suggestions were the prison near Newnan and therge army base near Columbus, mostly because both hadrge open areas nearby to easilynd. Since the army base was about a hundred miles away, I barely needed any fuel to reach it and toe back. It would also be a fast trip if I only went there, which was why it took so long to work out a circuitous route to cover as much of the state as possible.


    ¡°Are you sure you can''t squeeze in another seat or fit someone else into the cockpit?¡± Amy asked, her voice hopeful. We were all at the makeshift runway and they were seeing me off.


    I took her into my arms and gave her a kiss. ¡°If I wasn''t doing anything else except flying straight, I''d consider taking someone along, even if the extra weight reduces the fuel efficiency.¡±


    A few of the menughed and the women hissed. Joking about their weight was a mistake, apparently.


    ¡°Carl would also yell a lot if I brought him along.¡± I said, barely saving myself from an argument. The look on Amy''s face told me that I wouldn''t be dodging it when I came back, so I leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°If I find a two-seater while I''m out, I''ll fly it back just for you.¡±


    Amy nibbled on my ear for a second. ¡°I''m really going to miss you... wearing this uniform.¡±


    I chuckled and let her go as I stepped back. ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow afternoon. I''llnd at the base when it starts to get dark, since there''s no power anywhere and nothing''s lit up, then I''ll finish the nned flight in the morning along the rest of the safe areas and wille back here.¡±


    ¡°We''ll have some torches ready for you tond, just in case you''rete.¡± Dale offered.


    ¡°Thanks, Dale. I''m d you''re here giving us all such great ideas.¡± I praised him and he smiled widely. I turned to the others and nodded, then knelt and hugged a nervous looking Carl. ¡°Don''t worry, buddy. If something bad happens, I won''t let anything stop me froming back here to you.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks, Dad.¡± Carl said and hugged me back.


    I heard a few people muttering that I probably should have said that to Amy. I smiled and let Carl go and stood. ¡°I gave Amy the same promise every day for thest week and she''s kind of bored of hearing it, honestly.¡±


    Amy nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It''s sincere and also tiring to hear all the time.¡±


    ¡°My n worked? What a surprise.¡± I said with a t voice and sheughed. I picked up the backpack with enough supplies for two days and walked over to the ne. I stored it under the seat and waved to everyone, then I climbed in and closed the canopy.


    The engine started with the first ignition and the soft sound shocked everyone there. They had all expected a huge rumbling sound and stared at the ne like they didn''t know what it was. Did I cover a bunch of the parts with strengthening runes and sound dampening runes when people weren''t looking? Yes, I did. The looks on their faces was worth it.


    I may have also added power runes to the engine and I gunned the throttle to shoot the ne down the runway and I pulled up long before the end of it to zoom up into the air. The shouts and yells could be heard by me, even this far away, so I made a quick turn and a barrel roll to fly back over the runway and tilted the ne on its side to wave to everyone.


    ¡°GO DAD! GO GO GO!¡± Carl yelled as he jumped up and waved both arms at me.


    I did another turn and barrel roll and increased speed, surprising the crowd even more. Most of them didn''t realize the swift little ne could almost top out at 350 miles per hour without any modifications. With strengthening and empowering runes? It could top out at 450 MPH.


    I didn''t go that fast, obviously. I couldn''t make observations of the surroundings if I was going too fast to look at them. I also had a notepad to write everything down, in case there was something close by the camp for us to go retrieve.


    Well, for me to retrieve. I doubted that I could convince anyone else to leave for a few days to pick up cattle and chickens, except for Amy and Carl. They would probably follow me everywhere if I said they coulde along, which proves the old adage that love makes you blind.


    Iughed at the thought and checked the small hand-drawn map of the state I stuck to the front of the cockpit under the window. I checked thepass and turned the ne slightly to start the search pattern. With luck, I wouldn''t have to deviate too much to find what I was really looking for. Better means for the people at the camp to live and not just survive.

 133 Turbulent Times Part Four

    133 Turbulent Times Part Four


    You would think flying an airne would be exciting and fun, and it was... for the first hour or so. After that, taking notes about what I was seeing and not seeing, namely no survivor camps, signs of life, or anything I couldnd and pilfer, was kind of disheartening. I knew if I didn''t find anything noteworthy to report or potentially bring back, the whole flight might be worthless to the rest of the camp. It wouldn''t be for me, however.


    You see, I knew a few things about what would have happened if the camp survivors left the safety I had made for them and we tried to go find others. I knew the dangers, the threats, and the deaths that would be caused by others wanting what we had and trying to break us apart. So, I had to do something to prevent that from happening at any time in the future.


    My n of attack? The army base. Even if it was locked down or picked over, with magic on my side, it opened up so many options for me to use to clean up the area.


    What''s that? There''s no modernunchers for those sidewinder missiles? A transfigured holder and a push spell would easily work. A disarmed bomb that needed bay doors to drop? A flick of my wand should reattach the detonator and I could drop it from my inventory under the ne. There were hundreds of thousands of rounds for modern nes that can''t be used? A slight change to the calibre on the machine guns on my ne would solve that issue.


    Yeah, I had a lot of ideas that I could enact by using magic to tweak things. I even had lots of time to do it, too. Landing before dark at the army base that I was sure had been abandoned, would give me all evening, all night, and then part of the morning to work out the best way to handle things. I might even stumble across more dry foods and MREs to bring back to the camp, since most of the ne was hollow anyway.


    My flight n took me over several of the safe zones marked on the map as I flew towards the army base, only I saw burned out buildings, wrecked vehicles, and masses of walking dead inside thepounds and around the areas. It was sad, really. None of them had stringent protocols in ce and let bitten people inside, thinking they were only wounds. I would not be finding any help in those ces.


    I flew on and made note of disabled factories, empty towns, burned out malls, and so many vehicles that had been abandoned or ruined. It was almost like someone had intentionally gone out of their way to make sure everyone had to travel on foot, which was stupid. Any vehicle could provide some safety from the walkers, as long as you weren''t swarmed. They could break the ss and get to you if there were enough of them.


    After covering the bottom half of the state on the longer leg of the trip, I slowed my ne down as I approached the army base''s airspace. By the looks of things on the first flyover, there were no obvious breaches in the perimeter. That did not mean there were no walkers inside, however. I knew better than that.


    During my second pass, I saw that the runway was inside arge fenced-off area and was attached to the army base with no visible damage, either on the fences themselves or on the runway. It had to handle therge carrier nes for supplies, so my own little single person fighter couldnd there easily.


    I did onest flight over, just to see if anyone heard or saw me, and came in for anding. The winds were negligible, so I didn''t have any trouble setting down and slowlying to a stop. I didn''t taxi myself over to the buildings I could see, either. I wasn''t stupid. I left a lot of room between my only vehicle of escape and a possible ambush by either the dead or the living.


    I opened the canopy and slit it back, then slowly stood and took my gun from the holster on my hip. I slowly climbed out of the cockpit and down the grooves on the side of the ne and hopped down onto the tarmac. Nothing around me moved or made any sounds, so I stood there for several minutes and waited, just in case.


    When nothing came after me, I stored the ne and went over to the hangar that had an open front door. There was nothing inside, no cargo ne, no helicopters, and no supplies. There were also no walking dead that I could see, so I went over to the office and went inside. The only things I found were a bunch of messed up paperwork and two desks with rolling chairs behind them. The blood stains told a story that I didn''t need or wanted to know.


    <i>The hangar must have been cleaned out before the army people left or they packed everyone inside every avable flying machine and took off.</i> I thought and went over to the fuel dispenser and checked it. There was no power, so no pump working to get the fuel.


    I debated pulling out the wires and trying to rig something up, like the electrical panels in the moving vans, then shrugged. I could easily tear up the tank covering in the pavement and siphon out the fuel directly instead. I would also need to find a container besides the barrels I had in inventory, assuming there was any fuel left inside the base''s supply tank.


    I left the hangar and went to the nearby motor pool building and saw the chained door. I let out a sigh and had to go back to the hangar to grab the two office desks and went back to the motor pool door. I set up the desks in front of the door, careful of leaving room for the door to swing out, and I prepared myself for another cleansing mission.


    I stored the chain and lock and stepped back to wait. Nothing happened, so I carefully went to the door and jiggled the handle and leapt back behind the desks to push them into the space. There was no bang or anything like I expected, so I sighed and went back to the door.


    I braced myself and flung the door open with a bang and dove back behind the desks, pushed them in front of the open door to stop the walkers from easily leaving, and left only enough room above both desks for headshots. The loud noise definitely gained some attention and I heard the groans and growls of the walking dead.


    I waited until I saw the first few appear before I opened fire. The forehead caved in and the back of the thing''s head exploded, dropping the dead body long before it reached the desks. I had an errant thought and took out my wand to stick the desks to the metal frame of the doorway and then took aim at the next walker and fired.


    The gunshots were excessively loud and echoed among the buildings, so I had to also keep an eye out around me. It was at that moment I remembered my alert ward trick and cursed myself for not setting it up beforehand. There was no chance of doing it now, not with more and more walkersing into sight. My eyes saw a few of them staggering along the fence anding this way, too.


    <i>Fuck.</i> I thought and couldn''t do much about that yet. I needed to clear out as much of the motor pool as I could before I needed to handle the horde starting to gather near the left fence... and now at the right fence. <i>Double fuck.</i>


    I had a lot of work to do before nightfall and I was extremely grateful that I had infinite ammo.


    *


    Amy looked up at the darkening sky and she couldn''t help voicing her thoughts. ¡°Do you think hended already?¡±


    Andrea put her arm around her sister''s back and hugged her. ¡°You know I hate to say this...¡±


    Amy rolled her eyes, because her sister always made that statement when she was trying to teach her something.


    ¡°I saw that.¡± Andrea said and took a breath and let it out. ¡°He''s smart.¡±


    Amy gave her a squinted look.


    Andrea huffed. ¡°I''m not being sarcastic when I say that. He really is smart. Smarter than us.¡± She said and looked up at the sky as dusk fell. ¡°He would havended long before it started to turn dark and made sure he wasnding somewhere safe.¡±


    Amy leaned into her. ¡°Is this that mysterious big sister intuition you''re always iming you have?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and it''s always best to listen to your sister.¡± Andrea said and suddenly remembered what happened back in Anta when they first met Rick. ¡°Most of the time.¡±


    Amy nodded and looked back up into the sky again. ¡°Do you think it''s bad there?¡±


    Andrea fell silent and didn''t say anything for several moments.


    ¡°Andi?¡± Amy asked and looked at her sister.


    ¡°It was one of the biggest refugee camps in the state.¡± Andrea replied, her voice soft. She didn''t have to borate any more than that, not after how they had escaped their own little hell with Dale.


    Amy''s eyes started to tear up and she didn''t try to wipe them away. She looked back up at the sky and didn''t say anything else. All she could do was pray that he would make it back to her tomorrow.


    *


    I huffed and panted as I rested on the roof of the motor pool. I looked down at the absolutely massive horde of walkers that had gathered from all the noise I had been making for hours. It hadn''t been so bad until the doors to the main building had burst open and nearly a thousand walkers stormed out looking for food.


    How did the army fit all those people inside thepound, have so many of them turn undead, and not have any breaches in the walls or the fences? Well, that was before I showed up. Now half the fences were crushed when I couldn''t get to them to cull down the hordes in time as I fled for my life.


    ¡°It looks like it''s time for the shotgun.¡± I said and took it out of my inventory, its wider spray should help a lot with such a target rich environment. ¡°I really needed to have some sleep tonight, too.¡± I said as I aimed for the heads that were only ten feet below me, before I remembered I still had several gas cans in my inventory, too.


    I took one out and a bit of transfigurationter, I had the world''s biggest Molotov cocktail. I had to make the stic weak and brittle and still strong enough for me to throw it without sshing it all over myself and the building I was on. The smell was going to be horrible, though. I sighed and tied a t-shirt around my mouth and nose, lit the fuse, and threw the can as far as I could.


    There wasn''t a huge explosion, since there was no pressure inside the can, and all it did was spread the gasoline all over a huge area and then the fumes lit on fire. The walkers didn''t scream or tried to flee the fire, even with them all packed together like they were, and it spread by contact.


    After about ten minutes, a good quarter of the massive horde was on fire and burning, generating smoke and a really strong smell. I couldn''t tell if it was working, though. Were some of them dying? Copsing? It was dark and difficult to see, even with the fire lighting up the ce.


    So, I did the only thing I could do. I doubled down on my gamble and took out another gas can. This one I cast a small barrier around and poked holes in the stic, then I threw it as hard as I could in another direction. The weak barrier dropped in mid-air and sprayed gas all over the ce like a sprinkler.


    The fire easily spread with more fuel to eat and even more of the walkers caught on fire and spread it further. I started taking potshots at the closest walkers by the building and the horde moved forward slightly when there was room. The light from the fire lit up the night a lot more than I thought it would, since I forgot that there were no other sources of light to dull it down.


    ¡°You know, with thousands of you catching on fire, they can probably see you bastards from space.¡± I said and kept firing into the horde by holding the trigger of the shotgun and pumping the pump-action constantly.


    Was that cheating? Probably. Did I care? Not right at the moment. I needed to destroy as many of them as possible before I was too tired to pay attention to what was going on around me. I didn''t want to die... and I especially didn''t want to die because of a stupid mistake, like letting them climb over the bodies of their fellows.


    Plus, it wasn''t like I needed to aim with any kind of uracy with so many of them literally at my feet. It was going to be a very long night, even with Pepper-Up Potions to keep me going.


    *


    Amy woke up in bed and felt soft arms around her, holding her. She tried to not let the disappointment get to her that it wasn''t Rick''s strong arms doing it and her thoughts went to him and wondered what he was doing. She couldn''t stop worrying that his reassurances about being able to handle everything he came across, might not have been urate, considering the mess the world around them was in.


    ¡°Did you sleep for long?¡± Andrea''s voice asked her.


    Amy turned her head slightly to look at her sister over her shoulder and saw her bloodshot eyes and worried expression. She turned all the way around and hugged her tightly, because she realized Andrea had stayed up all night, just to make sure she felt safe, and she did feel safe. She really did.


    Andrea knew at that moment that forcing herself to stay awake all night was worth it, just to see her sister''s thankful look again. She hadn''t seen it much over thest few years and she deeply regretted that they had drifted apart, even though there wasn''t much she could have done to fix things.


    Then the world came to a stop and things changed, mostly for the worse, and also for the better. All of their normal worries and fears of the future had disappeared almost overnight and were reced with survival and worrying about finding each other and then looking for food. Struggling to live had given them a chance that neither of them ever thought they could have... to be sisters again.


    When you looked at things a certain way, the end of the world didn''t seem so bad.


    *


    It was over. Finally over. I felt supreme relief as I sat on the edge of the charred roof and I was happy that metal and concrete buildings were very difficult to catch on fire. I also promised myself to give both Fate and Death a kiss the next time I saw them, because they bought the handgun and unlimited ammo for me, which gave me the idea to buy the shotgun, too. Both guns had saved my life so many timesst night and I was very grateful for that. Very, very grateful.


    My eyes looked upon the spread of dead and mostly burned bodies that thest 14 hours had reduced from an imminent danger into stuff I needed to wipe off my shoes. It was honestly the hardest fight I had ever been in and that was saying something, because some of the situations I had been in were just as scary... the only difference was this time I had to survive and couldn''t go out in a ze of glory.


    I sat there for quite some time as I let myself rx. I had cleared out the whole horde and lost count of how many I had put down in the end. I had even used up thest of my gas to keep the fires going and threw out several stacks of wood to stoke the massive bonfire, which is kind of creepy now that I think about it. I actually cooked more of them to death than I shot, which was shocking.


    I absently dug through my inventory and pulled out the pieces of scrap metal I enchanted as an alert ward and tossed them off of the roof around myself and waited until I heard them bounce from the metal roof behind me and dropped to the ground before I took out my wand and activated it.


    I felt the magic click into ce and I sighed and pulled my legs up. I stored my guns and wand, curled up into a ball on my side as I hugged my knees, and fell right to sleep.

 134 Turbulent Times Conclusion

    134 Turbulent Times Conclusion


    I groaned as I woke up covered in bright sunlight and felt my stiff muscles. Not having a divine body anymore really sucked and bing over-exhausted and alsoing down from a potion overdose doubly sucked.


    You know that feeling you get when youy down and identally cut off the cirction from your hand or foot, then the blood rushes back and causes massive tingling when you try to move it? Yeah, I felt that from my head to my toes. It was excruciatingly annoying, too. I think even my eyelids were sore.


    I could barely move and slowly shifted myself a bit at a time, letting more feeling return as I kept moving. The pain was bearable as the price I had to pay for not checking things over in the area before trying to clear out an infected building. That mistake almost cost me everything, because if I hadn''t had those two desks to climb on to reach the roof, I would have been torn apart and eaten.


    I managed to sit up eventually and looked down at the ground, the remains of the dead still there. My eyes went to the still open door to the motor pool and I realized something important. Both wooden desks were little more than ash and the entire inside of the building would have been burned as well.


    I groaned at losing the potential vehicles and took out my backpack filled with supplies for two days of travelling. Making breakfast was fast with MREs and I atest night''s supper and this morning''s breakfast, just because I could. I also ate some cookies and drank some nice wine.


    When I was done eating, I took out some metal shelving from my inventory and guessed at the roof''s height. Using the same trick I did to make stairs for the moving vans, I bolted six of them together onto shelving rails into a makeshiftdder and set it beside the building. I carefully climbed down and left them there, just in case I needed to retreat again.


    I took out my handgun and a sledgehammer and used the hammer on the bottom step of the metal shelving to make it rattle loudly. I braced myself for an attack and held my gun at the ready... and nothing appeared. I let out a sigh of relief and stored thedder and hammer before I made my way inside the building I had taken refuge on.


    Disappointment filled me as I looked at the charred remains of several jeeps, two Hummers, and an entire side area of ruined parts and tools. My magic was nowhere near good enough to repair anything after so much heat warping and burn damage, so I left there and went over to the main building. It was almost as bad inside because the fire damage was mixed with the destruction that the mass of walkers caused.


    I wasn''t going to give up hope, though. The base was massive and I had a lot of areas to look through. With luck, most of the walking dead should have been killed already, thanks to my pyrotechnics and unlimited ammo. If not, I was well rested and had eaten, so I was as ready as I was ever going to be to work my way to the storage supply and armory. I just had to figure out where they were.


    Three hours. That''s how long it took to find both the base supplies and the armory, and that was only because I stumbled across an out of the way office in one of the smaller buildings that was used by one of the supply clerks. He had left notes on his desk about switching shifts with one of his friends to have an extra long weekend and directions to where and when he had to show up.


    I didn''t bother trying to be sneaky about things, either. I had cleared the ce out and hunted down any strays that weren''t a part of the main horde already. I used some magic to change the metal locking pins in the hinges of therge armored door into liquid, which I knew wouldn''tst for more than a few seconds before the spell ended. That would normally be useless, except it was just long enough to release the door.


    A rope and pulley attached to the opposite wall let me lever the door open and it fell out of the door hole with a very loud metal ng. When I stepped inside, I couldn''t do anything but grin. The ce was packed to the rafters!


    I loaded up on automatic rifles, the fifty crates of boxes of ammo, several crates of muchrger ordinance shells that therger cannons and rocketunchers used, the three rocketunchers there, thirty crates of grenades, twenty crates of handguns, and a hundred crates of boxes of ammo. They didn''t have many shotguns, which meant they had issued them liberally to the troops before they bugged out.


    I took all the remaining ammo there to add to the shotguns I had pilfered back at the police station and couldn''t share with anyone because I didn''t have any ammo to spare. Now I did. Was I going a little overboard with the hoarding of weapons, now that I had ess to them? Definitely. Was I going to stop? Hell no!


    The next thing I grabbed was tactical armor of all different sizes, just in case people like Merle and his brother wanted them. I stored the tenrge M134 mounted short range automatic mini-guns and the crates of the belt-fed ammo for them. Did I really need 200,000 rounds for them? I sure as hell did. Those little bastards were going to be set up at the four corners of the camp and I was going to build a nice walkway for the guys on watch.


    I wasn''t sure how I was going to bring them all at once... and then I realized I had a ne and a cleared out army base. I could pretend toe back any time I wanted and could ferry more weapons back to the camp for protection. I would just have to cheat and mount a couple of the guns onto the ne and fill up the rear fusge with ammo boxes. They were only 5 pounds each, so I could take a lot of them with no trouble.


    Of course, I needed to make a farming field and a grazing field as well, only they weren''t a high priority with winter almost here. They could wait until spring to put into ce and it would give me lots of time to build a barrier around them, too. That also meant I had to pop open the underground fuel tanks here to see how much was there.


    If I couldn''t find anything appropriate to store the fuel, I''d use garbage bags as temporary containers, even if they wouldn''tst long. I just needed to store the things and any container would do.


    I left the armory after clearing most of it out, including the stocks of C4, sting caps, and detonators with battery attachments. I wasn''t sure where I would need to use them; but, it was better for me to take it all instead of leaving it here for whomever might show upter. I wasn''t actually going toe back and would just pull stuff out of my inventory to stuff in the ne before Inded back home.


    My next stop was the supplies building and I wasn''t surprised that it had been raided. Most of the dry foods were gone and only MREs were left behind, which was kind of funny. The army didn''t want to eat their own military prepared food, even during the end of the world. I stored them all anyway, over 10 years worth, and grabbed the few remaining parachutes there before I left.


    I went back outside and looked up at the sun to guess what time of day it was, then cursed myself for taking too long while searching the base. I had slept much too long after I copsed and it was gettingte. I had promised to be back at camp by the afternoon and I wasn''t going to make it, even if I flew back right away.


    ¡°Well, fuck.¡± I said and ran out to the runway to take out my ne and remembered I still needed to gather the fuel from the underground tank. ¡°Goddammit.¡± I walked over to the hangar and was relieved the fire hadn''t damaged anything. If the tank had somehow caught fire or overheated and exploded, that could have been really bad.


    I did the same melt the hinges trick and pulled open the secured top of the hatch, unscrewed the cap on the attachment, and tapped the butt of my handgun onto the metal. My hopes plummeted at the loud echo that came from the tank. I picked up a small rock from nearby and wiped it off, closed my eyes to listen, and let the thing go.


    There was no sound for a second and then there was a plop and a tink sound. The tank was nearly empty and there was no point to trying to find a hose long enough to reach the bottom. The army draining the thing would exin why nothing bad had happened with so much fire and heat around it, because there was barely anything there to react.


    I sighed and went over to the runway. It was mostly clear and there was enough room for me to take off again. I thought about making another pass through the base and shook my head. I gained what I needed and now I had to go back to the camp. I had people waiting for me and I also had a couple of special deliveries to make along the way.


    *


    The man named Negan Smith sat at the main table and enjoyed a meal of ill-gotten gains. He had just shaken down another survivor''s camp and met no resistance. They had handed over half of everything they had after a great growing season and his camp was flush with food. All of his fellow raiders were proud of themselves for surviving another month and were congratting themselves.


    He wasn''t talking and only listening, so only he heard the light whistling sound. As he lifted his head to look out the nearby window to somehow figure out what was going on, his eyes widened when he saw an airne flying away from his camp. He barely started to stand with his mouth opened to shout when the world exploded around him.


    *


    The tiny town of Woodbury never saw what hit them and their nned raid on the nearby prison for supplies would never happen. Philip ke, the man known as The Governor, was in his office with his enforcers and had no clue that he was about to die a quick and painless death.


    *


    The guards at the prison near Newnan heard the st and wondered what had happened. There hadn''t been anything on the CB radio since they talked to the townies a few days ago, so they assumed they had been overrun.


    ¡°Hey, look!¡± One of the guards on the wall shouted and pointed.


    The second guard turned and looked. ¡°Is that a bird?¡± He asked and squinted as it got closer. ¡°Is it a ne?¡±


    The first guard barely managed to not make the Superman joke as the ne flew overhead and dropped something. ¡°Holy shit, it''s a mail ne!¡±


    ¡°Really? How could you tell?¡± The second guard asked sarcastically as the parachute opened and a bundled package floated down tond inside thepound.


    The first guard grinned. ¡°Didn''t you see its huge balls?¡±


    The second guard pped a hand over his face and groaned.


    ¡°Get it? It''s a male ne.¡± The first guard said, looking proud of himself.


    The second guard dropped his hand and walked over to the stairs. ¡°I''m not talking to you anymore.¡±


    The first guardughed and turned back to look out over the countryside where the ne went. As he wondered who it was that had a working airne, the second guard reached the package.


    ¡°I don''t believe it!¡± The guard shouted and the first guard turned back to look into thepound. The package was a lot bigger than either of them realized, because it was the height of a man and was two wide. It also had stacks of military MREs, cases of ammo, and a few more handguns to arm the rest of the guards. ¡°I''m going to get the warden!¡±


    The first guard saw his watch partner run inside the prison, clearly excited. ¡°Bless you.¡± He said to the ne that was just fading from sight.


    *


    ¡°Light them up.¡± Dale said and the kids ran along the runway with lit torches and lit up all of them along the path to work likending lights. He did his best to ignore the soft sobbing from behind him where Andrea held her sister, Amy. They had all stood there for hours and their worry and sorrow grew as each hour passed, because the night had crept in on them and Rick still hadn''t returned.


    ¡°It''s okay. Dad''ll be back. He promised.¡± Carl said and stuck his torch in the spot to show the end of the runway. The other kids did the same to make a line before they gathered around Dale again.


    Neither Dale nor Andrea tried to lie or tried to reassure him, because they didn''t want to be cruel. The boy had already lost his father once and they didn''t want to tell him that there was a chance that he might lose him again.


    Just as dusk started to end and the only light around was the torches, they heard a sputtering sound. The heads of the kids whipped around, trying to find out where it wasing from, and only the adults looked where they needed to. The far end of the runway.


    The sputtering got louder, stuttered as if it was choking, then the sputtering started up again.


    ¡°There!¡± Carl shouted and pointed off to the side.


    It was difficult to see with it getting darker and the torches ruined everyone''s night vision, so no one else could see what he saw. There was a sudden whining noise and the sputtering got really loud, then there were several clunks and the sputtering stopped.


    ¡°No!¡± Amy gasped, tears in her eyes, because she was the only one that understand what just happened.


    Everyone looked at the runway as Rick''s ne pretty much dropped out of the sky. It tilted back to a insane degree before it mmed into the ground, crushed the wheels under the wings, bent part of the propeller that wasn''t spinning, and the ne skidded down the entire length of the runway without slowing down.


    ¡°Everybody RUN!¡± Dale yelled and grabbed Miranda''s youngest boy before he dove off to the side and out of the way. Andrea and Amy were just as fast as him and tackled Carl, Sophia, and Miranda''s older girl and the group barely tumbled out of the way as the ne skidded past and ground to a halt in the piles of gravel that were the runway''s backstop.


    It took several moments before anyone was coherent enough to realize that none of them died, then Amy yelled Rick''s name and ran for the ne. The others were not far behind her and they saw parts of the ne hade off and crates of ammo were scattered around. The canopy was stuck, so Amy grabbed arge rock, smashed the ss, and reached in to grab Rick''s shirt and shook him.


    ¡°You... fucking... bastard!¡± Amy shouted and shook him again. ¡°Wake up! I need to yell at you for scaring me like that!¡±


    Rick''s eyes fluttered open and everyone could see the blood on his face from hitting the canopy.


    Amy stopped shaking him and felt relief that he wasn''t dead. ¡°You''re alive... you''re alive.¡±


    Andrea hugged her and Amy hugged her back. They all stood there in silence until Rick said something that shocked everyone even more than the crash did.


    ¡°If that stupid seagull wasn''t already dead...¡± Rick said as his eyes fluttered closed again. ¡°...I''d kill it for making me crash.¡±


    They all stared at him and didn''t know what to say as Rick lost consciousness again.

 135 Everything Is FINE

    135 Everything Is FINE


    My mind rose back to consciousness and I felt terrible. It only took me a few seconds to remember why. My ne was wrecked, as were a lot of my future ns. I sighed and opened my eyes, only to see I was somehowying in myfortable bed with Amy''s head resting on my chest. Her soft snores were kind of cute and I didn''t mind the little bit of drool that dripped from her open mouth and onto my skin.


    The few cuts and scrapes I had on my arms and face were stinging a little and I ignored them for now. What I couldn''t ignore were the sharp pains in my thickly wrapped right foot and my thickly wrapped right hand.


    <i>It just had to be my dominant hand, too.</i> I thought and shook my head.


    I still had some healing potions left, not counting the bunch I had recently unlocked, so I wouldn''t beid up for long... except no one knew I could heal so quickly. If both my foot and my hand were broken, and it sure felt like they were, I would beid up and immobile for about 6 weeks before I could physically be allowed up and out of bed. Dammit.


    Even if I magically healed myself, I would have to keep up the ruse, or let all of my secrets out. Since I couldn''t do that, not with the mentality of the people on this world. None of them would ever believe in magic or powers, since it waspletely against societal standards. I also didn''t want anyone to call me crazy, especially Amy. I had put her through enough already.


    Speaking of Amy, she started to stir and her eyes blinked a few times, then she suddenly woke uppletely with a jerk of her body and her eyes locked onto mine.


    ¡°Good morning, beautiful.¡± I whispered softly.


    Amy blinked her eyes at me and they darted to my forehead, to my cheek, and back to my eyes.


    ¡°I''m alive and I''m really sorry I wasteing back.¡± I said, not bothering to try and dy the conversation like most people would have. ¡°I had an excuse, a really good one, actually, and I''ll tell you all about it as soon as I can use the bathroom.¡±


    Amy lifted her head from my chest and gave me an incredulous look, then she realized what I meant. Her eyes dropped down to my crotch and she didn''t blush, even though my morning wood was sating hello.


    ¡°Right. Okay. I can handle that.¡± Amy said and climbed off the bed, her own nakedness not bothering her as she went to the kitchte, opened a cupboard, took out a steel sd bowl, and came back to the bed.


    I raised my eyebrows at that and she shrugged and climbed back onto the bed to settle the bowl under the tip of my member and one hand held me steady as the other tilted the bowl enough to not miss anything or spill it.


    ¡°Just try to not let it all out in a huge rush, okay? I really don''t want to be sshed with it.¡± Amy said, her voice even and without inflection.


    I was a bit too stunned at her helping me so much to argue about it or to suggest an alternative. I briefly closed my eyes and tried to ignore how good her hand felt on me and concentrated on relieving myself. I also tried to do as she asked and didn''t just let it all out at once.


    The ringing of the metal was loud in the silent moving van and Amy''s face showed a few different emotions as the stream went on and on. She started to look worried as the bowl filled up and her eyes nced at my face, as if telling me to hurry up and stop, and went back to the bowl.


    ¡°I haven''t gone since before I left yesterday.¡± I said and let out a sigh as the pressure on my dder finally ended and thest few dribbles came out.


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Amy whispered and tapped me a couple times on the rim of the bowl, then she very carefully moved the bowl up. ¡°Hold that until I stand.¡±


    I nodded and my hand gripped one side and my bandaged hand braced the other. Amy nodded and slid backwards to the edge of the bed and stood up, seemed to steel herself, and started to reach for the bowl.


    ¡°Maybe carry the trash can under it as you walk, just in case.¡± I suggested.


    Amy''s eyes dropped to the nearly full bowl of smelly liquid. ¡°That''s a good idea. Just a second.¡± She said and walked over to the corner beside the kitchte counter and grabbed the small trashcan. She came back and set the can down, then carefully took the bowl from my grip and did her best to bnce it with one hand above the garbage can and then carried both to the bathroom.


    I heard the toilet flush and then the water running in the sink, then I saw Amy standing there in the bathroom''s doorway with a confused look on her face and the washed bowl in her hand.


    ¡°Just leave it on the toilet''s tank.¡± I said and she nodded and disappeared for a second, then she came back to bed with wipes and tissues.


    Amy cleaned me up and dried me off before she gave me a searching look. ¡°That was a little scary.¡±


    ¡°I was about to say the same thing.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°I think we both did great, considering that was our first time.¡±


    Amy chuckled at the double meaning and I held my good hand out to her. She grabbed it and moved up the bed toy beside me again. She didn''t say anything for several minutes and I didn''t try to push her. I had said my opening piece and had to wait until she was ready to talk about it. She took a deep breath and let it out, then did it two more times before she turned on her side to look at me.


    ¡°Okay, tell me what happened.¡± Amy said, her voice steady.


    So, I did. I didn''t leave anything out, not even my desperation as I was surrounded and almost overrun. I did downy how long it took and I didn''t say I had unlimited ammo while I implied the fire did most of the work, which it did, so I technically wasn''t lying.


    Amy didn''t look happy about me being trapped like that and having to fight for my life. She even said her sister warned her that it was one of thergest refugee camps in the state and it could be bad there. That gave me an opening and I told her about the other safe zones I had flown over and their own overrun and wrecked states, which was why I thought the army base had been safer than it actually was.


    By the time I was done exining everything and had pointed out that the notebook in my backpack had even more details of the ces I had checked, Amy had hugged me tightly and had kissed me several times. She was relieved I was alive and hade back to her, even if I almost died trying to fly like an idiot at night.


    I didn''t bother trying to make an excuse about not finding anywhere tond before nightfall, because I didn''t want to leave the ne anywhere. My inventory was full of military supplies and I couldn''t fit it inside anymore, which meant what they saw was all I could reasonably let them see for a few weeks. At least. My nned ruse of more flights was well and truly shot with the ne as wrecked as it was.


    ¡°Say, did anyone look over...¡± I started to ask, wanting to know about the mess the ne made.


    ¡°No.¡± Amy interrupted me and gave me a squinted stare. ¡°Until you''re better, you don''t have to worry about anything.¡±


    ¡°But, I just wanted...¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡± Amy cut me off again and then she smiled. ¡°For the next month or so, you''re staying in this bed and I''m going to take care of you.¡±


    I opened my mouth to offer to help and she put a hand over it.


    ¡°You''ve been doing the cooking, the cleaning, and taking care of me for weeks. It''s only fair I have a turn, isn''t it?¡± Amy asked and moved her hand.


    I sighed and fake pouted at her. ¡°You''re going to feed me MREs all the time, aren''t you?¡±


    Amy barked augh and leaned in to kiss me on the lips. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I''ll let you help with some of the food prep that doesn''t involve you having to get out of bed, like peeling and cutting veggies.¡± She smirked at me. ¡°You have one good hand left and you might as well use it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you veeery much.¡± I said sarcastically at her pun and sheughed.


    Amy gave me another kiss and rolled off the bed and stood up. ¡°I''ll have breakfast ready in a few minutes, then I have to go to work.¡±


    I nodded and watched as she slipped on a t-shirt and shorts, somehow making herself look even sexier than being naked, and Amy easily caught me staring at her. She beamed a smile at me, did a little twirl to let me catch a few teasing glimpses, then she went to the kitchte to cook. The asional sound of her intentionally dropping something and shaking her sexy ass at me, kept me hard all damn morning.


    *


    Shane and Dale stood off to the side of the wrecked ne and watched as all the bullets and ammo cases were picked up and stacked properly by volunteers. They might not know much about weapon ordinance; but, they easily deduced that the tworge gun mounts bolted to the tops of the wings were supposed to use the ammo belts inside the cases and they hadn''t been there when Rick had left two days ago.


    Thankfully, neither of therge mini-guns looked damaged, despite the crash and the wings being partially buried in mounds of gravel. They had still been checked over by their local gun expert, Merle, and the crazy nut cackled like an old woman when he dered the things still worked. His brother Darrel just looked constipated at the huge things.


    Merle then started to help Juan and Jim unbolt the mounts and promised to help set them up on either side of the camp to best protect everyone, if he was allowed to shoot off a belt or two for a test. Both Juan and Jim agreed, because they thought a live-fire test was a great way to make sure both guns worked and they would shoot off a belt as well. There were only 100 bullets in each, anyway.


    <i>Only. 100. Bullets. In. Each.</i> Shane thought with exasperation as he watched the three men talk about setting up targets as well. That was 300 lost shots and a lot of excessive noise around the camp, which he wasn''t happy with. If the noise brought more walkers, he hoped they could be easily dealt with and the mini-guns quickly reloaded.


    ¡°Did Amy say anything about Rick when she picked up Carl and the kids after breakfast?¡± Dale asked him.


    ¡°She asked Lori if she had to deal with Rick when he was in the hospital and they hit it off with their shared experiences.¡± Shane said with a chuckle at overhearing that awkward conversation.


    Dale looked surprised and then chuckled, too. ¡°Was it the need to pee first thing in the morning or the shaving that set her off?¡±


    Shaneughed and patted the older man''s shoulder and told him what he heard and that he left when they started talking about Amy''s worry about what to do when Rick needed to take a dump.


    Dale looked amused. ¡°I better go dig out the old bedpan, then. I hadn''t realized out of all the things Rick brought here, it didn''t include a lot of medical supplies. I just assumed he had a few bedpans and other things stashed around.¡±


    ¡°Me too, Dale. Me, too.¡± Shane said and turned back to keep watch on the kids as they gathered the loose bullets and brought them over to the pile where the damaged belts were. With luck, the belts could be either cut or the bad parts trimmed down to not let them get jammed into the ammo feeds of the guns. Every bullet was precious when you knew there was no way to get more of them.


    *


    Amy was grateful to listen about Carol''s experience with taking care of someone that wasid up. A broken ankle stopped Rick from moving around and a broken wrist stopped him from using his hand, which wasn''t nearly as bad as Ed''s full body paralysis. Since they didn''t have a wheelchair at the camp, they would both have to stay in bed until they healed.


    As they did their individualundry together, Lori also joined them at the Youth Group Van and joined in on the conversation. Amy was relieved that the woman didn''t hate her for Rick choosing her and Lori almost seemed happy that it was Amy that had to deal with taking care of Rick instead of her. Apparently, she had done it enough while they were married.


    The three of them worked at therge machines and hung around as they waited for the clothes to be done. It was great that their tasks were so much easier with actual machines to do most of the work and they didn''t have to do it by hand anymore. None of them noticed or cared that the car batteries never needed to be charged up or changed out, despite working constantly.


    ¡°You know, now that we have power in our homes, maybe we could send Glenn out to find us some small televisions and some movies to watch.¡± Carol suddenly said, derailing their conversation.


    Both Amy and Lori gave her surprised looks and then thought about it.


    ¡°You''re right, Carol. Why didn''t anyone think about doing that before?¡± Lori asked, slightly confused. ¡°I know why we didn''t ask for a normal radio, since there''s no power for the broadcast towers...¡±


    ¡°...there wouldn''t be TV signals, either. That doesn''t stop us from using them for other things.¡± Amy added and all three of them nodded to each other.


    ¡°I''ll go look for him after the next load dries.¡± Lori offered. ¡°He shouldn''t take long to bring something back.¡±


    ¡°I could use some shampoo.¡± Carol said with a small smile. She was never allowed to ask before and it felt nice to say it out loud.


    Lori looked at Amy. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Amy thought about what she wanted and smiled. ¡°Do you think we should embarrass him by asking for a dirty movie?¡±


    Carol looked shocked and then blushed while Loriughed.


    ¡°I don''t think making our only gofer a stuttering mess is in the camp''s best interest.¡± Dale''s voice said and all three women jumped and Carol yelped in surprise. He smiled at their flushed faces at catching them trying to cause mischief. ¡°Amy, I figured you might need this with Rickid up for the next month or so.¡± He said and handed her a metal bedpan.


    ¡°Th-thanks, Dale.¡± Amy said and hugged it to her chest.


    Carol gave the thing a covetous and greedy look before she could stop herself.


    Dale easily saw it, as did Lori. ¡°You''re lucky I hadn''t thought of it before or Carol would have gotten that one a while ago.¡± He said and held up a bright pink stic one. ¡°This one was my wife''s.¡±


    All three women stared at it for a few seconds, then Amy and Lori burst outughing. Carol had a huge smile on her face as she epted it like it was made of gold.


    ¡°Thanks, Dale.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Amy and Carol said at the same time.


    Dale nodded at them and walked away from three happy women. His heart soared at making themugh during these dark times and went back to the RV and climbed up thedder to resume his watch over the camp. It really was nice to feel needed. When he saw Glenn talking to Miranda, he made an attention signal.


    Glenn noticed the movement and waved back, so Dale pointed him over to where Amy was. Glenn gave him a thumbs-up and wrote something down on a piece of paper and went over to the Youth Group van. Dale watched through the binocrs for a minute and startedughing when Glenn blushed and iled his arms around as he gestured ''NO'' very clearly.

 136 Convalescence

    136 Convalescence


    Staying in bed wouldn''t be so bad if I was allowed to do anything. I say allowed when I really mean it didn''t hurt like a son of a bitch every time I moved my right arm or right leg. Since I couldn''t cheat and take the healing potions I had, because of the scrapes and damage on my face would heal and give my secret away, I was stuck for at least a couple of weeks as they healed normally.


    That wouldn''t have been a problem if I had seen my own face somehow, then I could have faked or moured up recement damage to hide that I was healed. Because I had no idea how big the scrapes were or their exact shapes and sizes, there was no way to duplicate them.


    At least Amy was having a good time teasing me about how helpless I was and that she would do everything for me until I was better. Even when I tried to joke about not being able to jerk off to her beautiful ass when she wasn''t around during the mornings and afternoons, she promised to take over that ''duty'' as well and would show up at random times to give me handjobs.


    It was both endearing and frustrating, because it left me no real alone time during the day where I could read some of the books I had in my inventory. On the plus side, sometimes those handjobs became blowjobs and a few times became full blown sex, because Amy seemed to really get off on the fact that she was inplete control of it.


    It took me a lot of time and mental effort to not associate her acting like that with how I had died back in thest world that had screwed me up so much. The Head Subus had used me for her own pleasure in a simr way and I had paid dearly for it and hated that I had been helpless during that whole thing.


    Okay, maybe I wasn''t as over it as I thought I was. It had been traumatic, and scary, and I only survived by the sheer luck of having a touch of divinity that had brought me up to the heavenly realm''s way-station where the goddess Eris was. I did not want to start resenting Amy in any way, so I made sure to use my working hand as much as possible to try and disassociate the sex acts from each other.


    Thankfully, it worked and Amy ran with my suggestions of not making the sex stale by using the same cowgirl pose all the time. She rode me by sitting on each side of me, rode me backwards in a reverse cowgirl, rode me byying on top of me to kiss me, and alsoying on her back on top of me.


    After about a week of being stuck in that huge bed, her sister Andrea started visiting. I thought it was a little odd, then realized Amy had no one to do anything with while she was in the moving van with me, which meant she had to do everything to take care of the ce and all I could do was help with parts of the meals she allowed me to help with.


    Andrea started joining us for meals, even sitting on the bed beside Amy to eat and talk to us both. It was a little strange on my behalf, because I was sure Andrea was just humoring me and was worming her way back into being a major factor in Amy''s life. That I was an invalid and was literally right there for her to use as an example to make sure Amy stayed independent, just made her point more potent.


    The worst part about it was that I couldn''t say anything against it, because she was right. Amy had to do everything for both herself and for me, essentially doubling her work, and Andrea was more than happy to offer to help her. Amy epted of course, and so Andrea essentially moved in during the third week of my necessary and enforced rest.


    Since there was only one bed, albeit an enormous one, I was shifted more towards the wall, Amy slept right beside me, and Andrea slept on Amy''s other side. It didn''t really bother me, since I was pretty used to having multiple people in the bed with me. I wouldn''t feel awkward about it until that weekend.


    Amy had been out doing the wash and also watching the kids and returned to the van at a random time before lunch, just like she did every day, to jerk me off. That didn''t bother me, because you know, a beautiful blonde was going to jerk me off. The awkward part came when Andrea walked in behind her and closed the sliding door.


    ¡°I''ll get lunch started.¡± Andrea said and walked by the bed.


    ¡°Thanks, sis.¡± Amy said with a happy smile and climbed onto the bed.


    I opened my mouth to say something, like what the hell was she doing, and she kissed me for several minutes to distract me as her other hand moved the nket covering me out of the way. My eyes darted up over her head and back to her face, clearly pointing out someone else was there. She giggled into my mouth before she broke the kiss and slid down to start ying with me out in the open.


    ¡°Wow, you really do that every day?¡± Andrea''s voice asked from the kitchte. ¡°I thought you were joking.¡±


    ¡°More like choking.¡± Amy joked,ughed a bit at her own joke, then she gave me a smug look and plunged her mouth over me. She kissed the skin around the base a secondter and made me gasp as she licked my balls.


    ¡°You''re such a slut.¡± Andreamented.


    I blinked my eyes at that, because her voice wasn''t harsh or angry. She actually sounded amused.


    ¡°Rick? Here''s a sandwich cut into slices to make it easier to eat with one hand.¡± Andrea said and ced a paper te with two sandwiches of ham and lettuce cut into long strips.


    I opened my mouth to ask her what she was doing and my words caught in my throat when she sat on the bed beside me and put another te beside Amy and put one on her ownp. I stared at her as she watched her sister give me a great blowjob, which was odd, because I was sure Amy was showing off for her sister.


    ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Andrea asked and I froze, because I honestly didn''t know who she was talking to. She saw my startled face andughed, picked up one of the slices of sandwich, and held it above my mouth. ¡°Open up and eat.¡±


    I opened my mouth and she fed me just enough for me to bite off and not take too much to chew. I did so and swallowed, still too surprised by the situation to do anything else, and Andrea kept feeding me.


    Amy pulled her mouth off of me with a slurping sound. ¡°You see? He might be surprised you''re here; but, he hasn''t said no to being watched. When he kept asking me to change things up in bed so it doesn''t get boring, I was starting to run out of things to do.¡±


    Andrea nodded and kept my mouth full every time I tried to speak. ¡°And you didn''t want to mention anything to anyone else, because you know they''d want to take full advantage of it.¡±


    Amy nodded. ¡°You''re my sister and I trust you to have my back.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Andrea said and fed me some more. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Andi.¡± Amy said and went right back to sucking me off.


    I opened my mouth again to speak and Andrea pushed thest bit of that slice of sandwich into my mouth.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Rick. I''m here now. No one else will ever see you like this.¡± Andrea said with a smile.


    ¡°That''s... not... what... ohhhh.¡± I moaned as Amy pushed me over the edge and she sucked it all down and swallowed it all.


    Amy pulled her mouth off of me with a pop sound and grinned at me. ¡°I don''t know how you can have so much every single time.¡± She said and picked up her sandwich and started eating it.


    Andrea looked down at my still erect member and at Amy''s face. ¡°You weren''t lying about that, either?¡±


    Amy covered her mouth tough without spitting bits of chewed food everywhere. ¡°I don''t think Rick knows what a refractory period is.¡±


    Andreaughed, too. ¡°You are so lucky!¡±


    ¡°I really am.¡± Amy said and took another bite of her sandwich.


    I justid there as Amy and Andrea talked about their sexual escapades as if I wasn''t right there, my erection bobbing asionally, and then Amy''s hand lightly touched it and started to stroke it. I thought aboutmenting that she was petting it like it was a pet and chose not to. I did not want to put that kind of thought into her head.


    Of course, I warned her when I was about to blow and she opened her second sandwich and caught it all. Both Andrea''s eyes and my own were wide when she closed the sandwich and kept eating it, as if she hadn''t just jerked me off onto her lettuce like it was mayonnaise.


    I didn''t bother trying to say anything after that and ate the rest of my sandwich strips in silence.


    That night when they came home for the evening, Amy included Andrea in our usual weekend date, where we shared chips, cookies, and milk. They had also borrowed one of the small televisions and VCRs to y a movie and joined me under the bed''s nket.


    I wasn''t sure how I was supposed to feel about including someone else in our private time, especially since I had kind of opened that Pandora''s Box by mistake for asking Amy to make things more exciting in bed. When the movie was over, Amy didn''t strip off like usual, thank goodness, and she only pulled her pyjamas down just enough to climb on top of me and we started having sex.


    Andrea hadn''t turned away from us, either. She was looking at us intensely, like she was memorizing everything and didn''t want to forget it. She was just... looking at my face for a while... then she would look at Amy''s face. I wasn''t sure if she was looking for something in particr or not, though.


    Amy tried distracting me by kissing me, making me realize I had been staring at Andrea for a lot longer than I should have. I didn''t want either of them to misunderstand anything, so I put my good hand between my chest and Amy''s to make her stop.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Amy asked me, a little confused.


    ¡°I don''t want any misunderstandings between us.¡± I said.


    ¡°I know. That''s why I asked Andi for her help. I don''t know what else to do to.¡± Amy responded.


    I sighed and closed my eyes. I couldn''t exin why I started having a phobia about the cowgirl pose, so I was at a loss about what to say about the whole thing. It was just one misunderstanding after another and now I had someone in my bed that I didn''t want to be there. I also didn''t want to hurt Amy''s feelings after she reached out to her sister for help.


    ¡°I love you and I''m not having sex with anyone else.¡± I said, just to rify things.


    Amy softlyughed. ¡°I''m not reallyfortable with the whole being naked in front of my sister yet, either.¡±


    Neither I nor Andrea missed the ''yet'' part of that statement.


    ¡°It''s just a bit naughty, you know? Sneaking around and slipping on top of you under the nket, to have fun with you, with someone else right there beside us.¡± Amy whispered and ground her hips on mine and lightly kissed me. ¡°Does she know what we''re doing? Can she hear us? Is she only pretending to be asleep and is secretly watching us as we make love right under her nose?¡±


    I had to admit that was a pretty good fantasy, which my twitching member let Amy know as well and she squeezed me back as if in answer. She kissed me again and moved her hips even more to grind me inside of her, because she had be surprisingly efficient with using my tool to get herself off thest few weeks.


    Both Amy and I reached a peak at the same time and we both moaned pretty loudly as we made out. As we came down from the emotional high and our lips parted, we heard a soft moan beside us and turned our heads to look. We saw Andrea''s red face and her closed eyes and both of her hands were not in sight.


    I looked up at Amy and she looked down at me, then we both had to fight to notugh at finding out Andrea had the same reaction to the fantasy that we did. We kissed again to cover up our giggles and ended up falling asleep just like that.


    *


    Over the next two weeks, Amy still visited randomly during the day like usual to ''give me a hand'' and to stop me from bing backed-up. Sometimes Andrea woulde in with her or would already be there in the kitchte making meals for us, and she would watch withoutment.


    It had kind of be a normal routine for the three of us and none of us seemed to be bothered by it, despite how odd it was. Amy eventually managed to strip naked in front of Andrea and rode me in full view of her ''sleeping'' sister, whom had caught on after that first night that she had to pretend to sleep to see the good stuff.


    It wasn''t until the middle of the next week that Andrea made an observation that I could have kissed her for, not that I would ever tell her so. I still didn''t want to sleep with her, even after all the teasing.


    ¡°You''re starting to look good again, Rick.¡± Andrea said as she handed Amy and I bowls of deer stew.


    ¡°What do you mean? I always look awesome.¡± I joked and carefully used a spoon to suck up some broth.


    Andrea rolled her eyes at me as Amy smiled. ¡°I meant the scars on your cheek are almost faded away and that huge scab on your forehead looks about ready to fall off. If it wasn''t for the bandages on your hand and foot, you would almost look back to normal.¡±


    I barely managed to keep the surprise off my face and made another joke to cover it up. ¡°Andrea, I didn''t know you had such a vested interest in how big of a piece of eye candy I was.¡±


    Amy made a loud snort sound and burst outughing. Luckily, she was between spoonfuls and hadn''t sprayed her sister''s face with hot broth.


    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha.¡± Andrea said, her voice t, which only made her sisterugh harder.


    I chuckled and scooped up some meat and chewed on it. I knew today was finally the day. I could sip on a healing potion and feel the results, then I would drink as many more of them as I could to heal uppletely. I might have to stay in bed for another week or so to pretend that my hand and foot became better, ying it off as bad sprains instead, just to keep the ruse up.


    Then I could get back to work, even if it was just limited duties to not strain myself after being stuck in bed for so long. At least I had eaten well and hadn''t lost much muscle mass or weight, which Amy really appreciated, if her whispered words about me still being hot as an invalid counted for anything.


    Yeah, working out to stay warm during the winter months was going to be my main n for sure.

 137 Back To The Grind

    137 Back To The Grind


    My ruse to y my injuries off as bad sprains worked. Sort of. As I suspected, no one would let me do anything too strenuous with my foot or hand, Amy included. I figured they would try to baby me a bit for a while, just because they were worried I might re-hurt myself in a simr way. Instead, it was a nket ban by everyone in the camp to refuse my help to keep me protected.


    Seeing Merleugh at my situation did not make me feel any better about it, either. I could do nothing but ept it, however. I was barely allowed to gather the dirty clothes together in theundry basket and only allowed to help with cooking if I sat my butt at the kitchte counter and took it easy.


    So I, of course, cheated. While Amy and Andrea were out and about, I slipped on Goku''s weighted clothing on under my thicker winter ones and no one noticed. Thankfully, my wand allowed me to adjust how much each of them weighed, so I wasn''t suffering under debilitating weight the whole time.


    In fact, because of my slightly sluggish movements with weights on my chest, arms, and legs, the people at the camp seemed justified about refusing my help with things. I didn''t bother trying to correct their assumption and let them think I was weaker than I actually was.


    The best part? I could see my stats change on my Adventurer Card in my inventory. My level wasn''t raising up, probably because I didn''t know how that worked; but, my skills rose phenomenally and they affected my base stats. I also gained Power Lifting, Power Walking, and a few other upgraded skills that the gradually increasing weight were granting me.


    Outwardly, I was making no progress and remained tired and sweaty in the eyes of everyone. Internally, I was bing much stronger and more experienced with doing normal and menial tasks with more and more weight.


    I was also doing various exercises whenever I could, giving both Amy and Andrea a good show. They didn''tment about me always wearing grey sweat pants and a long sleeve matching grey sweat shirt, which was great, because they had to be washed every second day. I wasn''t stupid enough to work out that hard every day, even with ess to my now dwindling supply of healing potions.


    Dale had used up thest of the diesel in the tractor weeks ago and work with that had to stop. I still had a barrel of it left in my Inventory, except that was all I had for however long it was going to take to find more, assuming there was any more to find. I doubted it, considering how picked over everything was.


    In the spring, I would have to make another fake run to the construction site to ''find'' the barrel I had. I should be allowed to move around freely by then. In the meantime, I was allowed to keep watch over the camp a couple times a week and Dale usually spent the time there with me and we talked about things. I brought up the farm and grazing field ideas and he looked really happy about that.


    Bing self-sustaining would change a lot of things at the camp and would make everyone happier, too. I would have to be sneaky and make a side field to grow potion ingredients, because what I had in inventory wasn''t going tost. We were staying still for the long haul and the more we prepared, the better things would be.


    Also, the guys loved the two mini-guns they had salvaged from the wrecked ne. After my watch shift, I managed to convince Dale to walk with me to the runway and I inspected the crash site, then I had to admit that it was almost aplete loss. The frame was bent, a lot of the fusge was crumpled or broken off, and the wings were shredded underneath with the two wheels crushed up inside of them.


    I honestly didn''t think I hit the ground that hard and sighed, because the engine was damaged and also partially filled with dirt and gravel. Yeah, there was no way to fix the thing, let alone get it flying again. At least the bullets hadn''t been set off during the crash or blown up or anything. When I asked about the remaining fuel, Dale said they used it in the tractor and I nodded. Waste not, want not.


    We returned to the campfire and met up with the rest of the camp to have MREs for supper. Everyone greeted us and we sat down and joined in on the conversations. It was almost normal with the things people talked about and Glenn was praised again for finding more movies for people to share and for the little things that made life camping out more bearable.


    I looked around at their happy faces and I felt a small swell of pride, because I had helped to put them there. More wood was tossed on the fire and we all stayed there for several hours and just hung out. Amy and Andrea sat across from Dale and I and were chatting away about something, so I left them to it.


    Carl at one point managed to somehow climb onto myp and sat on my left leg, while his unconfirmed girlfriend Sophia sat on my right and she slipped an arm around my back to snuggle in. I wasn''t sure why I suddenly became an appropriate chair for them and I supposed it didn''t really matter. I put an arm around each of them and held them for quite some time.


    Carl started talking and told me all about their day and what they had nned for their sleepover that night. The bunk beds really had been a brilliant idea and he and his friends loved it, as did their parents, because they had many nights to themselves and weren''t worried that their kids were being left alone or were up to no good.


    The fire eventually died down and everyone started to leave, Amy and Andrea included, meaning it was time for us all to head back to where we slept and could have some time to ourselves, even the kids.


    Carl turned and gave me a quick hug around my neck. ¡°Goodnight, Dad. See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± I said and kissed his forehead.


    ¡°Daaaad!¡± Carlined and his face went red as he let me go, clearly embarrassed.


    I chuckled at his reaction and pushed him off of my knee, making him stumble. Carlughed and swatted at me, then he ran over to the moving van that was the designated sleepover spot this time.


    ¡°Can... can I have one, too?¡± Sophia asked, her words barely a whisper and her face was bright red.


    ¡°Of course, sweetie.¡± I whispered back and kissed the side of her head and she looked surprised, then she turned her head to look into my eyes. I saw the longing there and her arm had tightened on my back, as if she was afraid to let go. ¡°I''m pretty sure Carl considers you a part of our family, so I should probably do that, too.¡±


    Sophia''s face stayed red and she didn''t say anything, so I moved forward and very softly kissed her forehead and let it linger for several seconds.


    I broke the kiss and gave her my best smile. ¡°You need to get going or you''re not going to get the best bunk for the night.¡±


    Sohpia nodded and eased her hold on me, then she stood up and nced towards where the other kids were. She looked unsure for a moment, then she turned to face me and leaned in to kiss my cheek.


    ¡°G''night.¡± Sophia whispered and started to walk away, her posture a little hunched down, then she took a breath and straightened her back as she walked over to Carl and took his hand. Miranda was there and ushered the kids inside and closed the sliding door.


    ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Carol''s voice said from behind me and I turned around to see her standing a few feet away. ¡°She''s been... a little lost, ever since...¡±


    I stood up and walked over to her to give her a hug. ¡°I know. It was scary for me, too.¡±


    Carol briefly hugged me back and let me go, so I let go, too.


    ¡°Amy had the worst of it, knowing how she reacted when Inded.¡± I said and Carol huffed. I knew she wanted to say something about that and then she sighed. ¡°It''s all right. I''ve been called an idiot before. Go ahead.¡±


    Carol smiled and shook her head. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Night.¡± I said and watched her walk over to her moving van. I had no reason to stay out myself, so I went to my own and went inside before shutting the door. Amy and Andrea were already sitting at the kitchte counter and talking again, so I left them alone and went to the bathroom. A quick visit and washed handster, I stored my weighted clothing and put on pyjamas.


    I went back out and lightly brushed my hand across Amy''s back, just to let her know I wasn''t ignoring her, and I climbed into bed. It was getting chilly at night, so no more sleeping naked for me. I turned onto my side to face the wall and drifted off to sleep without realizing how tired I had been. Wearing heavy weights constantly was exhausting. Who knew?


    *


    Over the next few weeks as a light snow fell and some ice formed overnight with the lower temperatures, Amy seemed a little lost because she no longer had to visit me at a random time during the day to help me get off. So, I kind of did it back to her. I would hunt her down at different times every other day and surprised her, then I would drag her off to give her a good licking to get her off instead.


    Sometimes it would be full blown sex, since she would sometimes get off a bit too quickly for her satisfaction. I also did my best to make it as fun as I could to pay her back for what she did for me while I was stuck in bed. Neither of us were surprised when Andrea would either be nearby or would ''identally'' walk in on us if we made it back home. She did live with us, after all.


    To my surprise, Andrea never once offered to share a shower with either of us, with the excuse that it would save water. I mean, it would have been a great excuse, even if no one ever watched when I went to each of the vans to rece the water filters in the recycling tanks. I never did, since I always used magic to clean them and brought the same ones each time and left with them out of the boxes. After that, I pretended to clean the ''old'' ones to use themter.


    With so many working showers, no one had to visit my home anymore to use ours. They also kind of got used to staying away after I had been stuck inside for two months and they didn''t want to bother me. That was great, because that finally let mey down on my bed in peace to check out therge collection of books that I had unlocked a long time ago.


    It was an eclectic mix of real books, magic books from two different magic schools, books I myself wrote, and books that I had bought in the shop. Some of them really brought back some good memories, especially the books I had written while I was in Harry Potter.


    Bing the best Harry Potter had been the most fun I had ever had in my travels and I abused that line so much that it made people groan when I barely mentioned it. Good times, good times. That also reminded me how I was punished afterwards for giving Death back the tools they had left for the mortals. My mind drifted back to how many times I experienced death and shivered at zombie worlds being the first choice for punishment protocols.


    I felt an odd feeling that wasn''t mine and blinked my eyes when a little blue text box appeared, the same one Fate always used.


    <b>It''s all right, Rick. We''ve instituted a better sorting system for things. If you end up with negative Karma at any point in the future, you''ll have a choice of what world you want to be sent to.</b>


    <i>Will it still be a zombie filled one?</i> I asked, just to see if she would admit it.


    <b>At least one will be included in the list. There are so many of them that you could always give them a hand and it wouldn''t be fair if we didn''t include them.</b>


    <i>Did... did you just make a joke about me jerking off?</i> I asked, surprised.


    The word ''giggle'' appeared. <b>You''ve kind of earned the nickname ''Handy Man'' around here.</b>


    I groaned out loud at the horrible pun and the word ''giggle'' repeated several times. <i>I guess I can''tin about that. Things are kind of fucked up here.</i>


    <b>Oh, we know. It''s why we wanted to see what you would do with how badly thest trip went. It''s been enlightening to see how things have changed in certain areas after you delivered your little gifts.</b>


    I had to chuckle at that. <i>I would have loved to see Negan''s face when that crate of warheads went off.</i>


    The little box expanded to the size of a television screen and a screenshot of the man''s shocked face and his mouth hanging open, made meugh really hard. It was hrious!


    <b>I better go. You''re about to get an interesting visitor. Don''t screw this up.</b>


    Myughter drifted off at that warning and then I had to blink my eyes as the sliding door of the van slid up just enough to blind me with sunlight for a moment, just long enough for someone to duck down and slip inside, then the door was closed again.


    ¡°Rick, we... we n-need to t-talk.¡± Lori said, her voice a bit shaky.


    I barely managed to not p myself on the forehead about her being so fucking stupid, because there was only one other time she came to me and spoke that exact same line. It was just after we graduated high school and she became pregnant with Carl.


    ¡°No.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°Not only no; but, hell no. I am NOT iming it''s mine.¡±


    ¡°Rick, I don''t... I don''t want it to be a bastard. We''re still technically married and...¡± Lori tried to exin.


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± I said and snapped closed the Harry Potter book I held in my hand and didn''t bother hiding. ¡°There''s no fucking way I''m going to legitimize my cheating wife''s illegitimate baby with my ex-best friend that she''s been fucking non-stop ever since I died.¡±


    Lori looked shocked at the hatred in my voice.


    ¡°How the fuck do you think I felt when I showed up here and saw how close you were? That you didn''t even grieve for me before you spread your legs for that smug bastard? That you gave up on me with just the word of one single person that thought I was dead? That you were raising my son with the man you''re cheating with?¡± I spat at her and hid my satisfaction as she winced after each question.


    I didn''t try to get up off of the bed, because I knew she would scream if I tried to approach her. That was not something I wanted to exin to everyone else, since she looked terrible with tears in her eyes after wiping at them. I would be automatically dered the guilty one, innocent or not.


    ¡°That...¡± I said and pointed at her belly. ¡°...is not my fucking problem. It''s yours and his. You can take your filthy ass right back to Shane and you can tell him about how you wanted to throw him away for a stupid chance to try and get back with me.¡±


    Lori opened and closed her mouth several times and no sounds came out.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for?¡± I asked and shouted. ¡°Get the fuck out of here!¡±


    Lori jumped and burst out crying, just like I knew she would, and she pulled up the sliding door hard and ran down the steps, her face partially covered with her hands.


    I sighed and walked over to the opening and leaned out just enough to see a lot of people staring at me and at Lori fleeing back to her own moving van. ¡°It''s okay, folks! She wanted me to take her back and I said no. I have a new wife and she has Shane. Why would I downgrade like that? Amy''s the best!¡±


    ¡°Damn right she is.¡± Andrea said from not far away and I leaned out a bit more to see her leaning against the side of my moving van.


    ¡°Please tell me you heard most of that?¡± I asked her.


    Andrea rapped her knuckles on the metal and it rang like a gong. ¡°I heard every word.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Andi.¡± I said and she looked pleased, because it was the first time I had used Amy''s nickname for her. ¡°Can you let Amy know what happened? Hell, tell everyone that didn''t hear me shouting just now. I won''t be the bad guy here because I won''t renew my broken wedding vows and Lori''s baby will be born out of wedlock.¡±


    Andrea pushed off the side of the moving van. ¡°If Amy doesn''t know already, she will in a few minutes.¡± She said and walked towards the path that led to theke, then she stopped and turned around to give me an appraising look. ¡°By the way, you made the right choice.¡±


    I had to smile at that. ¡°Andi, there was never a chance that there would be a choice.¡±


    That earned me a beaming smile and Andrea walked away as she hummed something musical. I waved to those still looking at me, then I stepped back inside and closed the door. I hopped onto the bed and opened up the Harry Potter book again. I was sure I could finish the chapter before Amy rushed over to have her way with me again.

 138 Relationships Are Difficult

    138 Rtionships Are Difficult


    Amy showed up a short timeter and saw the Harry Potter book, gave me a bit of a re, then she jumped onto the bed to have her wicked way with me. Itsted for quite a while, as if she needed to make sure I was covered in as much of her fluids as possible, and that was a lot. When we were done, she looked a little bloated and very satisfied as she cuddled me.


    Andrea entered our home not long after that and gave me a nod, patted Amy''s back as she passed the bed, and went to the bathroom to shower.


    ¡°We need to clean up, too.¡± Amy said and sat up as she looked at me. ¡°You definitely do.¡±


    I made a snort sound and thenughed. ¡°I may be a little sticky from residue, that''s true.¡±


    Amyughed as well and climbed off the bed. ¡°Come on, I''ll help wash your back.¡±


    I climbed off of the bed as well and followed her to the bathroom. This was where I was treated to a surprise, because Amy opened the door and brought me inside. We leaned against the sink and watched the woman still taking a shower. Andrea had noticed us right away and didn''t rush or tried to cover herself up.


    Andrea finished her shower and stepped out to dry herself off with a towel, still not trying to cover herself up. ¡°Why are you suddenly okay with letting him show that off, Amy?¡± She asked and motioned to my erection.


    ¡°Even after all this time, you still haven''t tried to make a y for Rick.¡± Amy said with a shrug. ¡°Since he hasn''te to me to say you''ve been flirting with him behind my back or without me nearby, I know my trust was never misced. It''s not like he would have epted your offer, anyway.¡±


    Andrea looked surprised and then shook her head. ¡°You really are naive, little sis.¡±


    Amy smiled and stepped by her. ¡°Did you really think I didn''t watch you to see if you would slip a hand in or y with us a little while we were busy? I might be tired after a long day of taking care of the kids and the camp; but, I''m not ignorant. You didn''t even try to give him an early morning blowjob when I was too tired to, and you''ve had months to try and be sneaky about it.¡±


    Andrea looked conflicted about that and sighed. ¡°I wanted to. I really did.¡±


    Amy reached out and ced a hand on her bare shoulder and caressed it. ¡°I know. We know.¡± She said and nced at me and back at her. ¡°You''ve spent so much time pretending to not be a part of this that you feel too guilty even thinking about doing more than what you already do.¡±


    Andrea''s eyes dropped to my bobbing erection and licked her lips. ¡°He''s so tempting, Amy. He''s been getting hotter and hotter and no one else at camp can evenpare.¡±


    ¡°It''s these growing muscles he keeps trying to hide from everyone but us.¡± Amy said and her hand caressed my chest, my abdomen, then my shaft. ¡°If he wasn''t shooting nks, I would have been knocked up after our first week together.¡±


    Andrea caught her breath and stared at her sister''s face. ¡°Excuse me? He''s what?¡±


    ¡°Shooting nks.¡± Amy said with a knowing smile. ¡°We can go at it all the time and we never have to worry about what Lori and Shane are going through right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, not until I can get a medical van set up for things like that.¡± I said and both women''s heads turned to stare at me. ¡°There''s about 7 or 8 months before she''s due, so I have plenty of time to find an ambnce or something and then I can dig up some books on medical procedures and birthplications.¡±


    ¡°You... you really...¡± Amy whispered.


    ¡°Just because I don''t want anything to do with Lori, that doesn''t mean I want her baby to be in danger. I''ll talk to Shane tomorrow and I''ll make sure he knows that.¡± I told them.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Amy said and gave me a slow and passionate kiss. ¡°So much.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± I responded and gave her another kiss. We broke it and stepped away from each other, only to hear Andrea sigh.


    ¡°Dammit, I love you too, Rick.¡± Andrea admitted and didn''t step forward to try and kiss me. ¡°I keep trying to deny it and I can''t anymore. Every time I convince myself I''m being silly, you do or say something that just makes my self-justifications disappear.¡±


    ¡°Andi...¡± Amy started to say.


    ¡°No, I know. I do. It can''t work. I''m already so far away from my normal behavior that I sometimes don''t recognize myself when I look in the mirror.¡± Andrea told us and hung the towel on the shower door to let it air dry. She turned back to us and had a sad smile on her face. ¡°No matter how much I''d love to take thosest few steps, we both know I''d never do anything to ruin your life. I love you too much to do that.¡±


    ¡°Just not like that.¡± Amy said with her own sad smile.


    ¡°No, not like that. I could never...¡± Andrea paused and walked over to her to give her a hug. ¡°...you''re my sister. I can''t even contemte being with you sexually, no matter how good the sex with your man would be. It could never distract me enough to forget you''re the only family I have left.¡±


    Amy hugged her back. ¡°I feel the same way. I can''t even try to get my mind wrapped around the thought of... licking you... down there.¡± She barely managed to say and shivered in a bad way.


    Andrea let her go and stepped back to give me a pointed look. ¡°I hope this doesn''t give you any ideas, Rick. There''s no chance that anything can happen between us, no matter how much potential is there.¡±


    I didn''t want to dete her ego any more than she was already doing to herself, so I nodded and stayed quiet. I did not tell her that I wasn''t attracted to her or that even naked as she was, I wasn''t hard for her. It was Amy that had me this way and we had a shared shower to get to.


    ¡°I''ll start moving...¡± Andrea started to say.


    ¡°No, you''re not!¡± Amy interrupted her with a shout. ¡°Not even when winter is over and spring starts up. I''m not letting my only family go back to living in a fucking tent!¡±


    Andrea looked shocked at the outburst and at a loss for words.


    ¡°Good, you know there''s no argument you can give me, anyway.¡± Amy said and took my hand. She didn''t say anything else and brought me into the shower and started it up, then she soaped her hands and started washing me off.


    I was kind of stunned myself and didn''t try to reciprocate until her hands went down to my member and she started stroking it. It was a tant prompt to get to work and I took it and started washing her, too. It quickly devolved to groping and then some enthusiastic sex against the shower wall. Amy didn''t try to be quiet at all and I didn''t try to silence her, because she was making a point that it wasn''t needed.


    Andrea''s moan of pleasure reached us through the sound of rushing water and our own sounds of lovemaking. I nced over and Andrea had propped herself on the toilet seat and had spread her legs to give me apletely unobstructed view for the first time. She licked her own soaked fingers and stared at me as she did so. I nodded in acknowledgement and then gave Amy my full attention.


    After we were all done and left the bathroom, both sisters were satisfied and were happy. The nebulous rtionship the three of us had was fully defined now and we all knew there was a line that none of us would ever cross. It was a relief, honestly. I had been worried I would wake up with my dick in Andrea''s mouth and I didn''t know how to handle that, and now I knew I would never had to worry about it.


    We got dressed in warm clothes and went to the kitchte to make supper. In the middle of the prep work, Amy suddenly leaned over and kissed Andrea''s cheek and thanked her for being there for her. Since I didn''t want to be thought of as a jerk by either of them, I leaned in and kissed her other cheek and thanked her for the same thing, being there for Amy, and made Andrea blush.


    After supper, we changed the sheets and nkets on the bed to rx on it. In the middle of the conversation about what we were doing tomorrow, Amy changed the subject and told her sister about me having her favorite book and hiding it from her. Andrea gasped and looked scandalized, then I was suddenly tackled by both of them and tickled until I revealed where I was hiding the rest of them.


    The two of them abandoned me on the bed and ran for the wall covering the electrical panel and gasped at there being a small pile of Harry Potter books inside. They gathered them up and ran back over to the bed and dumped them onto me. My shouts andints were ignored as they climbed onto the bed and shoved me against the wall. With most of the bed avable, they spread the books around and then snuggled against each other to start reading.


    I had to chuckle at them intentionally ignoring me, despite their softughter at my pouting face, so I let them enjoy themselves and settled back to close my eyes and let my mind wander. I had ns to form and things to set up for the spring, too. Maybe I could borrow Merle''s motorcycle again? No, I couldn''t bring it back if I did find an ambnce and a source of medical texts.


    That meant a long walk into town and I would have to talk to Glenn about what route he takes. It would also let me clear out any walkers that might have started to show up while I''ve been inactive. I should probably grab one of the car horns and a battery to make enough noise to draw more of them out, since the pit near the camp had been empty for a while.


    The defenses worked great and no one was stressed out about walkers being nearby. The survivors at the camp were happy, rxed, and were settling in for the long haul. They knew there was no point in leaving the safest ce they had ever been, not after myprehensive report about what the rest of the state looked like.


    If we wanted to find anything like civilization again, we would have to travel a long way to try and find it. That wasn''t a priority, especially after Dale told everyone about my ns for making farming fields nearby and trading MREs for some grazing animals from the farm I had found. That had really brought people''s spirits up and they were making their own ns and added ideas about the right tools and things we would need.


    Dale was keeping track of it all and he would have thepleted list ready by the time I would need it. I still nned to make more trips around, only my method of travel had to change. I couldn''t take the motorcycle, since itcked protection. My police car was an option that I could bring back after I pretended to search the constructionpany for more diesel fuel, since that''s where I faked leaving it.


    That was when I realized something. Glenn might have passed by there during one of his many trips and he wouldn''t have seen the police car there. I cursed in my head and mentally sighed, because that cut my options down again, because I couldn''t just outright ask him if he had seen my car there when I knew it wasn''t.


    I felt mentally drained and let sleep im me, because I didn''t want to think about things for a while. I could worry about the things I needed for my nster.


    *


    Andrea saw Rick hadn''t moved or tookrge breaths for a while and stipp talked in whispers. ¡°He really isn''t interested in me, is he?¡±


    ¡°No, and I''m not sure why.¡± Amy whispered back. ¡°Maybe that first impression really stayed with him?¡±


    Andrea sighed. ¡°It''s not my fault we all suspected he wasn''t an actual cop after everything we''ve been through.¡±


    Amy leaned in and rested her forehead on her sister''s. ¡°I know. I just liked ribbing you.¡±


    Andrea huffed. ¡°At least he''s forgiven me for not trusting him.¡±


    ¡°He forgave Glenn right away, remember? I think Rick kind of expected it after what he said about just meeting your group and not earning any trust.¡± Amy whispered.


    ¡°Yes, and that irked a lot of us when he showed up at the camp right behind us.¡± Andrea whispered back. ¡°He followed us right back here and none of even noticed there was a brightly painted police car behind us the entire way back from the city.¡±


    Amy softlyughed. ¡°That''s even more proof that he''s a good sheriff.¡±


    Andrea shook her head. ¡°Shane said they were partners, so he''s only a deputy. The badge and uniform are fakes.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Amy said a bit loudly and then hushed herself. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why isn''t it fake?¡± Andrea asked.


    ¡°He promoted himself and signed the paperwork back at the precinct. He was thest serving deputy, so he automatically took office by default anyway and he figured he might as well make it official and signed in and left it on the sheriff''s desk.¡± Amy exined and then smiled. ¡°His desk, actually.¡±


    Andrea gave her a disbelieving look and then softlyughed. ¡°Okay, that was smart.¡±


    ¡°Don''t sound so surprised. You told me he was smart after he flew away in that death trap.¡± Amy reminded her.


    Andrea put an arm around her and hugged her briefly. ¡°He came back like he promised.¡±


    ¡°I should have said in one piece.¡± Amy said and let out a relieved sigh. ¡°He''s been great since then.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''ve been here to see it all.¡± Andrea said and then blushed. ¡°That''s why I said I loved him. He''s been so good to you and he only pretends toin when you give him restrictions. He really loves it that you care so much about him.¡±


    Amy blushed a little. ¡°It''s been really nice to have him here most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Only most of the time?¡± Andrea asked with a smirk.


    ¡°He''s insatiable and I love him, even when he tracks me down during my chores and we have fun like I used to do for him when he was stuck in bed.¡± Amy said. ¡°It''s almost too much, you know? I mean... I like sex as much as the next girl... but, I just have a feeling that he could keep going and... and I...¡±


    Andrea waited for several seconds for her to continue, and she didn''t. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Amy blushed fully this time from embarrassment. ¡°I don''t think I''m enough to keep him satisfied.¡±


    Andrea blinked her eyes in shock for a moment and then realized what she meant. ¡°You can''t seriously think of bringing someone else to your bed.¡±


    Amy shook her head. ¡°I don''t want to ruin what we have by trying to add someone else into this... whatever we have here. It''s working and I''m not looking to wreck it. I just... I want him to be happy and... I know he''s not, you know...¡± She made a jerking motion with her hand. ¡°...done when I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Andrea whispered and understood. She knew her sister had yed with Rick a lot before she started getting involved as a witness and a spectator, she just didn''t realize the enormous amount of sex they had had before that. ¡°The new couple period isn''t over yet?¡±


    Amy blushed for a different reason. ¡°He can''t keep his hands off of me.¡±


    Andrea gave her a pointed look. ¡°You know that''s a good thing, right?¡±


    ¡°I do and it is. I''ve never felt so wanted and needed. I''m happy with it, really.¡± Amy said, her blush staying on her face. ¡°He''s just so... robust? He stays hard for as long as I want him to and he never says anything or looks disappointed when I tell him I''ve had enough. It''s just... if I could keep going... I don''t think he would ever stop.¡±


    Andrea''s mouth dropped open and she stared at her sister in disbelief.


    ¡°I know, I know. It''s wonderful and I''ve definitely taken advantage of it.¡± Amy said and then smiled warmly. ¡°It''s why I''m so confused about why Lori wasn''t happy with her life with him. They were married and she just... why would she... how could she give up on that or want something else?¡±


    Andrea gave her another hug. ¡°What''s that old saying? The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?¡±


    Amy nodded. ¡°I know what that means.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know you do. What you don''t realize, and what I think Rick does, is that when you are on the other side of that fence, it''s the grass you just left that is now the greener grass.¡±


    Amy''s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, my god! Rick is Lori''s greener grass!¡±


    Andrea nodded. ¡°That''s right. He knew Lori would figure that out eventually. When she did, he told her in no uncertain terms that his grass was being tended by you. Why would he want to give up his greener grass for her? She chose to cross that fence and he told her to stay there.¡±


    Amy nodded and closed the book between them, set it aside, and snuggled into her sister''s warm embrace. Andrea hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead, settling in for the sleep they knew would im them after so many revtions. The two drifted off to sleep and were d that they had repaired their damaged rtionship and they resolved to always be there for each other.

 139 A Bit Of A Timeskip

    139 A Bit Of A Timeskip


    The reaffirmed dynamic in our home seemed to make both Amy and her sister Andrea rx as much as I had. I wasn''t sure if they reflected my own attitude towards the situation or if they hade to the same realization as I had. Either way, the loving atmosphere grew as the winter days wore on and the three of us were constantly smiling.


    I had to dy my trip to town after Glenn''s warning about leaving tracks on the snow. Not only would it give away that there was someone moving around in the area, it would also lead whomever it was that found those tracks right back to the camp. We couldn''t even remove or destroy the tracks, because the snow removal in a specific area would also bring attention where it wasn''t wanted.


    So, my life was contained within therge confines of the camp''s protections, just like everyone else. Luckily, neither Amy nor Andrea told anyone about the pile of Harry Potter books I had. They knew, just like I did, we would never see them again if we had to loan them out. It wasn''t just from someone keeping them, either. They could be damaged or lost and then no one would have them. They were all first editions, too.


    I pretended to maintain the showers, the water levels, the heaters, recing car batteries asionally, and fetching more wood for the main campfire when it was needed. The watch over the camp from the top of Dale''s RV was almost redundant by this point; and we all still did it, because none of us wanted for that one time we didn''t do it to cause the loss of the camp. It was almost funny that we all had that same worry, wasn''t it?


    The days didn''t quite merge together into one massive repeat after another, thankfully. I had even reduced how many times I hunted Amy down during her chores to get her off and thank her for looking after me. She was both sad and looked relieved about that, so I made sure I didn''t take her for granted and used our time in bed more wisely. Sex was supposed to be fun and not another chore for her to do.


    I continued to use my magic when I was out of sight of everyone, trying my hardest to level the skill as much as possible. It was a relief to find out that any magic cast would increase the main skill and not just the individual spells. Of course, maxing the spells out also granted me certain boons and bonuses, as did using the spell books from both Harry Potter and Familiar of Zero.


    Let me tell you, that first time I sessfully transfigured three pebbles into three brass stones, something that only a second tier mage or higher could do because of how difficult elemental transfigurations were, it had me so excited that it gave me a partial erection and unlocked another huge section of my inventory.


    By the time I reached Amy and kissed her passionately, I was fully hard and dragged her home to have my wicked way with her. The best part about it? Amy didn''t even ask me why. She justughed and was happy that I was happy.


    Amy really was the best thing to happen to me in this world and while we cuddled in the afterglow of the quickie, I told her so. She blushed, looked pleased, and kissed me soundly. Andrea''s soft moaning voice from behind the kitchte counter fully agreed with me.


    Time moved on again and the cold weather started to ck off, meaning spring was going to spring soon and it would be time to start working on making the camp the best camp that I could. With magic as my secret helper, things weren''t going to take as long as the others thought they would. Not at all.


    *


    On the first official day of Spring, thanks to the homemade calendar by the kids during one of Andrea''s crafting lessons, both Glenn and I left the camp with empty backpacks and long lists of ''essentials''. Glenn''s was much different than my own and he was chuckling under his breath as we walked along the old path he used and read through the list.


    ¡°Let me guess. Your essentials are pretty much all feminine care products?¡± I asked and Glenn nodded. ¡°Then why haven''t you gottenid yet?¡±


    Glenn made a sputtering sound and his face went beet red.


    Iughed and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I''m just kidding, buddy. There''s not much to pick from back at camp.¡± I said and we kept walking. ¡°I''m sure there''s people at that farm that''s about 50 miles or so away. With winter ended, we can head on over there as soon as we find an appropriate vehicle.¡±


    Glenn''s face stayed red. ¡°At least you''re not thinking about walking all that way.¡±


    Iughed again. ¡°I would have flown if the ne still worked... or was salvageable... or could be used in any real capacity for travel.¡±


    Glenn gave me an odd look. ¡°You really liked that old thing, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°I loved it.¡± I admitted and his eyebrows rose up. ¡°I built the thing with my own two hands... assembled it from the ground up... and then I flew it around the entire state of Georgia in only two days. It was like a taste of freedom that few people ever get to experience.¡±


    Glenn''s odd look disappeared and changed to thoughtfulness.


    ¡°Yeah, you know the feeling.¡± I said and elbowed his side lightly. ¡°How many times have you escaped the camp for your supply runs again?¡±


    Glenn gave me a huge smile in return. ¡°Escaped? Y-yeah, I... I think that''s exactly what I''ve been doing. Getting away and just...¡± He motioned with his hand in an arc and wiggled his fingers.


    ¡°I totally get it.¡± I said and nodded.


    ¡°Totally? Really?¡± Glenn asked and looked like he was trying not tough.


    So, I pulled off my best surfer dude impression. ¡°Yeah, like totally, dude! Riding the waves, catching some air, it''s totally radical!¡±


    Glenn burst outughing, then he keptughing as I told him all about the best ways to hang ten. It waspletely made up, of course. I had no clue how to do any of that and just spouted nonsense. It just made himugh even more, because it was a surfer dude exining the meaning of life to him, and it was hrious.


    We split up at the first subdivision we reached on the outskirts of town. Before he left, I gave him my backup handgun and two boxes of ammo, just in case, and told him to make sure any bodies he found had a hole in the head. Glenn looked serious when he epted the gun and holster, then he moved off a lot quieter than we had been moving before.


    I did as well, since this was pretty much new territory for me. Driving around on streets is one thing. Moving along on foot through yards, paths, patches of woods, and then along abandoned streets, was apletely different thing. The ambience was almost stifling with how still and unmoving everything was. Even the wind had died down to the point that the bare trees barely moved. It was eerie.


    I didn''t let that stop me, though. I had a job to do and I needed to do it quickly. My first stop was any store that carried tools that could be used in farming, like shovels and pickaxes. That was a surprisingly widespread amount of stores, since there were more than a few farms in Georgia.


    I first tried a general store and it was empty. Even the shelves were broken apart and knocked around. The next attempt was only slightly less ransacked and I found a pickaxe buried through the decayed skull of a walker and embedded in the floor. I couldn''t pry it up, so it was jammed in there pretty good. I didn''t waste any effort on it, however.


    I stored it and it disappeared from sight, then I took it back out and saw that the end that had been in the floor was slightly bent and exined why it had been stuck. Whomever had used it had not been holding back when they destroyed the walker, because it took either a lot of force to bend it or it had been heated up to make it malleable or something.


    I took out my wand and used the repair spell on it and the creak of metal was really loud in the silence. I stored my wand and the pickaxe and ran to the back of the room and out of sight to wait. Nothing happened and there were no other sounds, so I didn''t identally attract anyone''s or anything''s attention.


    With a soft sigh, I left the store after checking for more things and didn''t find anything else useful. I moved on and kept looking for several hours, not really finding anything, and then I sighed and pped my forehead like the idiot I was. I had passed by about a dozen sheds in the subdivision that Glenn and I had walked through and never once thought about looking through them for tools.


    I lost another hour as I backtracked and went to the very first shed I saw. Inside was a smorgasbord of everything a budding farmer would need. Several kinds of shovels, spades, rakes, two pickaxes of different sizes, a box of gardening gloves, a stack of six bags of fertilizer, a ridingwnmower, every kind and size of gardening shears from scissors to the huge branch cutting ones, two chainsaws, the tools to work on small engines, a small engine from awnmower, and many more things.


    <i>Stupid, stupid, stupid.</i> I thought to myself and left the shed without touching anything, because I just didn''t want to look at the treasure trove of stuff anymore. I would have missed it all if I hadn''t remembered that people''s sheds had stuff like that in them.


    I was d that I did step out to clear my head, because my eyesnded on a freestanding garage that was two houses away. There were only two reasons that someone had an independent garage like that. One, they had a huge truck that wouldn''t fit in a normal garage. Two, they wanted a space to put all their things that the wife didn''t want them to keep in the house.


    I closed the shed door behind me and walked over to the garage. I was not surprised to see that the side door was padlocked and the garage door was chained and welded shut. Whomever this guy was, he wanted his stuff protected. Since I knew that, there would probably be a security system as well.


    If I was lucky, it would be off with no power. If I was unlucky, it would have a battery backup and only activated when breached. I mentally sighed at the conundrum and then nced at the house. It was a nice two-storey one and it could also have a security system. Then again, if all of his important stuff was in the garage, the house wouldn''t be that high of a priority.


    On a whim, I walked over to the back door and looked inside. The ce was pristine and lookedpletely untouched. Was the ce hermetically sealed? Why wasn''t there any dust on anything?


    I shook those thoughts off and went to the front door. Right there on the window was the security system warning and it had a picture of both an electrical bolt and a car battery.


    <i>Paranoia for the win.</i> I thought with a chuckle and went around to the back of the house again. I could see arge picture window that gave a great view of the woods behind the ce, so I could easily see inside.


    I knew I couldn''t open the doors or windows, or break them, just in case the loud rm was set off and it would gain a lot of attention. That left me with two options. I could leave and forget my curiosity or I could take a chance and do something stupid. Since there wasn''t really a choice, I took out my wand and cast a silence spell, then held it up vertically in front of my face as I stared into the house.


    <i>Deliberation, Determination, Destination.</i> I thought and pulled on my magic. With the wand, it came rushing out, because of all my practice giving me much better reserves to call on for bigger spells. Just as I was about to cast the apparate spell, a text box appeared.


    <b>Warning: Chance of spell failure is 67%.


    Do you want to spend 10 Karma Points to ensure sess?</b>


    I blinked my eyes in surprise at the option, because it was the first time I had received a warning before doing something stupid. It was usually after I died when I was told why something had been a bad idea. It also gave me another idea.


    <i>How much would it cost to max the spell out and I won''t have to worry about it?</i> I asked.


    <b>Cost of spell modification to never fail: 50 Karma Points.


    Do you want to spend 50 Karma Points to ensure permanent sess?</b>


    <i>Yes, please!</i> I thought, almost giddy, and I felt a shiver go up my spine. Knowledge flowed into my head and I remembered being an expert in the spell when I was back in my reward world of Harry Potter. I didn''t need a wand or anything to cast spells, either. <i>I really miss that feeling!</i>


    Now that I didn''t have to worry about the stupid part of my n, I apparated into the house and there wasn''t even a crack of noise. I used my wand to search for the security panel and went into the basement to check the thing. I hit the switch to cut off the battery backup and saw that the garage had its own separate panel.


    I flipped that switch as well and went back up to the living room to look out the window and apparated over to the back door of the garage. I didn''t actually need line of sight, it just made things a lot easier. I stored the padlock holding the door secured and then vanished the door handle and the deadbolt lock.


    Before I opened the door, I used the human revealing spell. Nothing appeared, so I pushed the door open and looked inside. It was as pristine as the house and my eyes widened at the contents. A four-wheeled ATV was off to the side by the wall, two canoes hung from the rafters, and in the middle of the wide space was a huge 4x4 truck with oversized tires.


    Off to the other side of the garage were three stacks of metal toolbox cabs that were filled with tools of all kinds and would allow for the maintenance of almost any vehicle. There was also an acetylene torch and the matching tanks. The only thing the garage didn''t have was a diagnosticputer and I wasn''t sure those had been released for civilian use yet or were even needed for the more modern cars.


    With a shrug and augh at the luck of finding both a working ATV and a truck that could haul it around, I grabbed the loading ramps and tucked them into the back of the truck, stored the ATV, and then dropped it into the back of the truck. I secured it with straps and climbed into the driver''s seat, then sighed at not seeing any keys.


    Before I tried to go back into the house to look for them, I searched the dash, the center console, under the seat, and in the small hidey-holes in the doors. Thest ce I checked was where I found them, of course. I pulled down the sun visor above the driver''s seat and the set of keys dropped down and I caught them.


    I shook them out to check what was there and it had the garage key, the house key, the ATV key, and a spare key for the BMW. I knew all of that because they were all clearly marked. It also meant the BMW was the car they used to flee the apocalypse and I silently thanked them for making the wrong choice. If they hadn''t, we wouldn''t be benefiting from it now.


    I started the truck up and the gas tank registered as full, proving the man took great care of his prized things. I immediately shut it off, since I didn''t want to suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. I hopped out and went out through the side door and to the front of the garage door. I tried to store the chain and it was partially welded to the door and the metal base of the door.


    ¡°Screw it.¡± I said and pulled my mythril sword out of my inventory. It had only be avable recently, thanks to all my efforts and hard work raising my skills. I charged it with magic and swiped it at the weld and it sliced through the partially melted chain and the door with ease, proving that Tsubaki''s training under Hephaestus was worth it.


    My heart beat a little faster at that remembered rtionship, because it had been both fun and yful. Tsubaki had enjoyed both the dungeon diving and me diving down on her, which had surprised her the first time at how good I was at both. We had a great time together, too.


    I grabbed onto the chain and pulled up on the garage door, only for it to make a rattle sound and it didn''t move. ¡°For fuck''s sake, of course it''s powered and can''t open.¡± I said in frustration.


    I tried to not stomp my way back around to the side door and didn''t quite seed as my boots pped down on the concrete. I went inside and saw where the electric door opener was and the chained tracks it used. A few more swipes of my magically sharp de severed the door from anything holding it back and I pulled up on the garage door from the inside.


    It slid up easily, like it was a hot knife going through soft butter, and nged when it was fully up and against the ceiling and reached the end of the rails it was mounted in. With it out of the way, I went to the tool cabs and stored everything, including the acetylene torch and the tanks, the spares, and just for the hell of it, I stored the two canoes and then put them on top of the ATV in the back of the truck.


    The wooden paddles were next, as were the life jackets, and I climbed into the truck. I started it up, let out a sigh to let my frustration fade away, and drove out of the garage. I made note of the address and woulde back to the nice house to raid it for everything elseter. For now, I drove my imed truck to the camp to offload the new toys for everyone to y with.

 140 Another Great Find

    140 Another Great Find


    I had severely underestimated exactly how much happier the people at the camp would be to have something new to do. The ATV was more of a curiosity than anything else, since most didn''t want to travel far from the camp and be so unprotected. The canoes however? I was mobbed with hugs, kisses on the cheek, and a few gropes of my butt. I ignored it for now and hoped that it was Amy.


    Apparently, Amy''s stories about spending rxing time on theke with her father, had really resonated with everyone and they all wanted to try it, even the kids. The parents were especially grateful for all of the life preservers I had grabbed, too. The mob ran off with my ill-gotten gains as they happily chatted about making another rotation list and everyone would be getting a turn as soon as possible.


    Dale came over to me and he looked like a proud father. ¡°You keep giving us all so much joy, Rick.¡± He said and patted my back. ¡°It''s almost shocking, you know?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I do and I''m almost as shocked, since I hadn''t intended to bring the canoes back at all. It was a whim I had after loading up the ATV. I figured it was much more versatile and could travel much farther on less gas, giving us a more stable option than Merle''s motorcycle.¡±


    Dale chuckled, too. ¡°So, you''re saying your mistakes are more beneficial than your ns?¡±


    Iughed and shook my head. ¡°I just need to stop expecting certain things toe out the way I think they will.¡± I said and motioned to the ATV in the back of the truck. ¡°Give me a hand unloading this thing, will you? I still need to grab those gardening things and the tool chests I saw.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Rick.¡± Dale said and we unstrapped it and opened the back, set up the ramps, and he volunteered to ride it down.


    I showed him how to kick it into neutral and where the front and back brakes were, how much pressure to apply to not jerk him and the ATV around, and how to start it and shift gears. Dale looked quite happy at the quick lesson and then he rode the free-rolling ATV down the ramp and used the momentum to swing out and do most of a u-turn to face back towards the truck.


    ¡°Nice one, Dale.¡± I praised and he had a huge smile on his face. ¡°You can start it up and drive it over by the motorcycle. Just make sure to keep the keys in your pocket until I can teach the people that want to try to use it how to use it properly.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Dale said and started it up, revved it a little, then set it into first gear and drove it off down the driveway to park it near the motorcycle.


    I watched him set it near but not block the motorcycle, which was perfect. I waved to him and he waved back before he walked back over to the RV, the huge smile still on his face. I climbed back into the truck and backed up, turned around, and drove away. No one wanted toe with me for my second run and that was fine.


    It would be a lot more movement intensive if anyone came along, because I couldn''t use my storage trick to load up the truck if they were there. So, I drove back to that subdivision and stopped at each and every shed to raid them. Some of them didn''t have much inside, like only awnmower and some junk. Most of them had what I wanted, like shovels,wn care tools, and bags of fertilizer. Apparently, this subdivision took great care of theirwns and it showed.


    I loaded up the back of the truck with everything I could find and eventually made it back to that first shed I found on my way back to camp. I raided it and took everything except thewnmower, filling up thest of the space in the back of the huge truck. That meant another run back to camp to drop all this stuff off and I would have toe back to check out the house.


    The trip back to camp went fast and my return gained almost no recognition by anyone, except from Dale. He waved and pointed to the spot where the old tarps used to be. We had spread out the various parts that were left between the different vehicles for the winter, which meant I''d need something small like a two-wheeled trailer or something to keep it mobile and to collect them back together.


    Well, it wasn''t like I needed them anymore, since no one questioned me anymore about where I was getting all the things I was. It was almost like they expected me to pull things out of my ass when they were needed and I didn''t discourage that. Being seen as a miracle worker would only benefit me and my reputation.


    I dropped off all the things there, not concerned that there were no tarps, because it was all going to be used in the dirt anyway. I gave Dale another wave and headed back to the subdivision to pretend to grab those tool cabs. I wasn''t sure if we would ever need them; but, I''d rather have them and not need them instead of regretting not revealing that I had them.


    Unfortunately, the cabs and the welding tanks filled the back of the truck again and I had to make yet another run all the way back to camp. Dale looked constipated as he fought to notugh at me appearing again so quickly and I still had to go back to town. I flipped him off before I turned the truck around and heughed andughed.


    I made it back to that well-protected house and slowed down as I passed it. I did a quick check around to make sure there were no stray walkers, honking my horn a few times to draw them out, and then went back to that house. There were no movements or sounds, so I hopped out and went to the back of the house. I apparated inside and began my search.


    You see, if the house was this well-preserved, there had to be something worth protecting inside. It didn''t take me long to find what it was. A small library. It was filled with books of all kinds, including a collection of encyclopedia from A to Z, and all kinds of fiction and non-fiction. I nodded at my theory being confirmed, so I also needed to check something else in the basement.


    The books had to have been brought in somehow, because doing it individually would have taken way too long. I found what I wanted in the far corner and smiled at the high stack of folded cardboard boxes. I was really grateful for magic, because cardboard was very easy to make copies of. I took the stack and went back up to the library, set it down, and cut the string holding it together.


    The whole stack popped up into the air, like one of those springy snakes from a Pringles can, and they flopped all over the floor making meugh. I didn''t bother trying to pick them all up, because I was going to be using them all anyway. I grabbed the closest one and pulled on it to make a box shape, cross-folded the bottom, and used sticking charms to hold it closed because I didn''t have any packing tape.


    I used my wand to point at the first shelf of books. ¡°Pack.¡± I said and swiped my wand to the box.


    The books floated out and sorted themselves into the right shape and slid right into the box and it closed and sealed.


    ¡°Awesome.¡± I said and repeated that, over and over.


    When I reached thest of the unfolded cardboard boxes, I made it into a box shape and then duplicated it to use the copy instead. It cost a single Karma Point to make permanent, so I asked to make the Copy Spell itself mastered. It cost 50 points, just like the Apparate spell did, and my spine tingled as the small amount of knowledge for the spell flowed into my head.


    I swiped my wand across the room and dozens of finished boxes appeared and I nodded. ¡°Pack.¡± I said and another swipe of my wand sent the rest of the library into the boxes. There were a few left over, so I unfolded them and added them to the stacks of boxes. I levitated the first stack over to the back door and repeated that until the living room was filled with cardboard boxes.


    I unlocked and opened the back door, went to the truck, and turned it around and backed it up to the back door. I cast the human revealing spell and nothing showed up, so I used the levitation spell liberally to move the stacks of boxes into the truck. God bless sticking charms, because there was no way I was getting all of them into one load if I didn''t stack them really high.


    I was halfway done before I realized how ridiculous it looked with the boxes twice the height of the truck and sighed. I needed to make multiple trips and it was gettingte. I hadn''t eaten after missing lunch and supper was going to be soon.


    I didn''t want to make delivery runs in the dark, since that was just asking for trouble, so I moved the boxes around to even them out and counted how many were already in the truck. Only two runs would have to do and I would make it to supper just in time. I secured the boxes with straps and stored the rest into my inventory before I locked the house up and drove back towards the camp.


    That was when I realized something important. I had nowhere to store the boxes of books. I groaned and came to a stop on the side of the road as I thought about it. I would need something huge for the books to be taken out, assuming people wanted to browse through them.


    After ten minutes, I couldn''t thing of anything and sighed at not being able to figure it out. I started the truck up again and started to pull back onto the road when I saw something that might be exactly what I needed. A transfer truck. More specifically, the back of it. I had a powerful truck that might be able to haul one of them if it was empty. Maybe a featherlight spell on it would work?


    I pulled over again and went over to it to knock on it. It returned an echoing sound and I smiled. I went to the truck''s cab and saw it was partially crushed with a smaller car''s rear end half up onto the engine. I entered the thing and saw where the airbrakes were. I tried them and nothing happened, so I nodded at there being no pressure in the lines.


    I closed the door and went to where the trailer was attached to the truck''s cab. I pulled the release pin and unhooked the airbrake hoses. I didn''t hear any hissing or air release, so I tied them off and took out my wand. I cast the human reveal spell again and nothing showed up. With a smile, I touched and stored the entire trailer.


    I could feel the weight in my mind and cursed at myself for not casting the featherlight charm first. I carefully walked back over to the truck and checked the rear trailer hitch. It was not in the right shape and that was okay, because it was going to be. I used the original as a model and transfigured the hitch into a bastardized version that would work.


    I took out the trailer and it rattled as it settled onto the pavement. ¡°Right, be more careful with the cement with heavy things.¡± I said and then spent several minutes casting the featherlight charm on the huge trailer. One charm wasn''t going to do it, because the thing was huge. Surprisingly, I did not get the option to make it a maxed out spell. Perhaps there was no better or stronger version of it?


    I finished with that and then used the levitation spell to move it thatst foot or so and set the thing down onto the transfiguredtch. It clicked into ce and I ran over to the transfer truck cab and grabbed the securing pin and ran back to my truck. I slid the pin in ce and used a sticking charm on it.


    I let out a long drawn out sigh at it working and then stored everything in the back of the truck. I went to the back of the trailer and opened the doors to see that it really waspletely empty. I climbed up inside and quickly dropped all of the cardboard boxes of books I had in my inventory. I spread them out into a singleyer across the floor so they wouldn''t topple over or anything.


    I then realized there were no shelves to put them on and growled at not thinking of that earlier. Instead of driving all the way back to the house to try and take the shelves down, I instead apparated right into the library at the house and examined the shelves. Once I saw how they were set up, I used my wand to make a copy of them, with part of the wall included to keep the shelves stable.


    With one section prepared, I stored it and apparated back into the rear of the trailer. I had to store all the boxes of books again and then took out the section of wooden shelving. I copied it and used a permanent sticking charm to secure the copy to the left wall of the trailer. Using the original as the base, I made a bunch more copies and lined them all along that side of the trailer as I stuck them into ce.


    I was on a roll, so I did the same with the right side of the trailer and stored the original. I was proud of what I had done so far and saw that it was kind of in with the bare metal floor and nowhere to sit. That just wouldn''t do. I apparated back to the house and cut out a piece of the expensive carpet and stole the long rectangle table and chairs from the dining room.


    How was I going to exin how I did all of this? I wasn''t. There was no need for me to, because the things looked so expensive that no one would believe I had created it from pieces. I covered the remaining floor with the nice carpet and then set the long table at the front of the trailer in the middle of the shelves and put the chairs around it. I duplicated as many as I needed for everyone to sit down at the same time and I was done.


    I dropped all of the boxes of books into a singleyer again, except I packed them around the table and chairs as well to stop them from moving around. I stepped out of the back and closed it, secured the doors, and went to the truck.


    I stopped walking when I noticed thepletely empty cargo area and had a neat idea. I took out the diesel barrels I had, only one of which was full, and I poured some fuel into each of them. I took out my wand again and tried to use the Refilling charm and the damn thing worked! Iughed and filled all four barrels with fuel before I secured them with straps.


    I climbed into the driver''s seat and started the truck up to drive back to the camp. I would have to park pretty far away and needed to figure out how to move the other vehicles out of the way to make room for the mobile library, then Iughed. I just remembered that I had the perfect ce that had plenty of room for me to park the thing.


    It was right in front of the wrecked ne on the long runway that I could no longer use.


    *


    Dale was the first to notice the huge silver thing rumbling down the ess road to the quarry, thanks to his binocrs. He raised the rm, just like he was supposed to. The few people not near theke and enjoying their canoe lessons with Amy, rushed over to the RV and asked what was going on. He exined as he continued to watch through the binocrs and then he saw what was hauling it.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, Almighty.¡± Dale whispered in awe. ¡°It''s Rick!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± They all eximed as one.


    ¡°He somehow hooked up a damn tractor trailer to the back of that suped-up 4x4 truck he found.¡± Dale said and saw Rick''s arm sticking out the window and that waved at him, then it pointed off to the side. ¡°It looks like he''s going to the runway.¡±


    ¡°You stay here to keep a lookout and we''ll go see what''s up.¡± Shane said and they all rushed off towards the road to the quarry that Rick had made with the tractor to easily move therger rocks for their protective barriers.


    As they approached the runway, they heard the telltale beeping of arge truck backing up. There were no lights or anything to show them it was, though. Rick hadn''t thought they were needed, considering how short the trip back to camp had been.


    Shane stepped off to the side and waved at the side mirror to let Rick know he was there and Rick honked the horn in response. Shane started to guide him with hand signals and Rick followed them until Shane held up both hands in a clear stop gesture.


    ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± Rick said and hopped out of the truck and went to the front of the trailer and pulled the securing pin. He went to the side of the trailer and used the little crank there and let the trailer support lower to the dirt. He cranked it a little more and then set the lock.


    ¡°What the hell is this thing for?¡± Shane asked.


    Rick gave him a crooked smile. ¡°It''s something that should keep the women and kids happy for a long time.¡±


    Shane''s eyes widened at the bold im and Rickughed and pped his shoulder.


    ¡°Give this thing another few cranks when I say so.¡± Rick said and went to the other side. He cranked it down to the same spot and set the lock before he subtly dismissed the featherweight charm. ¡°Okay, on three, and crank it five times to lift it from the truck.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Shane said. ¡°One...¡±


    ¡°Two...¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Three.¡± They said as one and then grunted as they cranked the little cranks.


    ¡°What... do you have... in this thing?¡± Shane asked between breaths.


    ¡°A lot... more weight... than I thought.¡± Rick answered.


    They reached four turns and heard the clink of the hitch separating and gave it one more crank.


    ¡°Set the locking pin!¡± Rick shouted.


    Shane did as he said and let the small crank go. His hands stung and he sat in the dirt to stare at the metal trailer.


    Rick came back around and hopped in the truck, drove it a foot, and turned it off and climbed back out. He walked over to Shane and patted his shoulder. ¡°I''m sorry about that. I hooked the thing up before loading it up with... something.¡±


    Shane huffed and held a hand up.


    Rick took it and hauled him to his feet. ¡°Give me a hand opening the back and we can let the lookie-loos have a gander inside.¡±


    ¡°Lookie-loos?¡± Shane asked with a chuckle.


    Rickughed. ¡°I don''t know where I picked that up, either.¡± He said and walked over to the back of the trailer where the others had gathered and were muttering about what it could be. He stood there and let them specte about it for a moment and nodded to Shane. The each took a door and unhooked it and pulled the handles to open them up.


    The small gathering stepped back and a few of them gasped.


    Shane hooked the door handle in the slot to hold it open and looked inside the trailer himself. ¡°What''s so good about a trailer full of empty shelves?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you see those?!?¡± Miranda asked and pointed at the boxes.


    ¡°They''re boxes.¡± Shane said.


    Miranda shook her head and looked at her husband. ¡°Juan, darling, help me up! We must start right away!¡±


    Juan looked as confused as Shane and did as she asked. He picked her up and sat her on the back of the trailer''s opening.


    Miranda used his shoulders as braces and climbed to her feet. She then looked at Rick. ¡°You need to go find Andrea right away. She needs to be here to help, as you very well know.¡±


    Rick nodded. ¡°Try to not let anyone run off with anything, all right? Until we get an ounting of everything, no one can borrow anything and they have to stay inside.¡±


    Miranda smiled and nodded. ¡°We''ll have it done in a few days. It''s too important not to.¡±


    Rick walked off at a fast pace and left the others there.


    Miranda saw they were still slightly confused, so she opened up the closest box and reached in to pull out two books, which made the other woman there immediately try to climb inside. Shane and Juan gave her a hand without grabbing anything important and helped her scramble up inside.


    ¡°I don''t get it.¡± Juan said.


    ¡°Books, dear. It''s books.¡± Miranda said and gave him a very sexy smile. ¡°All these boxes that made this thing so heavy are all filled with books!¡±


    ¡°We have our very own library!¡± The other woman almost shouted and opened another box. ¡°Ohhh, the Encyclopedia Britannica! I hope it''s all here!¡±


    Shane and Juan exchanged looks with Jim and all three of them turned and walked away without looking back. They heard Andrea''s excited shout and sped up their walk to a jog to try and hide before she saw them. None of the men wanted to spend the next few days sorting books and putting them onto the shelves.

 141 The Long Haul Part One

    141 The Long Haul Part One


    With everyone busy doing different things, I was once again free to implement my own ns. Because I had so much diesel fuel avable, both Dale and I could drive the tractor for multiple hours in a single day to get a few things set up. We imed two of therger fields that were near the camp and left the farther one alone to grow normally and added grass seeds used forwns to help it along.


    The closer one we cleared out of everything, bushes, trees, rocks, and levelled it all off with only a slight grade for water run-off. It was easy to set up a wide horizontal water seepage trough all along the top of the field and smaller vertical tracks every ten feet through the field to end at the run-off trough at the bottom.


    Dale was only confused about it until I told him how it would constantly feed water to the field without us having to manually water it constantly. We spread out the bags of fertilizer all over therge field and even set up a spot to construct a few water towers to catch rainwater and they would let us fill the top trough whenever it was needed during the drier parts of the growing season.


    After we finished setting all of that up over the next week, the camp''s library officially opened. It had taken a couple of extra days toplete the inventory and to set the books up on the avable shelves. There was plenty of room for everything with some empty spaces between the different sections, in case I found any more books to add to them.


    The next thing we had to do was construct fences or berms around the fields as well as leaving an ess road for both people and animals. We also added to the walker collection pattern to lead them away from both the animals and our future source of food. That would take another week at least and Dale was enthusiastic about nning it all out and putting into practice.


    In fact, he offered to do it all by himself while I go and try to trade for some animals. I thought about refusing, then realized he was right. I could be over there to Hershel''s farm, visit for a couple days, and be on my way back by the time he was done. I agreed to his idea and he looked very happy about that and he went with me to try and convince Amy or Glenn toe with me.


    Amy gave me a hard no, because she was helping Andrea at the library and watching the kids as they started giving them school lessons that they were quite far behind because of the apocalypse. I was disappointed by her immediate refusal and I didn''t argue much about it before I dropped it. She gave me an odd look for several moments, as if she was surprised I had argued with her, then she smiled a knowing smile and went back to the library.


    ¡°That was weird.¡± Dale whispered and I nodded.


    We searched the camp for a short while and found Glenn in his tent preparing an overnight bag.


    ¡°I guess we don''t have to convince you that I need a second pair of eyes along on my trip.¡± I joked and Glenn gave me two thumbs up. I chuckled and Dale patted Glenn''s shoulder, then mine, and he left to start working with the tractor again. ¡°We already offloaded the barrels from the back of the truck, so we''re good to go.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Glenn said and hefted his backpack up to hang over his shoulders. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    We left his tent and he zipped it closed before he put a small padlock on the zipper. I didn''t question it, since it would kind of deter anyone that wanted easy ess. If they did anything else to get inside, it would be easily seen.


    A few people waved at us and wished us good luck. We returned the waves and said we would be back in a week and climbed into the truck. Glenn looked excited and I shared his feelings. It would be the first time in a while that either of us left the local area and it would give me a different perspective than flying over it all.


    I had to be careful driving, because it was only on the highways that there were wide sections of empty road for us to safely drive on without worry. The smaller streets had more obstructions and damage, sometimes it was abandoned cars and sometimes it was car crashes. It was sad, because it would take a lot of time and effort to clear them all off.


    Luckily, the truck I drove had arge front bumper and a lot of torque in the gears. It was only slightly difficult to push a wreck over enough to get through some of the spaces and we could go off-road in other ces without risking too much damage to the tires and undercarriage.


    Glenn used his map of Georgia to mark the spots that were the worst and numbered them to add to a list of what was where. That was really smart of him, since we had toe back through the same way and it would be valuable information for the return trip.


    I thanked him for being such a great navigator and he looked quite pleased, then he joked that Amy told him I wasn''t allowed to travel anywhere alone and needed a minder. At least, I thought it was a joke. When I gave him a pointed look, he grinned and made a whip cracking sound and flicked his hand at me. After a second, we both burst outughing.


    The drive that should have been only an hour on an open road had ended up taking over six hours. That was mostly because we came across a few areas that were swarming with walkers and I diverted slightly to hide the truck and made Glenn stay there with it as I cleared them out. Having unlimited ammo with a handgun and a shotgun had been a godsend and essential for my survival.


    On the plus side of the stops we had to make, we now knew where all the obstacles we needed to avoid were and we could get back through it all with a small trailer behind us without trouble. Glenn also promised to keep an eye out for one that we could borrow, in case they didn''t have one at the farm for carrying the animals.


    We arrived near were we needed to go and I didn''t drive up to the ce without any warning or invitation. Not only would that be rude, it would also set the wrong tone to the visit I had nned.


    ¡°Is it just me or is there not a lot of walkers around here?¡± Glenn asked.


    He was right and I unfortunately knew why. The man running the farm, Hershel, was gathering them up in hisrge barn and was keeping them fed and docile. It was a foolish n to keep them ''alive'' long enough for a cure to be found, mostly because they were his friends and family from the nearby homesteads.


    ¡°It''s not just you.¡± I said and stepped out of the truck and put on my sheriff''s hat. ¡°Slide over here like usual and keep an eye out. If you see anything, approaching you or not, honk the signal. I''ll be right back with guns zing.¡± I said as I reached under the seat where I had pretended to stash the shotgun and slung it over my shoulder. ¡°Keep your gun at the ready, too.¡±


    ¡°Yessir!¡± Glenn said with a salute and then patted his holster that was already unbuttoned.


    ¡°Good man.¡± I said and rapped my knuckles on the trunk''s steering wheel twice and the horn beeped twice. I stepped back and shut the driver''s side door.


    ¡°Stay safe.¡± Glenn said and I nodded.


    I moved off down the road, keeping an eye out for both walkers and people. The horn should have gotten attention from the people at the farm, since a car''s horn was such an odd thing to hear these days with so many vehicles crashed, broken down, and disabled.


    As I approached the well-barricaded farm, I could see an older man and a much younger one, both armed with rifles. They stood away from the farmhouse and about halfway to the driveway, clearly ready to fight. There were two young women standing on the porch with another young man, there was a ck woman with dreadlocks and a sword standing off to the side of the house, and a woman standing off to the other side of the house.


    My approach on foot had been the right choice, because I was sure that they would have shot at any moving vehicle as a first action and then they would ask why I was there, assuming I was still alive. I stopped walking about 20 feet from the barricade blocking the driveway and took off my hat to wave it at them.


    ¡°I had a whole prepared speech ready to convince you all I''m not here to cause trouble, then I realized justing here would do that.¡± I said with as calm a voice as I could.


    The approving look on Hershel''s face let me know I had said the right thing.


    ¡°With that said, I''m going to move off a ways and make a lot of noise to gather any walkers still around. I''ll clear the area out as much as I can over the next few hours and then I''lle back to talk.¡± I said and put my hat back on. ¡°I figure that''s as good of a peace offering as I can give you before we can meet up officially.¡±


    Hershel nodded and I smiled, then I walked backwards up the road. I did not take my eyes off of either him or the young man beside him. Thankfully, they did not raise their rifles or shouted threats at me, so that was a huge relief. Once I was out of their sight, I turned and jogged back to the truck.


    Glenn slid over to the passenger side. ¡°I heard all that. Nice going.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and stashed the shotgun under the seat as I stored it. I climbed in and put the truck in reverse. ¡°We''ll head off down that side road and I''lly on the horn for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°If there are any walkers around, they''lle quick looking for us.¡± Glenn warned me.


    ¡°I''ve set off a horde or two before. We just need to find a nice choke point...¡± My voice drifted off and I pointed at another farm''srge front gate. ¡°I''d say that should work. We can scrounge stuff from the abandoned farmhouse and block off half of the road and use the gate on the other half.¡±


    Glenn nodded. ¡°It shouldn''t take us too long to set it up.¡±


    I brought the truck to a stop just inside the gate. ¡°I''ve done this a bunch of times already, so I''m used to the pressure. Do you want to help out or do you want to keep guard of the truck? It''s our only safe way back to camp.¡±


    Glenn thought about it for a few seconds. ¡°I''ll guard the truck. You know as soon as they starting, they won''t onlye from the front.¡±


    I smiled and patted his shoulder. ¡°Then I''ll turn this thing around and you can use the cargo area for cover. Please use it and be careful.¡±


    Glenn chuckled. ¡°Shouldn''t I be telling you that? You''re going to face a potential horde with a handgun and a shotgun.¡±


    I turned the truck around and faced it towards the road. ¡°That''s why I have so much ammo packed into my pockets and on two ammo belts. Always be prepared.¡±


    Glenn nodded and we left the truck to gather the things we needed to block part of the road off. Setting up a kill area was surprisingly quick and easy, which Glennmented on before he climbed into the back of the truck. I used a stick to set it against the seat and jammed it onto the middle of the steering wheel.


    *<b>HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNK!</b>*


    After 30 seconds, I knocked the stick away and grabbed the fake ammo belts to hang over my shoulders, then I walked out to the road and took up a firing position.


    ¡°Fuck, that was really loud!¡± I shouted and Glenn just pointed to his ear and shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I should have thought that through a bit more!¡±


    Glenn waved me away and aimed his gun towards the farmhouse and the barn.


    I waited and watched the road, from both directions, and we soon had our first customers. Glenn had been right that they would being quickly and they were almost stumbling over themselves as they tried to rush towards us on stumbling legs. I took aim and fired. My first shot hit the lead walker right in the forehead and it dropped and tripped six others trying to walk over the body.


    I really loved my increasing skills as they levelled up. It made things like aiming for instant kill shots and getting critical hits so much easier.


    *


    Hershel, his family, and friends sat at the kitchen table and looked both pensive and relieved. It had been over an hour so far and the sounds of handguns firing constantly and the asional shotgun, really brought home how much danger that he and his family had been in and they didn''t even realize it.


    Their barricades had been hastily made and would keep out a lot of them; but, if what that sheriff was currently fighting off hade for them instead? They wouldn''t havested five minutes.


    ¡°Why can''t we go help them?¡± Beth''s boyfriend Jimmy asked.


    ¡°Don''t be an idiot.¡± Otis said and his wife Patricia red at him. He sighed and continued. ¡°If you go anywhere near there, the walkers will swarm you instead. If you somehow make it through them, you could be shot by the sheriff because he''ll think you''re one of the walkers.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡± Jimmy said and Beth hugged him.


    It was silent again until Maggie spoke up. ¡°I wonder why he came here.¡±


    Hershel let out a sigh and didn''t try to hide the truth. ¡°Isn''t it obvious? He wants food.¡±


    That answer made everyone around the table frown slightly. They were pushing their resources to the limit already with so many people on their small farm. There really wasn''t anything that they could spare that wouldn''t end up hurting them and cutting their own rations down. The mild winter wasn''t going to help their crops retain enough water for the next growing season, either.


    ¡°Then what do we do when hees back?¡± Maggie asked.


    ¡°This is our family''s farm and no one is going to take it from us.¡± Hershel said and looked at his daughter Maggie and didn''t see the strong conviction in her eyes that he wanted to. He shifted his gaze to his other daughter Beth and there was ambivalence there instead. He should have known that locking them inside the farm with nothing else to do would have soured them on the family business of farming.


    ¡°He doesn''t want the farm, he wants...¡± Michonne stopped talking and her dreadlocks shifted slightly as she turned her head to listen. ¡°The shooting''s stopped.¡±


    A feeling of dread flowed through the room because all of them immediately thought the sheriff had lost the fight and was overrun. None of them stood up from the table, though. It was almost like they were in denial and didn''t want to confirm that another life was lost so close to their home and they hadn''t done anything to help. Guilt soon reced the dread and no one would meet anyone else''s eyes.


    ¡°I... I''ll get supper started.¡± Patricia said and started to stand.


    *<b>Honk! Honk!</b>*


    ¡°Oh, thank GOD!¡± Maggie gasped as she lunged to her feet and ran for the door.


    ¡°Maggie!¡± Hershel and Beth said at the same time.


    Maggie ignored them and threw the door open and ran outside. She made it all the way to the fence before she noticed anything except the huge 4x4 truck. She stopped behind the fence and held on for dear life as she stared at the two handsome men leaning against the truck''s front bumper.


    ¡°Howdy, ma''am.¡± The sheriff said and tipped his hat at her. ¡°Sheriff Rick Grimes at your service.¡±


    Maggie didn''t say anything and kept staring at them with a stunned expression on her face. She didn''t notice that the shorter one was staring right back at her with the same stunned expression on his face.


    Rick elbowed Glenn''s side and whispered. ¡°Introduce yourself so she can answer.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Glenn said and tried to not look embarrassed at being caught staring at such a pretty woman. ¡°Uh, my name is Glenn. Glenn Rhee.¡±


    Maggie had to blink her eyes a few times as her brain processed that information. She was d she was taking her time, because it let her fight off the blush that had rushed to her face at being caught staring at them and the sheriff had given her time to get over it.


    ¡°It... it''s nice to meet you.¡± Maggie said and started to smile a real smile for the first time in a long time. ¡°I''m Maggie. Maggie Green.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you too, Miss Green.¡± Rick said and nodded behind her. ¡°Would you mind introducing us to the rest of these folks?¡±


    Maggie nced back and saw that everyone had followed her out of the house and were standing on the porch with their weapons at the ready. She waved her hand at them and turned back to look at Rick and Glenn, focusing mostly on the cuter one.


    ¡°I''d love to introduce you to my family and friends.¡± Maggie said to Glenn. Her smile grew brighter as his face flushed red.

 142 The Long Haul Part Two

    142 The Long Haul Part Two


    In retrospect, I have to admit that I severely underestimated how lonely it could be for someone without a partner to share istion with. Being locked up back at camp had made Glenn downright eager to leave at the first opportunity and he had found a kindred spirit in Maggie, whom had been locked up on Hershel''s farm for the same amount of time.


    Needless to say, the two of them had stuck together like glue and had been talking non-stop about everything, as if they had to get it all out of their system before they ran out of time. Everyone else looked at them with amusement and the only one not happy with this development was Hershel himself.


    He was a God-fearing man and he was worried that his eldest daughter was going to sumb to sin and temptation from the heathen she had just met. I knew he was right, too. Glenn and Maggie had fallen for each other hard, as in the whole love at first sight kind of deal. Fortunately, they were respectful and hadn''t started pawing at each other after the meet-and-greet with her family.


    Supper was not a quiet affair because everyone asked us about where we were from and what we had been doing. I let Glenn tell his story first, since his was a much longer one than mine after the outbreak started. When it was my turn, I earned a lot of sympathy after they found out I had been left for dead at the hospital and abandoned when everyone evacuated.


    It inspired them when I gave the details of what I did after waking up, gathering supplies, and made my way to the survivor''s camp in Anta to look for my son. It was quite a riveting tale as I told them about stumbling across the supplies group Glenn had been a part of and then clearing out the horde of walkers to make it easier for them to escape the trap they had found themselves in.


    Glenn looked relieved when I glossed over our interactions and how things went, which was why I did it. I then told them that I followed the group back to where my ex-wife and son were, assuming that was where they were with the other survivors. All of their eyes dropped to the ring of lighter skin on my ring finger where my wedding band used to be.


    ¡°I died in that hospital, so my vows ended. My ex-wife had already moved on and I didn''t feel guilty as I moved on, too. Since then, I''ve found a wonderful girl and we''ve be a family worthy of the name.¡± I exined.


    ¡°I think your interpretation of your marriage vows is shortsighted.¡± Hershel said, frowning.


    ¡°I disagree. Rather than divorce, which the church and a lot of normal people look down on, I died and fulfilled the use for death do us part. It gave me the moral high ground as well.¡± I said and then exined about Lori and Shane getting together almost right away after I was presumed dead, because I assumed that Lori wanted a stable life for Carl to grow up in during the apocalypse.


    The couples around the table had understanding looks on their faces, Maggie was distracted by Glenn, and Michonne looked like she wasn''t paying attention at all.


    ¡°Besides, it gave me the chance to find Amy and shepletes me in ways I didn''t think were possible. We fit together like we''ve been married for years and we hardly ever fight over anything.¡± I said and that gained nods from both Maggie and Glenn. ¡°We''ve been doing our best to improve the camp as much as possible with our avable resources and it''s shaping up to be self-sustaining.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Hershel asked.


    I smiled and told him all about how I had converted a moving van with arge rear cargo area into a mobile apartment, then about Glenn''s idea to keep doing that with the others. We had five of them now and the families moved into three of them, the first was mine and Amy''s, and the fifth was amunal one the others took turns staying in during date nights.


    ¡°We even have televisions and movies.¡± Glenn said, proudly.


    Everyone at the table made surprised sounds, even the distracted Michonne.


    ¡°All we need to do is find one of those big grocery store warehouses that haven''t been ransacked and we can finally have coffee for the coffee makers.¡± I joked and Glenn was the only one thatughed.


    ¡°You really have electricity?¡± Maggie asked with a whisper and more than a little awe.


    ¡°Yup! Rick''s been setting things up with proper panels, car batteries, something I don''t understand with old car alternators, and a few other things.¡± Glenn said and then shrugged. ¡°I never was one to understand how anything like that works.¡±


    Hershel almost red at him and then let out a soft sigh and looked at me. ¡°As the hosting family, it isn''t proper for us to ask visiting guests for a favor. However...¡±


    I held a hand up to stop him. ¡°Before you start anything, we came here for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Otis eximed and jumped from his chair towards the rifle leaning by the wall behind him. ¡°You''re here to steal our food and our women!¡±


    Everyone except me scrambled away from the table and I needed to head this off before it escted. I picked up the steak knife by my te and flung it across the room at Otis'' back as he grabbed his rifle. The thunk sound the knife made as it sank into the wall right beside Otis'' ear made everyone freeze, especially Otis. He may also have peed himself a little if the acrid smell was any indication.


    ¡°Let me repeat myself.¡± I said as I picked up Glenn''s steak knife and slowly stood. ¡°Before you start anything, we came here for a reason.¡±


    ¡°P-please d-don''t kill him.¡± Patricia stammered, her hand shaking.


    ¡°You''ve broken bread at my table, sheriff.¡± Hershel said, the frown back on his face. ¡°How dare you attack...¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡± Maggie yelled and the older man flinched. ¡°Otis broke the house rules first!¡±


    Hershel tried to re at her and it was rebuffed by her own. ¡°He still raised a weapon in anger...¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± I interrupted him and flipped the knife in my hand to check the bnce. ¡°Look at my face? Do you see anything like anger on it?¡±


    Hershel did give my face a long look, as did the others except for Glenn and Michonne.


    ¡°I didn''t want him shooting someone by ident. He''s not handling that firearm properly and it could go off at any time.¡± I pointed out and everyone looked over to where Otis had jammed his hand into the space where the trigger was. Two of his fingers were dangerously close to pulling it and the barrel was very close to pointing at his own head.


    ¡°O-Otis... let... let the rifle go.¡± Patricia whispered.


    ¡°Carefully.¡± I added and she nodded as she reached over and touched her husband''s shoulder.


    ¡°Move back and rx. He''s not going to hurt you.¡± Patricia said in a calm voice.


    That wasn''t actually true. I would do more than hurt him if he was a danger to everyone around him; but, I didn''t correct her assumption. I let her deal with him and waited until he had finally let go of the rifle.


    I put the steak knife down and walked around the table and picked the rifle up properly, racked the slide back and dislodged the bullet loaded in the chamber, easily caught it, then I set the safety on the rifle andid the unloaded gun on the table.


    I walked back around to my seat and sat back down. I was not surprised that the steak knife was no longer there. Little did they realize I didn''t need the knife, since it was only one of the less lethal options I had at hand. If I''d thrown the butter dish or my te at him, that could have given him a concussion or worse.


    ¡°Is everyone calmed down? Good.¡± I said and they all stared at me like I would explode or something. ¡°As I told you before, we''re trying to make our camp self-sustainable. We need a few things for that to work, like chickens, pigs of you have them, goats if you don''t, and a male and female cow. If you have any crop seeds avable for trade as well, that would be wonderful.¡±


    They all kept staring at me and no one said anything.


    ¡°As for trading, I have about a year of MREs I can spare.¡± I said and Michonne sucked in a sharp breath. ¡°Only one person knows what they are?¡± I chuckled and looked right at Hershel. ¡°An MRE is a Meal-Ready-to-Eat, a staple food of every branch of the military. You just add a bit of water and let it sit. The chemical reaction heats it up and hydrates it into an edible and nutritious meal.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get them?¡± Hershel asked.


    ¡°I cleared out an army base that used to be a refugee camp that was overrun with walkers, all by myself.¡± I said and they were all staring at me again. ¡°I almost died a couple of times because I didn''t scout out the ce properly; but, I made it out alive and that''s all that matters.¡±


    They were all silent as they thought about that.


    ¡°Are they in the truck?¡± ¡°Did you bring them with you?¡± Beth and her boyfriend asked at the same time, as if they were desperate to eat something else besides the food they had at the farm.


    I chuckled again. ¡°I''ve had a lot of experience with negotiations like this. You never bring valuables to the first meeting or say where they are. That''s just begging to be shot and robbed.¡±


    By the looks on a few faces, I doubted the being shot part. Robbing? They would definitely hold us prisoner and raid the truck if I had brought the MREs.


    ¡°I can also see that getting some electricity going around here might also be something I could trade. I''d need to make a run into the closest town for certain supplies. Is your hot water heater still connected?¡± I asked.


    ¡°H-h-hot... hot water? You can give us hot water?!?¡± Beth almost shouted and Maggie hugged Glenn so tightly that he squeaked. He didn''t try to push her away, though. Their lips met a momentter and theypletely forgot there was anyone else in the room with them.


    I gave Beth a warm smile and then looked at Hershel. ¡°I think we have a lot to talk about.¡±


    Hershel sighed and sat back down at the head of the table. His eyes went to Maggie and tried to ignore her making out with a boy she just met. ¡°Yes, I believe we do.¡±


    *


    Maggie wasn''t sure how she had fallen so hard for a guy she just met. They just had so much inmon, had so many shared interests, and they were both so stir-crazy that they would do anything to get away from where they had been trapped all damn winter. When they said they nned to stay for a few days after the negotiations, she had been overjoyed.


    Of course, sharing her bed with Glenn and having him inside of her, was the best feeling ever. He was so enthusiastic about seeing her naked that it made her orgasm just from him putting it in. That had never happened before and she was so into it that she never once thought about protection or that they were taking an awful chance with pregnancy.


    Then to her shock and happiness, he had pulled out and came all over her belly. He was so thoughtful!


    After that, she had to have him fill her up properly as a reward. It was only fair, you know. She came so hard when he did that she almost cked out from feeling his added warmth so deep inside. It was a fullness that was indescribable and also feltpletely right.


    She eventually fell asleep with him held so close that they were almost one person. After feeling like she just did, she never wanted to let him go and wanted to keep feeling that feeling for as long as she could.


    *


    I left Glenn at the farm, not that I could have convinced him to go anywhere without Maggie. She was pretty much attached to his hip and went with him everywhere. It was endearing and a little scary, if you thought about it. Neither of them did. They were too lost in each other''s eyes to care what anyone else thought about them being together, not even her father.


    I followed the directions to get to the closest town and was d they had a few ces that weren''tpletely destroyed. The pharmacy only had the front part wrecked and the back supply area was mostly intact. All of the hard drugs had been pilfered, however. There was no morphine or Oxycontin to use in medical procedures, so I had to keep looking. I still stored everything anyway, since I had lots of room.


    I found a great hardware chain store, one that carried some of everything, and I took everything that wasn''t nailed down. I even disassembled and stored tons of metal shelving. They were handy and versatile, so why wouldn''t I take them? I had used thest of my old stock to make the stairs for the library and needed to stock back up.


    I raided the electrical and plumbing areas, since most people ignored those when searching for survival gear. I even found more boxes with free-standing showers and sinks inside, so I stored those as well. Unfortunately, some idiot had taken a sledgehammer to the toilets and ceramic pieces were all over the ce. I took the sledgehammer, too.


    After checking the directions again, I silenced the truck''s engine and travelled out past the town to where the main road veered off to join with the interstate highway. I normally wouldn''t risk doing that, especially with the threat of raiders and bandits; but, there was a huge big-box store just before the on-ramp.


    Thepany had built it there because of the extra traffic and the business made tons of money. Hopefully, it wouldn''t be too picked over, because it was the first huge store I had seen and the sign for ''one stop shopping'' had me almost giddy. With luck, it would be.


    I didn''t bother going in the front doors because that was just asking for disappointment. No, I went around the back to the service entrance. I stored the truck in my inventory and cast the human revealing spell, and nothing showed up.


    I smiled and vanished the lock and deadbolt on the back door. I opened it and stepped inside before sealing it shut with a sticking charm, then I walked down the hallway and ignored the offices as I went out through thest door, with hope filling my heart.


    ¡°Oohhhh, yeaaahhh.¡± I said out loud, because I was in the back of the warehouse where they stored the restocking supplies. My voice echoed back and Iughed, which also echoed. I walked over to a pallet full of packs of toilet paper and used my wand to shrink it from eight feet high to the size of my head. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡±


    I stored it and went to the next pallet to do the same thing, then I went to the next one and the next one. My soft chuckles continued to echo as I kept working.

 143 The Long Haul Conclusion

    143 The Long Haul Conclusion


    I only felt a little guilty as I stripped the ce of everything viable. I had to leave the expired foods, like the breads, packaged meats, and everything else that was supposed to be kept in a cool dry ce. There hadn''t been any power for about six months and there was no way I was going to trust anything perishable after so long.


    Some of the dry goods were borderline and I marked those, because their expiry dates were either just passed or were about to. Those I made sure to keep out to put in the back of the truck and I would drop most of it off at Hershel''s ce. With those and the MREs I nned to give them, they should be good for food for at least another four months, as long as they used the expired stuff first.


    The cheaper junk foods like crates of cereal, gran bars, and other simr things, had almost a year left on their expiry dates, so most of those I kept for the camp. How would I exin them? I wouldn''t. One of the things the store sold were different sized trailers and I stored two of therger ones and assembled two more to use immediately.


    I had to go back outside to take the truck out of my inventory and hooked the two trailers up, one attached to the other. It would be a pain trying to back the thing up with two trailers, so I would avoid that as much as possible. I also filled the back of the truck and the first trailer with as much as I could get away with, only shrinking them slightly to make them fit.


    The pallets were still wrapped in stic, so it was easy to stack them up and I secured them with straps. I left the second trailer barely half empty, because I wanted the people at the farm to know I was dropping off a significant amount of supplies for them, in order to make room for the animals I had negotiated for. I also added two crates of MREs into the second trailer to exin why I had been gone for so long.


    Thest thing I did before I left was to grab the inventory list and I checked off the things I had taken and stored the list. After that, I locked all the doors and boarded up the windows with copied wood. I also stuck it all in ce and none of it would be removable with conventional tools, meaning it would have to be smashed open or burned down to get inside.


    It was the best way to im that I had a source for more goods nearby and that I only needed a day to pretend to travel here to get more. A polite fiction was needed for me to pull off copying things and adding some of the other things I had found and could smuggle into each following trip. I drove out of the parking lot with a smile on my face and I hummed a tune that I could tap my hand to.


    The drive back to the farm was uneventful, thanks to the silenced engine, and I ended that spell when I neared the road that lead to Hershel''s farm, just in case they had one of the guys out on watch or something as they waited for me to return. Nothing showed up with the human reveal spell, so I rxed and drove the rest of the way and parked on the side of the road.


    ¡°Geez, maybe I should have gone with you with you there all day.¡± Glenn said to me when I stepped down from the driver''s side of the truck and I saw that Maggie was glued to his side like usual. ¡°How did you get all of it packed in like that?¡±


    ¡°They had one of those forklift things there. It had enough power to get the trailer filled and then I had to pull a few pallets apart to get everything else in there.¡± I said and motioned to the second trailer. ¡°I also went to my stash and grabbed the two crates of MREs I promised Hershel.¡±


    ¡°We can give you a hand.¡± Maggie offered and let Glenn out of her embrace.


    ¡°Thank you. Most of this I''m leaving here because the dates are just up or almost up. I''ll make another run for longersting things and then Glenn and I can hang around for a few days so I can do the electrical work needed here on the farm to get the power going. After that, we can load up the animals in the second trailer and can head back to camp.¡±


    We barely started to empty out the second trailer when Beth and her boyfriend Jimmy joined us and carried the things into the house. I ignored them opening one of the gran bar boxes and handing handfuls of them out to everyone else. It was their food now, I wasn''t going to tell them how to distribute it.


    Of course, this gained a lot of attention and we soon had everyone out helping to unload both trailers and the cargo area of the truck. When I tried to say some of it had to go to my camp, I was ignored and Otis stopped helping and he stood on the porch with his rifle within reach. Both Glenn and I understood the implied threat. Maggie''s angry re at her father didn''t change anything, either.


    I didn''t really need the proof that they would have robbed me if I had showed up with the food right at the first; but, now I had it, as did the other people at the farm. When the truck and trailers were empty, Hershel approached me.


    Before he could speak, I held up my hand to stop him. ¡°Before you say anything, I''ll be taking those animals and crop seeds that I negotiated with you in good faith.¡±


    Hershel frowned at me. ¡°It''s a man''s job to protect his family and...¡±


    ¡°As a man who loves God, are you breaking your solemn and sworn vow with a man that has been honest and trusting? A man sworn to uphold thew? A man who has done nothing for you to doubt his conviction?¡± I asked and Hershel didn''t say anything. ¡°Well? I''m waiting. Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dad. Answer him.¡± Maggie said and walked over to Glenn to put an arm around his waist. ¡°Are you spitting on our beliefs and breaking your word?¡±


    Hershel''s frown turned to her. ¡°You have fornicated under my roof without having the sanctum of marriage around you to protect your soul from damnation.¡±


    That was when I realized that nothing I did was the cause of this betrayal. Hershel was on his high horse over his daughter falling in love with someone that didn''t share his beliefs, or so he assumed.


    ¡°Glenn!¡± I almost shouted and he winced. ¡°Do you believe in God?¡±


    Glenn looked surprised at the question he didn''t expect, as did everyone else. ¡°Y-yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Do you follow his ts?¡± I asked.


    Glenn looked embarrassed. ¡°I... I try to. Now, anyway. I was...¡± He took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°I''ve sinned and I''ve confessed everything I''ve done before the walkers and afterwards to Maggie. She listened to me and she didn''t judge me, and she forgave me.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t count!¡± Beth shouted. ¡°You need to wait to be married before you cany together as man and wife!¡±


    Iughed and they all looked over at me. ¡°Who else is he supposed to confess to besides the woman he loves? A priest? Have you seen any of them around here? I sure haven''t.¡± I said and none of them looked happy at that revtion. ¡°They were probably the first to be bitten or killed after the outbreak because of them trying to help the others that were bitten or dying.¡±


    No one had anything to say in response, because they all knew it was likely the truth.


    ¡°As it stands, a person''s own belief should be all that matters to them, since Jesus died for our sins and paved the way for the rest of us.¡± I spouted in my best preaching voice. ¡°A righteous man does not need a building of wood and stone to be close to God. His faith and his conviction are between him and the man upstairs, no one else. Who are you to judge if Glenn is a good man?¡±


    Hershel''s grown didn''t go away. ¡°I am her father and the ultimate authority on this farm. It''s mynd. My blood, sweat, and tears have made this farm prosper and I will not give away what my family needs to survive this tribtion.¡±


    I was very tempted to point out that if he was right, that this really was a tribtion from the bible, then he had failed in his test. He was doomed to suffer until the trumpets sounded and judgment was called. Something must have shown on my face to give my thoughts away, because Hershel''s frown disappeared.


    ¡°You need to leave.¡± Hershel said, his voice sad. ¡°Go with God and be at peace.¡±


    Otis made a show of picking up the rifle and holding it properly as he prepared to fire it. His wife grabbed his arm and didn''t jerk on it, because she wasn''t stupid. It did stop him from raising it past his waist, so I nodded at her.


    I couldn''t help saying what I said next. ¡°If you''re sending me off with God, doesn''t that mean he''s leaving with me?¡±


    Beth gasped and tears came to her eyes as her boyfriend hugged her.


    ¡°The words of the Devil do not bother a man of faith, heathen. Leave me and my family alone.¡± Hershel said, his tone filled with anger.


    I had to smile at that. ¡°If that was true, why are you telling me to leave? Shouldn''t you be turning the other cheek and trying to convince me that...¡± I stopped talking when I felt a hand on my arm. I nced down and saw a dark skinned hand and looked up to see Michonne''s calm face.


    ¡°None of this matters.¡± Michonne told me.


    ¡°You''re right. I''m sorry for wasting time.¡± I said and earned a small smile from her, which was the first change in her expression I had seen, and I looked back at Hershel. ¡°I hope you and your remaining family and friends enjoy your ill-gotten gains. I won''t being back here to add to your protections or to keep you supplied.¡±


    After everything that was said between us, it was this that made Hershel''s face lose color.


    ¡°Let''s go, everyone.¡± I said and opened the driver''s side door and motioned for Michonne to climb in. She did so and sat in the middle of the bench seat. Glenn and Maggie went to the passenger side and Glenn opened the door.


    ¡°Maggie!¡± Hershel and Beth shouted at the same time.


    ¡°Where do you think you''re going, youngdy?¡± Hershel asked, sternly.


    Maggie gave him and huge smile. ¡°I''ve been soiled by this man and no other man will have me. Since I''veid with him as his wife and he with me as my husband, I must suffer my punishment and be banished from familial sour, as per the rules set in the good book.¡±


    Her words left them speechless and she giggled and pushed Glenn to climb in first. She climbed in after him and sat on hisp.


    I leaned forward a little and smiled at Maggie. ¡°It''s nice to use his own words and teachings against him, isn''t it?¡±


    Maggie beamed a smile at me. ¡°You have no idea!¡±


    Glenn chuckled and Michonne had another small smile on her face. I started the truck up and no one shot at us as I drove down the road.


    ¡°Take a left at the ess road down that way away.¡± Maggie said and pointed to where she wanted us to go when the truck neared it.


    ¡°That''s where we made our stand.¡± Glennmented and then realized what he just said. ¡°You both better close your eyes for this. You don''t want to see it.¡± He said and then whispered. ¡°I didn''t want to see it, either.¡±


    ¡°I rmend it, too.¡± I said as I brought the truck to a stop at the turn and both Michonne and Maggie looked at me. ¡°You''re both grown women and I won''t tell you not to look; but, believe us. It''s better for everyone if you don''t have this sight burned into your brain. It''s one of the main reasons I usually go fighting walkers alone.¡±


    Maggie nodded and closed her eyes as she hugged Glenn tightly. Michonne gave me a slightly raised eyebrow and I took that as her answer and nodded.


    ¡°I''ll tell you when we''re past it.¡± I said and took the turn carefully. With two trailers attached, it was much different driving therge truck down smaller and less refined roads than it had been on smooth pavement. Just before we reached the spot, I said something else. ¡°By the way, the bumps you''re about to feel are just speed bumps and potholes.¡±


    Maggie made an odd sound and Glenn made a choking sound. She was squeezing too tightly, apparently. Michonne lightly hit her arm and Maggie jerked and then eased her grip. Glenn''s sucked in ragged breath had Maggie apologize and she kissed him with her eyes still closed. It was the best distraction for the both of them.


    Michonne''s eyes widened at the sight of all the bodies piled around the choke point and the small pile down the homestead''s driveway. Glenn had held on and protected my nk, which let me work and I finished the job much quicker than if I was alone.


    The truck rocked as I used the front bumper to push the barricade and a pile of bodies aside, some I had to drive over, and Maggie made whimpering sounds each time. She didn''t stop kissing Glenn, though.


    We made it through without getting stuck, thankfully. The two trailers were heavy enough and the hitches were well secured to only rock from side to side.


    ¡°We''re past it.¡± I said and sped up. I didn''t want her trying to look out the cab''s back window to see it.


    ¡°Our farm is two fields back and one in. You can see the grazing field a quarter of a mile over to the left.¡± Maggie said and kept her eyes closed. ¡°There''s no sign on the road and it''s barely two tracks through the tall grass; but, it''s there.


    There was a slight hill I drove over and I let out a sigh when I could no longer see the barricade in the side mirror.


    ¡°Is it clear?¡± Glenn asked.


    ¡°Yeah, there''s nothing in the mirrors.¡± I confirmed.


    Both Glenn and Maggie let out their own sighs of relief.


    ¡°Where''s the spot I need to turn?¡± I asked and Maggie looked out the windshield.


    ¡°Can you slow down a little? I''m used to going this way on the tractor.¡± Maggie said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said and slowed to the speed a tractor would travel.


    Maggie looked surprised and gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°I''ve done a lot of work with a tractor back at the camp.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°You should see it, Maggie. It''s like a small fortress.¡± Glenn said with pride. ¡°He and Dale even made little walkways for the guys that take turns watching over the camp and they added paths around the whole thing to handle any walkers that show up. They end up gathered into a pit where it''s really easy to deal with them, too. It''s great!¡±


    Both Maggie and Michonne had surprised looks now.


    ¡°To be fair, Dale and I spent a lot of time designing it and building it. We also had easy ess to a rock quarry and we used it ruthlessly.¡± I exined and their surprised looks faded. ¡°With some water, a few different mixes of gravel, and a little ingenuity, it was almost easy to make homemade concrete.¡±


    ¡°It took forever to dry, though.¡± Glenn said with augh. ¡°Juan and Merle were almost beside themselves as they waited for the first part of the walkway to dry so they could mount the mini-gun properly.¡±


    Both Maggie and Michonne made shocked sounds and stared at him.


    ¡°Um, we may have... not told you everything... about what we have back at camp.¡± Glenn stammered nervously.


    I chuckled and both women shifted their stares to me. ¡°I was hoping to wait to surprise you with our biggest andtest feature, too.¡±


    ¡°The mini-gun?¡± Maggie asked.


    ¡°We have two of them actually.¡± I said and they kept staring. ¡°But, no. Go ahead Glenn.¡±


    ¡°We have a tractor trailer filled with books that we made into a working library.¡± Glenn said.


    There wasplete silence for a few seconds, then Maggie let out a squeal and hugged Glenn like he was a stuffed toy and he made a squeak sound again. The kissing started again and neither I nor Michonne tried to stop them.


    After a few minutes, Michonne pointed off to the left and I saw what she noticed, a barely there path through tall grass.


    ¡°Good eyes.¡± Iplimented her and she nodded. I carefully took the turn and hoped that the path came out onto another road, because I didn''t want to take the chance of trying to turn the truck around on unknown and untested fields.


    I drove on and watched the speedometer as well as the odometer. They told me how fast I was going and how far, so when it started to roll to the next number, I knew I was close to the farm''s grazing field.


    ¡°Maggie? A little help?¡± I asked and felt bad about breaking up their make-out session.


    Maggie broke the kiss and looked happy, Glenn had a red face, and I didn''t ask why. ¡°It''s just a bit farther. We broke the field up with a smaller fence to keep them out of the crops.¡±


    I nodded and drove a bit more until she pointed and the prize. Well, prizes. Maggie wasn''t like her father and she was more than happy to share her stake in the farm with us. Because there were only three members of her family, she had the rights to im a third of everything, and she did.


    It took us an hour to get a male cow, two female cows, four goats, a pig and a sow, and six chickens and a rooster. I was kind of d they had robbed me now, because we barely had enough room for everything in both trailers and the back of the truck. We also took arge amount of hay and packed it in everywhere we could fit it.


    Instead of trying to find the proper crop seeds, Maggie directed us to dig up certain parts of the crop fields and we could get the seeds from those. It was much harder that way; but, it made her feel better aboutpleting the deal I negotiated in good faith.


    I made a joke about Maggie being the best part of that deal and both Michonne and Glenn punched me in the arm and shoulder for it. Maggie hadughed, then she blushed hard, then she looked quite pleased about it.


    We drove away from the Greene Farm with a full load of animals and headed back to the main route that we knew was cleared out. The trip back to camp would take another 6 hours, mostly because Maggie didn''t want to stress the animals out too much by driving too fast. She was our expert farmer, after all.

 144 Community Rights

    144 Community Rights


    Our arrival back at camp so early after leaving was met with mixed feelings. Some of them were happy we were back and brought enough animals for both breeding stock and for production. Some of them, mainly Lori and Shane, thought the worst and that we had stolen them and someone woulde after us for revenge. The rest didn''t want tomit to either side of the argument and stood back to watch to see who won.


    And there was an argument. A loud one. Even with Maggie there to exin she owned the animals, my decisions and how I handled things was questioned. Of course, I didn''t want there to be any doubt about what I did or why, so Iid it all out from start to finish and I also vehemently stated that I did absolutely nothing to cause any kind of rift between myself and the people at the farm.


    It was Hershel''s own beliefs that made him react as he did and I didn''t me Glenn and Maggie for it, because I stated clearly that they would be married under the eyes of God anyway. They gave me grateful smiles for not throwing them under the proverbial bus to save myself.


    Unfortunately, my argument didn''t work. I was med for what happened, because I was in charge of the mission and ultimately responsible for the oue, even if I had done nothing wrong and couldn''t have done anything differently.


    Despite my advice about how dumb it was, the camp was put on a strict war footing for the foreseeable future, because they had all been convinced to fully expect the worst. It didn''t matter that the people at Hershel''s farm didn''t have a working vehicle or had to cross almost 60 miles on foot with only three men carrying guns and limited ammo.


    You see, the problem was I had forgotten how convincing Lori could be during an argument. With Shane backing her up, the camp''s main protector and rule enforcer, I had been fighting a losing battle before it even started. After my rejection of her n, she had been talking to everyone. It wasn''t malicious or anything, it was her establishing herself in their minds as the right one.


    Lori had a look of vindication on her face when I was told that I wasn''t allowed to leave the camp for at least a week while they locked everything down and went over everything we had brought back. I immediately thought about telling them to shove their orders where the sun doesn''t shine, then I thought about it.


    Instead of getting angry at them for their idiocy, I volunteered to take over the camp watch for the entire week, since I wasn''t allowed to leave with my own truck to gather the supplies they all knew I could bring back within a day. I said that it didn''t matter now, because Hershel and his farm were a hell of a lot closer to the stash than we were. That brought them all to silence when they realized exactly what their decision to keep me there actually entailed.


    I apologized to Amy right there in front of everyone for not bringing back the feminine hygiene products I saw there, or her favorite cereal, or the coffee beans I had promised her. I also apologized that I was going to be on watch for the entire week and I couldn''t spend any time at home with her.


    Everyone looked shocked at my words and I ignored them as I said I needed to shower and would assume the watch at the start of the next shift. No one had noticed when the truck disappeared into my inventory and I stored the two trailers, too. They weren''t very observant, were they?


    I put my uniform in the wash to clean it, showered myself, and dressed in my uniform once more and strapped on my handgun, my shotgun, a rifle, and my two ammo belts. I went back out to the camp loaded for war and to rub it in their faces. Everyone stared at me as I walked over to dirtdder and went up to the top of the wall to the small walkway that was used only asionally.


    ¡°Sheriff Rick Grimes assuming the watchmand for the entire week.¡± I said and saluted Dale, whom could only nod in response. Little did he realize I waspletely serious about doing all the watches and not just this one shift every day.


    *


    It took Amy two days of watching Rick constantly on guard, him pacing back and forth on the wall surrounding the camp, to realize she was starting to hate everyone else at the camp. Lori''s smugness grated on her nerves and the only reason she didn''t punch Lori''s face in was because she was pregnant.


    Amy tried again to get Rick to take a break, to eat something, and he refused. He said that everyone decided that the camp''s welfare was much more important than his individual rights and he had to stay on watch to make sure no enemies dared to approach them. He also refused any and all help when the men that were supposed to take watch shifts showed up and he sent them away.


    Even Dale wasn''t safe from refusal, because Rick shouted at him because he didn''t need backup when the older man took up the guard post on top of the RV. Dale was too startled by the shout to protest, even though it was his RV, and he climbed back down thedder with a sad look on his face.


    *


    No one at camp could understand how Rick was doing it. He didn''t eat, he didn''t sleep, and he kept walking and guarding the camp the entire time. Morning, noon, and night, he didn''t stop. He just kept going, and going, and going. It didn''t make sense. All they did was order him to not leave and endanger the camp again. That was reasonable, wasn''t it?


    As the days wore on, Lori''s smug look eventually faded and changed to worry. She had thought she put Rick in his ce, well below her in social standing, and was proud to have made the point that her safety was much more important than his. He turned that position right back on her and now he was killing himself by being on constant guard.


    Any time she looked out of the moving van that she and Shane lived in with Carl, he was there pacing the wall and with his guns ready to shoot anything that threatened the camp. Why? Why was he doing this to her? Why couldn''t he just ept that she had won and had thest word?


    By the fifth day, everyone at the camp was as worried about him as Amy was. They all knew that a person couldn''t live very long without water or food and he never stopped guarding the camp to do anything else. He was covered in sweat and his steps were less sure and purposeful, too.


    On the seventh day, Rick''s hair was matted down, his clothes soakedpletely through from sweat, and his stumbling gait had all the women at the camp close to tears. Amy had passed that point days ago and all she could do was watch as her man destroyed himself for the good of the camp... and that''s when she realized that was exactly what he was doing.


    Amy rushed around to tell everyone what the whole point of this was, shocking them all. When they were all warned, she went to the protection wall and waited for the appropriate time. The end of Rick''s week-long shift. Everyone gathered around behind her and some of them looked apprehensive, while two of them were afraid. Lori and Shane had a difficult time holding a crying Carl back.


    Rick''s shuffling feet came into view and no one noticed he no longer carried any weapons or anything else. Amy looked up at his ragged face, unshaven for over a week, and he looked like someone had dragged him behind a car for several miles. He did a kind half salute, his arm shaking heavily, and he mumbled something about his watch finally ending. His first step down the dirt stairs sent him tumbling, making everyone but Amy gasp.


    Amy stepped forward and easily caught him, his wasted away form as light as a bag of feathers. ¡°You fool.¡± She whispered and kissed him, despite the state he was in. ¡°You lovable, stupid fool.¡±


    ¡°I hope... this was enough... to... prove...¡± Rick mumbled and fell unconscious.


    Amy picked him up in a princess carry and everyone moved out of the way. She carried him to their home and Andrea was right behind her. Her silent support had helped Amy a lot during thest week and she really appreciated it.


    They settled Rick onto the bed and stripped him off, his uniform would probably be tossed instead of washed. It was ruined and wasn''t worth the effort to clean it. Both Amy and Andrea gasped at his emaciated body, worn away much too quickly for only a week without food and water and continuous walking. Hisboured breathing worrying them even more than his body did.


    Before they could do anything more than stare at him, everything seemed to slow down and it all came to a stop, just as Rick took one more ragged breath and stopped, too.


    *


    <b>Congrattions, you''re an idiot!</b>


    I barked augh at that. <i>No, I''m not. I did what I did on purpose. I wasn''t supposed to die from it, though. I spent a stupid amount of Karma Points to avoid that as I intentionally gave up all the hard work I did to make myself better, just to teach them a lesson. I wanted them to suffer while I spent another long convalescence recovering and getting back into shape.</i>


    <b>Then I''m d to inform you that you didn''t die and your points weren''t wasted. You also didn''t realize you were buying a lot more with your points than you thought you were.</b>


    My mind needed a few seconds toprehend that. <i>What exactly did I buy?</i>


    There were suddenly fireworks shooting off around me and into the darkness. They exploded and gave me an awe-inspiring view.


    <i>That was really cool.</i> I thought and apuded mentally, since I didn''t have hands at the moment.


    <b>You have sessfully unlocked the newly installed ''Pause World'' feature! During moments of dire stress, or during intentionally created moments of timeline divergences, the entire world will hold its breath to wait and see what you want to do next.</b>


    Again, my mind needed a few seconds to understand that concept. <i>Holy crap.</i> I thought and stared at the notification. <i>Holy crap!</i>


    <b>It is a powerful ability and we are quite proud of its sessful implementation.</b>


    There was a distinct pause there and I had an unsettled feeling. Because I never ignored my gut feeling, I had to ask a question. <i>Okay, if that''s the good news, what''s the bad news?</i>


    <b>We have yet to install the ''Unpause World'' feature.</b>


    Iughed, because what else was I going to do? <i>Well, that''s just wonderful! What the hell am I supposed to do while you fix it? Float around here or go back to spend however long trapped inside my immovable body?</i>


    The little blue box belonging to Fate popped up below therger system one. <b>That''s up to you. You can wait around here, wait around there, or head off to somewhere else.</b>


    My mind nked for the third time and I needed almost ten full seconds to reboot. <i>Excuse me? Did you just... I can just... wait, the pause feature will let me jump to another protagonist story in the middle of my current one? How does that even work?</i>


    The word ''giggle'' appeared briefly. <b>We''ve had a lot of things to rebuild and fix after that run-in we had with that minor goddess. It also gave us a few ideas, like how to manipte the different timepressions used in each realm of that world.</b>


    <i>Or stop it entirely.</i> I thought in understanding.


    <b>That''s right. A little tweaking here and there and it opened up the option for pivotal points in the story to let us stop it all and see the potential there.</b>


    That''s when I got it. <i>It couldn''t work unless I specifically asked for it!</i>


    <b>And you paid for it.</b> Fate responded. <b>You wanted them to know how much they screwed up.</b>


    <i>I really did.</i> I thought with satisfaction. <i>I can''t wait to see their faces as they struggle to get everything going without my help.</i>


    The word ''giggle'' appeared briefly again. <b>You have to, remember? We haven''t finished installing things yet. I''m happy it worked without exploding your head or something.</b>


    <i>WHAT?</i> I mentally gasped. <i>That was possible?</i>


    Softughter came from the surrounding darkness. <b>I''m just messing with you. The system is there to help you, not hinder you or hurt you.</b>


    I grumbled about her jokes not being funny and then sighed. There wasn''t anything I could do until they could fix things and I sure as hell wasn''t going to just float around ory around as I waited for however long between moments of time for them to finish working.


    <i>Well, since I''m here anyway, what are my options?</i> I asked.


    <b>I''m d you asked!</b> The main text box showed.


    <b>Because this is outside the normal progression of the system''s usual functions (for now), your current Karma Points won''t affect it.</b>


    <i>Oh, damn.</i> I thought. <i>Do I even want to know what''s going to happen?</i>


    Fate''s text box showed the word ''giggle'' again. <b>I can spin the Wheel of Fate for you! Yay!</b>


    If I had a hand, I would have pped myself on the forehead.


    The word ''giggle'' appeared several times in her text box as the sound of a spinning wheel with metal pegs came from the darkness around me. <b>Don''t worry about it. It worked out the first time I did this, didn''t it?</b>


    <i>You mean when I pissed off a bunch of powerful beings after I murdered some of their most important ones, absorbed too much magic, and violently exploded in the middle of a killing field full of abominations?</i> I asked her and barely managed to not sound sarcastic.


    The little text box Fate used showed a wide-eyed emoji for a moment. <b>Yes, that one.</b>


    I didn''t say anything else as the sound of the wheel started to slow down. When it finally stopped, there was a sound of a buzzer. It was not a nice sound, I was sure.


    <b>I think I''ll let your system controller handle things now. Bye!</b>


    I listened closely when Fate''s text box disappeared and could have sworn I heard the sound of running shoes and then a door closed.


    <b>Congrattions! Your next world has been chosen and the prep work has already begun. Please wait for several minutes as things are made ready for your insertion.</b>


    <i>Sure, I''ve got nothing better to do than worry my ass off about where you''re sending me.</i> I thought, this time with as much sarcasm as I could.


    <b>Why do you want to ruin the surprise?</b>


    I made a snort sound and thenughed. <i>How about a few hints?</i>


    <b>It is a world full of danger and on the brink of copse. It is also Gender-Swapped.</b>


    <i>Well, fuck.</i> I thought as dread filled me. <i>Are you kidding me? I have to be a woman this time?</i>


    <b>No, your testes and penal attachment will remain intact.</b>


    <i>Oh, thank god.</i> I thought with relief.


    <b>Everyone in the world has been Gender-Swapped to fit your preference to remain male.</b>


    I stared at the text box, my mind gone nk for the fourth time.


    <b>Setupplete. You will be notified when the ''Unpause World'' feature bes avable and you can return to your main storyline world with no discernible time passing. Have fun!</b>


    I didn''t react at all as everything went ck.

 145 Let’s Play A Game (The Last Of Us TV Show)

    145 Let¡¯s y A Game (The Last Of Us TV Show)


    My eyes fluttered open and I had no clue where I was. I didn''t try to move, because I knew what wasing. My brain was going to be hit with however many years of memories I needed to catch up to the life this body has lived and I didn''t want to be moving when that happened.


    ¡°That''s not possible!¡± A male voice said loudly. ¡°Check it again!¡±


    ¡°I did! Three times! It''s the same result!¡± An irate female voice shouted back.


    ¡°It can''t be true!¡± The man shouted back and I heard pacing steps. ¡°It''s been 20 goddamn years since the Cordyceps biological outbreak. How can anyone haveplete immunity?¡± He asked and stopped walking. ¡°I knew it was odd years ago when I found him and he had never been sick. I just never thought...¡±


    <i>Outbreak? What''s going...</i> My thoughts stopped as a flood of 14 years of memories was dumped into my head. I was shocked by both the content and the delivery, because it hadn''t mmed into my forehead or cause me immense pain like usual. <i>Oh, for fuck''s sake! Again? I''m in another world that''s having a zombie apocalypse AGAIN?</i>


    ¡°We need to keep this quiet.¡± The man said, his voice low and threatening. ¡°No one can know that Eli is immune to the fungus.¡±


    My thoughts were running wild as years of military training, from an official FEDRA military school that the resistance set me up in, went through my head and I barely managed to not react at seeing exactly what I was trained to do.


    I knew how to scavenge and make ammo, service every type of weapon that existed from swords to 50 calibre rifles, perform medic-grade first aid in the field, and how to operate various vehicles and service them, too. The fighting lessons weren''t the best because our young bodies couldn''t handle the intense training.


    ¡°He can heal the smaller bites, too.¡± The woman offered. ¡°It''s not like regeneration or anything, though. It''s just the body''s normal ability to heal things like scratches and cuts. It''ll scab over and be gone after a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± The man spat and started to pace again. ¡°Fucking fuck.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± The woman asked and seemed unbothered by the man''s cursing.


    ¡°We need to figure out how to get him to the mainpound out west. We can''t do anything here, since we barely have any working equipment. If we can somehow get him there, they have a full medical productionb set up and they can use his blood as a primer. Maybe, just maybe, if we use up thest of the luck in this world, they can somehow create a vine and we can start having some fucking hope that the world isn''t ending.¡±


    I was only half-listening to the man''s rant as chemistry, physics, math, military history, and tactics for both ground and air superiority filtered through my brain. It was a huge amount of knowledge, actual practical knowledge, that I now had full ess to in the back of my head. I pushed my awe of how smart Eli was aside and took the chance to move my head slightly. I nced around and saw I was inside a kind of medical room and that made sense.


    Thest memory I had was being attacked by one of the blind zombies called Clickers that had somehow stumbled into the securedpound behind the building where I lived. Three of my ssmates were dead, four of the adults were bitten and one died right away, and I was the only one that didn''t show any visible symptoms immediately after being bitten on my shoulder.


    I was really d that one of the remaining resistance fighters that put the small pack of Clickers down, had only knocked me out with the butt of his rifle and hadn''t shot me in the head... and then I realized Ellie had probably died in order for me to arrive here and take over. How did they manage to pull that off again?


    A man''s haggard face came into my view and I remembered. This was the man that had rescued me years ago and hid me in in sight at the military academy. Merle was a man and the leader of the local cell of resistance fighters called Fireflies, instead of being a woman named Marlene.


    ¡°Hey there, kid. How you doing?¡± Merle asked me, his voice and face normal and not showing anything like the emotions I had heard a few moments ago.


    ¡°I wish I was older so my balls can finish dropping.¡± I snarked back, trying to lighten the mood.


    There was a muffledugh from behind him as Merle grinned at me.


    ¡°Yeah, yer fine.¡± Merle said and patted my shoulder with hisrge hand. ¡°Get yer ass up and get dressed. We need to move out before theye calling.¡±


    I knew he meant the local Federal Disaster Response Agency, or FEDRA patrol. I hopped up and held my hands out to the woman, whom nced down briefly at my nakedness, then smiled as she handed me my clothes.


    ¡°Sorry, Lindsey. I''m a grower, not a shower.¡± I joked and Merleughed.


    Lindsey gave me another once-over as I pulled on my boxers. ¡°Good choice. There''s more room for your balls to keep dropping.¡±


    Merle kept a low chuckle going under his breath while I finished dressing.


    I couldn''t resist onest zinger as Merle led me out of the room. ¡°I''ll call you if I''m ever back this way.¡± I said with a crooked smile and winked at her. ¡°We have to ensure the continuation of our species.¡±


    ¡°HA!¡± Merle barked and grabbed my shoulder to haul me along.


    Lindsey''sughter followed us down the hallway.


    ¡°You heard some of what we said?¡± Merle asked me and let my shoulder go.


    ¡°Only thest bit where you started shouting and woke me up.¡± I admitted and he gave me a pointed look. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why aren''t you arguing about making a long distance trip like that across all the infected areas between here and there?¡± Merle asked me, his face guarded.


    ¡°Why would I argue? You''re right. If my blood can somehow lead to a vine for the survivors... and maybe a cure for the infected... then I''d be the second biggest asshole in the world if I refused.¡± I said as we left the building.


    ¡°Wait, second biggest asshole?¡± Merle asked me and stopped walking.


    I turned to face him and gave him the biggest tooth-bearing grin I could.


    ¡°Fuck you, you little bastard.¡± Merle said with augh and pulled me into a one-arm hug. ¡°Come on, we''ve got ns to make and people to contact. The sooner we can get you moving, the sooner we can get you there.¡±


    That was a great idea, except I had a gut feeling that whatever ns we came up with were going to hit a snag somehow. Since I always trusted my feelings, I mentally prepared for the worst.


    *


    Joan Miller, and her partner in smuggling contraband Ted, made their way to their contact. Bobbie was a piece of scum that dealt with everything illegal within the military controlled city of Boston, so they had to go to her for what they needed to head to Wyoming. A car battery. They had already paid for it and just had to pick it up.


    When they arrived at the designated meeting ce, an old hotel, they saw scattered bodies and blood everywhere. The signs of a military raid weremon and both Joan and Ted knew this ce had been hit hard. They drew their handguns and slowly searched floor by floor for who they wanted, hoping it wasn''t toote. On the third floor they found the corpse of the woman next to the battery that they bought.


    Ted knelt by the thing and examined it, then he sighed. ¡°The battery''s no good. It''s corroded and the posts are gone.¡± He said and looked at Bobbie''s bloody forehead where a bullet had killed her. ¡°It looks like she tried to sell it again.¡± He said and shook his head. ¡°The stupid greedy bitch.¡±


    A soft groan of pain came from down the hallway and both Joan and Ted tensed. Joan took the lead and they made their way down the hall, their guns aimed around the corner, and Joan saw two men struggling to stand and stem the flow of blood from a gunshot wound in the bigger man''s side.


    ¡°Unblock the door, goddammit!¡± A young male voice said from behind one of the barred doors and a bang sounded from behind it. ¡°Oww, fuck!¡±


    The two men turned at the sound and saw Joan standing there, her arms tensed and holding her pistol at the ready.


    ¡°J-Joan?¡± Merle asked. His voice was a little shaky and he aimed his gun at her. His hand wasn''t shaking, though. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Looking for a little bitch that stole our property.¡± Joan said and motioned back down the other hallway. ¡°That was supposed to be our battery. Bought and paid for.¡±


    Merleughed and then groaned as a spurt of blood came from between his sped fingers. ¡°Ah, fuck. I''m bleeding out.¡±


    ¡°I can help, for fuck''s sake!¡± The young voice shouted and there was a louder bang from behind the barred door and then a dull thump. ¡°FUCK!¡±


    Merle chuckled and gripped his bleeding side harder. He nodded at the other man, whom knocked on the door for him. ¡°You okay in there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The young man''s voice answered.


    ¡°You can''t be stupid like this, Eli. What if there were still troopers around?¡± Merle asked.


    ¡°I would have kill them...¡± The voice responded confidently and there was a soft bang on the door. ¡°...if you hadn''t locked me in here!¡±


    Merle smiled and leaned against the wall. ¡°You''re what''s important here, not me.¡±


    Ted stepped into the hallway and looked angry. ¡°This is who Bobbie screwed us over with? The Che Guevara of Boston?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± The guy with Merle asked.


    ¡°He was a revolutionary leader that deposed the Batista regime in Cuba.¡± Joan and Merle said at the same time.


    ¡°The war must be going pretty shitty if you''re buying from scum like Bobbie.¡± Ted pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, it kinda is.¡± Merle said and tried to look weaker than he was. ¡°The merchandise was bad and she obviously didn''t take ''fuck off'' as an answer to buying it, then she called in some... friends.¡±


    Joan nodded and lowered her gun slightly. ¡°What did you need a car battery for?¡±


    Merle lowered his gun to hide that it started to shake. ¡°I needed it for a better reason than you do.¡± He said and Joan raised her gun again. ¡°No offense.¡± He said an didn''t bother trying to raise his gun again. ¡°Tammy is just one woman and the cause is much more important than that.¡±


    ¡°The cause.¡± Joan said with a huff. ¡°Your cause turned my own sister against me.¡±


    Merle sighed and didn''t refute it. ¡°It''s not what you think. Not anymore.¡±


    Joan stared at him for several seconds. ¡°Then enlighten me.¡±


    Merle nced at the door he was near and looked back at her face. ¡°We were going to move Eli out of the zone tonight; but, we won''t make it anywhere like this. Not for a while.¡± He said and his face changed from resignation to determination. ¡°So, I''m thinking... you''re going to do it.¡±


    ¡°The hell we are.¡± Joan said.


    ¡°Let me take her.¡± The man beside Merle at almost the same time. None of them noticed there was no response from inside the room.


    Joan nced at Ted. ¡°We don''t have time for this.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have time?¡± Merle asked, his face stern. No one needed to look down at his blood-stained shirt to know what he meant.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Ted asked.


    ¡°To you, he''s cargo.¡± Merle said.


    ¡°We don''t smuggle people.¡± Joan said, her voice adamant. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I can do it.¡± The guy beside Merle said.


    ¡°Ken, you don''t have a fucking ear o your head to hear! Can you please...¡± Merle stopped talking and groaned in pain. ¡°There... there''s a team of Fireflies at the Old State House.¡±


    Joan made a disgusted sound.


    ¡°I know what''s out there.¡± Merle said and cut her off before she said anything. ¡°We were going to go with an entire squad for that very reason.¡± He gave her a stern look again. ¡°Now, I don''t have a truck, I don''t have a squad, and the federals are maybe five minutes away waiting for backup.¡±


    ¡°Merle...¡± Joan started to say.


    ¡°All I have left, is you.¡± Merle said and his stern look changed to pleading. ¡°I know what you''re both capable of, for better or worse.¡±


    Silence fell in the hallway and no one spoke for several seconds.


    ¡°You get him there safely, they''ll give you everything you need. Not just a battery, the whole thing. A fuelled up truck, guns, supplies, everything. I swear.¡± Merle said and his pleading look didn''t change. ¡°I swear.¡±


    Joan nced at Ted and he motioned back down the hallway.


    ¡°Do you trust him?¡± Ted asked in a whisper.


    ¡°No.¡± Joan whispered back.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± Ted responded. ¡°He seems desperate, though.¡±


    ¡°A firefly vehicle usually means repurposed FEDRA stuff, so there''s a better than even chance in making it to Tammy in one of those. The second we hand that kid over...¡±


    ¡°You do realize I''m still bleeding out here.¡± Merle interrupted them.


    Ted and Joan exchanged looks and Joan nodded slightly. Ted turned around and walked partway down the hall. ¡°Okay, here''s the deal. We''ll get the kid to the Old State House; but, before we hand him over, they have to give us everything that we want. If not, we kill him.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Merle said immediately.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Merle.¡± The young male voice said sarcastically.


    ¡°You are all that matters, Eli. My team won''t jeopardize that.¡± Merle said and nodded at Ken. ¡°Remember what I told you, all right? Grab your backpack and get ready to go.¡±


    They waited in the hallway as Ken unbarred the door. When the metal bar fell to the floor, the door was flung open and a young man ran over to Merle and punched him right in the face. He banged his head against the wall and slumped down to sit on the floor, dazed.


    ¡°That was for getting all of our people killed for no reason instead of retreating like I told you to do.¡± Eli said and scooped up the dropped handgun. Before anyone could do or say anything, he aimed it at the older man''s forehead and fired, which blew Merle''s brains all over the wall. A secondter, he shot Ken in the head, too. ¡°That was for not letting me help when you both knew I''ve been trained by those FEDRA assholes for years.¡±


    Joan and Ted were too shocked by the sudden violence to do more than stare at the kid. He gathered up both guns, rifled their pockets for ammo and ration tickets, and slipped one handgun into the back of his jeans. He walked over to Joan and flipped the other gun around to hold it by the barrel and handed it handle first to Joan.


    ¡°There''s a storeroom in the back on the ground floor with the rest of the squad''s food ration tickets, two cases of handgun ammo, a medkit, and a small pile of guns.¡± Eli said and smiled. ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    Joan epted the gun with wide eyes and handed it to Ted, whom stashed it in his backpack.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Ted said and led the way down the hallway to the stairs.

 146 A Perilous Choice

    146 A Perilous Choice


    I was only a little surprised that I wasn''t taken directly through the quarantine zone and instead brought to a nice house. I looked at the scattered pictures around and realized it was Joan''s actual house and not a some kind of safe house. Both she and Ted lived there together and I didn''t bother asking them about that, since I wasn''t stupid. I knew what was going on between them.


    I kind of wandered around the living room and looked at different things while they talked about me like I wasn''t even there. It was kind of funny that they were arguing about me, not caring that I was right there, then Ted stopped talking and grabbed me by the arm. He practically lifted me as he dragged me down the hall. He pulled my gun out of the back of my pants, shoved me into a room, and he shut the door and locked it.


    ¡°Of course I don''t mind giving you some privacy! Can you hold my gun for me, too? Thanks for asking, you dick!¡± I shouted and there was no response. I didn''t really expect one, either.


    I nced around the room and didn''t bother searching it. It was almost like a den, with a few books on a shelf, a lumpy couch, a couple chairs, and an old style radio. I didn''t turn it on in the faint hope that I might hear something as they kept talking. I didn''t and went to the chair by the window. I sat down and looked outside, only to see a dreary sky, an overgrown yard, and not much else.


    About fifteen minutester, Joan unlocked the door and gave me a sympathetic look, then she turned on the old radio and sat down on the couch. ¡°We have to wait until nightfall before we can move around safely. Well, rtively safely.¡± She said and turned to the side andid down on the couch. She rested on her back and crossed her arms over her chest as she closed her eyes. ¡°You should get some sleep before it''s time to go.¡±


    I watched her for several minutes as her chest slowly rose and fell and I couldn''t stop my mind from admiring the sight. Despite being an older woman, possibly in herte forties or early fifties, she was surprisingly fit and looked good.


    ¡°You''re pretty trusting of someone you literally only met an hour ago.¡± Imented.


    Joan made a scoff sound and didn''t open her eyes to look at me. ¡°Trust you? I don''t think so. That''s why Ted disarmed you.¡±


    ¡°To keep you safe?¡± I asked, my eyes staying on her chest for no reason. Yes, no reason whatsoever. Damn my teenage hormones and my propensity for smart experienced women.


    ¡°To keep <b>you</b> safe.¡± Joan corrected me. She took in a huge breath and let it out, giving me a little more to look at and admire.


    ¡°I hope you realize that I don''t need a weapon to be dangerous.¡± I said in a soft tone of voice.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Joan whispered. ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    I took out my wand and cast the sleep spell on her, making her fall deep asleep and she started snoring. ¡°It sure helps, though.¡±


    I had to spend several minutes in silence as I looked into my inventory at my potions. I was sure I had a particr vial unlocked recently and... there it is. I pulled it out and admired the clear liquid truth inside.


    ¡°Let''s see what you are all about, shall we?¡± I asked and applied three drops of viritaserum to her tongue and used the Ennervate spell to wake her up. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Joan Miller.¡± Joan said, her eyes ssy.


    ¡°What is it that you do and why do you do it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I''m a smuggler. I smuggle everything from contraband to weapons to drugs.¡± Joan answered, her tone t. ¡°I do it to find some kind of meaning in my life and to get revenge on the military after a soldier killed my little boy thirty years ago.¡±


    I held in my sigh at hearing that. With my luck the way it was, she will probably start associating me with him. I had to ask to make sure. ¡°Why did you ept smuggling me out of the containment zone?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to at first, then I saw you. You look just like my son before he died, except for the hair color. His was dirty blonde and yours is brown.¡±


    <i>Fuck.</i> I thought and sighed. ¡°Why did wee here to your house instead of leaving right away?¡±


    ¡°You''re close to the same age as my son and I wanted to get closer to you before I have to hand you over to those criminals or the soldiers who are also criminals.¡± Joan answered.


    ¡°Why did you say it like that?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°I wanted to warn you that everyone is a criminal. You, me, Ted, Merle, the patrols, the homeless people on the street, everyone.¡± Joan said. ¡°The smarter you are, the longer you''ll live.¡±


    I wasn''t sure what to say to that and had to think of what else to ask. I had to smile when I thought of something. ¡°Tell me all about smuggling, your contacts, and the world we live in.¡±


    Joan opened her mouth and started talking. I took out a water bottle and drank some, then shared it with her. She drank eagerly between sentences and didn''t stop talking. She had a lot to say and had a personal opinion about everything, apparently.


    *


    Joan woke up when it was dark out and her throat felt a little sore, as if she had been talking constantly. She saw a full water bottle held out to her and she barely nced at the young man holding it before she grabbed it and eagerly guzzled most of it down.


    ¡°You were mumbling in your sleep.¡± Eli said with a smile and handed her an MRE.


    Joan didn''t even look at the writing on it and tore it open to add thest of the water from the bottle. She let it set for several seconds and then dug into it with her fingers without caring how messy it was.


    ¡°Chicken Surprise is my favorite, too.¡± Eli said and picked up his own MRE and started eating it with a spoon. ¡°Surprise! It''s not chicken.¡±


    Joan barked augh at the joke before she could stop herself. Why was she starting to like the kid? They only just met. Her gaze went to hisbed dark brown hair before they dropped to lock onto his eyes. They seemed to be a piercing blue that made her think of a deep blue sky and she suddenly wanted to just float away on a cloud and never worry about anything ever again.


    Eli dropped his eyes from hers and Joan blinked her own. She had surprised herself with those thoughts that were so unlike her normal thoughts about just getting through her day and surviving. What was wrong with her? It wasn''t like she had never seen another boy during thest few years. Why was being around this one making her think such weird thoughts?


    ¡°The radio yed background music for most of the time you were on the couch.¡± Eli said when his ration pack was empty.


    ¡°Most of the time?¡± Joan asked, trying to sound nonchnt about it. She didn''t notice the spoon disappearing as Eli tossed the package into the trash.


    ¡°Yeah, it was weird. Why would they suddenly y George Micheal''s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go?¡± Eli asked with a confused look on his face.


    Joan barely stopped herself from gasping. It had been an emergency code warning her that her delivery contact was in danger and was calling for help. There wasn''t much she could do about it now, since she had been asleep for almost six hours and it was toote. As if Eli knew what she was thinking, he gave her a sad smile and didn''t say anything.


    The door to the room was unlocked and Ted threw it open and rushed inside. ¡°We have to go. Now.¡±


    Joan nodded and motioned to me. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulders, securing it in ce across my chest. She gave me a brief smile and rushed out of the room to get ready herself.


    ¡°I want my gun back.¡± Eli said to Ted.


    The older man gave him a pointed look. ¡°You couldn''t stop me from taking it the first time. Why would I give it back? So you can lose it again?¡±


    Eli''s face went nk and he didn''t say anything else.


    Ted felt a shiver at the calm look he recognized. It was the look of a killer. He knew then that taking the gun from the kid was the right choice, because he did not want a gun he didn''t control pointed at his back, or his head. The scene with the two Fireflies being shot ran though his head.


    ¡°I''m ready, let''s go.¡± Joan said from the doorway. ¡°Ted, lead the way.¡±


    Ted stared at the kid for another few moments, as if trying to make sure he didn''t do anything stupid, then he turned around and took a single step. That was as far as he went, because he felt a small foot kick his knee from behind and he dropped to the floor, then he was tackled.


    A tiny fist mmed into his face, once, twice, and it rattled him a lot more than a tiny fist should have. Ted couldn''t react when he felt several things being taken from him.


    ¡°Thanks for the advice and letting me take my gun back, asshole.¡± Eli said and lightly kicked Ted''s privates, making the man hiss and cup his balls.


    ¡°Eli!¡± Joan finally gasped. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Showing restraint.¡± Eli said and stepped back, then he kicked Ted''s boot. ¡°Come on, get up. I''m not stupid enough to incapacitate you with a crotch shot. That was just a warning tap.¡±


    Ted knew he was right and didn''t want to admit it. He had beenpletely at the kid''s mercy and he couldn''t do anything to change that. He also knew that he had gotten away lightly. If Eli''s kicks were only as strong as his punches, and Ted knew they were much stronger than that, then he wouldn''t have been able to breathe if he was kicked in the balls, let alone walk afterwards.


    Joan gave Ted a hand and helped him stand up. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Ted said and didn''t turn around to look at the kid. He did not want to see his gun tucked into the kid''s belt or something and he really didn''t want to see his smug face.


    Joan obviously didn''t believe Ted was fine and held a hand out to Eli. She wagged her fingers at him and the boy let out a long drawn out sigh that most teenagers used at one point or another. The boy handed over the gun and the ejected magazine to her and she gave him a kind smile that Ted had never seen on her face before. She put the magazine back into ce in the gun''s handle, checked the safety, and handed the loaded gun back to Ted.


    ¡°Eyes always out front, yeah?¡± Joan asked and her smile went back to her normal fake one.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ted said and walked out of the room as he tucked the gun back where it belonged.


    ¡°You next, Eli. I can''t let you out of my sight for even a minute, apparently. Stay close.¡± Joanmanded and motioned to her partner''s back.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eli said and followed Ted, staying close but not close enough to be in the way.


    Ted appreciated that and that Joan was still going to watch his back like always, even after he had screwed up and let a kid take him down like that. A kid. A stupid kid had easily brought him down and could have killed him. If Eli had any kind of weapon on him, it would have been game over.


    ¡°Where are we going, anyway?¡± Eli asked.


    ¡°Quiet.¡± Ted said and led them through several alleyways, carefully avoided the night patrols, and brought them to an old Brownstone townhouse. They entered through the back door and went down into the basement, where Ted moved what looked like a piece of solid brick wall and it was only a nicely painted piece of plywood.


    ¡°Slick.¡± Eli whispered.


    Ted didn''t say anything and ushered Eli and Joan through the opening and pulled the wood back into ce. They entered a rough underground tunnel and Joan led them through it all with barely any light to be guided by, which meant she had used this tunnel a lot over the years for smuggling.


    Eli had watched Joan the whole time they moved through the tunnel and he was impressed that she would brave the dangers outside the containment zone, just to find contraband to sell to screw over the FEDRA control of the area. She wasn''t doing it for the good of the people, or that it was necessary, or because she saw herself as the only thing standing between the government and the people and had to act.


    It was because Joan was selfish and vindictive and she wanted the soldiers to suffer as much as she had since they killed her son. It didn''t matter that solder had been dead for years, because she wanted to make them all pay dearly for robbing her, so she robbed them instead. It wasn''t logical and it wasn''t justice. It was just the way it was.


    They came out of the tunnel under some specifically arranged debris, part of a wall, part of a subway exit, and a mound of dirt. They reached the constructed wall that was made of even more rubble from wrecked buildings and crossed it through an intentionally dug gap between two sections of the wall.


    After crossing the barrier, Joan visibly rxed and Ted let out a relieved sigh. They shouldn''t have, because as soon as the trio stepped around a partially crushed car and a corner of a building, only to run right into an armed soldier that aimed his assault rifle at them.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± The armored soldier shouted at them and put his finger on the trigger.


    Joan stiffened slightly and then blew out a breath of air. ¡°Petra? Is that you?¡±


    ¡°Joan?¡± The solder asked and stepped closer. She turned on her shlight and blinded Joan and Ted with it, ruining their night vision. None of them noticed that Eli had turned his head away and had closed his eyes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Making a supply run, of course.¡± Joan said, as if they were having a normal conversation. ¡°Petra, I know this looks bad...¡±


    Petra huffs and doesn''t lower her assault rifle.


    ¡°...but, it''s important.¡± Joan continued. ¡°Look, if you let us go, I can get you more of the good stuff. You know, the good good stuff and not the cut stuff you normally trade for.¡±


    Petra didn''t say anything and kept the shlight in their faces.


    ¡°I promise I''ll get you as many drugs as I can while I''m out.¡± Joan said. ¡°You know I''m good for it.¡±


    Petra lowers the shlight and the assault rifle slightly. ¡°I''m sorry, Joan. Even if you gave me all the drugs you have, it''s not worth losing my job and bing a regr person again.¡± She said and raised the rifle once more. ¡°Now turn around and get on your knees. I need to test you all for the infection before I call this in.¡±


    Joan sighed with disappointment and did as the soldier asked, even putting her hands on top of her head, then she turned to Ted and nodded.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Ted whispered and knelt on one knee, then the other. He copied Joan and put his hands on his head, too. It was to stop them from easily attacking and to show that they didn''t have any weapons in their hands.


    Eli was off to the side and was already kneeling when Petra, Joan, and Ted looked over at him. For some reason, they didn''t notice that he hadn''t raised his hands.


    Petra stepped forward, her assault rifle slung onto her back and she held some kind of device with only one hand as she tested Joan. The device beeped and showed she was clean. Petra mumbled something about extraordinary luck and moved behind Ted. She tested him as well and his results came up clean. When she stepped behind Eli, the situation changed.


    *BANG!*


    Petra helmet cracked as the bullet passed up through her chin and out through the top of her head. Her body dropped to the ground and Ted started cursing.


    ¡°What the fuck did you do that for, Eli?!?¡± Joan shrieked at him. ¡°She was my contact in the local squad!¡±


    Eli stood up and then knelt by the soldier''s body. ¡°I didn''t feel like being murdered by a drug addict.¡± He said and raided her for everything she had in her pockets.


    ¡°Stop that! We have to run!¡± Joan eximed and tried to grab Eli''s arm to haul him to his feet. ¡°Gunshots echo in the ruins and we have no time for this!¡±


    Eli shrugged her off and quickly stripped the body of the chest armor, the assault weapon, and the equipment belt. The shirt and pants were next and he put them on with quick and deft movements over his own clothes to bulk them up. He stood up with the cracked helmet in his hands.


    ¡°You can''t seriously think...¡± Ted started to say.


    Eli smirked at him, put the helmet on, and secured the strap. ¡°Let''s go, citizens. I''m escorting you through the danger zone for your own safety.¡±


    Joan stared at him like he was crazy and then the radio on the belt clicked to life and she caught her breath.


    ¡°Sentry 31, this is Base 12. We heard a gun shot out your way. Do you have anything to report? Over.¡± A bored female voice asked.


    Eli coughed a few times and bent down to fiddle with something, then giggled in a distinctly female voice as he stood up straight and picked up the radio. ¡°This is Sentry 31, patch number 23143. That was me. I saw a Stalker running around and discharged my sidearm to scare them off. I''m at Grid 76 on the west side. Over.¡±


    ¡°Location marked. Proceed to Grid 77 and good hunting. Call in if you need backup. Over.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. It''s going to be another long one, I can tell.¡± Eli said. ¡°Thanks for the check-in and keeping an ear out for me, Base 12. It''s appreciated. Sentry 31 over and out.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged. See you at sign-out before morning chow, Petra. Over and out.¡± The voice said and the radio stayed silent after that.


    Both Ted and Joan stared at Eli and didn''t know what to say.


    Eli bent down once more and made several cough noises and his voice returned to normal. ¡°Like I told Merle, he was an idiot that didn''t let me help, knowing full well that I learned proper procedures at the FEDRA military academy.¡±


    Ted gave him onest pointed look, then he bent down and hefted Petra''s body over his shoulder.


    Joan opened her mouth to say something, anything, then she sighed and motioned for Eli to follow her. She led him out into the darkness with Ted taking up the rear. They would drop the body off into one of the many pitfalls along the route they needed to take. It would never be found.

 147 A Superfluous Encounter

    147 A Superfluous Encounter


    Outside of the protected quarantine zone, the city was little more than ruins. We spent several hours carefully moving along and trying to not make noise, because infected people were all over the ce. Most of them were inert and wouldn''t react until they heard or saw something, so staying quiet was the best choice any of us could make.


    I discreetly used my wand and cast weak silence spells on Joan, Ted, and myself, that way the sounds were just reduced and not removed and it wouldn''t give my abilities away. On a whim, I mentally asked the system if it was possible to buy a silencer for my handgun.


    <b>Warning: The in-world cost of specific items are (x10) the normal price.


    Multi-purpose silencer for 9 Millimetre Handgun: 1,500 Karma Points</b>


    I almost choked at seeing that and didn''t bother asking what my current total was. Luckily, neither Joan nor Ted saw my shocked face as we moved around some rubble. We walked on and sometimes had to climb through the ruined buildings to continue forward.


    Joan didn''t have to warn me about where I stepped as we approached one of the therge craters in the street. That bomb damage was also seen in some of the wrecked buildings, which painted a sad picture about what happened after the infection started to spread throughout the city.


    Ted whispered that we needed to stop for a while and rest, so he led us through another path between building ruins to find one that was rtively intact. We entered a less wrecked building about 20 minutester and climbed our way up to near the top. I helped find a room that wasn''t too badly damaged and we barricaded ourselves in, just in case.


    Joan sat down on the floor with a sigh and pulled off her heavy backpack. She dug through one of the side pockets and pulled out some kind of jerky. Ted epted a piece and grimaced as he bit into it and started chewing. He didn''t sit down, though. Joan didn''t wince when she bit into hers and just looked a little sad.


    ¡°I told you to cash in some of the ration tickets before we left.¡± I whispered and both Joan and Ted frowned at me. ¡°What? It''s not like they''re going to be useful again until we reach another containment zone.¡±


    Joan sighed again. ¡°We usually save them up for bulk purchases and trades.¡±


    ¡°Trail rations are good enough.¡± Ted said, gruffly.


    I sat down in front of Joan, making her give me a pointed look. I smiled at her and opened my backpack, then I made a bit of a show of it as I pulled out arge tightly wrapped sandwich. I opened the wrapping and tried to not grin at the wide eyes on both Joan and Ted. I took a huge bite out of the sandwich and intentionally made loud chewing noises.


    ¡°Is that chicken?¡± Ted asked, his voice full of disbelief.


    ¡°Yup.¡± I said and took another huge bite and chewed it loudly before I swallowed. ¡°I heard they get that and the better veggies from smugglers.¡± I said and stopped myself from taking another bite. ¡°From the looks on your faces, I guess that wasn''t you.¡±


    It was an unnecessary dig at pointing out that there was someone better than them at their job and Ted started to walk over to me.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Joan said and held her hand up to stop him and he kept getting closer. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Ted waved her off and bent over slightly to look down on me. ¡°You know, something''s been bugging me about you. About this whole situation.¡± He said and I took another bite of my sandwich. ¡°Why are you so damn important to Merle? Don''t lie to me or we''ll take you back.¡±


    I had to smile at the threat. ¡°I thought you said you wanted to shoot me?¡±


    Ted stood up straight. ¡°You heard that?¡±


    ¡°I heard everything.¡± I said and tore off the bitten part of my sandwich, leaving over half of it untouched, and I held it out to Joan.


    She eyed me for a moment and then epted it, checked it for some reason, then she started munching on it like it was going to escape if she didn''t.


    I chuckled at her reaction and ate the torn off piece of bread and bit of chicken I kept. With my part of the sandwich gone, I pulled out two water bottles from my backpack and held them out.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Joan said and took one, then she pped Ted''s thigh with the back of her hand.


    Ted let out a sigh and took the second bottle before he stepped back. He drank half of it with one gulp and tucked it away in his own backpack.


    ¡°How about a peace offering?¡± I asked and took out a handful of gran bars.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Ted cursed and took several steps away, then he came back and red at me as he tried to menacingly loom over me. ¡°Do you know how much shit like that''s worth?¡±


    I tossed one up into the air and he snatched it up. ¡°Three ration tickets is the going rate.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Joan said. ¡°Thest time anyone had some...¡±


    ¡°I had a whole box with 24 of them inside.¡± I admitted and the two of them stared at me. ¡°No, I didn''t tell Merle I had them. I''m not an idiot.¡± I said and handed two of them to Joan. ¡°How do you think I managed to find clean clothes in my size and a technically new backpack full of supplies?¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Ted said and started pacing again. ¡°You handed them out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I had the supply and they demanded it. I had a lot of them to share, so word spread fast. No one wanted Merle to dere them a secret or to horde them, either.¡± I said and opened thest one to start eating it. ¡°I also convinced Lindsey to show me her tits for two bars.¡±


    Joan looked scandalized when I wagged my eyebrows at her and Tedughed because he realized I had handed two bars to Joan.


    ¡°Damn, kid. Just damn.¡± Ted said and stopped pacing. ¡°You''ve got some balls on you.¡±


    ¡°They still haven''t dropped yet, even after seeing Lindsey''s pretty pink nipples.¡± I joked and Joan gasped.


    Ted shook his head and looked like he was struggling not tough more.


    ¡°How can you say things like that?¡± Joan asked, her eyes wide.


    ¡°It helps me look at the bright side and remember the good things.¡± I said with a shrug.


    Ted opened his mouth and I held up a hand to stop him.


    ¡°Before you put your foot in your mouth, she''s dead. She didn''t have to die and that''s why I didn''t hesitate to put Merle down.¡± I said and he closed his mouth. ¡°She was the only one that was nice to me because of who she was and not because of who I am.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± Joan asked, her voice soft.


    ¡°Someone Merle put way too much importance on, as if I needed the weight of the world on my shoulders.¡± I said and closed up my backpack. I slung it over my shoulders and secured the strap over my chest. ¡°Are we taking a nap or are we moving on?¡±


    Joan gave Ted a look and the man deted. ¡°Nap. We''ll take shifts on watch for the night.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take third watch.¡± I said and moved over to the wall to sit down. I pretended to sweep the spot with my hand and instead dropped a couple of my alert ward stones. I sat down and leaned back against the wall just enough that the backpack was secured from being searched by anyone, not without me knowing about it anyway, and it wasn''t digging into my back or crushing the contents.


    ¡°We''re not going to be here that long.¡± Ted groused.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and closed my eyes. I drifted off to sleep to the sound of Joan''s softugher.


    *


    Joan and Ted waited for half an hour before they moved off towards the far corner of the room that was the farthest away from Eli.


    ¡°He''s either the son of one of the higher ups in the resistance...¡± Joan whispered.


    ¡°...or he''s the son of one of the government reps.¡± Ted finished for her.


    ¡°Merle said they were heading out west and they needed a battery for their truck.¡± Joan reminded him. ¡°Just like us. We need one for the truck we stashed out past the city''s boundary.¡±


    Ted nced around and looked back at her. ¡°You know he probably tricked us, right? There''s no battery or supplies waiting for us.¡±


    Joan closed her eyes briefly and then opened them to re at him. ¡°It''s our only hope. Either there''s a truck there that his gang used or we can swipe the battery. Either way, we''re leaving the city anyway. I need to get to Tammy as soon as possible.¡±


    Ted nodded. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. We''re in this no matter what. Eli is secondary to our goal.¡±


    Joan wanted to refute that statement for some reason. She didn''t know why, though.


    Ted motioned for her to go back over to where Eli was. ¡°Go ahead and grab some shuteye. I''ll wake you when it''s your turn in four hours.¡±


    Joan nodded and walked over to where Eli was. She gave the kid a searching look, then decided he had the right idea and used her backpack in a simr manner. It wasn''t quite asfortable as sleeping prone; but, she would make due. It kept her hair off of the floor at least.


    Ted watched her settle beside the kid and he wondered if he should just shoot him before he caused too much trouble. He dismissed it, mostly because the kid was still wearing the soldier''s uniform. The radio hadn''t crackled to life yet, either. That might change in the morning when Petra didn''t check in. Until then, he would watch over Joan and stop the kid from doing anything stupid.


    Despite sleeping earlier, Joan was tired and started to fall asleep almost right away. Again, she knew that wasn''t like her normal behavior and wondered if this kind of life was getting to her.


    *


    I woke when the sun peeked over the horizon. How did I know this when there were no windows in the room? It was my innate clock. I''ve been waking up near dawn ever since my first journey started and it was pure habit by this point. It apparently didn''t matter what body I was wearing and it still worked, which was a blessing and a curse. I could go back to sleep; but, I''m miss this golden opportunity.


    Joan was cuddled up to my side and her modest chest was pressed against my arm. That wasn''t the opportunity I meant, though. My eyes saw Ted slumped against the far wall with his gun out, clearly asleep.


    I took out my wand and hit Joan with a sleep spell, ensured that she was deep asleep, and I pulled her arms off of me. I did not grope her breasts, even though they were right there. Damn hormones. I used Joan''s body as a shield and hit Ted with a sleep spell as well, just in case he was faking. I climbed to my feet and made my way over to him as I took out the vial of veritaserum.


    Three dropster, Ted was singing like a canary. He hated that he always did everything Joan asked of him without question. He was essentially herpdog and did everything for her. He resented that she didn''t appreciate it or even acknowledged that if it wasn''t for him, she would have died several times over thest few years. Joan was a great fuck, too.


    <i>That part I didn''t really need to know.</i> I thought and my eyes went over to where she slept. Her jeans were tighter afterying down with them on and they hugged her curves a lot more than they should have. It was a little maddening, actually. Popping a boner in the middle of an interrogation was not appropriate behavior, not now and not ever. <i>Unless we were role-ying and she was in charge of teaching me a lesson.</i>


    I sighed at the mental image that caused and had to adjust myself. Stupid goddamn hormones. I turned back to Ted and asked him about the smuggling business and what he knew about it, the highlights mostly, because I didn''t have a lot of time left before we needed to wake up. I would have to implement my joke from the night before, too. I''d pretend to be on watch and wake them both up to get us moving.


    I was sure Ted''s contacts in the city weren''t important to me, so I cut that line of questioning off. It didn''t matter, since we were leaving Boston anyway. At least, I hoped we were. They wanted to head to Wyoming in a truck to look for Joan''s sister, so why wouldn''t I want to go with them? The Fireflies weren''t going to help us much after they found out Merle and the quarantine cell were wiped out.


    I put Ted to sleep and let the effects of the truth serum fade on their own. You didn''t need an antidote, unless you wanted to start lying right away or were in apromising position, like being at the mercy of someone you''ve been antagonistic towards. It made me chuckle that I could give him another warning tap and he would never know it was me.


    I left him slumped against the wall and went back over to Joan. She was still in the same position I had left her in and I sat down where I used to be. It only took me a few moments to sigh at giving in to my impulses and I slid down just enough to pull her back into my side and put her arms around me again. Her grip tightened automatically and I rxed instead of freaking out.


    Why? Because I had left my arm free and her breasts were pressed to the side of my chest. It was quite nice and I put my arm over her shoulders with my gun held properly in my other hand and ready to shoot.


    <i>Stupid hormones.</i> I thought and waited for another half an hour before I took out my wand and ended the sleep spells on them. That way, they would wake naturally and not like a shot of fake adrenaline that the Ennervate spell would give them.


    An hourter, Joan started to wake up. I tried to stay still enough that she wouldn''t notice how close she was to me, and it didn''t work. Joan sucked in a sharp breath when her eyes opened and her gaze locked onto mine.


    ¡°Good morning, sleeping beauty.¡± I whispered.


    Joan blinked her eyes several times before she frowned at me. ¡°Why are you hugging me?¡±


    I looked down at her arms wrapped around me like a vise and back at her face.


    Joan sighed and eased her hold on me. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    I pretended to look at my empty wrist. ¡°It''s half-past a short hair and a quarter to a skin blemish.¡±


    Joan stared at me like I had two heads and didn''t respond.


    I rolled my eyes at her not being awake enough to appreciate a good joke. ¡°It''s about 8 in the morning, assuming dawn was at 6:30 like usual.¡±


    Joan let me gopletely and sat up, her gaze really pointed now. ¡°How do you know that if you don''t have a watch?¡±


    ¡°I counted.¡± I said and didn''t exin further.


    Joan moved slightly away and then caught her breath. Her head whipped around and she stared at where Ted was slumped against the wall and looked lifeless. ¡°You killed him!¡±


    I barked a loudugh and Ted jerked as if someone had pped him. His eyes shot open and he scrambled to his feet as he aimed his gun right at me. The empty click of the trigger being pulled was very loud in the silent room.


    ¡°TED!¡± Joan gasped, horrified.


    Ted looked down at the gun and wondered why it didn''t fire. He also looked sad that he hadn''t identally killed me when he had the perfect excuse.


    ¡°I emptied it while you were asleep, you moron.¡± I said and tossed the magazine and the single bullet he had loaded in the chamber towards him. Theynded and skidded on the floor at his feet. ¡°I also took third watch. You''re wee.¡±


    Joan hadn''t reacted to my words until I said that. ¡°Ted! You fell asleep on watch?¡± She asked, her voice using and her re strong. She had apparently forgotten she was supposed to be on watch, too.


    ¡°That''s what you''re upset about?¡± I asked and she turned her re to me. ¡°He would have shot me if the gun was loaded and you''re upset he was asleep. Thanks a lot.¡±


    Joan opened her mouth to say something, probably an angry rebuke. Instead, her re faded and she sighed. ¡°We need to move and be extra careful. Even in daytime, the ruins can have infect people anywhere. Just one of them can bring a horde of them down on us and we won''t survive.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at that. ¡°Thanks for the basic info everyone but an idiot knows.¡±


    Joan''s re came right back. ¡°You need to stop being a little shit.¡±


    It was my turn to have my mouth open to say something and I stopped myself. I didn''t want her angry at me, because angry people make stupid decisions and will get themselves and those around them killed. I reached out and ced a hand on her shoulder, my thumb resting on her exposed corbone.


    ¡°Look, I almost died again just now and it pissed me off that neither you nor Ted can see the downside of that.¡± I said and her re disappeared as her mind let her imagine why me dying was bad. ¡°Yeah, if I''m dead, then you don''t get anything except dead yourselves. I''m a hotmodity for the Fireflies and they will not appreciate it if I disappear.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ted eximed and started pacing again.


    ¡°That''s why you can ignore any threats we make. You know we can''t do anything.¡± Joan reasoned.


    ¡°Not can''t, as you just saw. Shouldn''t.¡± I corrected her. ¡°I like living, thank you very much.¡±


    Joan looked over at an agitated Ted and sighed. ¡°We need to go.¡±


    Ted stopped pacing and red at me before he knelt and loaded the magazine into his gun. He cocked the slide to load a bullet into the chamber and then he ejected the magazine and loaded the spare bullet into it to fill it again. He set the magazine back into the gun again and held it, gave me an odd look, then he tucked it away and went to the door of the room to unblock it.


    Joan sat there and didn''t move or try to help. She also didn''t say anything, probably because my hand was still on her shoulder and my thumb was making small motions as it gently caressed her skin. I didn''t even realize I was doing it until her hand reached up and stopped it from moving.


    My face flushed red from embarrassment and Joan pulled my hand off of her shoulder. She looked at it for a moment, as if she wasn''t sure what to do with it, then she let it go and stood up. She didn''t say anything as she checked her backpack, nodded at it being okay, and nodded at me. I stood and had to adjust myself, which she clearly saw. Joan''s face was a little red now, too.


    We were saved from the really awkward moment when Ted opened the door. Joan walked out of the room like it was on fire and I followed her at a simr pace. We had a lot of ground to cover today to make it through the city ruins to reach the Massachusetts State House and we had to be careful while doing it. It would slow us down and we would deal with things as they came.


    My eyes dropped to her ass as she walked and I cursed at myself in my head. It was a great ass and reminded me of Amy''s, which was really bad. I did not need thoughts of having sex with her while I was going through puberty again, not with a simr-looking woman right there in front of me.


    <i>Stupid, stupid hormones.</i> I thought and followed that firm ass all the way down to the street.

 148 This Old House

    148 This Old House


    We spent several hours making our way through the ruined city until we reached a spot with a recently copsed building. It used to be tower apartments and now it had fallen over and crushed several other buildings in a row. Joan sighed at the sight of it and looked at Ted.


    ¡°You know we only have two choices here. We go the short way through what this thing doesn''t block off and we''ll probably die, or we go the long way and we might find another way around after we cross the overpass half a mile that way.¡± Ted told us and waved to the right.


    ¡°I vote the short way.¡± I said and they both looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°It''s better to go the way you know crosses this shit.¡± I said and pointed at the massive amount of rubble blocking off several streets. ¡°Instead of walking for another few hours to find out we can''t get by because of all the fungal growths and infected.¡±


    Joan didn''t respond and looked at the rubble, at the buildings on either side of it. ¡°Ted?¡±


    ¡°I vote for the long way. It''s time consuming and we might have toe back; but, it''s a much easier path.¡± Ted answered and then shrugged. ¡°We''re slowed down significantly either way.¡±


    ¡°We have guns.¡± I reminded them and they both red at me. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Ted said and led us off towards the left.


    I followed him and we made our way up to a kind of balcony that overlooked a nearby street. ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    Most the the street was bodies. They weren''t quite dead, though. Most of them were covered in little vines and a few of them twitched and sat up when another one moved and hit a piece of gravel that rolled. It indicated they reacted as soon as they felt or heard something and it didn''t have to be us that made the noise.


    ¡°You realize it now, huh?¡± Ted asked and motioned us back from the edge.


    ¡°You know a nice grenade or two would handle most of them.¡± Imented and they stared at me. ¡°What? Throw one to make noise in the middle, they rush in, and you throw another one. Bang bang, most of them are dead.¡±


    Joan looked thoughtful and Ted looked angry.


    ¡°You''d bring every one of them within several blocks if you made that much noise.¡± Ted hissed at me.


    I gave him a nk look back. ¡°I''m not seeing a downside here. Massive distraction, misdirection, and we can slip through whatever short way you''re scared to go through.¡±


    Ted opened his mouth and Joan reached over me and put a hand on his shoulder. He shut up and she took her hand back.


    ¡°I don''t suppose you have a grenade or two hidden in your backpack with your sandwiches and water bottles?¡± Joan asked.


    I could tell by her expression that she didn''t really expect me to have any and I was quite happy to surprise her. ¡°I have two frag grenades, a sh-bang, and a phosphorous round.¡± I said and both of their mouths dropped open from shock. ¡°I don''t mind using them, since we can get more of them at the Old State House.¡±


    Both Joan and Ted kept staring at me and didn''t move or speak.


    ¡°Should I get started?¡± I asked and dug out the sh-bang to hold it up.


    Joan''s hands darted out and caught both my hand and the grenade. ¡°I think Ted can throw it farther than you can.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that.¡± I said and she tugged on the grenade. When I didn''t let it go, she red at me. We had a silent argument over who was in the right and then she let my hand go and reached out to caress my face tenderly. I shivered slightly and rxed a little, which was exactly what she wanted to happen.


    Joan pulled the grenade out of my rxed grip and tossed it to Ted. ¡°We need both frag grenades, too.¡±


    I frowned at her and she gave me a smug smile as her hand slid up and she ran her fingers through my short hair. Again, I shivered, because it felt awesome and was close enough to what Amy usually did that I didn''t resist at all.


    ¡°Eli.¡± Joan whispered huskily. ¡°The grenades, please. We need them to keep you alive.¡±


    I sighed at the tant maniption that totally worked and I dug them out of two different side pockets to give to her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Joan whispered and slid her hand down the back of my head and let me go. Her demeanor changed to stern and she held both grenades out for Ted to grab when needed. ¡°Whenever you''re ready, Ted.¡±


    Ted braced himself and armed the sh-bang before he flung it as far as he could. The thing arced through the air and didn''t even reach the ground before it went off. The reaction was instantaneous despite that, though.


    Every single person leapt to their feet and ran right towards the sound. The sh hadn''t done anything to them, since they all had their eyes either closed or grown over with fungus. That was good information to know.


    Ted grabbed one of the frag grenades and pulled the pin. He hefted it, judging the weight, and nodded before he threw it just as hard as therger sh-bang. This time, it actually reached the ground and bounced right into the middle of the mass of zombies.


    The explosion worked great, because they were so packed together, and it caused a lot more sound to perpetuate through the area. The noises they made increased as well and more and more of the things came out of the surrounding buildings to fight.


    ¡°Dear god.¡± Joan whispered at seeing the massive horde of creatures that we had no idea we had been so close to. There were so many that Ted whispered that he was reluctant to use the second frag grenade because it wouldn''t do much with them all pressed together like that.


    I held in my groan at having to use up the best grenade I had. I pulled it out and armed it before I set the timer without Joan and Ted noticing because they were busy looking at the horde of zombies. I aimed for the center of the mass of bodies and threw it, relying on my skills to hit true.


    ¡°Eli!¡± Joan gasped and grabbed my outstretched had much toote.


    The closest ones in the horde turned to look at us, even the ones without eyes. It would have beenical to see their reactions if the phosphorous grenade hadn''t just reached the spot I threw it.


    ¡°Duck!¡± I shouted and pulled them down to the balcony''s floor.


    *BOOOM-FWWOOOSH!*


    Even ducked down like we were, we saw the white sh and felt a wash of heat.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Ted cursed and huddled in closer to us.


    I may have miscalcted how vtile and mmable the fungus and slightly dried vines and roots were. Slightly. Okay, maybe a whole heck of a lot. The heat actually increased as the things started to burn, the individual bodies acting more like an elerant instead of a dampener. The white fire spread through them and jumped to any of them that were close by, making them into fire spreaders, too.


    It didn''t take long before they were all on fire, as were the supporting roots and things buried in the ground. Joan led us off of the balcony and back inside the ruined building. The three of us rxed when we were away from the heat and then the two adults gave me an intense re that Ipletely ignored.


    ¡°At least now we know to never use phosphorous grenades around friendlies if there''s any fungus or infected around.¡± I said and their re increased. ¡°What? It was a good lesson to learn before we made a huge mistake.¡±


    Joan looked surprised by my words. ¡°You don''t think this was a mistake?¡±


    ¡°Why would I? It worked, didn''t it?¡± I asked her and she only stared at me. ¡°I bet your short passage is free and clear by now. The screaming alone should bring everything within a few blocks here at a run. With the fire burning so well with all the added material, it shouldn''t take long for the whole area to be cleared of zombies.¡±


    Joan gave me an incredulous look for several second before she shook her head and started walking back the way we came. ¡°Let''s just go and get to the passage.¡±


    We went back down to street level and worked our way over to an old museum. It took some work to make our way up to the top floor and then onto the roof. I pointed at the signs of the zombies hastily leaving and Joan pointedly didn''t look at them, which was a little childish of her. When I nced at Ted, he wasn''t looking, either.


    Once we were on the roof, we crossed a fairly stable bit of scaffolding to the roof of a building across the street that wasn''t blocked off by the recent copse. It was much easier to go down the stairs because the building was mostly intact and there were no signs of infected or active fungus.


    Back on the street, it was rtively empty. That didn''t surprise me, because I was sure the fire was still burning. The phosphorous was extremely effective against both dried fungal growths and even more recent damp examples that the stalkers and clickers provided. It was sad that there was nothing to be done to save the infected people, since they were little more than puppets for the fungus. It made them easily tricked, though.


    We travelled for several hours and only had to avoid a few smaller spots with a zombie or two wandering around. I listened to Joan''s advice, though. Just one finding us and making noise would bring another horde of them down on us.


    It wasn''t until we reached the area near the Massachusetts State House and the resistance camp that I realized what the whole situation reminded me of. An immune system response. The humans were an invading disease that the fungus would actively fight against when it was discovered within the ces it lived.


    I did not tell Joan and Ted my thoughts, mostly because I didn''t want to earn another re from Joan for calling them viruses. At least, not until we were in a safe location. I had to find some amusement somewhere, right?


    We reached the street where the main building was and crept over to a wrecked parked car to crouch behind. Joan spent several minutes looking at things from behind cover.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Ted whispered and kept his gun aimed at therge truck in front of the building.


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Joan whispered back and broke cover and kept in a low crouch as she crab-walked across the street to the truck. She stayed there for a moment and there was no movement, so she reached up and opened the passenger door.


    Even from this far away, I could see the driver''s side door was open on the other side and there was no one in the cab of the truck. It was a solid frame t cab and had a half-size reinforced shipping container mounted on the back instead of the smaller moving van back like it was supposed to have.


    Joan waved us over as she moved to the back of the truck and waited for us to join her. She nodded at Ted and they each took a side and unlocked the back doors. They swung them open together and inside was pristine and alsopletely empty.


    ¡°So much for the supplies.¡± Ted whispered, angrily.


    I didn''t sigh at him being so shortsighted. ¡°They''re inside.¡± I said with a t tone and didn''t call him an idiot. It sure was implied, though.


    Both Joan and Ted knew it too, if their expressions were any indication. Joan let out a sigh and kept her handgun at the ready, clearly trying to think about how to approach the resistance group inside the building.


    ¡°Just fucking do it.¡± Ted said and grabbed my arm with his left hand and held his gun in his right, ready yo raise it to shoot me. He walked over to the building''s steps with purpose and I didn''t fight against hin almost dragging me along.


    ¡°TED!¡± Joan hissed and quickly followed us.


    Ted briefly let me go to open the door and then grabbed me again to pull me inside. He walked faster for a few seconds, then slowed down as Joan entered behind us. It was quiet inside. Too quiet. He let me go as we walked down the hallway and I was the first to see the bodies. I moved out of Joan''s way and she let out a rare curse as she entered the main room with us.


    Bodies were spread out around the room and some of them were shot in the head. There were crates of supplies stacked around the ce and I moved off to inspect them as Ted started freaking out a little.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He said, a slightly panicked look on his face. ¡°I mean, there''s gotta be a fucking radio or something, right?¡± He asked and started searching the crates on that side of the room.


    ¡°By the looks of it, someone was bitten.¡± Joan said and kicked over one of the bodies, showing partial growths on their face and a bullet wound. Her eyes darted around the room. ¡°The healthy ones fought the sick ones and everybody lost.¡± She said and turned away from me. ¡°Ted? What are you doing?¡±


    I started storing everything I could see, even the generators and emergency lights. I could worry about sorting itter.


    Ted ignored her and kept searching. ¡°Where did Merle say he was taking you?¡± He asked and kicked over a container of res. ¡°Eli!¡±


    ¡°He didn''t say, just that there was a resistance facility out west that I had to get to.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Ted said and went over to one of the closest bodies. ¡°Well, one of them has to have a map or something on them, right?¡± He asked and rummaged through one body''s pockets and moved on to another. ¡°Joan? Don''t just stand there! Help me!¡±


    ¡°Ted...¡± Joan said with a sigh. ¡°It''s over. There''s nothing here.¡±


    <i>I don''t agree with that.</i> I thought and moved around to the other side and picked up everything I could get my hands on. I even looted the bodies of everything they had.


    Guns, ammo, ration tickets, MREs, spare magazines, body armor, a girly magazine, two lighters, and... my mind stuttered to a stop and I mentally rewound and went back to the magazine.


    I couldn''t resist taking it out and looking at it. <i>Hello there, Miss January 2002.</i> I thought and flipped to the centerfold. Nicole Narain was a tasty bit of dark chocte, yes she was. Damn, those were some nice perky tits. I wonder if they''re real?


    The magazine was snatched out of my hands and Joan red at me. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    My mind had to take a few seconds to try and get out of the dirty rut it had been wallowing in. It wasn''t in time, because my eyes dropped to her chest to stare at her breasts. They were pretty much the same size and shape as Amy''s and my mind dropped right back into that dirty rut. I think I drooled a little, too.


    The rolled up girly magazine suddenly smacked me on the side of the head and I jerked slightly. It didn''t hurt and just brought me back to my senses. My mind mostly clearing up from the lust I was still feeling and I brought my gaze up to her face. There was a mix of amusement and exasperation there, which kind of matched my own feelings, actually.


    ¡°Fix yourself and let''s go.¡± Joan said and looked at the girly magazine on her hand, then she tossed it at my feet. ¡°We''re going back home.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked before Ted could say anything. I also tantly reached down and adjusted my rock hard erection and didn''t try to hide it.


    ¡°We need to head back and keep searching for a car battery.¡± Joan said and her eyes fought to not look down.


    I dropped a fresh car battery out of my inventory behind my feet. ¡°You mean like this one?¡± I asked and stepped aside and pointed down.


    Both Ted and Joan gasped in shock. I was shoved further aside and they both knelt by the thing and inspected it.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck.¡± Ted whispered without mauling it too much. ¡°This thing is like brand new. How the fuck did they keep it in such good condition?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Joan said, her hands lightly caressing the thing.


    I went around and stored the rest of the supplies, the barrels of fuel, and finished looting the bodies while they were lost in the awe of a simple battery that I had a bunch of in my inventory. As an errant thought, I also grabbed the girly magazine. It never once urred to me that I hadn''t raided a corner store or a magazine stand in thest world and that seemed very shortsighted on my part.


    ¡°We... we have one. We really have one.¡± Joan whispered.


    ¡°We also have a reinforced FEDRA supply truck withrge oversized tires for all terrain.¡± I said and both of them lift their eyes from the battery to look at me. ¡°Whatever truck you have set aside, I''m sure a truck designed for survival is much better.¡±


    Joan nodded and stood up. ¡°Ted, grab that and let''s go. We need to go visit Bill and Frank to see if they know anything about what Tammy''s doing.¡±


    ¡°And about a resistance facility out west.¡± I added and they ignored me.


    Ted stood up and carried the battery outside with Joan right behind him. I followed them just because I had no other choice. I didn''t know where to go or how to get there, so all I could do was bide my time and wait for the right moment to strike. Neither Joan nor Ted were good people. Their actions had condemned them in my eyes and I was only going to put up with them for so long before I removed them.

 149 This New House

    149 This New House


    Not surprisingly, we needed the battery to rece the drained one in the truck. Ted also had a lot of fun driving therge truck, too. The oversized tires suspended the main body several feet above the ground and we easily drove over small mounds of rubble, overgrowth, and even the asional infected without any hassle.


    Joan had a smile on her face as Ted drove us out of the city proper towards where they had stashed Joan''s old truck. And it really was old. We parked when we reached the spot and Ted and Joan left to inspect the truck and to look for nearby zombies. They also started to gather the supplies they had stashed there for the trip across the country.


    I heard the back doors of the truck open and assumed they decided to strip the old truck of everything they could, which was smart of them. I didn''t bother trying to go out to help with anything, since I knew they would refuse on pure principle. I was still just a kid in their eyes, after all.


    Instead, I sat there and thought about things. It would normally only take about 30 minutes to go from Boston to Lincoln, considering they weren''t that far away from each other and in the same state; but, with all of the ruins and mess around, I somehow knew that it was going to take us a lot longer.


    Massachusetts was on the east coast of the US as well and I was pretty sure Wyoming was about two thirds of the way across the country to California, assuming my memories were still urate. That thought also made me realize that it would take us several days to cross that much distance, possibly up to a week or more, depending on the obstacles along the way.


    Then again, the front bumper on this thing was solid steel several inches thick and it didn''t have any dents in it after all the things we had hit with it so far. Pushing stuff out of the way shouldn''t be that big of a problem, since I had done it with a much smaller 4x4 truck.


    The pair of smugglers eventually closed the back doors and brought me out of my thoughts. They climbed into the truck''s cab and the both of them looked happy as Ted started the truck up again. He started driving out of the city to get onto the interstate and I kept my mouth shut. I didn''t ask them what they stored in the back and Joan gave me several searching looks, as if she fully expected me to ask about it.


    Honestly, I didn''t care what they had. A good portion of my inventory was packed full with the contents of an entire big box store''s stockroom of items, shrunken to save space, and I could have fed everyone in the quarantine zone for at least several months and that didn''t include the MREs I had from the army base. I wasn''t going to tell them I had any of it or would pretend I had a stash somewhere. They weren''t worth it.


    Ted drove us out into the countryside and we made it onto the interstate with almost no hassle. There had been a car partially blocking the on-ramp and Ted slowed us down as he spouted some nonsense about taking side roads instead. Iughed and told him to just push the thing aside with the bumper, because that was what it was for.


    He didn''t believe me and I had to spend several minutes convincing him the truck was strong enough to do it. In the end, I just called him a pussy that couldn''t even challenge a wrecked car without wimping out. He cursed at me and mmed on the gas in reaction and we rammed through the trunk of the wreck like it was made of tissue paper.


    The thing had been rusted out for years and only appeared to be solid. Both Ted and Joan looked shocked and I did not tell them the car had been more of a mental barrier than it was a physical one. They saw the road was blocked and so it was blocked. They had spent so many years going around things that blocked ess to what they wanted, rather than dealing with them. Not once did they consider things could be moved out of the way instead.


    Crossing part of the state on the highway did take quite a while. Like back in The Walking Dead world, there were long stretches of open road that had no cars whatsoever and then we woulde across a pile-up of wrecked cars or one of the cloverleaf turnoffs near a town and the abandoned vehicles would be packed together like sardines in a can.


    We had to go off-road a few times to avoid the worst of them and Joan had held her breath each and every time the wheels of the truck left the pavement. By the look on her face, she expected for us to either be attacked or to get stuck, which would force us to abandon the vehicle, and she seemed very afraid of that.


    We made it to where Bill and Frank lived and I saw it was apletely fenced in area that was surrounded by homemade traps and things. It was a great set-up and worked very well, if theck of damage to the fence was to be believed. The zombies never had a chance to gather in force and that was fantastic. I''d have to check them outter to see if I could use them back at the survivor''s camp.


    I had to stop my runaway thoughts after that, because I remembered that when I went back, I would be bedridden for a few weeks at least. <i>Damn, I was a vindictive idiot.</i> I thought and suppressed my chuckle. Now that I was away from there, I could see the downward spiral my life was bing and I wasn''t going to let that continue.


    When I went back, I was going to live my life and I wasn''t going to worry about anything else. Not anymore. If visiting this world taught me anything, it was that people that thought they had the authority to be in charge, were too stupid to be allowed to have that power.


    Ted brought us to a stop at the gate and Joan climbed down and aimed her gun around. Nothing came out after her, so she walked over to the security gate and entered the electronic code. The thing buzzed and the gate unlocked and slid off to the right. Ted drove us inside just enough to clear the gate and stopped as Joan hit the button to close it again. I gave Joan raised eyebrows when she climbed back into the truck''s cab.


    ¡°Hydroelectric power.¡± Joan said and that pretty much exined everything.


    ¡°Lucky bastards.¡± Ted muttered and drove down the street and past several businesses.


    There were no other people around and I wondered why there were so many buildings with lights on and everything looked well maintained.


    Joan saw me looking at everything. ¡°Bill and Frank had a lot of free time on their hands.¡±


    <i>Yep, that exins it.</i> I thought with a nod. <i>Staying busy to not go insane makes sense.</i>


    We came to a stop at a very nice stately home that was three stories high and looked like a rich person lived there. None of usmented on the wiltingwn, bushes, and flower beds that were out front.


    ¡°High alert.¡± Joan whispered and Ted nodded before they both hopped out of the truck''s cab with their guns drawn and they cases the house, looking for any damage.


    I rolled my eyes at them being too cautious and closed the driver''s side door before I grabbed the keys from the ignition. I climbed down the passenger side and closed that door, too. Joan and Ted were still checking the outside of the house while I walked up to the front door. I tried the door handle and it clicked and opened, so I took out my own gun and slipped inside and silently closed the door.


    The air was only slightly stale and there was a thinyer of dust on everything, so that meant whoever used to live here had either left or were dead. No one so diligent to clean up a town because they wanted to keep busy would ever just walk away or let them be caught by the zombies.


    I went through several of the rooms until I found the kitchen and saw arge envelope made of parchment. I sighed with relief when I saw Joan''s name on it and scooped it up. I didn''t open it, even if I was curious about what was in it. I walked back through the house and opened the front door just as Joan was reaching for it.


    ¡°This was left for you.¡± I said and handed her the letter as I tucked my gun back behind my back.


    Joan and Ted had surprised looks on their faces, probably because I was inside the house before they finished making sure it was safe to enter.


    ¡°There are no roots, moss, vines, spores, overgrowth, or anything at all to indicate there are any possible infected around.¡± I exined and stepped back with a wave inviting them in. ¡°Me casa et su casa.¡±


    Joan sighed and stepped by me. ¡°You could have been killed, Eli.¡±


    I chuckled and closed the door after Ted entered. ¡°I checked out the first floor and there''s nothing but dust to threaten me.¡±


    Ted red at me and I shrugged.


    ¡°I''ll check out the pantry and see what they have to eat here.¡± I said and walked away.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Joan said and followed me.


    I slowed only slightly and she caught up to me. ¡°What is it, the current object of my obsession?¡±


    Joan made a sputtering sound and then red at me.


    ¡°That just makes me like you more, you know.¡± I said and her re disappeared and her eyebrows went up. I kept walking and entered the kitchen. ¡°Well? What is it?¡±


    Joan stopped walking at the doorway and held up the envelope. ¡°Why didn''t you open this?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± I asked and saw a half-wide wooden door. I opened it on a whim and smiled at finding the galley-sized pantry. ¡°Oh, we are going to eat well tonight.¡±


    Joan watched as I grabbed a bunch of things to bring out to set on the table. ¡°You''re not curious?¡±


    I shook my head and went to the refrigerator. ¡°Anything inside won''t be addressed to me at all and might not even be relevant to my situation, considering Bill and Frank didn''t know anything about me or that I would be here.¡±


    Joan gave me an odd look before she opened the expensive envelope. She pulled out two sheets of parchment and started to read.


    While she was busy, I put together a quick sd to tide us over for the main meal of spaghetti and meat sauce made from scratch. They had a bunch of spices in the pantry and almost fresh vegetables in the refrigerator, so it took almost no work at all to make the sds and start on the sauce. I put a pot of tomato juice to boil on the stove and I added another put full of spaghetti noodles on low heat.


    A smaller pot had a clump of ground hamburger add to it that I had found in the freezer. Joan let out a sound of surprise and she sat down at the table, her gaze staring at the second sheet of parchment. I let her sit there and didn''t ask her about it while I kept working. My skills let me perform at a fast pace and she didn''t notice how quickly the meal came together.


    ¡°The upstairs is clear, except for a single locked door that''s the master bedroom.¡± Ted said when he entered the kitchen. He took in a huge sniff through his nose and let out a moan. ¡°What''s that delicious smell?¡±


    I handed him a small bowl of sd with some Italian dressing already added. ¡°Here''s the appetizer. The spaghetti sauce won''t be ready for another fifteen minutes.¡±


    Ted nodded and sat down across from Joan and started eating without another word.


    I put a sd bowl in front of Joan and plucked the letter from her hands. ¡°Here, eat.¡± I said and gave her a fork. She took it and gave it a look, then she nodded and started eating the sd. With the two of them distracted, I read the letter in only a moment and understood why Joan was kind of out of it. Speed Reading skill for the win!


    Apparently, Bill and Frank were lovers and had been together for years. When Frank became sick from a gic disorder, he suffered for a could years before he chose to die instead of suffering any more. Bill chose to go with him, because he didn''t want to live without him. It was sad and heartwarming, priming Joan for the other hits the letter had for her.


    Bill told her that caring for and protecting Frank had given him a purpose in his life and that Joan had the same mission as him, protecting those they found that were worthy. He also left her his truck, his weapons, and any supplies she wanted to take.


    I folded the letter and set it on the table near her and went back to cooking. By the time I finished cooking the meat, shredded it and added it to the sauce, Joan had recovered from the emotions she had been feeling. I ted up threerge servings of spaghetti and meat sauce and gave her the first one. She gave me a very strained smile in return.


    I ignored it and gave Ted his own heaping te full of spaghetti and he nodded before he started eating it. I sat down between them at the table and started eating my own te of food. After a few moments, Joan started eating as well and didn''t saying anything, despite looking like she wanted to say something.


    After the meal, I used several smaller containers for the rest of the food and set them into the refrigerator to cool off. They wouldst a few days and both Joan and Ted looked appreciative of that.


    ¡°I''m going to take a long hot bath.¡± I said and walked over to the kitchen door. ¡°Ted, you''re the muscle of this operation, so you can do the dishes.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± Ted said with a smile and Joan chuckled.


    I waved and went up the stairs and found a guest room with an attached bath. I put a written sign on the guest room''s door saying it was upied and I locked it, braced it with a chair, and stored my clothing in my inventory. I entered the bathroom and spent the next few minutes setting up the bath and climbed into the tub to let the hot water wash over me.


    I sighed with contentment and rxed until the tub was nearly full and I turned off the water. I leaned back against the back of the tub again and soaked in the water without bothering to scrub myself. I could worry about actually cleaning myselfter and closed my eyes.


    *


    Joan''s emotions were all over the ce ever since she read Bill''s letter and it didn''t get any better that evening when she went to bed. Ted had tried to approach her and she politely refused, because her mind and her body were not in the mood. She had a lot to think about and she didn''t need the distraction.


    Ted didn''t look happy with her and she didn''t care at the moment. Joan knew she could easily make him forgive her and dismissed the worry that he would refuse when she offered to make it up to him. It had been a while since the both of them had showered and were fully clean and Ted didn''t want to waste the opportunity.


    Joan on the other hand, knew they could stay there for as long as she wanted, because everything was now hers. Could she do that, though? Just tell the rest of the world to fuck off and live out the rest of her life right there in a safe ce and she never had to worry about anything except raiders and the asional infected attack that was easily repelled?


    She pondered that until she fell into a restless sleep. She had the feeling there was a lot more she should be worrying about and she didn''t know why or what it could be.


    In the morning, Joan woke with a soft groan and left more tired than she had when she went to bed. Se turned slightly to see that Ted had his back to her and he wasn''t moving, so either he was still asleep or he was giving her the cold shoulder.


    Joan sighed and sat up, gave him a sad look, and left the bed. She cleaned up in the bathroom and dressed in her clothes, uncaring that they hadn''t been cleaned in over a week. She went downstairs and paused halfway down at the smell of pancakes.


    She mentally sighed at screwing up so much with how she treated Eli, then she berated herself because of how she had allowed Ted to treat him, too. If Eli hadn''t been ignorant of how the world really worked, she might have taken it easier on him and made Ted do the same. Instead, they tried to instill the proper caution of the danger they were in that he should have learned years ago.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Eli said when Joan entered the kitchen. ¡°Butter and syrup?¡±


    Joan nodded and sat at the table. She gave him another unsure smile as he served her like a butler and she didn''t know how she was supposed to react to that. He did it so smoothly that it was uncanny and it made her ufortable. How did he learn something like that? At the military academy?


    She barely held back her moan as she ate a forkful of the light fluffy deliciousness that were the pancakes. How in the world did he make them taste so good?


    ¡°I found a few interesting things in the basement.¡± Eli said and sat across from her with his own te of pancakes. He copied hers and added butter and syrup.


    ¡°Interesting how?¡± Joan asked and didn''t notice that there wasn''t a te set on the table for Ted.


    ¡°Like a fully stocked armory interesting.¡± Eli answered and she nodded, letting him know she knew. ¡°The maps, battle notes, and information on everything and everyone important in the next few states were interesting, too.¡±


    ¡°Bill and Frank were the best at what they did.¡± Joan said and then her expression turned sad. She had just realized how many people were going to suffer without him acting as the hub for all of the goods and services that usually passed through the state.


    ¡°It''s okay, Joan. You don''t have to be sad.¡± Eli said, his voice bright. ¡°With all the things here and permission to take it all, everything is going to be great from now on.¡±


    Joan forced a smile onto her face, even though she didn''t feel like smiling. Her own contacts didn''t go much further than Bill and Frank and she wasn''t sure how she was going to continue her own efforts to piss off the FEDRA soldiers with them dead.


    Eli saw her face and he slowly stood, not wanting to startle her, and he walked around the table. He carefully took her hand and she still startled slightly at the touch. He smiled warmly at her and helped her to her feet, then he led her over to the basement door and let her hand go before he motioned to go down the stairs ahead of him.


    Joan went down the stairs as her mind went over how long it was going to take to pack everything up that was in the basement and get it loaded onto the truck. If she let Eli help, it might only take a few days. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Joan hit the lights to turn them all on. She walked into the room and smiled at all of the survival equipment and weapons mounted on the walls.


    ¡°You remind me so much of mymonw wife that I kind of regret doing this.¡± Eli said from behind her.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Joan asked and turned around, only to freeze and stare down the barrel of a gun.


    ¡°I can''t even kiss you to send you off with a good memory, because my own thoughts would hurt me if I voluntarily betrayed Amy.¡± Eli said.


    ¡°E-Eli, you... you don''t want to do this. You really like me and we... we could do things... when you''re ready.¡± Joan said in her best sexy voice. It wasn''t great, since she hadn''t used it in a long time.


    Eli''s smile disappeared and his face nked. ¡°There you go again, reminding me of how big of a bitch you are. Manipting a teenager and using their own rebelling and changing body against them? You''re despicable.¡±


    Joan felt angry and red at him. ¡°I''m being a bitch? Who''s the ignorant one here? You have no clue what I''ve had to go through to survive!¡± She spat at him and the gun never wavered. She calmed down and let out a sigh. ¡°What do you want me to say, Eli? How can I convince you that I''m not your enemy?¡±


    Eli gave her a deadpan look. ¡°Tell me you''re deeply in love with me and that you want to have my babies.¡± He said and smiled slightly. ¡°And make me believe it.¡±


    Joan sighed again and took a deep breath to psyche herself up for the best performance of her life. She nodded and opened her mouth to say exactly that. The gun fired and blew the back of her head off.


    ¡°Like I would ever believe anything you said.¡± Eli said and holstered the gun behind his back. ¡°Every time I mentioned the resistance''s medical facility, you ignored me and never once said you would take me there.¡±


    Eli looted her pockets of what little they had, not bothering to grope her, despite his thoughts of her flesh still being warm for a while. He pushed those morbid thoughts aside and stood up to observe the basement fully.


    Bill had a lot of things there, likeputers loaded with everything from electronic books to media files of shows, cartoons, and movies. Tools and equipment, ammo making devices, tubs of chemicals, and a bunch of other things that a person would need to survive the end of society. It was a treasure trove and Eli took it all.

 150 Road Trip

    150 Road Trip


    With the information at Bill''s ce about his resourcework, it was easy to find the details about Joan''s sister, Tammy. She really had gone to Wyoming after breaking away from the resistance and had set up house there with arge group of others with a simr mentality. She wanted away from all the madness that Joan and the Fireflies were involved in and to live a normal life.


    I totally agreed with that decision, since that was what I had done back in The Walking Dead. I was setting up a free-standing but smallmunity that was both independent and safe. It was just unfortunate that I wasn''t apletely ruthless bastard and hadn''t taken over everything to run it properly.


    I chuckled at that thought, because I had previously realized that someone who thought they had the authority to do that, didn''t deserve it. It made my decision to not be a dictator at the survivor''s camp, be the smartest thing I could have done at the time. In fact, I wasn''t going to be one when I went back, either. Why would I bother? It wouldn''t make things better and everyone would resent me, even Amy.


    I locked up the house that was now practically empty and I climbed up into the cab of myrge truck. I realized the problem immediately and sighed at being so short. I had to take out a pair of boots and cast an extension charm on the soles to make them into tform boots nearly 8 inches high. I put them on and nodded at the perfect fit and being able to reach the gas and brake pedals.


    I drove away from the house and headed over to the gas station. It was working, since everything had power, and I filled up the truck''s tank before I went inside. It was full of things, which surprised me, because the food should have passed their expiration dates years ago. When I checked, they were all real and had more recent expiry dates.


    That meant some food factories and things were still working across the country, which was probably why the government was able to keep the quarantine zones from rebelling. My thoughts went to the local hydroelectric dam and I remembered that there were a few ces like the Hoover Dam that powered most of the state of Nevada.


    ces like that would have a lot of people around and I was going to avoid them as much as possible. I didn''t need or want anything they would have, since I had a bunch of things already and I was about to add a lot more to that. After I cast a spell to see if there were any spores or fungus on the packages or inside them.


    They came up clean and I shrunk and stored everything, just because I could, and checked the cash register. I looted the old money there and the ration tickets before I went into the office. I used a spell to find the safe and the Alohamora spell opened it with no trouble. I stored the stacks of cash and ration tickets there, proving they traded for a long time with other people, and closed it.


    If anyone else showed up here, they would waste a lot of time trying to open the thing and would get nothing, which made meugh. I went back out to the store and looked at therge standing coolers, grinned at the thought, and disconnected them and stored them, too. They would help keep fresh vegetables and food for a lot longer than trying to fit everything into the limited number of fridges we had at the camp.


    I went outside and looked at the gas pumps and chuckled at another thought. I went back inside the store and went to the register. It didn''t take me long to figure out how to ring up some gas and it showed the number of gallons left inside the main tank.


    <i>Make that tanks.</i> I thought at seeing the total and had to sit down to figure things out. There was power, so all I needed were a whole bunch of containers to hold the gas. Just leaving it here sounded like a stupid thing to do, since no one else was going to show up here besides raiders and infected, and I''ll be damned if I was going to let raiders take it all to use it to raid othermunities.


    So, I went to the other businesses and looked for things I could use. I found a 10 gallon portable gas tank in the second ce I checked and it wasn''t going to be big enough. I tripled the size and stored it, then went back to the gas station. I took out the tank and used the copy spell to make 10 copies, each able to hold 30 gallons, and filled them. I shrunk them and stored them.


    I made 10 more copies of the original tank and filled those, shrunk them, and stored them. I repeated this over and over until all 18,000 gallons were siphoned out, giving me 600 shrunken gas tanks of fuel. Of course, this made me wonder if there were still factories producing fuel from oil somewhere. I shrugged at the thought, because it didn''t matter if they were.


    I wasn''t going to wait around to see if there was going to be a delivery and hopped back into the truck and drove over to therge gate in the fence. I hopped out and hit the button to leave, waited for the gate to fully open, and hit the button again. I jumped back into the truck and mmed onto the gas to drive out just in time to miss the gate closing.


    With the map as a reference, I knew which roads were safest, and where certain groups of bandits andmunities had set up roadblocks to charge tolls or to rob people, sometimes both. I had Bill''s passcodes that he gave out for smugglers working for him, so I wasn''t worried. At best, I would only be a little bothered and inspected. At worst, I''d have a bit of work to do to clear out anyone dumb enough to try and stop me.


    I drove out of Lincoln with a smile on my face and managed to get back in the interstate without trouble. Once I was on the open road, I pulled out a box of Twinkies. I cancelled the shrinking spell and tore one open and chewed on it. It tasted great.


    *


    The group of people manning the New Jersey Turnpike, the main toll road through New York State, saw the FEDRA transport as it approached the roadblock. It was a little beat up and an older model; but, it was still in use and they didn''t question if it was legitimate or not.


    ¡°We''ve got a customer.¡± The guy who thought he was in charge called out.


    ¡°No shit, Sherlock.¡± Someone said and everyoneughed.


    ¡°Shut your face, Jenkins.¡± The supervisor said. ¡°We''re enacting the usual toll for the feddies.¡±


    ¡°Right, ten rat tickets or a 6-pack of water.¡± Jenkins said and hit the trunk of the blocking car. ¡°Get ready to back off.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± The guy said, his hand on the ignition.


    They didn''t suspect anything was wrong until the FEDRA transport started to slow down. It jerked a little, like the brakes were partially failing, then it evened out and slowed down at an even rate. They all took out their guns discreetly as the truck came to a stop beside the supervisor.


    ¡°Roll down the window and keep your hands where we can see them.¡± The supervisor said, his voice stern.


    One gloved hand left the steering wheel and the window rolled down. That gloved hand went back onto the steering wheel and stayed there. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± A young sounding voice asked.


    ¡°Jesus! You''re just a kid?¡± The supervisor asked, shocked.


    ¡°I''m almost 15!¡± The kid eximed and then sighed. ¡°That was stupid, Eli. Stupid, stupid, stupid.¡±


    The supervisor waved his gun at the kid without pointing it at him. ¡°Yeah, we''re going to have to ask you to step out.¡± He said and took a step back and nced at Jenkins.


    ¡°Can''t I just say the passcode and pay a bigger fee?¡± The kid asked.


    The supervisor shook his head. ¡°This is too suspicious for that, even if the code matches.¡± He said and motioned to Jenkins. ¡°We''re doing a full inspect...¡±


    *BANG!*


    The supervisor fell backwards with a bullet in his chest and his blood spurting out.


    ¡°I''m really sorry it came to this.¡± The kid said as he ducked down out of sight.


    ¡°Shoot the bastard!¡± Jenkins shouted and raised his own weapon. His eyes saw that the kid''s gloved hand was still on the steering wheel and he aimed for it.


    The door of the truck opened and a small figure rolled out andnded on the ground. Jenkins was surprised, because the hand was still on the steering wheel and changed his aim and fired, which missed the kid and only hit the door. The kid''s gun went off and Jenkins had a fresh hole in his forehead, ending his life. The others scrambled for cover, except it was much toote for that.


    Eli continuously moved and fired, never giving them a good target, and he hit them all and incapacitated them. He went around afterwards and finished them off, even the guy in the blocking car, and he looked really sad about having to do it. He pushed the body out of the way and backed the car up, then parked it. He stuffed the five bodies inside and put it into gear, hopped out, and shut the door.


    The car rolled backwards and kept going off the side of the road and down therge embankment as it picked up speed. It quickly crossed the small field there and mmed into the trees and almost disappeared inside.


    Eli let out a groaning sigh at his n not working, even wearing the FEDRA uniform he had. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking about altering his voice with a spell beforehand, so he did that now before he forgot about it. With luck, he wouldn''t have to leave the cab of the truck until he stopped driving that night.


    He did a quick check of the other vehicles and found nothing worthwhile, so he fixed the bullet holes he found in the truck and climbed back in. Things would have been a lot easier for him if he still had his divinely given body, that was for sure. He climbed back into the truck and unstuck his glove from the steering wheel and put it back on, hoping he didn''t have to use that trick again.


    *


    Several hourster, I pulled to a stop in a small parking area that was just off of an off-ramp in Ohio. The spread out poption of the state gave me more opportunities to stop and not worry about alerting an infected. I still set up alert wards and slept in the truck, though. I wasn''t stupid.


    I had also passed through three more roadblocks and wasn''t stopped longer than it took to hand over the toll fees. The deeper voice let me pass off my looks as having a baby-face and being teased about it by my squad mates, which earned a fewughs. I also passed out a few MREs for not hassling me too much about it, too.


    I slept fairly well on the bench seat and nothing came near or set of the wards. I woke in the morning and ate some spaghetti after using a heating charm on it. It was just as good as it was when I made it a few days ago.


    I drove back onto the interstate and didn''t find another roadblock until I passed into Missouri and neared Kansas City, which was funny, because Kansas also had a Kansas City. They were near each other on the shared border and it was going to be a pain in the ass to go through them. Large urban areas had so many unknown numbers of infected and fungal growths that it was too dangerous.


    Unfortunately, the highway waspletely blocked off and there was only one open route that led right into Kansas City. It couldn''t have been a more tant trap if it had a sign on the highway stating ''It''s A Trap!'' with a picture of Admiral Akbar on it.


    So, I did the smart thing. I turned around and drove away with the pedal to the metal. I heard the ping of a bullet off of the back of the truck and mentally nodded. A scout or a lookout had seen me running and tried to disable the truck before I got away. He failed, because he would need a much higher calibre weapon for that to work.


    I went back to thest off-ramp and came to a stop, then checked the maps I had taken from Bill''s ce. I traced a much longer route with my finger in order to get by the blockade and to stay well away from Kansas City. It would add another four hours to my trip; but, it was worth it to avoid the extra danger that the city represented with both infected and bandits.


    I would need to take my time and be extra careful, too. There was no way to tell what the new route was going to have along it and I had to be ready for anything. I checked the map again and sighed, gripped the steering wheel, and drove down the off-ramp.


    *


    Several people in hiding from the bandits saw the FEDRA truck pass through their small town. They wanted nothing to do with either the government stooges or the people fighting them, so they stayed in hiding and didn''t do anything to give away that they were there or that anyone was there. It worked against the bandits and it worked against everyone else, too.


    *


    I sighed with relief four hourster when I had passed the most dangerous areas and managed to get back onto the interstate without meeting or seeing anyone or anything. There were no roadblocks, detours, or piles of rubble from battle damage, either. It was almost like the entire area had beenpletely abandoned and anyone that came across it had left it exactly the way it was.


    That thought made meugh, because I had done that, too.


    I drove on and snacked on things I hadn''t had in a long time, like different kinds of candy, soda pop, pastries, and odd vors of gum. It was both nostalgic and a little sad, because I knew there were sealed crates of them in my inventory that I hadn''t even looked at yet.


    I pushed those thoughts aside and drove on until it started to get dark and I had to stop in a rtively safe area and set up the alert wards. I hade too far to stop being diligent or let myself be caught by anyone, especially anyone that was infected.


    Once again, I slept well and nothing disturbed me. I ate an MRE for breakfast and drove back onto the interstate. I was sure there wouldn''t be much more for me to do along the highway, considering the interstate would pass up through Nebraska and into Wyoming.


    I still needed to be careful at any roadblocks, even with my act perfected, and I wouldn''t let the stress get to me. There was only about another two days of travelling left for me to arrive at my destination, after all. Jackson, Wyoming, here Ie!

 151 Wyoming Or Bust

    151 Wyoming Or Bust


    I slowed the truck down as I approached the area where Jackson was. The loud sound of a hydroelectric dam could be heard, even through the closed windows, and I mentally prepared to see a lot of people. I also didn''t want to start off on the wrong foot, so I stored my FEDRA uniform and stolen equipment, including my gun.


    I was also tempted to stop and store whatever was in the back cargo area of the truck and chose not to. I was close to their settlement and I was sure someone was watching the road, so there was no way to hide it if I tried to hide something. I drove on at the slower pace and continued on until I saw a huge wooden barricade withrge wooden doors blocking the road.


    There were two people standing there on guard carrying rifles and one of them made a loud whistle sound. I brought the truck to a stop with my foot on the brake about thirty feet away and didn''t do anything threatening or stupid, like turning the truck off.


    A few minutester, therge wooden doors opened and a group of people on horseback trotted out towards me. The doors shut behind them and I could see that they had rifles slung over their shoulders and pistols holstered on their hips.


    I took out my wand and stuck my glove to the steering wheel and slid my hand out of it as I took my gun out of my inventory and aimed through the door. If things went bad again, I wanted to be ready. Shooting first always shocked people and I wasn''t going to give up that advantage.


    The horses surrounded the truck at a respectable distance and several of the men readied and raised their rifles. The man in the middle of the road trotted forward and stopped ten feet away from my window.


    ¡°Who are you and what''s your business here in a stolen FEDRA truck?¡± The dark skinned man spat at me, his hand on his six-shooter pistol''s grip.


    ¡°The passcode is ''Fuck the Feds and Flies'' and I didn''t steal the truck. It was abandoned in Boston, I put in the battery, and eventually made it to Bill''s ce.¡± I said and his eyes widened. ¡°Yes, before you ask, he passed away with Frank when they didn''t want to live without each other.¡±


    ¡°Prove it!¡± He spat and pulled out his gun to aim it at me.


    I nced at the men around the truck and they looked surprised he was so angry. ¡°If you don''t shoot me as I reach for the letter he left for me, I can.¡±


    ¡°Keep your other hand on the steering wheel.¡± He said and nodded at the empty glove.


    ¡°It won''t move from there.¡± I promised and slowly lifted my other hand and showed it was empty, then I reached into my jacket.


    They all tensed up, expecting me to pull out a gun or something. I grabbed the altered letter and very slowly slid it out, letting him and his men see that it was a letter and not a gun. They visibly rxed and two of them put their rifles up.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± I said and held it out to him instead of throwing it. Was it petty to make him gome and get it? Yes, it was and I did it anyway.


    He made an angry sound and the horse took several steps for him to get close enough to snatch the letter out of my hand.


    I was very tempted to shoot him for that, except I was severely outgunned and at a distinct disadvantage. I could probably get one or two of them before the rest opened fire; but, I had no cover except for the cab of the truck and I knew the doors wouldn''t even slow down a bullet, let alone stop it.


    He holstered his pistol and tore the envelope apart, not caring that he was ruining the expensive parchment. His eyes darted over both sheets of the letter, clearly seeing that it was in Bill''s handwriting, and he rxed as a tear came to his eye. He knew Bill well apparently, maybe even in that way, and he looked up from the letter at me as the anger on his face slowly faded.


    ¡°Are you Eli?¡± He asked and waved the letter.


    ¡°The one and only.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°You have to forgive me if I don''t have any official paperwork. The feds didn''t care that I was an orphan and didn''t want anything to do with them and the resistance didn''t care that I was an orphan and didn''t want anything to do with them.¡±


    One of the men barked augh and the guy next to him hushed him. ¡°What? I was in the same boat. None of them would take no for an answer and I got away from them as soon as I could.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and waved. ¡°I''ve got a couple of Twinkies left over from my stash that I can share with a fellow survivor.¡±


    ¡°You''re all right, kid.¡± The man said with a smile and slung his rifle.


    ¡°Do you have any weapons on you?¡± The ck man holding the letter asked me.


    ¡°No.¡± I said and several of the men frowned at me, clearly not believing me. ¡°The shotgun is tucked under the seat to stop it from jostling around and maybe going off while I''m driving.¡±


    My words made them all smile and a few of them nodded. Gun safety was very important.


    ¡°How much ammo do you have for it?¡± The guy I was now friends with asked.


    ¡°I''ve got four boxes of unused ammo and two boxes of spent shells.¡± I said, letting them know I was in some skirmishes without actually saying I was.


    ¡°You need to hand it over.¡± The ck man in charge said. ¡°No one can have live guns inside thepound.¡±


    My eyes went to his pistol and then to the men around him with rifles on their backs.


    ¡°We only arm up when we leave the safety of the walls.¡± My friend said.


    Since I didn''t want to cause trouble, I sighed. ¡°That''s fair, I guess.¡± I said and held my hand out for the letter and he didn''t give it back, so I stared at the ck man. ¡°When I leave, I''ll get that and my gun back, won''t I?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He said and folded the letter to put inside his vest. ¡°They''re being confiscated, as is the ammo for the shotgun. Consider it a toll for staying here.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°What if I don''t want to stay?¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t matter. You''re here in our territory and you have to follow our rules.¡± He said, smugly.


    ¡°Your territory is outside the walls?¡± I asked, just to be sure.


    ¡°That''s to protect the town and the animals from bandits and infected when they show up. We patrol this whole area, from the dam all the way up to the national park.¡± The idiot said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said and stepped on the gas. Since it was still in drive, the truck shot forward and they all yelled in shock.


    The distance to therge wooden doors passed by almost instantly and the truck smashed through them easily. Several people screamed as I drove the truck down the main street and I skidded the truck to a stop. I stored my pistol and took out a normal shotgun and not my infinite ammo one, put on my glove, and hopped out of the truck.


    ¡°Hey, everyone!¡± I said and ran to the back of the truck and opened the doors. ¡°I brought supplies here that your leader was going to steal from me, so you can have them instead!¡±


    No one moved or said anything for several seconds, until they saw that ck man and his posse riding towards the truck.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± A man shouted and ran over, as did his two friends. ¡°Look at all this stuff!¡± He said and pulled out a box of trail rations and held it up. ¡°There''s gas, too! Hahaha!¡±


    The truck was suddenly swarmed by people, adults and kids alike, and they fully stopped the ck man and his riders from reaching me. I made a show of tucking the shotgun away and grinned at the man, whom growled angrily.


    The supplies were quickly handed out and dispersed before the posse could stop anyone, which meant certain things were fairly restricted and they loved getting something they could use themselves or trade away for other things. The rounds of shoulder pats and thank yous made me feel a lot better about destroying the gate and the harshments the ck guy received made me pretty happy. The gate was too flimsy to stop anything, anyway.


    I pulled out the two Twinkies from my pocket and tossed them at my new friend, whom looked surprised by the gesture. ¡°Do any of you know a girl named Tammy Miller? I have a message for her.¡±


    The ck guy cursed under his breath and slid off of his horse. He handed the reins to another man and red at me.


    ¡°She''s at themunity centre teaching the kids.¡± My new friend said and munched on a Twinkie. ¡°Damn, that''s tasty.¡± He said and shoved the rest into his mouth. ¡°Marius? Why don''t you take Eli over to her, since she''s your partner. We''ll guard the road until the work crew can bring over some recement logs to fix the doors.¡±


    The ck guy made another growl sound and started walking away. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I quickly took off my tform boots and put on my sneakers, then followed him as I hung the boots over my shoulder to keep my hands free. ¡°I suggest putting a second row of logs attached crossways to brace the doors and make them stronger!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡± My friend said and they trotted off back towards the town''s entrance.


    We reached therge building and I had seen several other things along the way, like a bar, a jailhouse, a general store, and a few other things that a budding town needed to survive. It had everything, including electricity and farm animals of all kinds, and the people looked happy.


    The ck man opened the door of themunity centre and went inside without letting me go first. I didn''t follow, because I knew he was going to ambush and attack me. It was the only exnation to not make me go first. It would also let the man shoot out through the door and not into the building, if he used his gun, which would have endangered the kids inside if he tried to shoot me in the back.


    I heard a sigh from inside the building and the sound of a gun sliding out of a holster, then the ck man stepped back out of the building with his gun aimed towards me. I wasn''t an idiot, so I was already grabbing for it and he looked surprised for a second until my small fist mmed into his chin. His lights went right out and he dropped to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut.


    I tucked his gun away behind my back and then kicked him as hard as I could between the legs. Unlike with Ted, I had learned my lesson and had no problem with disabling the jerk. I dug though his vest and retrieved the letter, put it away, and entered themunity centre to look for a woman that probably looked something like what Joan did.


    *


    Tammy was reading to the little kids and making themugh by using different voices for the characters, when she heard the scuffle near the front doors. She saw her man Marius for a few seconds, then he drew his gun and stepped back outside. A sigh escaped her and she closed the book.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I need to go check on Marius.¡± Tammy said and stood up to put the book back on the shelf.


    The little girls giggled at her sneaking off to be with a boy and the little boys groaned with disappointment, because it wasn''t fair that their pretty teacher already had a boy she liked.


    Tammy mentallyughed at their reactions, knowing full well what the kids thought about her, and she walked over towards the door. She came to a stop when a short young man stepped inside and he stared at her like he knew who she was.


    ¡°Of course you would remind me Andrea. Who else would you look like?¡± He asked himself out loud and then he shook his head, as if he was trying to forget what he just said. He walked forward and held his hand out for her to shake. ¡°I''m Eli Williams.¡±


    ¡°Tammy Miller.¡± Tammy said and shook the offered hand. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I have a message for you from Joan.¡± Eli said, his face sad.


    Tammy sighed out loud. She knew it was going to be bad and she had expected it a while ago, considering the life her sister lived. ¡°I''m going to need a drink for this.¡± She said and walked around him and towards the front door.


    ¡°Even your ass is the same.¡± Eli whispered from behind her. ¡°Why is the world tempting me so much with the things I can''t have?¡±


    Tammy stumbled over nothing at those words, shocked that a teenager who knew better, would ever consider her wrinkled butt for anything sexual.


    ¡°Careful. There''s a walking hazarding up.¡± Eli joked.


    Tammy stopped just outside the door and saw her man was unconscious on the ground. She stared at him for a few seconds and then nced back at Eli. ¡°Your work, I assume?¡±


    ¡°He tried to steal my shotgun and the ammo.¡± Eli responded.


    Tammy frowned. ¡°No one is allowed to carry firearms inside the walls.¡±


    Eli took out her man''s gun to show her and tucked it back behind his back. ¡°I asked if I would get it back and he said he was confiscating it as a toll. I objected to that.¡±


    Tammy sighed and walked around Marius'' prone form to cross the street. ¡°He had no right to do that. No one''s supposed to be in charge and we have amittee that helps run things. It keeps everyone happy and reduces the problems we all have.¡±


    Eli tapped her on the shoulder and she stopped walking, then she was surprised when he held out the handgun and the shotgun to her. ¡°I have no problem handing them over. I just don''t like getting robbed.¡±


    Tammy took the pistol and tucked it behind her own back and waved the shotgun away. ¡°If you can hide that on yourself without me noticing it, then I''m not worried you''re going to use it.¡±


    Eli smiled warmly and tucked it back inside his jacket, making the thing disappear. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tammy smiled back and motioned for him to follow her. She led him into a well stocked bar and he gave an appreciative whistle. She softlyughed at a teenager understanding what having all these different kinds of alcohol meant. After waving at a stool in front of the bar, she went behind it and grabbed a nice bottle of whiskey and a thick ss.


    ¡°Just one finger''s worth, please. I haven''t eaten supper yet.¡± Eli said and sheughed.


    ¡°This is for me, you little prick.¡± Tammy said, her voice full of amusement, and poured out three finger''s worth of amber liquid into her ss.


    ¡°Hey, I resemble that statement.¡± Eli joked and Tammy made a snort sound, clearly fighting to notugh, which made him grin at her. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a water container and he held it for a moment before he nodded at her drink. ¡°Do you want a top off with c?¡±


    ¡°As long as it''s not diet.¡± Tammy said and put the cap back on the whiskey bottle.


    ¡°Bite your tongue, woman.¡± Eli said and poured some into her ss to fill it.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Tammy said and handed him a ss as well.


    Eli poured out enough to fill the ss and put the container away. He lifted his ss and she did as well. ¡°Cheers.¡±


    ¡°Cheers.¡± Tammy said and took a sip of her drink. She almost spat it out in surprise at how good it tasted. Her lips mped together and she managed to swallow it, even if she wanted to just swish it around her tongue for a while. The warmth flowed down her throat and settled in her stomach, giving her a pleased feeling. ¡°Mmmm.¡±


    Eli chuckled and took a sip of his own ss. ¡°I agree, it''s a great vintage.¡±


    Tammy giggled before she could stop herself. ¡°I''d ask what brand that is if I thought you had any more of it.¡±


    Eli smiled warmly at her and reached into the other side of his jacket and then shocked her as he pulled out a two litre bottle of Pepsi C. No one had seen one of those intact in almost a decade!


    ¡°I just so happened toe across a stash of these recently and brought a couple bottles along for my trip.¡± Eli said and set the unopened bottle on the counter.


    ¡°I''d kiss you if you hadn''t beat down my guy.¡± Tammy said with a grin and took the bottle to set it beside the whiskey bottle.


    ¡°Eh, he deserved it.¡± Eli said with a shrug and took another drink of soda.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tammy said and took a sip of her drink. She gave him a pointed look for several seconds and then made a decision. She picked up her ss, the whiskey bottle, and the bottle of soda. Her nod to follow was easily understood and Eli went with her over to a small table at the side of the room.


    Eli held her chair for her and made Tammy bothugh and blush, which made himugh in turn. He didn''t apologize for treating her like a date and sat across from her as she set her things on the table. He put his own ss down and waited for her to say something.


    Tammy gave him another pointed look and then downed what was left in her first ss. Eli raised his eyebrows at her and she smirked at him as she made herself another drink with only one finger of alcohol. He nodded in understanding, because they were going to be there for a while.


    ¡°Before you tell me how my idiot sister died, why don''t you tell me your story?¡± Tammy asked.


    Eli took a sip of his drink. ¡°Can I ask why?¡±


    Tammy downed her second drink and sighed. ¡°I want to figure out why you killed her.¡±


    Eli opened his mouth to deny it and Tammy''s hand darted out and pped him across the face, stopping the words before they formed.


    ¡°There''s no point in lying to me about it.¡± Tammy said and made herself another drink. ¡°She''s gone and that''s it. All you can do now is tell me what happened to you and then you can tell me why she had to die for it.¡±


    Eli rubbed his face for a few seconds, then he sighed. ¡°I didn''t even know who your sister was until about a week or so ago.¡±


    Tammy nodded and took a sip of her drink and motioned for him to keep talking.


    ¡°I was being held in a Firefly resistance building and a deal went wrong with a local seller...¡± Eli started and then proceeded to tell her everything that happened.

 152 To Stay Or To Go Part One

    152 To Stay Or To Go Part One


    As I told Tammy my story, which was actually just the memories I had been given at the beginning of my visit here, the bar slowly started to fill up with people. A lot of them waved at and greeted Tammy, whom only nodded in response as she listened to me.


    A pissed off Marius waddled into the bar a short timeter and stalked right over to our table. Before he could do anything besides re at me, I jumped to my feet and punched him in his ss jaw again. He dropped like a rock to the floor and everyone in the bar fell silent... then a few of themughed and one of the younger women made a wolf-whistle at me.


    I of course bowed and tipped an invisible hat to her, making her and the girls around herugh and they started teasing each other. I sat back down and Tammy gave me a deadpan look, as if asking what else I did to him.


    ¡°Marius was an asshole when we met and then he tried to shoot me when he lured me over to you.¡± I said and then chuckled. ¡°I may have also kicked him in the balls as hard as I could after I knocked him out the first time.¡±


    That made a lot of the people around usugh and Tammy sighed as she gave me the signal to keep talking.


    ¡°Where was I before I was interrupted? Oh, yeah. Merle thought it was a wonderful idea to ignore my advice...¡± I started my story up again and exined all about what happened with the seller, the surprise raid called in by Bobbie when Merle wouldn''t pay her for a dead battery, and then dealing with Merle for being so stupid and getting everyone killed while I was locked up and kept safe.


    The people around usughed again, both for me putting the idiot down and the thoughts of being safe anywhere inside a quarantine zone controlled by the government and FEDRA patrols.


    I told Tammy about meeting Joan and Ted for the first time after that and she stopped sipping her drink. Her eyes slowly became wider and wider as I described everything that happened, how Ted and Joan acted and reacted to everything, and how they treated me.


    By the time my story reached Bill''s ce and I handed her the unaltered letter, Tammy looked resigned and she pushed her half-finished drink away. A quarter of the bottle of whisky was gone, as was two-thirds of the bottle of soda. She spent several minutes reading and then folded the letter up.


    ¡°Can I keep this?¡± Tammy asked.


    ¡°If you want to. It''s served its purpose.¡± I said and she nodded as she tucked it away under her shirt.


    We sat there in silence for several more minutes and neither of us said anything.


    Tammy stared down at her drink and didn''t reach for it. ¡°She wasn''t going to leave there for a while.¡± She said, her mind finally reaching the same conclusions that I had. ¡°She wanted toe and find me, even though she didn''t know I was here for sure; but, there was no real rush. It''s been many years since thest time I saw her and a few months or more weren''t going to make much difference.¡±


    I only nodded and didn''t respond verbally as my fingers slowly turned my empty ss.


    ¡°You''re not sorry you did it.¡± Tammymented. She wasn''t using me or ming me, either.


    ¡°I was starting to have feelings for her and she knew that, used them against me, and she didn''t do or say anything to Ted about almost killing me a couple of times. It was like I didn''t really matter to her and she didn''t really care.¡± I said and finished off my soda. ¡°After that, I was pretty much just tagging along with them because I had nothing else to do or anywhere else to go.¡±


    Tammy''s hand reached for mine that held my empty ss and I let the ss go to turn my hand and grabbed onto hers. Her reassuring smile made me feel warm inside.


    ¡°They weren''t taking me anywhere after the Massachusetts State House because the resistance cell there was dead. With Merle out of the picture and two groups of Fireflies taken out, there was no one left to tell us where to go. All I knew was to head west and that was it.¡±


    ¡°Joan and Ted weren''t going to finish the smuggling job.¡± Tammy said and gave my hand a squeeze. ¡°Thest thing I heard was about four months ago. The Fireflies had a base down in Colorado and it was inside the Eastern Colorado University campus or something. Or it used to be. They could be long gone from there by now.¡± She said and nodded off to the side.


    ¡°I was a part of a scout group that passed by there back then and it was dangerous.¡± Jenkins said and saluted Tammy with his drink. ¡°It was even worse between there and here. We didn''t lose anyone, thank god.¡±


    ¡°Infected?¡± I asked, just to be sure.


    ¡°Like you wouldn''t believe.¡± Jenkins said and shook his head. ¡°I signed out of scout missions after that. I don''t want to see another one of those horrible horde swarm things ever again, thank you very much.¡±


    I nodded and held on to Tammy''s hand for reassurance instead of letting it go. I should have, because Marius woke up right then and saw us holding hands. His face turned angry and he started to stand up.


    ¡°I''ve got it this time.¡± Someone said from the next table and a fist swung out and popped him on the chin. He conked right out and fell back onto the floor as the whole bar broke intoughter.


    ¡°And that''s the two downsides of having a ss jaw.¡± I said and motioned to Marius. ¡°The first is having one in the first ce. The second is that once everyone knows about it, you''re fucked.¡±


    Severalughs came from the men, while the women looked both pleased and upset. That reaction was about average for whenever a teenager cursed in front of adults, in my experience anyway. A few of them also raised shot sses to me and drank them down. I couldn''t tell if they were saluting my death or my sess at winning Tammy over, though. They would enjoy the drink either way.


    ¡°All right.¡± Tammy said and stood, her hand still sped in mine. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± I said and stood as well. ¡°Can I get something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They serve three square meals a day in the jailhouse.¡± Tammy said and her hand was like a vise. ¡°Jenkins? Give me a hand securing the prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Only under protest.¡± Jenkins said and I felt a handcuff p onto my free wrist and then Tammy did a neat twist thing with her arm and my own was suddenly behind my back and the other handcuff was secured.


    ¡°Everyone? We need help gathering up the evidence of Eli''s crimes. It should only take a day or so and then we''ll hold a trial to ensure due process.¡± Tammy told them and most of them nodded.


    ¡°Do you allow conjugal visits?¡± The woman that wolf-whistled at me asked and her friendsughed.


    ¡°Eli?¡± Tammy asked me.


    ¡°I''m still a virgin.¡± I said out loud. <i>In this body.</i> I added in my head.


    ¡°That''s a shame.¡± The woman said, her voice sad. ¡°I''ll have to pass. There''s no time to break you in properly.¡±


    I didn''t visibly react to her words and that had Tammy and a few other people frown sightly at me. In my mind I was nning on how to either escape or towyer up and earn my freedom. Escape was definitely the much better option.


    ¡°What am I being charged with?¡± I asked as Tammy and Jenkins walked me out of the bar. ¡°Any of the crimes I allegedly admitted to, happened before I entered your territory.¡±


    Jenkins chuckled and pped my shoulder. ¡°That''s just the thing, Eli. We''re not charging you with anything you''ve done before.¡±


    I blinked my eyes for a moment and then realized what he meant. ¡°Can I plead extenuating circumstances and temporary insanity for destroying the town''s gate and assaulting a local?¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget brandishing a weapon, fighting, smuggling, dispersion of stolen goods, possession of stolen goods, encouraging disobedience to the local authorities, and causing a riot.¡± Tammy informed me.


    I sighed and went along willingly to the jailhouse. At least I was going to sleep in a real bed for once. It would be the first time since back at Bill''s ce. Well, I guess it''s Tammy''s ce now with her being Joan''s only living family.


    *


    Two hourster, Tammy went back to themunity centre to oversee the investigation. They would have done it at the jailhouse, except the suspect was there. ¡°What do we have?¡±


    A bunch of people submitted reports, eye witness statements, a list of the contraband and illegal goods, and the damage report on the doors and the road from the heavy truck tearing it up and making it difficult for the horses to trot across.


    Jenkins put the shotgun and a box of shells onto the table, too. ¡°We searched the truck and can''t find anything else in the cab. Either he was bluffing or he stashed the other boxes somewhere else when we were all looking right at him.¡±


    ¡°Bluff, I think. He''s turning 15 soon and he had to wear tform boots to drive the truck.¡± Tammy said and a few of the others chuckled. It was both funny and really smart of him. ¡°We need a few hours to go over all of this, just in case someone exaggerated their story.¡± She said and pointedly did not look at Marius.


    ¡°We''re not going anywhere.¡± Jenkins said and the rest nodded.


    They all settled down to work through everything to put together a cohesive whole of the avable evidence, minus one specific viewpoint. That of the perpetrator.


    *


    The next two days were quite rxing. I was fed three nice meals a day at breakfast, noon, and night, and had a few people visit. Jenkins apologized and said everyone was subjected to their establishedws, or it wouldn''t be fair to anyone if they weren''t all treated equally.


    I would normally agree with that, except I wasn''t allowed to influence the investigation with my observations. I would be allowed to present my case only when it was time and it would be weighed against the evidence.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t really like my odds if I had to defend my actions with reasons and facts, since a lot of it was just my own opinions and I acted as I saw fit and not necessarily as anyone else would. My experiences and thoughts highly influenced my actions, including the imnted memories that were added to my brain. I couldn''t use that as a defense, however.


    On the morning of the third day, I was brought to themunity centre after breakfast and everyone in the town was there. A group of five people sat at a table in the front of the main room and I was sat at a side table by myself. A woman I didn''t now sat at the other side table and she had a stack of folders in front of her.


    ¡°Attention, all.¡± A man said from the middle of the five people being judges. ¡°The random draw for the Judge''s Council picked us to serve this day and no one objected.¡±


    Someone coughed and he nced over at the woman at the end of the table.


    ¡°Should we tell them that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It''s only fair.¡± She answered. ¡°It definitely puts her and the rest of us in a much better light.¡±


    The man nodded and looked over the gathered people. ¡°One of the draws brought out Tammy Miller''s name...¡±


    A few people made surprised sounds, some of which I was sure was because she wasn''t sitting at the table with the judging council.


    ¡°...and she recused herself, because of the suspect''s crimes and her own opinions being influenced by said suspect before he was charged.¡± The man continued as if he hadn''t been interrupted.


    Nearly everyone in the room turned to look at the spot where Tammy sat, myself included, and she smiled and nodded, confirming the judge''s words. A scowling Marius sat beside her and he red at me, so I smiled and nodded back, even if I thought my odds just dropped because she wouldn''t be there to put in a good word for me.


    ¡°Chosen Presenter, please give the description of the charges and the evidence.¡± The man said and sat back to rx.


    I sat there and stayed quiet as everything I did while there was presented in the worst possible light. My heart plummeted as everything was proven, especially the destruction of the gate that terrified a lot of people and the multiple assaults on Marius. His exaggerated report on my confrontational attitude and how aggressive I was the whole time, forced me to hold in myughter.


    A lot of the people in the crowd scoffed at his descriptions of me and I felt a little better about the smear campaign being levelled against me. It was still a horrible picture that had been painted against me and I was going to have a difficult fight ahead.


    ¡°The used can now preset his defense.¡± The man in the middle said.


    I stood up and everyone saw how much shorter I was than everyone else. ¡°Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to present my case and not just killing me off out of sight like everyone else would have.¡±


    That brought the entire room to silence and the five judges looked surprised.


    ¡°I could stand here and defend my actions for the next few hours, countering every single point the presenter gave you, including how biased Marius was against me from the very start and that it was his confrontational attitude and not mine that caused this whole thing to happen in the first ce.¡± I told them.


    A lot of people in the room nodded, including Tammy. Marius just scowled.


    ¡°However, I''m not going to do that.¡± I said and a few people gasped. ¡°You see, I realized something important as I sat in a jail cell for two days and thought about everything.¡±


    ¡°And what did youe up with?¡± One of the other judges asked.


    ¡°I wanted to remind you all that I crossed most of the country, from Massachusetts on the east coast to all the way here to Wyoming, all by myself. I travelled through hostile territory the entire way to reach here because someone that was hired to deliver me to the Resistance had failed in that job.¡± I said and everyone was silent. ¡°I''ve gone through more things than most people can imagine and I''ve adopted a survivor''s mentality.¡±


    ¡°What''s what mean?¡± The woman on the end of the judge''s table asked.


    ¡°It''s exactly what it says. I will do everything I can to ensure my own survival above all else. Both myfort and mental stability are secondary to staying alive. Everything else can be reasoned away under the thought that I have to live to see another day and to somehow get back to my loved ones. Nothing else is as important.¡± I rified. ¡°That is the only reasonable defense I could present, so thank you for allowing me to voice it.¡±


    Silence fell and no one moved or spoke for several minutes.


    ¡°We need to deliberate.¡± The middle man said and stood. ¡°Lunch will be brought here and we will return afterwards.¡±


    The five judges shuffled out of the main room and everyone started talking.


    ¡°That''s not going to be enough to get you off from all the charges.¡± Jenkins whispered next to me.


    ¡°I know.¡± I whispered back without turning around. ¡°How did the door rebuilding go?¡±


    Jenkins chuckled. ¡°Your ideas for reinforcing it and then adding braces to embed into the ground when they''re shut? Everyone''s praising the work crew for protecting the entire town better than ever.¡±


    ¡°I''m d.¡± I said and a tray of food was given to me. I looked up and it was the woman that wolf-whistled and I couldn''t resist teasing her. ¡°My birthday''s next month and you could give me one hell of present.¡±


    Jenkinsughed at her surprised face and didn''t try to muffle it. ¡°You''ve got huge balls, Eli. Huge balls.¡±


    ¡°They haven''t dropped yet; but, they''re getting there.¡± I joked and heughed some more.


    ¡°Why couldn''t you be a few years older?¡± The woman asked and she carried her own tray of food. We were suddenly surrounded by three other women carrying some chairs and they crowded around us as they put the chairs down and they all sat at the small table.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± I asked them and one of them with short ck hair gave me a sexy smile and the rest shrugged. ¡°I am a confessed criminal, after all.¡±


    ¡°A little danger can spice things up sometimes.¡± The woman with short ck hair said and started eating.


    ¡°Plus, you''re really cute when you argue.¡± The blonde beside me said.


    I gave her a single raised eyebrow and she blushed slightly.


    ¡°I stand by what I said.¡± She said and kept eating.


    I looked at their faces and none of them seemed angry or upset at all the crimes I hadmitted against theirmunity. ¡°Youdies are far too nice to be associated with me.¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡± The woman that wolf-whistled said, a smile on her face.


    ¡°Give me about a year to get used to things.¡± The woman with short ck hair said. ¡°I should be able to convince myself that having a cute boytoy is a great idea by then.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at the admission and she gave me that sexy smile again. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± I said and didn''t get up. I instead dropped my hands below the table and visibly adjusted myself. ¡°Whew, that''s better.¡±


    It was her turn to blink her eyes at me, because I had be hard just from her words. The other three women also needed a moment toe to grips with that and then they all smiled and resumed eating.

 153 To Stay Or To Go Part Two

    153 To Stay Or To Go Part Two


    The meal passed inpanionable silence for the most part, except for some small talk between the four women friends. It was gentle ribbing about me and it just made me smile. It was like they were trying to encourage each other to gather up the nerve to do or say something to me that wasn''t sanitized for the general poption.


    When the lunch break was over, I stood before they could and walked around the small table to give each of them a kiss on the cheek and I whispered a thank you for making me feel wee, despite being a filthy and dirty criminal.


    The four of them had bright blushes as they carried the chairs and empty food trays away and I sat back down with a smile, ready to face whatever judgment the five judges hade up with. The five people entered the room and everyone else quieted as they sat down behind the front table.


    ¡°We have a few points to rify.¡± The man in the middle said and looked at me. ¡°Firstly, why did youe here? We know the message you said you were delivering was false.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It wasn''t false. I wanted to tell Tammy that her sister was dead. She was just too smart for me to deceive her about how Joan died and why.¡±


    That surprised everyone, including the judges.


    ¡°The reason I came here specifically was because I agreed with Tammy''s philosophy about survival. It''s better to create a ce well removed from all the shit that the government and the resistance are spreading around and being caught up in their stupid battles. That''s not living. That''s slowly dying.¡±


    The judges exchanged looks and the middle man spoke again. ¡°Why did you destroy the town''s protection by smashing through the doors blocking the road?¡±


    ¡°I was going to rebuild them anyway. They were too flimsy to stand up to a harsh storm, let alone an old FEDRA transport. I took the doors out from a dead stop in under 30 feet. What would a concentrated attack from a determined enemy have done to them?¡± I asked and that really had them all thinking.


    ¡°Is that why you made those suggestions to Jenkins?¡± The woman at the end of the table asked.


    ¡°Yes, it was. I would have been there to help if I hadn''t been slightly inconvenienced at the time.¡± I said with a smile and a few people let out muffledughs.


    ¡°Are you saying you could have left your jail cell at any time?¡± One of the other judges asked.


    ¡°No.¡± I said and they rxed. ¡°I could have left at any time. Period. End of story.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Several people asked from the crowd, as did two of the judges.


    I chuckled and tapped my temple, indicating my memories. ¡°I''ve attended a federal military academy for several years and I''ve been under a resistance leader for several years. I know all kinds of ways to handle different situations.¡± I exined. ¡°I even know proper police procedures from before the outbreak, which was why I didn''t resist when Tammy performed a proper citizen''s arrest on me.¡±


    ¡°That''s why you didn''t try to escape?¡± Tammy asked me and no one called her out on not being aloud to speak during a trial.


    I turned in my seat and nodded at her. ¡°You were well within your rights to detain me and to bring me to the authorities. Besides making myself look even more guilty if I escaped, and believe me I debated heavily about doing just that, then I realized I didn''t want to make you look bad in the eyes of everyone else.¡±


    Tammy looked stunned after I made my point, so I turned back to the judges.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need rified?¡± I asked them.


    ¡°The supplies and things in the back of the truck...¡± The middle man started to say.


    ¡°I can honestly say I had no clue what was in there. Joan and Ted loaded it up while I was inside the cab of the truck, and that was before we left Boston. I didn''t even see what was there when I opened the back doors and the townspeople here took everything.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t even... why would you do that?¡± The woman at the end of the table asked.


    ¡°I honestly didn''t care what was in there.¡± I admitted and everyone stared at me like I was crazy. ¡°I mean, I was sure it was stolen or contraband, since that was all Joan and Ted dealt with. They were unscrupulous smugglers and made deals with everyone, including the feds and the fireflies.¡±


    No one seemed to know what to say to that.


    ¡°Besides, I was going to hand the truck over to Tammy anyway.¡± I said and took out the keys and ced them on the table. ¡°I''m sure she can put it to good use somehow. The gas tank is full and I thought I heard someone say there was more fuel in the supplies I gave away.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to use it?¡± The middle judge asked, surprised.


    ¡°What for? To head down to Colorado in the hopes the resistance still has a base there for the winter?¡± I asked and shook my head. ¡°After what Jenkins said about thest time he passed through there to get back here, I would be an idiot to try and go there looking for something I don''t really want to find anyway. I already told you I want to live and that''s all that matters.¡±


    The judges nodded as one and gathered together to whisper. I didn''t try to listen and I also didn''t turn around to look at anyone''s faces. My worry about what I was going to be sentenced with was difficult to fight against, especially after I admitted I could leave at any time. I just hoped that whatever they decided wasn''t too harsh of a punishment.


    The judges sat back down at the table and the middle man knocked on the table. ¡°We''ve made a decision.¡±


    Everything slowed down and then came to a stop as the world greyed out slightly.


    <b>A pivotal point in the story has been reached and the World Pause feature has been automatically activated.</b>


    <i>Thank fuck! That was nerve-wracking and really stressful.</i> I thought and let out a sigh. <i>Does this mean the Unpause Feature has finally been installed?</i>


    <b>It has! You can now choose between 4 different worlds to travel to.</b>


    I stared at the words and didn''t understand them. <i>Wait, 4? How did that happen?</i> I asked and then my eyes widened as I remembered the other worlds I had gone to. <i>No, wait! Why is it only 4?</i>


    <b>The current worlds to have ess to are:


    The Walking Dead (As Rick Grimes)


    The Last Of Us (As Eli Williams - Gender-Swapped)


    Worm (As Taylor - Gender-Swapped)


    The Incredibles (As Hank Parr - Gender-Swapped).


    The other worlds you have essed no longer have a body within them for you to return to.</b>


    My brain kind of stuttered at thosest words and I had to think. The first one I visited, High School DxD, I blew my body up and it disintegrated, so that made sense. The second one, Danmachi, I had been shoved through a portal to die, so... yeah, okay. I couldn''t return to that body, either. It was the same with Familiar of Zero, since I flew a ne into the void gap between dimensions and paid Karma Points to close the world behind me.


    My reward world after that was Harry Potter and I stepped through the Veil of Death, which sent me to Konosuba. In that world, my body was consumed by the Demon General named Sylvia and I didn''t have anything to return to, unless I could be part of her conscience or something and I really didn''t want to do that.


    My choices really were limited in where I could go back to and it wasn''t just semantics keeping me from going back to where I had been before. I would need to find or buy some kind of portal power or something and then maybe it would let me go back and visit those worlds again.


    When I looked back at the notice, I read thest two options again. <i>Hold on, why are those two also Gender-Swapped?</i>


    <b>They were unlocked for free when you epted going to another death world.</b>


    I almost yelled in anger at that, then calmed down when I realized they were right. I had asked to go somewhere else and it was only chance that had sent me to another zombie world. It also let me think things over and see that The Walking Dead wasn''t really that bad inparison. I had also made mistakes that I could easily correct when I went back.


    Now I just had to choose if I wanted to stay here, go back to The Walking Dead, or head off to another adventure in a different world. <i>Is there a time limit to when I can leave or are all these worlds paused when I travel to a new one?</i>


    <b>It depends on when they are paused. If you die or are shoved through a portal, then the world isn''t paused because you don''t have a body there for the system to work through.</b>


    <i>What about the time differential? Does it move faster or slower or what?</i>


    <b>All time progresses at the same rate across different earths, since time is rtive. A minute here is the same as a minute there. Only the observations from outside those time differentials would see things either speed up or slow down in rtion to the observation point.</b>


    <i>Which is me.</i> I thought and nodded in understanding. Everything hinged on me because it was my system, The Protagonist System, that everything was dependent on. <i>All right, then I''ll consider all the facts before I make my choice.</i>


    *


    Amy''s tears were just starting to fall and she hugged her sister when Rick''s ragged breathing suddenly evened out and became a soft andforting sound. It wasn''t stressed orboured at all and her grip around Andrea became tighter.


    ¡°He''s going to be okay, Amy. He''s okay.¡± Andrea whispered and kissed her forehead as she held her crying sister. ¡°Everything''s going to be okay now.¡±


    Her words were prophetic as Rick seemed to recover much faster than he should have. His week of restriction from leaving the camp ended without notice and he stayed there and didn''tin or said anything about ever leaving. He started working out again when he was mobile and Amy couldn''t stop herself from admiring how much his body changed over that first month.


    Everyone else at the camp worked their assess off to get the farms and the feed animals set up properly and working at a self-sustaining capacity, thanks to Maggie''s expert advice. She seemed quite proud to be the one everyone went to for advice and for help and her and Glenn also moved into the fifth van permanently.


    Only a few people were surprised that Rick didn''t offer to help with anything and no one asked him to do more than what he was already used to doing to keep the water running and the power going. Only Amy and Andrea knew that Rick has resolved to never put himself in danger for the camp ever again and that if he ever did go back out, he would scavenge only for himself and for them.


    It wasn''t until July that Rick announced to Amy that he was leaving for a quick trip and wouldn''t be back for two days. He had been in peak physical condition for several weeks and Amy had taken full advantage of his stamina and strength. He never demanded anything from her and she appreciated that, while at the same time she was starting to resent it.


    Amy didn''t realize she had wanted to feel needed by him until he left. She confessed this to Andrea and she said she had noticed the same thing. Rick was living his life as best as he could and Amy was a part of it, as was Andrea. They were somehow getting the feeling that they were not quite necessary for him to enjoy his life and it was not a nice feeling.


    It surprised both sisters when Rick showed up in the middle of the night 2 dayster without alerting anyone else at the camp. Not even the man on watch had seen him or the truck returning. He unloaded the truck full of supplies and stashed them all over their living area and both women were appreciative when he gave them a whole crate full of feminine hygiene products.


    It didn''t distract them from their concerns, however. Amy confronted Rick about how she felt and he looked apologetic before he said he loved her and he was only here for her. He didn''t want to be a burden on her like he had been a few times already and his behavior was just him trying to give her a break from everyone else asking her for things they could easily do for themselves.


    Amy was really embarrassed after hearing his exnation and that made Andrea feel worse about encouraging her to confront him about it. Andrea said she supported Amy and hadn''t meant for it to turn out badly, because all she wanted was for Amy and Rick to be happy and that was all.


    Rick''s answer to that was a promise to get Amy pregnant and to track down the ambnce he said he should have found months ago. Lori was about to give birth, too. So, he left again for two more days without taking the truck and came back with a working ambnce that was fully stocked with medical supplies and the medical books he found were added to the library.


    Two weekster, Lori went intobour and she was brought to the ambnce by an anxious Shane. The vehicle was heated inside and both Lori and Shane rxed when Rick entered the back wearing a full surgeon''s outfit, with the gloves and the mask, and had a confident look on his face.


    Six hourster, a little girl was born and the whole camp celebrated. Lori was well on the way to recovering, much faster than a woman normally would be after a difficult birth, and that made Amy want to have a child even more.


    The farms were also working out well, thanks to Maggie''s efforts, and one of the cows were expecting to give birth soon, too. It had been a chancy thing until Rick proved he could handle the medical needs of the camp and he reassured everyone he could keep doing it. Maggie appreciated it, because she and Glenn were pregnant, too.


    Amy ended up pregnant in September and she couldn''t have been happier. Andrea was just as happy, because she had been worried that Rick had still been shooting nks like he usually did. It also gave her some very naughty thoughts about doing something she really shouldn''t do. At least, she didn''t think anyone else would understand her decision, except for her sister.


    Andrea approached her a monthter and she asked her for a present that would just keep on giving. Amy listened to her proposal without being angry about it, like she should have, and she asked to take a day to think about it. She eventually agreed that it was the best thing for their family and she brought her sister to Rick.


    Amy had to spend a few minutes trying to gather up the courage to ask him to do what Andrea didn''t want anyone else to do. ¡°Rick, will you be a sperm donor for Andrea?¡± She asked straight out and didn''t bother trying to sugarcoat it.


    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Rick said and they both gasped. Unlike what they thought, he hadn''t tried to argue that it was a mistake. ¡°I love her almost as much as I love you.¡± He said and gave Amy a kiss. ¡°Just because I don''t love Andrea in that way, that doesn''t mean I don''t want her to be happy.¡±


    The three of them went to the ambnce and Rick gathered the supplies needed to do the imntation. Because Amy wanted to be a full participant in the act and didn''t want Rick and Andrea to do anything behind her back, she spent a good fifteen minutes jerking Rick off into a specimen cup. Both women hadn''t realized exactly how much Rick usually shot out and stared at the half-full cup.


    Rick softlyughed at their expressions and used a syringe with a long needle-like attachment to suck up a good portion of the sample. ¡°You''re going to have a feeling of being full for a while.¡±


    Andrea nodded, remembering all the times Amy had told her how it felt when Rick had filled her up. ¡°Do it. I''m not getting any younger and I''m ready to be a mother.¡± She said and pulled her skirt up and spread her legs.


    Rick smiled a crooked smile and knelt between her legs. ¡°It''s all warmed up, so you''re not going to feel anything until it''s all the way in.¡±


    Amyughed and smacked the shoulder not holding the in-vetro needle. ¡°Stop teasing her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I couldn''t resist.¡± Rick said and used his free hand to spread Andrea open and slid the needle inside. Like he had with Rias Gremory, he paid the points to guide it into the right spot and injected it inside of her to guarantee pregnancy. ¡°There, it''s done.¡±


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Andrea and Amy asked, their voices full of disbelief.


    ¡°Yes? What else did you think was going to happen?¡± Rick asked and pretended to dispose of the needle and stored it instead. He didn''t want to leave something like that out and exposed. To his surprise, the residual sperm in the needle had stayed and the description said so.


    It gave Rick an odd thought and he picked up the sperm sample and closed the top. He pretended to throw it in the trash and stored it instead. It worked and he smiled. Finding loopholes in not being able to store living things in his inventory was always enjoyable.


    ¡°How many times do we have to do this?¡± Andrea asked as she pulled her skirt back down.


    ¡°That was it. You don''t need any more treatments.¡± Rick said and both Amy and Andrea stared at him. ¡°What? I do great work.¡± He said and gave Amy a quick kiss. ¡°I would have had you pregnant right away if that was what you really wanted.¡±


    Amy blushed at the reminder. He had spent more time making her feel loved than he usually did before he gave her a shot that he said was to get her pregnant. It just turned her on so much that she kept going back to him and asking him to keep going, just to make sure she had been knocked up properly. The thing was, she wouldn''t have changed what they did if she knew it was that easy to get pregnant.


    Rick and Amy also had a lot of fun together in every way possible. Even the sex had felt better for her after her body started changing to be more amodating for motherhood, which she assumed was going to keep happening as her breasts continued to grow and her belly would keep expanding over the next few months.


    Amy''s eyes met Andrea''s and they both smiled happy smiles, because they were both going to be mothers. It was no longer going to be just them as they became a nice big happy family, just like they used to be before the outbreak.

 154 The Way Of The Dodo

    154 The Way Of The Dodo


    It was downright easy to implement the things I had learned in the side world I had visited. No one questioned me about it, either. It greatly improved the lives of myself, Amy, Andrea, Carl, Sophia, and her mother Carol. They didn''t ask where I was finding the supplies for them to use and I appreciated that, so I kept them all happy by secretly slipping them things.


    Surprisingly, it was the facial tissues, toilet paper, and cereal that they appreciated the most. The paper towels were a close second and earned me a few cheek kisses. The small packages of candy I handed over to Amy to give to the kids when she babysat, earned me more than a few discrete handjobs. It also got her motor running when we managed to get away with doing that in public.


    I kept things running at the camp as the days ran by and approached the end of December. It didn''t take me long to realize that things had be easy to do. In fact, they had be too easy and I knew what that usually meant during a story, so I started preparing for the worst. It was only logical, right?


    No one asked why I disappeared for another two days or where I had found two more miniguns. I set them up at the other two corners of the walled in camp and the men on guard duty looked happy to have more of them avable as well as more boxes of ammo. I also added the traps I had learned about at Bill''s ce and seeded them all over the ce.


    I even made arge copsible section of the road that was only held up by a few weak sticks and I covered it with a thinyer of gravel. No heavy vehicles could cross it and Dale gave me a worrying look when he realized what it was for. I whispered that I suspected we were going to have an unexpected visit by the new year and he looked determined as he spread the word.


    Merle and his brother Darrel appreciated the assault rifles as backups and the bulletproof vests. They especially didn''t mind being assigned to only man the miniguns during their watches for the next two weeks. The tarps covering them and protecting them from the elements would only be removed when the guns were needed.


    I held another gun safety course for all of the adults and then distributed handguns and ammo to them all, which made a few of them ufortable. I reassured them that it was only a safety measure and that they didn''t have to fight and only needed to protect themselves and their families. Glenn really appreciated that, because Maggie was huge and looked to be carrying twins.


    Christmas had been put on hold so that everyone would be ready to act when it was time and they were all on edge. The tension ratcheted up as New Year''s Day approached and I was both saddened and vindicated when a military helicopter flew over the camp on the morning of January first.


    I snuck off to scout before I performed a human reveal spell out of sight of everyone and found a huge concentration approaching from the highway. The spell wasn''t that urate until they were closer, so I didn''t know how many there were or if they were in vehicles. When I cast the spell again, they were much closer.


    I rushed over to the middle of the camp and gained everyone''s attention. ¡°We''ve got a bunch of fast moving vehiclesing up the highway. We should be hearing them soon, so get ready.¡±


    ¡°We''re more than ready.¡± Merle said and patted his assault rifle.


    I nodded and patted my own that was slung over my shoulder. ¡°I''ll take up a nking position in the woods over there.¡± I pointed off to the side. ¡°I''ll be out of your field of fire, so don''t be stingy with the bullets.¡±


    Merleughed and punched his brother''s shoulder. ¡°Hear that? Aim and hold the trigger down and don''t bother trying to finesse the best shots.¡±


    Juan chuckled behind them and Jim smiled.


    ¡°I''ve got a sniper rifle if you want one.¡± I said to Darrel and he shook his head.


    ¡°I''d be useless with it without practice.¡± Darrel admitted. ¡°If ites down to close quarters, I''ve got plenty of arrows for mypound bow.¡±


    I nodded and looked over everyone as the low rumble of vehicles started toe down the ess road. ¡°Let''s show these assholes that no one takes what''s ours.¡± Dale said and surprised everyone.


    A secondter, Merle burst outughing and patted Dale''s shoulder. ¡°It''s about time you manned up and started cursing like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Merle.¡± Dale said with a huge smile and everyoneughed.


    I started walking away from the main group. ¡°I''d say don''t fire until you see the whites of their eyes, except we all know they are not here to talk.¡±


    ¡°You don''t bring an entire strike toon to a small survivor camp just to talk.¡± Jim agreed. ¡°A hummer or two would be best with only a spare soldier and a driver in each one.¡±


    ¡°Also, they''re moving fast.¡± Darrel said and cupped a hand to his ear. ¡°Really fast. You don''t rush an enemy position if you''re not going to be hostile.¡±


    ¡°Then we all know what we need to do.¡± Dale said and took the safety off of his assault rifle. ¡°I''ll be inside the RV with the kids.¡±


    I waved and jogged out of the camp, using the safe route to not activate any of the traps or to set off any of the extra defenses I had set up. Tripwires with grenades, sh-bangs, and a few packs of screws strapped to them were going to make the soldiersing to capture us have a very bad day.


    A very bad day indeed.


    *


    It was a massacre. The road trap worked even better than Rick had nned. The hummers were moving so swiftly that the first vehicle set the trap off and almost made it across anyway. It''s front bumper hit the far edge of the hole and the hummer stopped dead with a ng of metal. Before it could drop down the ten feet to the bottom, the second hummer flew over the gap and mmed into the back of the first hummer.


    Both vehicles crunched together, almost like an ordion, and the rear end of the first hummer and the front end of the second hummer dropped into the hole, making the two vehicles into a ''V'' shape that left them sticking up out of the hole. This was terrible for them, because the next vehicle mmed right into the back end of the second hummer and shoved it forward, crashing into the first and nearly crushing both t.


    That third hummer almost made it across the hole and the fourth hummer rammed into the bumper,unching it like a catapult and it flipped over andnded on its roof. The fifth and sixth hummers crashed into the back of the fourth and all six vehicles were wrecked.


    The driver of the troop transport behind them was d he hadn''t followed the hummers too closely and had avoided crashing as he brought therge truck to a stop, then the four miniguns opened fire and he wasn''t d anymore.


    People were screaming and dying and he did the only thing he could do. He jammed the gears into reverse and stepped on the gas... for a second. Several bullets came from off to the side and tore through the door and his windshield, ending his attempt to flee. He barely felt the bullet that killed him a secondter.


    The leadership of the unit in the third hummer only lived long enough to scramble out of their damaged vehicle and activated the traps on the side of the road. They were torn apart by the improvised shrapnel exploding around them and that put an end to their capture mission.


    When the surveying helicopter turned around to make a second pass over the camp to record the sess of the mission, the pilot barely had any warning as a rocketuncher went off. He swerved to the left to avoid it and only managed to make his crew''s deaths more painful.


    The tail of the helicopter blew up from the rocket and the front end plummeted 150 feet to smash into the ground and right onto another improvised trap. The resulting explosion lit up the space around it and ming bits of helicopter fell for nearly 30 seconds as they peppered the area and the hummers. The mes quickly died out and silence filled the air.


    *


    ¡°Holy Mary, Mother Of God.¡± Dale said as he left the RV and he did the cross sign starting with his forehead, then he touched his heart, his left shoulder, and his right shoulder.


    ¡°Geeee-zussss.¡± Merle said and put the safety on his minigun. He didn''t try to curse any more than that. He was too shocked at the brutal efficiency and they decimated an entire military toon of experienced troops.


    ¡°There''s no time for thinking about this!¡± Rick shouted as he ran towards the closest hummer. ¡°They''re all going to turn quickly if they aren''t shot in the head!¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± Shane eximed and took out his pistol. ¡°We''ll be overrun with so many of them this close! They''re not even on the right approach for the path trick to work!¡±


    ¡°Shit, he''s right.¡± Merle said and took out his own handgun. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Only Merle, Rick, and Shane ran over to the wrecked vehicles to handle the dirty business of cleaning up the corpses and making sure they were going to stay down. The other men and all the women gathered at the RV to huddle close and they tried to not listen to how many individual bullets were being fired.


    *


    ¡°Sometimes, I really hate being right.¡± I said and dropped a thick folder of papers onto the table. Everyone at the camp had to attend the debrief about the attack, mostly because I didn''t want the me for it to rest solely on my shoulders. I just knew it could be twisted to make it all my fault after all the fake trips I had to take.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Amy asked and opened the folder.


    ¡°Orders from their highmand to hunt down and find survivors. They think some of us could be immune to the infection and won''t turn when we die.¡± I said, trying to keep my anger in check. ¡°They want to harvest us for parts to try and make a vine that they can give to themselves and to the people they think are more important to save.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t hear anything about what the people under theirmand would be getting.¡± Dale pointed out.


    ¡°Shafted.¡± Amy said and held up one of the sheets of papers. ¡°Even if they have someone to... harvest...¡± She paused as her face turned a little green. ¡°...only a limited amount of vine can be produced.¡±


    ¡°Bastards!¡± Shane spat and didn''t bother trying to hide his anger.


    ¡°How did they find us?¡± Lori asked, of course.


    Amy flipped through several pages and held up another one. ¡°This is a report of heat signatures during the winter for the whole state. Anything bigger than a car was marked as a target.¡±


    ¡°They must have been doing high overflights for weeks to get all that.¡± Dale said as Amy unfolded arge map of the state that had a fewrge red dots on it that were spread all over and a few smaller ones.


    ¡°This one''s ours.¡± I said and pointed to the one next to where Anta would be on the map. ¡°Medium sized and properly set up for the long haul.¡± I moved my finger slightly. ¡°Those are the animals in the pens huddled together for warmth.¡± I moved my finger a few inches away and tapped the spot. ¡°That''s Hershel''s farm and his animals.¡±


    ¡°With that to go by, they must have guessed we''ve been here for a while.¡± Jimmented.


    ¡°It''s both the best point and the worst point of establishing a homestead. We can add a few more people and it won''t be a strain on anything, so having kids won''t be a problem.¡± I said and sighed. ¡°It also lets others know where we are if they have the means to find us.¡±


    Darrel spoke up next. ¡°We can''t camouge the camp too much, either. We need the better sight lines for when the walkers show up.¡±


    ¡°And they will after all of that noise.¡± Merle said and I nodded. The explosions probably echoed for miles and miles.


    ¡°We should keep up the increased watch rotation for the next few days, just in case.¡± Dale said and motioned to Amy. ¡°Is there anything in there about follow-up checks or anything?¡±


    Amy flipped through it all and shook her head, then she let a huge smile grow on her face. ¡°It just says we were the first ones they were going to hit because we were the easiest target.¡±


    Merle and I exchanged surprised looks and then we bothughed out loud.


    *


    Clearing up the area of all the wrecked vehicles took quite a while. Rick''s idea to crush the hummers after he had somehow cleaned them, was happily agreed to. The whole camp set up a kind of monster truck rally in the quarry and even made stands for everyone to sit on.


    Dale had a great time using the tractor as he rolled right over one of the hummers and everyone cheered. No one bothered to ask where Rick had found the fireworks, since they all were used to expecting him to pull things like that out of nowhere.


    All in all, the event was a huge hit. ns were quickly made to start moving the broken down cars from the nearby highway every couple of months to set up another event and the crushed cars were easily added to the camp''s defenses. No one they didn''t want to be there was going to bother them.


    A week after the monster truck rally, Morgan and his son Duane showed up at the camp. They had travelled in an old vintage car they had found in an old man''s garage and Rick greeted them warmly.


    ¡°How have you been Morgan?¡± Rick asked him and led him and his son through the defenses and into the camp. ¡°Why did you leave your safe ce behind?¡±


    Morgan sighed. ¡°We were starting to run out of food after I stripped all of the houses on the nearby streets. When I realized there wouldn''t be any more magically appearing, I''d have to leave Duane alone to travel much farther to find food.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you figured if you''re taking him along anyway, you might as well keep going and try looking for me.¡± Rick guessed and Morgan nodded. ¡°Then you''re in luck. We survived a purge by the government and are much better for it.¡±


    Morgan stared at the salvaged military equipment and the happy smiles on everyone. His son shouted in surprised whe he saw the kids ying tag.


    ¡°Go on over and join in.¡± Rick said and waved to a slightly pregnant Amy to get her attention. ¡°We''ve got a new yer that''s raring to go!¡±


    Amy waved back. ¡°Great timing! Carl is ''it'' this time and they''re about to start the next round.¡±


    Duane looked at his father with hope on his face.


    Morgan chuckled and patted his back. ¡°Go on and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Thanks dad!¡± Duane said and ran over.


    The other kids greeted him and then Carlughed and pped his shoulder before running off.


    ¡°HEY! Get back here!¡± Duane shouted and the chase was on.


    ¡°They''re best friends already.¡± Rick said with augh and put a hand on Morgan''s shoulder. ¡°Come on, I have to introduce you to everyone before I''m lynched for monopolizing the new guy''s time.¡±


    Morgan''s eyes widened at his words and Rick smiled knowingly and led him over to the camp meeting that Morgan wouldter refer to as the shark pit.


    *


    ¡°You know I have to do this.¡± I said and everyone at the table nodded.


    ¡°I really wish you didn''t have to go.¡± Amy said and Andrea nodded.


    ¡°I know, and I''m sorry.¡± I said and kissed her. ¡°I shouldn''t be gone too long. The military caravan made it here, after all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don''t want anyone else to go with you?¡± Dale asked. ¡°Glenn, maybe?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Several people said at the same time, myself and Glenn included. We did not have to remind them about thest time I went out and Glenn came along.


    ¡°Doctor Jenner trusted me with his research.¡± I said and showed them the sealed hard drive. ¡°The government is going to keep sending out those capture teams if they don''t have his data to keep them busy.¡±


    ¡°And do you know what it says?¡± Lori asked, of course.


    ¡°Yes, I know what it says.¡± I admitted and everyone stared at me. ¡°Do you want the bad news, the bad news, or the news I''ve taken from it?¡±


    That question shut everyone up, even Lori. No one asked me to tell them, so I sighed.


    ¡°How about I skip the bad news, the bad news, and tell you what I think?¡± I asked and Amy was the only person that nodded. ¡°We''re doing what we can to live. That''s all that matters. The walkers don''t matter. The infection or virus or whatever doesn''t matter. That we''vee together to live our lives is what''s important.¡±


    ¡°Being here for the people we care about.¡± Amy said and took my hand.


    I smiled and leaned over to kiss her. ¡°I''ll be back in plenty of time to deliver Maggie''s baby. The truck''s filled up and it''s designed for off-road, so I shouldn''t have many problems... unless the idiots brought together hordes of walkers along the route from making so much noise along the way.¡±


    ¡°They''re definitely idiots.¡± Merle said with a chuckle. ¡°Keep your guns handy.¡±


    The fight with the horde of walkers that the battle had brought to the camp afterwards, was quick and brutal. We would have been out of luck if there hadn''t been thousands of rounds of ammo packed into the hummers and the troop transport for the soldiers to use. Refilling the ammo belts for the miniguns had been downright easy after finding them.


    ¡°I won''t dawdle and I''ll drop it off in Washington DC without being seen. Thest thing any of us need is for me to get caught by whatever is passing itself off as the government.¡± I said and Amy squeezed my hand. ¡°I''ll head out in the morning and I shouldn''t be more than a few days. I''ll stay in contact on the long distance CB radio, too.¡±


    The hummers had one installed in each of them, so we were flush with them at the moment.


    ¡°We''ll be listening.¡± Andrea promised and both she and Amy hugged me tightly.

 155 The Walking Living

    155 The Walking Living


    My estimate of the military''s intelligence had been spot on, unfortunately. They had made many stops along the way and drew hordes of walkers towards the highway junctions in each state between Washington DC and Georgia. It was an annoyance that I didn''t want or need; but, I had listened to Merle''s advice and brought a minigun along. I didn''t have the time to pick the walkers off individually.


    Instead of the 11 hour straight drive it should have been, I wasted 3 entire days picking my way across the interstate highway and had to clear out thousands of walkers along the way. I stayed on the CB radio as much as possible and kept Amy and Andrea informed, too. I didn''t want them to worry and I made sure I always called them back after every skirmish I was involved in.


    I rolled into Washington DC in the early morning hours and was surprised there was no roadblock or even a checkpoint. It was a little disappointing, really. Weren''t they expecting people toe here after them or were they just that arrogant that they thought their people would always prevail?


    <i>Merle was right and they are definitely idiots.</i> I thought as I drove along the main road and saw all the dead bodies everywhere. They hadn''t policed up the dead to dispose of them and left them out to rot, which contaminated everything around them, like the local the water source and possibly any crops grown on the nearby farms.


    I brought my truck to a stop inside a car park that was left open and unguarded. My opinion of theirpetence dropped even further when I didn''t see any patrols or any kind of physical surveince being done of the area. Of course, that brought my mind right to the fact that they could be relying on cameras to do the work for them and I started looking around for them.


    Sure enough, I saw several recent and hasty instations on several of the light poles in the area. The extra wires were terribly patched and I had to ignore my instinct to let my skills take over to fix the mess. I was not there to help them and I only needed to deliver the data package. That was what I was trying to convince myself to do, anyway.


    As I cast my concealing spell and silence spell and moved towards the building the wires led to, I discovered it was the main parliamentary building. I also saw that there were a bunch of people going about their day as if we weren''t in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. I stood there and stared as people wearing business suits and carrying coffees entered the building.


    It was mentally jarring for me to find an area where the people were so delusional that they acted like nothing was wrong and ignored the rotting dead that were well within their line of sight and their smell range. Shock just couldn''t describe how I felt and then my mind went back to one of my punishment worlds that Death had sent me to in order to teach me a lesson.


    It was the Land of the Dead where I had mentally inhabited a zombie that used to be an acquirer for the rich people living the good life in a high rise tower in Phdelphia. They paid a lot of money to have scrubs like me go out and raid the countryside for supplies and they never had to lift a finger or had to struggle with life like the normal people in that world did.


    I felt anger bubbling up from inside and I didn''t fight that feeling. I probably should have, because I felt like I needed to do something stupid. I took out the hard drive and stared at it as I let several ideas, each even more stupider than thest go through my head, and a crazy smile appeared on my face as I decided on what needed to be done.


    I put the drive away and waited for the right moment. I changed my clothes into a suit and the door was opened by a man leaving and he was wearing a simr suit. I grabbed him and pulled him aside, knocked him out, and took his security pass. A quick mour on my face that wouldn''tst long was applied and Harold Simpson walked right back inside.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I forgot something on my desk.¡± I said and held up the pass for the security guy to scan it.


    The man didn''t say anything and theputer beeped approval.


    I walked over to the elevator and saw a map of the building was on the far wall with everything conveniently marked on it. I couldn''t have been happier about knowing what to target first.


    *


    The heads of the government in power, or so they dered themselves without being duly elected, sat around the conference table and discussed theirtest scheme to bring more people under their control and to spread their influence past their current borders. The more people they had control over, the more they could influence people''s thinking and how the country would turn out after the current crisis was over.


    None of them paid any attention to the food delivery guy after he had delivered their meals. They didn''t notice how long he spent kneeling by his cart or that a few special things had been added underneath the conference table. They all talked about the next push they needed to do when their main strike force returned from their current campaign in Georgia, their previous sesses in other states making them bolder in their actions.


    No one noticed the delivery guy leaving and they started eating their food. A fewmented on how good it tasted, because it was even better than their usual fare, then the table suddenly exploded and mulched everything in the room. It set off several rms and no one responded, because they were all dead, too.


    *


    I slipped back out of the building and didn''t worry about being caught on camera. The first thing I had disabled had been the security station and then all the guards. I felt a little bad about a few of them that talked about their families, then I remembered those families were living high on the hog as if the rest of the world hadn''t gone to hell. They would learn the truth soon enough, just like the rest of us had.


    I had a funny thought about visiting a museum, since they had some of the biggest and most extensive ones right there in the US capitol. I immediately thought about the aeronautical museum that should have examples of different nes from the Wright Brothers up to the Space Shuttle, and took the turnoff to head down the main street.


    I parked right in front of the ce, since there was no one around to tell me otherwise or to arrest me for it. I went inside and checked the maps and found which of the many buildings had the best stuff.


    <i>Ooo, the world''s biggest diamond is on disy? Thank you, very helpful information booth.</i> I thought and skipped back out of the main building to drive down the street. If I was lucky, they would have some of thoserge rubies and emeralds, too. <i>Maybe I could stop off and see if any of the jewellery stores are still intact? There are a couple of women back at the camp that should appreciate some upgrades to their jewellery collections.</i>


    I robbed... ahem... appropriated the resources I needed from the museum disys of fine jewels. It was almost ridiculous how easy it was to get them after the power was turned off. I did that to stop the rms from ring and letting anyone know I had been there, in case the people in charge had set up a police militia or something.


    My next stop was the space museum. It was a kind of misnomer, since it was actually a tribute to flight disy. They even had a full 747 hanging in the main area and you could walk on the wings and go through all the little spaces the workers used to do maintenance on the ne. The space shuttle was quite the sight, too.


    I freely admit to geeking out a little and I may have giggled like a little girl after sitting in the pilot seat and pretended to fly the thing for several minutes. Did I have to steal one of the space suits on disy? No, I didn''t. It wasn''t really for me, anyway. I also pilfered a modern flight captain''s uniform to drive Amy wild, since it was the first time I had a chance to rece the old one.


    The biggest find of the day was a shocking one. It was the first jet aircraft ever built and it wasplete. The thing was made from mostly simple parts, just like the old fighter ne I used to have, and the only thing advanced on it was the jet engine... and it came with an instruction manual on how to build the thing and listed all the parts with diagrams and everything! It was awesome!


    I drove out of Washington DC with a packed inventory and a huge smile on my face.


    As I travelled, my thoughts went to the reason I went there in the first ce and I could honestly say that I did leave the hard drive of evidence on the desk of the self-proimed president and left it up to him how to handle it. I would never mention to anyone that I blew him and everything else up, though. That wasn''t necessary information, not after learning they had already attacked several other states before they came after us.


    It was no wonder they went in all gung-ho like they had, if they met almost no resistance at every other survivor camp they went after. Why would they expect anything different from civilians that were so far away? They wouldn''t. They were the trained ones and had nothing to worry about while facing people only trying to survive.


    I chuckled at those thoughts and drove onto the interstate and headed on home. The trip was going to be much quicker this time, since I had cleared out most of the walkers on the way here. I didn''t bother trying to stop or rest anywhere else and took a few things out of my inventory to put in the back of the truck. I didn''t want to go back home empty-handed, after all.


    *


    Despite being in contact with him constantly, Amy was still stressed out for the entire time Rick was gone. She worried that he was noting back, even though he kept reassuring her that he would alwayse back to her. When he finally showed up at the camp after being gone for five whole days, she wept and hugged him tightly and made him swear that he would never leave her again.


    Rick happily did so and remained at the camp from that day forward. He kept everything running somehow, recing car batteries and recharging them on a generator that no one asked him where it came from. They also didn''t ask where the gas cans came from when the RV and the other moving vans needed fuel to keep them running and functional.


    Maggie and Glenn soon had a pair of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, and everyone celebrated. She recovered just as fast as Lori had and the other women saw this and agreed with Amy. If Rick could make their birth recovery that easy without him being an actual doctor, then they were more than happy to have a few more kids to add to the next generation.


    With so many people wanting a more permanent home to live in, Glenn started a search for appropriate vehicles for Rick to convert into living spaces for them. Their own harvesting of cars for the monster truck rallies made the job a lot easier, too. They found a school bus, an old camper, and another transfer truck trailer to change over.


    The trailer was divided in half and real doors were added to make two separate apartments. T-Dog was thankful to get one of them for himself and hismonw wife. Morgan and his son Duane moved into the other one and no one asked why Jacqui spent an equal amount of time in each of those apartments. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to know, it was that they knew it was none of their business.


    Life at the camp improved once more with everyone out of the tents and into better living conditions. They were all happy that no one else would evere after them to take what little they had. It removed a worry that everyone had and couldn''t shake off, not until Rick took care of it.


    With luck, no one else would ever bother them again, not until they themselves reached out to see if friendships could be started with other survivor camps.


    *


    Amy gave birth to a little boy that looked just like Rick and she couldn''t have been happier. It was proof of Rick''s promise and she loved him and their little boy more than she thought was possible. Andrea''s baby girl was born barely a month after that and she looked just like Amy did as a baby, so Andrea was in constant tears over the fact she also had proof of her love for her sister.


    Amy was overjoyed by this as well and it brought them even closer together. Shared motherhood made their sisterly bond so strong that they had no problem nursing both babies when one of them was too tired to do it. Both babies quickly saw the sisters as both their moms and everyone was happy.


    Life went on at the camp and no one else showed up. Maggie eventually convinced Glenn that someone had to go and check on Hershel''s farm to see what was happening over there, and Glenn convinced Rick to take him, thanks to Amy. Rick would have refused if Amy hadn''t agreed that he needed a day off and they had to try and get more animals, assuming they had more at the farm after thest breeding season.


    Rick reluctantly drove Glenn all the way to Hershel''s farm and they slowed down before reaching it. There were a lot of walkers around the ce and they were inside the fence. None of the barriers were down, so that meant the overrun had happened from the inside. Rick and Glenn exchanged sad looks, took out their guns, and went to work.


    Two hourster, all they found were walkers. The barn was torn open and the house was wrecked, too. They found Hershel tearing into the carcass of his prized cow and saw that the rest of the animals were long dead. Glenn did the honor and put Hershel down for good, because he was family. It was just too bad there would be no happy reunion between him, Maggie, and his grandchildren.


    Rick and Glenn checked the house and no food could be found, not even stocks of harvested crops, so they left the farm with an empty truck and empty hearts. The return to camp was uneventful and everyone knew that things went bad at the farm by the looks on Rick''s and Glenn''s faces. Maggie cried and hugged Glenn and their toddlers, Hershel Junior and Bethany.


    No further attempts to meet anyone else was contemted, even if Dale kept trying the CB radio once a week to find someone else to talk to. No one wanted to feel more disappointment if Glenn and Rick only found death when they visited the other ces that had heat signatures on that old map.


    *


    Years passed and the camp survivors grew old as the children grew up. Carl and Sophia had gotten together, as if anyone doubted that would happen, and they had two kids of their own. They weren''t the only ones, not with so may other children being born so close together. Of course, it didn''t really matter about the age differences anyway. Who was going to judge them for it?


    There also wasn''t a lot of choice of partners, either. Not if you wanted kids, anyway. Rick''s imntation idea was used a bunch of times with different donors as well, just because of a few hang-ups and failed attempts to do it the normal way. They had to be careful of crossed gics as well. They couldn''t risk Carl''s daughter and Rick''s son getting together, or Andrea''s daughter and Carl''s son.


    ying around and having fun was fine, because the term ''kissing cousins'' hade into being for a reason; but, children from those match-ups were a no-no. Also, theirmunity was small enough that everyone knew everyone and no one wanted bad things to happen to their families, so diligence was always kept when it came to recording who had been with whom and who was who''s father.


    The thing was, none of them realized that they had enough gic diversity within their group to restart humanity all on their own. They just needed the resources and space to do so, which they also had, thanks to Rick''s magical ''I''m pulling it out of my ass'' trick. It made themugh every time he said it.


    Also, the pilot and astronaut suits had been liberally passed around in secret and there were a lot of personal fantasies fulfilled, to everyone''s delight.


    *


    An old and wrinkled Amy rested on her deathbed with a beautiful smile on her face as she looked upon her handsome husband beside her. ¡°Even after all these years, you''re still a hunk.¡±


    Rick chuckled and patted his own wrinkly face. ¡°I think your sight''s finally going, love.¡±


    Amy softlyughed and hugged him close. ¡°No, your body is still bumpy in all the right ces.¡± She said, her wizened hand caressing his arm and chest. ¡°I love you just as much now as I did back then.¡±


    ¡°I do as well.¡± Rick said and his own hand caressed her arm and then her back. ¡°I couldn''t imagine being here and living my life without you.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡± Amy said and leaned in to kiss him, her lips firm. ¡°You need to keep your promise to me.¡±


    ¡°I will, Amy.¡± Rick said and gave her another kiss. ¡°I won''t let you turn.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Amy said andid down on her back to take a deep breath. ¡°You know... even after all these years... I''m still surprised you never fell in love with my sister or slept with her.¡±


    Rick chuckled and it rattled in his lungs. ¡°Why would I ruin the best rtionship I''ve ever had? For some dirty time with someone I wasn''t deeply in love with? If I wanted that, I could have taken Lori back.¡±


    Amy chuckled this time. ¡°I''m still d that you didn''t do that.¡± She said and closed her eyes as her breathing slowed down. ¡°I never would... have met you... and fallen head over... heels for... the only man... that... lllove... everrr...¡± Her voice trailed off and her breathing hitched once, twice, and then stoppedpletely.


    ¡°Goodnight, my love.¡± Rick said and kissed her cheek before he raised the gun and aimed at her forehead. The bang was muffled, thanks to a silence spell, and heid down on his back as he aimed the gun at his own forehead. It was a normal 6-shooter and not his gun with infinite ammo. He pulled the trigger and he didn''t hear the muffled bang as the world faded away.

 156 To Stay Or To Go Conclusion

    156 To Stay Or To Go Conclusion


    I came back to myself while floating in the nothingness. In front of me was the expected notification of which world to go to. I had done so much and brought so many new lives into thest world that I knew Fate and Death would be quite busy for a long time.


    <b>Please choose which world (unlocked for free) to travel to:


    The Last Of Us (As Eli Williams - Gender-Swapped) - Paused


    Worm (As Taylor - Gender-Swapped)


    The Incredibles (As Hank Parr - Gender-Swapped)</b>


    <b>Or you can choose to travel to a new world: Show List (Current total: 1776)</b>


    <i>Whoa.</i> I thought and looked at it for a few seconds without choosing. I was really tempted to try one of the others, except I knew I needed to finish my time as Eli. That was why I went back to Amy first and lived out my life there with her, because I didn''t want to feel guilty or like I was cheating on her. I loved her too much to do that.


    Also, since I wasn''t a coward, I didn''t cheapen my time there by risking my life needlessly. Killing myself wasn''t an option, either. The irony of that was I couldn''t live with myself if I did anything like that.


    I chose The Last of Us and everything faded in around me. It was still slightly greyed out and I felt my body change under my bulky clothing. Apparently, all my work to get into the same body shape I had before my punishment had been carried over. It didn''t change my height, though. Maybe that would have been too noticeable and it wouldn''t happen until my growth spurt?


    The man in the middle of the five judges kept talking, as if I hadn''t just spent 50 years in another world. ¡°In light of the used''s unique defense, we have chosen a unique punishment.¡± His eyes went to me. ¡°If you had stuck to your initial words, ming it all on Marius, it would have mitigated nearly all of the charges against you. You were right and it was his fault that everything else happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap.¡± I muttered and a few people behind me let out muffledughter.


    ¡°However, your actual defense changed our minds. You were trying to be clever and we apud you for your conviction, except your words worried us. You are a person of high interest for both the FEDRA troops and for the Fireflies, the very resistance that everyone here has chosen to avoid at all costs.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± A female voice eximed from the other side of the room and a lot of people started muttering.


    ¡°We cannot afford to have someone as ''hot'' as you within our walls, or we will bring too much attention to our little settlement from the very people we don''t want to have any interest in us.¡± The man said rapped his knuckles to make everyone quiet down. ¡°Since you''ve chosen to give up your only means of transport, an older horse will be provided and your weapon will be returned to you.¡±


    ¡°He''s just a kid!¡± The woman with short ck hair shouted. ¡°You''re sentencing him to die!¡±


    ¡°By his own words, he crossed two thirds of the country on his own to reach here. We have full confidence that he can travel the rest of the way without trouble.¡± The man said, throwing my own words back at me. ¡°You will be escorted to the gate with as much supplies as a horse can reasonably carry and we wish you luck on your journey.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need the supplies.¡± I denied immediately and a few people gasped. ¡°I just need as current of a map as possible. The one I copied from Bill''s ce is months out of date.¡±


    ¡°It will be done.¡± The man said and rapped his knuckles on the table again. ¡°That is the judgment of this court. Please take him into custody until his horse is prepared. Case dismissed.¡±


    Jenkins was behind me and patted my shoulder. ¡°Come on, I''ll treat you to a nice meal while you wait.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said and stood up as everyone started talking and a few shouted at the judges at their unfair decision. ¡°Make sure you get the oldest horse they have. It can beme, too.¡± I said, surprising him and everyone there. ¡°The only thing that matters is that it can saddle up and can walk for a while.¡±


    ¡°I''ll let the stable know.¡± Tammy said and I turned around to see her with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and saw the woman with short ck hair behind her and she had an angry look on her face. ¡°Hey, it''s okay.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not. Those idiots are too scared to try and keep you safe, even though they know we can easily hide you when the next patroles through.¡± She said, her hands balled into fists.


    I walked over to her and gave her my best smile before I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. ¡°I can''t fault them for wanting to keep everyone else safe. If I''m not here, they can easily admit that to anyone that might show up and they won''t get in trouble.¡±


    The woman let out an odd sound and her arms went around me to hug me back. Her hands moved slightly, then a bit more, then they were sliding all over my back and arms checking me out.


    ¡°Someone''s suddenly all hands.¡± Jenkinsmented.


    ¡°Have... have you seen... did you know he''s like this?¡± The woman asked Tammy, her voice full of disbelief.


    ¡°No one''s seen me disrobe, if that''s what you''re asking.¡± I answered and let her go.


    She held on for a few seconds before she reluctantly let me go.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Tammy asked her.


    ¡°Him. Those.¡± The woman said and motioned to my arms and then my chest. ¡°Eli, show her!¡±


    I chuckled and shook my head. ¡°I need to know your name before I start taking my clothes off.¡±


    ¡°Sandra.¡± She said and pointed at my coat. ¡°Come on, I''m waiting.¡±


    ¡°I''m getting a meal first.¡± I said to tease her and turned to Jenkins. ¡°I assume we''re heading over to the jailhouse?¡±


    ¡°Safer that way.¡± Jenkins said and put a hand on my shoulder and led me across the room.


    ¡°No cuffs?¡± I asked as we went through the doors and left the shouting behind.


    ¡°They''re not needed, since you''re not a flight risk. You''re leaving anyway, right? What are you going to do? Leave early before getting a free horse and your shotgun back?¡± Jenkins asked me.


    ¡°I could.¡± I said and Sandra walked ahead of us to open the door to the jailhouse. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, hurry up. I want to see what you''re hiding under there.¡± Sandra said.


    ¡°A small body. What else would be there?¡± I joked and entered the building.


    ¡°Conference room.¡± Tammy said and pointed off to the right instead of at the jail cells. ¡°I need to make a couple calls.¡±


    ¡°Can you get my backpack?¡± I asked Jenkins as we entered the room.


    Jenkins sighed. ¡°They tossed it. The zipper was stuck and they cut it open to check it for more contraband.¡±


    ¡°I suppose the packs of candy and snacks were shockingly dered illegal and confiscated, too?¡± I asked and sat down at the table.


    ¡°What snacks and candy?¡± Jenkins asked, his voice t. ¡°Yes, I was told to say that.¡±


    ¡°Then I changed my mind. I desperately need those supplies awarded in my judgment.¡± I said and he winced. ¡°Sandra can watch me while you go pester Tammy.¡±


    Jenkins nodded and left the room after locking the door.


    ¡°Well?¡± Sandra asked and motioned to my bulky clothes. ¡°Let''s see it.¡±


    I stood up and nced around. I saw a side door and went over to it and opened it. It was a half-bath with only a toilet and a sink inside, so it was good enough. ¡°I''ll be right out.¡±


    Sandra had a look of anticipation and nodded.


    I shut the door and spent a few moments going through my inventory. I found what I wanted and had to silence myself to stop Sandra from hearing my loudughter. It had been sitting in my inventory for a very long time and it was about time I finally used it. I washed up in the sink and used several cleaning spells before I put it on.


    ¡°Showtime.¡± I said and grinned at my reflection in the mirror.


    *


    Sandra had been surprised when Eli had hugged her and then was shocked when she felt his muscles under his bulky clothes. It made her wonder if that was why he wore them, so no one would know how ripped he was. He might be turning only 15 next month; but, her hormones were screaming at her to get a look at what he was hiding under his clothes.


    She had no ns to do more than maybe letting him cop a feel, as long as she could cuddle him as well. The trade off would be worth it, at least that''s what her hind-brain was telling her. The wetness between her legs was telling her she might let him do a little more than that if holding him close made her even slightly hornier.


    The bathroom door opened and Sandra turned to look with a huge smile on her face, fully expecting to see a young man wearing only his underwear... and her heart stuttered and her breath caught at seeing the thing in front of her. It wasn''t possible! It couldn''t be real! In front of her was a bright pink plush bunny with huge bunny ears and long whiskers.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Eli asked and held his arms out to the side and then hopped in a circle to show off therge powderpuff tail. ¡°I''ve been saving this for ages to show off to the right person.¡±


    Sandra had a difficult time breathing and needed a few moments to recover from the shock. When she did, a keening whine escaped from her mouth and she slowly stood. She took one step, then another. When the giant rabbit didn''t run from its impeding doom, she squealed like a little girl and lunged for him and scooped him up into her arms.


    ¡°Can''t... breathe!¡± Eli gasped.


    Sandra didn''t care. She was never letting go of her childhood dreame true. Never!


    Tammy and Jenkins entered the room and let out surprised sounds. All they could do was stare as Sandra mauled a five foot tall bunny rabbit that had a striking resemnce to Eli Williams.


    After a few minutes, Jenkins put the food trays on the table and spaced them out. ¡°If you don''t stop choking him, he''s going to die.¡±


    His words seemed to knock Sandra out of whatever fugue she had been caught in and she realized there were other people in the room with her and her bunny. She didn''t let him go, though. Her iron grip shifted from his neck to his chest and she carried him over to the table and sat down with him on herp.


    Tammy looked at Sandra as she lovingly fed the giant bunny rabbit and sighed. ¡°I''ll have another horse and more supplies prepared.¡± She said and left for several minutes to make another call. She came back and the scene hadn''t changed. Since she knew she wasn''t crazy, she just chalked it up to Eli making a shy exit and left it at that.


    The four of them ate their meal in silence and no one mentioned how possessive Sandra was. Every time Eli tried to climb off of herp, she swatted his nose and called him a bad bunny, the she cuddled him even harder. He gave up after the third try because she started choking him again.


    ¡°You really should change back into your normal clothes.¡± Jenkins advised Eli when they were about to leave the conference room.


    ¡°NO!¡± Sandra yelled and hugged Eli tightly. ¡°I''m never letting him go! NEVER!¡±


    Tammy sighed at her reaction. ¡°You need to go pack up your things.¡±


    ¡°Have Janine do it. She''ll be ecstatic to have the ce to herself.¡± Sandra said and snuggled her face into Eli''s soft neck fur. ¡°I only need my clothes and ration tickets. She can keep everything else.¡±


    Tammy was surprised by that admission and nodded. ¡°I''ll make the call.¡±


    ¡°We''ll be right here until it''s time to leave.¡± Sandra said and cuddled her giant bunny.


    Both Tammy and Jenkins gave pointed looks at Eli.


    ¡°I honestly thought she wouldugh her ass off at seeing a five foot tall pink bunny.¡± Eli said and tried to not purr as Sandra''s hand started rubbing his head between his ears. He almost seeded and made a soft pleased noise instead.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Sandra moaned and really started to rub his fur in earnest after that. ¡°Do that again.¡±


    Eli tried to fight the great feeling of being cuddled and petted, he really did. What he didn''t n on was the costume parting at his subconscious thought of needing relief and his erection started to slide out the opening.


    ¡°I''m waiting outside.¡± Jenkins said and fled the room.


    Tammy on the other hand, looked down at the thing as it fully emerged. Her eyes widened at how... prominent it was.... for both a young man and a bunny, and wasn''t that a very strange thought to have?


    ¡°Ohhhh, god. Oh, god. I think I love you.¡± Sandra said and her hand reached for the offering.


    Tammy decided she really didn''t want to know how far Sandra was going to go with her newly acquired bunny and left as well.


    *


    I was thankful that Sandra decided that a handjob was as far as she was going to go. Of course, she also let me suckle her breasts at the same time and she never once stopped petting my head. Even when we finished and she fixed her clothes, she kept one hand on my head between my ears and wiggled her fingers to keep me docile and feeling happy.


    When we left the building when her luggage was delivered, she still kept at least one hand on me at all times. The crowd of people that gathered to see us off had gone a little nuts when they saw me in my costume. Apparently, there were a lot of women that had certain fetishes or had denied dreams when they were younger.


    Of course, I couldn''t let that stand. I opened my new backpack and spent several minutes expanding it and then I created a one foot tall plush bunny that looked just like I did in my werebunny costume, then I used the permanent copy spell and made more than enough for everyone that wanted one. I started handing them out and there was a lot of yelling, squeals, and a mad scramble to be the next one to get one.


    Surprisingly, no one asked me how I had fit so many plush toys into the backpack or where I had gotten them. The only one staring a hole through me was Marius, because Tammy had been one of the first ones to get a plush bunny copy of me and she wouldn''t let it go, no matter how hard he pulled on it.


    Sandra''s luggage was spread out over both horses and the horses didn''t look happy about carrying anything. They were old and ornery, so they didn''t like much of anything really. That was going to change soon as we walked through the opening made in the new reinforced doors. The guards had loved my idea to add a smaller door for packages and single people with horses to pass through.


    The townspeople waved and shouted regrets that I had to leave and I waved back. Sandra''s hand still petted my head as I added both horses as mounts to my adventure card and then I started casting spells on them. I fed them healing potions and Pepper-Up potions to get them some extra energy, then I added a few enchantments to their bridles and mouth bits.


    Sandra didn''t ask me what I was doing, because she was too distracted by my enticingly smooth and fluffy fur. We had to stop when we were out of sight for me to fix the horseshoes on both horses and I enchanted those as well. All in all, it was half an hourter when the buffs started working and the horses seemed to bulk up and get stronger as they moved.


    Another half an hourter, we transferred all of Sandra''s luggage to the second horse and tied its reins to the saddle of the first horse. We both climbed on the first one to ride it, because Sandra absolutely refused to let me go or to stop petting me. I was hers forever and she reminded me again that she was never letting me go.


    Her devotion didn''t make meugh or made me feel uneasy, because I appreciated it for what it really was. I was a symbol of her happiness and she didn''t want to lose it. She had left her entire life behind to join me in exile and I wasn''t going to cheapen that sacrifice by refusing her.


    On the plus side, the mutual heavy petting felt wonderful and she had a lot of fun trying to have me make noises while I did the same to her. My fur was also really soft and warm, so the colder weather wasn''t affecting us at all as we cuddled and rode down the road and left the Jackson settlement far behind us.

 157 The Road Less Travelled

    157 The Road Less Travelled


    Sandra wouldn''t let me go, even when we stopped to eat. We had to find safe ces to do so and that took more time than was really necessary. Not letting me take the truck was a kick in the face, because we could have been safe no matter where we went. Instead, we needed space for ourselves and two horses.


    Mind you, the two horses were pretty buff by the time supper came around and Sandra didn''t notice at all. Her full attention was on me and she absolutely refused to let me take off my costume. I was her dreame true and she imed she would hate me forever if I ever took it off. Myints about not being able to shower or clean myself were ignored, because she couldn''t do that, either.


    It took a few days for us to traverse the state and avoid all the hot spots we stumbled across. We added them to the map and had to take several lengthy detours to stay safe. It was annoying and also let us spend a lot of time together talking. Sandra told me all about her life and she turned out to be a remarkable person.


    We found a nice farmhouse near the border of Wyoming and Colorado and it was out of the way of the main road, which we avoided because we didn''t want to get caught by the infrequent patrols. Sandra didn''t question me as I set up ward stones and didn''t really say anything until we settled into the old dusty farmhouse in the master bedroom.


    ¡°We can''t have sex.¡± Sandra said and stripped off down to her underwear. Her panties were soaked and she pulled them off to give me a great view of her trimmed bush. ¡°I said no, dammit.¡±


    ¡°I''m a horny bunny.¡± I said and pointed down at the cloth of my costume parting to let my erection out. ¡°It''s not may fault you''re too sexy to ignore.¡±


    Sandra blushed and checked the bed to see the dust was only on the top nket. She climbed into the bed and held it open for me. I climbed right in and she made me turn around and cuddled up to my back.


    ¡°No easy ess for you.¡± Sandra sexily whispered into my ear as she reached around me to hug me tightly and her hand slid down to grip me firmly. After I was given another handjob to make me rx, Sandra made a satisfied sound and drifted off to sleep.


    It took me a few minutes longer to calm down and then I fell asleep, too. I didn''t even question why I was okay with being manhandled like I was. I had enjoyed a lifetime of love and affection with Amy and my heart and mind were at peace.


    I prepared breakfast for us and Sandra enjoyed it immensely. Herments that she wished we could have stayed back in Jackson, so she could rub having me in the faces of all of her friends, made meugh and feel grateful that she gave them up for me.


    ¡°We can go back and visit, you know.¡± I said to her and she gasped. ¡°They kicked me out and I can''t live there. So what? That doesn''t mean we can never go back. We just can''t stay for long.¡±


    Sandra pulled me into a passionate kiss that would have had us having sex if she wasn''t actively covering herself to stop me from prating her. When she broke the kiss, the look of denied desire on her face let me know she wanted to let me and forced herself to keep to her promise. Bunny or not, she needed more time to ept that she had feelings for a much younger man.


    We left the farmhouse and followed the trail map that Jenkins had made and retraced his path all the way back to the college. We hadn''t activated any of the dormant fungal growths or any of the infected along the way, because the colder weather of approaching winter had made them much less responsive than they normally were.


    It was important information to have and we promised ourselves to send it back to Tammy when we had the chance. How we would do that? We would have to figure it out, assuming we didn''t just go back and tell her ourselves.


    I discreetly cast the human reveal spell when we crossed into the college grounds and I detected a small group watching us from not far away. I stayed on guard as I rode our horse towards the main building. We needed to find out which one had an appropriate medicalb and the main building should have a directory for us to follow.


    Sandra wouldn''t let me go off by myself, so we left our horses at the main entrance and went inside the building. She led me over to where the offices were and we looked through the old records to find there were several buildings withbs that could be used.


    ¡°Neeiiiggghhhh!¡± One of our horses shouted.


    ¡°Stay here!¡± I said and took out my handgun.


    ¡°You''re not leaving me behind!¡± Sandra said and tried to reach for me.


    I didn''t have time for her antics, so I cast a sleep spell on her and tucked her under the desk and out of sight. I ran out of the office and locked the door with magic and ran across the lobby with my gun out. I carefully peered out through the edge of the door and saw the male horse stomping the hell out of someone''s face.


    Another human reveal spell told me there were three others standing off to the side and not moving. Maybe they were too stunned by the horse reacting from an attack by murdering his assant? In any case, I used the distraction to open the door and lunged out and rolled across the sidewalk and aimed at the closest man.


    *BANG!*


    The back of his head disappeared and his two buddies barely registered the death before they too were shot in the head and dropped to the ground, dead.


    I let out a sigh and stood, brushed the dirt off of my pink fur, and went over to the male horse. ¡°Good boy, good boy.¡± I said and took out a fresh apple. ¡°Thanks for alerting me before handling it yourself.¡±


    The horse neighed at me and chomped happily on the tasty apple.


    I gave one to the female horse and she made a pleased sound and chewed happily on it. ¡°Thanks for keeping calm and not running off while your hubby took care of things.¡±


    I went to each of the bodies and checked them, only to find nothing. No IDs, no money, no ration tickets, or even any indication of who they were or what faction they were with. Could they have been resistance or just bandits looking for an easy score? In the end it didn''t matter and I went back inside the college to wake Sandra up.


    Needless to say, she was pissed I had handled it myself and she was angry at herself for fainting. I reassured her that it was the first stressful situation she had been exposed to and she wouldn''t end up like that again. She epted my words at face value and we went through the different buildings until we found the one that the resistance had used.


    Inside were directions to a backup facility in Utah and we both groaned in disappointment at that. It would be weeks more of travel to go that far and the dangers increased, because the weather wouldn''t be as cold there, not yet anyway.


    ¡°Let''s go check out the faculty building and the cafeteria.¡± I suggested and Sandra nodded.


    We went there and didn''t find much. The faculty building only had administration things inside and nothing for survival and the cafeteria had been thoroughly emptied when the resistance bugged out.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Sandra asked me.


    I thought about it for a few minutes and then smiled. ¡°How about we go hunt up one of the most expensive hotels to stay in the presidential suite or find a penthouse apartment and live the high life for a month before we chance travelling to Utah?¡±


    Sandra looked surprised at my suggestion, then she grinned. ¡°How big are the tubs they have?¡±


    ¡°At least three people can fit in the expensive ones.¡± I confirmed for her.


    ¡°Then let''s go! We can stable the horses in the best room on the ground floor.¡± Sandra said and we packed up the maps and things before we left and tracked down a nice high rise hotel.


    We went inside and saw it still had power, which was odd, until we checked the basement and saw the backup generator ran on natural gas and not from fuel or the local power grid. That worked out great for us and I added booking out the presidential suite for the next month.


    ¡°So, do you think the hotel safe is still secure?¡± I asked Sandra after handing her the electronic key to the room.


    Sandra stiffened and gave me a wide-eyed look. ¡°You... please don''t tell me...¡±


    ¡°That I can open it? Sure I can.¡± I said, confidently. ¡°It won''t be the first safe I''ve cracked.¡±


    Sandra gave me a look so full of lust that I instantly sprang up for her and the costume parted to show it off. Her eyes dropped to look at it and her sexy smile came to life as she looked back at my face. Without a word, she leaned in to kiss me and then she took my hand and led me to the back offices where the room-sized safe was, then she dropped to her knees and sucked me right in.


    I wasn''t an idiot and knew she wanted me to open the safe while she was distracting me, so I pretended to fiddle with the thing for several minutes before I took out my wand from inventory and used the unlock spell, then stored the wand immediately without her seeing it.


    The loud clink of the lock disengaging made Sandra moan around me and she picked up the pace as her hands dug into my fur-covered butt cheeks. I didn''tst long after that, which she had nned for, and she pulled back to see how much I was going to give her. She shouldn''t have, because I had my sex skills maxed out after decades of being with Amy.


    Sandra almost drowned at the deluge that greeted her. She swallowed as much as she could and then wallowed in the rest as she rubbed it over her face. She didn''t seemed surprised by the amount, though.


    ¡°My sexy bunny.¡± Sandra said and licked her fingers clean. ¡°I knew I made the right choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡± I said and turned the handle on the safe and pulled it open.


    Sandra let out another moan at the racks of safety deposit boxes. ¡°We need to find the closest bank.¡±


    I chuckled at that and used my lockpicking skills to easily open therger boxes for her to search through. ¡°I doubt there''s anything not either picked over or blown up. Neither the FEDRA troops or the resistance would leave things like that untouched.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, you''re right.¡± Sandra said and opened the first safety deposit box. ¡°Ooo, shiny.¡±


    I watched as she took out a diamond ne. ¡°Let me help you with that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sandra said and turned around to let me secure the sp around her neck.


    ¡°You look even prettier.¡± Imented and she beamed a smile at me. ¡°Let''s keep looking and maybe we can find some matching earrings or something to go with that.¡±


    Sandra nodded and we spent the next two hours going through every one of the safety deposit boxes.


    *


    Sandraid in bed, feeling both loved and contented, because she had been expertly eaten out and had a dozen orgasms while her body was covered from head to toe in expensive jewellery. When she hadined earlier that she didn''t have enough fingers to keep all of the rings they found, Eli had suggested she had ten toes as well, so now even her pinkie toes had glittering emeralds and rubies on them.


    Her eyes went to her sexy bunny that was deeply asleep beside her and she couldn''t help falling a little more in love with him. Despite how ridiculous he looked to everyone else as a five foot tall pink and plush bunny rabbit, he still kept the costume on just for her. He easily could have removed it at any time and he didn''t, just because he wanted her to be happy.


    And she was. Oh, she really was. She never once thought her life would be a kind of adventure fantasy, like the ones her mother used to tell her about. Unlike what she imed earlier, she really didn''t care if he was younger than her. The world was not a forgiving ce and their time together could be so short that it might end tomorrow.


    Then again, Eli was really smart. Like, scary smart. Sandra knew back in town that if she went with him, he would keep her safe and would protect her. She knew she would slow him down and be a burden; but, she also knew he didn''t want to be alone. His story of crossing the country in search of somewhere to live, had hit her heart harder than anything else ever had.


    In her mind, she thought Janine was a fool for catching his attention with that wolf-whistle and then ignoring him because of his age. What was it going to matter in a couple years? Or if they lived by themselves? Who was going toin about the age difference? Their mothers?


    Sandra hugged her sexy bunny tightly and nuzzled her face into his neck fur. She promised herself that when it came time for them to have sex, she would have him take off the costume, just to prove to him that she loved him and not the suit, even if it was the suit that gave her the courage to admit to herself that he was what she wanted in her life.


    When Sandra had dered that she was never letting him go, she didn''t really mean the bunny suit, because if there had been anyone else inside of it, she wouldn''t have reacted like she had. It was Eli that made the costume be as important as it was, not the other way around.


    ¡°Thank you for staying as my bunny and letting me express my love for you, Eli.¡± Sandra whispered and kissed his cheek.


    ¡°You''re wee, Sandra.¡± Eli whispered back and she caught her breath. ¡°It''s been a lot of fun and I''m d you convinced yourself that ying with your bunny is okay while trying anything with a teenager would be bad.¡±


    Sandra''s mouth suddenly went dry and she swallowed nervously. ¡°You figured it out.¡± She said and he nodded. ¡°You really are smart.¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to change, if that''s what you think.¡± Eli said and turned in her arms to face her. ¡°I''ll be your bunny for as long as you want me to be.¡±


    Sandra blushed at the sincerity in his words. ¡°Eli, I... I was going to ask you...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eli said and kissed her. ¡°You don''t have to, though. It''s not the first time a costume was needed to spice things up in the bedroom.¡±


    Sandraughed and then shook her head. ¡°How would you know anything about that?¡±


    Eli smirked at her and rolled back over to let her cuddle against his back again. ¡°I want to say experience, except you won''t believe that.¡±


    Sandra snorted and nuzzled his neck fur. ¡°No, I wouldn''t.¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen several men wearing an old pilot''s uniform before going to bed with their women.¡± Eli admitted and Sandra caught her breath again. ¡°Oh? Would you like to see that, too?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe.¡± Sandra said, her voice uneasy.


    ¡°What about an astronaut''s space suit?¡± Eli asked.


    Sandra''s mind skidded to a halt. ¡°You... you... do you...¡±


    ¡°Have one stashed somewhere? Yes, I do.¡± Eli said, smugly.


    Sandra didn''t say anything in response and instead let her hand drift down to rub him back to hardness and then proceeded to give him yet another handjob. ¡°I really did chose wisely.¡±


    ¡°You... did.¡± Eli said between panting moans. ¡°Thank... you.¡±


    ¡°No, Eli.¡± Sandra said and kissed his cheek again. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Eli blew another load and Sandra wiped it up as best as she could. They both went to sleep feeling happy and contented.

 158 The World Is The Same

    158 The World Is The Same


    We ended up staying for two months at the hotel, just because it was a great room. We also celebrated my birthday with a rigorous bout of 69 that Sandra thoroughly enjoyed. Surprisingly, this did not open the door for it to keep happening on a regr basis. She had a lot more self control than that and we regressed back to only heavy petting and assisted masturbation.


    Sandra''s excuse that it was only for special asions was flimsy at best, because I had heard her muttering a few times that she had to fight hard to not give in to her urgespletely and go all the way with me. I wouldn''t have objected if she did give in; but, I knew that she didn''t want me to push her, so I didn''t. I could wait for as long as she wanted me to in order for us to be together.


    It was the dead of winter when we finally left the hotel and the horses were raring to go. We hadn''t kept them inside the entire time and did take them for asional runs through safer areas. They also had ess to safe untainted grass inside the back area of the hotel where the sport courts were. They had overgrown with no one taking care of them for years and the horses enjoyed the variety and different vors.


    We followed the routes marked on the maps we found at the college and carefully made our way across Colorado towards the state of Utah. Since we didn''t have to stick to the roads, it was both safer and more dangerous, only for different reasons than it was when using a vehicle on the roads. The horses loved finally being out and stretching their legs properly, too.


    It was several weekster when we finally reached the coordinates that the resistance maps pointed out as their current base. At least, we assumed it was their current base. There were a lot of people milling around and they had more than a few well maintained vehicles. It wasn''t the hugepound I thought it should have been, however.


    As we watched what was supposed to be the mainmand of the Firefliese and go from the facility, as if the world wasn''t suffering through a viral apocalypse, it sparked a memory I had from thest world I was in. I had gone to Washington DC and infiltrated the new seat of the self-proimed government and found out all the atrocities they weremitting in the name of the new regime.


    We retreated several miles before we found an abandoned farmhouse to camp in and I spent several days convincing Sandra that I needed to leave her side briefly as I investigated the facility. I even told her my worries about it all being a sham about finding a cure.


    It wasn''t until I told her that they might only want for the people in charge to have it and not to give it to everyone if they make one, because there would only be a limited amount from the very small sample source. Namely, me. I only had so much blood inside myself, after all.


    Sandra eventually gave in after I promised her that I would protect her from everything and I would leave the bunny suit with her, just so no one else could take it from me. That earned me several kisses before she wished me luck and hid inside the house with the two horses.


    I also covered the area with wards, hiding spells, and an illusion covering the old farmhouse to show that it was a burned out ruin and not still intact like it actually was. You could never be too careful in times like these or have too much protection.


    I carefully made my way back to the facility and slipped inside, only to find a simr setup as themand centre in thest world. That did not give me high hopes for this setup to be sessful, either. Did the people in charge always have to be ipetent or did they always let their perceived power go to their heads? It just seemed to be amon theme in worlds that suffered through an apocalypse.


    Over the next few hours, I went into offices, checked and copied paperwork, enteredbs to check their work, and even found the head of the research facility. He was alone in his office and there were no cameras, so I petrified him briefly and gave him three drops of truth serum to start asking him questions about their procedures.


    I did not like the answers at all. Apparently, they needed to harvest a special subject they knew of that was immune to the fungus infection and that Merle had told them all about me, the bastard. So, I asked the smart thing about building up fresh blood donations for weeks, and could have several litres of it avable, would it mitigate anything?


    The man replied that the blood would only be wasted, because they needed to dig out all of the bone marrow in the subject''s small body and they had to dissect certain parts of the brain tissue to figure out the effects of the antibodies. They needed that information in order to synthesize a small amount of the vine that they could then use on themselves to ensure their own survival first.


    After that, they would either search for or try to recreate other immune people to harvest their bone marrow and could construct a more general and weaker vine that they could sell or trade to the government for better rights and territory concessions.


    Let me tell you, I cursed and ranted for several minutes after hearing that. It was mostly because I had found a near identical situation as in thest world. Again, I had the option of sacrificing my life for a chance to save people, except it was for both a limited number and I couldn''t choose who they were.


    It was disheartening to have that realization and there still wasn''t a guarantee that it would work. I could die, have them harvest all of my gic material, and they could still fail to produce even a small amount of vine. That would make my sacrifice worthless and pointless.


    Unlike thest time, I seriously considered not blowing the ce up. It was the resistance''s mainpound and had a lot of people that ran everything and coordinated with the various resistance cells across the country through couriers, packages, and secret messages. Then again, they were specifically looking for me, so now I had a difficult choice to make.


    Well, I say difficult when I really meant it was going to be a pain in the ass, because I would have to go back through the facility to copy out their messaging procedure and then I had to arrange to send out missives that the alert was a false rm. There was no one of interest with my name and description and no reward would be offered for information or for turning me in.


    Four hourster, I seeded by using a few Imperio curses and a bunch of couriers were sent out on a mission to deliver the message and I resisted the urge to have them deliver bombs as well. It was really tempting, though. I couldn''t even cackle madly as my n to free myself actually worked.


    After the couriers left, I knocked everyone out in the base with stunning spells and brought them into thergest room they had in the main building. It was a lecture and surgery room in the shape of an amphitheatre and was fully decked out with the proper supplies for an extensive medical procedure.


    I did not miss the irony of setting up the explosives to kill them all in the room they would have killed me in. It was just too bad that I wouldn''t be harvesting them for their bone marrow to make medicine. That would have been truly ironic, in my opinion. Physician, heal thyself!


    I chuckled at my thoughts and set the timer, then ran to the garage and hopped into one of their newest cargo trucks. I drove out of thepound with the back loaded to the ceiling with various supplies and foodstuffs. It was from a huge storehouse that was to feed arge amount of people for a very long time, so Sandra and I could live on it for even longer, possibly years, even if we visited Jackson and her friends there to give them some things.


    I also had all the information they had on their operations against the FEDRA forces, including their manufacturing facilities and gas production. I didn''t really need it for myself, though. With magic, I could expand and duplicate items and food to make themst for a very long time, as long as I still had the original. For some reason, you couldn''t copy a copy of food.


    Magic was weird and had arbitrary rules that didn''t really make sense, and that was okay. I wouldn''t give it up for anything because it was just too useful to not use it as much as possible. For the times that I couldn''t use it after I had been hurt, had been some of the worst times of my life.


    Sandra freaked out when I approached the old farm house in the FEDRA cargo truck and her gun went off several times. Nothing hit therge truck, which meant I needed to give her more lessons on aiming properly. I stopped a good distance away to not be too threatening and climbed out onto the roof of the cargo truck, took out a bright pink plush bunny toy to identify myself, and waved it at the house.


    I could hear her cursing from this far away and I held in myugh. I really should have left her with a walkie-talkie to stay in contact with me; but, I had no way to exin where they came from. Now I could im that I appropriated them from the resistance base and she wouldn''t question me about it.


    ¡°Get your dumb ass in here and out of sight, goddammit!¡± Sandra shouted. ¡°And hide that truck!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear! Right away!¡± I shouted back and climbed back into the truck''s cab and drove it around the old farmhouse and parked out out of sight from the road and inside the illusion. I had to go back around the house and smoothed over the tire tracks in the snow with a conjured tree branch covered in leaves and then had to do the driveway and part of the road.


    Once I was out of sight of the house, I used my wand to make the tracks continue on down the road and extended them for a few hundred feet before I let them fade away. With that important job done, I went back to the house and Sandra yelled and berated me for scaring the hell out of her and making her think a FEDRA patrol had found her without me there to protect her like I promised.


    I dropped to my knees to apologize to her and held out the plush toy and a pair of walkie-talkies on their own set frequency. I said I was sorry and then exined I had a few long distance CB radios as well and we could set one up at the hotel, since it was one of the highest buildings in town.


    She didn''t calm down until I told her that the first time we visited Jackson to see her friends, we could give them one and they could build a small tower as well, because the walkie-talkies were short range and wouldn''t work that far away from each other without piggybacking on the stronger signal, which I could also set up for her.


    Sandra was appeased and only smacked me a few times as she cuddled both the toy and one of the walkie-talkies. She tried it after I gave her a brief rundown on how to work it, then she was chattering on it like it was a cell phone and she was a teenage girl talking to her friends. Honestly, she was just too cute when she acted like that. I didn''t realize I had said that out loud until I received another smack on the head and then she kissed me.


    We stayed there at the farmhouse for another day, just in case any of the couriers or anyone else like a patrol showed up, then we left in the truck. The horses had a great time running full out beside us and Sandra was giggling as she reached out the window to pet the female horse, whom neighed happily at her for the attention.


    We made it back to the hotel in Colorado in record time and parked the truck inside the hotel''s parking area. It was actually the basketball court at the back of the building and I parked it beside the back door for easy ess. I showed Sandra what was inside and she squealed almost as loudly as when she first saw me in my pink bunny costume.


    Oh, and I was wearing it again, too. Sandra insisted that it was punishment and I justughed at her. She wanted her cuddly bunny and I was more than happy to be that for her. We settled back into our penthouse suite for a rest and then I would get to work building and setting up what we needed for the CB radio.


    *


    It was spring already and Tammy was out feeding the chickens. It had been 5 months since Sandra and Eli walked out of Jackson on foot with two old horses that were barely walking behind them. She had been thinking a lot about them, more and more as the days wore on, and she wondered if they had died right away or were now one of the monsters that the fungus had taken over.


    There had been no word from them and no one that went out scouting had seen traces of them anywhere. They also had the asional patrolse through on a regr basis, usually every couple of months, and the two times they had visited, the soldiers had asked about Eli. By name. That had been a worrying thing for all of them.


    The appointed spokesperson, that wasn''t Marius, clearly stated what had happened with Eli''s trial. They had kicked him out of town months ago because they knew people would be looking for him and didn''t want the trouble. The unhappy troops left after they were told that no one had any idea where Eli went or why, and that was the truth. He had only asked for a map before he left.


    The surprise for Tammy hade when the next courier showed up just a few weeks ago and delivered a message to the entire town. Eli Williams was no longer a person of interest and they would no longer offer to buy or trade for information on him or his whereabouts.


    That was what really had Tammy worried. They had either caught him and dealt with him already, or he had joined up with either the resistance or the FEDRA troops and was now considered ''off limits'' by both factions. That could be both good and bad, especially after the way the trial had treated him. Would he bring their little settlement to everyone''s attention, which would do exactly what they specifically kicked him out for to prevent?


    A loud whistle from the front gate broke Tammy out of her thoughts. She was aware of the normal schedule for deliveries and shipments, and today was not one of those days. She dumped out the bucket of feed instead of spreading it around with her hand and left the pen at a fast walk.


    The normal group of greeters quickly gathered on horseback behind therge doors and had their rifles at the ready, then there were two short whistles that signalled ''all clear''.


    ¡°Who''s on the door today?¡± Tammy asked as she approached the greeters.


    ¡°Jenkins.¡± One of the men said and slung his rifle over his shoulder.


    ¡°He wouldn''t call the first warning if it was someone he knew...¡± Tammy started to postte as the smaller door opened instead of the tworge ones. She caught her breath when a massive horse, the size of a Clydesdale, trotted in through the opening. It barely fit and it chuffed at the closeness.


    ¡°Rx, Hermes. They''re not going to open the main doors just for you and Aphrodite.¡± A familiar voice said.


    ¡°ELI!¡± Tammy gasped and stared at the young man sitting on top of the huge horse.


    ¡°Oh! You do remember me?¡± Eli asked with a huge smile. ¡°I was worried you forgot about me.¡±


    <i>As if that was ever possible.</i> Tammy thought and had to smile back. ¡°Who are you again?¡±


    Eliughed and moved the horse over to allow a second horse to enter. ¡°I''m the friendly delivery man.¡± He said and motioned to the other horse that was almost as big as the first one.


    ¡°Hi, Tammy. It''s been a while.¡± Sandra greeted her.


    Tammy smiled warmly. ¡°It has, and you idiots really had me worried.¡±


    Sandra waved at Eli. ¡°It''s his fault. We had to go all the way to the middle of goddamn Utah before he decided we needed to head back to Colorado.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it wasn''t my fault! I couldn''t get my wanted status revoked without going right to the top.¡± Eli defended himself. ¡°At least the feds only wanted me because the resistance did. With that gone, they lost interest, too.¡±


    Tammy just stared at him and didn''t know what to say. <i>How the hell did he manage that?</i>


    ¡°Anyways.¡± Sandra said with a roll of her eyes, letting everyone know it was a familiar argument between them. ¡°We''re here to trade for a few supplies and we''ve also brought a present.¡±


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Jenkins asked as he closed and secured the door. He had someone else take over his duty because his friend Eli was there and he wanted to talk to him. Just like Tammy, he had missed the charismatic young man, even after only knowing him for a few short days.


    ¡°It''s a long distance CB radio and instructions to build amunications tower to let you run walkie-talkies through it.¡± Eli said and everyone was shocked. ¡°I''m really starting to enjoy seeing that look on people''s faces.¡±


    Sandraughed and swatted him on the arm. ¡°Get off Hermes and start unloading his saddlebags. You know he hates the extra burden that slow him down.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Eli said and slid off of the saddle andnded on the dirt. He patted Hermes on the shoulder. ¡°There''s a trail and ess road across the hydroelectric dam that''s a few miles long. I''ll show it to youter and you can really let loose and have a bit of fun.¡±


    Hermes neighed happily and nodded.


    ¡°Did... did your horse... just nod eptance?¡± Tammy asked, her eyes wide.


    Eli chuckled and went to the left saddlebag hanging behind the saddle. It was fairlyrge and looked like it did encumber the horse when it ran. ¡°He can do a lot more than that.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Jenkins asked and petted Hermes on his nk and within his sight. You never try to touch a horse where it can''t see you. That was just asking to be kicked or trampled.


    ¡°Like iming territory by crapping all over it.¡± Sandra said with a shake of her head. ¡°How he figured that was supposed to work is beyond me.¡±


    Jenkinsughed. ¡°He''s not iming territory, Sandra. He''s leaving stud piles.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sandra and Eli asked at the same time and in the same tone of voice.


    Tammy barely held back herugh at how in sync they were. She also managed to not feel envy that she and Marius had never had that happen and they had been together for years.


    ¡°He''s iming his mare and marking the area to keep his pheromones fresh and the smell pungent.¡± Jenkins exined and patted the horse''s shoulder. ¡°Where did you get these fine specimens, Eli? I''ve only seen pictures of horses this big and never personally seen a Clydesdale.¡±


    ¡°I worked hard to get them to this size and spent a lot of time and effort making sure they developed properly and didn''t max out certain traits too early as they ignored others.¡± Eli said and gave Hermes a re.


    The horse snorted and looked away with guilt on its face. Everyone around them stared at the interaction, because none of them had ever seen a horse looking guilty before.


    ¡°Here''s the main console.¡± Eli said and handed Jenkins therge cardboard box that none of the people around realized should not have fit inside the saddlebag. ¡°We''ll have to assemble the dish it needs and the tower, too. It should only take a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you brought instructions to build the tower ourselves?¡± Tammy asked.


    ¡°We did.¡± Sandra said and slid off of her horse''s saddle on the left side, just like Eli had, andnded on her feet. It was only then that a few people noticed the expensive boots. ¡°We also brought the materials.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, a day or two.¡± Eli added and reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a huge coil of wiring that must have weighed a hundred pounds. ¡°Where can we start putting these things?¡±


    Tammy waved at themunity centre and Eli nodded. With a central location chosen to put all the parts he had brought, the work could get started as soon as he had everything unpacked.

 159 Short And Sweet

    159 Short And Sweet


    Sandra went off to find her other friends after she helped unload the burdens from both horses. Tammy stayed just long enough to arrange space for the horses in the stables and then had to go report to the town''s council.


    I wanted nothing to do with that, so I went to work putting everything in order for easy assembly and Jenkins stood beside the huge pile of metal and fastenings as he read the instructions.


    ¡°Is it really this simple to put up?¡± Jenkins asked me and waved the few papers.


    ¡°With two sets of hands, all the parts, and the instructions?¡± I asked and didn''t wait for an answer, since the question was rhetorical. ¡°It''s as easy as apple pie.¡±


    Jenkins nodded and I handed him a tool set with two socket wrenches and arge double row of sockets inside. He didn''t really know what they were or how to use them, so I had to show him how they worked and his eyes lit up like a kid getting the best gift at Christmas.


    ¡°Where did you ever find something like this?¡± Jenkins asked and yed with the forward and reverse setting on the biggest socket wrench. ¡°I''ve only ever seen and used normal wrenches and they suck when you''re working on an engine or trying to screw inrger bolts.¡±


    ¡°I raided a half-burned out hardware store years ago and picked up a few sets.¡± I said and grabbed the fourrgest metal bars that would be attached together to make the base. I would have preferred to set it into concrete first; but, I couldn''t do anything too obviously magical with so many witnesses around.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jenkins asked like he didn''t believe me.


    ¡°Yep. Found several car batteries, too. My best find was an abandoned house in a suburb of Anta and the guy must have loved outdoor stuff. His secured garage had huge tool chests full of stuff and he even had two canoes. Two! Can you believe it? How was one man supposed to use two canoes and four paddles?¡±


    Jenkinsughed. ¡°Okay, that is a bit too much to be made up.¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡± I said and pped his shoulder and nodded at the open tool set. ¡°We''re using the 1 inch bolts and nuts for the base pieces, so grab the right sockets for both wrenches and let''s get to work.¡±


    Jenkins grinned and did that before he handed me the smaller wrench. ¡°Here you go. I''ll hold the nut and you turn the bolt.¡±


    I fake gasped at him making me do the harder part with the smaller wrench. ¡°You big meanie!¡±


    Jenkinsughed and we wet to work.


    *


    Tammy was gone for only half an hour as she advised the town council about Eli''s visit. She had enjoyed seeing their shocked faces that he had arranged for his own importance to be removed from the interest of the resistance''s upper ranks, which also removed him from FEDRA''s interests, too. How the trial had turned out had really eaten at her and made her rethink her stance on a lot of things.


    The funny part about all of it was that Tammy didn''t hate Eli for killing her sister. She knew she should have, because family was one of the most important things in her life and he stopped her from ever meeting Joan again. Maybe forever, because when she eventually died herself, she wasn''t sure she would be seeing her sister''s face in the afterlife.


    Tammy sighed at the thought that her sister was not a good person. After she had lost her son, she kind of lost herself and was more focused on causing mayhem for the military instead of trying to rebuild her life. She pushed those sad thoughts aside and made her way over to themunity centre to talk to the young man that she harboured no ill will against.


    She paused mid-step when she saw a small crowd gathered around a 20 foot tall metal tower with two happy men hanging off the side of it and they had lifted up and then started attaching a 4 foot tall and tapered section to the top of it. She hastened her pace and came to a stop beside themunity centre and stared up at them using wrenches she hadn''t seen in over a decade.


    ¡°I''ve only been gone for 30 minutes!¡± Tammy shouted up at them, exasperated. ¡°How did you get this monstrosity built up so fast?¡±


    Jenkinsughed and waved down to her. ¡°We built it in sections and stacked them up. It''s like a big fun tower puzzle!¡±


    ¡°It really is.¡± Sandra said as she approached with her four friends. ¡°Eli and I built the one we have back in Colorado.¡±


    ¡°With the both of them up and working, we can stay in contact all the time!¡± Janine said happily and held up a walkie-talkie. ¡°These things are great!¡±


    ¡°I found a whole stash of them at an old military base.¡± Eli said and climbed back down the tower. ¡°It only took a little bit of work to make thempatible with the CB radio on a specific channel.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already taught them how to work them.¡± Sandra said, pride in her voice. ¡°We''ve designated Channel 1 for personal things, Channel 5 for a full group chat, and Channel 8 for an open signal that we can choose to listen to or not.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be ying music on that channel.¡± One of her friends said, clearly happy. ¡°I don''t have to wait for special asions to practice ying my violin anymore!¡±


    Eli gave her an odd look for a moment and then he smiled warmly. ¡°You know, I haven''t yed my guitar in a very long time.¡±


    ¡°You can y the guitar?¡± Sandra and a few other people asked at the same time.


    Eli chuckled at their surprise. ¡°I picked it up years ago and it''s been almost as long since I used it. You can''t me me for forgetting about it with everything else going on.¡±


    ¡°That''s so true.¡± Janine said and hugged Sandra. ¡°I love living alone and I also miss hanging out with my friend.¡±


    ¡°Us, too!¡± Their friends said and Sandra and Janine were engulfed in a group hug.


    ¡°That''s why we delivered the radio as soon as we could make the trip up here.¡± Eli said and started assembling the next section with Jenkins. ¡°It''s going to be dangerous soon with summer''s hot weather and the infected and fungal growthsing out of their hibernation cycle.¡±


    Tammy and the others gasped at being told that.


    Sandra rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You were supposed to save that for the town briefing, Eli.¡±


    Eli stopped working to give her a confused look, then saw the shock on everyone''s faces. ¡°Ah, right. I shouldn''t have said anything yet.¡±


    Tammy stepped forward and red a him. ¡°What exactly do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°And that''s why I should have kept my mouth shut until tonight.¡± Eli said and went back to work.


    ¡°Don''t you dare ignore me!¡± Tammy almost shouted.


    ¡°Tammy, rx.¡± Sandra said and pulled Tammy into the group hug. ¡°Waiting a few hours won''t make the information any less valuable or cause anyone to die needlessly.¡±


    Her serious tone made everyone rx.


    Tammy''s re lessened before she sighed. ¡°You can''t just drop things like that so casually and expect people to not react.¡±


    Sandra nodded and rested her head on her shoulder briefly. ¡°We know that, which is why it took us a few extra days riding back here. We''ve been going around and mapping out the worst spots to avoid.¡±


    ¡°I''ve also been figuring out how to make an all purpose weed-killer to help fight the fungal growths.¡± Elimented and more gasps came from everyone.


    ¡°Dammit, Eli! What did I just say?¡± Sandra asked, exasperated.


    ¡°Sorry, dear.¡± Eli said and looked embarrassed. ¡°I''m too used to telling you everything.¡±


    Sandra sighed and let a struggling Tammy go. ¡°You might as well go ahead and tell the council we have important information to share tonight after dinner.¡±


    Tammy red at them for keeping secrets from her, even though there was no way for them to tell her about them before now.


    ¡°It''s not time sensitive.¡± Eli said and added thest bolt to the frame and tightened it. ¡°If it was, we would have braved the colder weather and been here a month ago.¡±


    ¡°He''s right, you know. I would have demanded hee right here to tell you.¡± Sandra said and her friends hugged her.


    ¡°Instead of doing that, we built amunications tower and I worked out how to power the thing, fixed up the radio to ept the walkie-talkie signals without being garbed mess, then put together the pieces to build a free-standing tower for you guys...¡± Eli''s voice trailed off.


    ¡°We''ve been busy.¡± Sandra said with finality.


    Tammy sighed and had to reluctantly nod. ¡°I''ll let everyone know that our usual after meal meeting is going to be an important one this time.¡± She said as she started to walk away, then she mentally groaned as Eli had to get onestment in.


    ¡°You can tell them we also have six spare walkie-talkies to trade, besides the ones Sandra gave her friends and the one we''re giving to you.¡± Eli said and picked up the tower section. ¡°Jenkins, we only have one more section and then we can clean up and call it a night.¡±


    ¡°You got it, Eli.¡± Jenkins said and helped him hold the thing as they climbed back up the 24 foot tall tower that was soon going to be 32 feet after they added one more section.


    Tammy nodded and walked faster. The sooner she could give the council an update, the sooner she could head to the bar and get a much needed drink.


    *


    Iid down in the bed that Janine was kind enough to let us borrow. She was staying with one of her friends for the few days Sandra and I would be there in town and let us stay in her house.


    ¡°It''s kind of weird being back here.¡± Sandra said as she stripped off her clothes and folded them to ce on the nearby dresser. ¡°I mean, this used to be my ce and it''s like I never lived here.¡±


    Janine had done too good of a job clearing out Sandra''s things and I knew that made Sandra a little sad. She had expected to maybe grab a few things she forgot in her haste and now she couldn''t. She also didn''t want to ask her friend where all those things went, for two reasons. One, she didn''t want to know what happened to them; and two, she didn''t want to make Janine feel guilty for getting rid of them after saying she could have it all.


    I lifted the nket of the bed and she climbed in. She snuggled right up to me with her head resting on my chest, even though I wasn''t wearing the bunny suit. She had pretty much ordered me to not wear it this time, because she didn''t want to take the chance that someone else might try to take advantage of me being so cuddly and adorable.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± I whispered to her and softly kissed the top of her head. ¡°It shouldn''t hurt like this when youe home.¡±


    Sandra didn''t say anything for several minutes. ¡°Eli, I... I...¡± She paused and took in a deep breath and let it out, as if working up the courage to say something. ¡°I love you and... and I... I was wondering...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get married?¡± I cut her off and her head jerked up off of my chest and she stared at me with wide eyes. ¡°I''ve been wanting to ask you for a while.¡± I added and she kept staring at me without blinking her eyes. ¡°I wasn''t sure if you''d say yes or not and I don''t know how you''re going to wear two more rings on your fingers.¡±


    ¡°T-t-t-two m-m-more?¡± Sandra asked, her voice shaky.


    ¡°Well, yeah. An engagement ring...¡± I said and pulled out a ridiculously huge diamond mounted on a small ring from under the pillow. ¡°...and a wedding ring.¡± I said and pulled out two more rings that were in gold wedding bands. All three of them were enchanted, of course.


    ¡°Wh-where... how...¡± Sandra managed to ask as her eyes stared at the rings instead of me.


    ¡°I found them before I came here.¡± I said, not lying at all. ¡°It took a bit of work to mount the diamond properly and not make it look fake.¡±


    ¡°It... it''s real? That''s a real diamond?¡± Sandra asked.


    ¡°Straight from an old museum''s secured disy.¡± I answered, a little proudly.


    ¡°A museum?¡± Sandra asked, her hand twitching to take it. She knew what it would mean if she epted it, however. ¡°It used to be...¡±


    ¡°...admired by hundreds of people every day before the outbreak? Yes, it was.¡±


    Sandra''s hand moved the rest of the way and her fingertip lightly stroked the glittering surface. ¡°You did this for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. You didn''t even hesitate to give up your life here and came with me, even knowing I and no idea where I was going to end up.¡± I said and she looked up from the ring and into my eyes. ¡°Your dedication to me deserves an equal dedication to you in return, don''t you think?¡±


    Sandra seemed lost in thought, so I didn''t say anything else and just kept a smile on my face. After a few more minutes of quiet contemtion, she smiled as well. ¡°We need to get your measurements over to Gail at the tailor shop. She can have a tux ready for you in about a week.¡±


    I grinned at her as she wiggled her fingers at me and I slid the diamond onto her bare ring finger. ¡°What about your wedding dress?¡±


    ¡°That''s none of your concern until I walk down the aisle.¡± Sandra said, a bit smugly.


    I chuckled and leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips. ¡°Yes, dear. Let me know when to be ready.¡±


    Sandra nodded and thenid her head down on my chest as she admired the diamond. ¡°Eli.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked without actually asking anything.


    ¡°You knew I... that I was going to...¡± Sandra''s voice drifted off.


    ¡°I suspected, yes. You only get nervous about asking me about something when you think I might say no.¡± I said and petted her short ck hair.


    Sandra hadn''t wanted to grow it out, because it was too much work to take care of when it was longer and it could get caught on things when she moved, or if someone was trying to hurt or capture her by grabbing her by the hair. Keeping it short was just practical.


    ¡°By the way, just for future reference.¡± I said and my other hand lightly caressed her face. ¡°I will probably never say no, no matter what you ask me.¡±


    Sandra blushed and I could feel the extra warmth on her face.


    ¡°Goodnight, love.¡± I said and let her face go and stopped petting her hair to hug her close.


    ¡°Goodnight, love.¡± Sandra responded and hugged me back.


    *


    The entire poption in Jackson attended the small wedding in themunity centre. It was such a rare thing to see, with most of the older generation in town already inmitted rtionships. Some of them had gotten married and some just stayed together because it felt right.


    The members of the middle generation were more concerned with dating and having fun instead of looking for longsting rtionships or even shortmitments. The teens and children of the younger and youngest generation were a little too young to care about things like that. For now, anyway.


    Eli stood at one side of the aisle with Jenkins as his best man and both of them looked proud to be there. Across the aisle was empty until the procession started, then the music changed and a little girl entered through the main doors and threw dried flower petals on the floor. They would be gathered up afterwards to be used again when needed.


    Janine was next and she looked radiant in a sky blue dress. She caught several men''s eyes and the light blush she wore let everyone know she really liked the attention. She came to a stop across from Jenkins and he gave her a bright smile and a wink, making Janine blush fully.


    The music changed again as the wedding march started and everyone turned to look. Sandra entered the room being escorted by an old bowlegged man and his wrinkled face had the biggest smile on it as he hobbled down the aisle with Sandra on his arm.


    ¡°You better take care of this young filly or I''lle by with a strap to straighten you out.¡± The old codger said to Eli as he handed him Sandra''s hand.


    ¡°I''d deserve worse than that if I ever disappointed her.¡± Eli said and took both of his fiance''s hands in his. ¡°I want to say how beautiful you look, except those words aren''t good enough and I don''t know any better ones.¡±


    A few peopleughed and a few of the women let out ''aww'' sounds.


    Sandra couldn''t smack him for embarrassing her in public because he held her hands for just that reason. ¡°I get youter for that.¡±


    ¡°No doubt.¡± Eli said and they both turned towards the priest.


    The ceremony went quickly, because no one wanted to be there for longer than necessary. Plus, they had to change out themunity centre from the wedding setup to the reception setup. Eli kissed the bride when they were announced as Mister and Missus Williams and then everyone cheered as they walked down the aisle hand in hand.


    The entered the horse-drawn carriage with Jenkins and Janine and they took a nice leisurely ride around the entire town. Jenkins showed off some of the improvements they were making and Eli added in a few ideas that he could take back to the council.


    An hourter, they were back at themunity centre and they entered to have the reception. Everyone was having a great time with the meal that no one questioned. How did they get so many cooked turkeys to serve everyone in town with a huge tter? No one cared. It was a celebration and that was all that mattered.


    When the meal was done, the bride, groom, the best man, and the maid of honor, took another ride around the town to let the ce be cleaned up and cleared out for the dance portion of the reception. They returned when it was time and the whole town danced and had fun for hours and hours.


    When it was finally over, it was 2 in the morning and Eli and Sandra rode out of town on their Clydesdale horses to head off to their honeymoon.

 160 Repercussions

    160 Repercussions


    It had been a bit of a shock that the town council chose to not negotiate for more of the walkie-talkies. They wouldn''t give an exnation for it, either. It was Tammy that stepped in and arranged trades for them and kept them for herself to lend out when a scout patrol left the town to protect the area from any encroaching infected. The guards usually sent out really appreciated it, especially Marius.


    Sandra and I stayed in constant contact with Tammy and Sandra''s friends in her old hometown and they kept us up to date with everything that was going on. We couldn''t travel across two states constantly to visit all the time, because that just invited unnecessary danger into our lives and neither of us wanted to lose the other one. We also didn''t want anyone from town to risk their lives toe all the way to us, either.


    Over the next few months, I worked my ass off trying different things to create the best weed-killer ever. The tricky part was not killing off all the normal vegetation, since that was really easy to do. I already had something that could remove all the nt life in an area, killing it permanently. The problem was, it was highly toxic to nt life and nothing would grow there ever again. So, that was shelved.


    Married life was pretty fun, especially since it gave Sandra the excuse she needed to cross thatst line and we could enjoy ourselves fully. The best part about that was all the teasing and heavy petting for months on end that we had done to each other before getting married, had made her excessively horny and she couldn''t get enough of me.


    We could be in the middle of eating a nice meal and she would suddenly jump to her feet and tackle me to the floor to have her way with me, making meugh every single time. I eventually figured out that she was testing me, just to see if I would ever say no or tried to stop her. Since I wasn''t an idiot, I never did.


    Once the weather started turning cold again, we chanced another trip back to Jackson and I tried out mytest batch of weed-killer along the way. I wasn''t stupid, so I didn''t try to attack a main nest or a central growth area of the fungus or anything. Instead, I lightly sprayed it on the ground along the route we took. I was essentially burning a clear path from Colorado to Wyoming to see how long it wouldst.


    We arrived at the town in much better time than thest time, since we didn''t spend time going around to mark any new growths or expansions of the fungus. Tammy and Jenkins greeted us at the gate, as did Janine, and both Sandra and I were surprised to see her holding hands with Jenkins.


    ¡°You guys are holding hands! How scandalous!¡± I joked and Sandra whacked my arm.


    Jenkinsughed and let Janine''s hand go to put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°What can I say? She saw a great guy and rejected him, so now she''s stuck with me.¡±


    Janine gasped and blushed. ¡°Th-that... that''s not true.¡±


    ¡°She''s right.¡± I said, not wanting anyone to mistake the situation. ¡°It was only flirting and carrying on. Even when I jokingly asked her to be my birthday present, she adamantly refused. My age was only an excuse for her to politely decline my advances.¡±


    The four of them stared at me with surprised faces.


    ¡°It''s not that hard to believe, is it? I could say I wasn''t operating at my best back when we first met; but, it''s more urate to say I''m not everyone''s first choice for doing things like dating and hanging out.¡± I said and slid off my horse on the left side andnded on the dirt. ¡°Wee bearing gifts again.¡±


    Tammy sighed and motioned for the two stable hands to take over control of the horses. ¡°What do I need to warn the council about this time?¡±


    Sandra slid off her horse and patted it. ¡°You mentioned running low on flour and that the wheat crops were a bit low this summer.¡±


    I pulled out arge 100 kilogram bag of flour from each of my saddle bags and rested them on the ground. I went to Sandra''s horse and pulled out a 100 kilogram bag of oats from each of hers.


    ¡°Geezusss.¡± Jenkins said with a whistle. ¡°They can haul that much?¡±


    I patted Aphrodite''s nk and then patted Hermes. ¡°They can haul a lot more than that for shorter distances when they train.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I get it. Heavier for shorter, longer for lighter.¡± Jenkins said with a nod of his head.


    ¡°You got it. Endurance and encumbrance training.¡± I said and walked around the horses to stand beside Tammy. ¡°200 kilograms barely slows them down and they can trot for miles without stopping.¡±


    Hermes neighed and nodded, looking proud.


    ¡°I don''t know if I can ever get used to seeing that.¡± Tammymented, making me chuckle.


    ¡°We could be around here more if it wasn''t so dangerous travelling so far.¡± Sandra said and hugged me. ¡°Eli''s made some progress on his project and we tested it on the way.¡±


    Tammy perked right up at that. ¡°Oh? What was the result of thetest batch?¡±


    I shrugged slightly. ¡°It''s mitigating so far. There were no real visible signs so soon after treatment, so I''ll be checking extensively on the way back.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure it''s going to work well, sweetheart.¡± Sandra said and kissed me. ¡°I''m going to steal Janine from her husband for a while.¡±


    ¡°Right, girl talk. Don''t let me stop you.¡± I said and shooed her away.


    Sandra giggled and Janine looked amused. They let Jenkins and I go and then grabbed onto each other and walked in sync together. They went deeper into the town with their heads pressed together and seemed to talk faster than should be possible to understand.


    ¡°I don''t know if I can ever get used to seeing that.¡± Jenkins joked, repeating what Tammy said about Hermes.


    Both Tammy and Iughed and he chuckled along.


    ¡°Come on, Eli. We set up that dart board thing you told us how to make in the bar.¡± Jenkins said and motioned for me to follow him. ¡°It''s surprisingly popr after people have a few beers.¡±


    ¡°I told you they would like it.¡± I said and started to follow him, stopped and turned back to Tammy. ¡°I hope we can get together after supper and talk like we usually do, only in person this time.¡±


    Tammy smiled warmly. ¡°I''d like that, Eli.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and jogged to catch up with Jenkins.


    ¡°Marius is gonna be angry if you monopolize his woman so much.¡± Jenkins warned me.


    ¡°He hasn''t said anything for thest few months.¡± I said and he gave me a pointed look. ¡°Yes, I know it''s different in person. I''ve just grown to know Tammy a lot better since we''ve been talking so much and I don''t want to disappoint her by not continuing that, just because we''re face to face and not over a radio.¡±


    Jenkins shook his head. ¡°All I can do is warn you, Eli. It''s up to you to listen to it.¡±


    I patted his shoulder and opened the bar''s door. ¡°I appreciate the concern, Jenkins. Really.¡± I said and waved him inside the bar. ¡°You don''t have to worry that Marius will do something to me. I won''t antagonize him or anything, either. I promise.¡±


    Jenkins sighed and led me over to the dart board. ¡°I don''t want to see anyone get hurt, not just you.¡±


    I made a pained sound and put a hand over my heart. ¡°I''m so touched!¡±


    Jenkins chuckled and swatted at me, so I dodged. ¡°I''ll get us a couple beers.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and handed him a bunch of ration tickets. ¡°The rest are on me.¡±


    Jenkins looked at the month''s worth of food tickets in his hand andughed. He walked towards the bar that had an actual bartender now and handed a week''s worth over to the very happy woman.


    ¡°I''ll run a tab.¡± She said and tucked the tickets into her shirt.


    I picked up the two sets of darts and felt them. They were slightly unbnced, probably because they didn''t have a properthe to mill them finely. I discreetly fixed them with magic and touched up the dart board a little to repair some of the damage and cleaned up the details to make them stand out more.


    Jenkins came over with two mugs of draft beer and set them on the small table next to the dart board. ¡°We''re good for a few hours and we''ll have to stop to eat.¡±


    I handed him one set of three darts. ¡°I''ll go grab some pretzels and chips.¡±


    Jenkins nodded and held up one of the darts, rolled it through his fingers, and shrugged. He lobbed it at the dart board and the thunk was nice and solid.


    The bartender grinned at me and put a bowl of pretzels and in chips onto the bar as I approached.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and slipped tworge chocte bars between the bowls.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± She said and the two bars disappeared under the bar before I moved the bowls.


    I nodded and went back over to Jenkins and saw he had used both sets of darts already. ¡°How''s the warm up?¡±


    Jenkins gave me an odd look and then chuckled. ¡°Better than thest six times I yed.¡±


    I put the bowls down on the table and smirked at him. ¡°Did you just say you needed me here to be your good luck charm?¡±


    Jenkinsughed and retrieved the six darts. ¡°You''re not full of yourself or anything.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I''m fucking awesome!¡± I replied and heughed again.


    ¡°Just shut up and y.¡± Jenkins said and handed me three of the darts.


    Needless to say, we had a great time and the gathering crowd cheered us on.


    *


    ¡°I knew you liked him better than me, Tammy. I just didn''t think you''d rub it in my face like this!¡± Marius said angrily as he stomped around the living room of the house.


    ¡°Where the hell is this shiting from?¡± Tammy asked, just as angry as him.


    Marius motioned to the broken walkie-talkie he had previously smashed onto the floor. ¡°I could take you talking to another man behind my back, because it was just talking. Now you''re going to meet your other man in person and in front of the entire fucking town! I won''t stand for it!¡±


    Tammy''s hackles had been raised and she wasn''t going to back down. ¡°You won''t stand for it?¡± She asked, her tone turning deadly. ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡±


    Marius turned to her and pointed a finger right into her face. ¡°I absolutely forbid you to see him!¡±


    ¡°You... you forbid me...¡± Tammy asked, her voice barely above a growl.


    ¡°I refuse to let you make me theughing stock of the town!¡± Marius shouted. ¡°I''m sick of the jokes and the jibes from the younger men about how a fucking teenager is better than me! Every day I suffer through constantments and...¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Tammy said, her voice t.


    Marius stopped ranting and his eyes were wide. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°If you''re so worried about what other people think instead of me, then you can worry about it somewhere else.¡± Tammy said, her voice rising in pitch. ¡°How dare you try to control my life after everything I''ve been through! After all the years we''ve been together! How dare you FORBID ME from talking to a friend!¡±


    ¡°Tammy...¡± Marius whispered.


    ¡°GET OUT!¡± Tammy yelled and pointed over his shoulder. ¡°You can send Mac over tomorrow to get what''s left of your things.¡±


    Marius blinked his eyes at that implication and he realized he had majorly screwed up. ¡°Tammy, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean...¡±


    ¡°Get. The fuck. Out.¡± Tammy said as her left hand forming into a fist. ¡°Unless you want a bullet in the leg, you better start walking.¡±


    Marius took a step towards her and the click of a gun being cocked made him freeze.


    ¡°The other way.¡± Tammy said and her right hand slid out from behind her back and held a revolver.


    ¡°Tammy, there''s no need to overreact...¡± Marius started to say.


    *BANG!*


    Marius flinched so hard that his teeth cked together. When the gun clicked again, he felt the blood drain from his face.


    Tammy raised the gun from pointing at the floor to point it at his thigh. ¡°Eli says he''s be a great medical doctor. How ironic would it be to have him dig a bullet out of you?¡±


    Marius raised his hands up in surrender and tried to walk backwards, only he kicked the coffee table and stumbled, iled his arms, and caught himself on the side of the couch. He stood up again and started to sweat, because the gun was now pointed at his crotch. He got the point and turned away from her, expecting the gun to go off, and walked out of the house.


    The door shut behind Marius and he never heard Tammy''s sobbing cries or the gun being dropped on the floor. Thankfully, it didn''t go off, despite still being cocked to fire.


    *


    Both Sandra and I rushed over to Tammy''s ce after her sobbing call on our walkie-talkies. She had asked for us to help her and we didn''t know what was going on until we entered her house and saw a pile of men''s clothes in the firece going up in mes.


    Sandra and I exchanged knowing looks and went to a still sobbing Tammy and helped her to stand, then we led her over to the couch and sat on either side of her. We didn''t say anything and just let her cry herself out. It was all we could do until she was coherent enough to give us the details of what happened.


    After about twenty minutes, Tammy finally calmed down enough to tell us what happened. We kind of knew Marius had left and only wanted to know the details. By the time she was done talking about it, then telling us what happened to her years ago, we both agreed that Tammy''s side was the right one and hugged her to let her cry some more.


    Sandra was the first to move after Tammy''s breakdown and she stood up, helped Tammy to stand, and motioned for me to help. We took Tammy to her bedroom and sat her down on the bed and I looked to Sandra to silently ask what we should do next. I probably shouldn''t have left it to her.


    ¡°You know what has to happen now, right?¡± Sandra asked and both Tammy and I gave her our attention. She smiled sexily and knelt on the floor in front of me, then her deft hands moved and I was suddenly exposed to the air and she started jerking on me.


    Because she was my wife and I loved her, I sprang right up for her.


    ¡°We have to prove Marius was right to be jealous and not just an idiot.¡± Sandra said, her voice confident, then she started sucking on me right in front of our friend.


    Tammy''s mouth dropped open at the tant sexual act being performed right there in front of her.


    Sandra pulled her mouth off of me. ¡°That''s a great idea, Tammy! You don''t have to wait for your turn.¡±


    Tammy let out a squawk as Sandra pulled her down off of the bed and guided her open mouth right onto my prominent erection. To both of our surprise, Tammy let out a fairly indecent moan and then epted that she really was going to go through with it. I started to moan as well, because goddamn she could do some great things with her tongue.


    While Tammy worked me over, Sandra stripped off and then carefully took Tammy''s clothes off as well. I mentally admitted that for someone that was nearing 50 years old, Tammy was in great shape. Even her breasts were still a little perky and had some heft to them.


    ¡°That''s it, Tammy! Show this young buck that you''re not out of the game yet!¡± Sandra encouraged her.


    ¡°I think... you''re mixing up... you metaphors.¡± I said between panting moans.


    ¡°Hmm mmm.¡± Tammy agreed and then did a particr swirl around the tip and I couldn''t hold it in anymore.


    ¡°There he blows!¡± Sandra cheered at seeing me tense up.


    Tammy started swallowing me down like a champion and she had a look of triumph and satisfaction on her face. She pulled her mouth off of me and she licked her lips, letting out another moan at the great taste.


    ¡°Now for the fun part!¡± Sandra said and helped Tammy stand and then pushed her onto the bed. ¡°Spread those legs wide, Tammy! Eli''s fantastic at this!¡±


    Tammy looked doubtful and I gave Sandra a pointed look.


    ¡°I meant you have to warm her up first.¡± Sandra said and I nodded.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I asked and climbed onto the bed.


    ¡°It''s the only way to save both Tammy''s and Marius'' reputations. You have to take all the me.¡± Sandra said.


    I finally got it and looked at Tammy. ¡°I hope you don''t mind that I seduced you away from your old man.¡±


    Tammy''s eyes dropped to my still prominent erection. ¡°Ask me again when we''re done.¡±


    Sandraughed andid down beside her. ¡°That''s the spirit! Eli, give her the works.¡±


    I chuckled andid down to position my head between Tammy''s thighs. ¡°You better hold onto something.¡±


    ¡°What do you meeaaaaaHHHHHH!¡± Tammy screamed as I vibrated my tongue and she instantly came. She was already breathing heavily and her left hand grasped Sandra''s and her right hand grabbed my hair and pulled me in tighter. ¡°You''re fucking awesome!¡±

 161 Martyrs Part One

    161 Martyrs Part One


    The next day, everyone noticed how much happier Tammy was, which just made the people that saw me hate me more. Not surprisingly, Marius avoided us as much as possible, even though we didn''t do anything tant in front of anyone. I only kissed her cheek in public once and that still earned me a few hissedments about being a scoundrel.


    On the plus side, Tammy and Marius hadn''t been married and were only living together. On the negative side, a lot of the townspeople really hated that I was the one that broke them up. It was actually funny that they ignored years of asional conflicts between the two of them and attributed it all to me, as if I had been the source of all their problems and not just the most recent ones.


    When Sandra and I finished our visit after only a week, instead of the month we had nned for, Tammy shocked everyone by announcing that she was going on vacation and it just so happened that she chose Colorado as her destination.


    That decision did not go over well. At all.


    Tammy was adamant that her choices were her own and that no one had any right to tell her what she could and couldn''t do. When the town council demanded that she stay, because they couldn''t handle things without her help for a month, she told them to go screw themselves. Well, she said it more colorfully and much more loudly, just like she had when she and Marius had broken up.


    Her threat that she might not evere back, had them backtrack and offer her a ton of concessions and favors to try and keep her within the settlement. Apparently, Tammy was one of the main backbones of the town and had been instrumental in bringing it to prominence and stability. She also worked hard to keep it there and they did not want to lose her.


    So, she rode on the back of Sandra''s horse, just to make the point that Tammy wasn''t leaving with me. It didn''t matter, though. The looks of revulsion and hatred on a lot of their faces towards me as we rode out through the main doors, let the three of us know that Sandra''s n had worked much better than any of us could have expected.


    I had be a focusing object for everyone''s ire and they liked having something tangible to foist it on. It honestly didn''t bother me and that seemed to throw off how both Tammy and Sandra were going to act around me. They had expected me to react badly to all the angry res and were going to reassure me that I could ignore it, except I already was.


    Even the disappointed looks from both Jenkins and Janine didn''t bother me. There wasn''t anything I could do after he had warned me about the situation and it happened without me even doing anything, so I only felt a little guilty that Marius had jumped to the wrong conclusions about Tammy''s interest in me and mine in her.


    Tammy and I really had only talked about normal things and nothing sexual ever came up, not even jokingly. We didn''t even flirt and that alone had earned me tons of rtionship points with Sandra. Heck, she was usually right there on the couch beside me reading a book while I talked to Tammy, so she fully trusted me and knew any usations people made against me, like cheating on her, were tant lies.


    I didn''t change my ns of checking the results of thetest batch of my weed-killer as we travelled back to our hotel in Colorado. We stopped at various spots and I dismounted to use several chemical testing devices I had pilfered from thebs at the old abandoned college. I verbally shared my findings with Tammy as I took readings and samples to test back at the hotel.


    ¡°There''s only a 30% spread of the chemicals after the initial treatment?¡± Tammy asked me after ourst designated stop before we entered the town where the hotel was.


    ¡°So far.¡± I said and put the samples into a saddlebag and climbed up onto Hermes. ¡°It''s incrementally smaller the closer to Jackson, so I''lle back here next week and take another reading. If it''s the same, I won''t have to repeat it. If the bleed off into the surrounding area changes, I''ll have to keeping back each week to track it.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect it to?¡± Tammy asked.


    ¡°Kind of.¡± I said and we kicked the horses into a trot. ¡°I''ve factored in rainfall and snow into my calctions and made the fluid water resistant. It''s one of the key factors it uses to kill the nts by denying it water and starving it.¡±


    Tammy had a slightly worried look on her face. ¡°But, won''t the infected notice?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± I said. ¡°You''ve seen for yourself that some of the older andrger vines dry out over time if they don''t have arge enough source of water. I applied that to my experiments and tried to reproduce the effect.¡±


    Tammy thought about that and nodded. ¡°If it works like that, then applying it to a central nest would take weeks to months for it to eventually die.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°This batch won''t work on a huge gathering like that, only on the edges. Therge mass of fungus would retain way too much water internally for it to work down more than a few feet and then it would stop.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you making it?¡± Tammy asked.


    ¡°It''s a deterrent to be sprayed where we don''t want the vines and fungus to grow to, like on roads, around buildings and houses, the outskirts of towns, around animal paddocks, and around crop fields.¡± I said and Tammy''s eyes widened. ¡°If it works like I calcted, it will create a physical barrier that the infection can''t cross.¡±


    Tammy went quiet after that reveal and she stayed that way until we reached the hotel. She let out augh as we rode the horses right into the hotel and she had a look of approval on her face when she saw the reworked ballroom on the ground floor that Sandra and I had converted into a proper stable.


    ¡°You did a good job setting this up properly.¡± Tammy said and used Sandra''s arm as a brace and slid off of Aphrodite''s saddle. ¡°If you didn''t live so far away, I could have arranged for a stable hand to visit here once a week to take care of it for you.¡±


    Sandra slid off of the saddle andnded on the hay covered floor. ¡°I doubt anyone is as crazy as us to travel so far to work on a job and only stay for a week instead of sticking around until it''s safe to leave.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that and slid off of Hermes. ¡°Hey, we did n to stay for a month.¡±


    Tammy had a sad look on her face. ¡°Eli, I''m sorry about...¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare apologize.¡± I interrupted her, my voice firm. ¡°It''s not your fault that you''re a good friend and it''s not my fault that I like talking to you.¡±


    Sandra held her horse''s reins and took mine from me. ¡°He''s right, you know. We went there to visit our friends and not have what happened happen.¡± She said and led the horses to their stables. ¡°Eli? Take her on up to see where she''ll be staying for the next month.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am! Right away, ma''am!¡± I said and saluted her, making her giggle.


    Tammy gave me an odd look, as if she was trying to figure out the joke. I had to chuckle at that and offered her my elbow as I nned to reveal the uniform in the bedroomter. She took my offering without hesitation and I led her over to the elevator. Her eyes widened when the power worked and the elevator dinged. I brought her inside and hit the button for the penthouse.


    ¡°You have to be kidding me.¡± Tammy whispered as the elevator rose.


    ¡°The local power runs on a natural gas generator, so I spent about a month going to every building and house I could reach safely and I turned off every other ess point.¡± I said, a bit smugly. ¡°By the readings at the power nt, with only a single building still on the grid, we should have enough power for a few decades.¡±


    Tammy stayed quiet until the elevator dinged. She let out a slow breath at seeing the fully cleaned and restored hallway that was revealed. I brought her down the hallway and took out the electronic key and swiped it on the door''s receptacle. It beeped and clicked open and I motioned for her to enter on her own. She gave me another odd look and I smiled warmly.


    ¡°Go ahead. Sandra needed a minute alone when she first saw it after I fixed it up.¡± I prompted her.


    Tammy took in a deep breath and walked into the presidential suite and gasped. She looked around at the ridiculous opulence that was also ssy and gave the entire ce an air of royalty that was practically unheard of these days.


    ¡°H-how... how...¡± Tammy whispered and turned around in a slow circle as she looked at everything.


    The elevator dinged and a smiling Sandra came out and saw me standing in the hallway.


    ¡°Is she awed or what?¡± Sandra asked me as she strode over to me.


    I nodded and motioned inside the room.


    Sandra muffled herugh at the stunned look on Tammy''s face and entered the room. ¡°You really need to see the bathroom, Tammy!¡±


    Tammy didn''t react as Sandra took her hand and dragged her across the gigantic presidential suite to the huge bathroom. I stepped inside and closed the door, only to hear someone talking about being caught in a dream. I didn''t have to wonder who that was, because Sandra''s reaction had been tough out loud at the humongous tub and the utter waste of water it would be to fill the thing.


    I went to the kitchte to cook a meal for us and heard the water turn on. Iughed under my breath at either Tammy or Sandra suggesting actually taking a bath and decided I wouldn''t bother them for a while. The thought of joining them was a tempting one, except I wanted them to have some alone time to rx.


    What happened to Tammy back in town with Marius had hit her pretty hard and too suddenly for her to deal with it quickly. It had also brought up memories of her old traumas about the world copsing and the things she had to do while a part of the resistance. She hated what she did and hated herself because she couldn''t have done things differently if she had been given a choice.


    It was one of her main hang-ups, actually. Not having a choice about something, really drove her to react extremely and usually lethally when she didn''t have any other options. Yeah, the early years of the resistance and their extremism had really screwed her up. Unfortunately, she dealt with it in the only way she could, by bottling it all up and letting it stew.


    Both Sandra and I would work with her while she stayed with us and would help her as much as we could to face some of her fears. Of course, a whole lot of ying around and making love would be a key factor in that, which should let Tammy rx. Worrying about the safety of an entire town, all the time, was a huge weight on her shoulders that she didn''t really know she had until after she left with us.


    I served up supper on therge dining table and went over to the bathroom. I knocked on the door and heard the sshing stop. ¡°I''m sorry to interrupt; but, the evening meal has been served in the dining area and will be kept warm until you decide to stop acting like little girls and ying in the bubblebath.¡±


    Two simr giggles came through the door and the sshing continued. I chuckled and went to the table and ate my own food, the warming charms on the tes keeping their food at a good temperature.


    I went into the second bedroom that I had converted into a library and grabbed a book I hadn''t read in a while and went back out to rx on the couch. I cast cleaning charms on myself and my clothes, just so I didn''t make the couch smell like horse, and reclined and started to read.


    Half an hourter, two visions of loveliness came out of the bathroom. They only wore small towels that barely covered them from breasts to butts, their faces almost glowing with happiness. I watched out of the corner of my eye as they chatted away and ate the still warm food. It made me smile that Tammy had rxed so much already.


    Now that I had the opportunity, I set my book aside and went into the bathroom. I didn''t take a bath, though. A quick shower was all I needed and I dried myself off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and left the bathroom, not seeing either of the two women, and went to the bedroom.


    I caught my breath when I saw Sandra standing there wearing only a nurse hat and high heels, while Tammy wore a stethoscope, fake sses, and stilettos. My towel unravelled as my erection popped up and pushed it away.


    ¡°There''s the reaction I love to see.¡± Sandra said, almost purring.


    ¡°I can see why.¡± Tammy said and strutted over to me.


    <i>Goddamn, that''s a sexy walk.</i> I thought and my eyes were locked on her hips as they swayed.


    ¡°I think I love that look, too.¡± Tammy said and stopped in front of me.


    I lifted my eyes from her dripping wetness and her sexy smile had so many hidden promises in it that I was kind of lost as I thought about all of the things I would give her to keep that smile on her face.


    ¡°No, I changed my mind. That''s the look I love.¡± Tammy whispered in a husky voice and gave me a tender kiss. She stepped back and nodded at my kind of zed look, took my hand, and led me over to the bed. Our bed. She hadn''t even tried to pretend that she was going to sleep anywhere else.


    Sandra had a huge smile on her face as we approached her, probably because she recognized my look and had seen it enough to know what it meant. ¡°Wee to the family, Tammy.¡±


    Tammy''s sexy smile grew to match hers and the three of us climbed onto the bed. None of us were going to be sleeping much tonight and we were all looking forward to Tammy enjoying her ''vacation''.


    *


    The month passed by before we knew it and our return trip to Jackson was dyed by a sudden snowstorm. It wouldn''t have deterred us normally, except the snow was exceptionally deep in the drifts and had thoroughly covered over most of the trails and paths we would have taken. We couldn''t chance the horses stepping on covered roots or vines that were only dormant and not dead, so we had to wait.


    The good news was that myst batch of weed-killer had done exactly what I predicted and I made up severalrge batches of it for Tammy to use back in town. She had also epted a ring from me and one from Sandra, making the older woman blush cutely, because she would be marrying the both of us eventually and not just me. Being our wife was more important to her than being solely my wife, apparently.


    The snowstormsted only a few days and then it took a few more days for the drifts to wear down enough that we could more safely navigate the mapped out route. We couldn''t really leave visible markers, because bandits and patrols could then easily follow them back to both Jackson and to our hotel.


    It still slowed our progress down as we had to carefully probe some areas to not set off anything, stretching our five days of travelling into almost a week and a half. Hermes and Aphrodite were not happy that they couldn''t let loose and reluctantly epted that they were too valued by us to risk them with so much danger around.


    We eventually made it back to Jackson and only Jenkins greeted us. He also didn''t look happy, which was a huge warning sign for us, because he always had a smile on his face. Tammy let out a barely heard whistle and only a single whistle, which Jenkins nodded in response to.


    <i>Fuck, the town''s been invaded.</i> I thought and exchanged looks with Sandra, whom looked scared. I took a piece of paper out of my pocket and handed it to her and both she and Tammy stared at what it said.


    While they read it, I slid off of Hermes and patted his shoulder and pointed to his mate. He nodded and snatched the reins from Sandra''s rxed grip with his teeth and then he trotted offpletely silently, taking the two women and his mate with him.


    I walked over to Jenkins and his eyes gave away how scared he was. I handed him a piece of paper that asked him if they had Janine captive. He nodded, confirming why he was scared, and I nodded back. None of whoever they were would be leaving the town alive.

 162 Martyrs Part Two

    162 Martyrs Part Two


    I handed Jenkins another piece of paper with a question about if he had alerted anyone inside if someone wasing and he shook his head no. I gave him a thumbs-up and then put my finger in front of my lips in the universal sign of staying quiet. He nodded and I moved off to the side and along the wall. He didn''t turn his head to watch me, while also keeping me in sight, so I couldn''t go full stealth until I reached the corner of the wall surrounding the town.


    Once I was out of sight, I made myself invisible and made my way along the wall to a good spot. Going by my memories, I was behind one of therger houses and I was sure there was enough cover for me to enter and not be seen. Just in case, I cast a human reveal spell and nodded that no one was within my range.


    I had to assume that the bandits or whoever had taken over, had gathered everyone together in the middle of the town, probably at the only ce that could hold them all, themunity centre. I knelt and did the trick I learned back in Harry Potter. I transfigured a doorway in the wall and stepped through. I let the spellpse, because I didn''t want any patrols or anyone else to find it.


    Now that I was inside, the difficult part was going to start. I was still invisible, so I carefully made my way around the house and kept an eye out for people. I didn''t really have to be so cautious, being invisible and all; but, it was better to stay in the habit instead of relying on luck or everything going my way.


    When I finally reached the main street, I held in the curse I wanted to let out at the sight of a resistance truck and an entire team of people dismantling themunications tower. What were the odds that they would arrive during the time we would be out ofmunications range? Depending on when they took over, they could have easily waited for Sandra and Tammy to stop talking to their friends and then started taking the thing apart.


    No, that wouldn''t work. Tammy''s friends would have alerted her using their emergency whistle code, so that meant they had only been here for a week or less. It just didn''t make sense, though. I had configured the signal to not be registered by any other device except another CB radio on the samework. There was no way for them to track the signal back to either source, which meant... fuck. Someone told them about it.


    I made my way over to therge cargo truck and tried to notugh at the work crew cursing and having a very difficult time trying to take out the nuts and bolts holding the tower together using normal wrenches. There was barely any room to turn the bolts normally, which was why Jenkins and I used sockets.


    Unfortunately, there were too many men working on the tower to take any of them out without at least one of them seeing it and alerting the rest of the work crew, and possibly the whole town. I would have to rethink my n of knocking them all out and letting the townspeople deal with them. Then again, since one of those townspeople had sold them out, that wasn''t the best n anyway.


    After thinking about things for several minutes, I left them working and untouched as I went into a nearby building. I had to make up a few new ward stones and change their configurations to add silence and then add the illusion of them still working when seen from outside. I would have to erect a quick earth barrier and add in a second illusion to the inside of the ward to hide me working, too.


    Thankfully, they were having a lot of trouble taking the tower apart and I had some time to figure things out and get them to work. It was going to be a hasty job and I didn''t like that; but, it didn''t have tost long, just enough for me to take them all out and to hide the bodies.


    Twenty minutester, I very carefully made my way around the truck and the tower to drop two sets of ward stones to surround the workers moving between the two ces. When I had everything in ce, I had to wait for just the right moment where all of them were not looking at themunity centre our out at the street.


    It took a few minutes before I had my chance and powered the pair of hasty wards up with my strongest boost. They snapped into ce with a crack and the sound dampening runes caught it before it escaped the small walkway I had left myself between the inside and outside of the ward lines.


    The walkway was where I very quickly raised a solid dirt wall to catch any stray bullets that would be flying when I opened fire and they fired back. I transfigured it into concrete after rejecting changing it into metal. None of them had high powered weapons, so I didn''t need anything stronger and the ringing of the metal might propagate enough to break through the silencing spells.


    I made a temporary doorway in the ten foot tall wall and stepped through, let itpse, and then took out both my handgun and my shotgun. I knew how crazy a shootout with desperate people was going to be and I was not going to give them much of a chance to retaliate. I also doubted my stealth spells wouldst long after I started shooting and took aim at the two men closest to me.


    *BANG!* *BOOOM!*


    Both men went down with holes in their chests and confused looks on their faces. I actually felt the notice-me-not spell snap as the remaining six men turned their attention to me, shocked at someone just appearing out of thin air right in front of them.


    ¡°I''m sorry about this.¡± I said and lifted both guns to aim at the next two and pulled the triggers.


    One of them had flinched and my handgun only hit his shoulder while the other one had tried to duck and too the shotgun in the face. I had to ignore my disgust at his face disappearing and started to move as I changed my aim to the remaining four still clinging to the tower.


    ¡°Shoot him!¡± The guy closer to the top said and started to climb down.


    The guy shot in the shoulder fumbled for his gun with his off-hand, because I had shot his right shoulder, and I changed my aim again and shot him in the leg with the shotgun. He screamed as he fell to the ground, bleeding heavily, and I stored the shotgun and took out my wand to cast lubricate on the tower.


    I mentally kicking myself for not thinking of that earlier and had to wait as the four men lost their grips on the slick metal and tumbled to the ground.


    *BANG! BANG! BANG!*


    I let out a sigh at the waste and walked over to the only man still alive. I immobilized him and added three drops of truth serum to his tongue and I asked him about how he ended up here in Jackson and why. His answer did not make me feel any better about having to deal with him and his buddies.


    Marius had discreetly contacted a member of the resistance in thest FEDRA patrol that had passed through the town and had given them my information about what I had done in town and that I had bribed my way out of having the attention of both factions, which set the Fireflies oning after me instead of fighting the FEDRA patrols for killing their scientists and leadership.


    That pissed me off, because I had worked hard to frame the feds for the raid on the resistance''s main base, and now both factions were going to be after me again, only for much different reasons than trying to make me into a miracle serum that might not even work. They wanted me for my technology.


    <i>Fuck, fuck, fuck.</i> I thought and put a bullet into his head. There was no point in trying to keep them alive, because they didn''t matter, not anymore. They had already sent word out to everyone that Jackson had a long range CB radio that no one else had and now both the feds and the fireflies wanted it to try and copy it.


    There was another group of resistance fighters inside themunity centre that had the entire town held hostage. Unfortunately, the guy I just killed didn''t know where they were or what they were doing. He also didn''t know who had the walkie-talkies, assuming they didn''t already send them off.


    I levitated the bodies into the back of the cargo truck and saw the CB radio there that had been torn out of the mounts it had been in, damaging it. The coils of wires annoyed me as well, because they had cut it up into sections, not realizing that reattaching them would severely reduce the signal quality it carried. Even the satellite dish had hammer dents in it from them being frustrated while trying to take the thing apart.


    <i>Idiots. Goddamn idiots.</i> I thought and stored the pieces. I dropped the concrete wall back into the ground, not bothering to transfigure it back. I also left the partially dismantled tower, because it would show anyoneing there that they no longer had the radio or the capability to use it.


    Now I just had to figure out what the hell I was going to do to get inside themunity centre without setting off all the resistance fighters inside. I left the illusion of the workers up and spent several minutes trying toe up with a way to infiltrate the building without getting the townspeople hurt. A few human reveal spells let me know that everyone was inside the building and nowhere else in the town.


    My eyes roamed around the area as I looked for inspiration. They soonnded on an old and slightly torn cardboard box in the back of the truck that the work crew had used to hold the nuts and bolts they took out of the tower. I let a crooked smile show on my face at the ridiculous idea and held in my chuckle. For some reason, I knew it would work and started casting a few spells.


    *


    The leader of the resistance group was getting tired of the attitude of the guy that called them there. It wasn''t necessarily the smugness on his getting revenge on their target named Eli Williams, it was the gloating about it being worth betraying everyone in the town to do it. That just rubbed the leader the wrong way. He was definitely executing the traitor as soon as the target showed up.


    ¡°Boss? I''m going out to check on the guy we left at the gate.¡± One of the guards said as he walked by a few of the tables and chairs that were set up for the prisoners to gather around.


    The leader nced at the man and nodded. ¡°It''s getting close to feeding time, so bring him back with you and lock the gate down.¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°It''s nice having real food for once.¡± He said walked towards the front doors. He holstered his gun and opened the left door, only for it to hit something. He pushed on it and it moved a little. He opened the right door and looked out and saw arge cardboard box with a note on it.


    ¡°What is it?¡± The leader asked.


    The guy bent down and picked up the box. He struggled a little with the size of it and carried it over to his boss. ¡°It says it''s a priority delivery of bull''s testicles and semen samples for breeding.¡±


    A few townspeople around them made gagging sounds.


    The leader''s face gave away his own disgust. ¡°Get that thing away from me.¡±


    ¡°S-s-sorry, boss. I''ll just... uh... leave it over there.¡± The guy said and carried the box across the main room and set it against the far wall and out of sight. He walked away and left through the front doors of the building and promptly forgot about the box he had just delivered.


    With no one looking at it, the box shifted slightly and then slid away from the wall and moved along the closest table. None of the townspeople noticed, because they were too distracted by the people with the guns holding them hostage.


    The box moved along the back wall and came to a stop when one of the guards came into sight and he walked by the box without paying it any attention. The box turned slightly to see the guard walk around the closest group of townspeople and out of sight. The box moved on and seemed to check up the next row, then moved to the next table and paused.


    After a moment, the box moved towards therger group of townspeople in the middle of the room. It paused as another guard near the front turned to look over the people he was holding captive. He frowned slightly, as if he was looking for something and didn''t find it, then he shrugged and turned back around.


    The box moved again and approached a group of women that were huddled together. It waited as another guard passed by the group and didn''t move. When the man walked around them and made a rudement at the next table, causing a ruckus, the box lifted slightly.


    ¡°Psst! Janine!¡± A male voice whispered under the cover of the noise.


    Janine stiffened slightly and was smart enough to not turn around, then her eyes widened when she recognized the voice. ¡°E-Eli? Wh-what... where...¡±


    ¡°That''s not important right now. How many of them are there?¡± Eli asked her in a whisper.


    ¡°There''s six of them and the leader. I don''t know their movements.¡± Janine whispered back.


    ¡°Thanks. I''ll take care of them.¡± Eli whispered. ¡°Don''t worry, this will be over soon.¡±


    Janine felt a gentle hand lightly pat her thigh and she slid her own hand over to it and held it. ¡°Be careful, Eli. They won''t hesitate to shoot everyone if you''re caught.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Eli whispered and gave her hand a light squeeze. ¡°I overheard they''re sending for Jenkins and they''re securing the gate beforeing here to eat.¡±


    Janine let out a soft sigh. ¡°Then you only have twenty minutes.¡±


    Eli chuckled under his breath. ¡°Only? That''s more than enough time.¡± He whispered and let her hand go.


    Janine was only slightly disappointed that he didn''t caress her thigh when he had the perfect chance. She had to wait a few seconds for the front guard to look over, see nothing, and turn away before she took a chance and nced down and behind her, only for no one to be there. That surprised her more than finding out Eli was there to save them.


    Eli had already moved several tables over to rest and observe. He needed to spend a few minutes figuring out the guard patrol routes and their limits. It also let him find the perfect ambush locations that would be out of sight of everyone. Well, everyone except that annoying front guard that kept turning around to look over the captives.


    His pattern would be the most important to figure out. Eli could only take care of the five moving guards when he wasn''t looking. Like Janine had said, if any of the guards saw him, then all of the townspeople were expendable because he was there.


    *


    I followed behind my first target to the spot near the bookshelf where the kids listened to Tammy reading. I waited for him to repeat his pattern before I could strike. The man looked over the three adults huddling around the five children in the little reading nook and scoffed at them being afraid of him brandishing his gun. He turned away from them and stepped just past the bookshelf.


    I sprung up from inside my expanded box and grabbed him by the mouth and plunged my big Bowie knife into his throat. I didn''t wiggle it or pulled it out, so the blood didn''t gush and just ran down his skin. I pulled him backwards and out of sight of the rest of the people in the room as I held him for almost a minute until he stopped moving.


    I tucked him next to the wall and took out my wand to cast a notice-me-not charm on the body before I ducked back under my hiding box and moved on to the next guard. I didn''t have to follow this idiot and just stayed right where I was. He liked peeking through the gap between the books on the bookshelf to admire the two women protecting the kids.


    The guard practically swaggered as he strode right up to my box and then bent down to peer through his favorite spot. I leapt up and gripped the back of his head and my knife sank deep into his neck and through his voice box and cut off his windpipe. His shocked face faded as he lost consciousness and I slid him back to where I stashed the other body and stacked him on top with a sticking charm.


    I was sure the notice-me-not covered his body; but, I didn''t want to take the chance it might fail with too much attention, so I cast another one on the second body and felt the two spellsbine and expand the area. I could have another body concealed there if I wanted to and chose not to. The next guard was too far away to drag the body back there.


    I hid back under my box and moved along the wall to where the next guard would pass by. This was the most difficult one, because it was almost out in the open and the front guard could turn at any moment to see both myself and the guard if I attacked.


    I had to waste almost five full minutes before the guard passed by me and the front guard had just turned away from observing the captives. I sprang up without hesitation and stunned him before pulling him inside my hiding box with me. It was too dangerous to kill him with so many people around, so I dragged him over towards the fourth guard and used my knife on my prisoner as I waited.


    The fourth guard did his watch pattern twice before the front guard turned to look. The man frowned and spent several seconds looking at something, then he turned back to face front. Luckily, I had a feeling in my gut and didn''t jump up to grab the fourth guard when I should have, because the front guard turned around again and kept his eyes on the other guard for almost ten full seconds before he turned back to the front.


    I let out the breath I didn''t realize I was holding and lunged for the fourth guard and killed him in the same way as the other three. I tucked both bodies next to the wall and cast sticking charms and a notice-me-not on them, then moved along between tables and apparently out of everyone''s sight. I snuck right up behind the front guard and came to a stop just as he turned around to stare at the captives.


    The frown on the man''s face was turning into a scowl and his eyes darted from left to right, searching for something, then his eyes widened. I realized he had just figured out that he couldn''t see any of the other guards moving around and lunged up out of my box to shove my knife up through the bottom of his chin and into his brain. I put a hand over his mouth to stop his gurgling and his wide eyes quickly zed over as he died.


    Surprisingly, none of the people behind us made any sound and I turned to see that Janine hade up behind me and she had her finger over her mouth to hush everyone. She turned to me and gave me a beautiful smile and nodded at the body I held. I smiled back and handed it to her and she dragged it back between the tables and it disappeared from sight.


    I mentally checked the time and I had only another few minutes before the guard and Jenkins returned, then decided I could wait. I hid back under my box and moved over to the front of the main room and the hallway where the leader stood. Not paying attention to his surroundings in a hostile area was going to be thest mistake he ever made.

 163 Martyrs Concluded

    163 Martyrs Concluded


    I didn''t have to wait long before Jenkins showed up and opened the door of themunity centre for thest guard. Since he always did that, the guard didn''t ask him why he let him go in first and didn''t notice that Jenkins didn''t follow him inside.


    ¡°Everything''s all locked down, boss.¡± The guard said and stopped walking in front of the leader of the resistance cell and Marius.


    I hopped up from my box and cocked my shotgun, which waspletely unnecessary unless I wanted to get the three men''s attention, which I did. The leader whirled around to face me and he and the guard drew their guns from their holsters as I fired. With them so close, the single shot clipped both of their arms and they both yelled in pain and dropped their guns without getting a shot off.


    ¡°How dare youe here and terrify these good people.¡± I said and walked over to them and swung the butt of the shotgun into Marius'' shocked face. His nose crunched and he dropped to the floor, screaming in pain. I slung the shotgun as my Bowie knife sliced through thest guard''s throat.


    ¡°I assume you''re the reason I''m here.¡± The leader of the resistance cell said and his hand was mped onto his arm wound to stem the bleeding. ¡°Eli Williams.¡±


    I nodded and pretended to sheath the knife behind my back as I stored it into inventory. I whistled twice and Jenkins came inside with a smile on his face at the ''all clear'' signal. Funnily enough, everyone inside themunity centre started talking at the signal and it was like a dull roar after all the silence.


    The leader looked back into the room and didn''t see any of his men trying to keep the people quiet. ¡°What happened to my men?¡±


    ¡°Dead.¡± I said and didn''t say anything else or borated.


    The leader gave me a searching look and then his eye twitched. ¡°The work crew should have heard that gunshot and rushed in here by now.¡±


    ¡°What work crew?¡± I asked with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± The leader said and several emotions yed across his face. ¡°Academy trained?¡±


    ¡°Six years between that and the Fireflies.¡± I admitted.


    The leader''s face seemed to drain of color and he looked pale. ¡°SpecOps?¡±


    I didn''t say anything and let him think what he wanted.


    The leader closed his eyes briefly and then opened them to lock eyes with me. ¡°They''re never going to stoping for you, even if they find out what happened here.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Jenkins asked.


    ¡°Everyone, Jenkins. Both the FEDRA troops and the resistance. They all want my knowledge on how to make a working long distancemunicationswork for themselves.¡± I rified and the leader nodded.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jenkins said and I agreed with him.


    ¡°I won''t be able toe back here after we clean this ce up and remove all the evidence.¡± I said and he nodded.


    The leader''s eyes widened as he stared at me. ¡°Wait, I thought you let me live to let me go and I could warn the others.¡±


    I had to smile at that reasoning. ¡°Like the judges said to me at my trial, your own words have condemned you to be judged harshly.¡±


    Janine and arge group of people stepped out of the main room to re at him.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± The leader said as the crowd rushed around Janine and tackled him before beating the hell out of him.


    ¡°Haul him and Marius into the main room for their fair trials and then executions.¡± Janine said and both men were grabbed by their arms and unceremoniously dragged away.


    ¡°I love you so much.¡± Jenkins said and hugged and kissed her.


    Janine blushed for a moment and looked at me. ¡°Where did you hide the other bodies?¡±


    ¡°Two of them are tucked against the wall behind the bookshelf near the reading nook and the other two are on the other side of the room behind thest table.¡± I said and cancelled the concealing spells. ¡°You can''t miss them, now that everyone''s not distracted by the hostage situation.¡±


    Janine gave me a look that I hadn''t seen from her before. Admiration. ¡°You used their own tactic against them!¡±


    I nodded. ¡°They were keeping the tension ramped up so high that I easily moved around without anyone noticing me until I touched them. By then, it was much toote for them to do anything about it.¡±


    Janine''s admiration was briefly reced by regret and then she smiled to cover it up. I still saw it, though. When I thought about our interaction, I realized she wouldn''t have minded if I had taken advantage of the situation and copped a quick feel from her.


    ¡°Then I''m even more grateful they kept a tight watch on everyone.¡± Jenkins said and motioned for me to follow them. ¡°These trials should be quick.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I have to head out to thest stop we made beforeing here. Sandra and Tammy will be worried that I''ve been out of contact for so long.¡±


    ¡°You can just use the CB to...¡± Janine started to say.


    ¡°They tore it apart.¡± I interrupted her and she looked horrified. ¡°There''s only a half ruined metal tower left.¡±


    ¡°N-n-no.¡± Janine whispered and hugged Jenkins tightly.


    ¡°We can''t repair it, either.¡± Jenkins said, understanding the problem before Janine did. ¡°Whoever shows up after this, needs to see that the tower''s been wrecked and we don''t have what they''re looking for.¡±


    Janine started crying and he led her inside the main room.


    I left the building and dropped the ward stones to end the illusion of the work crew. With that done, I ran over to the main gate and used my temporary door trick to pass through it without hassle. My feet didn''t slow down as I left the town at a fast run and it was still going to take me a while to get within range of the normal walkie-talkies.


    An hourter, my walkie-talkie came to life with Sandra''s panicked voice asking for anyone to tell her what was going on. I held in my sigh and double clicked my walkie-talkie, cutting her off with the signal that I wanted to talk, then I waited for a few seconds.


    ¡°I''m listening, over.¡± Sandra said.


    ¡°It''s me, Eli. Over.¡± I responded.


    ¡°What happened after we left?¡± Sandra asked, sternly. ¡°And don''t think I''m going to forget to yell at youter for sending us away. Over.¡±


    I wasn''t worried about that and told her a condensed version of what happened. I skimmed over the details that would give away my powers and ended the story with the leader and Marius being taken into custody for an immediate trial. There was silence on the radio for almost a full minute as they digested that.


    ¡°We''re on our way to you now.¡± Sandra finally said. ¡°Over and out.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. Over and out.¡± I answered and hug the walkie-talkie back onto my belt. I didn''t have to wait long as the horses easily found their way to me and came to a stop.


    Sandra had a normal look on her face and motioned to Hermes. I looked at Tammy''s face and it was like it was made of stone. I didn''t sigh, even thought I wanted to, and climbed up onto the saddle behind her to hug her from behind. I didn''t whisper any words of encouragement or reassurance, because I knew they wouldn''t be epted.


    Tammy set Hermes to a fast trot and Sandra did the same to Aphrodite. The hour of walking I did was traversed in only 15 minutes and the town''s gate was wide open with no one on guard, which was a bad sign. We trotted right in and there were a few people milling around with sad looks on their faces.


    Themunity centre still had a lot of people inside when we arrived there and I hopped off of Hermes and took the reins from Tammy to wrap them over the horse rail. I helped Tammy down as Sandra tied Aphrodite next to Hermes and she met us at the building''s open doors.


    ¡°Guilty on all counts.¡± A woman''s voice said and the sound of knuckles rapped on a desk. ¡°You are hereby unanimously sentenced to hang until you are dead. Take the condemned into custody and carry the sentence out immediately. Court adjourned.¡±


    Tammy gasped and ran inside to see Marius and the resistance cell''s leader being hogtied, her eyes full of tears. She didn''t bother asking him why he would betray everyone to get back at her for throwing him away, because he had reacted in the way he did specifically because he knew it would hurt her to have the people of the town suffer.


    Jenkins and Janine came over to us and held Tammy back from attacking the men holding Marius and they didn''t have to. Tammy wasn''t going to try and have him released, not after what he had done. She still loved him, though.


    We followed the men out to the side of the building and it was poetic justice that both men were strung up on the ruinedmunications tower and were hug there by the neck until they died. Tammy clung to me and Sandra and cried the entire time. Rather than cut them down and burn the bodies, they were left there as proof to anyone else that showed up, what happens to raiders and traitors.


    ¡°They took the walkie-talkies, the extra food you gave us, and a good portion of our built up stock of alcohol and meat.¡± Janine told us. ¡°Along with Tammy''s truck.¡±


    ¡°Bastards.¡± Tammy cursed. ¡°We''ll have to check over the truck they left to see if it can be used instead.¡±


    ¡°It can''t.¡± Jenkins said and Tammy red at him. ¡°It''s almost out of fuel and won''t get far. The resistance was going to bring more when they came back for theirrades next week.¡±


    Tammy sighed and turned away from him to look at me. ¡°Eli...¡±


    ¡°If you want to make a statement, hang the rest of the bodies on the walls around the gate. That should put them in clear sight of the road and it should make the fireflies nervous about approaching here.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Until they leave ande back with reinforcements.¡± Sandra said. ¡°I don''t think esction is the solution.¡±


    ¡°My first thought to remove all evidence won''t work if this is left up as a disy.¡± I said and waved at the tower used as a gallows. ¡°Cell leaders are usually recognized by most of the members on sight, so they know who to report to when in certain areas.¡±


    ¡°We can''t leave the town open and undefended like this and we can''t cut it off by attacking everyone thates here.¡± Tammy grumbled. ¡°We need the traders and the patrols to keep the town afloat.¡±


    ¡°Which we are going to struggle with, thanks to the resistance taking everything they could pack into your truck.¡± Jenkins said and hugged his wife.


    ¡°Our resources are down that far?¡± Tammy asked.


    ¡°Bare bones.¡± Janine said and earned into her husband''s embrace. ¡°I also heard a few people saying they might pack up and head off on their own while the winter keeps the infected at bay.¡±


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Tammy said and started pacing. ¡°We can''t lose more people! We''re already struggling with keeping the ce running smoothly as it is.¡±


    ¡°The Hendersons are thinking of staying out after they do their little cattle run in the spring. If they take their ranch hands and their other animals along, we''re kind of fucked.¡± Jenkins said and I gave him a questioning look. ¡°They do the majority of our meat and milk production. Without them...¡±


    ¡°It''s just a waiting game as the rest of the town withers and dies.¡± I said and Tammy looked devastated. ¡°There''s not enough time between now and then to have new cattle birthed, assuming they let you breed recements and didn''t keep them for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Any small group trying to survive would kill to have them set up shop nearby.¡± Janine added and tried to not look over at the bodies. ¡°A constant source of fresh food is a raremodity everywhere else.¡±


    Tammy thought about that and nodded, a determined look on her face. ¡°I need to go talk to Hank. I''m sure I can convince...¡±


    ¡°He''s not going to listen to you.¡± Jenkins interrupted her.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tammy asked, surprised.


    ¡°A lot of people know you''re not at fault for things.¡± Janine said and looked right at me. ¡°But, ever since a certain someone showed up here, things have been falling apart. The more they visit, the more things are breaking down.¡± She looked from me to Tammy. ¡°You''re caught up in it all and your word alone doesn''t hold the weight it used to.¡±


    ¡°They don''t trust your judgment anymore.¡± I said, understanding what was really being said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Tammy asked, even more surprised.


    ¡°Even though your choices have always benefited the town, even the bad choices you had to make, your personal life affects how people see you. Since you sided with me, an outsider, against Marius, an epted member of the town...¡± I let my voice trail off.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Tammy said and the devastated look was back on her face.


    ¡°Yeah, I''m not sure what we can do to fix this.¡± I admitted and the four of them looked at me. ¡°I can stay and help defend the town, only that will make things worse, both inside with the townspeople and outside with the fireflies and the feds. The only answer to violence is more violence.¡±


    Jenkins and Tammy nodded.


    ¡°If you leave, those groups areing here anyway. If anyone resists, for any reason, you know what''s going to happen.¡± Jenkins reminded us. They had just gone through being through a siege and none of them wanted a repeat of that.


    ¡°Why can''t they just leave us alone?¡± Tammy asked, her voice strained. It was the only thing she wanted and no matter where she went, she never got it.


    I stepped close and hugged her to try and reassure her without saying anything. Tammy ducked her head down to rest it on my shoulder and started crying. Sandra rubbed her back and we stayed there for several minutes and no one said anything.


    ¡°Fuck it, let''s just go.¡± Jenkins suddenly said.


    ¡°What?¡± Janine, Sandra, and Tammy asked at the same time.


    ¡°Rather than worry about what''s going to happen to everyone else, because of everyone else''s stupid decisions, let''s just grab our things and run without looking back.¡± Jenkins exined. ¡°By the time anyone realizes we''re gone, it''ll be toote for them to do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°You... want to abandon...¡± Tammy started to say.


    ¡°No, no. We''re not abandoning anything. This ce is falling apart as we speak. If we don''t leave soon, we''ll be dragged down with it when it falls.¡± Jenkins said, making too much sense. ¡°I sure as hell don''t want to be here when the next resistance or FEDRA patrol rolls through and there''s no extra food or liquor to feed them.¡±


    ¡°That... is a surprisingly good point.¡± Janine said and gave Jenkins a significantly pointed look. ¡°You''ll need to steal a couple of strong horses and...¡±


    ¡°Any horses will do.¡± I said and cut her off. ¡°I''ll start treating them like I did with Hermes as soon as we''re out of sight of the town. Just pack up your stuff as quickly as you can and meet us in front of Tammy''s ce in half an hour.¡±


    Jenkins patted my shoulder and nodded. ¡°We''ll be there.¡±


    ¡°If anyone asks, we''re just clearing out some old junk.¡± I told them and they left at a fast walk as I led Tammy and Sandra to Tammy''s house.


    Thus began our hasty packing and retreat mission. The horses would be loaded up with several trunks and duffle bags, that I would discreetly lighten with featherweight spells, and we would be long gone before anyone even realized we had left.

 164 A Life Away From Life

    164 A Life Away From Life


    Our trip out of town went unnoticed and we rode away without anyone catching on to what we were doing. Tammy felt guilty about that for a while and there wasn''t really anything I could say to make things better. Jenkins was right and we had to get away from there without causing a panic.


    If the others came to the same conclusions as we did, they would be freaking out about the town suddenly ending. The worst part about that was if we stayed, they would demand we try and stop it before they would me us for it when we couldn''t, because it couldn''t be stopped, not after what had happened.


    The trip back to Colorado took a lot longer with having two more people along and two more horses to buff up and enchant. Neither Jenkins nor Janine asked me what the potions were or why the horses started to visibly grow muscles after only fifteen minutes. Hermes was particrly happy, because both of the new horses were female and he wouldn''t have to stomp on any potential rival.


    We stopped to eat and it was quiet while I shared one of the prepared meals. It was one of the benefits of over-packing for trips to have lots of extra food on hand in case anything unexpected happened. Janine and Jenkins made appreciative sounds as they ate and Sandra and Tammy looked a little bit happier. Good food soothes the soul, apparently.


    I had been subtly erasing our tracks the whole way, just in case anyone tried to follow us. It was a basic hiding strategy to conceal our location and I always did so, even when we didn''t leave obvious tracks behind us. Thest thing any of us needed now was to be hunted down and found.


    We eventually arrived back at the hotel and Janine and Jenkinsughed when we rode the horses right inside the hotel, just like Tammy had the first time, and we entered the stable. I helped Tammy and Sandra off of the horses and Jenkins helped Janine, then Sandra took the reins of our horses and Tammy took the reins of the two that our two guests had ridden.


    ¡°We''ll handle getting the horses settled and unpacking the saddlebags.¡± Tammy said.


    I shook my head. ¡°You need me to help with the unpacking, considering how much there is.¡±


    Sandra looked from me to Tammy and then at the things the horses were carrying. ¡°Actually, he''s right. Even if we grab a couple of those cart thingies, it''s going to take more than a few trips to get all of this upstairs.¡±


    Tammy''s eyes did the same movements and realized how much we had managed to bring with us. ¡°If we''re unpacking, who''s going to show Jenkins and Janine where they''re staying?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I did it thest time. Sandra can y host this time.¡± I said with a chuckle.


    Sandra softlyughed and handed me the reins. ¡°I''ll be quick and then I''lle back down to bring over the cart thingies.¡±


    ¡°They''re luggage carts.¡± I said and gave her a quick kiss.


    Sandra took Janine and Jenkins by the arms and led them out of the stable and across the lobby to the elevator. It dinged when she pushed the button to call the elevator and the doors opened right away.


    ¡°You have power, too?¡± Jenkins asked, surprised.


    Tammy and I exchanged amused looks and then started to unburden the horses. We had a lot of work ahead of us and it would keep us busy for a while. The horses made happy sounds as we worked and Sandra entered the stable sometimeter with two of the carts and looked like she was muffling herughter.


    ¡°I guess Janine liked the Executive Suite across from the Presidential Suite?¡± I asked and Sandraughed loudly.


    ¡°She cut the tour short when they reached the bedroom with the king sized bed and pushed Jenkins onto it.¡± Sandra informed us and weughed as well, because Sandra had pretty much done the same thing to Tammy when we first brought her into our bedroom.


    I started loading Tammy''s things onto the first cart. ¡°How long do you think they''ll go at it?¡±


    ¡°Janine was almost naked when I left and Jenkins looked shocked she could strip so fast.¡± Sandra said with a huge smile on her face. ¡°They won''t be leaving that room for at least an hour or two.¡±


    The three of us worked and loaded up both carts. Sandra and Tammyined that I was overstuffing them and I said I''d handle pushing them, since they were going to two different destinations anyway. One to our room and one to Janine''s.


    Well, it was actually a guest room I had prepared for when guests visited, and now it was going to be a permanent living area. I guess that meant I was going to have to prepare another room for guests, assuming we would even need one. None of us wanted anyone else to find us or where we lived.


    That was why I had picked a ce so far from everyone else. Travellers would have to go quite far out of their way to even find the ce and then would have to search through the town to find the building, which was under wards, charms, and spells to hide and disguise it. Who would want to look through an old burned out ruin of a hotel, anyway? No one.


    We didn''t see Janine or Jenkins until the next morning when Sandra knocked on their door to ask them if they wanted breakfast. They did and followed her into our suite.


    Janine let out a squeal at seeing the more expensive set of rooms we lived in. ¡°IEEE! This one''s even better than ours! It''s not fair!¡±


    Sandraughed and hugged her friend. ¡°We''ve been living here for well over a year and it''s our home.¡± She said and sat Janine at the dining room table. ¡°We''re not switching rooms.¡±


    Janine pouted and I ced a te of pancakes smothered in syrup in front of her, which changed her pout to a happy smile. ¡°Thank you, Eli.¡±


    ¡°I only prepared your room for guests to stay in and it wasn''t designed for a permanent tenant. I''ll have to im Jenkins for a few days to open up the wall to the next room to add a kitchen for you.¡± I exined and put a te in front of Jenkins.


    ¡°Where are you getting the cabs and appliances?¡± Jenkins asked and dug into the pancakes.


    ¡°I reimed and refurbished things from the surrounding area. I had to go all over the ce to cut off the natural gas pipelines and found a bunch of stuff to make our home better.¡± I said and sat down with my own te. Sandra and Tammy had been served first and were enjoying their food.


    ¡°That was smart.¡± Jenkins said.


    ¡°There''s a lower chance of being found if the entire area looks like it doesn''t have power.¡± I agreed. ¡°I''ve even taken to removing any clues that there''s anyone at all around, let alone infected.¡±


    Janine paused eating. ¡°How did you do that?¡± She asked and licked her lips. ¡°These things are delicious, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°My first experiments with my homemade weed-killer were on the other buildings for several blocks.¡±


    Jenkins put his fork down, his food gone. ¡°Is that why everything seemed so old and dry?¡±


    ¡°Despite the snow and cold weather, you mean?¡± I asked and he nodded. ¡°Yes, that''s why. I was even more careful in the early stages of testing, because I didn''t want to deny the horses some good grazing areas.¡±


    ¡°We even track the spread of the chemicals after the treatments.¡± Sandra said and finished her own food. ¡°It''s pretty interesting to see the difference between a strong growing vine and the old dried up version that used to be the same vine.¡±


    Tammy and Janine finished eating as well.


    ¡°Have you... tried it on...¡± Jenkins didn''t want to say it, so I did.


    ¡°On the infected people? Technically.¡± I said and he gave me an odd look. ¡°You see, they aren''t actually infected people. They''re dead.¡±


    ¡°Wh-WHAT?¡± Janine gasped in shock.


    ¡°It doesn''t take long for the infected host to die and the fungus takes over. It keeps moving the body around, imitating the life it took over, to catch more hosts to infect and take over.¡± I exined and the others stared at me, as if they couldn''t believe it. ¡°Before you ask, this isn''t my personal research. I stole it from the resistancebs I raided for supplies.¡±


    ¡°So, they... they really are...¡± Janine stopped talking and Jenkins put an arm over her shoulders.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes. They really are zombies.¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°They are only dead bodies being animated to hunt and bite more people to spread the fungus, so they in turn can hunt down and bite more hosts, and so on and so on.¡±


    ¡°Eli.¡± Sandra said, her frown letting me know I went a little too far in exining things.


    I had to fix that quickly. ¡°But, none of us have to worry about that here. I''ve cleared out the surrounding eight blocks of all fungus rted growths and infections.¡±


    Both Jenkins and Janine sucked in sharp breaths at that deration.


    ¡°B-but... we saw...¡± Janine started to say everything was still covered in vines and growths.


    ¡°It''s all fake.¡± I said, a little proudly. ¡°I couldn''t leave the ce bare after cleaning everything up. That would have been a huge giveaway that someone was here in the area.¡±


    They just stared at me and looked too stunned to say anything.


    ¡°As long as you''re careful, you can go on walks and enjoy the outside without worrying about the danger. Just don''t go past the clearly marked barriers.¡± I said and they nodded. I stood up and smiled. ¡°So, who wants to go swimming in the underground pool?¡±


    ¡°Th-the wh-what?¡± Janine asked.


    ¡°It took a lot of work to clean it out, since it was one of the main fungal growths in the area.¡± I said and they kept staring at me. ¡°It''s a really nice pool, too.¡±


    Sandra rolled her eyes at me and stood as well. ¡°Come on, Janine. Tammy and I can show you some of the bikini things Eli came up with for us to wear and you can borrow something.¡±


    The three women left the table and went into therge bedroom and out of sight.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Jenkins asked, his voice stern.


    I answered his question with one of my own. ¡°What do you mean? I''m Eli Williams.¡±


    Jenkins shook his head. ¡°No, that''s not what I mean. You do things that don''t really make sense and I just chalked it up to your odd personality. Also, the world is weird enough as it is and asking too many questions can usually get you killed.¡±


    I did not joke about him just asking me a question and the possibility of him dying for it.


    Jenkins must have seen something on my face because he squinted his eyes at me. ¡°But, you? You''re only 15 and can move around like a well-trained SpecOp agent, can work around technology and vehicles like an experienced mechanic, can handle horses and make them into oversized beasts that can lift twice a normal horse''s capacity, and you can travel across the country by yourself and survive.¡±


    I wasn''t sure how to respond to that to make myself seem less important, knowing that after what happened at the town, he was never going to believe that I wasn''t.


    ¡°So, Eli. Who are you?¡± Jenkins asked. ¡°Who are you really?¡±


    Everything slowed down and came to a stop as it all greyed out.


    <b>World Paused.


    You have reached a minor pivotal point nearing the end of the story and your choice here can change how things progress. Will you chance the truth or will you weave a tale that will distract your only male friend in the world?</b>


    <b>Current choices:


    Pick an unlocked world to go to.


    Pick a new world to go to: Show List ( Current total: 2001)


    Resume this world and finish the story.</b>


    I read over the options again and debated it, then nodded. I didn''t want to move on without finishing this world, considering how things were going. I had two women to take care of now and leaving them to go somewhere else and leaving them behind and our lives unfinished? That just didn''t sit right with me.


    <b>Resume world option chosen. Unpausing world.</b>


    I sat there in front of Jenkins and thought about how to answer, then inspiration struck. It gave me the perfect response and I gave him my best smile. ¡°Me? I''m the protagonist.¡± I said and motioned around me. ¡°And this? All of this is my story.¡±


    Jenkins sat there, his expression nk. ¡°That''s not funny.¡±


    ¡°Sure it is.¡± I said and chuckled. ¡°All the shit that''s been happening to me? It''s all part of the story and keeps things interesting, doesn''t it?¡±


    Jenkins frowned. ¡°Eli, you can''t seriously think...¡±


    ¡°Why not? Aren''t we all the protagonists of our own stories?¡± I asked, cutting him off. ¡°We all believe our own lives are the center of our universes and without us, would there even be a story?¡±


    ¡°The question you need to ask yourself about that is would anyone care about the story without you in it?¡± Sandra asked and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°The answer to that, is no. Without you in it, the story doesn''t matter.¡±


    I turned to look at her and gasped at the sight of her wearing a slick one piece yellow bathing suit that was almost see-through. My eyes darted to Tammy and she wore a modest bikini that covered more than her normal bra and panties did; and yet, she looked even sexier with how she was disyed.


    ¡°He still looks at you like that?¡± Janine asked, clearly surprised.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t I?¡± I asked, not taking my eyes off of my wife and our live-in girlfriend.


    ¡°You''ve been together for...¡±


    ¡°Time is irrelevant.¡± I said and stood to take Sandra into my arms and then pulled Tammy in to have a three-way hug. ¡°If you love someone, it shouldn''t matter how long you''ve been together.¡±


    ¡°Or how long you''ve been apart.¡± Sandra said and kissed Tammy''s cheek and then mine. ¡°It should only matter that you''re together now.¡±


    ¡°And always.¡± I added and kissed her, then kissed Tammy. ¡°I''ll meet you downstairs at the pool after I grab the beach towels and change into my shorts.¡±


    Both women blushed slightly and let me go. They left the room with Janine, whom Jenkins was staring at, as if he had never seen her before.


    ¡°Did... did you see that?¡± Jenkins asked and motioned at the suite''s closing door.


    ¡°No, I don''t know what Janine was wearing.¡± I said truthfully, since I hadn''t even looked at her, and patted his shoulder. ¡°I''ll get you a pair of shorts and you can go hunt her down.¡±


    Jenkins nodded and started to strip off his clothing right there. I chuckled and went to my closet and grabbed two pairs of shorts. I went back out to the living room and tossed him a pair and went into the huge bathroom. I quickly changed and grabbed six towels and went back out to the living room, saw the throw pillows on the couch, and added them to my arms as well.


    Jenkins was still too distracted by Janine''s disy to bother offering to help me and that was fine. He was smitten with her and we left the suite and rode the elevator down to the underground floor. We stepped out and saw three beautiful women that were dripping wet after taking a quick dip into the heated pool. We stood there and stared at them with our mouths hanging open.


    ¡°You''re right, Tammy. I love seeing that look on a man''s face, too.¡± Janine said and sauntered over to Jenkins, took two of the towels and a pillow from me and handed them to him, and led him over to the side of the pool she had imed as theirs for the day.


    Sandra and Tammy walked over to me, their hips swaying and with smiles on their faces. They led me over to the other side of the pool and set everything out, then proceeded to kiss me passionately for several minutes each. With my mind thoroughly distracted, Ipletely forgot there was anyone else there and started having fun with my wife and girlfriend.


    Our suits were quickly dropped to the floor and then so did we, with me burying my rock hard erection inside Sandra and my tongue inside Tammy, making both women moan with pleasure. We wouldn''t go swimming in the pool until two hourster and none of usined. We had a lot of down and dirty fun during the dy, after all.

 165 A Choice Made

    165 A Choice Made


    That was how our lives together began and how they went on. We eventually learned to love Jenkins and Janine like they were family and would never reach the point that we would want to share everything with them. There was never any swapping of wives or husbands, even if it was only just us around.


    What I hadn''t told the others was that I had ced aversion wards all around our space to stop anyone or anything from evering into our living area. I also used the strongest weed-killer around that space as well and ensured that no infection could ever infest the area ever again.


    Both Jenkins and Janine had been shocked when they were shown the food stocks we had stashed in the stolen resistance cargo truck that was parked behind the hotel. They were both relieved that we wouldn''t have to worry about food for several years, even with two extra mouths to feed.


    When you added in the MREs I had snuck in, they would extend the normal food tost for almost twice that long, assuming we rationed out at least two of the quick meals each per week. Since the MREs actually tasted half-decently, no one had a problem with it.


    Of course, I was going to keep cheating with magic and what was stored in the truck were copied and duplicated from the originals. I wasn''t going to waste any food if I could help it. Plus, I was a great cook and no oneined that I had be the person that made the majority of the meals.


    With all the dry ingredients she could ever want to practice with, Tammy eventually became a very good baker and plied her talents to make us all into dessert connoisseurs. That she did the naked apron trick a lot to tease me, quickly became a part of her normal routine when it was just the three of us.


    *


    Time moved on and weeks slowly turned into months as our lives became routine. It didn''t take long for years to pass and we were all happy. There were even several colts born to a very proud Hermes. Unfortunately, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. Tammy had been hiding a secret from us for a while and I didn''t catch wind of it until she went into the bathroom one morning and stayed there.


    When she didn''t answer Sandra''s panicking yells and pounding fists, I was called on the walkie-talkie while exercising the horses and I rushed upstairs and broke the door down. Sandra gasped at the sight of a blood filled toilet and Tammy unconscious on the floor.


    I went over to her and checked her vitals. ¡°She''s still breathing.¡±


    ¡°Get her to the bed.¡± Sandra ordered and I picked Tammy up and did just that. She watched as I performed a medical examination and my frown let her know it wasn''t good. ¡°What is it?¡±


    I took out my wand and cast several diagnostic spells. I sighed at the results.


    ¡°Eli, what...¡± Sandra stared at my hand and then at my face. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It''s useless.¡± I said and stored the wand.


    ¡°What?¡± Sandra asked, clearly confused.


    ¡°She haste stage stomach cancer and it''s spread to her lymph nodes and it''s in her bloodstream.¡± I said and sat down on the bed to stroke Tammy''s hair.


    ¡°But... but, you... what...¡± Sandra sat across from me and pet Tammy''s hair, too.


    ¡°It must have been an especially virulent strain, because the potions I''ve been feeding you all didn''t take care of it.¡± I told her and her face was nk. ¡°Either that, or it''s a mutated strain that''s resistant to normal treatments. With the way the Cordyceps virus can infect almost anything living, it wouldn''t surprise me.¡±


    Sandra gasped and jerked her hand away. ¡°She''s infected?¡±


    ¡°No, she won''t turn into one of those things.¡± I said and kept petting Tammy''s air. ¡°The cancer might keep growing after she dies, though.¡±


    Sandra stood and walked around the bed. ¡°If she has... that... inside of her, how can you touch her like that?¡±


    ¡°I''m immune.¡± I said and she caught her breath. ¡°I''ve been secretly working on trying to make a vine, except the scientists were right. I need to harvest more bone marrow than my left arm alone can produce in a year, even when kept in stasis. I also need to analyze my brain tissue to study the effects of the virus and any serum I make. Since I need my brain in order to conduct the experiments...¡±


    Sandra didn''t need me to finish that statement to understand. ¡°You''d have to die and there''s still a chance it won''t work.¡±


    I nodded and sighed again. ¡°I had really hoped it would work, you know? I didn''t want to sacrifice myself for a sole chance that it would work. I even tried to...¡± I caught myself and stopped talking before I exined about not having the ability to buy or upgrade a vine with Karma Points.


    The only thing avable was for me to give myself up to the FEDRA patrols and then I could spend a ton of Karma Points for them to try the procedure to make my entire body into a vine. It still wasn''t a guarantee, since all it would do was increase the chance of sess to 65%. A 35% failure rate was way too high for my peace of mind, especially with my Blessing of Fortune disabled.


    ¡°What... what do we do?¡± Sandra asked me.


    I looked down at Tammy''s pain-filled face and sighed. ¡°We can either confront her about her not telling us she was sick or we can ignore it and just live our lives.¡±


    Sandra looked scandalized. ¡°Eli, you can''t seriously think we can ignore this!¡±


    I looked up from Tammy''s face to look at Sandra''s. ¡°She''s been hiding this from us for a long time already. We can just pretend she still is.¡±


    ¡°Eli!¡± Sandra almost shouted.


    I sighed and thought about what to do, then shrugged. ¡°All right, when she wakes up, we''ll ask her why she didn''t want us to know.¡±


    Sandra nodded and sat down beside me and didn''t touch Tammy, which made me feel disappointed. I know it wasn''t fair of me to judge Sandra for not wanting to touch someone she thought had the infection. She had grown up into an adult with everyone telling her that the fungus was dangerous and that wasn''t something she was going to ignore.


    Several hourster, Tammy woke up with a groan and she saw the two of us hovering over her. She saw our worried faces and didn''t ask why I was the only one touching her. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°About 5 hours, so not long.¡± I said and kept petting her hair. ¡°Would you care to tell us why you covered the toilet with blood and vomit?¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± Tammy lied.


    I sighed as I moved my hand from her head and then lightly patted her stomach.


    Tammy''s eyes widened at me touching where thergest growth was. ¡°H-how...¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter, does it?¡± I said, my voice dangerously calm. ¡°You''re dying.¡±


    Tammy sighed this time. ¡°Eli, I... I didn''t want to worry you. I''ve been sick for a while...¡±


    ¡°It''s been longer than that, since you''re in thest stage of cancer.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°It''s also much toote to do anything about it.¡±


    Tammy blinked her eyes at me. ¡°You could have?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. If you had said something, anything really, I might have slowed it or even stopped it. If it was only in your stomach, I could have easily cut it away and sewed it shut. Eating more food over time would have stretched it back out to a normal size again.¡±


    Tammy closed her eyes with another sigh.


    ¡°You''ve always been too stubborn for your own good.¡± Sandra said.


    Tammy opened her eyes and saw how far away she was. ¡°Why are you...¡± She stopped talking and looked at me. ¡°What aren''t you telling me?¡±


    ¡°I took a sample of your expulsions and tested them. I can only conclude that your cancerous growths are simr to the fungus.¡± I said and Tammy''s pale face lost all of its color. ¡°You won''t turn while you''re alive; but, as soon as you pass away, the cancer is going to keep growing.¡±


    ¡°What... what would...¡± Tammy paused and took a breath. ¡°What would I be?¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure you''ll be one of those bloater things. The cancer would convert you over into actual fungal growths fairly quickly when your immune system stops fighting it.¡± I informed her and she didn''t start crying or anything. ¡°It kind of exins why their appearances are few and far between.¡±


    Tammy stayed quiet and didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°How long does she have?¡± Sandra asked.


    I was hesitant to say and Tammy''s hand reached up to cup the side of my face. ¡°Since I don''t know when you reached this stage, I can only guess from this point in time.¡±


    ¡°Stop hesitating and tell us!¡± Sandra shouted.


    I sighed and put a hand on Tammy''s. ¡°A few weeks to a few months, depending on when you first started throwing up blood.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Tammy whispered and looked really sad.


    Sandra''s eyes started leaking tears when she realized what Tammy didn''t say. ¡°How long?¡±


    Tammy pulled her hand away from where my hand held it to my face. ¡°Anytime.¡±


    Sandra burst out crying and walked away, then she mmed the bedroom door.


    ¡°Eli, I... I''m sorry.¡± Tammy said and couldn''t meet my eyes. ¡°I should have said something.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter now.¡± I said and started petting her hair again. ¡°I''ll stay here with you.¡±


    ¡°No, you can''t. If I really do be...¡± Tammy started to protest.


    ¡°I won''t let that happen to you, I promise.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°If you want, I can keep talking while I keep youpany.¡±


    Tammy took a shallow breath and let it out. ¡°Can you tell me about your life?¡±


    ¡°I think I can do that.¡± I said andid down beside her to cuddle her. ¡°It all began when an evil little sperm decided to kill all of hispetition before killing himself as he stabbed his head into the toughest egg ever and lost his tail.¡±


    Tammy let out a cute giggle at that and then listened intensely as I told her all about my first life in High School DxD. She passed away with a smile on her face right after I told her that I impregnated a demon princess and how disappointed she was that I did it without actually having sex with her.


    I cast immobilize on her body and thought about what to do with it, then nodded at doing the right thing. I carried her out of the bedroom and out of the suite. The ride down to the ground floor was quiet and I didn''t see Sandra anywhere, so I went into the stables and Hermes neighed at me.


    ¡°Yeah, we''re heading out to the dead zone.¡± I said andid Tammy''s body down on the hay and saddled my horse up, then put her over the front of the saddle and climbed on. I rode him out of the hotel and into the sunlight. Her body twitched, even though it was supposed to be immobilized, which meant the magic was starting to fail.


    Hermes sped up and we crossed the clear area very quickly. He came to a stop where the warning barricade was and I hopped off and pulled Tammy''s body off of him and held it in a princess carry. I walked over to the barricade andid her body down before taking out a small bottle of the most powerful weed-killer I had, which I then poured half over her and the rest went into her mouth.


    A fast spell sent some of it into her stomach and circted it through her blood, then I lifted the body above my head and tossed it over the barricade. The hissing and screeching was fairly loud and I stood there and watched as the cancer tried to grow and expand, only to hit the weed-killer and freak out. It was a hard fought battle that the cancer eventually lost and the weed-killer finished it off, almost mummifying the body.


    A Molotov cocktail was lit and tossed over the barricade as well, just in case, and the fire burned strongly as the probing vines and fungal growths tried to im the fresh body to take it over. They didn''t seed and Tammy''s body burned up like dry kindling.


    I stood there and watched until there was almost nothing left except bones, which I vanished. I didn''t want to leave anything for the infection to try to im and I knew that Tammy wouldn''t have wanted to be a part of the disease that had ravaged the entire world.


    I whispered a prayer to anyone that was listening to watch over her soul and to make sure she was happy. With the important task done, I climbed onto the saddle again and rode Hermes back home at a slow trot. I was not looking forward to what was going to happen next.


    Almost as soon as I entered the hotel''s front doors, Jenkins was there and demanded that I tell him what happened. I ignored him until I put Hermes back into his stall and removed the riding tools from him. By that point, Jenkins was yelling at me to react, so I did. I punched him right in the face and dropped him to the floor.


    ¡°A woman I loved just died because she was too fucking stubborn to tell me she was sick and I had to dispose of her body like it was trash instead of burying her properly.¡± I said calmly and walked around him. ¡°I am in no mood to deal with anything else right now, so kindly fuck off.¡±


    Jenkins looked shocked and watched me walk across the lobby and over to the elevator.


    I entered it and rode it up to the top floor. When the elevator opened, Janine and Sandra were there, their faces soaked with tears. Neither of them said anything as I walked by them and I entered the Presidential Suite. I went to the bedroom and saw the bedding had already been stripped off and bundled in the corner.


    I used my wand to shoot the bundle out through the doors of the balcony and set it on fire, then levitated it up and over the railing to let the air fan the mes as the bundle dropped all the way to the street below. Nothing else would catch on fire and I closed the doors and went to the closet. I added new sheets and a nket to the bed and stripped off, climbed inside, andid down.


    That was when I felt the wetness on my face and didn''t bother trying to wipe my silent tears away. I hasn''t even realized I had been crying the whole time and fell asleep with the idea of making a statue in her honor. I had done it before to honor Hestia, so why not do it again? Tammy deserved to have something around to keep reminding people that she had existed.


    *


    Sandra decided to stay in the hallway with her friend Janine until Jenkins came back from confronting Eli. The three of them had been shocked that Tammy was going to die so quickly, then Sandra went into their suite and found out that Eli had somehow left with Tammy and didn''t tell her. What was he going to do with her?


    Then Eli came out of the elevator and his face was nk and streaked with tears. Both Sandra and Janine could guess what happened and didn''t say anything, because Eli looked like he was in no mood to answer any questions. He passed them in the hallway without saying hello and went into the suite and quietly shut the door.


    Neither of the two women knew what to make of that and turned back to look down the hallway when the elevator dinged again. Jenkins stepped out and walked over to them, the red mark on his face highlighting where he had been punched.


    ¡°I think he just needs some time to deal with what he''s feeling.¡± Jenkins said and rubbed his jaw. ¡°Sandra, you can stay with us until he''s ready to talk.¡±


    Sandra opened her mouth to refuse and Janine touched her arm.


    ¡°Just for tonight.¡± Janine pleaded.


    Sandra didn''t protest and entered their suite. The couch was quickly made up and sheid down, then she rolled over, then she rolled back. She was unable to sleep and she didn''t know what to do about it. Or what to do about losing someone she loved so quickly. She just didn''t know. Her tears soaked her borrowed pillow and she wondered what was going to happen now.

 166 What To Do Now

    166 What To Do Now


    I woke up in the morning and the world felt colder. It only took me a few seconds to realize why as I rolled over in bed and saw that I was alone. Sandra hadn''te back into the apartment after talking to Janine and my mind immediately jumped to conclusions. However, I learned a long time ago to not overreact and took out my wand and cast the human reveal spell.


    It was almost a physical relief when I found Sandra asleep on their couch and not in bed with Janine and Jenkins. I might have freaked out a bit if she had jumped into their arms after what happened, even if it would be understandable for her to seekfort from her best friend. As it was, I was highly debating the wholesale murder of all the fungal growths across the country, since I could easily make more of the strongest weed-killer I could.


    I was more angry about Tammy''s passing than I thought I would be, probably because it was my fault. I had only done normal medical checks and kept her healthy; at least, I thought I had. Instead, I had been very very wrong.


    <i>How could I miss her spending extra time in the bathroom and throwing up for months? How could I not see how much pain she had been in? Why didn''t I do more than what I did? Why didn''t I? Why? WHY?</i> I yelled at myself in my mind and I punched the mattress in frustration.


    The bed creaked and shook at the strength of my hit and I took several breaths to calm down. Wrecking the bed wasn''t going to help me deal with things and I climbed out of bed and dressed. I went to the kitchen and on the counter was a te of oatmeal cookies that Tammy had made yesterday and I started to cry. I didn''t fight it and let it out, sobbing quietly, and made breakfast for four.


    It was ready half an hourter and I set the tes onto the food cart and rolled it out of the suite and knocked on the door across the hall. The door opened and Sandra stood there, her own face covered in tears, then she stepped aside and I rolled the food cart inside. She didn''t say anything and walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.


    I set the tes of food on the dining room table and ced the te of cookies in the center before I sat down. I wasn''t hungry and I really didn''t want to eat; but, I couldn''t starve myself as I tried to work through the mistakes I made. I had let someone I loved die and I didn''t know what to do about it.


    Sandra, Janine, and Jenkins joined me at the table and both Sandra and Janine started crying again at seeing the cookies. Jenkins just looked pale and started eating mechanically. I did the same and both Sandra and Janine did as well. None of us spoke and ate inplete silence, which was fitting. We had lost a significant part of our lives and that deserved more than only a single moment of silence.


    When I finished my meal, I was the only one that took a cookie and ate it. ¡°This is delicious.¡± I said automatically, because it was something I always did after Tammy took up baking. It also made her smile because a cook as good as myself had liked her amateur baking.


    No one else said anything and they didn''t really have to. I stood up and put the dirty dishes back onto the food cart and then picked up the te of cookies. If no one else was going to eat them, then I would eat them all myself. Not right away, though. I''d make themst and I would keep reminding myself of Tammy''s happy smile.


    I carried the cookies and pushed the cart with my other hand. ¡°I''m going to be too busy to cook for the next few days, so someone else will have to do it.¡± I said and let the cart go to open the door. ¡°Or just fend for yourselves, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Eli, why...¡± Sandra started to say.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Jenkins interrupted.


    I turned around and smiled sadly at them. ¡°I''m going to carve a statue of Tammy out of stone and then I''m going to mount it above the front doors of the hotel.¡±


    The three of them were stunned to hear that, probably because I''ve never expressed any talent for it or even suggested that I could do such a thing.


    ¡°I even have matching jewels to mount for her eyes.¡± I said and left their suite to go back into mine. I stored the te of cookies and used magic to clean the dishes before putting them away.


    Surprisingly, no one had followed me or asked me why I wanted to make a statue. I figured they would get around to it eventually and I would answer them truthfully. There needed to be something permanent left behind to us all to remember Tammy by.


    I went downstairs and entered the stable to get Hermes and a cart to haul stone blocks back. I left the hotel on foot with Hermes walking beside me, like it was almost normal, because we usually took a walk together at least once a week and it was nice and calming. The pping of his hooves on the pavement was like a soft and kind of familiar rhythm, so I started singing for no reason.


    ¡°Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in thendslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and seeee. I''m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, cause I''m easye, easy go, little high, little low.¡± I sang on key. ¡°Anywhere the wind blows, doesn''t really matter to meee, toooo meee.¡±


    We walked onto the next block and I changed up the lyrics to fit.


    ¡°San-dra, I just killed a woman. Put a fire ''round her head, burned to ash and now she''s dead.¡± I sang, letting my sadness fill my voice. ¡°San-dra, life has just begun... and now I''ve gone and thrown it aaaall away. Sandra, ooo-oooo, didn''t mean to make you cry. If I''m not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on... ''cause nothing really matters.¡±


    We stopped at a partially wrecked building and I started loading stone blocks into the cart.


    ¡°It''s toote, my time hase. Send shivers down my spine, body''s aching all the time. Goodbye, everybody! I''ve got to go. Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.¡± I said and tossed the bricks like they weighed nothing. ¡°Sandra, ooo-oooo, I don''t wanna die, and sometimes wish I''d never been born at all.¡±


    I realized most of the middle of the song and the chorus didn''t apply to me, mainly about someone letting me go, except for one statement. ¡°Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me... for meee... for meeee!¡±


    I then stopped working and took out my guitar and had a bit of fun ying the guitar riff for a couple of minutes. My mncholy came right back and I slowed my ying to a stop as changed thest lyric slightly.


    ¡°Nothing really matters, any one can see. Nothing really matters... but every thing matters, to meee.¡± I sang and plucked thest few chords on the guitar and put it away.


    I stood there among the rubble and took several breaths, letting the air calm me. I actually felt a little better about things, even though I still hated myself for not paying more attention. I would just have to be more diligent with taking care of the others and I''d have to give them a full magical checkup, too. I was not going to make the same mistake again.


    *


    Sandra had quietly made her way down to where she could watch Eli as he made a kind of mini-quarry in the street outside the hotel. It was kind of fascinating to watch him carve each stone block into a puzzle piece, add it to the pile, and then make some mortar to stick them together.


    Janine came down a few hourster and handed her lunch. Sandra epted it with a nod and the two of them ate together. Neither of them wanted to interrupt Eli while he worked, so they had Jenkins do it and delivered his lunch.


    Eli finished the next piece of stonework and ate his food. Jenkins asked him what he was doing and Eli exined. In fact, he told him why he was doing it and both women cried. When he was done eating, he went back to work, using different chisels and a small hammer to carefully carve another piece that would fit together and be whole when he was done.


    Four dayster, Sandra, Janine, and Jenkins watched as Eli slotted the top of the head together, hair and all, and he attached the two almost glowing gemstones into the eye holes. It was almost eerie how life-like the finished statue was and Sandra was sure that if it could somehow be painted with life-like colors and textures, it would have been like Tammy herself was standing there.


    Saying it was a work of art would be a severe understatement.


    Jenkins went outside and talked to Eli about how he was going to mount it and Eli gestured with the shape of a stone archway. Jenkins nodded and the two of them proceeded to build up an appropriately sized space for the statue to be mounted upon over the doorway.


    Sandra and Janine exchanged looks and went outside to help, too. There might only be finishing work left to do and that was okay, because they didn''t have to worry about getting in the way or making Eli''s task more difficult than it already had been.


    When it was finally done and carefully lifted into ce, thanks to several ropes and pulleys, the statue was secured to the building and could never be removed without either wrecking the building or destroying the statue.


    Hugs and kisses were shared afterwards, both as a celebration and as an act of mourning, and several apologies were shared as well. Forgiveness was going to take longer, especially for Eli. He wasn''t going to forgive himself for his mistake for a very long time and spent an inordinatelyrge amount of time taking extensive care of Sandra, Janine, and Jenkins. They epted the extra attention withoutint.


    *


    My underlying anger at the fungus wasn''t allowed to be sated for another year and a half, when I finally convinced myself that I could leave Sandra alone for a few days without her sumbing to the infection. Of course, both Janine and Jenkins encouraged me as well when they found out I was going to use an airne to bomb certain overgrown areas with my strongest weed-killer.


    Sandra wasn''t as vocal as them in her support, even though she knew how important it was. Well, rtively important. I would still have to be careful to not over-saturate the ground or allow too much run-off to spread. Thest thing the survivors in the world needed was to have all nt life die and for me to be the cause.


    So, a lot of nning was to be had, as well as finding arge enough area for me to take off from, then figuring out the best delivery system. Just dropping arge and fragile ss container full of weed-killer wasn''t going to work very effectively against deeply dug in nests. It also wasn''t going to do much against the infected that weren''t in constant contact with a main nest of fungus.


    That meant some engineering was needed to create a pneumatic delivery system that would inject the majority of the liquid into a visible mass of fungus when I found them and another system like a sprinkler to spray the remainder out in a wide circle to cover more area. Different sizes and styles would be needed for the different situations I was bound toe across, too.


    Another six monthster, during one of the hottest months of the year and when the fungus would be at its most active, I kissed Sandra goodbye and hugged Janine and Jenkins before I set out on foot for my chosen destination. It was a wide stretch of highway that was fournes across and had a long enough stretch of straight road for me to take off andnd from.


    I wasn''t sure they believed me when I imed to have found a working aircraft in my travels and stashed it nearby, even though it was true. They must have suspected those travels were nowhere near Colorado and there was nowhere physically nearby that could be used to store such a thing. Well, they let me go anyway and I promised to fly overhead before heading out on my extermination mission.


    I used a much stronger weed-killer than I normally did as I walked out into the wilderness and sprayed the ground to clear my path. It was satisfying to see the nts and grass visibly die, including the vines and growths nearby that I made sure to spray as well. It wasn''t until several hourster that I finally reached the right stretch of road and I sighed at the mess that was there.


    I had to waste a few more hours clearing the stretch of highway of debris, abandoned and wrecked cars, and nt growth. When I had enough room for my needs, I took out the jet aircraft I had found in the Smithsonian Museum in thest world. I spent half an hour installing the long range CB radio and connected my walkie-talkie to it. A double click let Sandra know I was ready to talk and a momentter, another single click answered me.


    ¡°I''m getting ready to take off and just finished installing the radio. Over.¡± I said.


    ¡°This is a lotter than you nned for.¡± Sandra said and I heard the implied question of ''what happened''.


    ¡°The highway was a mess and I had to waste a lot of time clearing out enough space for me to take off. Luckily, this thing is pretty small and doesn''t need much, or I might have had to dy until tomorrow. Over.¡± I exined.


    ¡°That''s great, Eli.¡± Janine said and then silence. ¡°Um, over.¡±


    I chuckled and hit the button, letting them hear me. ¡°When was thest time we used these things, anyway? Over.¡±


    Some softughs came over the radio signal.


    ¡°It''s been way too long.¡± Sandra said. ¡°I''m d you''re keeping your promise, Eli. Really d. Over.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and started the jet engine. ¡°Okay, I''m hanging up for now. I need both hands for this part. Over.¡±


    ¡°Good luck and good hunting.¡± Jenkins said. ¡°Over.¡±


    ¡°Don''t fly too low over us, Eli. I like my windows intact.¡± Janine warned me. ¡°Over.¡±


    ¡°Be careful and... ande back to me.¡± Sandra said, her voice low. ¡°I love you. Over and out.¡±


    ¡°I will and I love you, too. Over and out.¡± I said and turned off the walkie-talkie, checked the ps and the rudder, then nodded at the readings on the dials. Everything was working perfectly and I grabbed the throttle and pushed it forward a quarter to get the engine roaring, then to half to get the ne moving, then all the way to shoot me down the improvised runway.


    I was grateful for all my training in Goku''s weighted clothing, because it felt like I was kicked in the chest by an angry horse as gravity wanted to keep me back where the ne started from and not in the seat I was in. I pulled back on the flight stick and flew up into the air with a determined look on my face. My mission of revenge was finally a go!


    *


    If a nt or fungus had any kind of feelings that were analogous to that of humans, it would be feeling fear and trepidation. More and more parts of itself were disappearing and whole areas were being cut off somehow. It couldn''t think about or rationalize what was happening, so it couldn''t n or retaliate against whatever was killing off.


    It tried to send out the mobile parts of itself to search around and look for something, only it didn''t know what it was looking for. It did hear some odd wind rushing by and didn''t know what it was, since it was only a nt and didn''t really have a brain to think things through. So, it died and died and died as entire swaths of overgrown areas were wiped out from existence.


    *


    I stayed in contact with Sandra as I flew all over the ce. I only did Colorado first, then moved on to Utah and then Wyoming. I then hit Nebraska, Kansas, Ohoma, and Texas as I continued in a circle and expanded out and out, flying further and further, delivering death and destruction to as many fungal nests as I could. I even dropped a few spare weed-killer bombs in the middle of overgrown and abandoned towns and cities, just because I could.


    Not surprisingly, I burned through my stocks of weed-killer missiles pretty quickly, since the spread of the deadly virus was all over the ce. I had to start conjuring up more containers, temporary of course, and I knew I would eventually run out of actual weed-killer. I was flying over New Mexico when I was down to thest of my weed-killer and I didn''t want to abandon my mission.


    Even after how long I had prepared for it, it was going to end way too soon, so I thought hard about what to do. The solution came to me when I held the flight stick with my knees and was eating an MRE. I had just taken out my endless water container and spent a trickle of magic to make it into red wine to go with the strips of beef.


    My eyes went from my water container that had wine in it, to the nearly empty weed-killer jug at my feet, then back to my container. I repeated this for several seconds and thenughed. Iughed so hard that I dropped my MRE and didn''t care. A bit of magic changed the wine into another liquid, my weed-killer fluid, and I filled up the jug.


    It had the right smell and consistency, so I knew it worked. I didn''t p myself for being an idiot or for wasting so much time brewing up hundreds of gallons of the weed-killer, since it let me work and kept me busy. I wasn''t going to be an idiot from now on, though.


    My mission was back on and I filled the next conjured bomb and delivered it right into the center of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and flew on with a much lighter spirit. My determination to exterminate as much of the fungus grew and I easily finished up that state and flew on to Arizona. I didn''t bother using up the jet fuel I had in my inventory and just changed my water container to what I needed and used that instead.


    Yes, this mission had just be very easy toplete and I was very, very happy.

 167 The End Of Us (The Incredibles)

    167 The End Of Us (The Incredibles)


    I was shot at when I passed over New York City to check on it, so I looped back around and dropped a different kind of bomb. Yeah, that kind. Watching the top few floors of the Empire State building explode was both spectacr and cathartic.


    I dropped a few of the best weed-killer bombs as well, just because I could see a lot of infected moving around, and flew on to Washington DC. I was tempted to bomb them the normal way as well, except I didn''t want them to stop taking care of the quarantine zones or stop them from producing food, fuel, troops, and everything else they needed to keep the poption safe from the infected.


    I did drop a care package of both kinds of weed-killer, clearly marked, and instructions on how to make more. I would let them handle going after any of the ces I missed, since I had been flying fairly fast to cover as much of the country as possible while also not contaminating any farnds or water tables that I could.


    I flew back to Colorado and did a fly-by of the hotel, even though I already told them I wasing back, and checked the highway. It was still clear, so I circled around and easilynded and came to a stop. I stored the ne without getting out and dropped to the ground on my feet and a smile on my face.


    A few hourster, after following my cleared out path that I had to use magic to cover up again, I was back at the hotel and smothered in hugs and kisses from Sandra. She dragged me to bed right away and didn''t let me leave until the next morning. She also demanded that I fix her, because she didn''t want to bring any more children into the world.


    I reminded her that she didn''t have to worry about that with me and she said she didn''t care. It was for her own peace of mind and she wasn''t going to change her mind. So, I reluctantly removed her ovaries and ced them into an organ shipping package that hospitals used and stored them, without her knowing that, of course. If she did ever express a regret for not having children, I could surprise her with them.


    Shockingly, Janine approached me the next day and asked for the same thing. Why they got it into their heads that they needed to take such drastic measures was beyond me; but, both she and Jenkins had the same opinion as Sandra. They wanted to have no chance that a child might be born into the world. So, I saved her ovaries, too.


    *


    Months and then years passed again, our lives full of our daily routines, our hobbies, and loving each other. It was both safe and satisfying, even as we all grew older. But, time itself could not be denied and our bodies slowed down as age-rted aches and pains imed more and more of our time and we took longer to do the things we normally enjoyed doing.


    Almost as one, Janine, Jenkins, and Sandra decided one day that they had had enough and didn''t want to end up infected or have their bodies taken over after they died. I knew what that meant and admitted I had already prepared a burial site for us, including the weed-killer and a firebomb to destroy our remains.


    I didn''t mind kissing Janine on the lips when she thanked me for being so considerate. What I did mind was that I had to fight off Jenkins when he tried to do the same. It made Sandra and Janineugh, though. We went to just outside the protective barrier where I had a small freestanding single room building with four beds on funeral pyres ready for us.


    It wasn''t until after I had dosed the three of them with the Draught of Living Death that I realized they were all about one year younger than the age Tammy was when she suddenly died of cancer. I cursed out loud at that, because they had learned the wrong lesson from that mistake on my part, despite me stating that they didn''t have any kind of cancer.


    There was nothing to be done about it now, though. They had made peace with themselves and with each other and were more than ready to die on their own terms. It didn''t matter if they couldst another 20 or 30 years before dying of old age, they were ready now and that was that.


    I gave their smiling faces onest look before Iid down on my bed and set off the countdown for both the weed-killer to spray us down and then for the firebomb to destroy our bodies afterwards. It was enchanted to burn extremely hot and the small room was set up like a crematorium to contain the heat, so nothing would be left of us.


    I downed my dose of potion and closed my eyes, ready to move on from this world. I didn''t see, feel, or hear anything as the timer finished and the funeral pyres were lit.


    <b>Wee back!


    You havepleted this world and ensured the survival of a significant portion of the poption that would have perished otherwise. Bonuses for creativity and ingenuity have been granted and a certain levelling system has been adjusted for you.</b>


    It took me a few seconds to realize what it was talking about.<i> That''s great!</i> I thought with happiness after reading that. <i>How exactly does it work?</i>


    <b>Thanks to Fate stepping in and putting in a good word with the higher-ups, she had your Minor Touch of Divinity, that you sessfully stole from the goddess Eris when you defeated her, changed into a self-levelling skill.


    All you have to do is reach certain benchmarks and you can spend the umted Karma Points to increase your base level using your Adventurer Card.</b>


    <i>Oh, thank god.</i> I thought. My mind was filled with relief at the chance of being more than just a Level 1 Adventurer forever.


    <h1 align="left"><span><b>YOU ARE WELCOME.</b></h1>


    <i>O.</i> I thought and groaned in pain as a massive migraine tore through my mind.


    Fate''s smaller blue box appeared with the word ''giggle'' on it. <b>You need to be more careful when giving genuine thanks and offering prayers to omnipotent beings like that between worlds.</b>


    <i>I''ll keep that in mind from now on.</i> I thought and waited for several minutes for the pain to lessen enough that my own thoughts didn''t hurt to think. <i>Now what?</i>


    <b>You have the choice of several options:


    Pick an unlocked world to travel to (No Cost Gender-Bend: Incredibles, Worm)


    Pick a new world to travel to (Current Total: 2180, Cost: Variable, options avable)


    Spend Karma Points to create your own story (Cost: 20,000 points minimum)


    Buy a Multi-World-Combo package (Cost: 50,000 points, options avable)</b>


    Okay, thatst one is a bit ridiculous. I thought and clicked on it, just to see what the registered options were.


    <b>DCEU: Justice League / Young Justice / Batman Family


    MCEU: Avengers / X-Men / Spider-Man / Venom


    IndependentEU: Invincible / Savage Dragon / WildCATS / Gen13


    Multiverse Combos: Justice League / Avengers, Invincible / Young Justice</b>


    <i>Wow, that... that''s like...pletely insane!</i> I mentally gasped. <i>Those options are ridiculous! How in the world am I supposed to survive in any of thosebinations?</i>


    <b>That would depend on which protagonist you chose to be.</b>


    <i>Wait, wait, wait! I can... I can choose?</i> I asked, surprised.


    <b>Each of them have group or ensemble protagonists, therefore you can be anyone among the main casts of each. All of them have been close to death, in some form or another, multiple times.</b>


    I floated there in the empty space, stunned. <i>I could be anyone in any of them.</i> I thought and tried to look at the huge list of normal worlds, because what I just heard had let me know my options for each one would have multiple roles for me to choose from. It was... it was a bit too much for my mind to ponder after what I had just been through.


    Without thinking about it, I chose the first free option presented to me, the world of the Incredibles (Gender-Bend). I needed to relieve some stress and think about what I wanted to do next, so a light-hearted world should let me do that.


    <b>Congrattions! You have chosen The Incredibles.


    Good luck and have fun blowing up! Don''t forget to save the children!</b>


    My mind immediately jumped to the right scene and I mentally gasped again, because I had forgotten that was the first scene in the movie where Helen Parr, now Hank Parr, had almost died onscreen as the ne she and her kids were flying in was shot out of the sky by the movie''s bond-like viin.


    As everything faded to ck, I mentally prepared myself for what I needed to do to survive.


    *


    I came to as I felt the wind rushing by my face and the sounds of an explosion fading away. My eyes fluttered open when I heard screaming nearby. I turned my head to the louder one on the right and saw a teenaged boy yelling his head off, clearly terrified. I turned my head the other way and saw a young girl and she looked both terrified and like she was having the time of her life.


    I had mentally prepared for this moment and reached for the both of them at the same time as the information about my current life was eased through my mind. I pulled the kids into my embrace and hugged them tightly.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Vance and Danica. I''ve got you.¡± I said, my voice full of warmth.


    ¡°You''ve got us? Who''s got you?¡± Vance asked, his eyes wide.


    I had to chuckle at the Superman reference, even though he didn''t exist in this universe. ¡°Your mother.¡±


    Danica giggled and hugged my arm that was wrapped around her several times.


    ¡°Okay, this part''s a little tricky. Hold on.¡± I said and started to expand parts of myself as my arms spread out to better protect the kids. I wasn''t going to make the mistake Helen made by bing a parachute andnding in the water right underneath the dropping ne parts.


    I changed the shape of my head to give it a point, expanded out my sides into thick swept back wings, and added gliding fins to my ankles and the backs of my feet. The suit''s toughness and resilience helped me hold the stiffer shape, so I''d have to send Ed Mode my thanks for making it so versatile.


    Since we were falling fast anyway, I angled myself to catch the wind rushing by and we swooped down near the water in a long arc. Danicaughed and tried to catch some of the sea spray and Vance hugged my arm tightly. I adjusted my ''wings'' to pull us up and regained only a quarter of the height we previously had. That was the downside of not having a means of propulsion and only working like a glider.


    Still, I used what I had and did my best to catch more of the air currents above the water. I also knew what to look for and slowly banked in a circle to see where the missiles that blew up the ne I borrowed hade from. Oh boy, it was going to be difficult to exin to Viper that I lost the government ne she had let me borrow.


    We glided for a fairly long distance towards the ind I knew was there and just before we hit the water, I flipped us over and spread myself out like a rubber raft and sat my kids inside. Vance looked surprised at my move and Danica keptughing.


    ¡°Let''s do that again!¡± Danica eximed.


    I chuckled as the friction of the water slowed us down and we floated calmly on the water. ¡°I am not sacrificing another ne just to give you a joyride, Danica.¡±


    ¡°A!¡± Danica pouted and crossed her arms.


    How can 10 year old kids be so cute? Was it the blonde hair or the freckles? Or both?


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± The not nearly as cute 14 year old Vance asked me.


    ¡°You''re going to sit there and look pretty while I paddle us to where we need to go.¡± I teased him and he scowled at me and crossed his arms. I had a hard time notughing, because he was deep into his teen rebellious phase.


    ¡°Ooo! OOO! Can I help? Can I? CAN I?¡± Danica asked, excitedly.


    I barked augh and nodded. ¡°Of course you can.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Danica yelled and jumped to her feet. ¡°Just tell me what to do and I''ll do it!¡±


    I changed the back of the ''boat'' to add fins below the water to hold us steady and let Danica dangle her legs behind us. She listened attentively as I told her how to kick her feet in the water properly to propel us forward, like a motorboat. I also warned her to only build up to a good speed and not to her top speed, just because I didn''t want her exhausting herself.


    I faced forward when we started moving and I expanded my hands into rudders to steer. ¡°Vance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Vance asked and I could hear the caution in his voice.


    ¡°I''m sorry about yelling at you like I did on the ne. It wasn''t fair of me to demand so much of you when I knew you hadn''t been practising your powers. I was just scared about losing you and I overreacted.¡± I said and nced back briefly to see shock on his face.


    ¡°It... it''s okay. I... I''m sorry, too. I''ve never tried to make a forcefield like that before and... I just... couldn''t.¡± Vance said, sounding defeated and he ducked his head.


    ¡°Hey, none of that now.¡± I said and he looked at me through a curtain of dark hair that he had covering one eye. ¡°The sea spray on my face is getting hard to handle, so why don''t you practice putting up a small barrier in front of us?¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Vance asked, hope on his face.


    I nodded and looked forward again. ¡°Things have changed for us. Our family has been attacked and one of us kidnapped.¡± I said and my voice went deeper. ¡°We will be getting Bobbie back and we''re going to make them pay for taking her from us.¡±


    When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I nced back and saw a determined look on my son''s face.


    ¡°We''ll get mom back, dad.¡± Vance said, sternly.


    ¡°Yeah, we will!¡± Danica eximed. ¡°We''ll kick butt, too!¡±


    I smiled at the both of them and looked forward again. I saw a flickering blue forcefield appear in front of my face and nodded. ¡°Try for a smaller one and hold it. Don''t just hope it''ll be stable, believe it will be.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I... this is...¡± Vince said, clearly not confident in himself.


    ¡°I know it''s difficult, Vance.¡± I said and tried to fill my voice with reassurance. ¡°You have more power inside of you that you realize, though. In fact, it''s in your blood to be a hero. Your mother and I used to go out all the time when we were younger to stop crime and to protect people.¡±


    Vance was quiet for a minute. ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    ¡°Propaganda.¡± I said and heard him scoff. ¡°It''s true. Lawsuits for property damage, people upset after we saved them and the viins hurt them or they were caught up in the coteral damage from the fight, and the news was vilifying the heroes and forced the government to ban using powers in public.¡±


    ¡°They... they banned...¡± Vance whispered.


    ¡°It was the best way to control people with special abilities. If you didn''t ept the government''s relocation offer and go into hiding, you were arrested and put in jail instead.¡± I told him. ¡°It''s why we''ve been so hard on you and Danica about using your powers. If people saw you, we''d have to move again.¡±


    ¡°So, that''s why.¡± Vance said as another forcefield flickered in front of my face and stayed there for several seconds. ¡°I always wondered why we had to keep moving.¡±


    ¡°It was mostly your mother''s fault.¡± I admitted and Vance gasped in surprise. ¡°She''s been trying to relive the glory days with your Aunt Lucy in secret and was caught using her powers by our government handler a few times. He''s a nice guy, so he covered it all up and arranged for a new job and a new house each time. Thest time... well... there was no new job and apparently a viin lured her in with sweet words and tons of money.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Vance whispered.


    ¡°Yeah, that was my reaction, too.¡± I said and turned my head around to look at Danica. ¡°How are you doing back there, sweetie?¡±


    ¡°I''m doing GREAT!¡± Danica yelled and giggled, her legs moving like blurs.


    I chuckled and faced forward again. A small forcefield appeared in front of my face and stayed there for ten full seconds. ¡°Nice one, Vance. Keep working at it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, dad.¡± Vance said and I could hear the pride in his voice.

 168 An Incredible Journey

    168 An Incredible Journey


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We eventually reached the shore of the ind just after the sun set. The cover of night helped hide us from the regr patrols that I was sure would find us if we stayed out in the open. I had warned my kids to be quiet and picked Danica up and carried her on my back.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We need to find a ce to hide and talk about what we''re going to do now.¡± I whispered and Vance nodded.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We moved towards where I knew there was a cave, thanks to my previous knowledge of the movie, and I gathered a small amount of wood before we went inside. Neither Vance nor Danica saw me drop the ward stones to block the entrance with an illusion that hid the cave entrance. The small fire was easy to set up, thanks to me coaching Danica on how to rub two sticks together a certain way to start a fire.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Sooo cooool.¡± Danica whispered with awe.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Vance smiled at her and added a few twigs to make it burn higher. We sat there in silence for several minutes to let our costumes dry out and I thought about the best way to handle things. Again, I was not going to make the same mistake Helen did of leaving the kids alone. They had no experience being in a hostile situation and needed a guiding hand instead of being left behind.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">All right, we need to decide what to do.¡± I said and both of them gave me their full attention. ¡°I''m tempted to leave you here and go off on my own...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">NO!¡± ¡°No!¡± Danica yelled and Vance shouted at the same time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I chuckled at the interruption. ¡°...and that''s a dumb decision, considering I have no idea where to go or even what direction to look to find the main facility where Bobbie is being held.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Both of my kids rxed after hearing that.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">So, as soon as we''re dry, we''re making torches, putting out this fire, and exploring this cave.¡± I said, as if imparting great wisdom.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">OKAY!¡± Danica yelled and giggled as her voice echoed a little.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Vance just gave me a disbelieving look.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Trust me. I just have a feeling about it.¡± I said with confidence, because I knew the cave was the end of the rocket''s exhaust port when itunched and the tunnel would take us right into the facility.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Vince sighed and nodded eptance.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We stayed there for a few more minutes until I pretended to look around the cave and ''found'' some scraps of cloth I had taken out of my inventory. I then showed them how to make longersting torches and we started walking through the cave until we found a much smoother surface that was clearly man-made.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">What is this ce?¡± Vance asked and waved his torch around.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I looked at where the mes were moving towards, showing where the air was flowing outwards. ¡°Danica, I need you to jog down that way to the left and stop if you find the outside or a bigger room, thene right back here no matter what you find, okay?¡± I pretty much ordered her and she beamed a smile at me.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Don''t worry, dad! I''ll be right back!¡± Danica said and zoomed off.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Dad?¡± Vance asked me without actually asking me.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">This tunnel isn''t natural, so either that way or this way leads to where we need to go.¡± I exined. I also knew the rocket wasn''t going tounch until just before dawn and we had lots of time to get there.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Vance looked surprised for a moment, then he understood what I meant and nodded.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Danica was back a few minutester, slightly out of breath. ¡°There''s... this big... rocket thing... down that way.¡± She said between panting breaths and pointed to the left.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Then that''s where we need to go.¡± I said and scooped her up into my arms. Surprisingly, she didn''t protest and hugged me instead, so I expanded my back to form a seat. ¡°Vance, do you want a piggy-back ride?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Vance looked at therge tunnel around us and then shrugged. He blew out his torch and climbed onto my back and took mine from my hands.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Thanks.¡± I said and started running. I wasn''t sure if it was my new stic-like nature or what; but, I easily carried both of their weights like they didn''t weigh anything and I ran as if I wasn''t encumbered by carrying two other people. Had my stats carried over without modifying my new body?


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Since I didn''t tire from normal exercise after all the working out I did, I ran for two solid hours to reach the rocketunch room and travel the same distance that Danica had covered in minutes. She was dead asleep by this point and Vance wasn''t far behind her. He had barely stayed awake andid his head down on my shoulder.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Dad, I''m beat.¡± Vance whispered in my ear.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''ll find you a good ce to rest.¡± I promised.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Thanks, dad.¡± Vance responded and conked right out.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I held in myugh at that, because his defiance had been the only thing keeping him awake. Since it was just after midnight, most of the base would be asleep by now. I made my way over to the scaffold and climbed it as I cast a human reveal spell with my wand. No one was there, so I cast a detection spell and found the closestputer terminal.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I lucked out an found the security station for the rocketunch and remembered the passcode that Mr. Incredible had found in the movie when he hid in the cave. I typed in KRONOS into the console and it gave me the same high level of ess. I quickly disabled the intruder rm and found the closest thing to a room to stay in. It was almost funny that it was the room assigned to Miss Incredible when she stayed there.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Perfect. I thought and memorized the map of the facility for both the apartment and where Bobbie was being held and issued myself a security pass. I also looked at theunch protocols for the rocket and had an evil thought and started digging through the information for what I wanted.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Well, it wasn''t really an evil thought, it was just going to be a very bad day for Syndrome and the people she had hired and lived on the ind. I set the newnding coordinates for the robot of destruction to right outside the facility and logged out.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I made my way through the facility, taking a route that wouldn''t cross any of the night patrols and found the apartment Bobbie stayed in. I put the kids to bed and they cuddled each other, making me mentally ''aww'' at the sight, and I locked the door when I left. My next stop was Bobbie''s holding area and it didn''t take me long to reach it.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Infiltrating the facility in the middle of the night was a lot easier than trying to do it during the day, especially knowing where to go and what to do. I avoided the patrols again and used the security pass to open the room''s door. The room was huge and had that weird arch thing and Bobbie was suspended inside it with electricity and those big things covering her hands.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Her head was hung down and even from this far away, I could see the tears dropping from her face. I locked the door again and stayed in the shadows as I walked around the room and reached the stage where the arch was.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">V-Vance... little Danica...¡± Bobbie whispered as more tears joined their fellows on the floor. ¡°Hank...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yes, dear?¡± I asked in a whisper and stepped up onto the stage.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Now I''m hearing his voice.¡± Bobbie whispered and let out a sob.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''m talking, so why wouldn''t you hear me?¡± I asked without trying to be quiet.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank?!?¡± Bobbie gasped and her head jerked up and she stared at me standing five feet away from her. ¡°I thought... they said...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Honey, they''re viins.¡± I said with a roll of my eyes. ¡°What did you expect them to say? That your family is fine and they''re gonna let you go?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie giggled and sounded just like our daughter, Danica. It was honestly cute and I gave her a warm smile before I walked off the stage and over to the control panel. I hit the button to release her and she dropped to the floor andnded on her feet as the hand things popped and her hands were free.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''ve stashed the kids in your apartment here and...¡± I started to say as I turned back to her and I was suddenly pulled into her strong arms and kissed passionately. I kind of melted a little from the great kiss and hugged her back.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie broke the kiss and beamed a smile at me. ¡°I''m so happy that you''re alive.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Me, too.¡± I said and kissed her again. ¡°We''re going to talkter about you lying about everything and falling for a viin''s evil n.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie winced and sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, I thought I was working for a private contractor and...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I saidter.¡± I cut her off and took her hand. ¡°We need to grab the kids and then steal a ne or something to get out of here.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie''s expression changed to anger. ¡°Hank, we can''t just leave! Syndrome''s going to attack Metroville and...¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I pinched her lips together to stop her rant. ¡°She only thinks she is.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie''s eyes widened. ¡°Mham mo mou meam?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I chuckled at her trying to ask me what I mean with her lips held together. ¡°I reprogrammed thending coordinates for the rocket to end here on Nomanisan Ind.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Her expression changed to astonishment. ¡°Mow mim mou mo mhat?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t answer her and let her lips go before I ran over to the door of therge room. It wasn''t until I reached for the security pass that I realized she had stood there beside the console and hadn''t moved and my arm was stretched all the way across the room. I turned back to face her and she looked determined, so I sighed and flicked my arm to extend it more and used it like asso and wrapped her up twice and then yanked on it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">AH!¡± Bobbie shouted as she flew through the air, clearly shocked at what I did.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I easily caught her, being stic and all, and used the security pass. I formed my back into a seat like I had for Vance and Bobbie''s shocked face didn''t change as I held her in ce without using my hands and I ran out of the room and down the hallway. I ducked into a supply room and waited for the patrol to pass by, then continued on and backtracked to the apartment.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie stayed quiet until the apartment door closed behind us and she hopped off of my back. ¡°How did you do all of that?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I gave her a crooked smile. ¡°I did have a life before bing your husband.¡± I said,pletely truthfully. Watching her mouth open and close like a fish out of water was just a bonus. Instead of saying anything else, I motioned to the bed where the kids were still snuggled up to each other.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Aww.¡± Bobbie whispered at the sight. ¡°Where''s a camera when you need one?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I gave her cheek a kiss and she turned to give me a kiss on the lips. ¡°What do you want to do now? Let them sleep until morning or escape an evil viin''s base with her personal ne before anyone else wakes up?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie looked conflicted and then sighed. ¡°I really want to do the first one and I know we can''t. If we stick around, we''ll definitely be caught.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I nodded. ¡°They''ll probably change the security passes during the shift change, too.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie nodded. ¡°Then you carry Vance and I''ll take Danica.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">When we tried to separate the kids, they didn''t want to let go, so Bobbie helped put the both of them onto my back. I wrapped an arm around them to hold them steady and we left the apartment to head towards the hangar. As we made our way there, I told Bobbie there was no self-destruct option for the facility or anything explosive for us to set off to destroy it, making her softly curse under her breath.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We made it to the hangar without incident and loaded the kids onto Syndrome''s airne. It was then that I remembered his remote that he used to control the robot and my brilliant n to unleash the Omnidroid on the facility was dead in the water if he still had it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I need to make a quick stop at a security terminal.¡± I whispered and Bobbie waved me away, probably assuming I was going to disable any restrictions on the ne taking off. I left the ne and used my wand to find out where the remote was and it was all the way across the base and I let out a frustrated sound.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The terminal wasn''t far away and was thankfully out of sight, so I essed it and had it show me where Syndrome stored his equipment. It showed an image of the ce and I took out my wand again to silence the area. I concentrated on the image on the screen and apparated over there. The crack sound didn''t echo in the small room and I unlocked the storage locker.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">An overpowered cleaning spell on the remote saw it spark and sputter. I was tempted to test it by hitting one of the buttons and debated it, then nodded. The first button didn''t do anything and nothing happened. There was no click, no whir, and no reaction from therge robot stored in the next room.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Of course, that made me wonder if I should do the same thing to the robot while it was dormant, then shook my head. We needed it tond here and destroy everything, like it was programmed to do. I silenced the room and apparated back to the security console and disabled the checks for a ne taking off and opened the hangar doors.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I ran back over to the ne and climbed on and saw Bobbie petting Vance''s hair with a look of love on her face. I lightly touched her shoulder as I walked by and she turned that smile to me. I kissed her and went to the pilot area and entered the proper codes and the destination. I also disabled the verbal interaction, just so the kids could sleep uninterrupted.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I set the ne to take off and went back to Bobbie and sat beside her, put my arm over her shoulders, and waited for us to get up into the air. There was no reaction from the viin''s base and that was a huge relief, because being shot at again would suck. The flight was also going to be a long one and we had nothing but time on our hands until wended.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">After about ten minutes, Bobbie kissed my cheek andid down beside our son and cuddled both him and our daughter. That was a great idea, so I moved to the other side of them andid down behind Danica to hug the three of them. Bobbie let out a contented sigh and fell right to sleep and I thought that now would have been a great time for a camera, too.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Iid there and thought about what was going to happen next, which was nothing at all, because the assault on the city wasn''t going to happen and ''supers'' weren''t going toe back out into the public eye and be revealed as existing again. Without the city in danger, there was nothing for my family to save, either.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">For some reason, I thought that was for the best. It wasn''t until I started drifting off to sleep that I remembered that if the heroes started appearing again, the viins would start appearing as well and would cause more problems for the heroes to fight against. It would eventually throw the world into chaos and that wasn''t what I wanted, not anymore.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The ns I had to save my family from having to fight Syndrome and her Omnidroid had inadvertently stopped the resurgence of superpowers in the world. With no one thinking about people with powersing into the limelight, or the outrageous and sensational news coverage it would have, there would be no reason for any viins to crawl out of the woodwork to fight against their chosen rivals.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The satisfied smile would stay on my face for several days, until I remembered the Underminer. I would have to do some digging, excuse the pun, to find out where he was and when exactly he was going to appear, since I knew it would be in about three months.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Either that, or I was going to have to start being as bad as Bobbie and start up my own secret vignte career. I thought about doing it behind her back as revenge and discarded that idea. Bobbie had made that mistake and I wasn''t going to give her any justification for it by doing the same thing.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, if I was going to start hunting viins down, I would have to include her... and I could probably rub it in her face that we always worked better together than we ever did as independent heroes.

 169 Government Work

    169 Government Work


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Not surprisingly, my old friend Viper showed up that Saturday and imed Syndrome''s ne aspensation for the government ne I had lost. I thought it was going to be difficult to exin why I had been shot down and the woman listened to my excuses before sheughed for several minutes and then said it was insured and was destroyed while under government contract, no matter who was flying it at the time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Plus, they added the ne''s destruction onto the charges they levelled against Syndrome and levied fines worth twice that, just so they could award me a finder''s fee for tracking down a superviin before they could harm the public.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">They had also raided the ind''sputers and found all of her ns for everything, like world domination, eventually selling her inventions to let everyone have powers, and they found out about all the deaths of the heroes she had hired and murdered. Their families would be heavilypensated using Syndrome''s vast wealth, too.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I had barely opened my mouth to ask about that when Viper handed over an envelope with a grin. I had tough at her teasing me so tantly in front of my wife and I handed the envelope right over to Bobbie, whom opened it and gasped. Syndrome had been excessively rich and we would be flush with cash for quite some time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">When it came time for Viper to leave, I told her I heard rumors of another superviin that was going to target the city and possibly the world. I hinted that if I had an idea about where they were, how hard would it be to find some appropriate search and rescue equipment and maybe some digging machines?


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The answer was apparently ''really easy'' after a short phone call. Our government liaison named Rikki Dicker, an older woman with her grey hair up in a bun, showed up twenty minutester and sat down with us to discuss things. They were both associated with a government program whose sole purpose was to do exactly what I was hinting at and were almost ecstatic that I wanted to help.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">My previous experience and thistest incident had brought both myself and Bobbie to their attention and they were going to watch us much closer than they already were. The sour look on Bobbie''s face was one I would remember for a long time, because she knew she couldn''t sneak off with Lucy anymore.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The downside to helping was that we were to never draw the viins out into the public eye, because that would give other people ''ideas''. Bobbie and I exchanged looks and then looked over at the firece where we had arge family picture with us and our two happy kids waving at the camera.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We''re in.¡± Bobbie and I said at the same time.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Excellent.¡± Viper said and Rikki smiled and nodded. ¡°Miss Dicker can handle the contracts for you two to signter.¡± She said and tipped her mechanic''s hat back and rubbed her hands together. ¡°I need you to tell me more about this digging machine you want me to build.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Iughed at her wanting to get at the important part of the mission and both Bobbie and Rikki rolled their eyes. ¡°It all depends on the avable budget and the future utility...¡± I started to say as I pulled a piece of partially crumpled paper out of my pocket.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">It was snatched away immediately and Viper spread it out on the coffee table between us and Bobbie and Rikki leaned in to look at it. They saw a mostly drawn schematic for a two person capsule-like vehicle that had tank tracks on five sides, several spinning corkscrew des on the front, and scooping arms to pull the dirt away from them.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">This... this is... genius. Pure genius.¡± Viper whispered and licked her lips as her fingers traced the frame. ¡°The reinforced cross bars should hold up under some pressure... but, if we added hydraulics here and here...¡± She muttered and a pen appeared in her hand and she started to add in details that went over our heads.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">How long does this usually take?¡± Bobbie asked and motioned to Viper''s hand skipping over the paper like a printing machine, pretty much changing and updating everything.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">She''ll be good for another three minutes.¡± I said, remembering how Viper handled things when we used to work together back in the old days.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Why only three?¡± Rikki asked.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">It''s only a small schematic and I didn''t have time to flesh anything out, like the control mechanisms to steer it or how we would see out of the thing.¡± I exined.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Ah, that makes sense.¡± Rikki said with a nod.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Got it!¡± Viper said and held up the thing that barely resembled what I had given her and had a lot more detail.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">How long will it take to built it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">If we include everything and you''re there to help me with the little bits using those stretchy fingers of yours for all the tight ces this thing is going to have, maybe a month.¡± Viper answered.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">That was two months before the Underminer was supposed to appear, so I nodded.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''ll be restricted to school hours during the week.¡± I warned her and then smiled. ¡°Saturdays can be full work days and Sundays are for rxing, so I''m staying home for that.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper chuckled and looked over at Bobbie. ¡°I still can''t believe he retired to be a house husband for you and it''s been over a decade and a half since then.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie blushed and her hand took mine, so I turned my head to give her my best smile. ¡°I kind of can''t believe it either, and thisst thing... when I almost lost him...¡± She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. ¡°I promised myself that I''d be the best mother and wife ever, because Hank and my kids are my greatest adventure and I never want it to end.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca"><i>Aww.</i><spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca"> I thought and gave her another kiss. ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You''re making my teeth ache.¡± Viper said with augh and rolled up the new schematic. ¡°We can get this started first thing Monday morning.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I nodded and we wrapped up the meeting, with Miss Dicker agreeing to pop back aroundter with the contracts and the NDAs we would have to sign. I didn''t mind, since I wanted to keep everything quiet anyways. However, I did ask her to bring two more NDAs for Vance and Danica to sign and the old woman looked surprised by that.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">It lets us ensure that both Vance and Danica know what it means to keep things a secret.¡± I said and Bobbie nodded. ¡°We can also talk to them about things and we won''t have to hide anything from them.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki looked from me to Bobbie and huffed. ¡°I better bring two renewable contracts for assistants as well, since I''m sure your brats are going to beg to be involved when you tell them you''re going to be super secret government spies for us.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I couldn''t help butugh at that as I imagined Danica excitedly screaming to help us. ¡°No doubt.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Thanks, Rikki.¡± Bobbie said and hugged the old woman.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki grumbled about being too touchy-feely, so Bobbie gave her a kiss on the cheek. The old woman gave her a deadpan stare for several seconds before she walked out of the house andined about brats of all ages. Bobbie had to cover her mouth to stop fromughing too loudly and Viper saluted us and followed Rikki out.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I need to get dinner started.¡± I said and started walking towards the kitchen and felt Bobbie take my arm and turn me around. By the aroused look on her face, I knew she wanted a bit more than my cooking right now.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We''re ordering pizza.¡± Bobbie said, her voice firm, and I nodded. She smiled at me with that e here'' vibe and led me into our bedroom.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I watched as she pulled off her blouse and I admired her muscture. She had worked hard to get herself back into shape and it showed. She still had a bit of a pudge on her belly, which she tried to hide from me, so I pushed her hands aside and knelt to kiss and nuzzle it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">H-Hank...¡± Bobbie whispered, her face red.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I nibbled on her a little and then kissed my way down to the bush she had there. A momentter, she moaned as my extended tongue plunged inside her and licked her all around. I found her spot and wiggled the tip of my tongue over it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">GAH!¡± Bobbie gasped and came right away. ¡°Hank!¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">By the way, I learned a new trick recently.¡± I said and stood as I pulled off my shirt and pants.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie''s eyes dropped down to my erection and her eyes widened as little fleshy nubs appeared all along my shaft. ¡°Ohhhh, Hank.¡± She moaned and pulled me in for a kiss and then picked me up to throw me onto the bed.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I held myself up straight for her and she jumped on without hesitation. She slid right down to the hilt, burying me deep inside of her, and her loud sexy moan echoed off the bedroom walls. I was really d that the kids were staying over at Vance''s friend''s house today, because there was no way they wouldn''t have heard her if they had been anywhere inside the house.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie had a look of love and affection on her face as she stared into my eyes. She slid herself up and nearly off of me and then back down, her movements slow enough that she could adjust to the extra feelings that my enhancement was giving her.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I... love you... so much.¡± Bobbie whispered and thenid down on my chest to kiss me deeply.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I hugged her tightly and we made love like that for a very long time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">*


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">On Monday morning after dropping the kids off at school, I had to admit that it was a great feeling to have when one of my half-baked ideas, that I had only mostly drawn out on paper, was brought to life before my very eyes.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper lifted her welding mask briefly to grin at the look on my face. ¡°Having fun?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Goodness, yes. I really missed doing things like this with you.¡± I admitted and sheughed.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I missed having you around, too.¡± Viper said and flipped her welding mask back down. ¡°It''s so much better doing things like this with someone to share it with.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I chuckled. ¡°We sound like an old married couple.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viperughed as well and started welding again. After another minute, the welder sparked a few times and sputtered out.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I got it.¡± I said and reached over from where I was, my arm stretching way out, and I checked the pressure gauge and tapped on it. ¡°Either it''s leaking pressure or it''s nearly out. The gauge isn''t working.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper grumbled about just recing the damn valve and slid backwards on the mechanic''s dolly that was called a creeper, and she rolled over to where the other tanks were. She pulled one down onto her chest and held it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank, I need a hand!¡± Viper said and I could hear the smile in her voice.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I chuckled and slipped my arm around the secured tank and extended my hand all the way over to her and grabbed the shoulder of her coveralls.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Weeee!¡± Viper let out as I pulled her across the workshop, acting like the kid she was definitely not, and made us bothugh.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The tank was changed out, as was the valve and the gauge, and I pulled her back over to the partially built monstrosity we were working on.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">So.¡± Viper said and started up welding again. ¡°How did the talk with Bobbie go?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I sighed. ¡°We argued a lot about her doing hero stuff behind my back and endangering us again.¡± I told her. ¡°It was pretty loud and we made sure the kids were out of the house when we had it.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper stopped welding and lifted her welding mask. ¡°I take it she wasn''t sorry?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I scoffed. ¡°More like she was all gung-ho for it until getting caught, and even then, she still got away with doing it a lot more than I ever realized.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">And Lucy?¡± Viper asked and I sighed again.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">She tries to keep discouraging her, only she loves her too much to let her do it alone.¡± I said.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Ah, because she was going to go out and do it anyway.¡± Viper said with a knowing nod.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Which just made my argument better and her more obstinate.¡± I responded. ¡°It didn''t help.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Well, what woman ever wants someone to tell her that she''s wrong, especially when it''s the truth?¡± Viper asked me with a crooked smile before she flipped her welding mask back down and started welding again.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I huffed augh. ¡°It''s the hypocrisy I don''t get. We''ve lectured Vance and Danica so many times about not using their powers and she just doesn''t understand that it was supposed to apply to her, too.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Oh, she understands.¡± Viper said and paused welding. ¡°She just chose to ignore it, because she''s an adult and your rules only apply to your children and not herself.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I grumbled about that not being fair in this day and age and Viperughed andughed. It has struck her as extra funny, because this day and age was in the 1960s. There were no cell phones, homeputers, or a lot of the more modern conveniences that we should have had.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The age of superheroes had somehow dyed or stilted the growth and the ingenuity of the more scientific-minded people as they investigated powers instead of other things. It was a heavy thing to discover, I admitted to myself. I had many ideas that could be used to make the world a better ce, I just needed a lot of money, time, manufacturing facilities, and the know-how to market and sell things.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">In other words, it was not going to happen anytime soon.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Do you have any advice?¡± I asked, just because I could.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yeah, forget about it and move on.¡± Viper answered me.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">What?¡± I asked, surprised.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Winning or losing that argument? It doesn''t matter. You lose.¡± Viper said and patted thest metal bar of the framework, showing me it was finished on her end and I let mine go. She slid out from underneath the thing and stood up to weld where I had been holding it in ce. ¡°Being right or wrong also doesn''t matter. You lose.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I thought about what she said and sighed. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yep, you finally get it. Don''t apologize and don''t bring it up again. Just ignore it and so will she.¡± Viper said and patted my shoulder. ¡°Now go over there and start cutting out the first metal panel for the underside of this thing. The measurements are on the sheet by the cutting machine.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I nodded and walked over to the thing and read them, marked them off on the piece of steel, then took the measuring tape over to what we were building. Iid down on the creeper she just stood up from and I slid underneath to measure everything again.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Smart man.¡± Viper said with a chuckle and started welding.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t bother to ask if she meant about taking her advice or checking the measurements, since I was pretty sure she meant both.

 170 Not What You Expected

    170 Not What You Expected


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper''s advice actually worked. I kept my mouth shut when I went home and Bobbie didn''t say anything about our previous argument. She started smiling the very next day and was soon giving me random hugs and kisses over the next few days without prompting.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">It bothered me that Bobbie never apologized for endangering our family; but, apparently it was only a problem for me, so I had to be the bigger man and let it go. Even the kids were happier that we weren''t fighting or were about to fight at the drop of a hat.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I also managed to put the idea into Rikki Dicker''s head about investigating the dealings of the Deavor Family and to track them down. I couldn''t remember much about the second movie, except that the brother and sister pair had an obsession for people with powers since they were kids and their parents had been murdered in a home invasion.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Of course, with everything gender-switched, it would be the sister that would adore the thought of superheroes making aeback and the brother that would hate them for not showing up to save their parents after the government had banned the use of powers.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Over the next few weeks as Viper and I built the digging machine, a scandal was reported in the news about several people being arrested and some of them were caught using their powers in public while resisting arrest. It was a scandal that was blow out of proportion, which was what the news always did, and everyone was talking about it.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I did my best to not look smug when Bobbie watched the details of the story on the television and the kids looked properly chastised. It was one thing to be told it was against thew to use powers and another to see concrete proof. Thankfully, my ruse worked and my wife never found out that it was me that turned them in.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The digging machine was soon finished and we dropped the kids off at Ed Mode''s ce for the weekend, so Bobbie and I could have a date night. The short man was enigmatic and pretty funny, so our families had been friends for a long time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Ed really enjoyed it when I visited and hung out with him, even though he was always busy, and I was very thankful that attitude extended to my wife and kids. I did have to promise him to have a guy''s night soon to return the babysitting favor and he looked quite happy about that.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie drove us to where Viper''s workshop was and we went inside therge garage to see arge transfer truck where the digging machine was being loaded into it. Bobbie whistled at the sight of the thing and Viper spent the next 20 minutes telling her all about it, like she was a proud parent sharing information about her favorite child.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I held in myugh as they shared a motherly moment of mutual sympathy about letting a child leave the house for the first time. Rikki Dicker had no such restraint and was highly amused about the whole situation and grasped them by their cors.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Come on,e on,e on.¡± Rikki''s voice rasped as she easily dragged both women away from the digging machine. ¡°We need to work out where tounch this thing without wrecking the city''s infrastructure.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We gathered around a table with various city maps on it. One was street level, one was pipes and power lines, one was sewer lines, and thest was an old mineral survey map before the city was built. It was thest one that gave us the best information for both where tounch from and where to dig to.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We can use the old subway tunnel here on the outskirts of Fifth and Vine.¡± Viper said and tapped the mineral map and then the street map in the same spots. ¡°The new lines had to be built for the heavier traffic and the single tunnel just wasn''t good enough anymore.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie nodded. ¡°If the mineral rights map is right, there''s not much there in terms of ores, so the digging machine should make short work of it if you head off this way.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">That''s my thinking, too.¡± Viper said and traced her finger along the best route that avoided therger metal deposits. ¡°It can handle digging through the thicker ores just fine. It''s the asional gem deposits that might screw things up or jam the gears.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie nodded. ¡°I''ll let Hank handle the driving while I keep an eye out for any hazards we have to avoid.¡± She said and gave Viper a pointed look. ¡°How are we supposed to see out through solid rock, anyway?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper gave her a huge grin and pped me on the back. ¡°Hank gave me another brilliant idea about how to do that!¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie blinked her eyes several times as she processed that statement. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We''re going to use ground sonar!¡± Viper said, excitedly.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Ground what? Sonar? How can that work onnd?¡± Bobbie asked, confused. ¡°It''s only supposed to work in water!¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I thought that, too.¡± Viper said and gave me a look that would have meant something different if I wasn''t married. At least, I hoped it meant something different. ¡°Let me show you how it works.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki and Bobbie watched, stunned, as Viper showed them how depth charges could be set off and the vibrations could be read and recorded through the dirt. If there was something already giving off vibrations, that could be tracked, too. The sensitivity was reduced when the digging machine was moving, so we would have to slow down to set one of them off to receive an updated map of the area in return.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank was the one to give you this idea?¡± Bobbie asked, surprised.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank has tons of ideas in that big beautiful head of his!¡± Viper almost shouted and gave me a hug. ¡°He won''t let me yank out his brain to mount it in a jar to keep harvesting them, though.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie snatched me out of the other woman''s arms and hugged me tightly. ¡°I like his brain exactly where it is, thanks.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viperughed and waved her away. ¡°Don''t worry about it. Rikki said theb boys haven''t been able to make their artificial amniotic fluid work for more than a few hours before it runs out of oxygen.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Of course, I was an idiot and started talking without thinking about what it meant. ¡°I''m sure that if you added an air purifier and pump into the bottom of the tank, the constant bubbles of air would keep a normal level of oxygen infused into the amniotic fluid.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper, Bobbie, and Rikki stared at me with their mouths hanging open.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I then realized I had probably just ensured a lot of human experimentation to see if different parts could survive living in a jar of amniotic fluid. ¡°Uh, forget I said anything.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The old woman''s raspy voice was the first to speak. ¡°No, I don''t think I can.¡± Rikki said and gave me a searching look. ¡°I thought Viper was joking about you being a genius.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I kind of was.¡± Viper said, her voice soft. She was also giving me a simr look.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">But, I''m not a genius.¡± I said in my defense.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie let me out of the hug she had me in and her gaze matched the other two women. ¡°What about that portable phone idea you told me about?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I opened my mouth to refute that and stopped when Viper''s hand grasped my arm.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Are you holding out on me?¡± Viper asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°I haven''t been able to get the tech for sending and receiving phone calls smaller than a foot wide and only a car''s engine has enough juice to pump the carrier signal through the airwaves.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t answer and frowned at Bobbie instead. ¡°I told you that in confidence.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie shrugged. ¡°You didn''t say I had to keep quiet about it.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yes, I did.¡± I almost growled, my anger rising.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I don''t remember that part.¡± Bobbie responded.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I said it just before that!¡± I shouted. ¡°Why don''t you ever listen when you''re supposed to?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">EXCUSE ME?¡± Bobbie yelled back. ¡°What''s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You always ignore me when I say something important!¡± I eximed.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, I don''t!¡± Bobbie shouted.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No? Then when''s Vance''s date with that girl he likes?¡± I asked.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie''s eyes widened. ¡°Vance has a date? SINCE WHEN?!?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">SINCE LAST WEEK WHEN I TOLD YOU ABOUT IT!¡± I yelled as loudly as I could and all three women winced as my voice echoed off the walls. ¡°For fuck''s sake, Bobbie! How many times do I have to get it through your thick head that you never pay attention when it matters?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Bobbie looked angry now. ¡°How dare you call me stupid!¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You''re still not listening! I didn''t call you stupid!¡± I said and lowered my voice. ¡°I called you ignorant and slow to learn.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">A secondter, her superpowered fist buried itself into the left side of my face. Even with my current stic powers, it still really hurt as she smooshed my eye into paste and my skin and bones rippled around the impact like water.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">A bit of blood sprayed out as my head snapped back from the force and flew partway across the room. My neck stretched out until it reached the limit and partially dragged my flopping body through the air like a wet noodle before I fell to the floor in a heap.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">HANK!¡± A woman''s voice yelled just as I lost consciousness and everything faded to ck. I couldn''t tell if it was from Bobbie or Vance, though. Wasn''t that funny?


    <b><spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">World Paused.


    You have caused a pivotal event to ur in the middle of the story and your choice here can change how things progress. Will you let your mutual anger at the situation cause a rift in your family that can never be mended or will you continue to take Viper''s advice and ignore what happened?</b>


    <b><spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Current choices:


    Pick and unlocked world to travel to for a break.


    Leave this world behind and head to a new one. (Current total: 2888)


    Resume this world and see how things turn out.</b>


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I let out a mental sigh, because I had let my simmering emotions run my mouth and I didn''t realize Bobbie would physically retaliate instead of yell. I had underestimated how she would react and I paid for it. Now I just had to decide if I wanted to go back there to face her again or if I should ept the break.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I floated there in the emptiness and thought about it. Did I want to go back and confront her? Our rtionship was great when I chose to ignore how much she irritated me with her behavior, her dismissive attitude, and how she handled both of those things when the kids were around.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper''s advice had worked, that was true... but... was that the right thing to do? Thest fight was quite the doozy and almost sprang out of nowhere, because I really couldn''t just let it go that Bobbie never apologized. Now? Now she would apologize for hitting me and not for what she should apologize for. That didn''t sit right with me and I spent a very long time floating there as I made my decision.


    <b><spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Resume world option chosen. Unpausing world.</b>


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I came to inside a hospital room and could only see out of my right eye. That was not a good thing. Not at all. I was also strapped down to stop me from moving, so I extended my sole working eye up and nced around. The nurse call button was on the nightstand and I stretched my wrist to have my hand reach for it and pushed it. I brought my hand back and dropped my eye back inside my head.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The door to the room opened and a beautiful nurse entered the room. ¡°Mister Parr? Are you awake?¡± She asked with a voice that sounded like an angel. Her long blonde hair and the tiny hat that looked like a halo added to the vision.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hoow arrre youuu sssoo appealling?¡± I slurred and my sole eye widened. ¡°What''sss goooing onnn? I donnn''t feeeel like I''m on drugsss.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The nurse''s face showed shock for a second and she gave me a very fake smile. ¡°The doctor will be very d you''re awake, Mister Parr. I''ll go wake him up right away.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I watched her flee my room like her ass was on fire and what she said registered. <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca"><i>It''s either nighttime or he was waiting around for me to wake up.</i><spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca"> I thought and wondered how long I had been unconscious.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">After about fifteen minutes, an older man wearing ab coat entered the room with the beautiful nurse behind him.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Ah, you stayed awake this time. Excellent.¡± The man said and walked around my bed and put his stethoscope in his ears and blew on the metal end to warm it up before he ced it on my chest. ¡°I need you to take some deep breaths, please.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I pulled in some air and let it out. He nodded and moved the end and I took another breath. He slid it down the left side of my chest to below my ribs and nodded at me. I took another breath and let it out.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor stood up straight and took the stethoscope out of his ears and hung it around his neck. ¡°Mister Parr, I heard from your friend Viper that you like people being upfront and honest with you, so I won''t beat around the bush.¡± He said and folded his hands in front of his waist. ¡°I have good news and bad news to tell you. Which do you want to hear first?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The bad news.¡± I said and the nurse winced.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor sighed. ¡°Your left eye was crushed and the orbital socket shattered. That alone wouldn''t have been too bad, since we can make some very nice prosthetics these days and there are thousands of people that live with monocr sight without trouble.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Like a Cyclopsss?¡± I asked and the doctor smiled sadly as the nurse made a distressed sound.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The trouble happened when several blood clots travelled directly to your brain and caused arge blockage.¡± He said and unfolded his hands to put one on my shoulder. ¡°You had a massive stroke and have been unconscious for two months.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I blinked my only working eye at him and thought about the timeline I had been working towards. He must have see something on my face, because he patted my shoulder.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Your mission waspleted sessfully and nothing untoward happened.¡± He said and I rxed. ¡°Back to the bad news, you have lost feeling in most of your left side and your lungs and organs are only working at about 60%. Because of your physiology, a lot of our techniques to fix some of the damage didn''t work.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t care about that, since I had potions to help. I was sure they could regrow my eye, too. Hopefully. I''ve never had to do that before and I didn''t know for sure. ¡°Isss that allll?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor and nurse exchanged worried looks.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Jussst ssspillll it.¡± I said, getting frustrated and eager to get out of here.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">As I said, your left side has lost feeling and that includes a particr area used for reproduction.¡± The doctor said and the nurse turned away and wouldn''t look at me.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">What''ss the goood neewsss?¡± I asked, unconcerned. I couldn''t reproduce without spending the points anyway.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You''re not a vegetable or apletely different person. After suffering severe brain damage, personality shifts are quitemon as the victim''s priorities change.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I blinked my eye at him and thought about that. ¡°How can yooou tellll?¡± I asked and then realized what he called me. ¡°I''mm a victimm?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You''re cognizant and you''re following the conversation, so I''m reasonably sure you''re going to be fine. As for the victim part...¡± The doctor stopped talking and looked over at the door to my room.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The only reason your wife wasn''t arrested and thrown in jail for assaulting you with her powers and nearly killing you, was because of your children and as a favor to me.¡± An old woman''s voice said.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki?¡± I asked and stretched my right eye up and looked over towards the door.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hello, Hank.¡± Rikki Dicker greeted me and walked over into my normal line of sight.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I dropped my eye back into my head. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We had to go ahead with the mission, even with you out ofmission, so Viper and Miss Incredible followed the n to find the target.¡± Rikki said. ¡°Your innovation for ground sonar worked even better than we thought and they found the Underminer''s mainir without any trouble at all. They disabled his enormous digging machine that looks like garbage whenpared to the one you and Viper designed and built.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I immediately heard what he didn''t say. ¡°Bobbie did something to the Underminer, didn''t she?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki sighed and rubbed a hand on her forehead. ¡°She med him for causing what happened between you and didn''t hold back at all.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I closed my sole eye and sighed as well.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We sent several follow-up teams through the tunnel the digger made and dismantled everything the Underminer had built. We took it all and filled the entire cavern with concrete to stop it from copsing or causing a sinkhole or something.¡± Rikki said.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I opened my eye and looked at her. ¡°What happens now?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki looked at the doctor and the man nodded, so she reached down and picked up my left foot and pulled on it to stretch it like taffy, and turned it around a few times, and pretended to tie my ankle in a knot before she let it go. The four of us watched it as it very slowly started to retract and I didn''t feel anything at all.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Fuck.¡± I said and she nodded. I wasn''t going to be walking anywhere until I healed myself up, assuming I could. Like the doctor said, my physiology was quite different than a normal person and regr procedures didn''t work on me.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Rikki patted my right foot. ¡°Viper''s looking forward to having you stay over, so it''s not all bad.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">My sole eye widened and I opened my mouth to speak, only nothing came out.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Your wife tried visiting you a few times. Thest time she did, you kind of woke up at the sound of her voice as she yelled at you to wake up. You werepletely incoherent and half-paralyzed, so it wasn''t a pretty sight as you iled around.¡± The doctor said and the nurse nodded. ¡°She started crying and apologized before she left.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">And never came back.¡± The nurse added.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I looked at their sad faces and sighed. My chance at rxing with a happy family in a fun and easy superhero world had disappeared after a single punch to the face. I really miss having my Blessing of Fortune active. I definitely needed to do something about that as soon as possible.

 171 Getting Out

    171 Getting Out


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Despite being awake and having my full faculties, the doctor still kept me there for a full week to perform as many experiments as he could. On the plus side, Viper visited as much as she could and kept me in a good mood about it.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">On the seventh day and before Viper''s scheduled visit, I called the doctor out on his bullshit when he started using the little hammer they tapped on someone''s knee to check their nerve stimtion reactions. He was using it on every one of my joints, including my fingers, and that was too much!


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The smug bastard chuckled. ¡°It''s about time you objected, Hank. You''re free to go.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I blinked my right eye at him, letting him see my disbelief, and heughed.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I was just wasting time until Viper managed to work out everything for your new amodations.¡± The doctor said and put the little hammer away.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I sighed and let out a groan as I concentrated to not slur my words. Speaking slowly also helped. ¡°Why couldn''t you just say that instead of being so annoying?¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor patted my right shoulder. ¡°It''s part of my outpatient treatment strategy. The more annoying I am, the less patients want to hurt themselves and return to my tender care.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Okay, I had to admit that was a very effective strategy, because I sure as hell didn''t want toe back here for a very long time.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor looked amused at my expression. ¡°I''ll go get Viper and a wheelchair.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">She''s already here?¡± I asked, surprised.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I had her wait out in the hallway while I conducted your final physical exam.¡± The doctor joked and walked around my bed and over to the door.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I stretched my eye up out of my head to look over at the open door and caught my breath, because Viper wasn''t wearing her trademarked coveralls or her baseball cap. She wore a bright blue sundress and her brownish blonde hair was brushed out from her usual ponytail and hung down over her shoulders. She didn''t even have a small streak of oil on her cheek after absently scratching her nose.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Who are you and what happened to the grease monkey?¡± I asked, my words slow and careful.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I ate her and she was delicious! Mwahahaha!¡± Viper said with a fake evilugh that quickly devolved into silly giggles.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I made a snort sound andughed, too. ¡°You''re supposed to pose dramatically when youugh like that.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper walked into the room and over to my bed with a huge smile on her face. ¡°I''ll remember that for next time.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I let my eye sink back into my head and smiled back at her. ¡°Thanks for taking me in, Viper.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''ll be right back with that wheelchair.¡± The doctor said and shut the door behind him.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper''s smile dimmed slightly. ¡°Hank, about what happened...¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I shook my head to stop her. ¡°Whatever you''re going to say, it would have been bettering from Bobbie.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper bit her lip and looked conflicted. ¡°No, I don''t think so.¡± She said and sighed sadly. ¡°It''s all my fault.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I barked augh. ¡°No, it wasn''t.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank, it was my advice that...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, that actually worked.¡± I said and her eyes widened. ¡°That first week was like we were newly married and it was great. We were happy and I tried to keep quiet about things; but, she made a stupidment about how she would have handled her rescue better than I had. Imented right back about having the kids with me and she argued that it was my fault I didn''t check to see if they were around...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Oh, that idiot.¡± Viper said and sat down as she took my right hand.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We started shouting and that was the first of many arguments we had. When I calmed down andter tried to talk to her about her behavior, unfortunately ignoring your advice, she threw my previous silence right back in my face and we argued again...¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You don''t have to tell me everything.¡± Viper said as her thumb caressed the back of my hand. ¡°I saw the end result.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yeah, the doctor said the punch alone wouldn''t have done much.¡± I said.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper''s grip tightened on my hand. ¡°No, Hank. Don''t justify it. Even if she thought it wouldn''t hurt you, she never should have punched you.¡± She said and her other hand reached over and lightly caressed the left side of my face.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I felt my face heat up at the tender touch, that I could barely feel, and the caring tone of her voice. ¡°Viper, I... I''m still...¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper smiled sadly and her hand lightly touched the side of my nose and then slid down to move her fingertips along my lips and stopped when my lip twitched. ¡°Bobbie knows how much she screwed up, Hank. I doubt it will be long before she asks for a divorce.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">A... a divorce?¡± I asked, surprised.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper huffed and pulled her hand away from my face. ¡°She can''t even look at you without crying her eyes out. I tried to talk to her about it over the phone and she hung up on me. I even went over to your house as soon as I heard you woke up and she wouldn''t open the door.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I was stunned to hear that. It was only one little fight and we could work things out if we just talked about things.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, stop thinking like that.¡± Viper said as she stared at my face. Her tone of voice was stern when she continued. ¡°Rikki was serious about having her arrested, Hank. She broke thew and she would be in prison if she wasn''t taking care of the kids.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">But... but...¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You know she is going to fight as hard as she can to retain custody of Vance and Danica, if only for the sole reason that they can keep her free and on probation.¡± Viper informed me.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">They arre nnnot bargaining chipsss!¡± I said, losing my concentration on keeping my speech even.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, they aren''t.¡± Viper said and her other hand rested on mine to hold it with both of hers. ¡°But, you know as well as I do that Bobbie is going to hold onto those kids as hard as she can.¡± She looked down at my left side and then back at my face. ¡°You''re also in no position to either take care of them or to provide for them.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I couldn''t even argue that I''ll get better quickly, because I didn''t know if that was true or not. I had been under constant surveince and hadn''t had the chance to drink a potion or two. If there hadn''t been a camera on me the entire time I would have taken one right away, just to see if it would fix something.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The room''s door opened and the doctor was there with the beautiful nurse and she pushed a wheelchair into the room. The straps holding my body secured were released and I was carefully lifted from the bed and sat in the wheelchair. I couldn''t feel myself sliding or flowing over the left side of the chair until more straps were added to keep me sitting up and my ck left arm was kind of pooled into myp.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I held in my sigh at seeing it and felt Viper''s hand on my shoulder before her thumb softly caressed the side of my neck. It had been the same thing she did while holding my hand and I fought down the blush that tried to form. Viper took over control of the wheelchair and pushed me out of the room and we went to the nurse''s station down the hall.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The doctor signed me out and both he and the nurse wished me good luck. I thanked them and Viper pushed me over to the elevator, which we rode down a single floor and across the lobby and out into the sunshine. Before I could wince at the brightness after being inside for so long, a pair of aviator sunsses covered my eyes and I tilted my head back to look up at her face.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t wear my hat.¡± Viper said.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I don''t remember seeing sunsses or a purse anywhere. Where did theye from?¡± I asked.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper smirked at me and leaned over to give me a view of her modest cleavage. ¡°Take a wild guess where I could hide something like that.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The blush I was trying to fight off came rushing up my neck.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper softlyughed and stood up straight to push me across the parking lot to where she parked a nice red sedan. Instead of trying to undo all my attachments that held me in ce, she hit a button on the side of the back door and it folded back and out of the way as a ramp slid out from the floor.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Nice.¡± Iplimented her workmanship.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Thanks.¡± Viper said and pushed me inside, then she turned me around to face the front and tied the wheels down on the floor to secure me in ce. ¡°Just don''t start making any jokes about me being your chauffeur.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I chuckled. ¡°You do know me well, Jeeves.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Uggghhh.¡± Viper groaned with a smile on her face. She patted my right arm and stepped out and hit the button to close the ramp and the door. She walked around to the driver''s side and climbed in, then we were off to head to her ce.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">The drive wasn''t that long from the government hospital to Viper''s garage and I couldn''t resistmenting about it.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I''m not sleeping on one of your workbenches, no matter howfortable they are.¡± I joked.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No? Are you afraid you''ll get worked on or used for parts in my next project?¡± Viper joked right back and parked the car.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">How many rubber bands do you need?¡± I asked with augh. ¡°No, wait! You''re making the world''s biggest slingshot and need me tounch the ammo!¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viperughed and shook her head. ¡°There was no room to convert the long set of stairs that go up to the loft apartment on the side of the building, so we installed an elevator inside the shop to cut down on the space needed for renovations.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I realized then that she must have worked her ass off between visiting me, working for the government, and fixing up her ce to give me ess. ¡°Viper, I really appreciate...¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper waved my thanks away before I could express it. ¡°Don''t worry about it, Hank. I was nning on putting in a lift anyway. You just gave me an excuse to do it and I charged the government for it.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I knew she wouldn''t like me trying to thank her again, so I changed tactics. ¡°Were you starting to get toozy to go outside to walk up the stairs?¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Yes! Finally, someone understands my plight.¡± Viper said with a grin. She hopped out of the car and walked around to the back passenger side and hit the button to open it up and the ramp deployed. She bent over to free the wheels and gave me another great view down her dress, which I couldn''t help staring at.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I mean, I had noticed Viper was a woman a long time ago and we were great friends; but, this was kind of the first time she had gone out of her way to dress like a girl and act like it. She was very eye catching and I was pretty sure she knew, because I lifted my gaze from her cleavage to see her warm smile and she didn''t move away.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">After Viper waited and let me look at her for a few more moments, which I shamelessly did, she climbed in to take the handles of the wheelchair and turned me around to pull me back out of the vehicle. She hit the button and we went over to the garage where we both did the security check to enter the government regted workspace and entered the garage proper.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Off in the far corner was a tall circr tube that was two storeys high and went up into the ceiling. It looked both brand new and like it had always been there, making me whistle at the great work.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">It came out great, didn''t it?¡± Viper asked me and pushed me over towards it. It opened for us as we approached and she brought me inside.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">There were no buttons and I wondered how to operate the thing.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Home.¡± Viper said and the doors closed.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">We lifted up in only five seconds and the door opened inside her living room. I had visited her ce a bunch of times for meals and to hang out after a long day at work, so nothing was new to me, except for the elevator itself. She really had outdone herself to include it into the room''s aesthetics and it didn''t stand out like you would think an elevator would.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper pushed me across the living room and into the kitchen. It was an open concept, so there were no worries about me being in a wheelchair and unable to get around. Doing it myself was the only problem.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I was parked at the kitchen table and Viper went over to the oven and grabbed three oven mitts. She put two of them on and took out a foil-covered ceramic dish from the low heat oven. The smell of the dish flowed through the kitchen and over me, making my mouth water.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You didn''t.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I did.¡± Viper said and brought the dish over to the table and set it down on the third oven mitt. She posed dramatically before she pulled off the aluminum foil. ¡°Ta-da! Grand-mama''s famous sevenyer meat-lover''s three cheesesagne!¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I kind of drooled, on purpose this time, and I didn''t care. It was going to be the first real food I had eaten in months and it was perfect. ¡°You''re the best, Viper.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Don''t you know it.¡± Viper said, her smile beaming, and she served me a huge portion.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Despite being really hungry, I took my time, because I didn''t want to waste any of it. I carefully chewed each and every bite of it and savoured the vor and the texture. It really hade out perfectly and I pretty much wallowed in it and didn''t stop myself from moaning with pleasure every few bites.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I didn''t notice Viper''s red face until I finished eating and she looked very happy. ¡°Heh heh, I''m sorry about acting like that. It was perfect and I got carried away enjoying the first real food I''ve had in a while.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper gave me a look that I had never really seen on her face before. At least, it was never directed at me. Desire and longing. ¡°Hank, you never have to apologize for anything you do. We''re best friends. You can act however you want around me.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">My eyes unconsciously dropped to her cleavage and she let out a little giggle.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Now that you''re done eating, I can show you to your room.¡± Viper said and stood up, again giving me a great view down her dress, and she walked around the table and took control of the wheelchair. She pushed me out of the kitchen and across the living room to a small hallway.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I knew where we were going and I raised my hand in a stop motion. ¡°Viper, no.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper, yes.¡± She said and went to the door on the right.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">You can''t give that up.¡± I said, a little desperate. ¡°You can''t. Not for me.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Hank, you know this used to be my old parts storage and y area. What you don''t realize is that I would give up a lot more than that to make sure you had a ce to live.¡±


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper...¡± I tried to deny it, I really did.


    ¡°<spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">No, it doesn''t matter if you''re hurt or not. You''ll always be wee here.¡± Viper said and opened the door to reveal avish room that would put the best hotels to shame. All of her little tinkering projects, her ideas pile, the maps, the hand-drawn schematics, and even herrge work table and racks of tools were gone.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Tears came to my eyes at her giving up so much for me.


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">Viper leaned down and ced a tender kiss on my cheek, catching one of my tears just as it fell. ¡°Wee home, Hank.¡±


    <spanng="en-ca" xmlng="en-ca">I let out a sob and she wrapped her arms around me as I cried.

 172 A Life Worth Having

    172 A Life Worth Having


    Viper held me for a good twenty minutes as I came to grips with my current situation and calmed down. When I tried to apologize for breaking down like that, she kissed me. It started with her only pressing her lips to mine, probably to shut me up and for being stupid, then she started moving her lips and her tongue probed a little.


    She quickly sat on myp and it became a full on passionate make-out session that I couldn''t help but be into. I felt a bunch of repressed feelings rush forward in my head, reminding me of all the times she had been there for me, with thest one when she gave me a multi-million dor airne without even asking me what I wanted it for.


    Thatst act alone deserved a lot more than the simple thank you I gave her and the apology for losing it, so my working hand slid up her thigh and under her dress. Viper moaned wantonly and spread her legs for me, fully understanding my intention, and I pulled her panties aside and I slipped a finger inside her very tight and soaked opening.


    Her moans continued as my thumb made small circles around her covered nub and I slipped another finger inside of her. Her tongue plunged into my mouth, over and over, and I unconsciously matched my finger thrusts to it, giving her the control of how fast I moved. She took it and I fingered her as quickly as she wanted me to.


    ¡°MUUHHHHHH!¡± Viper screamed into my mouth and she squirted all over my hand and her thighs. There was quite a lot of it and it dripped down and soaked into my pants, the warmth setting off my own erection and that made her moan again as she felt me grow. She broke the kiss and her face was flushed red. ¡°H-Hank, we... we should stop.¡±


    I shook my head and pulled my hand away from her, making her moan at the loss, and I reached for the bed and pulled us over to it. She looked surprised as I formed a kind of seat under her with my arm and then easily lifted her off of me and sat her on the bed.


    ¡°How... when...¡± Viper asked.


    I didn''t answer her as I set the locks on the big wheels of the wheelchair and then pulled the securing straps off. Her eyes went wide as I used my working leg and arm to brace myself and pushed my flopping left side out of the chair and onto the bed beside her, like an octopus, and I grabbed onto the headboard with my arm and foot and pulled.


    I set myself into the middle of the huge bed, dragging my limp appendages into the right positions, and then used my hand to pull off my socks and then my fingers and toes stripped off my clothes. My erection popped right up and she drooled, just like I had for hersagne, and she crawled over to me and slipped her mouth right onto it.


    Viper''s mouth felt so good that I felt like blowing right away. I barely held back, even when she started having a lot of fun ying with it with her lips and tongue. She teased it and licked it, kissed it, nuzzled it, and gave me a look so full of sexiness that I couldn''t hold back anymore. I sted out and all over her face with the first shot, making her moan, and she put it back in her mouth to catch the rest of it.


    After she cleaned me off with her tongue, she used her fingers to clean her own face off and licked them clean. She propped herself up just enough to throw off her pretty sundress and she wasn''t wearing a bra. That was a surprise, because the perky cleavage I had admired several times had been all natural and wasn''t boosted by a bra.


    ¡°You''re beautiful.¡± I said when she was naked and she blushed.


    ¡°Hank, just because we''re about to have sex, you don''t have to lie about...¡± Viper started to say and stopped as I used my working hand to point at my still hard erection. Her eyes went to it and she caught her breath, then she let out a cute little growl and climbed onto me.


    I stared into her eyes as she lined me up with her extremely wet opening and she stared right back. She didn''t take thatst step, though.


    ¡°Hank, I... I''ve always wanted this. Wanted you.¡± Viper admitted for the first time. ¡°I have always respected you and your decisions, so I never once tried to do anything. Our friendship was too important to the both of us for me to ever say anything to ruin it.¡±


    Again, I remembered all the things she had done for me. Her giving up her private special workce for me, just confirmed it. ¡°I know, Viper. I''ve been too much of a gentleman to ever try anything, even jokingly. You mean too much to me to ruin our friendship with flirting or fooling around. I didn''t want to cheapen what we have for only a fling.¡±


    Viper gave me a beautiful smile and sat down. We both moaned, because it was a bit of a fight trying to get me settled inside of her. She was so tight that it took her several minutes of wiggling around and cute little moans to finally get me wedged in and her ass rested on my thighs.


    ¡°Ohhh, I feel so full.¡± Viper whispered and looked down at her belly that was just slightly pushed out. She reached down and rubbed her fingers along it and let out a littleugh. She moved her hands down to my hips, then ran them up to my chest and braced herself. The look of concentration on her face, like she was trying to figure out the best way to do this, made her look really cute.


    I didn''t say anything or tried to move her with my working hand. She was smart enough to figure out the best way for her to pleasure herself using the snugly grip she had on my meat rod.


    ¡°Okay... I think... yeah, I got this.¡± Viper said and rocked her hips a little, lifted up slightly, then she pushed back down without impacting my left side and most of her weightnded on my right, letting me feel almost everything.


    My eyes widened at that, because that was quite the feat. Viper grinned at my surprise and then she was off. I moaned as her grip somehow tightened down there and I used my hand to grope her perky breasts and then pretty much lost myself to the sensations. Oh boy, the sensations!


    Viper stayed in control somehow and she got off several times before I reached my next peak. She didn''t stop moving and let my little geyser blow out a load inside of her, giving her something she didn''t realize she couldn''t live without. Now that she had it, she was never letting me go.


    I kissed her after she muttered that in my ear and she kept going. Since I knew she was going to exhaust herself long before I myself would be, I did my best to help her along. Tweaking her nipples, ying with her nub, and I even poked her with my little finger in her vise-like rosebud. She had another screaming orgasm after that and she was done.


    I hugged her and she cuddled right in and fell asleep. I took out a wand and kept it hidden, then cast a detection spell. There was a camera in the room and it was aimed at the bed, so I couldn''t do anything about it. I put the wand away and would have to wait and see what the camera was connected to. If it was the government''s and not Viper''s? I was not going to be happy.


    I went to sleep with the thought of how I was going to bring up that I found a hidden camera in the room and not make it sound like I distrusted her.


    *


    Bobbie woke up in her bed alone and she didn''t even look at the empty side. Everything reminded her of her mistake and she did her best to avoid them as much as possible. She took a shower and dressed in jogging pants and a t-shirt that was her staple outfit for thest two months. It was just too much effort to put on anything else, since she had no desire to leave the house any more than she had to.


    She went to the kitchen and saw Vance was already up and had made breakfast for himself and his little sister. It was just toast and cereal; but, it still counted, so she gave him a smile and a quick peck on the lips as a thank you. He had really stepped up after... after the incident that was to never be talked about... and she appreciated everything he did to help her take care of Danica.


    Of course, she knew that Vance didn''t believe her flimsy excuse that their father had fallen ill and couldn''t have visitors after her first failed attempt. She couldn''t tell him or Danica the truth, though. It would hurt them too much to know that Hank had a massive stroke and couldn''t even hug them with both of his arms and couldn''t talk to them properly because of his slurred speech.


    Bobbie had been horrified at the sight of his disfigurement and the damage he had suffered. In fact, she still had nightmares about it and it had been a month since then. The doctor''s reports about him improving after he was released was couched in so many qualifiers that she knew he was lying. With no feeling on his left side, Hank was still severely crippled and couldn''t walk. That was not something she wanted her kids to witness and suffer through.


    Bobbie had her own bowl of cereal, some healthy stuff Hank had left there, and she grabbed her keys when it was time. The kids climbed into the car with Danica by herself in the back and Vance sat on the passenger side to her right. He had started sitting there almost right away and Bobbie didn''t ask him why. His silence was afort she liked having so close and she didn''t want to lose that.


    What she didn''t know was that Vance had contacted Rikki Dicker when his first girlfriend said she didn''t know who he was and the old woman told him what happened, then went on to exin Hank''s injury and why he wouldn''t be around for a long time.


    She also exined that his mother would go to prison if Hank ever woke up and tried to get custody of Danica during the inevitable divorce, because she was the only reason his mother hadn''t been arrested. Vance knew he didn''t count, because he was 15 already and would be of age in only a few years. He wasn''t stupid, though.


    Vance knew if he didn''t help his mother take care of Danica and keep her happy, both kids could be sent into the system like unwanted orphans, and he would do everything he could to prevent that. If he had to be the man of the house to do that, then that was what he was going to do. It was working, too. During thest month, his mom had started kissing him every morning like she used to do with his father.


    Bobbie parked the car by the middle school and turned to look at Danica. ¡°Be safe, sweetie. Don''t use your powers unless you''re in danger, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, mom!¡± Danica said and opened the back door. ¡°BYE VANCE!¡±


    ¡°See you after school, squirt.¡± Vance said, his voice even.


    Danica stuck her tongue out at him for not reacting to her yell and she jumped out and mmed the door shut. Bobbie winced and then sighed as her daughter ran over to her friends. She didn''t say anything, because it didn''t matter to Danica how many times she told her not to do that. It was like talking to a brick wall... and she didn''t see the irony that her daughter was just like her.


    Bobbie pulled back out into traffic and drove a few streets over to the high school, the traffic cooperating for once, and she slipped into a parking spot a few spaces away from where the students were gathering to go inside.


    ¡°Have a great day, honey.¡± Bobbie said and gave him a warm smile.


    Vance turned his head at the nickname she had only used for Hank and saw that smile. It made his heart beat a little faster and his mind raced as he realized his n had worked even better than he thought. He really had be the man of the house if she epted him like that, so he had to take full responsibility for it.


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡± Vance said and leaned in to kiss her properly. Brief kisses were no longer good enough, because a man should kiss a woman like he meant it. One of his hands cupped the side of her face as he gave her his best kiss, as inexperienced as it was, and Bobbie let out a little moan and her own hand slid into his short ck hair and held him close as she kissed him back.


    Vance learned quickly and gave as good as he got, his tongue matching hers, and the kiss went on for a lot longer than it should have. He wasn''t going toin about it, not with how her breasts pressed against his own chest. She hadn''t worn a bra in weeks and his free hand slipped up her side and fondled her breast, making Bobbie moan loudly.


    The bell rang and Vance broke the kiss, even though he really wanted to keep going. He reluctantly let her breast go and Bobbie let out a slight whimper, which made him smile widely for the first time in months. Bobbie gasped at seeing how happy he was and Vance had to hold back hisugh at the shock on her face.


    Vance picked up his backpack and opened the car door, then turned back to give the still stunned Bobbie another deep kiss. He stepped out, gave her a casual wave, and closed the door properly.


    Bobbie stared at him as he walked away and put a hand over her mouth. ¡°Wh-what... what... what just happened? How? Why?¡± She asked herself and sat there for several minutes as she went over everything she did and didn''t do over thest two months.


    A horn blowing behind the car knocked her out of her thoughts and she waved as she drove off down the street, her mind going in circles as she desperately searched for where she had ever given Vance the impression he could do something like that. She also tried to ignore that it had turned out to be a fantastic kiss and that her nipples were rock hard and her breasts were kind of aching to be gripped like that again.


    ¡°I am definitely going to have to give him a stern talking toter about this.¡± Bobbie told herself and drove home to an empty house. She went inside and ignored the small wet spot on her pants and grabbed a tub of ice cream from the refrigerator, diet of course, and plunked herself down onto the couch and watched television.


    The day usually passed for her fairly quickly when she did the chores and she would get to them as soon as her craving faded. She ate the ice cream absently and stared at the television screen without really seeing it.


    When the ice cream was gone, she let out a sigh at the bloated feeling she had and tossed the empty container into the garbage. She went to theundry room and came to a stop as she stared at the already doneundry. The little note on top was from Vance and he apologized that he didn''t know how to fold things.


    ¡°Oh... oh, Vance.¡± Bobbie whispered and her hand reached for her breast to grope it. ¡°My sweet boy.¡±


    She leaned against the wall and yed with her nipple for a few moments, flicking it and pinching it. She stopped herself before she went too far, or at least she thought she did, then she looked down at the growing wet spot and her other hand quickly dug into her pants and she started rubbing herself. An orgasm hit her pretty quickly and she groaned at a release she hadn''t had in a while.


    ¡°Oh, damn.¡± Bobbie said and sighed at the state of her clothes. She stripped off and tossed them into the washer, picked up theundry basket, and went to her bedroom. The basked was dropped onto the bed and she went into the bathroom to have another shower, and maybe she could spend a few extra minutes cleaning herself a bit more vigorously than she usually did.

 173 A Life Worth Living

    173 A Life Worth Living


    I spent most of the day worried about how to breach the subject of the camera, then Viper surprised me by telling me about it over supper. It was such a relief to find out the camera was hers and that she wanted a way to look in on me when she was working alone in the garage downstairs or if I needed her for something.


    ¡°You know, I never thought I would ever need a baby monitor.¡± Viper joked.


    I couldn''t help it and joked right back. ¡°Well, there''s no reason I can''t keep trying to give you a reason to keep it after I''m healed up enough to not need it.¡±


    Viper blushed and she also looked really shy.


    ¡°You''re going to kill me if you keep looking so damn cute.¡± I told her and her blush rose to epic proportions. ¡°Yes, just like that.¡±


    Viper leaned over the table and kissed me. ¡°Don''t you dare die on me or I''ll somehow bring you back to life and then kill you myself.¡±


    I couldn''t help it andughed. ¡°I''m not going to argue about that not making sense.¡±


    ¡°Good, you''re learning.¡± Viper said with a grin and went back to eating her spaghetti.


    It was actually really nice to have a sit down dinner with her like this. There was no arguing or underhandedments, which on reflection seemed like a really weird thing to expect every time I sat down to eat.


    I ducked my head slightly and went over Hank''s memories in my head. They had slunk off into the corner like all the other memories I had, except I noticed I had gained a few things that I normally wouldn''t notice.


    Why did I try to dismiss Bobbie''s abuse like it didn''t mean anything and only Viper pointing it out stopped me from exining it away and making excuses? Why was I relieved that I could eat a whole meal without bickering or an argument starting? That was definitely not normal behavior on my part and it bugged me.


    ¡°Hank? What is it?¡± Viper asked me and put her fork down. ¡°What''s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°You really can read me like a book.¡± I said and sighed as I lifted my head to look at her. ¡°I''m sitting here eating a meal with a woman that''s not my wife, and all I feel is relief that we can talk without arguing or making backhandedpliments to each other.¡±


    Viper looked sad after hearing that. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    I reached across the table and took her hand. ¡°Are you apologizing that you''re a better dinnerpanion or that I''m bothered by the fact I haven''t had a quiet meal in years?¡±


    Viper intertwined our fingers together. ¡°You''re upset that you''ve gotten used to having arguments all the time?¡±


    I thought about how she worded that and nodded. ¡°I think that''s what''s wrong. In my head, I know what happened with Bobbie was wrong; and yet, the back of my mind keeps trying to justify it and I keep thinking it''s my fault.¡±


    Viper sighed. ¡°Hank, that''s not a normal way to think.¡±


    ¡°I know, which is the problem.¡± I said and thought about it. ¡°Do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?¡± I asked and she gasped. ¡°I''m going to take that as a yes.¡±


    Viper''s other hand reached across the table and she cupped the side of my face. ¡°We have a lot to talk about and... if it''s okay with you, I need to call a few people.¡±


    I leaned my head into her hand. ¡°You''re already doing so much for me. I can''t ask you to...¡±


    ¡°I need to make those calls first, apparently.¡± Viper interrupted me and stood up. She leaned over the table and kissed me, let my face and my hand go, then walked over to the phone hanging on the wall.


    I sat there and didn''t listen in to the two whispered conversations she had, because I didn''t want her to hate me for eavesdropping, which was also a weird thought to have. She hung up the phone and took a deep breath, let it out, and walked back over to the table and sat down.


    ¡°Let''s finish eating and then we can cuddle on the couch.¡± Viper said and I nodded.


    For some reason, I felt like this was not going to turn out like I thought it was going to. Oh, I didn''t doubt that Viper had genuinely called for help, since she did want to help me as much as she could. The problem I had was that the help was going to vigorously object to my interpretation of things. I was biased, after all.


    Viper cleared up the dishes and pushed my wheelchair over to the couch. I did my octopus impression and pulled myself onto the couch and settled down in the corner on my left side, that way she could cuddle into my right side and I would feel everything.


    We watched a movie and I once again thought it was a relief that I could sit there and not worry about sparking an argument. I could also show affection to the woman next to me in various ways without her thinking I was trying to coerce her into having sex with me.


    This was proven when I used a hand to turn Viper''s face towards mine and I gave her a slow and tender kiss for several seconds. All she did was blush a little, give me a warm smile, and went right back to watching the television. It was honestly refreshing to feel so rxed after everything that happened and I was thankful that I had someone like Viper to pick up the pieces of my life.


    When I thought about that, I mentally sighed. I wasn''t sure what I was going to do about the kids and I couldn''t do anything until I could sneak a potion to check the effects. The only time I had been alone since yesterday was when I was left in the bedroom. She didn''t want me trying to haul myself around the apartment with half of my body disabled, at least not for a few days until I was used to it.


    I agreed, just because I knew she was genuinely concerned I would get caught up somewhere and she wouldn''t know until she left work for meals and found me where I would be stuck. I didn''t want her worrying excessively like that, because she was already worrying enough for the both of us.


    My chance for a brief bout of time alone urred after Viper helped me climb back into the wheelchair and tucked my floppy arm into my side and secured my left ankle to the footrest. I had a great idea and hoped it worked, because it should give me a few minutes of privacy.


    ¡°I think I''m ready to try using the actual bathroom instead of the bedpan.¡± I said and she gave me raised eyebrows. ¡°No, no, I just need to pee. Trying to move my butt off of this thing to perch on the toilet without you around is just asking for trouble.¡±


    Viper let out a littleugh. ¡°How are you supposed to reach the toilet while sitting down, then?¡±


    Without missing a beat, I raised my working hand and slowly extended my index finger to be a foot long. Her eyes widened at the implication and she blushed as her eyes dropped down to my crotch and went back to my face.


    ¡°No, I haven''t had to do that.¡± I said, a bit proudly. I was all natural down there and I hadn''t tried the ribbed look for her yet. After what happened with Bobbie, I wasn''t sure I should.


    Viper''s blush didn''t fade as she bent down to give me a long lingering kiss that almost made my toes curl up. I popped a boner and she looked pleased at my reaction, then she let out a softugh.


    ¡°I think I just made things harder for your trip to the bathroom.¡± Viper said, her pun making me groan. She giggled and reached down to pat me there, then she pushed my wheelchair over to the bathroom and left me inside as she shut the door. ¡°Holler when you''re done!¡±


    ¡°I might be busy for a few extra minutes, dammit!¡± I shouted through the door.


    Viperughed and waspletely unrepentant for doing that to me. It was a good thing I didn''t really need to go, so I had plenty of time now do conduct a few experiments. I checked with my wand first and there were no monitoring devices, so the first test was with a Pepper-Up potion. I checked it with a diagnostic spell and it was fine, so I checked myself.


    The damage was actually worse than what the doctor said and I had severe nerve damage and the spell said I had an aneurysm as well. Luckily, it must have happened while they were operating, because it had been repaired and there was no damage to my brain from that, which was a huge relief.


    I swallowed the potion and waited a few seconds, then checked my diagnosis again. There was no change, except for a rise in my body temperature and some steam out of my ears. This was a great result, because it meant some effects still worked on me.


    I took out a Wiggenweld Potion next, one that was used to heal people, wake them from a sleeping potion, and it gave a stamina boost. I swallowed it down and waited for about ten seconds and felt some energy flow through me. My back straightened and my slouching posture disappeared. I cast the diagnostic spell on myself again and the results were both minor and encouraging.


    There was a reason that potions weren''t poured down people''s throats constantly to stack the effects. You could get potion sickness if you drank too many of them and they didn''t work any faster if you drank more than one. You had to wait for it to finish working and then could take another. So, that''s what I did. I waited for a full minute and then downed another one.


    Again, it was another ten seconds before I felt that small surge of energy and I cast the diagnostic spell once more. Only some of the nerve damage had been healed and I mentally did the calctions in my head for how many I would need to bring myself back to full health. It was a lot and it would take weeks of sneaking off to the bathroom to take them, which sucked.


    As I thought about a better way to heal myself, I suddenly remembered my Adventurer Card and the various skills I had on it. I took it out and it had been changed slightly. There was actually a scrolling portion where my skill list was and I flipped through them to look for healing. I couldn''t find anything in the ''H'' section and frowned. I was sure that I had a healing skill or spell somewhere.


    I turned the card over to look at my feats and blessings and softly cursed. All of them had been disabled, including Minor Regeneration, Mind nk, and my Blessings of Bnce, Fortune, and Forge. It was no wonder why I was being so easily manipted and being hurt constantly. Since I knew they had been granted with divinity, I flipped my card back over and looked for my new Touch of Divinity skill.


    <i>How could I have forgotten about that?</i> I asked myself and soon found it. I didn''t get angry at seeing it started at Level 0 and had no effect at all, because right beside it was the point cost of 1,000 Karma Points. I clicked it and the 0 changed to a 1 with a bright glow. Thankfully, I was facing away from the door and my body blocked most of it.


    I felt something click in the back of my mind and I let out a sigh as my swirling emotions dulled slightly. My eyes went to the cost beside the Level 1 skill and frowned. It now cost 2,000 Karma Points to go to the next level and that could be a problem. If it doubled each level to increase it and there were 10 levels to the skill, then it would cost me just over a million points to get to that final level.


    That was kind of terrifying, actually. I flipped the card back over to look at the feats and saw they were all at 10%, which meant I wouldn''t be magically getting them all back in full right away, unless I went extremely into debt and would have to spend the next few decades in punishment worlds as I tried to build up enough Karma to pay it off and get back to my regr trips.


    Yeah, that was not going to happen. Two in a row had been bad enough and I barely managed to not go all murder-hobo in them. If I had to do constant worlds that were full of horror creatures, all I could do was be a murder-hobo in order to survive. That was not going to be fun at all.


    I felt the Minor Regeneration kick in and it was going really slow at only 10% efficiency, so I resigned myself to a long time for recovery, then I remembered something about Hestia being surprised I had so many skills when she epted me into her Familia... and then I gasped as I remembered the two healing spells I had learned just before leaving that world.


    It had been so long ago that I hadpletely forgotten about them and then I realized not having my Mind nk perk active for so long had hurt me more than anything else that happened to me. I checked my current Karma Points and did the math. I could afford to buy up to Level 6 and still have some points left over for misceneous things, assuming I continued to earn positive Karma.


    That would allow me to raise my base level up to 60, with each Divine level granting me ess to 10 levels. That was going to be a huge relief and would unlock a few more things, like the next bump to my magic. I sat there for a few minutes as I thought about what to do and a knock on the door gained my attention.


    ¡°Are you okay in there?¡± Viper asked me.


    ¡°I''m fine... ugh... just... hold on. I need to clean the pipes.¡± I said and heard her chuckle.


    I actually opened up my pants and stretched myself out and peed into the toilet. I wiggled it without touching it and pulled it back, used a bit of tissue to dry it off, and closed myself up. I put my mental gymnastics aside and flushed the toilet, leaving the seat down, and washed my sole hand in the sink for propriety''s sake.


    ¡°Okay, I''m done.¡± I said and Viper opened the door.


    She saw me dry my hand on a hand towel and nodded slightly, as I figured she would appreciate cleanliness, and pushed me out of the bathroom towards my bedroom. It didn''t take long to get me back into the bed and settled.


    ¡°Goodnight, Hank.¡± Viper said and put the wheelchair off to the side of the room and out of the way.


    I patted the bed beside me instead of saying it back. ¡°You don''t have to leave and we don''t have to do anything.¡± I said, just in case she thought I was angling for more than to hold her.


    Viper looked conflicted and spoke softly. ¡°I''m sorry, I have something I need to do and I won''t be back for an hour or so.¡±


    I didn''t let anything show on my face at the rejection. ¡°That''s okay. If I''m still awake, I''ll see you when you get back.¡±


    Viper nodded and went to the bedroom''s door. She turned back to face me and looked sad. She didn''t say anything and left the room, the door shutting behind her with a soft click.


    I waited for several minutes and listened for movement. I didn''t hear anything and figured she had left, so Iid back and closed my eyes. I knew the camera was watching me, so I couldn''t do anything obvious and thought back to those two healing spells I had gained way back in Danmachi.


    One was for personal healing and took a while to set up and cast, especially with my magic limited as it was, and the other was an area of effect that was quicker to cast but took longer to take effect. They both had a bright visualponent, so I needed both seclusion and privacy before I could even attempt them.


    The second thing I needed was to check my magic spells to see if they were unlocked. If they weren''t, I currently could level myself up to level 10 using some of the experience my Adventure Card had been collecting for decades. I was sure I would need to spend my Karma Points to level up my Divine skill at least once more, because that was how I assumed I would be screwed over.


    I checked my spells and the personal one was locked until I reached a base level of 25, so that meant I needed to level up my Touch of Divinity skill twice more to get it to 3 and give myself the option of levelling my base level up to 30. Since I had so many XP points on the Adventurer Card that it only showed an infinity symbol, I wasn''t worried about being stuck.


    In the end I said screw it and levelled my Divine skill up to level 5, making my perks settle at a clean 50% effectiveness, and it left me with 34,330 Karma Points. I could have spent another 32,000 for Level 6, except that would nearly clean me out and I just knew that something woulde up and I wouldn''t have the points to handle it.


    Thankfully, I had opened my eyes and watched if there were any visible effects from me spending so much Karma. There wasn''t, since the card was still in my inventory, so I rxed. I would need to wait for some privacy before I could physically touch the Adventurer Card and use my Divine skill on it to add the experience points to level myself up to my new maximum of Level 50.


    I had to hold in myugh and excitement about that. I was used to working at a diminished level for so long that I suspected bing so strong so quickly was going to be a huge rush... and I couldn''t wait to experience it.


    My hand twitched and I had to stop myself from raising it in a cheer, then I realized something important. It was my LEFT hand. I had felt the muscles twitch and a huge smile grew on my face, because my regeneration perk was working hard trying to fix the damage and I couldn''t have been happier.

 174 The Aftermath

    174 The Aftermath


    I woke up alone in my bed and couldn''t remember falling asleep. Myst thoughts had been about how excited I was that my left hand had twitched and that alone wasn''t enough to fight off unconsciousness apparently. It took me a few minutes toe up with a reasonable exnation.


    I had taken three potions in quick session that affected my body and thest two had stamina boosts. When they ran out, my natural tiredness hit me a lot harder than it normally would and conked me right out. It made me chuckle to inadvertently discover a quick way to fall asleep and I would have to remember that reaction if it was ever needed again.


    My attention was caught when a knock sounded from my bedroom door. ¡°I''m awake.¡±


    The door opened and Viper stood there wearing the same thing she wore the night before. My eye popped out and stretched to get a better look at her. She looked a little ragged and her hair was messy, which said more about what happened than anything else.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked and let my eye sink back into my head.


    Viper sighed and walked into the room and over to the bed with an unsure look on her face. I patted the bed beside me on my right side and she sighed, then she climbed onto the bed and cuddled up to my side and snuggled in. She didn''t say anything at first and I didn''t push her, because I knew she would tell me in her own time.


    ¡°One of the calls I made was to an old friend of mine. She''s going to visitter to talk to you about everything... in a professional manner.¡± Viper said and I knew she meant a psychiatrist. ¡°The second call was to Rikki and I told her what you told me about how you were feeling about what happened between you and Bobbie.¡±


    I had to blink my eyes at that. ¡°Why did you tell her about that?¡±


    Viper let out another sigh. ¡°Because it''s like I told you. That kind of thinking isn''t normal and your boss needed to know that you werepromised.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said and then I understood. ¡°Oh, boy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s where I wentst night. I met up with Rikki and a squad of handlers, because we knew that Bobbie was not going to be happy when Rikki started asking her exactly why she had conditioned you like that. No one should so easily ept verbal abuse on a constant basis, neither man nor woman, and Rikki was quite upset about it when I told her.¡±


    I let out my own sigh at them going over there to confront Bobbie about it. ¡°How did Bobbie react when you told her why you were there?¡±


    Viper stiffened under my arm briefly. ¡°We never got the chance to talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°That''s why you went there.¡±


    Viper lifted her head to look into my eyes. ¡°Hank, I... I don''t want to lie to you.¡± She said and her hand reached up and caressed the left side of my face. ¡°Do you really want to know what we found when we checked the surveince footage?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Bobbie was... in apromising position. When Rikki saw it, she ordered the squad to bust down the door to stop her.¡±


    ¡°Stop her? From doing what?¡± I asked, frowning.


    ¡°She was... she...¡± Viper looked really embarrassed. She didn''t break eye contact with me, though. ¡°She was sucking off your son Vance on the living room couch.¡±


    The world seemed to slow down and greyed out as the World Pause function activated. I ignored the menu pop up telling me it was a pivotal moment in the story, because that was redundant. What I actually needed was the unlimited time that the pause option gave me to think about everything.


    It also gave me the perfect opportunity to take out my Adventurer Card to level myself up without any witnesses around and I did exactly that. The divine glow happened for every level I gave myself, so jumping up to Level 50 had me glowing like a small sun for several minutes and I felt a presence cuddle up to my right side.


    I put my arm around it to hold it. ¡°Hey there, reading buddy. Long time no see.¡± I joked and heard a soft femaleugh echo through the emptiness, because they were just a presence and I had never been able to see them.


    I went back to my Adventurer Card and checked the XP total and the experience points still had the infinity symbol, which meant I had gained so much experience at a low level for so long that I never had to do anything else to keep levelling myself up, at least until I reached the Level 10 limit with my Touch of Divinity skill.


    With that done, I put it away and realized I had plenty of time on my hands and suddenly had a great idea. ¡°Is there a book you''d like to read? We''ve only been using the ones I wanted to read so far and that''s not fair to you.¡±


    The presence at my side shivered slightly and then the gift shop popped up around us. A book floated over from the nearly endless rack and I was given the 50 credit bill. I paid it without hesitation and the shop faded away as we kind of reclined and the book hovered in front of us.


    ¡°Sense and Sensibility?¡± I asked and felt a nod. ¡°Well, I''ve never read it, so it''s going to be a new experience for me.¡±


    A burst of happiness came from beside me and the cuddling increased. It was surprisingly simr to the way Viper cuddled me, so I enjoyed it a little more than I probably should have. Then again, my mind was a hell of a lot clearer than it had been before and I suspected that things were going to be different from here on out.


    For the next 7 hours, I had a great time reading out the entire book. I had also tried, and failed badly, at doing the different female voices. The presence beside me hadughed almost the entire time and I could feel how much she thoroughly enjoyed it when we finally finished it.


    ¡°That was a great book and I learned a lot from the moral of the story.¡± I said and I felt a kiss on my cheek. ¡°I should thank you for letting me carry on like that, too. I kind of messed up with not knowing what they should sound like.¡±


    That softugh echoed through the space around us again and I felt another kiss on my cheek, only this time it was partially on my lips. I puckered mine and the kiss seemed to hesitate slightly, then the feeling moved over and became a full on one. I returned it as best as I could and the presence at my side slid around me and straddled my waist.


    Of course, my body reacted and a breathy moan sounded from nearby. I hugged the presence closely with my sole working arm and didn''t try to grope their behind or anything. The kiss ended after a few moments and I could feel something holding their breath, so I leaned forward again and ced a gentle kiss where I thought those immaterial lips were. A hum of satisfaction responded and the presence faded away.


    After all that rxing and enjoying myself, and thinking over what the presence was probably trying to tell me by reading that book that most of the characters had followed the public''s sensibility instead of followingmon sense.


    However, the moral of Sense and Sensibility was that both practicality and passion are necessary for a happy life. While having a good character in a person was more important than having a charming personality, both passion and attraction couldn''t be ignored. With those thoughts in my head, I knew what I had to do when I unpaused the world of The Incredibles.


    ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± I said into the emptiness and I felt a hand gently caress my right cheek. I smiled at that and brought up the menu. I chose the unpause option without looking at anything else and the world formed back around me and faded back into full color.


    I stared into Viper''s eyes after her revealing that Bobbie was giving head to my son, and Ipletely understood how something like that could have happened. Without me there, Vance must have stepped up to help take care of Danica, and Bobbie must have noticed how much he was helping her. Being reliable and able to take care of kids, was huge turn on for a woman.


    I also knew that Bobbie had been having a dry spell for almost three months, since we hadn''t had sex after that first week back, so any sign of affection from Vance would have set her off. It did make me wonder how far they went at it, though.


    ¡°Was that all?¡± I asked and Viper gasped. ¡°I mean, was that as far as they''ve gone, or have they been... you know.¡± I said with a wave of my hand and she didn''t notice it was my floppy left hand.


    ¡°O-oh, I thought...¡± Viper blushed from embarrassment.


    I chuckled and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. ¡°I wasn''t dismissing what she did, I was asking for rification.¡±


    Viper nodded. ¡°After she was tackled, Bobbie put up a small fight and Vance tried to help her. A few of the agents ended up with broken bones and one had a concussion; but, once she was tasered and secured, Bobbie admitted that was the first time she had done something like that with him.¡±


    ¡°Something like that?¡± I whispered the question and thought about it. ¡°If that was only the first time she tried to swallow him, they could have been doing other things like heavy petting and making out for a while.¡±


    ¡°H-Hank, h-how can you talk about it like it doesn''t matter?¡± Viper asked, clearly shocked.


    I smiled at her misunderstanding. ¡°Viper, of course it matters. There''s no way Bobbie can keep custody after that and we both know what that means. The government owns her and the kids are going to be sent into the system or be allowed to stay with me, which they can''t because I''m staying here.¡±


    Viper nodded again and let out a sigh. ¡°I''m sorry I don''t have the room for two more people.¡±


    I gave her another kiss and pet her messy hair. ¡°Don''t worry about that. I''ll call in a favor from another old friend. He has lots of room at his mansion and Danica adores him.¡±


    ¡°His mansion?¡± Viper asked and she caught her breath. ¡°He''ll never ept! He hates how disruptive kids are!¡±


    I chuckled and motioned to my wheelchair. ¡°I need to get to the phone to call Rikki and then Ed Mode. They''ll handle the details and I''ll see if Rikki can find a nicepliant maid to help Ed corral the kids until I''m better.¡±


    Viper stared at me and looked like she was going to refuse, then she took a deep breath and let it out. She let me go and climbed off of the bed and brought the wheelchair over to the bed and locked the wheels. She helped me slide off the bed and into the chair, adjusted my floppy arm and leg for me, and secured my ankle before pushing me out into the living room.


    ¡°I''ll start on breakfast while you''re busy.¡± Viper said and parked me beside the wall phone.


    I could easily reach it with my stretchy arm. ¡°Thank you, love.¡±


    Viper froze and her eyes were really wide. ¡°H-Hank...¡±


    I reached up and caressed her face. ¡°Yes, Viper. I love you. I always have, actually. I just couldn''t say it before.¡±


    Tears came to her eyes and Viper knelt beside the chair to give me a long and tender kiss. ¡°I''ve always loved you, too.¡±


    We held each other for several minutes before she let me go, wiped at her eyes, and went into the kitchen.


    I picked up the phone and dialed Rikki''s number from memory. It shouldn''t take long to arrange things and Ed''s ce wasn''t that far from either of the schools that the kids attended. It wouldn''t be that big of an inconvenience for them to live somewhere else for a while, assuming Vance hadn''t been arrested with Bobbie. That might be a little inconvenient to work around.


    *


    Bobbie sat in her jail cell in the gonvernment building and she didn''t know what she was going to do. She had let herself be convinced by Vance''s insistence that he was the man of the house and he was going to take care of her. Her desperate need to feel some kind of love after so long had yed a part of it, too.


    Vance had made her feel wanted and appreciated, as if she was a woman and not his mother. That alone had been a pleasant surprise, then she had been extremely turned on as he rubbed her down during the massage and then he started licking her and fingering her, telling her how hot she was, and she came so hard.


    Of course she had to thank him for his hard work by doing it back to him, her orgasm-clouded mind had justified. His cute reactions to her skills had given her even more reasons to keep going after he blew a hot load onto her breasts... then the whole world came crashing down around her as government agents broke into her home and caught her with Vance blowing another load down her throat.


    Her first and quite wrong reaction, was to stop them from taking away yet another man from her, so she fought. Vance tried to help and was taken down as well, which she quickly regretted. That doubled her own guilt about what happened and then that doubled again when Rikki told her she had vited her probation by using her powers again to attack her agents.


    In other words, she was fucked and not in the good way.


    <i>How could I have been so stupid?</i> Bobbie asked herself listlessly, her emotions dulled after sitting for hours in an empty cell with only her bathrobe on. At least they had let her keep it after they searched the pockets. <i>It was wrong of me to do those things with Vance, no matter how good it felt.</i>


    Her thoughts kept going down that direction and she couldn''t help but wonder what it would have felt like to have him inside of her. Yes, it was very very wrong, and more taboo than the worst taboo; and yet, she couldn''t help but think about weing her son home in such an intimate way. He would have been herspletely and no one would be able to take that experience away from her.


    The cell door opening brought Bobbie out of her horrible thoughts and she looked up at a scowling Rikki. ¡°I called in a few favors, so they''re letting me handle your processing.¡±


    Bobbie blinked her eyes at her in confusion. ¡°My what?¡±


    ¡°Your processing.¡± Rikki said and waved at the door. ¡°The newly reinstated Super Registration Act requires all people with powers to register. An addendum was also pushed through this morning in an emergency session of the government to allow criminals to be chipped to keep track of them.¡±


    Bobbie''s heart almost shattered and she felt a pit form in her stomach. She couldn''t move or speak as she stared at the old woman that had always been there in her corner to support her.


    ¡°Before you ask, the answer is yes. Vance is being processed as well. I didn''t bother trying to stop it.¡± Rikki said and nodded at the security guard.


    The man stepped forward and grabbed Bobbie by the arm and hauled her to her feet. She didn''t resist at all as he dragged her out of her cell and down the hallway towards the room where the procedure would be done. An extremely angry Rikki Dicker followed in their wake.

 175 Bouncing Back

    175 Bouncing Back


    I had to make a few promises to Rikki to ease the restrictions on Vance, like helping Viper develop cell phone technology. The biggest step on that one was creating a microchip, which would be a huge technological development, considering the currentputers were the size of rooms and needed huge cooling machines to keep them operating.


    So, I cheated. I had a ruined CB radio and satellite dish sitting in my inventory and that had a bunch of microchips inside of it that I could erge enough to try and duplicate using current tools. I still had a few sets of working ones as well if I needed them, which I shouldn''t. We only needed innovations, not an entirely different system to install. Viper already had a mobile phone installed in a car and we just had to make it smaller.


    Ed was surprisingly understanding on my situation and epted mybined offer with Rikki Dicker''s to watch over the kids and to have a maid assigned, everyone knowing the woman would really be a government agent that would keep them under close observation. We were all okay with that, too.


    I hung up the phone and had a delicious breakfast with Viper, then I was perched on the couch and had to wait for my appointment with a shrink. Viper was a little worried that I was perfectly fine with seeing someone that was going to psychoanalyze me and I tried to reassure her that everything was going to be fine. She went to work still worried.


    About fifteen minutester, a quite short woman stepped out of the elevator. She had white and slightly poofy short hair, wore goggles like a headband, had on ab coat with an equipment belt, and she looked well put together. A few things caught my eye as she approached me and introduced herself as Doctor Sunbright, which was a surprise, because this woman was Ed Mode''s sister.


    ¡°Ah, you recognize my name. Excellent.¡± She said and had to pull herself up onto the couch to sit beside me. She pulled down her goggles and looked at me through them, nodded her head a few times, and slid the sses back up to be a headband again and held her hair up, which exined the poofiness.


    ¡°I visited Ed a few times over the years.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Ah, so you''re the Hank he enjoys having visit? It''s very nice to meet you.¡± She said and held a very dainty hand out to me.


    I took it and stretched my lips out to kiss the back of it instead of shaking it.


    ¡°Enchante.¡± She said with a littleugh and I rxed. ¡°You''re quite the charmer, Mister Parr.¡±


    I let out a sigh at that. ¡°I don''t know if I should keep that name after the divorce.¡±


    She looked surprised by that. ¡°You''re getting a divorce? What for?¡±


    With that prompt, I spent the next two hours going over everything that happened, was happening, and might happen in the future. When I was done and ended with myself being there at Viper''s ce and my best friend being so epting of me and my condition, Doctor Sunbright looked like she was caught up in her thoughts.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I couldn''t help asking.


    ¡°Oh, it''s nothing. Just an odd thought I had.¡± She said and waved my question away.


    ¡°No, please. Tell me.¡± I prompted.


    She slid closer and gave me a sexy smile. ¡°What would you say if I asked you to ravage me?¡±


    I jerked back from her and gave her wide eyes. ¡°Wh-what? Why would you ask me that?¡±


    She backed off and smiled widely. ¡°I asked because I specifically wanted to check something.¡±


    I wasn''t sure how to respond to that, so I didn''t.


    ¡°It''s all right, Hank. I didn''t mean to scare you with my forwardness.¡± She said and patted my hand. ¡°Would you mind meeting with me again in a few days? I want to hear more about your life before you became a husband.¡±


    ¡°Um, sure. It''s not like I''ll be going anywhere for a while.¡± I said with a one shoulder shrug.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± She said and hopped off the couch to smile up at me. ¡°Thank you for talking to me like I was a normal person. It was quite nice to just have a regr conversation for once.¡±


    I thought back over her visit and had to agree. It really had been nice to get it all out in the open. ¡°It was quite nice, Doctor Sunbright.¡±


    She beamed a smile at me and patted my knee. ¡°Then I''m d I was able toe over to visit. Have a good day, Hank.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± I said and watched as she walked across the living room to the elevator. For some reason, I didn''t try to imagine what she was hiding under the thickb coat. Was it theck of swaying hips or her short stature that stopped me from seeing her as a potential sexual partner? I waved to her after she stepped inside and turned to face me.


    She let out a littleugh and waved back. ¡°Work.¡±


    The elevator closed and left me alone in the living room. I now had a choice to make. Stay here and wait for Viper toe home for lunch or drag my floppy butt into the kitchen to try and make lunch for her? Decisions, decisions. I remembered Viper''s worry about me moving around without her nearby and chose to stay right where I was.


    *


    ¡°He''s definitely been influenced a lot in his thinking.¡± Doctor Sunbright told Viper and Rikki at their not-so-secret meeting. ¡°He kept justifying Bobbie''s actions all during their marriage and couched her behavior as frustration over not being able to help people as much as she could, while alsopletely ignoring that she wasn''t really helping her own family.¡±


    ¡°The debacle at Insuracare when she punched out her old boss, had been thest straw for the relocation program for Bobbie. I had to cut her loose or the program would have been shut down.¡± Rikki said and rubbed her forehead in frustration. ¡°I didn''t think Bobbie would so easily fall to viiny after that.¡±


    ¡°It took months for that to happen.¡± Viper said. ¡°Bobbie started getting back into shape and making a lot of money...¡±


    ¡°...which went straight in to fuel her ego.¡± Doctor Sunbright said. ¡°Or super-ego in this case.¡±


    Rikki sighed. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this mess?¡±


    ¡°The only thing we can do, Rikki. We take things one day at a time and try our best to help those who needed it.¡± Doctor Sunbright said.


    ¡°Hank and Vance.¡± Viper said and the doctor nodded.


    Rikki nodded as well. ¡°The both of you keep at it and keep me updated. I''m going to hope that we can get it all sorted out before anything else happens.¡±


    ¡°You just jinxed it, you old bat.¡± Viper said with affection.


    Rikki groaned and the doctor chuckled.


    ¡°I''m going over to Ed''s to visit Vance and talk to him.¡± Doctor Sunbright said. ¡°I''m sure it''s going to be a unique perspective to discover what he was thinking about as he engaged in such socially uneptable behavior.¡±


    Rikki gave the doctor a bit of a re. ¡°Please don''t say anything like that around him... or your brother... or around Danica. It''s bad enough it happened and they''re traumatized enough. We don''t need to hammer it into their heads that it was wrong.¡±


    The doctor patted her arm. ¡°I''m not a novice, Rikki. I''ll handle it properly.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± Rikki said. ¡°I used up thest of my favors to keep Vance out of the conscription program, so do everything you can to get his head straightened out... or, if needs be, pointed in a particr direction and away from where it was headed.¡±


    Doctor Sunbright nodded in agreement, despite the warning. She had been a licensed doctor for supers for years and knew what she was doing.


    *


    After lunch, Viper brought me down to the garage and we started working out how to reduce the car phone''s sheer size down to a more manageable one. We both knew that there wouldn''t be a sudden miracle with a technology breakthrough that would give it to us instantly. It would take work, and nning, and a lot of money and infrastructure to produce what we nned for the government.


    That was the key to the whole thing, too. The government wanted it. Whatever we made had better be worth the time and investment, so we couldn''t give them a defective or insufficient product. The car phone had been a huge development and had been deployed to a majority of the top government agents and members, so they all benefited from them.


    They were also sold to a lot of the rich and influential members of society, which ensured it was widespread enough that word of mouth could easily be passed around and raised their status that much higher. If we made them personally portable, that would raise them even further.


    It was a good thing that my own work on making the CB radio both long distance andpatible with walkie-talkies was easily adaptable towards the current technology Viper had created for the car phone. Also, she was increasingly turned on as I continued to help her develop aputer chip that wasn''t the size of her palm, like the ones she had been using for years.


    I called it a microchip during the third day of working on it, because it was barely a third of the size of the normal ones, and I showed her how to solder it together and ensured the proper connections. I typed up a basicmunication protocol to sh to it and we finished it up after snapping a hardened cover onto it.


    Viper carefully set it aside to show off to Rikki and I thought I heard a cute little whine, then Viper turned to me with love clearly showing on her face and she pulled me close to kiss me passionately. We then proved that her workbench wasfortable enough to sleep on, just like I had joked when she first took me in, and we made love to each other right there among the ns and tools we had used.


    With a prototype sessfully created, Viper could send it off to be tested and patented. Just that one microchip design was going to revolutionizeputers all around the world, because people were going to design even more things with a smaller and much more reliableputer chip avable. Well, after it had a factory modified to produce it, anyway. Until then, they would need to be made by hand.


    It was going to cost the government a lot of money to get the industrial sector up to speed with them and then it would rake in the money. Having a portable phone be possible was almost a secondary concern after the people in charge realized how big of an impact the microchip was going to have on the world.


    Over the next few weeks, the very first brick-like portable phone with a huge antenna was constructed by Viper and myself, almost 20 years before it was supposed to be produced. When it was done, we stared at it, stared at each other, then we both startedughing. The thing weighed like 10 pounds and had huge buttons that were difficult to push and there was no disy to show the numbers you had already entered.


    ¡°Hooooo, hoooo. That''s hrious.¡± I said, because my idea had been to make the thing with currently avable parts and we could worry about streamlining it after we made it work.


    Viper hugged me with one arm and wiped at her eyes. Herughing so hard had made her cry. ¡°The batteries are huge, so there''s no helping the bottom part for now. About the rest? We have a lot of work ahead of us to make smaller capacitors and resistors, especially if we want to decrease the tolerances to make it work better.¡±


    Since I had both walkie-talkies and CB radioes in my inventory and could examine them whenever I wanted, I had no problem helping her make better parts. ¡°We''ll need to document the process, too. If the microchips are having such a huge impact, you can imagine what making those things smaller is going to do.¡±


    Viper nodded and gave me a kiss. ¡°You and I are going to keep sending shocks across the tech world, aren''t we?¡±


    I gave her a huge smile. ¡°Only until I run out of ideas for us to make.¡±


    Viper gave me an equally huge smile back. ¡°Didn''t you tell me you had tons of ideas a few weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don''t throw my pillow talk back at me. I said that to get your motor going.¡± I joked and sheughed.


    ¡°It worked, too.¡± Viper said and straddled my waist as she pet my hair. ¡°What was that one you mentioned about a flying drake to bomb enemies?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°It''s a drone. An unmanned drone, actually. It''s shaped like a miniature ne and can be remote controlled from amand center, flown over enemy territory using mobile phone technology, and bombs or missiles can beunched from it. No soldiers need to lose their lives in wars ever again.¡±


    Viper made that cute whine again and we ended up on the floor and we went at it again. It was honestly fun to tease her like that, because my ideas were appealing to both her mind and her body. She couldn''t wait to figure out how to do it and couldn''t wait to physically build it.


    It was quite a while before we stopped andid there on the floor, cuddling and basking in the afterglow.


    ¡°You know, we should probably try calling the mobile phone eventually.¡± I said and Viper let out a girlish giggle. ¡°Not right now? Okay, it can wait.¡±


    ¡°That''s good, because I need your cuddles and I will not be denied.¡± Viper said, kissed my cheek, and went back to cuddling me.


    I chuckled and held her close as I fulfilled her demand.


    *


    The divorce happened without my input or opinion. Apparently, I was dered to not be in my right mind to make decisions when it came to Bobbie, and I could admit that was true. I had too many memories about us that influenced my decisions a lot more than they should have about her.


    Our assets were split evenly, even with Bobbie sequestered inside a government facility to be deployed when another person with powers was found and she would be sent out to handle them. Discreetly, of course. They didn''t want to give anyone ideas about bing viins to fight against the growing number of people with powers.


    Did I think it was bad that the government was fully enforcing the suppression of super-powered individuals? Kind of and not really. If there was no one watching them and keeping them in line, who was going to pick up the pieces when they started wrecking cities with their huge fights?


    The coteral damage after a few of Miss Incredible''s battles were ranged in the tens of millions of dors and that was too much for the taxpayers to handle every few weeks when a fight broke out. A few of them had even happened when someone new would appear and challenged her to a fight to prove themselves. Bobbie had always been happy to prove that they were not up to challenge.


    Custody was a minefield, because neither of us were in a position to take care of them, so Rikki had Ed Mode dered a government supported foster father and he was granted tentative custody. My daughter Danica thought it was the next great adventure in her life after the ind adventure and she embraced her new lifepletely withoutint.


    Vance on the other hand, did not like how all of his decisions had been countered and he was no longer in control. He had stepped up and saved his family and now he was tracked everywhere he went and treated like a child. He bristled under every restriction he was under, even at school, and he resented that he wasn''t consulted about anything.


    Of course, this was when I finally managed to visit Ed''s to see the kids. Vance then found out that I had been awake for almost a month already and hadn''t contacted him. He didn''t care that everyone thought Bobbie told him already or that I was the one to arrange his release. He shouted at me to leave him alone and to never talk to him again, because I was no longer a part of his and Bobbie''s family.


    Vance''s voice had been filled with so much hatred and venom towards me that it scared me, Viper, and Ed. Doctor Sunbright was called immediately and took him away to talk to him. She eventually called us and only told us that she had a lot of work ahead of her.


    Viper and I went home after that and I was resigned to the fact I couldn''t help Vancee to grips with everything. I would leave it in the professional''s hands and would hope for the best. It was all I could do.

 176 More Than You Bargained For

    176 More Than You Bargained For


    Life seemed to settle down after that confrontation. I wasn''t sure if I should protest that or just ept it, though. My kids were being taken care of by someone else and my ex-wife had forcibly be a government weapon that they aimed at dissidents as an example and a deterrent. The only good that came out of it was that several other people with powers had been forcibly recruited as well and they were now a team.


    Bobbie was finally getting all the fighting action she could ever want and she only had to lose her family to do it. I just couldn''t help but wonder if she knew that was going to happen beforehand, would she still have done it? Did she think her exciting life was worth leaving her family behind? Honestly, I didn''t want to know, because I suspected the answer was yes and I didn''t want confirmation.


    Viper and I managed to get the mobile phone to work and then we worked our asses off for the next few months to reduce each of the normalponents to a more reasonable level to make the phone actually portable and not a heavy monstrosity that no one but the super rich and gullible would ever buy.


    Of course, our innovations sent the tech industry into fits, because every new part had everypany scramble to update their tech to the new standard, only for the next innovation to hit and reset them all again. The government was having a great time stringing the techpanies along with each of the patented innovations and controlled how much it affected the economy.


    It was almost funny that Viper and I caused a premature technology boom with the things we introduced. Scientists and researchers were having a ball with how small everything was and were creating things that shouldn''t have seen daylight for at least another 30 years.


    It was a humbling experience to find out how something so small as an integrated circuit board could change how everyone in the world viewed technology. Each innovation alone sparked people''s imagination, so with all of thembined it made everyone rethink what could be done with technology. Oh, and the government made mountains of money from the whole thing.


    The cost to install mobile phone towers everywhere across the country was mitigated almost immediately by the monthly charges that rich people were willing to pay to always stay in contact with their businesses and their families. The full coverage had been my only stiption to releasing the mobile phone technology and Rikki had epted it and sold it to her superiors, mostly because she knew that having full coverage was better for their own operations instead of spotty and unreliable service.


    It firmed up their secret spy operations inside the country''s borders and almost overnight revolutionized how they reported in to their superiors. The government then started sending out envoys to allied countries and friends of the United States to start them building their own mobile phone towers to extend that coverage as far as it could go.


    That move opened up severalrge untapped foreign financial markets and some absolutely staggering revenue streams flowed right back into our country that was fully taxable by the government, making them even happier with the developments. Sales of mobile phones soon went through the roof and it didn''t take long before mobile phones worked anywhere you went on several continents.


    Who knew that the various governments around the world would pay exorbitant amounts of money for the convenience of calling friends and family whenever they wanted? Rikki, apparently. She had spearheaded the mission because it allowed them to stay in contact with their agents posted on foreign soil and other countries to stay in contact with their own agents in other countries. It was a win-win for everyone.


    *


    I woke up the day after I had performed the single person healing spell and felt wonderful, because my Minor Regeneration was taking too long. It had been a close call and I had almost been caught by Viper when she returned from an errand earlier than I thought she would. Luckily, I managed to vanish the prepped materials before she saw anything and we went to bed.


    Viper''s hand caressing my chest and I mumbled a good morning to her and hugged her with both arms. Her surprised gasp fully woke me up.


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± I asked and pretended I didn''t know what was going on.


    Viper''s tear-filled eyes blinked at me and she pointed at my left arm that was hugging her.


    I stared at her, then at my arm that was holding her just as tightly as my right arm, and I gave her a huge smile. I wiggled each of my fingers and thumbs on her back and all 10 digits responded normally.


    ¡°Oh, Hank!¡± Viper eximed and kissed me deeply.


    We went at it again and Viper reacted a lot more than she usually did, because my left hand was pulling its own weight for the first time in almost six months. She hadn''t felt me grab both of her breasts at the same time before, so she was really into it while I ate her out and my extended tongue licked all over her insides.


    Viper held me tightly as I entered her and I braced myself up on my arms to angle myself inside of her to hit her best spot. She turned her head and kissed my left hand several times and then my arm and up to my chest. She pulled me down and peppered the left side of my face with as many kisses as she could before she cried out in pleasure.


    I moaned as well and saw the popup I had been waiting for. ¡°Viper, I''m ready to blow.¡±


    ¡°YES! Do it! Knock me up!¡± Viper almost shouted before I could even ask her about it.


    I epted the option and poured my potent essence into her eager opening. It was an odd sensation that I could feel her body trying to milk me for as much as possible and I wallowed in it until I was spent. I rested on her for only a moment, then rolled us over toy her on top of me.


    ¡°Ooohhh... oh, god.¡± Viper whispered, her eyes half-closed. ¡°I can feel... so much...¡±


    ¡°You''re definitely pregnant after that.¡± I confirmed for her.


    Viper blushed and blinked her eyes at me, as if trying to see through a haze, then she smiled a very warm smile. ¡°If I am, then I''m perfectly fine with that.¡± She said and gave me a kiss. ¡°Thest six months with you has been the best time of my life and I wouldn''t trade it for anything.¡±


    I gave her the same warm smile back. ¡°Neither would I.¡±


    Viper gave me another kiss and fell right to sleep.


    I would have to keep an eye on her to make sure our baby wasn''t going to have freaky super powers like Jack-Jack did in the original movie. Viper hadn''t been exposed to any alien viruses or government experiments, so the child should only inherit my normal powers and not mutagenic ones. It was still going to be a lot if the baby acted up in the womb, though.


    <i>Maybe I should make an amulet with a calming spell that would keep the baby docile until it was ready to be born?</i> I asked myself. I would have to think about it and would work on itter when I had the chance.


    On the plus side, no more necessary camera in my room to monitor me. On the down side, I might not get to sleep in my room anymore. I mentally shrugged and would think about the consequences of having my left side active again in the morning. For now, sleeping with the mother of my future child took priority.


    *


    Rikki Dicker stood outside the medical examination and weight training room and didn''t know what to say as she stared at sti-boy dead-lifting their maximum of six tons of weight like it was nothing. His arms weren''t stretched and were taut with bulging muscles, as were his legs. Their appearance had been quite the change from what had been his normal floppy look for thest six months.


    The doctors had no idea why Hank had bounced back into such fantastic shape after his long convalescence. They had given him a full workup and a CAT scan, only to find no traces of his previous clots and all of the nerve damage had been reversed. Hank''s exnation that he had been feeling better and regaining some feeling back for months had only confused them more, because he never mentioned it before.


    ¡°I didn''t want to get everyone''s hopes up.¡± Hank had said when he was questioned at the time and looked embarrassed. ¡°If I only had some tingling and twitches in my left hand and nothing else, why mention it? I didn''t want to make Viper sad if that was all I was ever going to have.¡±


    Rikki had nodded eptance at the time and now she had a serious decision to make. She also fought down how much Hank was giving her a warm feeling in certain ces. He had somehow be even more handsome and his personality had changed just enough that everyone said hello to him when he entered a room and he greeted everyone like they were old friends.


    Viper was beyond happy with the change, especially now that she was pregnant, and wasn''t that a huge surprise to find out? How the hell had they been sleeping together all this time and it was only after Hank was somehow fully healed that his sperm had also be potent enough for a single dose to get someone pregnant?


    Funnily enough, they tested Hank to provide a sample and he jokingly warned them that if they weren''t careful, whomever was handling it might get pregnant as well. The sheer gall to say that in a room full of doctors had sent them all scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off to perform as many experiments as they could and as quickly as possible.


    Rikki picked up the phone by the observation window and dialed a number. ¡°I need his remaining sample separated by individual sperm and I don''t care how you do it. Yes, I know there''s still hundreds of millions of them left after all the tests. Just do it. I also need ten of them prepared immediately and sent to Exam Room 25.¡±


    The sputtering voice on the phone couldn''t respond before Rikki hung up on them. She folded her arms behind her back and watched as Hank was asked to stretch his upper arm out as far as he could and then do arm curls with 1,000 pound weights.


    Her eyes widened as his reach ended up being four times what it was supposed to be and his arm circled the room twice before his elbow reached the bench and he propped it up, grabbed the weight, and did a set of exercises with it.


    Rikki pushed the inte button. ¡°Doctor Sampson, I need your help for another experiment.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right there, Miss Dicker.¡± The woman said and excused herself from the team watching Hank perform ridiculous feats that they were making up on the spot, just to see if he really would do them without asking them why.


    Rikki left the observation room and met the doctor in the hallway. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The woman did for several minutes as they walked through the medical wing and they entered an examination room. The table had the stirrups set up already and a medical technician was there and he had a rack of ten vials with clear fluid in them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Rikki said and took the samples from the young man. ¡°Head on back to your station and keep working.¡±


    The medical tech fled from the room.


    Doctor Sampson chuckled. ¡°Newbies are always fun to tease.¡±


    Rikki smiled and handed her the rack of vials. ¡°One of these is for you.¡±


    The woman looked at her in surprise and then she blushed. She didn''t say anything as she prepped an intrauterine needle and loaded in one of the vials. She stripped off and climbed up onto the table without help, set her own legs up on the stirrups, and then gently inserted the needle into herself.


    ¡°How many sperm are in this sample?¡± Doctor Sampson asked as she pushed the plunger. ¡°I need to know to calcte the odds of insemination.¡±


    ¡°Just one.¡± Rikki said and the doctor gasped. ¡°Let''s go find the other nine volunteers.¡±


    ¡°But... but, this... there''s no way only one will do it. There has to be multiple doses of thousands of sperm for even a single chance of fertilization during a woman''s cycle.¡± The doctor said and hopped off the table to sterilize the needle. ¡°We''re already pushing things as it is with ten volunteers to split the limited sample among.¡±


    ¡°Normally, yes.¡± Rikki said and nodded at her clothes, silently telling her to get dressed. ¡°However, this is not a normal situation.¡±


    Doctor Sampson quickly dressed and picked up the rack of nine vials. ¡°You''re taking Mister Parr at his unbelievable word, then?¡±


    Rikki gave her a deadpan look. ¡°You saw his performance back there. Is his word unbelievable?¡±


    Doctor Sampson fell silent and they left the room to look for the secretary that had happily volunteered to have a baby. There was also a file clerk, two agents, two wives of politicians, amittee member, an intern, and finally one of the cleaning women.


    They all had their own reasons for wanting a child and all of them were there in the building constantly, so monitoring them wasn''t going to be any trouble. Of course, they would also bepensated well for their participation and would never have to worry about their child ever having to do without.


    Also, the potential for powers was extremely high and this experiment had the full backing of the government. They wanted more people with powers under their nominal control without having to force them into it, like the supers they had now. Happy agents were loyal agents, after all.


    An hour and nine more quick procedurester, all ten women were logged into the experiment''s records and each of them were given medical passes and the paperwork to file. All of the proper protocols were followed and logged, as were their happiness that only one treatment was needed for the first round. They were also issued appointments to return to have pregnancy tests performed in two weeks and all of them were ecstatic about it.


    ¡°Are you going to tell him?¡± Doctor Sampson asked Rikki after the cleaningdy left the examination room.


    Rikki took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°I probably shouldn''t, even if he is a government employee.¡±


    The doctor smiled and nodded. ¡°Maybe take him out to dinner first before breaking the news?¡±


    Rikki chuckled a raspyugh. ¡°You know, I think I will. I haven''t had a good rissole in a while.¡±


    Doctor Sampson hummed and thought about it. ¡°There''s a nice Italian ce on Metro Avenue and they do have a walk-in section.¡±


    Rikki nodded. ¡°Sounds good. Thank you, Carol.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Rikki.¡± The doctor responded and patted her belly. ¡°I should thank you, too.¡±


    ¡°You can thank me after your testes back positive.¡± Rikki said with a smile and left the room.


    *


    A week after my miraculous recovery, I sat in a fancy restaurant as Rikki''s guest and she told me about the little experiment that my jokingment had set off. She exined that having potent sperm wasn''t that big of a deal for normal people, except I was a super and she just had to test if each individual sperm would do exactly like I had warned them it would.


    I sat there, quite stunned, because it never urred to me that was possible. I just assumed ''one shot'' was enough and a woman would get pregnant, because I paid the Karma Points to ensure the sperm was 100% effective. I did not even consider that it was only a single sperm that made it inside an egg to fertilize it and the rest was wasted.


    ¡°We only managed to secure about 35,000 individual sperm before the rest of the sample expired.¡± Rikki said and ate another bite of her rissole. ¡°It would have been more if the method of secured storage hadn''t be an issue.¡±


    I stared at her and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°The ten volunteers are quite happy to have a child, for various reasons. Some have been trying for years and you''ve given them a chance they never thought they could have.¡± Rikki said and finished off her meal. ¡°This really was the best rissole I''ve had in years. I have toe back here again soon.¡±


    ¡°I... I''m going to be a father... ten more times.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°No, you''re a sperm donor. None of them want or need you to step in to ruin their lives by bing a father that they don''t want involved.¡± Rikki corrected me.


    ¡°You can''t just expect me to...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°You signed the release dering no responsibility for what happens with your samples, be they blood, hair, or other bodily fluids.¡± Rikki reminded me.


    ¡°Yes, I did. I just didn''t think I could be the father of 35,000 children.¡± I said, my voice stern.


    Rikki chuckled and pushed her te to the side. ¡°You don''t really understand the predicament you''re in, Hank. Unlike Bobbie, who is under severe scrutiny, you have almostplete freedom to do whatever you want, as long as you don''t use your powers to do it.¡± She said and smiled. ¡°Then it bes an issue of government control.¡±


    I sat back at her words and thought about it. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°I dered it to be super sperm.¡±


    Rikki smirked at me as she took a drink of her wine. ¡°That''s right, Hank. As soon as you shot that gigantic load out, which really impressed a lot of people with the sheer volume by the way, the contents became government property.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I cursed and she raised her eyebrows at me. ¡°I''m allowed one after hearing that.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Rikki said and finished off her wine. ¡°There''s a week left before the pregnancy tests can be confirmed as positive, so you have a small window of peace and quiet.¡±


    I nodded at the warning. ¡°At least I won''t be bugged for samples constantly.¡±


    ¡°Not by me.¡± Rikki said and waved for the check. She checked it and put several bills of money into the waiter''s hand. ¡°We''re going to keep the announcements spread out, in case anyone gets suspicious.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to tell anyone that it was my... contributions?¡± I said instead of another word.


    ¡°Neither I nor anyone involved in the program will say anything. However...¡± Rikki said, leadingly.


    ¡°...there''s more than those at the government building and word of mouth is faster than light speed when there''s good gossip involved.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Hank.¡± Rikki said and stood up. ¡°Now go on home and tell Viper she''s technically a part of the experiment by proxy, only with you having full parental rights.¡±


    I nodded and watched the old woman waddle off towards the exit. I thought about staying there and shook my head. I needed to get home and pass the warnings on to Viper. We wouldn''t have long before we would have to go into hiding and had to prepare.

 177 An Explosion Of Powers

    177 An Explosion Of Powers


    Rikki''s warning hade just in time, because that week had all ten women confirm their pregnancies. It was a weird feeling that my Karma Points could be used in such a way and without my permission. Then again, maybe this was how both Fate and Death were getting back at me for not leaving certain deposits in some of the various worlds I had been to.


    Viper and I managed to gather our things and retreated from the public eye just before the news story broke on national television. One of the politician''s wives had let slip to her best friend about a secret government fertility program that had a 100% sess rate and the whole thing blew way out of proportion.


    Each and every woman that had ever wanted a child, and either couldn''t have one or never had the opportunity to, came out vocally about the government holding out on them and they wanted their kids right now.


    It took a lot of political manoeuvring for the government to release the information that the first sessful experiment had only just been confirmed and they hadn''t been holding out on anyone, let alone a thirsty nation that wanted an instant family for themselves.


    The next round volunteers for the second experiment, to everyone''s shock, was over 9,000!


    Thankfully, my name had been kept out of the story, so there wasn''t a mad scramble by a bunch of horny women to get me to deliver the payloads to their wombs directly. Viper was visibly relieved when I told her I had no interest whatsoever to do anything like that. I had her now and she was all I ever needed, which made her very happy to hear.


    It actually took about four months to impregnate all of the volunteers and a lot of them were surprised to discover the stiptions in the contract about how they and their children would be taken care of by the government.


    They also had to sign NDAs and agreements that if the child developed powers, they were automatically government employees and always would be. Conscription was one of the basic ts in the Supers Registration Act, so they all agreed.


    Not surprisingly, the next few months passed by without incident or any further experiments. The government wouldn''t allow any more pregnancies until they confirmed that the first and second batches were viable and stable.


    It was humbling and staggering as the first ten births happened on the same day, like clockwork. It was noted heavily and the doctors controlling the experiment spread the information to all the other pregnant women. They would know exactly when they were going to give birth, right down to the hour and minute. Each impregnation had been fully documented.


    When it was all said and done, both Viper and I were grateful that there were only a handful of people that knew I was the sperm donor for nearly 10,000 kids. It was too ridiculous to even contemte, actually. It shouldn''t have been physically possible to have so many kids within a single year of time and all of their birthdays were within four months of each other.


    Viper''s little girl was the apple of her eye and she adored the little brown haired cutie that came out of the womb with a full head of hair. Sarah had inherited her mother''srge eyes as well, giving her an adorable puppy pout without her even trying. Needless to say, she was going to be a spoiled little princess and an aplished grease monkey, just like her mother.


    Vance was was almost 17 and graduated high school before he shocked everyone by openlymitting a bank robbery. He wasn''t even wearing a mask, so he outed himself as a super in full view of the public and was quickly arrested.


    Doctor Sunbright barely started to speak to him when he said his n had worked. He would finally be reunited with Bobbie and there was nothing they could do about it. His training and studying of the Super Registration Act had given him all the clues and the motivation he needed.


    Unfortunately, Vance was right. Not even Rikki Dicker could step in and change the irond procedures they used for viinous supers and Vance happily joined Bobbie''s Infiltration Team with open arms and an open heart.


    Thest I heard, Bobbie had been both overjoyed and heartbroken that Vance had thrown his life away for her and proved that he loved her more than anything else. They were kept apart as much as possible, including separate living quarters, and they were watched constantly to ensure that nothing happened between them.


    I couldn''t really concentrate on that, though. I had a beautiful little girl and a new wife to take care of, so that''s what I did.


    *


    The world grew and changed over the next few years asmunications evolved,puters became smaller and faster, and the constant threat of powered people cropping up was kept in line by an all encroaching government. It had been solid nning on Rikki''s part and she ensured that when she retired, there would be someone there to take over for her in her very important job of properly handling supers.


    Hank Porter, previously known as Hank Parr, had taken his wife''sst name to ensure their daughter wasn''t associated with the known viins. He had tried to stay in contact with his daughter Danica and she humored him for years and led him on. When she graduated high school, instead of moving in with him like she promised, shemitted a federal crime and joined her brother and their mother in The Conscription Corps.


    It had been a severe blow to the man''s heart that he had lost her like that and it took him a long time to recover. After another long debate with his current wife, he decided to never attempt to talk to any of them ever again, just like Vance had shouted at him years ago to do.


    When Hank''s and Viper''s daughter reached five years old, she showed off her power of telekinesis. It was only limited to small objects, probably because she was still only a child and should grow with both time and use. It was reported to the head of the department, aka Hank himself, and he suppressed the information. He still logged it as he should, except she was named test subject Alpha and that was that.


    The ten volunteers had their own children turn five years old not long after that and all ten children developed powers. They were almost random and Hank noted them all down, including where they lived and who their mothers were.


    The two women that knew he had been the source of the donations had asked him if he had those powers and he denied it. He yed it off as the gics passing off the super gene and they wouldn''t know what power the child would get until the gene activated and their power manifested. They would never know that he lied.


    Hank had investigated after his daughter''s power manifested and performed diagnostic spells on her, then he had a bout of inspiration. When he checked his Adventurer Card, he found the magic spells for movement, Wingardium Leviosa and Lotor, had a star beside them. He touched a star and it said a copy had been made and shared.


    After the ten experimental kids manifested their powers, Hank checked the card again and found a mix of ten spells and skills had little stars beside them, one of which was his stic Body skill. He knew then that all of his children were getting derivatives of his abilities and that was both good and bad. It would still almost be random what they would get, since he had a very long list of skills and spells avable and they could be issued in anybination.


    The problem was when the second stage of the experiment came to fruition over the next four months. There was going to be a huge surge of super-powered children and he referred to Rikki''s ns in that regard. They had already built several schools on a plot of governmentnd changed into a campus, so he started the recruitment process for teachers and babysitters.


    They needed educators for nearly 10,000 children and staff to take care of security and everything else. It was going to be a lot of work to implement, even though Rikki had set all of the building blocks up for him to put into ce. His first call was to Rikki Dicker toe out of retirement to be the administrator of the campus.


    After Rikki stopped cursing at him, he told her that didn''t know of anyone better for the job and she would have a staff to do all of the actual work for her. She sighed and grumbled about ungrateful brats and Hank knew he had her. With her onboard, everything else fell into ce almost by themselves.


    The Sky High School Initiative was a go.


    *


    <b>World Paused.


    Congrattions! You have reached the tentative end of the story and have put into ce the start of another. Good job! You have surpassed all expectations and have also ensured the continued creation and existence of Supers in that world for the next few centuries.


    Gender-bend Worlds unlocked for free: +11 (Click here for list)


    As an added bonus for sessfully raising the technology level of an entire, we have granted you all future Karma Points from this world in a lump sum for you to use immediately.</b>


    I stared at the popup and didn''t know how that was possible, then remembered both Fate and Death were good friends. <i>Ah, I get it. I could go back and live out the rest of my natural life and nothing I did would impact anything, besides raising my daughter and spending time with my wife.</i>


    <b>Do you want to purchase the memories from a cloned doppleganger of you that was left behind?</b>


    <i>Excuse me, what?</i> I asked, shocked.


    <b>It''s the newest feature we had installed. Thisst world created so many possibilities and branching timelines that the best way to ensure nothing would change if you chose to depart, a clone of you with all your memories (without the system) was inserted into the timeline and lived out the rest of your life for you.


    That was how we determined the final Karma total. Isn''t that great?</b>


    <i>You mean, I... I can''t go back?</i> I asked, feeling sad.


    <b>You can go back if you want and live out your life like normal and then you cane right back here to this moment, since we are outside of time here. That''s the benefit of different but simr timelines. Everything can be predicted if the variables are set beforehand.</b>


    I thought about that. <i>So, me entering it and changing Bobbie''s rescue to include the kids instead of letting them have their own adventure, caused an endless amount of divergent branches?</i>


    <b>All of your kids have that ability, too. The children you have now were enough to cause a multitude of different timelines with all the choices they will make during their lifetimes. With another 25,365 sperm just sitting there in storage and waiting for the next experiment or a hopeful woman that wants a guaranteed child, your current Karma Point total is more than anyone else that has ever existed.


    Karma Points: 1,023,675</b>


    I was shocked when the total appeared and I immediately brought out my Adventurer Card without thinking about it. I bought thest 5 levels I needed for my Touch of Divinity skill for a whopping 992,000 points and unlocked my base level to go up to Level 100. I also felt all of my perks kick in full force and I let out a sigh of relief as Mind Block gave me full control of my mind once more.


    <b>Karma Points: 31,675</b>


    I then spent the XP to level myself up, and up, and up to finish it out at Level 100. I glowed for five solid minutes and felt a presence at my side cuddling in to share in the glow.


    <b>Congrattions! You havepleted an item: Adventurer Card (Rank 1).


    Bonuses granted: Divine Body (restored), Metamorphmagus (Limited-Restored), Adventurer Card (Rank 2), Inventory (All blocks removed).</b>


    I felt a metaphysical weight in my head as everything I ever stored in every world reappeared in my head. I hadpletely forgotten about a lot of things I had put away in haste and now it was all back. Hundreds of cauldrons of bubbling potions, dozens of sports cars and various other vehicles, warehouses full of potion ingredients, and entire libraries of books that were both magical and modern.


    I hadpletely forgotten about the dozens of trunks I had full of crafting supplies and how to make them, expanded backpacks, magical tools, armour pieces, enchanting equipment, and a whole lot of other things that had been blocked off and I couldn''t ess, making everything since I had been hurt, so much harder than it had to be.


    Oh, and with my Mind Block back in ce, I remembered how to use wandless magic. I let out a groan at how useful that would have been in thest world. Could I have done things differently if I had it? Thinking back at what happened, I could honestly say that I wouldn''t. My life had be great after the mess with Bobbie and I wouldn''t change it for anything.


    That was when I realized something. I had already experienced the best six years of that life and both Viper and I were happy parents with nothing left to fear from anyone, now that I was a part of the government keeping everyone safe.


    I bought the memories of my clone from a parallel timeline and my life flowed through my head and settled into the back of my mind. Susan had grown up to share most of her mother''s traits and my powers, making her another stic powerhouse like her dad. She also had a long career as my right hand woman at the academy and took over when I retired with Viper.


    Her daughter with another super named Dirk Powers had produced a dark haired little cute that would eventually grow up to have her own superhero career and then she would be the principal of the High School division and she looked after the next several generations of capes.


    I floated there and let those future memoriesfort me. <i>So, should I let the current world go and let a clone take over, or should I keep it paused and I can return at any time to live out that life?</i>


    A pair of soft lips were felt on my cheek and then on my lips, then a feeling of endless time touched me.


    I chuckled. <i>You''re right, I don''t have to make that choice right now. I can alwayse backter and choose.</i>


    A reassuring feeling touched me and I nodded.


    <i>Okay, show me that list of free worlds.</i> I thought and the popup appeared.


    <b>Currently unlocked free worlds (x12):


    Taylor, Worm (previously unlocked)


    Xeno: Warrior Prince (Xena: Warrior Princess)


    n Ripley, Aliens (Ellen Ripley)


    Kevin Janeway, ST:Voyager (Katheryn Janeway)


    Samuel Carter, SG1 (Samantha Carter)


    Wonder Man, Daine Prince (Wonder Woman Diana Prince


    Carter Everdeen, Hunger Games (Katniss Everdeen)


    Prince Bael Organa, Star Wars (Leia Organa)


    John Grey, Marvel Boy - Phoenix (Jean Grey Marvel Girl - Phoenix)


    Shawn Connor, Terminator 2 (Sarah Connor)


    Lawrence Croft (Lara Croft, Tomb Raider)


    n, Resident Evil (Alice)</b>


    <i>Whoa, that''s quite the spread out list of gender-bend worlds.</i> I thought and read them over again. I could choose one of them or one of the multitude of other worlds I had avable. It was going to be a difficult decision and one that I had plenty of time to think over and consider.

 178 Potent Choices

    178 Potent Choices


    After another long book reading session, this one with Mary Shelley''s Frankenstein that my readingpanion pretty much giggled at the entire time, mostly because of my very good imitation of Igor''s voice and mannerisms, I made my choice.


    <b>You have chosen My Hero Academia to rece the protagonist, Izuku Midoriya.


    Moment of Potential Death: Swallowed by Slime Viin


    Appropriate memories will be provided to you within a few moments of your insertion.


    Good luck in your new life!</b>


    I knew this was going to suck, so I prepared myself for the disgusting feeling I would soon be experiencing. I felt another kiss on my lips and sighed. <i>Thank you.</i>


    There was a feeling of friendship and shared loathing of what was about to happen to me before everything went ck.


    *


    All Might crawled out of the sewers where he had chased the filthy viin and internally was disgusted with the thing. He knew it wasn''t really the slime''s fault his mutation made him the way he was; but, he couldn''t help it. He wore people''s bodies like suits and he was hunting for a new one... and had one in its clutches.


    He couldn''t allow the thing to take another hostage and used one of his restrained punches to blow most of the creature into small chunks. He went to the poor boy that was throwing up some of the slime viin''s body parts and patted his back.


    ¡°That''s it, get it all up.¡± All Might said and waited until the boy was dry heaving before he quickly sped around and gathered up the viin into two different soda bottles, one for the main mass and one for the ''head'' part, or at least what he thought was a head. The eyes made sickening sounds when he slid them in through the mouth of the ss bottle and thankfully didn''t pop or explode.


    He noticed the dropped journal and flipped it open, only to see a page with his information on it and a fairly good drawing of himself. He knew the boy was a fan then and quickly signed his name across the picture. It would be a great distraction to give him and then he could slip away. His timer was almost out.


    He talked to the boy briefly, helped him ept what happened, and then made his excuse and jumped away. He felt a dead weight pping behind him and nced back to see the boy had grabbed onto him before he jumped. Was the kid suicidal after his near-death experience?


    Anyways, All Mightnded on a nearby rooftop and had a conversation with the clearly nervous boy. He was sad to hear he was quirkless and even sadder to tell him to be more realistic than to want to be a hero without any powers. The hypocritical aspect did not escape him and he ignored his instincts as he bid the boy a good day and leapt away.


    When All Mightnded in a secluded spot, he changed back into his human-sized form named Toshinori Yagi and reached for the soda bottle at his hip, only to find that nothing was there. He knew he must have lost it somewhere between where hended and that building, so he started searching.


    It didn''t take long before he came across a harrowing scene of a blond kid that was kind of exploding and was mostly covered by the slime viin. Yagi despaired that his timer had run out on his powers and he couldn''t rush over there to save the kid like had had thest one. He also understood why the other heroes standing around didn''t go help, either. Their powers weren''t well suited to fight the viin without potentially hurting the hostage.


    Before anyone else could do or say anything, a green-haired young man burst through the crowd and yelled something like ''Catchin'' and then tossed his torn book-bag at the viin''s face before tearing at the slime viin''s body with his bare hands, like a madman trying to dig in the dirt without a shovel.


    It was inspiring to see the boy sacrificing himself to save his friend and All Might couldn''t let that go to waste. He ducked behind a dumpster and pulled from his limited reserves once more. He knew he was sacrificing even more of his time to transform and he would pay for itter. For now, he had two children to save.


    *


    I was internally cringing over my performance as I tried to desperately dig the explosive asshole out of the slime viin. I had to keep things the same for as long as possible, so that All Might would see me being a hero and would be inspired to save us. It was also going to me some powers very soon.


    ¡°There''s no need to fear, for I AM HERE!¡± All Might yelled and aimed his fist at us. ¡°Detroit SMASH!¡±


    I just barely pulled on Bakugo enough to get him out of the main st of air and the slime viin was blown apart again. We fell to the pavement and the blond threw up a few ck bits before the ambnce crew and the heroes grabbed us and took us over to the rescue vehicle.


    ¡°Why?¡± Bakugo asked.


    I tried to look sheepish as I delivered my lines. ¡°I just... I saw your eyes. You were pleading for help and... and... my feet, they just moved on their own. I couldn''t... I didn''t want that thing to...¡± I stopped talking and ducked my head.


    ¡°We really should charge you for quirk usage without a license.¡± One of the idiot heroes said. Kamui Woods was an arrogant jerk to bring that up right now.


    ¡°I... I don''t... have a quirk.¡± I admitted and a lot of people gasped.


    ¡°You ran into a hostage situation without powers?¡± The guy wearing a white Gi asked. ¡°Are you stupid or something? Do you have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°That was a very foolish thing to do.¡± Mount Lady admonished me.


    I thought that was a stupidmenting from a woman that wore white spandex that hid nothing at all and who posed for the camera when she became a 50 foot tall blonde bombshell. I pretended to listen to them as they kept talking and instead I ignored them and the police officers trying to question us.


    My attention was on All Might as he talked to the press and handed over a thermos to the police to arrest the slime viin. He excused himself after a few minutes and jumped away, so I kind of did the same. Well, I didn''t jump. I stood, handed the nket to the paramedic, and walked away. Surprisingly, no one stopped me until I was across the street and someone grabbed my arm.


    ¡°I didn''t need you to save me, Deku!¡± Bakugo almost shouted at me. ¡°I could have done it myself!¡±


    I looked down at his hand and narrowed my eyes at it. ¡°You keep telling yourself that every time you close your eyes and remember the taste of that disgusting slime going down your throat.¡± I said and looked up at his angry face and smiled. ¡°See youter, Tiny Firecracker.¡±


    Thatst sentence I said loud enough that the nearby news crew heard it and they scrambled to get it added to the story. The horrified look on Bakugo''s face about the stupid nickname I just gave him was worth the potential beatdown he would try to give to meter.


    I set off and followed the route I knew would take me to where I would meet Toshinori and I pretended to scream a little when he jumped out of the bushes and greeted me. We had our little talk, just like in the show, and he transformed into his All Might persona and asked me to be his sessor and inherit his power. This was the moment I had been waiting for.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± I eximed and jumped at him to hug him, which was quite inappropriate of me, and I plucked one of his hairs from his head as he tried to shove me off.


    ¡°Yes, yes, you''re wee.¡± The near skeletal man said with frustration and wiped his shirt off, as if I had left something of myself on him that he had to remove.


    I slipped the hair into my mouth and grinned as the world turned grey and came to a stop. I had initiated something that All Might wouldn''t have given me for another 10 months as he trained me up to handle a fraction of his power. It wasn''t my fault he assumed I needed the time and he did agree to give me his power. I was just taking it a lot earlier than he ever expected.


    <b>World Paused.


    You have reached a pivotal moment in the story and now have several options avable to you.


    Resume World


    Travel to an unlocked world for free (x12)


    Travel to a new world


    Buy items from the Gift Shop</b>


    <b>Warning: Excessive Power / Karma potential has been detected.


    Please choose and option to deal with it:


    Absorb it all and cause yourself / your body potential damage


    Alter your own Power / Karma potential


    Spend Karma Points


    Convert to Karma Points


    Convert to Store Credits</b>


    I rubbed my hands together and thought about what it meant, then remembered something I had done a very long time ago in the very first world I had gone to. When the same option had appeared then, it was when I had gained a bunch of magic potential from Mil-tan when Serafall had converted her into a reincarnated devil. It had given me several options when I chose to alter my own potential, so I chose that.


    <b>Please choose one of the following options to change your Power / Karma potential:</b>


    <b>One For All power (overcharged) converted to Skill XP to level all skills to maximum


    One For All power locked to Full Cowl (Current: 15%, increases with training)


    Communication unlocked with bound soul fragments (Current total: 8)


    Sacrifice dormant soul fragments for Karma Points (+20,000 each)</b>


    Thatst one was the option I was looking for. I could trade in those reluctant soul bits for a lot of points. I knew that none of them were willing to talk to me before I earned their approval by aplishing tasks until they deemed me worthy, which would be a real bitch to do, so I decided to skip that whole mess and would sell them all, including All Might''s remnant, even though he was still alive.


    That was the downside of the Quirk Transfer power. It actually copied or took a part of your soul when it was passed on. Since I didn''t want to suffer that, I would have to sacrifice all of the stockpiled power that All Might had been building up for thest 40 years to level up my skills to their maximum. That included all of my spells and my powers, like stic and Super Strength.


    Surprisingly, I had also gained the lowest level of skills in the Quirks that were inside the One For All power. The first was Power Stockpile, where the longer you had it, the more power it gained. The second was Power Transfer, previously Quirk Transfer, where I could pass on the power on to a sessor.


    Third was Gearshift, where I could change the rtive speed of something up to four times and in any direction, which would let me dart all over without any trouble or add four times the speed and power to my attacks. The fourth was Kic Energy Siphon, previously called Fa Jin, where I could gather kic energy from anything within my range and give it to anything else.


    The fifth one was Danger Sense and that was like a precognition power that let me sense anything trying to attack me, which is quite the useful power if it didn''t get set off by random bugsnding on me and hunting for my blood or something. That would get annoying really quickly.


    The sixth one was ck Whip and it created energy whips from any part of my body to attack or grab things, almost like extra arms. Unfortunately, it worked on an emotional trigger of anger and I wasn''t sure if I could get that much use out of it if I had to be angry all the time to use the things.


    The seventh one was Smokescreen and it almost made meugh, because it made me into a smoke machine to create a fog-like substance that would obscure me. It wouldn''t hide me in bright daylight, because you could see the form of my body through it. I could make myself invisible in multiple ways and that meant the power was pretty much useless to me.


    Thest one was a movement power and quite limited in its use. Float let me float anywhere I wanted to go, duplicating my Levitation and Lotor spells. It was pretty much useless to me as well, unless I lost my magic again or it was restricted for some arbitrary reason.


    That was a lot of skills and they were all at Level 1, so again, almost useless at their lowest power. They weren''t going to stay that way, however. I had something to do to fix that and I took out my Adventurer Card and spent the XP to get it to Level 100 again to unlock the next Rank.


    <b>Congrattions! You havepleted and item: Adventurer Card (Rank 2)


    Bonuses Granted: High School DxD restored magic affinities (Ice, Holy Light, Lightning), Danmachi (teleportation circle, armor enchantments), Familiar of Zero (modified Brass Golem summon spell, copy enchantment spell), Adventurer Card (Top Rank).</b>


    With that done, I sold the soul pieces inside One For All for a whopping 160,000 Karma Points and then sacrificed the One For All power to maximize all of my recently ranked up skills and abilities.


    My Divine Body glowed as all of my powers maxed out, the charge of One For All easily covering everything, and I grew about six inches in height from Midoriya''s five and a half feet to my Divine Body''s full six feet and my muscles popped out to give me a full physique again.


    That presence appeared at my side again and hugged me tightly as a feeling of appreciating came from them.


    <i>I''m finally getting back to my old self, plus new powers.</i> I thought with augh and there was a feeling of satisfaction around me. I turned my head to give them a kiss and heard a softugh echo in the emptiness in return.


    I looked at the new Adventurer Card and the experience number it showed was still an infinity symbol and it also had an eye with a circle around it. I had thought the top rank card would start me over again to gain new experiences and I was wrong. My work in the Incredibles universe had given me a lot more than just Karma Points and myugh echoed in the emptiness and the presence beside me joined in.


    <i>All right, I better get back.</i> I thought as Ipleted the Adventurer Card (Top Rank) and unlocked Imagination Based magic from the High School DxD universe and perfectly remembered Grayfia''s lessons on how to use it to do whatever I wanted. It also reinstalled the Party System with a few new updates and I mentally kicked myself for not thinking about using it during thest few worlds.


    With my powers and magic pretty much maxed out after the One For All power-up, I was probably the most powerful person in the world of My Hero Academia. <i>See you soon, reading buddy!</i>


    I felt a kiss on my lips and I chose the option to resume the world. Color seeped into the greyness and All Might still looked disgruntled after I had assaulted him. He let out a sigh and then grinned like a fool at me.


    ¡°Well, young Midoriya! Now that you''ve agreed to be my sessor, we need to train you up to be able to handle taking on my power!¡± All Might boisterously said. ¡°The entrance exams for UA will be held in about 10 months, so we don''t have long to get you into shape. Meet me at that trash beach on the edge of this suburb on the weekend and we can get started.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at him and wasn''t sure why I was surprised that he didn''t notice I was half a foot taller and my clothes didn''t fit me anymore. Maybe when someone is a few inches over 7 feet tall, everyone looks smaller than them?


    Anyways, I shook my head. ¡°Thank you for the offer, All Might. I should be fine on my own as I prepare for that.¡± I said and patted his arm. ¡°You''ve done more for this world than anyone else could have and you''ve carried the burden for so long. Now that you''ve finally found someone to take over when you retire, you can rx.¡±


    All Might looked shocked as his form deted and he became the near skeletal Toshinori Yagi once more.


    ¡°Can I have your phone number? If I have any questions, I''d like to call you. If that''s okay?¡± I asked and he nodded. I took out the partially ruined journal that Bakugo had tried to blow up and opened it to the page with All Might''s signature on it. He scribbled his phone number on it and handed it back. ¡°Thank you, Mister Yagi.¡± I said and put the journal away. I''d repair itter. ¡°Do you need me to call you a taxi or something? My home is only a street over that way.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes. Yes, actually. I could use a lift.¡± Yagi said as his surprise started to wear off.


    I nodded and motioned for him to follow me. ¡°I bet you have a lot of stories you''ve never told anyone about your adventures over the years.¡± I said and he smiled. ¡°You don''t have to share them, Mr. Yagi. I just wanted you to know if you do want to reminisce about your decades long career, I''m willing to listen.¡±


    Toshinori chuckled. ¡°You''re fishing for info about being a hero and also telling me not to tell you?¡±


    I chuckled, too. ¡°I think we both have adventures that no one else has heard about, sir.¡±


    Toshinoriughed. ¡°I suspected as much. I''ve nced through that journal you have there, young Midoriya. That''s not something you can write about without actually seeing the heroes and viins in person.¡±


    I grinned and couldn''t resist joking about it. ¡°I''ve had more close calls with hero fights than a senior police officer on crowd control.¡±


    The skeletal manughed pretty hard when he heard that. ¡°I can... just imagine... after today...¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s even better than that! Thest one was where Mount Lady almost stepped on me during her debut, after she drop-kicked that giant shark guy, and she didn''t even notice!¡± I said and he keptughing.

 178 Potent Choices (My Hero Academia)

    178 Potent Choices (My Hero Academia)


    After another long book reading session, this one with Mary Shelley''s Frankenstein that my readingpanion pretty much giggled at the entire time, mostly because of my very good imitation of Igor''s voice and mannerisms, I made my choice.


    <b>You have chosen My Hero Academia to rece the protagonist, Izuku Midoriya.


    Moment of Potential Death: Swallowed by Slime Viin


    Appropriate memories will be provided to you within a few moments of your insertion.


    Good luck in your new life!</b>


    I knew this was going to suck, so I prepared myself for the disgusting feeling I would soon be experiencing. I felt another kiss on my lips and sighed. <i>Thank you.</i>


    There was a feeling of friendship and shared loathing of what was about to happen to me before everything went ck.


    *


    All Might crawled out of the sewers where he had chased the filthy viin and internally was disgusted with the thing. He knew it wasn''t really the slime''s fault his mutation made him the way he was; but, he couldn''t help it. He wore people''s bodies like suits and he was hunting for a new one... and had one in its clutches.


    He couldn''t allow the thing to take another hostage and used one of his restrained punches to blow most of the creature into small chunks. He went to the poor boy that was throwing up some of the slime viin''s body parts and patted his back.


    ¡°That''s it, get it all up.¡± All Might said and waited until the boy was dry heaving before he quickly sped around and gathered up the viin into two different soda bottles, one for the main mass and one for the ''head'' part, or at least what he thought was a head. The eyes made sickening sounds when he slid them in through the mouth of the ss bottle and thankfully didn''t pop or explode.


    He noticed the dropped journal and flipped it open, only to see a page with his information on it and a fairly good drawing of himself. He knew the boy was a fan then and quickly signed his name across the picture. It would be a great distraction to give him and then he could slip away. His timer was almost out.


    He talked to the boy briefly, helped him ept what happened, and then made his excuse and jumped away. He felt a dead weight pping behind him and nced back to see the boy had grabbed onto him before he jumped. Was the kid suicidal after his near-death experience?


    Anyways, All Mightnded on a nearby rooftop and had a conversation with the clearly nervous boy. He was sad to hear he was quirkless and even sadder to tell him to be more realistic than to want to be a hero without any powers. The hypocritical aspect did not escape him and he ignored his instincts as he bid the boy a good day and leapt away.


    When All Mightnded in a secluded spot, he changed back into his human-sized form named Toshinori Yagi and reached for the soda bottles at his hip, only to find that nothing was there. He knew he must have lost them somewhere between where hended and that building, so he started searching.


    It didn''t take long before he came across a harrowing scene of a blond kid that was kind of exploding and was mostly covered by the slime viin. Yagi despaired that his timer had run out on his powers and he couldn''t rush over there to save the kid like had had thest one. He also understood why the other heroes standing around didn''t go help, either. Their powers weren''t well suited to fight the viin without potentially hurting the hostage.


    Before anyone else could do or say anything, a green-haired young man burst through the crowd and yelled something like ''Catchin'' and then tossed his torn book-bag at the viin''s face before tearing at the slime viin''s body with his bare hands, like a madman trying to dig in the dirt without a shovel.


    It was inspiring to see the boy sacrificing himself to save his friend and All Might couldn''t let that go to waste. He ducked behind a dumpster and pulled from his limited reserves once more. He knew he was sacrificing even more of his time to transform and he would pay for itter. For now, he had two children to save.


    *


    I was internally cringing over my performance as I tried to desperately dig the explosive asshole out of the slime viin. I had to keep things the same for as long as possible, so that All Might would see me being a hero and would be inspired to save us. It was also going to me some powers very soon.


    ¡°There''s no need to fear, for I AM HERE!¡± All Might yelled and aimed his fist at us. ¡°Detroit SMASH!¡±


    I just barely pulled on Bakugo enough to get him out of the main st of air and the slime viin was blown apart again. We fell to the pavement and the blond threw up a few ck bits before the ambnce crew and the heroes grabbed us and took us over to the rescue vehicle.


    ¡°Why?¡± Bakugo asked.


    I tried to look sheepish as I delivered my lines. ¡°I just... I saw your eyes. You were pleading for help and... and... my feet, they just moved on their own. I couldn''t... I didn''t want that thing to...¡± I stopped talking and ducked my head.


    ¡°We really should charge you for quirk usage without a license.¡± One of the idiot heroes said. Kamui Woods was an arrogant jerk to bring that up right now.


    ¡°I... I don''t... have a quirk.¡± I admitted and a lot of people gasped.


    ¡°You ran into a hostage situation without powers?¡± The guy wearing a white Gi asked. ¡°Are you stupid or something? Do you have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°That was a very foolish thing to do.¡± Mount Lady admonished me.


    I thought that was a stupidmenting from a woman that wore white spandex that hid nothing at all and who posed for the camera when she became a 50 foot tall blonde bombshell. I pretended to listen to them as they kept talking and instead I ignored them and the police officers trying to question us.


    My attention was on All Might as he talked to the press and handed over a thermos to the police to arrest the slime viin. He excused himself after a few minutes and jumped away, so I kind of did the same. Well, I didn''t jump. I stood, handed the nket to the paramedic, and walked away. Surprisingly, no one stopped me until I was across the street and someone grabbed my arm.


    ¡°I didn''t need you to save me, Deku!¡± Bakugo almost shouted at me. ¡°I could have done it myself!¡±


    I looked down at his hand and narrowed my eyes at it. ¡°You keep telling yourself that every time you close your eyes and remember the taste of that disgusting slime going down your throat.¡± I said and looked up at his angry face and smiled. ¡°See youter, Tiny Firecracker.¡±


    Thatst sentence I said loud enough that the nearby news crew heard it and they scrambled to get it added to the story. The horrified look on Bakugo''s face about the stupid nickname I just gave him was worth the potential beatdown he would try to give to meter.


    I set off and followed the route I knew would take me to where I would meet Toshinori and I pretended to scream a little when he jumped out of the bushes and greeted me. We had our little talk, just like in the show, and he transformed into his All Might persona and asked me to be his sessor and inherit his power. This was the moment I had been waiting for.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± I eximed and jumped at him to hug him, which was quite inappropriate of me, and I plucked one of his hairs from his head as he tried to shove me off.


    ¡°Yes, yes, you''re wee.¡± The near skeletal man said with frustration and wiped his shirt off, as if I had left something of myself on him that he had to remove.


    I slipped the hair into my mouth and grinned as the world turned grey and came to a stop. I had initiated something that All Might wouldn''t have given me for another 10 months as he trained me up to handle a fraction of his power. It wasn''t my fault he assumed I needed the time and he did agree to give me his power. I was just taking it a lot earlier than he ever expected.


    <b>World Paused.


    You have reached a pivotal moment in the story and now have several options avable to you.


    Resume World


    Travel to an unlocked world for free (x12)


    Travel to a new world


    Buy items from the Gift Shop</b>


    <b>Warning: Excessive Power / Karma potential has been detected!


    Please choose and option to deal with it:


    Absorb it all and cause yourself / your body potential damage


    Alter your own Power / Karma potential


    Spend Karma Points


    Convert to Karma Points


    Convert to Store Credits</b>


    I rubbed my hands together and thought about what it meant, then remembered something I had done a very long time ago in the very first world I had gone to. When the same option had appeared then, it was when I had gained a bunch of magic potential from Mil-tan when Serafall had converted her into a reincarnated devil. It had given me several options when I chose to alter my own potential, so I chose that.


    <b>Please choose one of the following options to change your Power / Karma potential:</b>


    <b>One For All power (overcharged) converted to Skill XP to level all skills to maximum


    One For All power locked to Full Cowl (Current: 15%, increases with training)


    Communication unlocked with bound soul fragments (Current total: 8)


    Sacrifice dormant soul fragments for Karma Points (+20,000 each)</b>


    Thatst one was the option I was looking for. I could trade in those reluctant soul bits for a lot of points. I knew that none of them were willing to talk to me before I earned their approval by aplishing tasks until they deemed me worthy, which would be a real bitch to do, so I decided to skip that whole mess and would sell them all, including All Might''s remnant, even though he was still alive.


    That was the downside of the Quirk Transfer power. It actually copied or took a part of your soul when it was passed on. Since I didn''t want to suffer that, I would have to sacrifice all of the stockpiled power that All Might had been building up for thest 40 years to level up my skills to their maximum. That included all of my spells and my powers, like stic and Super Strength.


    Surprisingly, I had also gained the lowest level of skills in the Quirks that were inside the One For All power. The first was Power Stockpile, where the longer you had it, the more power it gained. The second was Power Transfer, previously Quirk Transfer, where I could pass on the power to a sessor.


    Third was Gearshift, where I could change the rtive speed of something up to four times and in any direction, which would let me dart all over without any trouble or add four times the speed and power to my attacks. The fourth was Kic Energy Siphon, previously called Fa Jin, where I could gather kic energy from anything within my range and give it to anything else.


    The fifth one was Danger Sense and that was like a precognition power that let me sense anything trying to attack me, which was quite the useful power if it didn''t get set off by random bugsnding on me and hunting for my blood or something. That would get annoying really quickly.


    The sixth one was ck Whip and it created energy whips from any part of my body to attack or grab things, almost like extra arms. Unfortunately, it worked on an emotional trigger of anger and I wasn''t sure if I could get that much use out of it if I had to be angry all the time to use the things.


    The seventh one was Smokescreen and it almost made meugh, because it made me into a smoke machine to create a fog-like substance that would obscure me. It wouldn''t hide me in bright daylight, because you could see the form of my body through it. I could make myself invisible in multiple ways and that meant the power was pretty much useless to me.


    Thest one was a movement power and quite limited in its use. Float let me float anywhere I wanted to go, duplicating my Levitation and Lotor spells. It was pretty much useless to me as well, unless I lost my magic again or it was restricted for some arbitrary reason.


    That was a lot of skills and they were all at Level 1, so again, almost useless at their lowest power. They weren''t going to stay that way, however. I had something to do to fix that and I took out my Adventurer Card and spent the XP to get it to Level 100 again to unlock the next Rank.


    <b>Congrattions! You havepleted and item: Adventurer Card (Rank 2)


    Bonuses Granted: High School DxD restored magic affinities (Ice, Light, Holy Lightning), Danmachi (teleportation circle, armor enchantments), Familiar of Zero (modified Brass Golem summon spell, copy enchantment spell), Adventurer Card (Top Rank).</b>


    With that done, I sold the soul pieces inside One For All for a whopping 160,000 Karma Points and then sacrificed the One For All power to maximize all of my recently ranked up skills and abilities.


    My Divine Body glowed as all of my powers maxed out, the charge of One For All easily covering everything, and I grew about six inches in height from Midoriya''s five and a half feet to my Divine Body''s full six feet and my muscles popped out to give me a full physique again.


    That presence appeared at my side again and hugged me tightly as a feeling of appreciating came from them.


    <i>I''m finally getting back to my old self, plus new powers.</i> I thought with augh and there was a feeling of satisfaction around me. I turned my head to give them a kiss and heard a softugh echo in the emptiness in return.


    I looked at the new Adventurer Card and the experience number it showed was still an infinity symbol and it also had an eye with a circle around it. I had thought the top rank card would start me over again to gain new experiences and I was wrong. My work in the Incredibles universe had given me a lot more than just Karma Points and myugh echoed in the emptiness and the presence beside me joined in.


    <i>All right, I better get back.</i> I thought as Ipleted the Adventurer Card (Top Rank) and unlocked Imagination Based magic from the High School DxD universe and perfectly remembered Grayfia''s lessons on how to use it to do whatever I wanted. It also reinstalled the Party System with a few new updates and I mentally kicked myself for not thinking about using it during thest few worlds.


    With my powers and magic pretty much maxed out after the One For All power-up, I was probably the most powerful person in the world of My Hero Academia. <i>See you soon, reading buddy!</i>


    I felt a kiss on my lips and I chose the option to resume the world. Color seeped into the greyness and All Might still looked disgruntled after I had assaulted him. He let out a sigh and then grinned like a fool at me.


    ¡°Well, young Midoriya! Now that you''ve agreed to be my sessor, we need to train you up to be able to handle taking on my power!¡± All Might boisterously said. ¡°The entrance exams for UA will be held in about 10 months, so we don''t have long to get you into shape. Meet me at that trash beach on the edge of this suburb on the weekend and we can get started.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at him and wasn''t sure why I was surprised that he didn''t notice I was half a foot taller and my clothes didn''t fit me anymore. Maybe when someone is a few inches over 7 feet tall, everyone looks smaller than them?


    Anyways, I shook my head. ¡°Thank you for the offer, All Might. I should be fine on my own as I prepare for that.¡± I said and patted his arm. ¡°You''ve done more for this world than anyone else could have and you''ve carried the burden for so long. Now that you''ve finally found someone to take over when you retire, you can rx.¡±


    All Might looked shocked as his form deted and he became the near skeletal Toshinori Yagi once more.


    ¡°Can I have your phone number? If I have any questions, I''d like to call you. If that''s okay?¡± I asked and he nodded. I took out the partially ruined journal that Bakugo had tried to blow up and opened it to the page with All Might''s signature on it. He scribbled his phone number on it and handed it back. ¡°Thank you, Mister Yagi.¡± I said and put the journal away. I''d repair itter. ¡°Do you need me to call you a taxi or something? My home is only a street over that way.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes. Yes, actually. I could use a lift.¡± Yagi said as his surprise started to wear off.


    I nodded and motioned for him to follow me. ¡°I bet you have a lot of stories you''ve never told anyone about your adventures over the years.¡± I said and he smiled. ¡°You don''t have to share them, Mr. Yagi. I just wanted you to know if you do want to reminisce about your decades long career, I''m willing to listen.¡±


    Toshinori chuckled. ¡°You''re fishing for info about being a hero and also telling me not to tell you?¡±


    I chuckled, too. ¡°I think we both have adventures that no one else has heard about, sir.¡±


    Toshinoriughed. ¡°I suspected as much. I''ve nced through that journal you have there, young Midoriya. That''s not something you can write about without actually seeing the heroes and viins in person.¡±


    I grinned and couldn''t resist joking about it. ¡°I''ve had more close calls with hero fights than a senior police officer on crowd control.¡±


    The skeletal manughed pretty hard when he heard that. ¡°I can... just imagine... after today...¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s even better than that! Thest one was where Mount Lady almost stepped on me during her debut, after she drop-kicked that giant shark guy, and she didn''t even notice!¡± I said and he keptughing.

 179 Mother Knows Best

    179 Mother Knows Best


    After I shared a couple more anecdotes about my close calls with death, we reached the apartment building and went up the stairs to my home. I asked Toshinori to wait on the step for a moment as I entered the apartment to greet my mother. I had barely opened the door when my mother''s scream blew past me and made my guest wince.


    ¡°MY BABY!¡± Inko Midoriya yelled and tackled me. Since she was barely just over 5 feet tall and quite pudgy, I barely felt her impact and easy caught her. ¡°What happened? Why are your clothes all torn and dirty?¡±


    I nced down at the sorry state of my clothes and sighed, then told her about my run-in with the slime viin. Inko looked horrified and started fussing over me as she started stripping me out of my clothes. I had to stop her and then introduced the man on the doorstep as the man that helped me today.


    Inko thanked him profusely and invited him inside, which Toshinori reluctantly epted. He was served tea and snacks and I went to my room to change. I tossed the ruined clothes in the garbage and left my backpack beside the bed. I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to have a shower and looked into the mirror.


    The mop of green hair on my head made me wince at the mess. I was definitely changing that as soon as I was clean. A few spells helped me get the slime gunk out from under my fingernails and I scrubbed the rest off the normal way. Magic was great for that; but, nothing beat a good hot shower to rx your tense muscles.


    I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off as I stared at myself in the mirror. Goddamn, I missed seeing myself looking normal after so long being stick thin or short. I had dealt with it as much as I could and I survived, so it was a relief to finally be back in the body I had started this whole adventure out with.


    I stepped close to the mirror and stared at my rounded face and didn''t like it. I faded the freckles slightly and changed my huge round eyes to be smaller and more expressive. I also fixed my nose to not be so pointed and made my mouth a little smaller. I couldn''t change too much right away, not without Inko seeing the differences.


    I erged my clothes and put them on, then shrunk them to fit better. I left them a little baggy to hide how muscr I was and left the bathroom to go to the living room. I called for a taxi and Toshinori thanked me, thanked my mother, and left like his ass was on fire.


    ¡°He was an odd but nice man.¡± Inko said and she narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°What aren''t you telling me about today, Izuku? You know you can''t lie to me.¡±


    I opened my mouth to say I probably could lie, only to go over Izuku''s memories again. Mind nk let me remove all internal and external influences and I had to agree with her. Inko always knew it when her son lied. Always. Which brought forth all the times Izuku came home hurt and she she knew it was Bakugo that was doing it.


    ¡°I''m sorry I never told you about the bullying, mom.¡± I said. ¡°It''s been happening since I was four and never got my quirk. I always thought my best friend would smarten up and ept me for who I was and he never did.¡±


    Inko eyes teared up and she walked over to me to hug me. ¡°My baby.¡± She whispered and cried into my chest. ¡°I''m sorry, too. I tried to talk to Mizuki and she just brushed it off as boys being boys and carrying on.¡±


    It was such a strong statement I was reminded of how Uncle Vernon had said the exact same thing when Dudley yed a bit too rough with me. It was also what he said in the canon story as well to cover up Dudley''s excessive bullying.


    I sighed and hugged her close and pet her hair. ¡°It''s going to be all right now, mom.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why? Why would it be?¡± Inko asked, still crying.


    ¡°I saved the idiot''s life today and mytent power manifested afterwards.¡± I said,pletely truthfully. I wasn''t going to share the details, however.


    Inko gasped and lifted her head from my tear-soaked shirt. ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡±


    ¡°I saved Bakugo...¡± I started to answer.


    ¡°Not that!¡± Inko interrupted me. ¡°About your power!¡±


    ¡°Ah, let me just...¡± I looked around and saw the couch that would be a great example. I reached down and grabbed the leg and lifted the entire couch up with no effort at all, thanks to my using the levitation spell to keep it steady.


    Inko''s mouth dropped open and she stared at the couch. After a few seconds of me holding the couch like it was nothing, because it was, she finally looked at me. ¡°H-how?¡±


    ¡°It takes a long time for the Power Stockpiling power to build up enough energy to be used.¡± I said, alsopletely truthfully. I just wouldn''t rify that it wasn''t me that gathered that power.


    Inko''s tears flowed as she hugged me again. ¡°I''m s-so h-h-happy for y-you, Izuku!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡± I said and put the couch down and hugged her with both arms.


    Inko let out a sigh and seemed to snuggle into my chest and she closed her eyes.


    ¡°Do you want me to help with dinner?¡± I asked after a few minutes and she nodded. She didn''t move or let me go, though. I didn''t mind indulging her a little and held her for as long as she wanted me to. She had years of worry and fear to work through after I had shown off that I had a power.


    *


    Katsuki Bakugo was frustrated. He was also being smothered by his clingy mother''s saggy breasts as she strangled him in what she imed was a hug, which he knew for a fact was her trying to stop him from escaping her grasp.


    Mitsuki hadn''t been happy to receive a call from the police to report what happened to her son and she wasn''t going to let him go anytime soon. Even his father was hovering around them and blocked Katsuki''s normal escape route to get to his room.


    No matter how much he cursed and protested the treatment, his mother wouldn''t let him go. Even when it came to sitting down to eat, which his father had made again, Mitsuki didn''t let him go. In fact, when he tried to im he couldn''t eat with her holding him like that, she started feeding him herself between her own bites of food.


    Katsuki grumbled about stupid mothers mothering him to death and all Mitsuki did was smile warmly and told him to shut the hell up because she wasn''t going to stop until it was time to go to bed. He reluctantly stopped trying to get away after hearing that and managed to survive for the rest of the evening with her clinging onto him.


    Sleep became a wee release from his captivity and Katsuki forced himself to never think about howforting his mother''s pillowy softness had been. It was stifling, yes. It was also the best warmth he had felt in years, probably thanks to her quirk that was simr to his own.


    Unbeknownst to him, his mother was just outside his room and stared through the open crack to see the smile on his face. She smiled as well, because her idea had worked to calm her son down after he had been attacked by a viin. She had already submitted the petition to have the dangerous slime thing put down or sent to Tartarus Prison for life. No one tried to take her son away from her and got away with it. No one.


    *


    I woke up on my expanded bed and felt short arms hugging me. I opened my eyes and saw Inko was sprawled across my legs and had a tight grip around my waist, probably because it was the only thing she could get her tiny arms around. I couldn''t begrudge her being so clingy, since Izuku had technically died yesterday and now here I was living his life.


    No, that''s not right. I wasn''t going to live his life, just like I hadn''t lived anyone else''s life when I took over, either. I was going to live my own life and the world was going to see exactly what someone that knew what they were doing could do.


    First thing''s first, though. I was going to shave a good portion of this green mop off of my head. Maybe I could do fades on both sides and leave the top as a mess? I''d have to ask Inko about it to see if she would like that, too. It was going to be different than Izuku''s normal hairstyle and that was the point. I wasn''t going to be the same old Izuku anymore.


    Inko woke up after a few minutes and started to look embarrassed, so I chuckled and picked her up, making her squeak in surprise, and I hugged her to my chest and let her rest there. She let out a contented sigh and snuggled in like she had when hugging me yesterday. We stayed there like that without saying anything and just enjoying the hug and the silence.


    We couldn''t stay there all day, though. I had to get my hair cut and then go to school, while she had things to do as well to take care of the apartment. We climbed off of my bed and exchanged happy smiles, then Inko went to the kitchen to make breakfast and I went to the bathroom to shower. I had to do the erging trick on my school uniform to make it fit and entered the kitchen.


    ¡°It smells good.¡± I said and kissed her cheek as I tried to steal a piece of bacon.


    Inko blushed and shooed me away from the stove. ¡°It''s not ready yet.¡± She said and went back to tending that and the scrambled eggs. ¡°Only a few more minutes.¡±


    I nodded and set about making the tea and Inko smiled warmly at me doing it without making any mistakes. We sat down at the small table and gave thanks for the food, then dug in. I made appreciative sounds and Inko let out littleughs as I shovelled the eggs into my mouth like they were going to escape if I didn''t eat them as fast as I could.


    We went to the bathroom after we ate and I talked to Inko about changing the mop to fit more in with everyone else and to look more respectable. Inko agreed and we spent a good half an hour figuring out how to pull it off. When she was done, I had a fade trimmed all the way around my head and the top was only a few inches long with only hints and wisps of curls instead of the mass it used to be.


    Inko''s face was red as she stared at my reflection. ¡°You look so handsome.¡±


    ¡°You made me look this way.¡± I said with a grin and she softlyughed. ¡°Thanks, mom.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, son.¡± Inko said and kissed my cheek.


    I washed up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, too. ¡°I''ll be home right after school.¡±


    Inko looked pleased by that. ¡°Have a good day, Izuku.¡±


    ¡°I already did.¡± I said and she looked embarrassed as I hugged her. ¡°Bye, mom.¡±


    Inko blushed and pushed me away. ¡°You need to hurry or you''ll bete.¡±


    I smiled and went to my room to grab my repaired backpack and went to the front door to put on my shoes. They were real shoes, fully polished and everything, and not the old red sneakers. Those were the old Izuku''s favorite and not mine. Comfortable or not, they vited the school''s dress code and made him stand out from everyone else.


    I left the apartment and walked down the stairs to the street and thought about using my powers to get to school, then shrugged. Thews had to be followed and I wasn''t allowed to use them without a license, which I would have to get as soon as possible. I went over Izuku''s memories and sighed at one of the requirements was to be enrolled in a hero academy and have a teacher''s rmendation.


    Well, I knew I was getting neither for at least the next 10 months, so I had a lot of waiting around to go through to legally use my powers. I wasn''t going to wait that long if anything happened near me, though. I just had to be careful and maybe make a costume to be a vignte. There were lots of criminals around to deal with on the down-low andundered money to steal.


    School had to be handled first, so I made my way along my normal route and managed to avoid all the pratfalls and little idents that would have my uniform damaged, dirtied, or roughed up. I was mentally calling bullshit on my Blessing of Fortune when I barely managed to avoid a local gang of street kids that were hunting for fresh recruits.


    <i>Come on! The odds are supposed to be in my favor, not throwing everything at me!</i> I shouted in my mind and a feeling of calm fell over me. I didn''t believe it for a second and listened to my gut instinct. My danger sense went off again and I stepped back from the edge of the curb and pulled an olddy with me.


    The old woman turned to re at me and opened her mouth to shout, then a truck''s horn red and the front bumper clipped her cane as it just missed taking out our legs from underneath us. She looked at her broken cane in shock and then looked at my calm face.


    ¡°Let me get that for you.¡± I said and took the cane, used some transfiguration, and handed back an ergonomic masterpiece that had a strong base that could easily hold her weight and she didn''t have to lift it as much. It was lighter, too. I had emptied the inside and filled it with crosshatched supports instead.


    The olddy stared at her very different cane and I helped her cross the street when it was safe. I left her there at the street corner and she only had eyes for the new cane that she could probably sell for a good amount of cash to the right buyer.


    I chuckled at the thought of doing that myself, only I didn''t really have the time to attend an auction or anything of the sort. I had school during the day and chores in the evenings with schoolwork and other things at night. In other words, my days were too full to gallivant off to wherever and hope the things I made would sell for a good price.


    I reached the school and almost no one looked at me, except for a few of the older girls. One of them was clearly a Gyaru, a girl that was a part of the Japanese subculture and fashion style characterized by an over-the-top westernized feminine look and frivolous behavior, like partying at clubs and hanging out at the mall for no reason.


    She wore some showy clothing and her red bra straps were visible, as was her heavily-tanned belly under her billowy cropped top that swayed in the breeze. Her hair was either bleached or dyed to tinum blonde as well and she wore too much makeup that made her face stand out and washed out her natural beauty. She made the look work for her, though.


    ¡°Are you getting a good enough look?¡± Shemented when she noticed me staring at her.


    The old Izuku would have been a stuttering mess from being asked that. I was a much different beast, however. ¡°Sorry about that, Yuzuko. I was just admiring your attention to detail.¡±


    The girls around her looked surprised and the girl herself looked intrigued.


    ¡°How do you know my name? Have we met before?¡± Yuzuko asked and tapped her lips as if she was thinking.


    I had to chuckle at my Danger Sense buzzing slightly and chose to avoid answering her directly. ¡°We''ve been going to school together since we were five.¡± I said and walked by her and her group.


    ¡°Hey, wait! I''d remember a hunk like you if I ever saw you!¡± She called out. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    I ignored her shouts and entered the school building. I knew Bakugo''s normal hangouts and avoided them, relying on my Danger Sense to keep me out of trouble. I made it to the ssroom and sat in my seat, only it was a bit too small. No one else was around and a quick check with a detection spell showed there were no cameras or people around, so I expanded the desk by 20%.


    I sat downfortably and reclined slightly as I set my backpack on the floor by my feet. Today was going to be a trying one when everyone figured out who I was. It was funny how no one recognized me with my hair cut differently and my freckles faded slightly. I would get rid of thempletely over the next few weeks and I would finish adjusting my facial features over the next few months.


    As I sat there and thought over what I could do to get some quick cash, the ssroom started filling up with the other students. Again, no one really connected the taller buffer guy and the new haircut with the old Deku that they all knew and despised.


    When the bell rang, only a few of the students looked over at me and their eyes widened when they realized who I was. Bakugo was not one of them as he kept his eyes firmly pointed towards the front of the room and kept whispering about how he never needed to be saved by a stupid Deku.


    It wasn''t until lunchtime and the bell rang when everyone started talking, well shouted really, and asking me all sorts of stupid questions. I ignored them all and grabbed my backpack and left the room before Bakugo could turn and see what the fuss was about. I made it to the cafeteria and brought out my lunch from my inventory, using my backpack as a medium, and sat down and started eating.

 180 Time To Play

    180 Time To y


    ¡°There you are!¡± Yuzuko shouted and everyone in the cafeteria turned to look at her and her friends. She strode over to my table and did a kind of pose, then she sat down across from me and her friends sat around her. ¡°It''s not nice to ignore a girl when she''s talking to you.¡±


    I used a clean set of chopsticks to pick up a chicken ball and held it out to her. ¡°I''m pretty sure you were shouting this morning and I had to get to ss.¡±


    She gave me a wary look and then leaned in to suck the ball right in and started chewing on it. Her little moan let me know it was cooked perfectly. ¡°What kind of sauce is that?¡±


    ¡°It''s a blend of cherry and plum. It gives the best sweet and sour taste for this kind of fried chicken.¡± I answered and handed her the chopsticks before I picked up mine to keep eating.


    ¡°Thanks! You can call me Hibiki.¡± Yuzuko said and started to shamelessly share my meal with me, right there in front of her friends. One of them even gasped at her being so bold and she gave them a saucy wink and a muffledugh.


    I hid my ownugh at her taunting them and I ate some of the white rice on the side.


    ¡°So, who are you anyway?¡± One of her friends asked. ¡°We''ve talked to everyone and no one knows who you are.¡±


    I gave her a great smile and she blushed. <i>So easy to tease.</i> I thought and ate another chicken ball. ¡°Well, you couldn''t have talked to everyone, since no one in my ss is here yet.¡±


    Yuzuko nodded and turned her head to look when a certain blond idiot stormed into the cafeteria with his hands popping.


    ¡°Hey, Tiny Firecracker! Did you have trouble finding me?¡± I asked with the biggest grin I could manage with my smaller mouth.


    ¡°Fuck you, Deku!¡± Bakugo spat at me, his palms still sparking.


    The entire cafeteria fell silent and everyone stared at me, especially the girls sitting across from me. They were all shocked by Bakugo''s shout that had revealed who I really was, so I did the only thing I could do. I slowly stood up. Everyone''s eyes followed the movement, as did Bakugo, and his eyes widenedically as I finished standing and stood a good 4 inches taller than him.


    I made a show of taking off my uniform coat and hung it on my chair, then I rolled up my shirt sleeves to show off my ripped arm muscles. ¡°What was it you called me, Tiny Firecracker?¡±


    Bakugo couldn''t let the taunt go and red at me as he poked my chest with his finger. ¡°You''re a Deku and you''ll always be a Deku!¡±


    My hand darted out faster than anyone could see and I grabbed him by his shocked face. I lifted him up like he weighed nothing and smiled. ¡°This useless person saved your life yesterday from the slime viin, Tiny Firecracker. What does that say about you?¡±


    ¡°Put him down, Midoriya.¡± A man''s stern voice said from the doorway. ¡°You''ll be serving detention for fighting this afternoon.¡±


    I let Bakugo go and he dropped to his feet and stumbled. ¡°I wasn''t fighting.¡±


    ¡°You put your hands on another student in anger...¡±


    ¡°I''m not angry.¡± I interrupted him and pointed to my face. ¡°This is a smile. You''re just not used to seeing it on the face of the kid you let all the other students pick on for years.¡±


    The man scowled at me. ¡°I''ll be calling your parents to report your insolence and your detention.¡±


    ¡°I''d rather you call my mother and tell her I openly used you of allowing bullying and tant quirk use against me in your ssroom, despite knowing you can be arrested for viting Japan''s decencyws so tantly.¡± I countered.


    The man immediately lost the scowl and looked nervous. He knew that none of the kids liked him very much and if any of them took my side, or mentioned they got away with something because of him, he would be in big trouble from both the school board and the police.


    ¡°Never... never mind.¡± He said and did an about-face and left at a fast walk.


    A soft curse of surprise came from the Gyaru at my table and I sat back down. Hibiki Yuzuko gave me a very pointed look before she let out a hum and started eating my lunch again. I smiled at her and picked up my own chopsticks and joined her, the both of us ignoring the fuming blond idiot that was still making his hands spark and breaking thew.


    ¡°I made these myself.¡± Imented and moved the top of the Bento Box aside to reveal the main meal of grilled salmon strips and teriyaki dipping sauce.


    Yuzuko gave me a brilliant smile and snagged one of the thicker strips and dunked it. ¡°This could only be better if you had some dango or some daifuku with cherry filling for dessert.¡±


    I gave her my best grin and slid the middle section aside and showed off the bottom where the desserts were. I had four dango skewers, four mochi rice cakes filled with different bean paste vors, and a sliced Swiss roll with cream filling that was covered in pink coconut.


    ¡°That''s it! You''re my boyfriend now.¡± Yuzuko dered and moved around the table to sit right beside me, gave my cheek a kiss, and went right back to eating.


    Her friends stared at her in shock and I had tough at the sudden change in the tense atmosphere. Bakugo let out a growl sound and stormed off, clearly upset about beingpletely ignored.


    ¡°Thanks for that.¡± I whispered and Yuzuko gave me a sly side-eye look before she continued to eat.


    We both knew she did it to firmly put me into the ''cool'' category of the school''s clique after the way I shut down my homeroom teacher. He had tried to throw around his authority in a ce he knew he shouldn''t have, and by the sounds of the chatter around us, his reputation had heavily suffered for it.


    ¡°You keep bringing stuff like this for lunch and we''re even.¡± Yuzuko whispered back.


    I leaned slightly into her and my hand snaked around her back to give her a sneaky hug. She blushed slightly, probably because I didn''t try to grab her ass or her breast. I didn''t say anything or tried to do anything else and she started talking to her friends across the table. She kept ncing at me to see if I was listening or paying attention and I would give her a tiny nod each time she looked.


    The slightly blush stayed on her face for the entire lunch period until the bell rang. She hopped up as if it was the most natural thing in the world, leaned down and kissed my cheek again, and walked away with augh on her lips. Her friends chased after her and they begged her to tell them what she was thinking.


    It made me chuckle and I cleaned up the table and put everything in my backpack and went to ss. The teacher wouldn''t even look at me when I entered and the other students also avoided looking at me. Bakugo fumed and his hands sparked and set his pencil on fire. He growled as he put it out and then he tossed it aside to get another one from the pack in his pocket. He always went through a lot of pencils when he was angry, which was most of the time.


    I sat in my seat and followed along with the subjects being taught. I didn''t offer any answers when the teacher called out for them and he didn''t point out myck of participation. I was no longer trying to be a teacher''s pet and it didn''t seem to bother him as much as I thought it would. Who would have thought that if you point out a man''s crimes in public that he wouldn''t want anything to do with you afterwards?


    School ended and I made my way out of the school building and wasn''t surprised to see my self-appointed girlfriend was waiting for me at the school''s gate. Of course, I gave her a bow and then took her hand to kiss the back of it, making her and her friends titter in surprise.


    ¡°You''re taking me out to the mall on Saturday. Dress nice.¡± Yuzuko ordered in a tone that was borderline pleading.


    ¡°Am I picking you up or are we meeting there?¡± I asked and looked at her friends.


    ¡°You can meet us there.¡± One of them answered for her.


    I looked back at her and she shrugged a little, as if saying ''what can I do? They''re nosy'' and smiled. ¡°Around 10 okay?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then I''ll be there.¡±


    The small group of girls watched me as I walked away. I wasn''t going to let my guard down, though. I let my Danger Sense guide me again as I made my way home and avoided a runaway bicycle, a mugging, Bakugo trying to ambush me, and one of the friends of my girlfriend that was probably going to warn me away from her.


    Inko greeted me at the door with a hug and I did my chores, then I helped her. She let out littleughs as I picked up each piece of furniture to let her vacuum the entire apartment for the first time in years. I even moved the refrigerator and stove for her to clean the floor back there. She had a huge smile on her face when we were done and she hugged me for helping her so much.


    I helped her straighten up the apartment after that and we finished up just in time for her to make dinner. Inko looked quite happy when I offered to help and we made a little more than necessary, just so I could take another Bento Box to school the next day.


    She didn''t mind having extra herself to eat for lunch the next day, either. It saved her a lot of work and time to just reheat the food instead of cooking from scratch all the time. It also saved us a lot of money on not eating take-out all the time, too.


    That thought reminded me that I needed to make some money as soon as I could, if only so I would have some spending money for my date on the weekend. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of mentioning it and Inko pretty much lost her mind and freaked out about it.


    If it wasn''t so funny watching her running around and crying about me finally getting a date, I would have been worried about her. Because I was watching her closely, I saw the asional gleam in her eye and her exaggerated overacting was just a bit too much to be real. The genuine tears were a nice touch, though.


    Inko eventually calmed down and we worked out the best date tasks to do for couples and she promised to dig into her savings to give me a little spending money. I refused, of course. I told her I was going to sell some of my collectibles and would give most of it to her, since she was the one that paid for them in the first ce.


    Some of it had grown in value over the years and I had some really rare items, so she tried to refuse at first. I hugged her and whispered that I was growing up now and it was time to put away childish things. I also told her that I would keep the sentimental ones that she had worked so hard to get for me, because they were worth more to me than the mary value.


    It made her cry and I brought her to the couch and we sat there for the rest of the evening and cuddled as we watched television. I would have to stay up a littlete to do my homework; but, that was okay. My mom needed me more than my report on Japan''s role in creating the Quirk Registrationws.


    *


    The school days seemed to run together with my new normal routine upying my mornings, my lunchtimes, and saying goodbye to my girlfriend at the school gate when school was over. Having my magic and memories unlocked, I remembered going to school before and this version was still quite easy. Integrating Quirks into my assignments was simple and homework was a breeze.


    It was suddenly Saturday and my first collectible sale came through just in time. I was flush with cash after selling a very rare All Might figure in his first costume for 10,000 US dors and the Yen conversion favoured me beyond all reasoning. It was almost like it was back in the old days and I had almost 1.5 million Yen in my ount now.


    Inko had actually fainted when I told her and she refused to ept any of it after she woke up. She imed I could pay her back when I sold some of the other things and I should keep the first windfall for myself. I had thanked her and bought her favorite flowers and her favorite dessert Friday night. She had blushed from embarrassment at me remembering such silly things from when my dad had still been around and we spent the evening shopping locally for the best clothes for me to wear.


    I used a taxi to go to the mall and arrived about 15 minutes before I was supposed to. I wasn''t sure where we would meet, so I hung around the entrance with a single rose in my hand and a handful of those pixie sticks full of powered sugar candy. I had seen Yuzuko chewing on the things a few times between sses and I wanted to make a good impressing by giving them to her and her friends.


    Just before 10 o''clock, a gaggle of girls that were dressed up, seemed to make the crowd part and they walked down the sidewalk towards me. It was neat to see Yuzuko really putting her Gyaru act on full disy and her friends were right there with her. It was odd to see them going all out when they dressed like normal Japanese schoolgirls at school.


    I had to smile at that, since they were normal schoolgirls, and they noticed me standing there near the doors in my stylish clothes. All five of the girls stepped close to surround me as they looked at me from head to toe, then they gave me a single nod as if they were one person.


    Without a word, I held out both the single red rose and the handful of pixie sticks. One of them made a throaty sound, almost like a purr, and the candy was epted and shared equally. The rose was sniffed by Yuzuko first and then handed around to make sure they all smelled it and it ended up tucked into Yuzuko''s hair.


    ¡°You''ll do.¡± Yuzuko proudly dered and all the girls nodded as one again.


    What followed was a day full of shopping, hanging out at the food court, more shopping, a whole lot of talking and gossiping, people watching, more shopping, more hanging out, and a lot of amusedughter by the girls as they genuinely enjoyed spending so much time together.


    Of course, I had been an idiot and had paid for it all without being asked to. They were only surprised the first few times and then epted I really was an idiot. At least, the previous me was an idiot. Current me thanked the idiot me for being so generous right from the start, because we ended up at the Karaoke Bar in a private room and Yuzuko deep-throated me as one of her friends danced naked as she sang to me.


    Then they took turns singing and dancing naked and the others sucked me off. Yes, really. It was one of the best dates I ever had, actually. They really appreciated that I hadn''tined once about their antics, or ignored them while they talked, or treated them badly despite their behavior. I had also indulged their peculiar tastes without flinching at the cost and that really got them all going.


    We didn''t have sex, though. They were saving themselves like good future wives, their words not mine. Since I respected their choices, I told them so. Yuzuko almost gave in right then and barely stopped herself from iming me and giving me her first time. Instead, she only slid herself along my firm length and made out with me as she said she regretted she couldn''t follow me into the premiere hero school in the country.


    ¡°Fire types like me are a dime a dozen, Izuku.¡± Yuzuko said and her arms and back red up with blue fire and her friends all gathered around her and hugged and petted her arms, the fire not hurting them at all. ¡°It doesn''t even burn and only warms people and gives off light.¡±


    My eyes admired the dancing mes and I was suddenly reminded of Hermione''s favorite Bluebell mes spell that did the same thing. Yuzuko saw my expression and she blushed, probably because no other guy had admired her for her quirk before. She gave me a very deep and passionate kiss and sped her hip movements up.


    The other four girls helped her and she got off just before I shot my upteenth load all over our bellies and her chest, which the girls diligently cleaned up with their tongues and mouths, getting her off again.


    ¡°What about the rest of you?¡± I asked as Yuzuko rested on me and recovered from her orgasms.


    ¡°Nothing much to speak of, really.¡± One of them said and her forearms stretched out. ¡°That''s it. Two feet. My bones will break if I try to push them out any more than that.¡±


    ¡°I have really good focused hearing.¡± The second girl said. ¡°It''s not long range or anything, I can just pick out specific sounds when I hear them.¡±


    ¡°I can manipte small amounts of water.¡± The third one said with a shrug. ¡°I can''t generate it, though.¡±


    ¡°I can make myself twice as strong for about a minute before I ck out.¡± Thest girl said. Since she looked like she weighed about 90 pounds soaking wet, that was a very low amount of strength.


    The room''s mood fell after their confessions and they looked sad, even Yuzuko.


    ¡°I never told you what my Quirk was.¡± I said into the silence and all five girls perked up. ¡°You have to promise to never tell anyone about it.¡±


    The girls exchanged looks and had a silent conversation, then nodded as one.


    ¡°We promise.¡± Yuzuko said.


    ¡°It''s power sharing.¡± I told them and all five girls gasped and stared at me.


    ¡°You... you''re serious? You can... enhance other powers?¡± One of them asked.


    I smiled a knowing smile, because with both the skill maxed out and with what happened with all of my kids back in the Incredibles gaining variations of my abilities, I knew mytest idea would work.


    ¡°I can do a lot better than that, Akari. I can share copies of the powers I already have.¡± I said without sounding like I was bragging.


    Complete silence met my words and the four girls sat around myself and Yuzuko as they thought about things.


    ¡°Hold on! You called me by my name.¡± Akari said, surprised. ¡°You can tell us apart?¡±


    I chuckled and tried to not roll my eyes at her. ¡°I know all of your first andst names, Akari Shimizu. We''ve been having fun for over an hour now and I''d be a fool if I didn''t know the name of the girl that so delicately caressed me while she handled my balls.¡±


    Akari blushed and looked away from me. ¡°Geez, you noticed that, too?¡±


    I reached out and cupped the side of her face. ¡°You don''t have to be embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I''ve never... this was the first time I... that we...¡± Akari''s voice trailed off and she wouldn''t look at me.


    ¡°We have the room booked for another two hours. Why don''t you sit on my face while I thank you?¡± I asked and all five girls gasped. ¡°What? I''m not an idiot. Of course I was going to do it back to you.¡±


    Yuzuko gave a pointed look to each of her friends and they all nodded. ¡°Agreed. Izuku is ourmunal boyfriend.¡±


    I blinked my eyes at that deration and then she looked at me with desire in her eyes.


    ¡°I noticed someone hasn''t gone soft after everything we''ve done so far.¡± Yuzuko whispered and her friends all looked down at my erection that was still there and looked back at my face. ¡°If we agree to do this, then you''re not allowed to leave us behind when you be a famous hero.¡±


    I looked at each of their faces and saw determination there. ¡°I won''t leave you behind as long as you all try your best. I''m sure you can all get into a better training academy in 10 months when they hold the entrance exams.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to make us try out for UA?¡± Keiko Yoshida asked.


    ¡°I already told you I''m not an idiot.¡± I said and they looked like they were trying to notugh. ¡°As long as you can be registered heroes, it doesn''t matter to me where you do it.¡± I said and was suddenly dog-piled and covered in kisses. I had apparently said the right thing and made them all very happy.

 181 Testing Out Things

    181 Testing Out Things


    ¡°With you slowly charging us up for the next year, we''re sure to be able to stand out from the othermon powers.¡± Rin Matsumoto said after I had eaten out each of the five girls and they confessed their love for me.


    I didn''t correct her misunderstanding about how my powers worked, though. With my Power Sharing skill maxed out, I could easily give her a skill and magic spellbination that would increase her listening powers exponentially and also grant her an enhanced body package.


    Staying with a basic human capability as a hero was a handicap they didn''t need. If they were going to be heroes in today''s society, they needed the extra edge. Plus, I didn''t lose the original copy of the power or ability and could keep giving them out after an arbitrary time limit.


    The best part? I had Imagination Based magic again. I could make up whatever spell I wanted and could give them a copy of it as an actual power. I''d have to level up the new spell manually, since only the skills and spells I already had were maxed out when I sacrificed the One For All power. Still, it shouldn''t take long to do that, bringing me back to Rin''s statement about it taking a while to power her up. Apparently, she was right and I would take my time doing it.


    I cuddled each of them and we set up a little training schedule for me to meet up with them tomorrow and so I could get a look at them using their powers and figuring out the best ways to improve them. We cleaned up with some makeup wipes the girls had in their bags and dressed, the time in the private room almost up, and we left the Karaoke Bar.


    Each of the girls gave me a kiss on the lips and blushed slightly. It was a little odd that they thought kissing on the lips was a more intimate act to their sensibilities than sucking me off was. I took it in stride and helped them all climb into the taxi. The guy with goat horns was ecstatic to have such a huge fare and had fun driving us all over the city to drop the girls off at their homes.


    I was thest to be dropped off and paid him, gave him a tip, and went to the apartment I called home. Inko met me at the door again, almost vibrating out of her clothes as she waited for me to take my shoes off. As soon as my toes left the second shoe, she tackled me and demanded I tell her everything about my date.


    I couldn''t do that, not with how the date turned into half an orgy. Instead of full disclosure like she wanted, I glossed over a few things and gave her only the essential details of when we were in the mall, like the food we ate, some of the things I bought them, and then going to the Karaoke Bar and the songs we yed and sang.


    When I ended with kissing my date goodnight and taking everyone home in a taxi, Inko let out a happy squeal and hugged me tightly.


    ¡°I''m so proud of you!¡± Inko said and let me go. ¡°That was a perfect first date and I''m d my advice worked!¡±


    I smiled at remembering her telling me to just be myself and if my date liked me, things would work out. Well, it was good advice and it did technically work out. I just had five girlfriends now instead of just one. None of us were going toin, though. We had a great time and we were nning on doing it again in a few weeks, because training time did not count as date time apparently.


    I went to the bathroom and showered, then went to my room and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be another full day, only it was going to be full of me analyzing their quirks fully. I just needed somewhere a little private to do it... and my mind immediately went to the trash beach All Might mentioned. Dagobah Beach I think it was called and it would be perfect to meet everyone, because no one ever went there.


    *


    Hibiki Yuzuko was doubtful about Izuku''s chosen meeting ce when she showed up there with her friends. His request to wear workout clothes and to be ready to show him everything they could do, made her feel a little afraid of getting caught using her quirk in public. It also made her a little horny that he was acting like such a bad boy and wanted her to break thew with him watching her.


    Then her eyes caught her hunk of a boyfriend wearing bicycle shorts that clung to him like a second skin and a muscle shirt that was little more than a small piece of ck cloth with straps he let p in the breeze and it didn''t cover any part of hisrge chest.


    Hibiki might have only been 15; but, she definitely knew what she liked in a guy. He had to be nice and a little naughty, muscles without being brutish, and smart as a whip. Having money to spoil her was just a bonus that had pushed Izuku way over the top of her expectations for an ideal boyfriend.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Izuku said loud enough for her and her friends to hear. ¡°You all look super-hot.¡±


    Hibiki blushed deeply at hispliment. ¡°Y-you don''t look so bad yourself.¡±


    Izuku let out a softugh. ¡°I underestimated how much stretch my old shorts had and I''m stuck with them until I can buy new ones to rece them.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Hibiki and her friends shouted at the same time.


    ¡°You don''t need to buy new ones.¡± Rin said and licked her lips. ¡°Those ones are... adequate.¡±


    Izukuughed, now knowing they really liked that his clothes were so revealing, and he stepped forward to give Hibiki a kiss first. ¡°It''s nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± Hibiki said, her blush staying on her face. She watched him kiss each of her friends and didn''t feel any jealousy or envy, because she was his first girlfriend, then she noticed he didn''t repeat the same kiss with them that he gave her. She exchanged looks with Mai and saw she had noticed the same thing.


    ¡°I wanted to meet here because no one else everes here.¡± Izuku said when he stepped back.


    ¡°I think it''s because of the smell.¡± Keiko said and waved a hand in front of her nose.


    Izuku gave her a big smile. ¡°You''re lucky I arrived early and made sure we''re upwind of that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Keiko fake gagged and the other girlsughed.


    ¡°I''ve cleared out a spot over this way where no one can see us, even if they try looking.¡± Izuku said and took Hibiki''s hand as he led her and her friends around several piles of garbage to a spot that looked like it had cleaned up even better than a normal beach could be.


    ¡°How did you do this?¡± Akari asked and bent down to run her fingers through the gleaming sand that almostpletely reflected the sunlight.


    ¡°When I said I was here early, I meant I was here around 6 in the morning.¡± Izuku told them and they gasped. ¡°I found some good stuff, too. I''ll repair itter and it should sell for a good amount of money that I can spend on all of you.¡±


    Hibiki opinion of what great boyfriend material was had just jumped sky high. She was sure that no one else was ever going to match her Izuku. <i>Wait a second. When did I start thinking he was mine?</i>


    ¡°You''re the best boyfriend ever!¡± Rin shouted and jumped up to hug his neck. Hibiki and the others all nodded in agreement with her.


    ¡°Since you''re already in my arms, I think we can start the quirk tests with you.¡± Izuku said and Rin looked happy. Her power was focused listening and shouldn''t take long to test at all.


    They were wrong. It actually took the longest. Izuku tested everything to see how her quirk worked and Rin looked very happy about how well she did on all the tests, as if she could ever fail them. They were designed for her quirk to use, after all.


    ¡°Okay, I think I have a firm grasp of how your quirk works.¡± Izuku said and waved everyone over to look at this new journal. They all sat down in the sand and cuddled into him as they stared at everything he wrote down.


    ¡°What... how...¡± Rin asked, stunned at his in-depth analysis of what she thought was a basic quirk.


    ¡°Your power is very versatile, Rin. You could be in a crowded train station and can listen to each and every person talking around you at the same time and then also perfectly recall what was said and can answer them just as clearly.¡±


    ¡°Woooow.¡± Hibiki said for all of them. ¡°I knew she was good, since we never have to speak up when we''re talking to her, even at the mall during meal times.¡±


    ¡°We never thought she could hold a conversation with dozens of people at the same time, either.¡± Akari added. ¡°That''s amazing!¡±


    ¡°She can also hear a pin drop through ring background noises.¡± Izuku said and held up the pin. ¡°I dropped this into the sand during one of the tests and she still heard it.¡±


    Rin blushed brightly at the admiring stares her friends gave her.


    ¡°I can definitely work with this to make you into a phenomenal rescue hero, Rin. You could join any search and rescue team in the country and they''ll be overjoyed to have you.¡±


    ¡°M-m-me? Rescuing people?¡± Rin asked, clearly surprised.


    Izuku beamed a smile at her. ¡°You can hear any noise, any movement, and any whispered plea for help within your range, no matter what other loud noises are around you. You can hear all of it as if it''s right there by your ear and you can pinpoint where it came from. It''s an awesome ability.¡±


    Rin''s blush somehow went deeper. ¡°Th-thanks, Izuku.¡±


    ¡°AWW!¡± The other four girls said and gave her a huge group hug. Izuku joined in and liberal kisses were shared as well, making all the girls feel their hearts swell with joy.


    ¡°I''ll go next, since it won''t take long to test me.¡± Akari said, because her quirk Telescopic Forearms was so limited in both scope and use.


    Izuku gave her a smile that was full of promise. ¡°I''ll be the judge of that, Akari.¡± He said and stepped back to give her a little room. ¡°Okay, go to your full extent without hurting yourself.¡±


    Akari did and he examined her arms and hands, then had her do a normal dexterity test to see if all her fingers worked and she hadn''t lost either movement or feeling.


    Izuku recorded the results and nodded. ¡°Next, I want you to only go half that distance and repeat the same exercises.¡±


    ¡°Only half? Why?¡± Akari asked and she had to concentrate to only extend her forearms for half the distance. It was actually a little hard to only go that far and no farther and then to keep them at that length.


    ¡°It''s to test your range of motion.¡± Izuku said and recorded her doing the same tests and the results. He also noticed her struggling and the light sweat on her forehead. ¡°All right, rx.¡±


    Akari let out a sigh and her arms went back to normal.


    Izuku gave her a water bottle from somewhere and she drank some and handed it back. ¡°This next test might be a lot harder, so take a few minutes to work up to it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Akari asked, curious.


    ¡°Only extend your forearms for one inch and hold it.¡± Izuku said and her eyebrows rose. ¡°I noticed you had a hard time with keeping your quirk only partially active, so I want to see if you can only let it out a tiny bit and no more.¡±


    Akari stared at him for a full 60 seconds before she spoke. ¡°Is this really going to help me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even more than you think it will.¡± Izuku said and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Your brain is so used to only going out to your full safe distance. You were disappointed by that and never bothered to train yourself to only go the distance you absolutely have to go and no farther, so when you use your quirk, you''re fumbling around with extra long forearms all the time instead of only making them the exact length that you need each time.¡±


    All of the girls were staring at him now.


    ¡°I''ve gotten really good at analyzing quirks and their limits as I studied everything I could get my hands on about heroes.¡± Izuku admitted.


    Akari took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°You''re right, Izuku. That''s exactly what I''ve been doing. I haven''t practised doing anything else at all.¡±


    Izuku pulled her into a hug and held her. ¡°It''s not your fault, Akari. Everyone gets discouraged.¡±


    ¡°Even you?¡± Hibiki asked, just to be sure her thoughts about him before were correct.


    ¡°Especially me. I grew up with everyone thinking I''m quirkless.¡± Izuku reminded her. ¡°Even though I have power now, it''s going to take them a long time to not see me that way and to start treating me differently.¡±


    All the girls nodded and he was engulfed in a group hug.


    ¡°I think I''m ready.¡± Akari said and everyone let her go and stepped back. She raised both hands to chest level and took several deep breaths.


    Izuku had an idea and held his journal up and it was exactly an inch away from the tips of her middle fingers. ¡°You only need to touch this and do nothing else, okay? Don''t do the exercises this time. This isn''t a dexterity test.¡±


    ¡°It''s a control test.¡± Hibiki said and smiled. ¡°You got this by the balls.¡±


    Akari and the other girls let outughs at reminding the girl what she did with Izuku the day before. Izuku gave Hibiki a very inviting look and a slight nod, silently thanking her for making everyone rx. A momentter, Izuku felt the journal move slightly and looked down to see both of Akari''s fingertips were touching the cover.


    ¡°I did it.¡± Akari whispered and stared at her forearms that were exactly one inch longer.


    ¡°You can let it go and rx, then try again.¡± Izuku said.


    Akari did it again and it happened a little faster. A smile grew on her face and she was happy.


    ¡°That was great Akari. Good job.¡± Izuku said and pulled out a 12 inch ruler to show her. ¡°Now you can do the test for each inch.¡±


    The other girls let outughs as Akari groaned and pped a hand over her face, her happiness reced with resignation. Of course it wouldn''t be that easy to pass one of Izuku''s quirk tests, even if it was specifically designed for her quirk.


    *


    I did my best to make the tests a little fun and I had pages of notes for each of them that covered every aspect of their quirks and a few that they had never thought of. It was one of the benefits of being an outside observer and analyzing their quirks with fresh eyes and without any set expectations like they had.


    The tests definitely made them think about their own quirks in a new light. The girls were inordinately pleased about the things they could do after my tests showed them howrge the range of their abilities actually was. The kisses and gropes they gave me in thanks was worth spending the extra timeing up with the right experiments for each of them.


    Of course, I had to bring them home to shower and change, mostly because my mother made me promise to bring my girlfriend over to meet her. I did warn her that she never went anywhere without her friends, so the food she made would need to cover the five of them, herself, and myself.


    Inko squealed with delight when she saw I had 5 Gyaru girls with me and they looked fashionable, even while sweating. She greeted them all and weed them into our home, then the train of showers happened as I helped her set out the meals for us all. I showeredst and dressed up, because this was an important meal for several reasons.


    We gathered in the small living room and surrounded the small table there, making Inko giggle at how crowded it was. I shared the joke about how the table was only meant for three people and it was never supposed to have six pretty girls and a lucky guy around it at the same time. They allughed and blushed, even Inko.


    The meal wasn''t awkward after I had broken the ice. Hibiki and the girls all had fun talking and sharing their views with my mom, whom listened with interest, probably because she wanted to learn as much as she could about my girlfriend and her friends in so short a time.


    I turned on the television when the meal was over and I told the girls to rx on the couch as I helped my mother clean up. Inko gave me a surprised look for only a moment before a beautiful smile appeared on her face, because she was about to spend a lot more time with my girlfriend and her friends than she thought she could.


    That was how the evening ended up passing by, with me surrounded by cuddling girls on the couch and a very happy mother softly interrogating them. Our time together soon came to an end, because the girls had to get home. I called for a taxi and asked for the same guy asst time if he was avable. He was and he looked really happy when he showed up. He drove us around the city once more and dropped all the girls off at their homes.


    I gave him anotherrge tip for it when he dropped me offst and he gave me a thumbs-up before he drove away. I entered the apartment and Inko stood there and gave me a very pointed look. Before I could ask her what was wrong, she let out a very girlish giggle and proimed she was in awe that I had 5 girlfriends at the same time and I wasn''t a cheating bastard, because I was dating them all and the other girls knew about it.


    I thanked her for understanding and for not fainting when she figured it out. Inkoughed and said she did, I just wasn''t there to see it. Iughed as well and hugged her, then helped her straighten up the apartment before we went to bed. All in all, it was a great day. I had school the next day and it was probably going to be the same as always, except now I had to help them study for a hero academy entrance exam.


    I didn''t mind doing that, because I always felt bad that none of the other students in our middle school even tried to apply to UA. In fact, when I went over the story in my head, I couldn''t remember ever seeing any of them ever again, powers or not. We lived in the same area and never met again? That was just sad. I wasn''t going to allow that to happen, now that I knew about it.


    If I was going to be a hero, then I was bringing these five girls out of obscurity and along for the ride. They might not be famous heroes or even enter the top 100; but, they weren''t going to be left behind, either. I didn''t even ask myself why I picked them, because I didn''t. They had picked me and I was going to do my best to help them as much as possible.

 182 The Traditional Timeskip

    182 The Traditional Timeskip


    Even though I was dating all five of the girls, no one at the school ever found out. The girls took turns dressing as Yuzuko each day as the outrageous fashion icon and no one gave the other four girls a second nce. It was the best undercover work I had seen in a while, hiding in in sight, and it made meugh that no one ever caught on. Who knew that teenage girls could be that sneaky?


    After I bought us all top of the line cell phones, because I didn''t want to annoy my girlfriends by cheaping out on a more generic brand or less features, our lives became a routine over the next few months. They were full of studying for middle school exams and hero school entrance exams.


    I also slowly enhanced their powers over that same length of time. I had thought about giving them everything right upfront and didn''t, because Rin had been right and going slow and steady would win the race without dumping all that power onto them and trying to train them to use full power right away.


    Working at their own pace and using the trash beach as a training ground, one that we were cleaning up and I was repairing things to sell, gave all of us the best of both worlds. The girls became more confident in their abilities, we earned a lot of money selling everything, and they grew stronger as we grew closer together.


    We still hadn''t had full sex yet, although Hibiki Yuzuko was almost desperate to take thatst step. We all agreed that she would be first when the time would eventually happen, because if it hadn''t been for her calling out to me that first day and making her friends sit with me at lunch, none of them would be where they are now. Counted among the more popr kids in school.


    We were all 15, going on 16, and the girls were bing buff as they worked out. It wasn''t too much, since they all wanted to keep their womanly figures, and their muscles only hinted at how strong they were bing. The five of them were going to cause a huge scene when they applied at the same academy and were already experienced with working together as a team.


    There were a few times that All Might showed up in the area looking for me and I greeted him and introduced him to my girlfriends. He was shocked at me wanting to put them in danger like that, with All For One out there hunting for the holder of One For All. His worry about that made meugh, because I had been training the girls to be real heroes and showed him the training regimen.


    Needless to say, All Might was very interested in my lesson ns and he spent more time talking to me about the best teaching methods than he did trying to impart his knowledge about how to use the power he was nning to pass on to me. No, he still didn''t figure it out that I already took it.


    I still listened to his stories, as did the girls, because they loved having ess to the Number One Hero in Japan. It was a huge ego rush for them to know that such an important hero would take time out of his day to spend it with their boyfriend and them, then giving them tips that helped them work on their abilities even more.


    We were about five months into our training for the hero school exams when I finally got a hit on the search spell I cast every morning. Tomura Shigaraki had finally appeared in Japan, and we all knew that wherever he was, All For One wasn''t far behind.


    When I told the girls it was finally time to start nning an offensive to go after the League of Viins, they had hungry looks on their faces. Was it because we were going to be breaking thew as we broke the viins, or was it because they were finally going to test their skills against actual opponents and not just each other? In either case, they were now very happy girls.


    Between training on the weekends and the nning for the takedown, it was another month before we were ready. I did not tell All Might about his old foe appearing, because he was busy doing hero work and also making lesson ns (aka copying mine) for the uing school year at UA academy. I also didn''t want him trying to interfere and possibly ruining things by calling in the cavalry and making a mess of everything.


    This was going to be a nice and quick operation and only we were ever going to know about it and what really happened. At least, that was the n anyway. We gathered together for that day''s training session and brought our hero costumes. It had been really easy for me to make them whatever they wanted, thanks to transfiguration magic and my armor enchantments working again.


    I even rebuilt my old Hestia Hearth armor set that was an orange-yellowish color that I had lost a very long time ago. Let me tell you, if the girls hadn''t already been worked up because we were taking down a group of viins today, watching me put on my fully enchanted armor set would have had their panties soaked if they weren''t already.


    We went over the n again and agreed to scout out the location, the bar where they had their main base, and then we would assault the ce from two directions to take down everyone inside. Since the viins were just starting out and hadn''t fully established themselves as the League of Viins yet, there should only be two or three people inside the building.


    I handed out cloaks to my teammates that would make people ignore them and the girls looked horrified. Iughed and said it was only for today because we didn''t want to draw any attention to ourselves.


    They rxed and put them on and Hibikimented that she liked the style but hated that no one could see her in it. Iughed again and showed them on a map where the bar was and we used our powers to do parkour running and jumping across the rooftops.


    The girls looked extremely happy as we moved like professional heroes across the city and they kept exchanging knowing looks with each other. I didn''t ask what they were thinking about or nning, because whatever it was, I was sure I was going to like it.


    We arrived at the location and cased out the entire block instead of just the bar and let Rin do her thing. She closed her eyes and told us everything that was going on and pinpointed the bar. She whispered someone was making drinks for a customer and someone else was cursing as they yed a console game. There was also a lot of scratching of nails on dry skin every few seconds.


    I nodded andid out the assault n and where we would enter. Mai would knock the side wall down to give the girls entrance. Hibiki would then light the walls on fire with her Bluebell mes to distract them. Rin would confirm where they were in the room and Keiko would douse the guy ying games with her water jets. Akari''s job was to subdue the guy behind the bar with her stic powers.


    It would then be my job to take out the gamer guy while he was distracted. His decay quirk was much too dangerous for the girls to handle on their own. They agreed after my cautious warning to never let the guy touch them anywhere.


    We used hand signals to position ourselves around the bar and Rin signed that they were still in the same spots and we all nodded. She held up three fingers and dropped one, then another, then thest.


    All five of the girls dove through the ruined wall Mai had made and I went in through the front door at the same time. The loud crashes shocked the three people inside and the customer screamed as the walls were instantly covered in bright blue fire. Shigaraki yelled as he was flooded with a deluge of water and the portal guy named Kurogiri was knocked out after being double-punched in the chest by giant fists and he smashed into the shelves of alcohol behind the bar.


    I ran across the room to Shigaraki as I formed a ck sword of disintegration magic in my hand and it easily slid through his chest and his heart, because of my intention to sacrifice him. It reminded me of thest time I did it, which was way back in the first world I had entered, High School DxD.


    I had retaliated against Serafall Leviathan when she threatened my mother and I had gained a lot of Karmic Debt and power from her at the time. As I twisted the sword, everything greyed out and time came to a stop.


    <b>World Paused.


    The being known as Tomura Shigaraki has been mortally wounded by your hand. You have gained 1,200 Karma Points for defeating a viin before he could retaliate with his power.</b>


    <b>Blessing of Fortune activated. Do you wish to harvest Tomura Shigaraki''s power as his corrupted soul is consumed and sacrificed?


    Chance of sess: 100%</b>


    <i>Yes, take everything, including his Karmic Debt. I have plenty to cover it, thanks to the previous soul fragments I sacrificed.</i>


    <b>Previous file essed and repaired. Note of Karmic eptance found. Reinstating auto-ept option when target is sessfully killed.


    Soul sacrifice is still optional. Make Permanent? Yes / No</b>


    <i>Yes, there''s no real reason to not ept the buy-out. Free points are free points.</i>


    <b>Choice entered and saved. Soul consumed.


    Power absorbed and converted to skill: Instant Decay


    A debilitating drawback has been negated and removed by Minor Regeneration</b>


    <i>Oh, thank god. Having itchy skin because the power wasn''t natural would have sucked.</i> I thought and mentally nodded at the ''Resume World'' option. The world faded back into full color and the flow of time resumed.


    I let the sword of disintegration go and it quickly consumed the human body. Apparently, it took a lot more energy to consume a devil''s reinforced body and that had allowed me to stop the effect and give Serafall''s body to her sister, Sona.


    ¡°Portal guy is getting up.¡± Akari said. ¡°I''ve got the customer restrained.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and apparated across the room and grabbed the golden cor around Kurogiri''s neck. I dug my fingers into it and formed a dagger of ck disintegration energy and held it over his heart. ¡°Is there anyone else going to show up here to be recruited by All For One?¡±


    The portal guy gave me a sneer through his purple smoke face. ¡°I''ll never tell you anything or open a portal to his hiding ce, so go ahead and kill me!¡±


    The girls around usughed and his head turned to each of them and then ended on me.


    ¡°Why are theyughing?¡± Kurogiri asked.


    I slid the dagger into his chest and he gasped. ¡°You actually told me to do it and I lost the bet.¡±


    The girls were stillughing when Kurogiri disintegrated and his portal power became a part of me. I didn''t have that weird nebulous form, either. That was just him obscuring his identity with his power to stop his old ssmates from easily identifying him. The basic skill was only good enough to cross the room, so I''d have to work hard to level the thing up.


    I turned to look at the customer that wore abcoat and I recognized him. ¡°Hello, Dr. Kyudai Garaki. It''s been a long time.¡±


    The older man wearing sses stared at me and looked confused.


    ¡°Eleven years ago when I was four, you told me that I was quirkless.¡± I said and his eyes widened.


    ¡°This is the guy that caused you so much pain and now this asshole is having a drink in a viin''s bar?¡± Hibiki asked and the mes covering the walls glowed brightly and were almost blinding.


    ¡°Ooo, I think she''s unlocking the next stage!¡± Mai said and pped.


    I watched the mes as they changed from bright blue to white and the heat increased to almost blisteringly hot. I agreed with Mai''s assessment as all of the mes were pulled away from the scorched walls. Akari dropped the doctor to the floor and stepped back as the mes flowed through the air and attacked the man.


    ¡°No one hurts my Izuku and gets away with it.¡± Hibiki said as Akari''s extended arm hugged her shoulders.


    We all stood there and watched as her upgraded mes burned the man to ash in only moments. It had happened so fast that he didn''t even scream in pain as he was immted. Tears came to Hibiki''s eyes and we all gathered around her to hold her.


    ¡°Thank you for protecting me.¡± I whispered and kissed her. ¡°I wasn''t sure how I was going to deal with that and you handled it for me. Thank you.¡±


    Hibiki cried and held onto me. The other girls also said the same thing, that she took care of it before they could, and they were proud of her.


    ¡°Taking a life is hard, even when they''re evil and you know they''ve done or will do horrible things.¡± I told them. ¡°The responsibility is heavy; but, we are all here for you. You are not alone and all of us would have ended him for his crimes.¡±


    ¡°We''d be crying about it, too.¡± Rei said and kissed Akari''s cheek. ¡°Sometimes doing good can hurt.¡±


    ¡°Does... does it get easier?¡± Hibiki asked as Akari wiped at her friend''s wet face.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± I said and gave her another tender kiss. ¡°You can start rationalizing it immediately and it will barely register that you ended someone''s life. But, we''ll be here for you and we will make sure you never be numb to it.¡±


    ¡°You... you won''t let me... be a monster?¡± Hibiki asked.


    ¡°Never!¡± The other girls almost shouted and then kisses were liberally shared.


    ¡°That''s what friends are for. We protect each other.¡± I said and they all nodded. ¡°Now let''s raid the ce for loot. I''m sure they have money and things stashed around. You can''t start a criminal organization without it.¡±


    All of the girls gave me bright smiles.


    ¡°Robbing the bad guys is like the biggest irony!¡± Mai said and the other girls let outughs, even Hibiki.


    ¡°If you find any evidence of the heroes and viins they''ve already captured or killed, bring it to me. We''ll let their families know what happened to them.¡± I reminded them and their bright smiles changed to a determined look.


    ¡°We won''t let you down, Apex.¡± Keiko said.


    ¡°You never could, even if you chose to quit right now.¡± I said and she blushed. ¡°That goes for all of you. If you change your mind about being a hero, none of us will hold it against you.¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± Hibiki said and took a deep breath and let it out, the death she caused still weighing heavily on her. ¡°You keep telling us that it''s our decision, and it is. We also made it and you''re stuck with us now.¡±


    The other girls nodded. I smiled and gave them each a kiss. We split up and searched the entire building and found their seed money, or more urately their operating budget, and it was a lot more money than any of us had seen in a single ce. The girls all exchanged knowing looks and turned to me to give me looks full of promise.


    I had to hold in myugh at how predictable their reaction was and I stored the money. ¡°Let''s keep looking. If we don''t find anything, they should have it at theirb warehouse.¡±


    The girls nodded and we finished searching the ce. We didn''t find anything except partially written out ns for creating the League of Viins and how to find prospective members. We copied those notes and bundled the originals into a bag to store it. We even found the address of the warehouse and the girls gave me kisses for urately predicting that they had one. It saved me from having to cast the spell, too.


    Another trip across the city brought us to the warehouse and I warned the girls about what we would find inside. Not surprisingly, they all chose to wait outside and I entered on my own. It was even worse than I suspected as I came across vats of biomass, grafting experiments, tanks of growing Nomus, and the remains of the heroes and viins they had captured. Their equipment and costumes were discarded in the corner like trash.


    I went back out and gave each member of my team and sad look. ¡°It''s horrible inside and you are not going in there.¡± I said and a few of them shivered. ¡°It''s also going to be a while for me to catalogue everything, assuming we want to handle the cleanup ourselves.¡±


    The girls exchanged looks and shook their heads.


    ¡°We should call an anonymous tip in to the closest Pro Hero business.¡± Rei suggested and pointedly didn''t look at me. ¡°I''m feeling sick listening to what''s going on in there.¡±


    I reached out and tapped her helmet. ¡°Use background filter #6.¡±


    Rei didn''t move for a second and then sighed. ¡°I forgot about that one, Izuku. Thanks.¡±


    I took her into a hug and she cuddled in. A cushioning charm on my chest te was great for things like that. ¡°We have been a bit busy to study your suit manuals.¡±


    ¡°If you weren''t the best boyfriend in the world, we would have stopped studying weeks ago.¡± Akari huffed and the others softlyughed. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We''ve been at this for 6 months!¡± Hibiki said. ¡°How would stopping weeks ago be any better?¡±


    ¡°Because we''re just reviewing now and it''s all stuff we''ve done before.¡± Akari answered and crossed her arms.


    ¡°It helps with retention.¡± I offered. ¡°It''s also designed to make it easier for you to remember things.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you''re the best boyfriend. I just hate wasting time.¡± Akari responded.


    ¡°We have three months to keep our studies on par for middle school exams and a month after that for the hero entrance exams. You can''t beining about it now!¡± Mei eximed.


    I caught a wink from Akari when the other girls stated arguing and I nodded. She was giving me a good distraction and I wasn''t going to waste it. I entered the building once more and took out my cell phone. I called my mentor and told him what I had found during a jog around the industrial sector. All Might shouted he would be there as soon as possible with the cavalry and I wasn''t to touch anything.


    I hung up without agreeing, because I had something to do before he showed up. I took out a wand and held it in the palm of my hand. ¡°Point me All For One.¡±

 183 Cleaning Up

    183 Cleaning Up


    The wand turned around after I cast the spell and it flipped over in my hand and pointed straight down instead of in a normal direction. That let me know there was an underground chamber and I cast the spell again as I asked for the entrance.


    I ran over to where it indicated and vanished the hidden wall to reveal an elevator shaft. I jumped down andnded on top of the elevator and went in through the safety hatch and opened the doors. There was anotherb, only this was more like a hospital.


    In the middle of the medicalb was an angled stretcher and on it was a trussed up and secured All For One. He had a misshapen head with no eyes, no nose, and no mouth. All he had were tubes stuck in him in different ces all over his body to keep him alive.


    ¡°So, you''ve finallye for me.¡± All For One''s voice came from the air around him and my Danger Sense red at me. ¡°I''ve been wanting to meet you for a while, Izuk-AGGGLL!¡±


    My disintegration sword slid into his head and I twisted it and let it go. The process to harvest him was automatic now and I stood there as his head dissolved near instantly, ending the man before he could use any of his other powers to affect the area. He also knew who I was somehow, probably some predictive quirk orbination of quirks, and I couldn''t let him use that info against me or my girls.


    I felt all of his stolen quirks filter through my mind and be basic skills, then another surge of pure power like One For All filled me up. I didn''t even look at the other options and chose to level up the skills I had, taking about a fifth of his centuries of building power, and converted the rest into Karma Points.


    Let me tell you, it was a huge rush to feel so many Karma Points umte at once. Apparently, when I didn''t have a Divine Body, I couldn''t feel the difference between a small amount and thousands of points. I nearly choked on my own spit when the surge ended and I checked the total.


    <b>Karma Points: 546,235,676</b>


    I was now up to over half a <b>billion</b> Karma Points! I was shocked, because I had broken the record after getting a million points not that long ago, and now... yeah, it was just ridiculous. There must have been small soul remnants attached to the thousands of quirks he had stored and their sale to the system had pushed my total points up to an insane amount.


    Apparently, All For One had been a power pack-rat and had taken everything he could get his grubby evil hands on and not just the quirks he could actually use. There were quirks for everything and I honestly couldn''t sort through all of that information using only my mind, so took out my Adventurer Card. It was now a foot square instead of the normal size in order to hold all of the skills and abilities I had now.


    With all of the new skills and abilities, it would give me a practically unlimited number ofbinations for new and unique effects that I could pass on. The best part? All For One''s main quirk had folded into my already maxed Power Sharing skill and it now worked both ways.


    I could take powers from people, give them to other people, and I no longer needed to use my DNA to pass them on. I still would, though. Getting eager blowjobs from the girls was the best, especially when they could feel the difference in their powers and abilities afterwards.


    I left everything in the newly discoveredb where it was, because I was sure they had ways of detecting it if I did touch anything, and I went back up the elevator shaft and came out into the warehouseb.


    The girls were still outside and I shut the door behind me again to stop them from seeing inside. I told them I found who I was looking for and had erased him. They all visibly rxed and I was hugged and kissed from all sides. I also told them All Might wasing soon and they had to evacuate to the Safehouse. It made themugh because that was the codename for the living room back at the apartment.


    I received goodbye kisses from them and they stealthily moved away into the alleyways. They knew the heroes would being in with everything and running across rooftops would give them away almost instantly. I silently approved of their choice and stored my armor suit and then equipped my workout outfit, only to remember I hadn''t bought one that should be seen by anyone but my girlfriends.


    Barely a minuteter, All Might showed up with pretty much everyone I had ever seen was a hero in the show. It was awe-inspiring to see so many colorful costumes that were worn by enigmatic characters with presences that were so much greater in real life than they had been on an animated show.


    ¡°Young Midoriya!¡± All Might called out as hended and everyone else seemed to form up around him, just like one of those ensemble cast pictures.


    I had to hold in myugh at them doing it so naturally, as if they had constantly practised to give themselves the right ir of presentation. The thing was, I was pretty sure they had. PR was just as important to them as stopping crime was.


    ¡°Stay here. We will investigate and check everything.¡± All Might said and he and a bunch of other heroes entered the building.


    Surprisingly, almost of them were men and they were leaving most of the women behind. It made me think he had passed on my warning about how bad it was inside. Just like my girls, most of the female heroines didn''t want to see it and only a few die-hard ones tried to enter to prove themselves.


    ¡°Helllooo, there!¡± The 18-plus hero Midnight said in a sexy voice as she approached me and that gained everyone''s attention, because they all looked from her to me. ¡°Are you sure you''re only 15, Midoriya?¡±


    I was six feet tall and built like an Adonis, so it was a valid question. ¡°That''s the date on my birth certificate.¡± I said and she pouted, probably because I hadn''t reacted to her. ¡°I also have five girlfriends already.¡±


    Midnight let out a little moan and all of the female heroines blushed as they gathered around us. They also gave me a much more in-depth look than they normally would have, if I had been any other teenager. Of course, my skintight bicycle shorts and barely there muscle shirt let them see a lot more than was normally decent.


    ¡°My girlfriends wouldn''t let me buy anything to rece my workout clothes.¡± I said in my defense.


    ¡°Why would they ever ask you to cover that up?¡± Midnight motioned at my body and let out another moan as she licked her lips invitingly. ¡°You look delicious.¡±


    I couldn''t help teasing her back. ¡°They all swallow and clean me up afterwards, so they must agree with you.¡±


    Several gasps came from the other women and Midnight let out a throaty moan. The sound alone was enough to give me a hard-on and all of their eyes dropped down to look, because my tight form-fitting shorts left nothing to the imagination and any movement down there could be easily seen.


    ¡°Oh, sweet lord.¡± Midnight moaned again, this one was quite indecent.


    ¡°How much can you bench?¡± Mirko, The Rabbit Hero asked as she came out of the warehouse. Her dark skin glistened in the sunlight and her breathing was a little heavy, as if she had run a long way. I didn''t remind her that she should have stayed outside with the others and might be having nightmares about what she saw inside the warehouse.


    ¡°They don''t make equipment strong enough for me to use.¡± I admitted instead and looked down at her, because she was almost a foot shorter than me.


    ¡°Midoriya, is it?¡± Mirko asked as she stepped close.


    I nodded and held a hand out to her. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Mirko.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Mirko said as she took my offered hand and grinned as she squeezed it. ¡°You can call me Rumi.¡±


    I squeezed back with equal pressure. ¡°Then you can call me Izuku.¡±


    Rumi kept the pressure on and the smile on her face. I stood there and didn''t react at all.


    ¡°I think this is the first dick measuring contest I''ve witnessed that didn''t involve actual dicks.¡± Midnightmented and a few of the othersughed, breaking the tension.


    Rumi let out augh and pped my arm. ¡°You''re lucky you weren''t boasting about your strength. I''ve made most men cry when they couldn''t beat me with a friendly handshake.¡±


    ¡°I was supposed to beat you and not match you?¡± I asked and everyone stared at me. ¡°I didn''t want to crush your hand, so I only copied you. When you stopped squeezing, so did I.¡±


    ¡°Damn, kid. Do you want her to try and pound you?¡± A woman wearing a half-mask made of metal dragon ws asked me. She was the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu, and she could transform into a huge scaled dragon.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I''m saving myself for marriage.¡± I said and a lot of the women around us looked sad before they could stop themselves. Midnight didn''t even bother trying to hide her frown, because she knew her teasing wasn''t going to work on me.


    ¡°What hero school are you applying to?¡± A blue-skinned girl asked me. She was the Bubble Hero and was Sir Nighteye''s sidekick. She also wore a top that exposed the underside of her breasts and she wore a clear face mask like a firefighter''s.


    ¡°UA.¡± I answered and nearly all of the women nodded. Someone as strong as me had to go to the best school in the country or it would be a waste.


    ¡°They''ll probably stick you in ss 1-A.¡± Midnight said and gave me another longing look.


    ¡°Why? Isn''t that for the problem students?¡± I asked and her eyes widened. ¡°I''m going for the rmended exam, too.¡±


    ¡°Really? Who''s your sponsor?¡± Some else asked.


    ¡°That would be me.¡± All Might said as he left the warehouse. He looked a little sick too, just like Mirko had. ¡°Young Midoriya, did you use the elevator to go down to the lower level?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I said, honestly. I jumped down the shaft and jumped back out.


    All Might rxed. ¡°Good.¡± He said, thinking he had saved me from seeing what was down there, and he pped me on the shoulder. ¡°Are you sure you want to do the easy entrance exam instead of facing the same as the other normal students?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I''m not a normal student, All Might. I could teach there if I wasn''t restricted by not having a valid teaching degree and a hero license.¡±


    That shocked all the heroes, even the men that hade out of the warehouse behind All Might to share their findings with the women they had left behind to protect their tender sensibilities.


    All Might nodded and let my shoulder go. ¡°I''ll speak to Nezu about your cement.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, All Might.¡± I said and reached behind my back and pulled out the bundle of documents I had raided from the bar. ¡°By the way, I found this earlier and that''s why I knew there was something near here.¡±


    All Might opened the bag and caught his breath at what was inside. ¡°Nighteye!¡±


    The tall man wearing sses rushed over and looked into the bag. ¡°We need to get this to HQ.¡±


    All Might closed the bag and handed it to him before he turned to smile at me. ¡°Thank you for this, young Midoriya. You don''t know how much this is going to help us in the fight against viiny.¡±


    I smiled back and nodded, because I did know. I also had ns to make sure that most of those viins never had the chance to cause the trouble they would in the future. My team and I had a lot of work to do before the heroes messed everything up or let the viins get away.


    Then again, I could wait for that and catch them after the heroes had dealt with them and remove any suspicion from myself and my girls. Yes, I think that was the better path to take and havingplete deniability would ensure we couldn''t be connected with their disappearances.


    The police were also called to gather all of the evidence up and to investigate it all. There were hero identities to confirm and families to console over their deaths.


    ¡°What''s your quirk?¡± Midnight asked after All Might left and the rest of the heroes and heroines spread out to protect the warehouse.


    ¡°You can''t wait to find out when I''m your student in four months?¡± I asked and she shook her head. I thought about keeping it secret and mentally shrugged. They would all find out about it eventually. ¡°It''s Power.¡±


    ¡°Power?¡± Midnight asked and looked confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I gave her a sexy smile as I held my hand out to her. Surprisingly, she blushed a little before she took my hand. Since I had resolved that I would only share power with my DNA, I pulled her in and kissed her.


    Midnight wrapped her arms around my neck automatically and kissed me back. She gasped when she swallowed some of my saliva and I shared a bit of power with her. I chose to increase the range of her Somnambulist quirk, which was a power that let her release sleeping gas from her exposed skin. It went from ''drifts nearby'' to ''instantly fills the room''.


    ¡°M-m-marry me.¡± Midnight said when she broke the kiss.


    I chuckled and patted her back, despite her trying to make me lower my hands to pat her ass. ¡°I''d have to ask my girlfriends about that and I''m sure they''ll say no. They are saving themselves for marriage as well and it wouldn''t be fair if I left them behind.¡±


    Midnight gave me a sly smile. ¡°If they agree, can I get in on some of the power sharing fun?¡±


    ¡°Only to a degree. We do have a lot of fun, just not all of the fun.¡± I rified and she nodded. ¡°I need to go. They''re waiting for me back at the house.¡±


    Midnight sighed and let me go. ¡°I don''t suppose you''ll ask them right away?¡± She asked and I chuckled. She gave me a longing look before she walked towards the approaching police cars and the other heroes.


    I waved goodbye and jogged away. I had to do it the normal way, just in case anyone was spying on me, and I let my Danger Sense guide me and I made it home without incident. I told the girls what happened when All Might and the others showed up and they enjoyed it until I reached the end and Midnight''s marriage proposal.


    They all became deathly quiet and had bright red faces. I wasn''t sure what was wrong until my mother pulled me into the kitchen to quietly talk to me.


    ¡°They''re sacred no one will want to marry them because of their lifestyle choices.¡± Inko whispered.


    I then realized their outrageous Gyaru personalities would rub some men the wrong way, especially if they started dating and the girls didn''t calm down or changed their behavior to be more respectable. The bleached hair and make-up would also go against a normal Japanese man''s upbringing to conform and fit in, even in a world full of quirks. Traditions were weird like that.


    ¡°You know what you have to do.¡± Inko whispered and gave me a knowing smile and went back into the living room.


    I stared at her back and couldn''t believe what she just gave me permission to do. I mean, it wasn''t like I hadn''t had several rtionships that had multiple partners before. It was just odd to have a mother approve of me offering to marry them all to make sure my girlfriends would never be disappointed by another guy''s expectations.


    It took me a few minutes to wrap my head around that and then I turned towards the living room and saw Inko happily chatting with the five of them. It was then I realized she had been just as reclusive and sheltered as Izuku had been and I wasn''t going to let that go on. Someone important to me was about to have a sudden choice to make about joining in on our training sessions and getting into shape.


    I spent a few more minutes checking my inventory and brought out the appropriate gems, the birthstones for my girlfriends, and mounted them in transfigured rings surrounded by small diamonds. I also enchanted them into permanent portkeys to go to each other and added locator maps to show where the others were. I made appropriate boxes and stored them before I walked into the living room.


    All talking ceased and a serious feeling filled the room as all six females looked up at my face.


    I stored the living room table and then knelt on the floor on one knee. ¡°Hibiki...¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Hibiki lunged and kissed me passionately. The other girlsughed at her reaction.


    ¡°You''re supposed to wait for him to ask.¡± Inko said with a huge smile and looked really pleased.


    ¡°I''m sorry! I couldn''t wait!¡± Hibiki said and kissed me again.


    ¡°I didn''t even get the ring out yet.¡± I said and they all gasped. I took out the first custom box that looked like her costume.


    Hibiki made an odd sound and her face was full of disbelief. ¡°Izuku...¡±


    I opened it and showed her the ring and she squealed and trembled. I took the ring out and it slid onto her finger to show it was a perfect fit.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Hibiki whispered.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± I said and gave her another kiss, then I let her go and turned to the next girl. I was smarter this time and took the box out first. ¡°Akari...¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± Akari yelled and lunged at me to kiss me passionately, making the other girlsugh.


    ¡°What did I just say?¡± Inko asked andughed, too.


    ¡°I couldn''t wait, either!¡± Akari said and wagged her hand at me. ¡°Hurry, hurry! I want to see it!¡±


    I opened the box and she squealed happily. The ring fit her perfectly and she gave me another kiss.


    ¡°I love you, too.¡± Akari said and stepped aside.


    ¡°And I love you.¡± I said with the next box in my hand and turned towards the girls. All five of them epted and we were all engaged. We would worry about the legality of the whole thingter and celebrated for the rest of the night with a crying Inko that was really happy to wee five daughters into the family.

 184 Exam Time

    184 Exam Time


    Now that I had both of the ultimate powers of the world in my possession, and sacrificed them, I was feeling like my old self again. I felt confident, rxed, and like nothing could go wrong. Most of that was probably thanks to my perks and blessings being back in full effect, though. It was great to not have to worry about the little things anymore.


    Of course, the first thing I did with this new power was to visit a particrly irritating blond idiot named Bakugo and I took his quirk. I wasn''t going to leave him a nk like I used to be, though. No one deserved to suffer being bullied for being quirkless like I was.


    So, I created a cheap spell that duplicated the effects of the quirk, sweating a napalm-like substance and being able to ignite it at will, and gave the weak level 1 power back to him... by giving him a Wet Willy! What? Yes, it was petty and childish; but, the mean little bastard tortured me for 10 years and I deserved to have a little payback.


    It also made my brides-to-be and my motherugh for a long time. Imented about how big of a wad of spit I had used to soak the inside of the idiot''s ear and how I had to wash my hand off three times to get all the ear wax off of it, making them both amused and disgusted, so I figured my work was a sess.


    With that important thing out of the way, we started our watch on the hero agencies and the police stations. Since we knew the viins that the League would have tracked down eventually, thanks to their own paperwork and my own additions, it was easy to find them after they were released from their interviews.


    Like I did to Bakugo, those powers I took and reced with the cheap Level 1 versions. They also didn''t know it was me doing it, thanks to me knocking them out first and dropping them off in a different part of the city.


    When they woke up afterwards, they were both disoriented and with their severely reduced power. Without their full power, they could no longer be the criminals they had chosen to be. Funnily enough, they did not report the change to their quirks to the police, and that worked out to help cover up the whole thing.


    The only time I did anything different was when there was a clear and present danger of the viins retaliating. Those people I sacrificed and kept their power, increasing my Karma Points a lot more than reforming them gave me. That also included a quick visit to a certain Yakuzapound to harvest the people there.


    I killed them all instead of trying to sort through them and disintegrated their bodies, because they were allplicit in what Overhaul did to little Eri. Luckily, we had been early enough that she hadn''t suffered through the worst of the experiments he would have performed on her to duplicate her quirk with drugs made from her blood.


    I also took her quirk from her and Eri cried and cried in my arms as I carried her out of the ce and back home. It was heartbreaking at how relieved the little girl was to never have to worry about reverting anyone else into nothingness and to never be experimented on again.


    Inko epted my decision to adopt Eri and my future wives adored her. It made Eri cry even more to go from no family to having so many parents that she couldn''t get their names right. That made the girlsugh and they hugged her and kissed her little cheeks as Eri preened under the onught of affection, and that was how Inko weed another girl into the family.


    *


    Needless to say, the six of us blew through the middle school exams at the top of our respective sses and had even reached the top twenty scores in the whole country. It was hrious to see the shock on the faces of the other students and the teachers, because they now knew the five fashion obsessed teenagers were also some of the smartest girls in the country.


    I caught a few more criminals, some of which had more information to pass on, and led me to the Mutant Liberation Front. The details were scarce, which was why I hadn''t gone after them before. I couldn''t use my search spell to ask for generalities, like a guy with a charisma quirk, because that gave hundreds of results and was useless. I needed a name at least.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t have the time to hunt them down before the UA entrance exams and had to put it off until afterwards. It disappointed the girls as well, because they had be used to going out and making a real difference over thest four months. Why were we going to school again? To make things official and we would actually get paid for all the work we were doing.


    We kept the evidence we gathered and would deliver the proof after we were recognized heroes. Until then, we sat on everything and went along with the facade that school was going to be.


    I kissed the five girls goodbye and went to the Rmendation Exam and found out it was just a silly race. There were only four slots avable for the top sses, two each, and I sighed at therge group of students around me.


    ¡°Afraid you''re going to lose? Because you are.¡± A smug voice said.


    ¡°WET WILLY!¡± I yelled and lunged at him as I slobbered over my index finger and jammed it into his ear.


    ¡°AHH! Get him offa me! GET HIM OFFA ME!¡± The guy yelled.


    I backed off before anyone could step in, mostly because I had already switched his wind generation power for a weak copy. ¡°Does anyone else want to say anything? I''ve got nine more digits that need waxing.¡±


    ¡°E.¡± The girls said and one made a gagging noise.


    A couple of the guysughed and I received a nod of respect from Shouto Todoroki.


    I looked at the teacher overlooking the tests and took out a napkin to wipe my finger off. ¡°Is there time for me to go wash up?¡±


    ¡°No, you''re up first.¡± Ms. Joke said with a huge grin. ¡°That was a great move. Can I steal it?¡±


    ¡°Help yourself.¡± I said and tucked the napkin away. ¡°I have a few more I''ll share with youter if you want.¡±


    Ms. Jokeughed. ¡°Hitting on me won''t earn you extra credit.¡±


    ¡°It won''t? Dammit.¡± I groused and sheughed again. ¡°Okay, who am I destroying?¡±


    Ms. Joke pointed to the guy that taunted me, at Todoroki, and at some guy with no lips that made everything soft.


    ¡°So, only one worthy opponent. Got it.¡± I said and the smug guy preened. ¡°Hey, Todoroki? Want a tip to move faster?¡±


    Everyone elseughed at the pouting smug guy and Shouto gave me another nod.


    ¡°First group, line up!¡± Ms. Joke said and went to the starting line.


    We lined up beside her and I whispered to Todoroki about angling the ice under his feet forward, so he was constantly sliding downwards, and to use his dominant foot to push the ice out from underneath him. It should let him travel any path he wants, as long as there was some surface nearby to attach the ice to. The young man''s eyes were wide as he stared at me in shock.


    ¡°GO!¡± Ms. Joke yelled and dropped her hand.


    I grabbed Todoroki''s arm and jumped 30 feet forwards, carrying him with my telekinesis, and Inded in a run. ¡°Do it now, Todoroki!¡±


    He reacted to my order automatically and ice formed under his feet, giving him a kind of shelf to stand on, and it left a solid trail of ice behind him.


    ¡°Now race me!¡± I said and pushed him away.


    He windmilled his arms for a second as he drifted about ten feet away and then he evened out and braced himself like I told him. His re at me was pretty heated, too.


    ¡°Catch me if you can!¡± I shouted with augh and did the same parkour moves I did every time I went out with my team on the weekends, only a lot faster. This was a race after all.


    By the time the exam was over, after several races that I dominated in, I had the first reserved spot. A girl with a splitting quirk named Setsuna Tokage was second, Shouto Todoroki was third, and Momo Yaoyorozu wasst. I wasn''t shocked by that, honestly. They did have the best quirks to convey speed when they needed it.


    I whispered to the other students to apply to the other hero academies because there was still time to take their entrance exams and they wouldn''t miss out. Just because they didn''t get into UA, it didn''t mean they couldn''t be heroes. They just had to it without the prestige UA would have given them.


    Ms. Joke gave me a sexy look and repeated almost word for word what I said, because she didn''t want to see the rest of them give up, just because they couldn''t get in with their rmendations. The normal exams were the next day and they still had a chance to get in, even if they only went for the general course and worked their way up into the hero program.


    Even the smug guy looked reassured and I was given a lot of whispered thanks as we all left the staging area. Shouto Todoroki pulled me aside and gave me a stern look, as if telling me to wait, so I waved at the others and waited. When we were alone, I cast a privacy spell.


    ¡°Why?¡± Todoroki asked me and he looked confused.


    ¡°Because I know.¡± I said and stepped close and put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I know your struggles and I know you hate the part of yourself that <b>he</b> gave you.¡±


    The young man scowled at me. ¡°How could you ever...¡±


    ¡°Because my power lets me use powers.¡± I said and absorbed his quirk, Hot and Cold.


    Todoroki gasped and his entire demeanor changed as his repressed sidepletely disappeared and he no longer had to fight off using his vtile mes.


    I mentally looked through my avable powers and found Serafall''s superior Ice Magic affinity and smiled. I licked my fingertip and gave Todoroki a Wet Willy without being mean about it and handed over both the ice power and the associated resistances he needed to not make himself an icicle whenever he used the power.


    ¡°There you go.¡± I said and patted his shoulder. ¡°Now you can honor your mother and make her and your family proud by using primordial ice to be one of the best heroes in the country.¡±


    Todoroki almost looked on the verge of crying. ¡°You... how...¡±


    ¡°I can''t admit to anything publicly.¡± I said and leaned in to whisper. ¡°Have you heard about the underground vignte names Apex?¡±


    Todoroki''s mouth dropped open and he stared at me. Our antics had been on the newstely, despite how careful we had been. Being active and handling crimes in view of the public had left enough witnesses for our likenesses and hero names to be released and associated with several solved cases.


    ¡°The only reason your dad isn''t dead already is because there''s no evidence of any of his crimes.¡± I whispered and Todoroki''s mouth snapped shut and his re came back. ¡°I also don''t know how to help you and your family any more than I already have.¡±


    Todoroki lost the re. ¡°You helped my sister find our brother''s body.¡±


    I nodded and let his shoulder go. ¡°He was a viin and was... I can''t tell you what happened to him to make him look like that. Experiments and things to... well, the heroes and the police should have that information. I honestly didn''t want to know. I have enough horrible images in my head without adding any more.¡±


    Todoroki nodded because he knew what I meant. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I gave him a searching look and then reached up to briefly touch the burn scars on his face. ¡°Do you want me to fix your hair, too?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Todoroki asked and reached up to touch his cheek and didn''t feel the scar tissue anymore. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°It''s just a little transfiguration.¡± I said and motioned to his hair.


    ¡°No, I... I match my brother and sister. I don''t want that to change.¡± Todoroki said.


    ¡°Good choice.¡± I said and started to walk away. ¡°See you in school.¡±


    He didn''t respond and I didn''t really expect him to. It was a risk to tell him my illegal identity and I was sure he would keep it a secret, mostly because I had given him his fondest wish. He no longer had any part of Endeavor''s mes inside of him.


    I went home and greeted my brides-to-be and my mother, whom all weed me with open arms and liberal kisses. They were eager to hear about my test and were just as disappointed as I was that it had been so easy. I also told them I hadn''t rushed and didn''t reveal my full abilities, specifically because the test had been so easy to beat.


    I saw them all home and the taxi guy with horns was our driver again, like always. He enjoyed both the long drive and talking to so many potential heroes, the tips he received were also happily epted and he always left me at the apartment building with a thumbs-up and a grin.


    I went to bed and wouldn''t see the girls for another couple of days. They had their own entrance exams to take and we would meet up afterwards, just like we had today after mine. I wasn''t worried about their exams, mostly because I had taught them everything I could and trained them to handle anything that the schools could throw at them.


    If they didn''t pass, it wasn''t going to be the end of the world, either. We could stay as a team of vigntes and wouldn''t have to do all the paperwork for a real hero agency. It would be disappointing to miss out on all the free government money; but, it wasn''t essential. We were pretty rich after all the people we robbed and cleaning up the beach.


    The best part about that was they had their own money and still loved it when I took them out shopping and bought them anything they wanted. Of course, Inko had been brought out on a few trips as well and she was really starting to like how fashionable the girls were and had changed some of her own clothing to match.


    Inko hadn''t joined the team officially and only trained and practised asionally, and that was okay. It was enough to give her a better body image and more confidence. She also liked that we made her train her power, small object attraction, and it didn''t stutter anymore.


    I would never tell her I had reced her quirk with the power of the io spell and she could summon anything she wanted. That was what the training was for and she was quickly learning that she could grab bigger things. I also gave her the Depulso spell power and she figured out on her own that she could put things back after she grabbed them, and that made her very happy.


    A few dayster, I learned they had all done well and wouldn''t know if they passed until they received the results, which wasmon among the normal student applications. Like me, they weren''t worried about passing, mostly because they said they kicked ass and we could always stay as a vignte team anyway.


    Once we had our results officially, we could start learning about how to be a proper hero. Every time I said that, the girls let outughs. We had been heroes for thest five months and would have no trouble with the hero school courses.

 185 School Daze

    185 School Daze


    It was the first day of school, so I kissed my girlfriends goodbye, then hugged and kissed Eri on the forehead and asked her to be good for mom, then kissed Inko''s cheek. They all waved as I left and I went to the train station. It was a long trip to UA and I boarded the first car and sat down as I checked my ss assignment again. I sighed because it was 1-A, just like Midnight had warned me it would be.


    Why did they put me in the problem ss where everyone else had issues? Maybe it was because Aizawa hated All Might and wanted his chosen protege under his thumb? In any case, I was going to have to be careful with how I acted. I was tempted to be aplete asshole and defy the teacher right from the start, then chose to ignore the man instead. In the end, he didn''t matter.


    I arrived at the train station by the school and made my way onto the campus. The ce was crowded and there were dozens of people checking out the new arrivals. I gained a lot of appraising looks, since I was 6 feet tall and had a muscr physique that could put pro heroes to shame. I nodded or said hello to anyone that did it first and entered the building.


    I used a search spell to find the right ssroom and entered. I was the first to arrive, so I found a seat in the middle of the room and sat down. There was no way I was going to sit in the troublemaker''s seat at the back of the room by the window. I would let some other idiot ept that stigma, thank you very much.


    <i>Dammit, I just called myself an idiot.</i> I thought and sighed as I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms. I only had to wait another 20 minutes for the rest of the ss to arrive and for Aizawa to not let us go to the general assembly. It was one of the reasons I didn''t want to be in his ss. He ignored proper school procedure and his students always suffered for it.


    People started walking by the door and a few looked in. I wasn''t surprised to see a few of the characters I recognized, like the martial arts girl with big fists and the mushroom girl. Both were cute and blushed when I waved at them. It kept me amused as some of the ss 1-A students started arriving.


    ¡°Good morning, Midoriya.¡± Momo said when she came in and sat beside me.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Youyorozu. How are you today?¡± I asked.


    Momo smiled at me. ¡°I''m a little nervous about meeting our ssmates. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I know everyone that''s going to be here, they just don''t know me yet.¡± I said and she let out a littleugh. ¡°I''m serious. Todoroki should be next, then Tsuyu the frog girl, then I''m sure Jiro the ear jack girl will be right behind her.¡±


    Momo stared at me. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Time and practice.¡± I said, not exining that I was using the trick All For One had used. It was abination of three different quirks working in conjunction that let him predict things in the very near future. It was only like 5 minutes warning; but, that was plenty of time to figure out who was going to show up next.


    Momo looked like she didn''t believe me and I chuckled and pointed to the door just as Todoroki stepped through the doorway.


    ¡°Good morning, Ice King.¡± I said and waved. ¡°Grab a seat and tell me how your sister reacted.¡±


    Todoroki smiled briefly and walked over to sit on my other side. ¡°She wouldn''t stop hugging me until this morning when she absolutely had to let me go.¡±


    I barked augh. ¡°I figured she''d adore your new aspect. Your powerspliment each other perfectly.¡±


    Todoroki nodded. ¡°It''s been quite the difference.¡± He said and formed a dagger out of ice and then let it dissipate into nothing. ¡°I''ve never had this much control before.¡±


    I patted his shoulder once and let go. ¡°I''m d you''re enjoying it as much as I hoped you would.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Todoroki said. ¡°Good morning, Youyorozu.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Todoroki.¡± Momo responded.


    I pointed at the doorway again and in walked Tsuyu and right behind her was Jiro.


    ¡°How?¡± Momo asked.


    ¡°It''s magic!¡± I said andughed.


    Momo softlyughed and then rolled her eyes at me.


    ¡°I can feel the quirks in my range, actually. It''s pretty easy to tell who''s who after a while.¡± I said and waved to the two new girls. ¡°Ladies, it''s nice to meet you. I''m Izuku Midoriya. Feel free to call me Izuku.¡± I said and motioned to Momo and then Shouto. ¡°The beauty on my right is Momo Youyorozu and the beauty on my left is Shouto Todoroki.¡±


    I felt the instant power-up of ice and leaned my head back as a snowball shot through the space my head was just in. It barely missed the tip of Momo''s nose and hit the far wall with a st.


    ¡°I''m not a beauty.¡± Todoroki said in a low tone that promised pain.


    I chuckled and held my hands up in surrender. ¡°I''m sorry. It was a joke and I won''t repeat it.¡±


    ¡°Be sure that you don''t.¡± Todoroki said and lowered his hand.


    ¡°I''m Tsuyu Asui. You can call me Tsu.¡± The frog girl said.


    ¡°I''m Kyoka Jiro. Just Jiro is fine.¡± The ear jack girl said.


    ¡°Wee to ss 1-A.¡± I said and waved at the chairs in front of me. ¡°Have a seat and tell us how your families reacted to having heroines in the family.¡±


    ¡°Mom was okay with it. Dad almost lost his mind.¡± Jiro said. ¡°You''d swear I was signing up to be a famous rock star or something.¡±


    ¡°My mom freaked out, too. I''m used to it, though.¡± I said and nodded at Tsu. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°They''re really happy and also nervous. I take care of the tadpoles and travelling here from home takes a while.¡± Tsu admitted.


    ¡°Really? That sucks.¡± I said and took out my top of the line cell phone. Tsu and Jiro sucked in sharp breaths when they saw it. Both Todoroki and Momo nodded in approval. ¡°Excuse me for a moment, I just need to check on something real quick.¡± I said and started searching for a new ce to live.


    ¡°Todoroki, I just noticed your face.¡± Momo said and the two new girls also looked. ¡°You found a healer that could fix it?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Todoroki said and tried to not look at me.


    ¡°Izuku did it?¡± Momo asked, surprised. ¡°What''s your quirk? I thought it was strength or something.¡±


    ¡°It''s power.¡± I said and found a nice apartment building that was on sale. It was nearby, too. ¡°Hey, Tsu. Where do the tadpoles go to school? Would living closer to here be better for them?¡±


    Tsu looked shocked at my questions and blinked her eyes. ¡°Um, they learn at home most days after I get home from school. Mom and dad get homete and take over when they can.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes the choice to move easier. Do they own their own home? Is it near a swamp or a natural water feature or anything?¡± I asked and now everyone was staring at me as a couple more students came in, Mina Ashido the pink-skinned acid girl and the rock skin guy, Eijiro Kirishima.


    ¡°No, we live in a normal house.¡± Tsu said.


    ¡°Really? Huh.¡± I said and looked up the real estate agency and chuckled.


    ¡°What''s funny?¡± Mina asked as she leaned against my desk.


    I looked up at her and smiled, making her blush. ¡°I was looking at a nearby apartment building for sale and the name made me chuckle, because my friend is right there.¡± I said and handed my phone to Momo Youyorozu. ¡°Could I bother you to arrange buying this for me? You''d save me a ton of time and useless effort.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the funds for such a thing?¡± Momo asked and flicked through the information.


    ¡°Of course. I deal with First National.¡± I said and she nodded as she worked. ¡°My team and I cleaned up Dagobah Beach and fixed up everything that was there and sold it for a mint price.¡±


    ¡°That was you?¡± Jiro asked and I nodded.


    ¡°Why is that amazing?¡± Mina asked.


    ¡°The ce was known as a public dump and no one did anything about it. Now it''s listed as one of the main destinations for the best beaches in Japan.¡± Jiro said. ¡°My mom loves it there because the acoustics are phenomenal.¡±


    ¡°It dide out really nice after I filtered through all that sand for contaminates.¡± I said and Momo handed me my phone back. The sale had already gone through and she looked pleased. ¡°Thank you very much, Momo. If you ever need anything, let me know.¡±


    Momo''s eyes dropped to my phone and went back to my face.


    ¡°Do you want one of the top suites as a retreat?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then it''s yours to do with what you wish. Being so close is going to save us all a lot of travel time during the week, that''s for sure.¡±


    A few more students came in, Ochaco Uraraka, Tendo Iida, and Fukikage Tokoyami.


    ¡°Did you just buy an apartment building at school?¡± Jiro asked and Ochaco gasped.


    ¡°Yeah, I''ve been putting it off because I''ve been so busy studying and training for the entrance exams. Now that school''s started, I can rx and get some other things done.¡± I said and looked over the sale agreement. ¡°It looks like the apartment building passed inspection and none of the apartments are rented yet after a fight damaged it and they had to renovate.¡±


    ¡°It was covered under Mount Lady''s agency insurance.¡± Momo said. ¡°I can assure you, thepany my parents run would not cheap out on materials.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that and smiled at her. ¡°I know and I trust your expertise, Momo. The Youyorozu Group would never cheat their customers.¡±


    Momo smiled back and nodded.


    ¡°Are you talking about the building a few blocks over?¡± Ochaco asked and I showed her the building on my phone. ¡°My family''s constructionpany worked on that and it looks great inside! The apartments are huge and have all the amenities.¡±


    Momo almost preened at the praise.


    I turned to Tsu. ¡°So, what do you say? Do you want to move in during the week and your family can return to your actual house on the weekends?¡±


    Everyone let out sounds of surprise as Tsu blushed.


    ¡°As my neighbour.¡± I rified and everyone rxed. ¡°I already have five girlfriends and we''re engaged, so there no need for you and Momo to worry about anything untoward happening.¡±


    ¡°F-f-f-five? You have FIVE girlfriends?¡± The girls asked.


    ¡°Yep! They also agreed to marry me when we''re old enough to not need their parents permission.¡± I said.


    ¡°Thew won''t allow multiple wives.¡± Momo said and looked a little sad.


    ¡°We can worry about that when it''s time. Until then...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°We can live together happily and raise our daughter without worry.¡± A familiar voice cut me off.


    I caught my breath and jumped to my feet to stare at the doorway. There they stood, my five girlfriends, and they wore their best Gyaru outfits. Unlike middle school, they didn''t bother trying to hide who they really were. I walked over to them and gave each of them a kiss, right on the lips, and they blushed.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked and then my eyes widened. ¡°You didn''t!¡±


    Hibiki giggled and handed me her eptance letter. I took it and read who the top students were and there were the five names I never would have expected to see.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked and looked at each of their faces. ¡°I thought you were going to attend a normal hero school and we could meet up on the weekends.¡±


    ¡°We did some research and realized you trained us too well.¡± Hibiki said. ¡°If we didn''t try out for UA, our skills and abilities would go to waste.¡±


    ¡°Plus, we wanted to be here with you as you showed off.¡± Rei said and tapped her ear. ¡°You sneaky devil. Buying us a home without talking to us first.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, it really did slip my mind. It was Tsu that reminded me I wanted a ce close by.¡± I said and motioned to the frog girl. ¡°She was about to tell me if she was going to ept my offer to move in.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Tsu and the poor girl blushed deeply and let out a very frog-like sound.


    ¡°Ribbit.¡± Tsu said and looked really embarrassed.


    ¡°Hey, you don''t have to answer right away. Talk to your family and invite them over to look at the apartments. Momo already agreed and I''ve got my mother and my girlfriends agreeing, too. The top floor''s pretty much taken up now, so there''s only a dozen other floors to fill up.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Ochaco asked.


    ¡°With abined student and friend discount, it''s only 5,000 Yen a month.¡± I said.


    ¡°SIGN ME UP!¡± Everyone shouted, except for Todoroki. He just smiled and shook his head.


    The rest of the ss came in as Momo arranged rental agreements with everyone, since I made her my temporary building manager, and they all signed up for an apartment. The money was just what was needed to cover the utilities and things, so the apartment was pretty much free. I would set up various protections and things for it as well after school.


    A giant silkworm slid into the ssroom and watched us finish up, then it stood and opened up to reveal it was the teacher, Shouto Aizawa. ¡°Take your seats.¡±


    Everyone did so and he had nothing toin about, then he lifted a carboard box onto the teacher''s desk and pulled out a jogging suit.


    ¡°Put these on and meet me at the sports field at the back of the school.¡± Aizawa said and left.


    Akari was at the box first and made a sad sound. ¡°They''re all the same.¡±


    Rei softlyughed and helped pass out the uniforms to everyone.


    ¡°We can change in the locker rooms by the field.¡± I said and we all left the ssroom at a jog. We split off, the boys in one and the girls in the other one.


    When we reached the field, I finally managed to see who was a part of the ss. The girls were the same as in canon, with Momo Yaoyorozu (creation), Tsuyu Asui (frog), Toru Hagakure (invisible), Kyoka Jiro (ear jack), Mina Ashido (acid), and Ochaco Uraraka (gravity).


    Then there were my five girls added to that, with Hibiki Yuzuko (bluebell mes), Akari Shimizu (stic powers), Rin Matsumoto (super hearing), Keiko Yoshida (water maniption), and Mai Sasaki (super strength). With them there, the number of girls were almost on par with the boys that also made it into the ss.


    The boys were Mezo Shoji (multi-arms), Shoto Todoroki (ice), Rikido Sato (sugar buff), Tenya Ida (engine legs), Denki Kaminari (taser guy), Fumikage Tokoyami (bird shadow), Hanta Sero (elbow tape), Eijiro Kirishima (stone skin), and myself, Izuku Midoriya (power).


    It wasn''t until Aizawa started talking that I realized there were three of the rmended students in the ss instead of the the normal two. Momo, Todoroki, and myself. That left Setsuna alone in ss 1-B and I wondered how that came about. I nced at my five girls and they surrounded me and started whispering.


    ¡°We totally cheated with the exam cements.¡± Rin told me. ¡°We showed up early, found the arena assignment cards under the seats, and sat where we had to instead of together. We did the exams and then went to the same city block and worked as a team topletely destroy thepetition.¡±


    I had to muffle myugh at them gaming the system and the girls looked amused.


    ¡°We kept it secret because we wanted to surprise you today.¡± Hibiki said. ¡°Then you bought an entire apartment building and surprised us right back.¡±


    ¡°I did that because I knew your parents wouldn''t approve of you all moving in with me.¡± I said and gave each of them a quick kiss. ¡°This way, you can keep pretending you''re staying over at each other''s ce instead of with me.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you''re so considerate.¡± Mai said and gave me another kiss. ¡°We should pay attention to the teacher now.¡±


    I nodded as Aizawa called out Ochaco for being the highest rank in the normal exams. We all watched as she epted the baseball from the teacher and she used her quirk on it and threw it. It kept going and going, since the pull of gravity had been negated on it.


    ¡°This is what happens when you use your quirks to excel.¡± Aizawa said and showed his phone with the infinity symbol on it.


    Ochaco skipped back over to the ss and beamed a smile at everyone.


    ¡°Now we''ll do the actual physical tests.¡± Aizawa said and that''s what we did.


    Of course, myself and my team excelled at all of them and no one could touch us. We had a lot of practice using our powers and applying them to practical uses, so none of the events caused us to slow down. The only events we were beaten in were the ball throw and long jump, because Ochaco''s infinity couldn''t be beaten.


    Funnily enough, Aizawa didn''t interfere with mine when I threw the ball. At least, I didn''t think he did. I hadn''t been affected if he had, so I knew his erasing quirk didn''t work on me. That was good to know.


    ¡°Get your info packs from your desks and read them over. Regr sses start tomorrow.¡± Aizawa said and we were dismissed.

 186 Another Short Skip

    186 Another Short Skip


    That afternoon was a mad scramble as everyone moved their things into the new apartment building. It was only partially furnished with just the appliances and not much else, so none of the new tenants had any trouble bringing all of their things from their old ces to their new homes.


    A few of the students saw the new ce and chose to make it their permanent home instead of only during the week, like Ochaco Uraraka. She had be a hero to try and make money to ease the strain on her parents. She wanted them to have an easier life and she was working hard to make that dreame true, so she was grateful to Izuku for making things so much easier for her.


    Others saw it as an opportunity to live on their own and without the influence of their parents, like Momo Youyorozu. It was going to be her ce and no one else''s, so she was quite grateful as well for the chance to live on her own. Being his next door neighbour was also a chance for her to see how a normal family lived.


    Inko Midoriya on the other hand, saw it as moving on from her old life and into a new one. With a little girl to help take care of and five daughters to adore and spend time with, her life had gone from being almost empty with her son growing up and leaving soon to being more full than it had ever been. She couldn''t have been happier about it if she tried.


    Izuku and his future brides saw it as a greatunching tform for their operations to expand. They had been restricted by their living arrangements and having to hide their costumes and when they met up to work. Now they were living in the same building and didn''t have to worry about getting caughting and going.


    They were much closer to the action at the new ce and they could start operations in the adjacent cities and towns to start taking down all the criminals they couldn''t get to before, because they didn''t have the time before they had to return home and their normal lives.


    The biggest target they had missed was Stain, The Hero Killer. He kept moving around and out of their grasp, leaving them frustrated and unable to track the viin down to take him out. Unlike a lot of the others, the girls had no problem with Izuku sacrificing the multiple murderer. He needed to be taken out as soon as possible and the girls were eager to get back to work.


    *


    sses in high school weren''t much different than a hero school, except for the few subjects about how to deal with rescues, emergencies, and procedures for dealing with the police and hero agencies. The teachers wearing full costumes as they taught was a novel experience, too.


    Of course, the first time we had Midnight teaching in our ssroom, she zeroed in on me and quickly found out who my five girlfriends were. The teasing was subtle, so none of the other students mentioned it, probably because they expected there to be a lot worse. She was the Rated 18 Hero, after all.


    The girls and I took it in good fun, since we knew she wasn''t actually serious. She was our teacher and crossing that line wasn''t going to happen for at least three years, not until we graduated anyway. Once we were officially heroes, all bets were off.


    During the evenings, we did our homework and then gathered intelligence on the crimes and viins around the city. During the day, we were students and didn''t even hint that we were actively hunting viins.


    sses were pretty normal, thanks to not having the disrupting elements of Bakugo and Ma. There were no loud outbursts or explosions from Bakugo and there was no perving or degeneracy from Ma that he would have infected a couple of the other guys with. It made the ssroom almost wholesome inparison to what it had been in the show.


    We had the training session in the Unseen Simtion Joint and no viins showed up to crash it. It turned out to be a great lesson by Thirteen, The Rescue Hero, whom was Ochaco''s favorite. We ended up stayingte into the evening because we were learning so much and did so well. Everyone was happy when we finally left the ce and had performed well above what the teachers had expected.


    It took another week before I found out where All Might lived. Once I did, I snuck in and added healing potions to his nutrition shakes. With enough doses, his massive damage from his injuries and the surgeries he had to suffer through, would slowly be reversed and healed. It wouldn''t be perfect; but, it would definitely ease the man''s suffering.


    I also took the opportunity to check on the echo of One For All he still had. Because he had held the power for so long, he still had the ability to use his power for a limited amount of time per day. So, I tweaked it and stopped it from reducing any further. With luck, he wouldn''t even notice until after he was healed up enough. After that, I could use the specific healing spell I knew without trouble.


    *


    ¡°Having our own ce to live is awesome!¡± Ochaco said at lunch one day.


    ¡°I agree. It is quite enjoyable.¡± Momo said.


    ¡°The sleepovers are the best, aren''t they?¡± Hibiki asked and all of the girls nodded.


    ¡°Momo''s stereo system is the best on the market.¡± Jiromented. ¡°The hi-def quality really lets us belt out the tunes on Karaoke Night.¡±


    Momo blushed slightly. ¡°I will admit that was fun. You have a great singing voice, Jiro.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Jiro said. ¡°I haven''t had much practice thest while. Getting into UA wasn''t easy.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn''t, and we all kicked ass to do it!¡± Akari said and the girls let out a soft cheer.


    ¡°Are you always this lively?¡± Mina Ashido asked. ¡°Because I love it! You guys are so much fun!¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are, and I wouldn''t have them any other way.¡± I said and all five of my future wives blushed. ¡°Mom and Eri adore them, too.¡±


    ¡°She''s such a cutie!¡± Ochaco gushed. ¡°You should have warned us you adopted your very own unicorn! I''m so jealous!¡±


    That made all the girlsugh, because they all had that wish when they were younger.


    ¡°You can just visit more. Eri doesn''t mind having more people to pamper her.¡± I said and Ochaco beamed a smile at me. ¡°She''s too young to enjoy a good sleepover with teenagers, though.¡± I said and looked at Tsuyu. ¡°Tsu? How old are the tadpoles again?¡±


    ¡°Old enough to give me headaches without trying.¡± Tsu said and everyone let outughs.


    I chuckled, too. ¡°I know it''s a bit early and our families haven''t formally met yet; but, we could arrange a y date with the kids and maybe let your sister stay over for a night or two? Maybe give you and your mom a break?¡±


    Tsuyu gave me a wide smile. ¡°That sounds nice, Izuku. I''ll ask mom when I get home.¡±


    I nodded and went back to eating.


    ¡°You want more kids around?¡± Jiro asked.


    I thought back to the two daughters I had with Viper and nodded. ¡°I like having a house full of love and caring. Children are the future and being a part of that makes all the trouble worthwhile.¡±


    My words had all of the girls exchange questioning looks, as if asking if they felt the same way, and my girlfriends nodded. They had been around us enough to know I took raising a child seriously. Even Inko had been surprised by both my knowledge and how well I was raising Eri.


    The conversation changed again and went back to the hero course that we would have that afternoon. I let their voices wash over me as I thought about things. Without the big bad pushing things and training his recement, things had calmed down to the point that we were all having a normal school experience and weren''t in constant danger.


    This also ended up changing the course of events slightly. The sports festival was still happening, since there was no controversy over viin attacks, and after that was the hero agency cements. What had changed was the summer training camp. There was none. With no reason to rush the students to learn how to fight against the threat, things were calm and there was no urgency at all.


    I was going to make sure that everyone performed well at the sports festival and that they chose good cements this time. There was no way I was letting Momo take a stupid modelling job instead of going with a real hero agency where she would actually learn something besides how to look good for the camera.


    ¡°Why are you frowning?¡± Hibiki asked me and poked my side.


    ¡°Hm?¡± I hummed and turned to look at her. ¡°I was thinking about the internships and making sure a certain students didn''t waste their potential by taking a modelling job instead.¡±


    All five of my girls blushed, because they would totally take the modelling job.


    ¡°It would be a novel experience.¡± Momo said. ¡°It would only be for a week as well.¡±


    I let out a sigh at my ns already starting to fail. ¡°You don''t think it''s a waste?¡±


    ¡°No, it should give a unique perspective into the media and the perception of the public.¡± Momo exined and shot down the rest of my ns. ¡°I believe Gyaru Fashionistas would have the best reception.¡±


    I saw the looks on their faces and had to agree. ¡°Fine. I''ll drop my objections.¡±


    My five future wives let out squeals and I was soon kissed five times on my cheeks.


    ¡°We need to start nning our outfits for the sports festival to show off our best looks.¡± Hibiki said and stood, as did Akari, Rin, Keiko, and Mia. ¡°We''ll see you all in ss.¡±


    I didn''t watch them go and looked at Momo instead. ¡°You might as well join them.¡±


    Momo blushed at the double implication of my words, then she smiled as she leaned over to kiss my cheek, stood up with her head held high, and followed my girlfriends out of the cafeteria.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Mina whispered. ¡°Just... wow.¡±


    The others at the table nodded. I held in my smile at that reaction and kept eating. If the girls epted Momo, and I fully expected that they would, then I was going to be busy trying to figure out how to make her happy, too.


    *


    We finally tracked down the elusive viin named Stain after a month of searching. I was grateful that my portal ability let us traverse the space instantly instead of having to travel the normal way, or he would have gotten away. He still put up quite the fight and we were all grateful that my armor enchantments couldn''t be pierced by his normal des and he never got any of our blood.


    I was also sick of him expounding his rhetoric about real heroes and how he was cleaning up the trash the entire time we were trying to fight him. When we finally manged to hem him in and he had nowhere to go, with Mai holding one arm and Akari holding the other, I wasted no time and shoved a ck energy sword through his heart and held onto it.


    ¡°You believe in it, too?¡± He asked as the disintegration energy started to consume him.


    ¡°Not at all. If they are heroes, even if they are wastes of space, they''re needed. Unlike you, a waste of talent.¡± I told him.


    ¡°But... you kill.¡± He said as the two girls let him go.


    I chuckled and let the sword hilt go. ¡°That''s because real heroes don''t need to kill off thepetition. We protect the innocent from people like you.¡±


    His shocked face was thest thing we saw before he disintegrated and there was nothing left. Rei handed me his two weapons.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and wrapped them in evidence tape and stored them.


    ¡°We''re going to have quite the bounty payoffs when we get our licenses.¡± Hibiki said.


    ¡°And you''ve all earned it.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°Let''s go home and hug our little girl.¡±


    ¡°After a long shower. I feel really dirty after fighting someone like that.¡± Akari said and wiped at a smudge on her armor.


    ¡°His name had more meaning to it than we thought.¡± I joked and none of themughed. I sighed and opened a portal back to the apartment where we stored our suits.


    We all went through and stripped off, set the suits aside to be cleanedter, and went into the bathroom. Themunal shower was quiet as all we did was wash ourselves off. There was no ying or carrying on, not after listening to that man''s drivel for almost half an hour. His view of society was pretty twisted and that was why I said we needed to hug Eri. We needed her reassurance.


    Eri was more than happy to be hugged on top of the girlfriend pile when we entered the main apartment where we lived. Inko saw us and nodded in understanding. She prepared some tea and snacks for us and joined in on the cuddle pile, making Eri giggle and squirm under tickling fingers. Sometimes, even mothers needed reassurance.


    *


    Rikiya Yotsubashi sat in his plush office and looked down at the file folders on his desk. He didn''t bother trying to flip through them, because he knew what they contained. Details of the disappearances of certain high-ranking members of his supposedly secret organization.


    Someone had stumbled upon one of the rank and file and gained a name, then more, and then gutted the Meta Liberation Army of all its lieutenants. They had even somehow found Gigantomachia and removed them somehow.


    He didn''t get angry. He didn''t get upset. He didn''t do anything, because the ticking of the bomb on his chair was taking all of his concentration. He suspected that whoever nted it, knew of his enhanced durability and nned for it. His Stress Quirk needed time to build up and he knew he wouldn''t have any time left if he moved.


    A purple portal opened up underneath him and he dropped through and reappeared a mile up in the air. He cursed and tried to throw the chair away, only for it to explode as soon as he shifted his weight. He kept cursing as he slowly disintegrated, because his Stress quirk had activated at full power and keeping the energy at bay.


    As he plummeted towards the t ground, the viin named Re-Destro read the message carved into the dirt that wasrge enough to be seen from so high up. ¡°Thanks for keeping detailed files about your secret organization and all their quirks.¡±


    Rikiya let out a sigh of defeat and stopped using his quirk to let the energy consume him. He had lost and the people would never know the freedom his revolution would have given them. His bodypletely disappeared long before it would have reached the ground.


    *


    ¡°...and also in the news tonight, there have been a rash of disappearances of various political leaders around the country. Some of their aids, various heroes and their sidekicks, and a few policemen have gone missing as well. If anyone has any information about any of them, please contact your local precinct or hero agency.¡± The anchorman on the screen said. ¡°Now on to the weather...¡±

 187 Wrapping Things Up

    187 Wrapping Things Up


    The sports festival went off without a hitch. My girls and Momo, whom became just as fashion conscious as them, took the whole thing by storm. I knew it was going to happen, because they were the only ones not wearing the school''s basic exercise uniforms. They still had them on, as per the rules, they just altered them and wore other things as essories.


    As the next Symbol of Peace and All Might''s sessor, I showed off only a little by only winning the first event, the race. After that, I pretty much stepped back and let my girlfriends keep the spotlight, mostly because they shined so much when it was on them.


    Momo looked inordinately pleased to be right there with her new best friends, too. She was normally shy and not so outgoing, so seeing her bask in the attention her skills and talents brought her, really made her stand out that much more. It was really nice for her to finally see her worth with her own eyes and not because someone told her so.


    Of course, she was picked up by the same hero agency as she was in canon, and so were my girls. They were an immediate hit and sold thousands of magazines when they were on the cover, with Momo''s dark locks a definitive contrast to the surrounding tinum blondes. The ensemble really made their outfits pop as well, no matter what they wore. They were in their element and it showed on their joyous faces.


    I declined cement, because I didn''t want to be seen as favouring one agency over another. When you had hundreds of offers from all different kinds of agencies, how do you ept one and not insult the rest? Even All Might''s old mentor said he would only be wasting my time when he was asked, so I gave him a few healing potions and thanked him for the consideration.


    School resumed and the rest of the term passed without any trouble. When the summer break arrived, it was a break in name only. With no school to take up our time during the week, we had a lot of free time to get down to the real nitty-gritty. A vignte''s work was never done and we all revelled in it, because we were actually making a difference.


    *


    With all of the most dangerous viins taken care of, thanks to a lot of research and my portal ability that can go anywhere, life in the My Hero Academia universe was a breeze. We even took care of the ones sentenced to Tartarus Prison.


    Some of them only needed their quirks removed to stop their antics, some needed to be put down permanently, and some were like Eri and were grateful that their quirks no longer controlled them and made them do things.


    The rest, aka the crazy ones like Himiko Toga, Twice, and Spinner, whom actually went crazier when I removed their quirks. It was sad, really. They had been too twisted by their mentalities and behavior to even consider changing their ways and had to be disposed of. At least it ended their suffering.


    Of course, we also found out about how a certain Hero Public Safety Commission was brainwashing people into bing self-sacrificing heroes, thanks to Lady Nagant telling us about it. With her help over the next few weeks while she stayed with us at the apartment building, we grew closer together.


    We eventually found enough evidence to expose the worst crimes themission hadmitted and anonymously released it to the news outlets and not to the authorities, since they were under the nominal jurisdiction of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The public outcry was loud and also short-lived, unfortunately.


    Lady Nagant hated that the executives had pretty much gotten away with their crimes and weren''t arrested or even punished. They did lose their jobs; but, they also kept their pensions. That just pissed her off that they benefited so much and she went on a little murder spree to take care of them.


    When we eventually tracked her down a weekter. Lady Nagant had just finished putting a bullet into her final target, Madame President, whom had been the woman in charge. She folded her arm rifle away and held her hands out to me to be cuffed.


    ¡°Go ahead and arrest me, Apex.¡± Lady Nagant said. ¡°I''ve done what I promised that bitch years ago I would do. I can go back to jail with my head held high and I''ll serve my time with dignity.¡±


    I gave my girls a pointed look, Momo included, and all of them turned away. I stepped forward towards Lady Nagant and took one of her hands, then pped the back of it. ¡°Bad Kaina Tsutsumi. You ran off without us.¡± I chastised her like a child and she looked shocked. ¡°We could have helped you take care of this days ago.¡±


    ¡°You... you...¡± Lady Nagant stammered as the girls looked back at us.


    ¡°We''re vigntes. Of course we would help you right an injustice. It''s what we do.¡± Hibiki said and the other girls nodded. ¡°Now kiss him and let''s go home.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Lady Nagant asked, her eyes wide, then our lips met and she melted into my arms. After several seconds, I broke the kiss and she was blushing hard. She also looked too stunned to speak.


    ¡°We''ve already fixed up thest apartment on our floor for you to stay there permanently, so you don''t need to worry about it.¡± Akari said. ¡°Momo can work miracles like that on such short notice.¡±


    Momo preened at the praise and nodded. ¡°Having my own money to do things really does make all the difference in the world.¡±


    ¡°I told you it would.¡± Rei said and hugged her. ¡°It''s its own power, all by itself!¡±


    The other girls let outughs and nodded as well. They loved having their own money, too.


    ¡°But... I... I''m a viin.¡± Lady Nagant whispered.


    ¡°Not by choice. That''s what theybelled you when you went vignte.¡± I said and the girls nodded. ¡°Your actions alone speak louder than words, Lady Nagant. You worked to protect the people, especially the heroes, from a prevailing and corrupting influence. We respect that.¡±


    ¡°We really do. It''s people like you... and us... that have to do the dirty work to keep the rest of the world safe. It''s not for political games and definitely not for petty reasons. They need us to carry this burden.¡± Mai said and Akari hugged her. ¡°It''s hard, and taking lives when it''s necessary still hurts; but, we are here for each other and none of us has to suffer under the pressure alone.¡±


    I brought Lady Nagant over to the girls and she was surrounded by hugs. I opened a portal back to the apartment where we kept our suits and didn''t look at the tears on the faces of Lady Nagant and a few of my girlfriends. I did hand her and the girls several napkins to wipe at their faces and closed the portal behind us.


    ¡°Wee home.¡± I said and kissed each of my girls. Hugs were shared and more tears were shed.


    *


    Time moved on and we settled into our split lives. During the week, we went to school and learned how to be heroes. On the weekends, we went out and protected the people like proper heroes. We also made sure to shadow Endeavor and a few of the other controversial heroes and recorded their behavior and their crimes. It was the only way to show people what they were really like.


    We handed everything over to Shouto Todoroki and let him decide what to do with it. Since he was determined to keep his family happy, he didn''t turn his father in to the police. What he did was show his siblings and then forced the man to retire and hand his entire agency over to his older sister. In Todoroki''s eyes, it was better to destroy his father''s ambition than it was to destroy his reputation.


    I fully agreed with him and congratted him on doing what was best for everyone and not for petty revenge, which proved he was that much better than his father. Todoroki had a real smile on his face the whole day after I told him that. It kind of weirded people out, actually. That reaction only made him smile more.


    We passed the end of year exams with flying colors. It was downright easy to defeat the teachers after all the experience we had fighting actual viins and they never stood a chance against us. They were impressed, even All Might, and he knew I had been helping my ssmates a lot more than anyone else thought.


    It was only a short break and we were back to school and started our second year. The school was quieter, because most of the third year students didn''t exist. ss 3-A had been expelled when they were ss 1-A, the year before ours, and over half of ss 3-B had either flunked out or quit from the pressure and harder schoolwork.


    Surprisingly, none of the general course students had tried to upgrade into the vacant slots in any of the years, mostly because they had missed their chance when they first appeared and had too much to catch up on if they transferred into the hero course now.


    With things a lot quieter, the school year proceeded in almost the same manner as thest one, only with more schoolwork and more hero training. The sports festival was focused on the first years again, so us second years were only seen when we were helping set everything up. That didn''t stop us from showcasing our talents and we still received offers from several agencies.


    Of course, my future brides-to-be were immediately epted back into their previous agency and sold a few thousand more magazines. They really were a spectacr hit and very popr. They were also insanely hot, now that they were getting older and developing fully into young women. It almost hurt my eyes every time I saw them and they always blushed when I told them so.


    It was soon summer break once more and this time we took a vacation. It was the first one for Inko and myself, so the girls went all out with the bells and whistles for the resort and activities. Little Eri absolutely loved the ce and her happyughs kept us all in great spirits for the entire two weeks we were rxing.


    Back to school and we blew through the exams again, shocking the teachers with how good we had be. They wouldn''t let us graduate early, though. Principal Nezu refused, even though he knew he was holding us back. We weren''t even allowed to get provisional licenses, because they didn''t want us going out half-cocked and unaware of the real dangers of hero work.


    We couldn''t help it andughed, right in their faces. It earned us a detention and we didn''t care. We had done more hero work in thest three years than they had done in their entire careers. They thought we had no idea what it was really like out there and it was them that didn''t know.


    So, we stayed quiet about our vignte work and went through the third year of hero school. We passed with top marks and no one was surprised this time. Were all 18 now, with Momo edging on 19, and that brought up marriage again. It took almost no searching to find a small country where multiple marriages were legal and we took a short vacation there.


    We also had a full wedding ceremony, invited all of our hero friends, their families, and our mentors. I stood at the altar with the priest and waited for my brides. I had forgone groomsmen and only invited All Might as my best man, who politely requested Melissa Shield as Maid of Honor. All my brides agreed.


    More than a few of the guests were surprised to see the procession of women. Hibiki was first, as always, and then Akari, Rin, Keiko, and Mai walked behind her. Momo was next and her parents were overjoyed at seeing her looking so regal in her custom-made wedding dress. The crowd gasped when Lady Nagant walked down the aislest.


    The ceremony was quick, because we had waited much too long for it to take ce, and I kissed each of my brides on the lips. Most of our friend apuded and we left the gathering to head to the reception. We ate, talked, and had fun, then I opened a portal to our uncharted ind getaway.


    The next two weeks were filled with a lot of firsts, a whole lot more moans, and an abundance of love and happiness. Even Lady Nagant couldn''t keep up her stoic demeanor for long when it was just us. Mind you, she moaned just as much as the others and she loved me just as fiercely.


    It had been especially hard for her to let me into her heart after she had been betrayed by the previous man she had loved, and we all understood. We also promised to remain loyal to her, no matter what. All of us. She cried and kissed me, then kissed each of her sister-wives.


    We returned to the apartment building when our honeymoon was over and opened up our own agency. Thanks to Momo''s parents and their connections, the paperwork was handled without trouble and we set everything up to offer positions to all of our friends as well. All of them refused and went their own way, which we epted. They had their own lives to live and so did we.


    Over the next six months, we started turning in all the evidence and imed all of the bounties for all of the criminals we had caught, treated, or eliminated over the previous years we had been active. Funnily enough, no one ever connected the disappearance of the vignte team led by Apex to the creation of the Pinnacle Agency. Most of the bounties we imed didn''t even register to the higher-ups at the Hero Commission until we submitted the evidence of Stain''s capture and elimination. That stirred up a ho''s nest and had several agents sent to our agency to confirm it.


    I produced copies of the man''s weapons for inspection and they were confiscated. The agents then demanded we hand over everything else and I gave them copies. They took them and left.


    That night on the news, it was announced the top hero Hawks had discovered the viin Stain''s remains and they showed a live unveiling of the viins weapons. The girls allughed and pointed at me, so I ended the spell. The weapons dissolved on live television and both Hawks and the Hero Commission were left with egg on their faces for delivering fake weapons.


    ¡°They won''t be trying that again.¡± Lady Nagant said and gave me a kiss. ¡°I''ve already reworked theirputers and we''ll receive the proper payments in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, dear.¡± I said and handed her the real weapons. ¡°If they bother showing up here after that, you can give those to them.¡±


    Lady Nagant softlyughed and kissed me again. ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡±


    I chuckled as well, because the agents would think they were also copies and could dissolve away at any time. I wasn''t really worried about that, though. Hibiki had taken time off and she would be having their first child soon, so he had much more important things to worry about than dodgymission agents.


    *


    Time moved on again and the fame of the Pinnacle Agency grew as they were credited with more viin takedowns and solved cases. They always did their paperwork and imed the credit and payments as soon as possible, making them the most reliable agency in the city. Whenever they were called to handle a crime, or they stumbled across one, it was always solved. Always.


    It earned them the nickname, Symbols of Peace, and they encouraged it. The more widespread it was, the more people would stop thinking that a single person should hold the title after All Might retired.


    *


    Years passed and little Eri wasn''t so little anymore as she entered UA hero school. She also had 12 sisters and brothers back home that she adored. Her father had given her everything she ever wanted, no matter what ridiculous thing or power she asked for, and she loved him with all her heart.


    Eri had also secretly watched a few times... well, okay, more than a few times... when he was in bed with one of her mothers. Momo made the cutest sounds when he yed with her and Eri blushed as she thought about it. She wanted to either make those sounds herself or make someone else make them. It was just so hard to find a good boyfriend or girlfriend when your dad was so famous.


    She would never approach her father about it, because she loved him too much to embarrass him by asking about how to go about finding someone for herself. She also couldn''t admit that she kind of and maybe definitely had a bit of crush on him, too. How was she ever going to find someone like him?


    ¡°You don''t have to do anything special to find someone to love, Eri.¡± Her father''s voice said from behind her and she was embarrassed that he had so easily guessing her thoughts. ¡°It does help to start things, though.¡±


    ¡°D-dad.¡± Eri turned around and she looked at his perfect body and managed to not blush.


    Izuku took her into a quick hug and let her go, knowing she didn''t want him to embarrass her too much at school. ¡°The lecture hall is this way.¡± He said and took her hand to lead her there.


    ¡°You don''t have to...¡± Eri started to say.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ve got this.¡± Izuku said and led her into the auditorium. It was half full of students and a few teachers were on the stage. ¡°LOOK EVERYONE! I found the fabled Unicorn of Legend! HURRAY!¡±


    ¡°Daaaaaad!¡± Eri groaned and blushed as everyone turned to look at her.


    Izuku led her down the middle aisle and kissed her cheek as he sat her beside a buxom blonde that wore a cowboy hat. ¡°There you go! Every cowgirl needs a noble steed.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, someone please kill me now.¡± Eriined and put her hands over her face.


    The cowgirl let out a giggle and a few of the students around themughed.


    ¡°Shared embarrassment makes good friends.¡± Izuku said and held a hand out to the cowgirl as he spoke in perfect English. ¡°I assume you''re the new transfer student from America, Gina Torres?¡±


    The cowgirl nodded and shook the offered hand. ¡°It''s shore nice ta meetcha.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Izuku said, giving the girl a copy of his Language ability to make things easier for her. ¡°I''m this poor girl''s father and a guest lecturer this year, Izuku Midoriya.¡±


    The cowgirl''s eyes widened and she looked at Eri. ¡°Yer dad''s the leader of the Symbols of Peace?¡±


    Eri let out a long drawn out sigh and uncovered her face. ¡°Yes, and he promised to not embarrass me today.¡±


    ¡°Oops.¡± Izuku said with a chuckle. ¡°I''m sure Gina has some good dad stories, too.¡±


    ¡°I shore do.¡± Gina said with a grin.


    ¡°Then I''ll leave Eri in your callused and gentle hands.¡± Izuku said and Ginaughed. He winked at his daughter and went to the stage with the other teachers.


    ¡°Why does he have to act like that all the time?¡± Eri asked, rhetorically.


    ¡°Cause he loves ya.¡± Gina said and Eri gave her a surprised face. ¡°If''n he didn'' care ''bout ya, he''dve let ya git here on yer own.¡±


    Eri blinked her eyes at that statement and then a light blush came to her cheeks.


    ¡°Me own da dropped me off''n tha parking lot cause he had ta git back ta tha ne.¡± Gina said, her voice full of fondness. ¡°Flew away here wit me ''cross tha world ta make shore I was okay livin'' inna dorms.¡±


    ¡°He really loves you.¡± Eri said and Gina nodded.


    It was the start of a beautiful friendship with their mutual love and exasperation over their fathers.


    No one but a single person noticed when the world turned grey and time came to a stop.

 188 Those Damn Space Whales (Worm)

    188 Those Damn Space Whales (Worm)


    <b>World Paused</b>


    <b>Congrattions! You havepleted the world of My Hero Academia sessfully and vanquished the evil forces that tried to take over and corrupt the poption with chaos and endless violence.</b>


    <i>I did? Well, that was surprising. I figured I had a lot more work to do, since we only cleaned up most of Japan and hadn''t even touched the nearby countries or made inroads to spread our team out.</i> I thought with a mental shrug.


    We were starting to get foreign agents, both hero and viin, entering the country under false pretenses and we were going to deal with them and soon their bosses. Apparently, that wasn''t going to be the focus of the story after I had introduced Eri to her new best friend.


    <i>I guess that means she''s be the protagonist of the story now.</i> I thought with a chuckle.


    <b>Your record-breaking Karma Points total has been logged and a significant portion has been set aside. There will no longer be any chance that you will ever go into negative Karma again, no matter how much you screw things up. So, have fun!</b>


    <b>The next world will be loaded as a ''sandbox'' version where you can do anything you want. Save it, wreak havoc, build the world''s biggest harem by arranging to be the only male, it''s all up to you.


    Warning: World Setting Parameters must be set beforehand and cannot be changed after you enter. Details can be tweaked, like always, and any offspring will have a reduced cost and earn greater rewards.</b>


    <i>Ooo, that sandbox thing sounds interesting. Yeah, let''s try that.</i> I thought and brought up the list of free gender-bend worlds. With only a small additional cost, I could make them into custom worlds with whatever I wanted.


    I checked the ones in the list and the most appealing one was Worm, even if it was what most people called grimdark. A male Taylor wouldn''t even require a name change or tweaking the details much, so I chose that.


    A bit of change there to make the high school into a college instead, just to age everyone up to legal standards. I also chose Taylor''s first death and changed the infamous locker scene into a dumpster, in order to fit my divine body inside it without trouble, and that was it. It was barely a few hundred points and I could get right into the story without worrying about anything else.


    With my current powers, I was going to have a lot of fun messing around and ying in the ''sandbox'' that was Worm. I couldn''t wait to decide what I was going to do first. Oh! Maybe I could be a viin, just like Taylor was in canon, only I''d really lean into the role this time. Screw Armsmaster! I''d release the details that it was her rejecting me that made me go viin! Ha ha!


    My thoughts kept meughing, because I was now wondering if a female Lung would be too arrogant and full of herself to date a white guy, even with how powerful I was. It was going to be interesting to find out, anyway. Who wouldn''t want to bed a female dragon, right? She would be hot in several respects, that''s for sure.


    <b>You have chosen Worm: Gender-bend Custom as your next world


    First death chosen. Minor details adjusted.


    Good luck in your new life!</b>


    <i>Thanks! I can''t wait to have a lot of fun.</i> I thought and I felt myself shift as ckness engulfed me.


    There was a sudden lurch and I was jerked and twisted sideways, which had never happened before. A panicked feeling flooded the space around me and it wasn''t my own.


    <b>Warning! A divisional Dimensional Barrier has been detected!


    The time scale variance is unregistered and the current dimension coordinates of arrival have been corrupted.</b>


    <i>Oh, fuck.</i> I thought as I was twisted back the other way and felt like my insides were being wrung out and squeezed.


    <b>Adjusting trajectory for possible insertion.


    Warning! WARNING! Boot-up failed! Chosen options not installed.


    The Protagonist System has not finished loading!</b>


    <i>FUUUUUUUCK!</i> I yelled in my head as the ckness tore into me and I felt like I was shredded apart and lost consciousness.


    *


    I wasn''t sure how long I had been unconscious for and groggily opened my eyes. I didn''t recognize where I was and there were no inserted memories to help me. I rolled over onto my side and blinked my eyeszily as I tried to see where I was. My body was heavy and very slow to respond to my mentalmands, so it took me a minute to see the empty pill bottle and beer bottle.


    <i>Fuck me.</i> I thought and rolled onto my back to stare up at the ceiling. Whoever I was at the moment, had tried to kill themselves with an overdose of ADHD medication, which was the stupidest thing I had ever seen in my many lifetimes. It exined why my body felt like it was full of lead, at least.


    I spent a few minutes getting my arms to work and managed to push myself up into a sitting position and my eyes had a difficult time focusing. I sighed and moved to the edge of the bed, my body sluggish, and I set my feet onto the carpeted floor. Unfortunately, I knew what I had to do and reached for the small garbage can full of used tissues and stuck my fingers down my throat.


    My gag reflex worked just fine and I threw up, then again, and I felt the bile burn my throat. I wasn''t done, not by a long shot, and had to keep going. Purging the stomach was the first step and I needed to get myself up and running quickly. I had no idea where I was, who I was, or what was going on.


    It only took six attempts to empty my stomach and I was grateful, because that was awful. Whatever else I had eaten stank to high heaven and my tongue felt like sandpaper. I stood, very very slowly, and my brain did a kind of loop-de-loop and I had to sit back down.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I said and rubbed my temples as my head throbbed. Without my system fully loaded, I didn''t have ess to anything. I had no inventory, no powers, and no way to control the story. Hell, I couldn''t even spend Karma Points to do anything like fix my goddamn headache that I was too stoned to notice before. The chewed leaves in the trashcan gave it away.


    I used a hand to brace against the nightstand and forced myself to stand. I wobbled like a spinning top about to fall and waited it out. It stopped after about ten really long seconds and I tempted fate by taking a step. To myplete surprise, I did not fall t on my face. Hurray!


    I stumbled across the room and entered the tiny bathroom and bent over the sink to turn on the water and started drinking it, then I choked and spit it out. It was hot water! I sighed and turned it off and turned on the other tap. I set my head on the sink and slurped slowly, because I didn''t want to bloat myself and it would slow my movements down even more and make me feel worse.


    I stopped and stood up, braced myself on the sink, and lifted my head to look in the mirror. The bowl cut blonde hair didn''t give me any clue about who I was and that sucked. I had no idea who I was and I had hoped seeing my new face would have helped with that.


    ¡°Sweetie! It''s time to get up!¡± A woman''s voice shouted from downstairs. ¡°You''re going to miss the bus to school and it''s the first day back!¡±


    I blinked my eyes at that and wondered when in the timeline I was.


    ¡°GREG! Did you hear your mother? Get your ass out of bed!¡± A male voice loudly shouted.


    I caught my breath and felt dizzy. That name was easily recognizable in the Worm world, because nearly everyone in the fandom despised the guy for not helping Taylor get out of the locker, despite him trying to be her friend before that and always trying to talk to her about stupid things, because he was socially awkward and didn''t know how to talk to people.


    Greg Veder. I was Greg Veder and he was NOT the protagonist of Worm.


    ¡°Fuuuuuck.¡± I said and stepped into the shower.


    ¡°Did he just curse at me?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°I''m sure you''re just hearing things, dear.¡± The woman answered.


    I ignored them and turned on the water and stripped off my Alexandria pyjamas, uncaring of the temperature of the water, and quickly washed before I let the cold water ssh against my face. It woke me up a bit more and I felt better. I drank a little more as well and stepped out, dried off, and went into my room.


    I opened the dresser and grabbed the first pair of pants that looked suitable, a pair of underwear, and the t-shirts all had stupid sayings on them. I grabbed one at random and put the clothes on, grabbed the half-full backpack, and stepped out of the room.


    My eyes looked upon the stairs and I groaned. I was still kind of dizzy and gripped the hand rail tightly as I walked and then stumbled down the stairs. My free hand caught the wall before I mmed into it on thending and I took several breaths to calm down. I mentally nodded and carefully walked down the next set of steps to reach the floor.


    ¡°Come and eat, sweetie.¡± A woman''s voice said.


    I turned around and saw a very short blonde woman wearing a business suit that stood beside the kitchen table. If I didn''t know she was my mother, I would havemented about how utterly adorable she looked.


    Said woman blushed and looked even more adorable. ¡°G-Greg, I''m your mother. You shouldn''t say things like that about me.¡±


    Oh. Oops. I guess I did say it out loud. ¡°Sorry, mom.¡±


    The man sitting at the table lost his stern look and chuckled. ¡°At least he has <b>some</b> good taste.¡±


    ¡°Hank!¡± The woman said and lightly pped his arm.


    He huffed and gave me a stern look. ¡°You''re not wearing your beanie hat today?¡±


    <i>Oh, fuck no.</i> I thought. ¡°Forgot it.¡± I said and sat down across from him.


    ¡°Did I hear you curse earlier?¡± The man asked instead of telling me to go get the hat.


    ¡°Headache.¡± I said and started eating the sickeningly sweet breakfast cereal in the bowl in front of me. If this wasn''t a superhero world, I would be wondering why Greg didn''t have diabetes.


    ¡°Why didn''t you say anything, sweetie? Here, you can take this with your milk.¡± The blonde woman said and handed me a small blue pill.


    The irony was not lost on me. ¡°No, thanks. Had enough pills.¡± I grumbled and ate a little faster.


    ¡°Good for you. Real men don''t need that medication stuff.¡± The man across from me said and ate his eggs and toast.


    It was the woman''s turn to huff. ¡°Sometimes it does help.¡±


    I ignored their silent argument and finished eating. I stood up and felt a little better, even though I should have only eaten toast or something else to better absorb stomach acid. I turned and took the short woman into my arms and hugged her, just because I had been doing it for years with Inko, my previous mother.


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡± I said and kissed her cheek. I walked across the kitchen and saw a conveniently ced bus route map on the front of the refrigerator. It was marked with the right numbers for school, library, and work, and even had our own address on it. <i>Nice.</i> I thought and left the kitchen without seeing the shocked look on my father''s face and the bright blush on my mother''s.


    The bus stop was only a block away and I didn''t realize I forgot my jacket until I was halfway there. A gust of wind let me know it was freaking cold out and I hadn''t checked beforehand. There was even snow on the ground. So, not only was I an idiot for wearing a t-shirt during winter, I also wasn''t wearing a coat or gloves. This day was turning out spectacrly. It really was.


    I rode the bus to school and my shivers kept me warm. It wasn''t much constion, because I was feeling sicker, and one of the bus windows was locked open to keep the smell out. Yes, really. That''s what the bus driver told me when I asked. At least he didn''t call me stupid for not wearing a coat.


    The bus dropped me and several other students at Winslow High School and I mentally cursed. <i>I didn''t even get the one main thing I paid for? Goddammit.</i> I thought and tried to not shiver too much as I walked towards the front doors.


    A few of the other students openlyughed and pointed at me, letting everyone know I was an idiot for forgetting my coat. I ignored them, mostly because I had no excuse. What was I going to say? I''m sorry for not remembering a jacket, because I tried to kill myselfst night and now I''m someone with no memories of who I was?


    <i>Yeah, that would go over well in a world like Worm.</i> I thought and entered the school. If that came out, I would be captured, hosed down, and interrogated... and that would be the gentle version. You do not want to know what the malicious version would be.


    I heard a ruckus down a side hallway and sighed, because I was sure it was going to be a stupid gang mash-up or something, like them making useless threats and never doing anything. They were school kids, so you had to expect a lot of posturing and boasting. It''s what they do.


    A strong smell hit my nose when I neared the group of kids and I heard someone throwing up.


    <i>NO!</i> I yelled in my head and ran. <i>Of course it was today! Stupid, stupid, stupid!</i> I berated myself and shoved people out of the way, making them yell and curse, and I broke through and lunged at the person in front of the filth-filled locker.


    My hands just barely pushed Taylor out of the way as Sophia Hess jumped forward and tried to shove her into the locker. Since I was now there in front of her, I was shoved in instead and the door was mmed closed and locked, to a lot of people''sughter.


    ¡°That''s what you get for being you, Hebert!¡± Sophia taunted and banged on the locker, making my headache rush back. ¡°Know your ce!¡±


    ¡°Um, Sophia? Taylor''s right there.¡± A girl''s soft voice said.


    ¡°What?¡± Sophia asked and theughing died off.


    I wasn''t concerned about that, because everything started to go ck as I passed out.


    <b>Great idea! You''ve somehow managed to rece the protagonist with yourself.


    The Protagonist System is re-initializing. Finishing loading... Done!


    Reloading custom options from within a world is not possible. Default world settings locked.</b>


    I sighed, because they did warn me I couldn''t change things after arriving. It was going to suck that I was stuck with all the basic characters and there were no really exciting things to y around with. That sandbox thing really had sounded fun.


    The ckness was suddenly reced by a vision of tworge worm-like space whale things as they swirled around and one of the glittery scale things broke off of one of them.


    <i>Noooo!</i> I thought in a panic, because I was going through a trigger event. I went over what I could do and there wasn''t much. My perk Mind Block should stop the entity from connecting to me through a shard and affecting my brain.


    My Power Sharing power would still be useful as well, especially here with all those powers ruining people. I would also sell whatever thing tries to attach itself to me, since I didn''t really need it. Did it count as a soul fragment or was it just a power source, I wonder? What amount of Karma Points would I have afterwards?


    It took me a moment to realize something important after asking myself that. This was only thetest cycle in a whole slew of cycles and not the first. Whatever power I was going to gain, no matter if the shard was deployed previously or not, it would have been used a bunch of times to help destroy civilizations and entire worlds across multiple dimensions.


    Also, the sell process was automatic if a soul fragment was involved, and I agreed to ept all the negative Karma of the target. FUCK!


    I closed my eyes and didn''t bother to look at whatever power I didn''t get, what it sold for, or if it had a soul piece or not. I definitely didn''t look at what my Karma Point total was after epting the negative Karma from erasing thousands of worlds from existence.


    A presence formed at my side and I hugged them tightly. I felt several kisses on my face and lips and I didn''t move or react. All that work and potential I had built up, breaking records, enough Karma to create entire gxies inside universes if I wanted, and even make new worlds and new civilizations.


    All of it was gone, because I was arrogant and thought I could have fun on a parallel world I had forgotten was protected by the entities that used these worlds as fuel on their journey across dimensions. They had segregated these worlds from the rest of the multiverse for a reason, mainly to hide what they were doing from other entities. I had trespassed and I had paid dearly for it.


    A feeling of reassurance came from around me and I sighed. I nodded and opened my eyes, gave the presence another kiss, and turned back to dismiss all the popups. None of them mattered, except for thest one that told me my divine body had been restored and my powers reactivated. Before I could choose to return to the world, my subconscious brought up the window I already knew the contents of.


    <b>Karma Points: 0 (Reserved: Locked)</b>


    <i>Well, there''s nothing to do but to get back to it.</i> I thought and felt a hug, then the presence faded.


    A small rush of memories flooded into my head as Greg''s life, as normal and kind of pathetic as he thought it was, slid into the back of my mind. I chuckled at the new memories, because Izuku had a much harder childhood than the guy living on a grimdark world.

 189 Waking Up

    189 Waking Up


    <i>Let''s do this.</i> I thought and chose the ''skip unconsciousness'' option and resumed the world.


    The world faded in around me and I found myself on a hospital bed in a private room. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the startled face of a mousy brte with curly hair. She also wore heavy white robes and looked really tired.


    ¡°I''ve died and gone to heaven, for I see a beautiful angel before me.¡± I said as I stared into her eyes.


    Amy Dallon blinked those eyes several times and then blushed. ¡°You actually believe that.¡±


    I nced down at her hand touching my bulging bicep and back up to her face. ¡°I don''t let just anyone touch my voluptuous body, Miss Dallon.¡±


    Amy looked surprised and then let out a soft snort. ¡°Women are voluptuous, Mister Veder. Men are well built or stocky.¡±


    I had to smile at that and looked down at her chest, her robe hiding almost everything, and I looked back at her face. ¡°I humbly request more proof of that concept, Miss Dallon.¡±


    Amyughed and shook her head. ¡°At least you''re feeling better. You had a lot of nasty things in your system after being in that locker.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows at that. ¡°How did you know about... no, wait. Who got me out?¡±


    The door of the room opened and I couldn''t see who it was.


    ¡°You got yourself out, about half an hour after Sophia Hess locked you in there.¡± A male voice said from behind Amy. ¡°A few of the students skipped ss to keep recording the locker with their cell phones.¡±


    ¡°To see how long I''dst before going crazy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, to record that you died in there.¡± The man said and stepped into view to stand beside Amy. He wore a Parahuman Response Team uniform and had several file folders in his hands. ¡°They were all shocked when your body expanded to what it is now and busted the locker door right off the hinges.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said and Amy''s face showed sympathy, because no one had tried to help me.


    ¡°Miss Dallon?¡± The man asked and she nodded slowly. ¡°Thank you for the confirmation.¡±


    Amy sighed. ¡°It''s not like you needed it. He''s pretty much all over the news and ParaHumansOnline, so everyone already knows he''s a cape.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± I said and they both looked at me. ¡°I wanted to get a haircut today and no one will recognize me without the bowl cut.¡±


    Amy looked surprised for a moment, then her hand gripped my bicep as she let out a softugh. ¡°You really do believe that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no one I know has ever looked past what they can see or bothered to get to know me, so why should I put any effort into how I look? It wouldn''t make any difference.¡± I said and then huffed. ¡°Then again, it will now.¡±


    Amy nodded and left her hand on me, probably to keep being a living lie detector.


    ¡°Being publicly outed isn''t going to be good for you.¡± The PRT officer said. ¡°Or your family.¡±


    Amy''s eyes narrowed at the man. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The man coughed and looked embarrassed. ¡°I meant to say his parents aren''t capes and they can''t protect him and handle the gangs like your family can.¡±


    ¡°Gangs?¡± I asked, just to keep the conversation from going where I knew it was going to go.


    ¡°You were a born and bred blond-haired white boy before today, Mister Veder. Now you''re about a foot taller, muscr, and have unknown powers. The Empire 88 wille after you to recruit you with both your trigger event and your identity going public.¡± The PRT officer said. ¡°On the plus side, I doubt the other gangs will make a y for you before the Empire does.¡±


    I had to think about that. ¡°Why would Lung try to recruit me? He only takes in Asians.¡±


    ¡°You''re a cape.¡± The man said and didn''t borate.


    I nced at Amy and she gave a little shrug of her shoulders. ¡°Okay. Why would the Merchants want me? If I''m what you just said, a good ol'' white boy, I wouldn''t fit in at all.¡±


    ¡°They''ll get you addicted to...¡±


    ¡°No, his body isn''t affected by them.¡± Amy cut him off. ¡°Even the knock out drugs in the saline solution aren''t working on him. It''s why he''s awake.¡±


    ¡°So, that''s why you were startled when I woke up.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°I''m sorry about that. I''ll pretend to stay asleep in the future and you can feel me up without me disturbing you.¡±


    Amy made a sputtering sound and her face went red. She didn''t let my arm go, so she totally knew I was telling her the truth. I would pretend to sleep if she wanted to feel me up.


    The man let out a sigh. ¡°If you can stop flirting with the healer, we can move on with the interview.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that was considered flirting? I thought I was making a pass at her.¡± I said, beingpletely honest, and Amy''s blush burned brightly. ¡°I think I need to work on my seduction game if that was only flirting.¡±


    ¡°No, you don''t.¡± Amy whispered and I smiled.


    The PRT officer opened the top file folder and clicked a pen. ¡°I already have other witness statements. Can you tell me, in your own words, what happened this morning?¡±


    ¡°Just this morning or the whole build-up to it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Well, this was just the top of the shit pile that Sophia, Emma, and Madison have been dumping onto Taylor for thest year and a half, ever since high school started.¡± I said and then exined everything.


    Some of it I had seen personally, thanks to Greg''s memories, and I included myself being bullied to leave Taylor alone and to not snitch about her bullies. I still did, reporting it to both the teachers and the principal, and they ignored me and I was beaten up more. Taylor never knew and when I had tried to talk to her, she ignored me.


    Today had been the culmination of everything, the three girls had tried to kill her, and I couldn''t let that happen. I rushed in and pushed her put of the way, just as Sophia lunged to push her in. Since I was there instead, I was shoved into the locker and locked in... and left there.


    Both Amy and the PRT officer stared at me with disbelief on their faces. It took them several moments before they blinked and visibly shook themselves.


    The man wrote down a few more things and gave me a pointed look. ¡°Are you iming the girl you saved didn''t try to save you in return?¡±


    ¡°I was unconscious at the time, so I''ll have to look at the footage you said several people posted online.¡± I answered and he wrote that down. ¡°I''m sure Sophia wasn''t too happy about me ruining their murder attempt. Then again, she caused my trigger and would have caused Taylor''s. She definitely knew what she was doing.¡±


    Amy still had her hand on my arm and she knew I had spoken the truth the whole time. She nodded at the PRT officer and he wrote that down, too. Her hand moved slightly to almost pet my arm before it settled again.


    I was asked a few more questions, mostly to rify what I had already told the officer and to give a few more details. Of course, he questioned how I could give him so much information after I had such a traumatic event, and I recited his badge number, the serial number on the pen he held, and that Amy''s hood was starting to fray and a single thread had let go near the upper right side by her face.


    My words surprised them enough that they backed off and checked what I mentioned, confirmed they were true, and Amy pulled the loose thread out. She put her hand back on my arm and let out a quiet sigh.


    ¡°Normally, one of the Protectorate capes would be here to give you the recruitment speech...¡± The PRT officer started to say.


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± I said and he looked surprised.


    ¡°Mister Veder, I assure you that the PRT are fully experienced with providing a save environment and can protect your family.¡± The man said.


    ¡°It''s too bad Amy''s not touching you to confirm how big of a lie that was.¡± I said and the man''s mouth snapped shut. ¡°Do you really think the PRT are going to babysit my parents at their jobs? At our home when we''re asleep? When we go out to eat on the weekends? When I''m at school? All day, every day, to stop any and all threats against us?¡±


    The PRT officer tried to not let the questions get to him. I didn''t say anything else and just stared at him without blinking. He broke first about 30 secondster and let out a sigh.


    ¡°We don''t have the budget for that.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°Then you have to sequester them, right? They''ll lose their jobs because they can''t go to work andpromise their security. Then what? Keep them? For how long?¡± I asked and he didn''t answer. ¡°Your own argument for me to join up stops me from joining up. You can''t protect them and lying about it doesn''t help you convince me.¡±


    The man closed the folder and tucked it and the others he had under his arm. ¡°We will contact youter about the investigation and how things turn out.¡±


    That wording rang an rm bell in my head. ¡°Did you just tell me you are not going to arrest the girl that identally tried to murder me while trying to murder someone else and failed, Mister PRT officer that I know your badge number and name? Sir?¡±


    The man opened his mouth, closed it, then he did an about face and left the room at a fast walk without answering. Amy stared at the closed door for several seconds, probably too stunned by what happened to react.


    ¡°At least I have an angel as a witness.¡± Imented and Amy turned back to show me the shock on her face. ¡°That was pretty heavy handed of him, wasn''t it?¡±


    Amy just kept staring at me and looked like she didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°I''ve always wondered if New Wave was a family only thing or can any cape join up if they choose to reveal their identity and ept public ountability?¡± I asked her.


    Amy''s mouth dropped open and no words came out.


    ¡°Can I get Photon Mom''s phone number from you? She''s the team leader, isn''t she? I wonder if there''s an application form I have to fill out. Maybe a face-to-face meeting instead or after that. I''ll need a costume that fits in with the rest of the team if I''m epted, too. Do they still do full patrols or is it just Vicky and Laserdream?¡± I asked her.


    Amy just kept staring at me with her mouth hanging open.


    ¡°GREG!¡± My mother''s voice yelled as the door burst open and she rushed into the room. Surprisingly, she didn''t shove the still stunned Amy out of the way and went around the bed to almosty on top of me to hug me as she cried. ¡°My poor baby!¡±


    I used my free hand to pat her back. ¡°It''s okay, mom. Thanks to Panacea, I''m okay.¡±


    She lifted her tear-streaked face from my chest and looked at Amy. ¡°Thank you for helping my boy, Panacea. You''re a godsend.¡±


    Amy finally closed her mouth and nodded. ¡°You''re wee.¡± She said and took her hand away from my arm. ¡°I should leave and give you some privacy.¡±


    I reached out and took her hand to stop her and her eyes widened. ¡°At least give me your number so I can call youter about joining up.¡±


    Amy closed her eyes for a moment and nodded, because she knew I was being serious about it. I was an outed cape and I didn''t have a lot of options. She let my hand go and pulled out a tiny crumpled notepad from under her robes and wrote out her number. She tore the small page off and handed it to me.


    ¡°I should be out by tonight and I''ll call you tomorrow. What time is good for you?¡± I asked and she looked surprised that I asked.


    Amy let out a sigh and took the paper back and wrote a few things on it. She gave it back to me and nced at my cuddling and crying mom. Her face showed envy before she could stop it and then she walked towards the door. She opened it and nced back, just like I knew she would, so I awkwardly waved at her to make her smile. She did and shook her head as she left and shut the door behind her.


    I consoled my mother for quite a while and she asked about what happened. I told her and that I had powers because of it. That didn''t reassure her and she cried harder. She had lived in Brockton Bay her whole life and knew what the cape scene was all about. With me as one of them, our lives were going to change.


    *


    Max Anders, aka the viin known as Kaiser that ran the Empire 88, sat at his desk in the Medhall building and watched the video clip again. His gang owned a full quarter of the city in an iron grip and he hated that they were known as the neo-Nazi gang that terrorized the city''s minorities and bred fear and bigotry. He wasn''t going to give up what worked, even if he didn''t believe his own rhetoric.


    He picked up his phone and called one of his trusted lieutenants. ¡°Hello, Brad. Yes, it''s about that.¡± He said and listened. ¡°No, we should give him a day or two after he''s released from the hospital. Let him think we aren''ting for him.¡±


    There was a little rant from the other end of the line and he chuckled.


    ¡°Take Rune with you if you want. Tell her to go for the soft sell at first. If the boy refuses, let your des out near his mother and he''lle around to our way of thinking.¡± Max said. ¡°If not, then only near his mother will not be close enough.¡± He paused and nodded at the response. ¡°I''m d you understand. I''ll leave it to you to handle it.¡±


    Max hung up the phone and started the video again. He saw the scrawny kid going into the locker and jumped ahead and saw his body bust out without even using his hands. His body alone had freed him, which gave him a Brute rating of 3 at least. Yes, Max could use more impressive muscle in the Empire and just hoped this Greg Veder wasn''t as simple-minded as his other brutes.


    *


    I made it home after my mother very reluctantly signed me out of the hospital. I had only convinced her because I had promised to stay in bed for the rest of the day and wouldn''t leave her sight. So, that''s where I was, back in my bed, in my room, and I stared up at the ceiling.


    The bed was surprisinglyfortable and I went over in my head what had happened to me. I had med myself for choosing toe here and causing myself problems, only it wasn''t really my fault. How was I supposed to know the method of insertion my system used would conflict with whatever it was that cut this section of the multiverse off? I wasn''t omnipotent.


    Then again, now that I had encountered it, maybe my system wouldn''t be hampered by such things in the future. There was no popup or anything confirming that, so my revtion wasn''t really noteworthy, and then I felt a reassuring presence in my mind.


    <i>Ah, they''re working on it. Good to know.</i> I thought and that feeling faded away.


    I looked around my room and didn''t see my backpack. I sighed, because it could have been left in the locker, cut off and tossed in the garbage, or collected for evidence. With the way that PRT officer acted, I doubted thest one and suspected it was the second one. Why keep evidence of a crime they want to cover up? Sophia was one of theirs, after all.


    I closed my eyes and thought about what I had to do, what I should do, and what I could forget about. There were so many things I could change in the story and almost none of it reached past the local level, thanks to Cauldron''s experiment with cape feudalism and keeping nearly everything localized to the bay.


    My eyes went to the clock and I picked up my cell phone. It was a crappy model, so I used a few powers on it to enhance it and made it better. It was stronger, more powerful, and had a phenomenal data rate. I had a while before the time that Amy said I could call her, so Iid back and closed my eyes again.


    It was only my first day and I already encountered three pivotal capes that affected the story. Then again, I stopped one of them from bing a cape and reced them. It made me wonder why Taylor didn''t try to get me out, so I opened my eyes and looked up the video on PHO. I watched myself be a cape and it was not that impressive.


    In fact, I looked like a dork going in and a muscr and filthy dorking out. Yeah, I am definitely cutting my hair tonight and changing out some of my clothes after watching that.

 190 Interlude Amy Dallon

    190 Interlude Amy Dallon


    Amy sat on her bed and stared at her cell phone. She wasn''t sure why she felt anxious as she waited for the time she had him given to arrive. Would he call? Was he sitting around just like she was and waiting for the same thing? Why did she want him to call, anyway? He was a patient and he flirted with her, and more than a handful of jerks did that to her before and... that was the kicker. She knew he wasn''t kidding.


    Greg Veder had looked into her eyes and had called her an angel. Her! He was alsopletely serious and wasn''t joking at all. His pulse had remained steady, his nervous system hadn''t twitched, and there were no telltale chemical releases in his body to let her know he was trying to fool her.


    It was honestly ttering, even if her tastes ran towards the female persuasion. The beautiful blonde with nice breasts persuasion. Or in other words, her outrageous sister. The smart, outgoing, always having fun blonde bombshell that broke up and made up with her boyfriend several times a month, every month, ever since they started dating a year ago.


    Amy let out a sad sigh at never having the courage to say anything, either about her forbidden feelings or about how much she hated that Vicky''s boyfriend could read her emotions and still acted like he was an idiot and didn''t know how she felt. It was frustrating and annoying, because he was a nice guy and she hated him a lot more than he really deserved.


    Her cell phone vibrated and it startled her, making her almost drop it, and she grasped it tightly and took a breath. She turned it over and saw it had ''unknown number'' on the screen and hit the ept button.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Hey there, angel. How are you?¡± A male voice asked.


    Amy held back a shiver at how nice Greg''s voice sounded with a perfect mix of tremble and bass. <i>How is he doing that?</i> She asked herself and mentally shook her head. ¡°I''m fine. How about you?¡±


    ¡°I had to pry my mom off my chest with a crowbar, so nothing new.¡± Greg answered.


    Amy barely held back herugh at that image. ¡°Well, you are her baby boy.¡±


    ¡°Yep, being the sole focus of a helicopter parent is just one of those things us single kids have to suffer through.¡± Greg said and Amy nodded, not that he could see her. ¡°How was the rest of your shift at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Busy, the same as usual.¡± Amy said and she was a little surprised that she didn''t mind talking to him about it. She usually felt annoyed when anyone asked her about her volunteer work. ¡°We did have this one guy...¡±


    They kept talking and sharing things, to both of their delight, and didn''t even notice the time.


    An hour and a halfter, Vicky knocked on her door and walked in to see Amyying back on her bed andughing.


    ¡°That... that''s so stupid!¡± Amy said as she looked over at the clock to see the time.


    ¡°I know! Sparky''s the bestic relief a straight man could ever have and he wasn''t even trying.¡± A male voice said out of the speaker of Amy''s cell phone.


    ¡°Greg, it''s gettingte. I need to go.¡± Amy said with a serious tone in her voice. She sat up to pick up her phone, only she wasn''t fast enough and Vicky scooped it up and held it.


    ¡°What time is... damn, it iste. I''m sorry about that Amelia. I''ll make it up to you somehow.¡± Greg said and actually sounded sorry, which was new to both girls. Most people offered things like that and never really meant it.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Amy said and tried to re at Vicky, whom had mped her mouth shut to stifle her evil giggles at catching Amy talking to a boy. A BOY!


    ¡°No, no. You saved me from how many infections and STDs today?¡± Greg asked with augh. ¡°You, my dear angel, are my bestest friend! I''ll have some cookies and warm milk delivered and they''ll put you right to sleep, since it''s so far past your bedtime.¡±


    Vicky couldn''t stop the snort she made and pped a hand over her mouth to stop herughs from escaping. It was just too cute for her not to react.


    ¡°There''s no way I''ll be awake by the time you bring them all the way over here.¡± Amy said and sighed. ¡°Thanks for the offer, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... about that...¡± Greg''s voice said from the phone.


    There was a light plink sound from her bedroom window and both girls turned to look, only to hear a second plink and saw a pebble bouncing off the window frame.


    ¡°Hold on, Greg. There''s something hitting my window.¡± Amy said and both she and Vicky walked over to it and looked out and down.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Greg said from her phone and he waved at her from her backyard. He wore jeans, heavy boots, and an open leather jacket.


    ¡°How the hell did you get here so fast?¡± Vicky asked and her eyes drank in all of what she could see of the hunk in their backyard.


    Greg chuckled. ¡°When I called, I was already outside taking a walk. It was the only way I''d get privacy. So, I kept walking and we kept talking, and talking, and here I am.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Vicky said and handed the phone to her sister. ¡°Ames, I don''t think I can tease you over talking to a guy that crossed Brockton Bay at night just to give you cookies.¡±


    ¡°And warm milk.¡± Greg said and pulled his backpack around and took out a thermos.


    Vicky let out augh at Amy''s sigh. ¡°I''ll go grab them.¡±


    Amy didn''t say anything to stop her as Vicky opened the window and flew out. She watched as her bubbly blonde sisternded in front of Greg wearing only a nightie and noticed he was a good five inches taller than Vicky and his body was... well... a whole lot bigger all over.


    ¡°You''re a big one, aren''t you?¡± Vicky asked and looked up at him.


    ¡°Only because I''m about a foot taller than I was before.¡± Greg answered and handed her the thermos. ¡°Careful with that, it''s hot inside.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± Vicky said with a sexy voice.


    Amy held in her groan at her stupid sister''s flirting, then her aura red and Amy sighed at losing her chance at having a friend that wasn''t besotted with her sister, just like everyone else she knew.


    ¡°So is a volcano.¡± Greg said in a normal tone and that shocked both Vicky and Amy, because no one had ever not stared at Vicky or drooled over her and how pretty she was. ¡°What kind of cookies does Amy like? I have a few different kinds.¡±


    ¡°Chocte chip.¡± ¡°Oatmeal and raisin.¡± Vicky and Amy answered at the same time.


    Greg let out augh and pulled out a huge bag of oatmeal raisin cookies and handed them to Vicky. She pouted at the bag and then at Greg, whom chuckled and pulled out a normal bag of chocte chip cookies to hand to the now giggling girl.


    ¡°Microwave four or five of them on a saucer for eleven seconds and they''re just like they came out of the oven.¡± Greg said and slung his backpack over his shoulder. ¡°I better get back home. I have a long day of staying in bed to get ready for.¡±


    Vicky softlyughed at that and gave him a pointed look. ¡°Do you want me to walk you home? The bay''s not a nice ce at night.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine. You can hang out with your sister and talk about me instead. That''s more important.¡± Greg joked and Amy fully agreed with that. ¡°I''ll talk to youter, Amelia. Goodnight.¡±


    Amy waved at him. ¡°Night, Greg.¡±


    ¡°Later, Vicky.¡± Greg said and started to walk away.


    ¡°Hey! Aren''t you going to wish me a goodnight, too?¡± Vicky eximed.


    Greg turned around and kept walking backwards. ¡°I figured you were going to follow me anyway and I''d say it when we reached my ce.¡±


    Amy let out augh, because Vicky would totally do that.


    ¡°You know, most girls don''t like guys that are full of themselves.¡± Vicky said with a teasing smile.


    ¡°Yeah, but neither you nor Amelia are most girls.¡± Greg said and turned back around. ¡°The both of you are too smart to confuse smugness with confidence.¡±


    Both girls watched him disappear down the street and then Vicky flew up to Amy''s window and handed her the bags of cookies. She flew in as well to put the thermos on Amy''s nightstand.


    ¡°I''ll grab a ss for myself.¡± Vicky said and flew out of the room. ¡°Don''t eat my cookies!¡±


    Amy huffed and put the two packages on her bed to close the window. She sat down on the bed, her still active phone in her hand, and she realized it was still connected.


    ¡°I had a great time talking to you tonight, Amelia.¡± Greg said when Amy''s thumb was about to push the end call button. ¡°Thanks for letting me go on and on like that.¡±


    ¡°I had a great time, too.¡± Amy said and looked at the phone''s screen. ¡°I don''t think I''ve everughed so hard.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°I onceughed so hard I peed my pants. Everyone called me The Wizzer for like six months.¡±


    Amyughed andid back on her bed. ¡°That''s funny, even if the kids were being mean about it.¡±


    ¡°Kids? It was three years ago when I was twelve.¡± Greg said and herughter died off. ¡°I really shouldn''t have drank a whole jug of juice to show off before that; but, Sparky did double dare me to do it and I didn''t know he was going to tickle me afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Greg...¡± Amy whispered.


    ¡°It''s okay. What''s a little urine shame between friends?¡± Greg said with augh. ¡°God knows you''ve smelt all different kinds at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°You are the master of understatement.¡± Amy grumbled and heard the stairs creak. ¡°I think Vicky''sing back.¡±


    ¡°And that''s my cue to hang up. Tell her goodnight for me, will you? Her ego doesn''t need to suffer anymore.¡±


    Amy barked augh. ¡°I''ll tell her.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Greg said. ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    ¡°You, too.¡± Amy said. ¡°Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Greg said and ended the call.


    ¡°He sounds sweet.¡± Vicky said and entered her room with a ss and shut the door.


    Amy didn''t say anything and popped the cup off the top of the thermos and unscrewed the cap. She took a sniff and nodded. ¡°Nice and hot, even after all this time.¡±


    Vicky sat on the bed beside her and Amy poured some into her ss and then into the thermos cup. They clinked them together, saluted, and sipped the hot liquid.


    ¡°Ohhh, that''s good stuff.¡± Vicky moaned slightly.


    Amy on the other hand had frozen, because her taste buds were firing off like firecrackers. She had tasted milk before, from several different sources, and her power never reacted. It really did this time and her ability mapped out the very different biological liquid that was supposed to be normal cow milk, and it wasn''t.


    Vicky didn''t notice her reaction and opened her bag of cookies. ¡°Ooo, chocte chunk! He shouldn''t have.¡± She said and took out a cookie that hadrge chunks of chocte instead of little chips in them. ¡°We are definitely going to try his cookie heating trick tomorrow.¡±


    Amy absently nodded and forced herself to put her cup down. It took her a moment to open herrge pack of cookies and she took in a breath of air through her nose. She shivered, because the smell was wonderful and she picked up a cookie. The raisins were plump and plentiful, the perfect ratio of fruit to oats, and she bit into it.


    The moan escaped through Amy''s lips before she could stop it and her saliva almost gushed out of her mouth. Her power loved whatever the thing was made of, because it was a very different strain of wheat and the grapes made into raisins had a rich vor that she had never experienced before.


    ¡°They''re not that good, are they?¡± Vicky asked, curiously.


    Amy reflexively clutched the pack to her chest and narrowed her eyes at her sister, then she realized something. Vicky also had cookies from Greg and she wanted to see if they were different, too.


    ¡°Trade one for one?¡± Amy asked and held out her package.


    Vicky nodded and they exchanged a single cookie. Both girls bit into them at the same time and Amy let out another soft moan at all of the differences a cookie could have in its ingredients. Vicky only tasted the oats and surprisingly tasty raisins, so she didn''t really understand the appeal. The chocte chunks were way better in her opinion.


    The two girls sat there and drank their hot milk and ate some cookies. They didn''t talk and only exchanged looks, sometimes with a smile and a few times with a softugh. It was quiet times like this that they used to enjoy having when they were younger, back before all the cape stuff had changed their lives.


    ¡°Sleepover?¡± Vicky asked, hopeful.


    ¡°Sleepover.¡± Amy confirmed.


    Both girls closed up their packages of cookies and sealed the empty thermos to be cleaned in the morning. They climbed into Amy''s bed and snuggled under the nkets together, both letting out happy sounds. It was toasty warm after only a few seconds and both girls felt sleepy.


    ¡°He must really like you.¡± Vicky whispered.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°He didn''t even look at my girls and they were right there in his face.¡± Vicky said and her hands cupped her breasts. ¡°Was it the color? I thought light blue was a good color for sleepwear.¡±


    Amy nced down at her sister''s chest and blinked, because she hadn''t noticed either. Her sister was not wearing a bra and her nightie was thin and it was cold out. Those nipples should have been like little bullets when she was getting the cookies from Greg and he hadn''t looked? That was a shock to learn.


    ¡°Maybe he was just too overwhelmed by my presence to notice?¡± Vicky asked and let her chest go,pletely forgetting he hadn''t reacted to her aura. ¡°Whatever. I''m sure I''ll have another chance to distract himter.¡±


    Amy didn''t have the heart to tell her that Greg was probably immune to her aura, just like he was immune to any mind-altering drugs. That thought made her wonder why he had gained that ability after triggering and what else he could do, now that he was a cape. That huge perfect body just came out of nowhere, too.


    ¡°Heh, voluptuous.¡± Amy whispered when she remembered what Greg said about himself.


    ¡°Thanks, Ames.¡± Vicky said and hugged her, inadvertently giving her sister two more reasons to adore her. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°N-night.¡± Amy said and hugged her back. ¡°Greg said goodnight, too.¡±


    ¡°I know, I heard the jerk.¡± Vicky said with a giggle. ¡°My ego is just fine, thank you.¡±


    Amyughed as well and then sighed with contentment. She was toasty warm, had tasted new things that somehow gave her power a thrill, and she had her beautiful and sexy sister in her arms. Everything was good in the world.


    It wouldn''t be until the next morning at breakfast that Amy would realize she hadn''t talked to Greg about joining up with New Wave. Instead of texting him right away about it, she finished eating and washed the dishes, set the thermos aside to dry, and hopped into Vicky''s arms to fly off to school.


    Amy was sure he was going to call her at lunch, which was the second set time she had said he could call her. Not only would she get to hear from him again, it would give her an excuse to get away from Vicky and her air-headed friends for a while. She would never admit that to Vicky, though. She liked living, thank you very much.

 191 Some Fallout

    191 Some Fallout


    Having to stay in bed all morning sucked. The call from the PRT just made it worse after what they told mom. Because of that, my mom kepting into my room at random times to check on me to make sure I wasn''t up and around. I needed to recover in her eyes and that wasn''t going to happen without lots of chicken noodle soup and bed rest.


    ¡°You shouldn''t have stayed home from work, mom.¡± I said when she brought me an early lunch.


    ¡°It''s only for half a day, sweetie. There''s an important meeting this afternoon and I can''t miss it.¡± She said and put the tray on myp before she checked around the bed to make sure the nket was tucked in and I wasn''t going to get out of bed quickly.


    ¡°Geez, mom. If you weren''t so cute, I would have tried to escape already.¡±


    She let out a softugh and lightly patted my head. ¡°You make sure you eat all of that and I''ll be home as soon as I can sneak away.¡±


    I shook my head and caught her hand before she could pull it away. ¡°Please don''t miss any more work on my behalf. I have my phone here and if I need anything, anything at all, I''ll call you. I promise.¡±


    She gave me a searching look and let out a breath. ¡°All right, I''ll stay at work.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and gently pulled her down and kissed her cheek. ¡°And thank you for taking care of me. You''re the best, mom.¡±


    She blushed and mumbled something I couldn''t hear, patted my head again, and left the room. I did my little farseeing trick that showed me something within the next five minutes and I saw that she would be on her way to work. I waited for a couple of minutes and heard the car start up, confirming my vision.


    Just in case, I opened a tiny portal on the inside of the car on the underside of the roof. I watched her put the car in gear and closed the portal when she started to drive away. I had already checked it for explosives and traps, too. You could never be too careful with criminals targeting you and I kept an eye on her as she drove to work.


    I knew her route, because she always took the shortest one, and I opened a tiny portal at each intersection to watch her and it was high enough up that no one noticed it. I checked the time after mom was safely at work and smiled. Amy would be getting out of ss around this time and would be heading to the cafeteria for lunch.


    I quickly ate my own and set the tray aside, checked the note she gave me about the safe times to call her, and nodded. She should have bought her lunch by now, assuming she didn''t bring one, and three, two, one. I hit speed-dial and waited for only a single ring before it was answered.


    ¡°Hi, Greg.¡± Amy said and I could hear footsteps.


    ¡°Heaven must have great customer service. I only heard one ring and now I''m talking to an angel.¡± I said and she chuckled. ¡°Hi, Amelia. How was school this morning? Did the teachers suck all the joy out of learning yet?¡±


    Amyughed. ¡°I''m seventeen, Greg. School hasn''t been fun in years.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you''re almost legal?¡± I asked, my voice full of hope.


    Amy made an odd sound. ¡°You are so not.¡±


    ¡°What if I said I had an old soul?¡± I asked and sheughed. ¡°No chance, huh?¡±


    Amy went quiet for a moment. ¡°I wouldn''t say that.¡±


    I smiled at her not shutting me downpletely. ¡°Then a spark of hope shall stay in my heart until you decide.¡± I said and she didn''t say anything. ¡°Speaking of future rtionships, how are Vicky and Dean today?¡±


    Amy groaned. ¡°Don''t get me started.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is the tumultuous couple on again or off again?¡± I asked, genuinely curious.


    ¡°Off right now, so Vicky''s sitting with the hangers-on this week.¡± Amy answered.


    ¡°Not you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°God, no. I used you as an excuse to escape the vapid airheads.¡± Amy responded. ¡°Thanks, by the way. I totally nned for you to call me at the exact moment I said you could, so you''re lucky that you did.¡±


    I had to chuckle at that. ¡°I''m at home for the rest of the week, so you can rely on me to be your phone buddy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Amy said and then caught her breath. ¡°Wait, only the week? Are going back to that hellhole? Didn''t they arrest that bitch or what?¡±


    ¡°Nope, it was ruled an ident. Even my statement said so, corroborating her im. It apparently doesn''t matter if Sophia intended to kill someone else, because I wasn''t supposed to be the target and got caught instead.¡± I said and heard Amy make a very nasty sound. ¡°Did you just curse?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Amy said, her voice full of venom. ¡°Leave this with me, Greg. I''m going to make a few calls and I''ll get back to you as soon as I can. That bitch isn''t going to get away with it, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Amelia...¡± I started to say she didn''t have to do that.


    ¡°Carol should be eating lunch right now, so I''ll call her first.¡± Amy said and cut me off. ¡°I''ll talk to youter.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± I said and hung up. I looked at my phone for a moment and put it down. ¡°I don''t know if I should be happy about that or not.¡±


    *


    ¡°Amelia Fleur Dallon, are you joking?¡± Carol asked her adopted daughter.


    ¡°I wish I was.¡± Amy responded, her tone t.


    ¡°And you know they dropped the case?¡± Carol asked.


    ¡°Greg just told me about it and I hung up on him and called you right away.¡± Amy said.


    Carol paused for a moment and thought about what she could do. ¡°All right. I''ll take the case provisionally. I don''t know how much I can do without showing the firm I have a retainer set aside for a new client.¡±


    ¡°Crap.¡± Amy said and then gasped. ¡°Would it help if he asked to join New Wave?¡±


    Carol sighed. ¡°I can''t let you convince him to unmask, just so he can get some closure.¡±


    ¡°No, no. That''s not it at all! He asked me if he could join after I healed him yesterday. He even asked about an application and a face-to-face interview, too. The PRT officer tried the hard sell to make him join, with his family''s safety at risk, and it blew up in his face.¡±


    Carol chuckled. ¡°Serves them right. They can''t threaten capes like that.¡±


    ¡°I was shocked when he did it right there in front of me and Greg said he was d he had a witness.¡± Amy added. ¡°That''s why when the case was closed, I knew they did it to spite him for refusing and not bothering to talk to one of the capes from the Protectorate.¡±


    ¡°That was a smart deduction, Amy.¡± Carol said and missed the gasp Amy let out at receiving praise. ¡°I''ll add that he''s desperate enough toe to us after the PRT threw him to the wolves. I know a good judge that can get me a writ of censure for how they mishandled the case. They might even be forced to reopen the investigation if they won''t hand over their case files for review.¡±


    Amy let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That''s good news. I''ll call him back and let him know.¡±


    ¡°Call Sarah first and get the ball rolling on that. I don''t know if the family will vote to let him join or not; but, as long as it''s in process, it can help give the case legitimacy.¡± Carol said. ¡°Ask Sarah to arrange a meeting with him at his home this evening and I''ll add it into my notes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do that. Thank you.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Carol said and then fell silent. Neither of them knew how to end the first cordial conversation they had in a while. The silence stretched on for several moments before she thought up an excuse to hang up. ¡°I need to finish eating my lunch.¡±


    Amy blew out the breath she didn''t realize she was holding in, d for the excuse. ¡°Me, too! Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Carol said and hung up. She stared at the phone and felt surprised that they hadn''t devolved into an argument, probably because Amy wasn''t as belligerent as she usually was. It was kind of a relief. <i>Amy having a friend outside of school might be a good thing?</i> She asked herself and then smiled.


    Another idea had just popped into her head and she started typing on herputer. A filed school transfer request to get away from his attempted murderer, a public announcement over his assant not being charged for such a tant crime that was caught on camera, and then a personal notice that the PRT were not going to protect his family because he didn''t join the Wards.


    <i>Yes, this was going to be a very nice club for me to slug those idiots in the PRT with.</i> Carol thought with satisfaction and kept typing.


    *


    Director Emily Piggot of the Parahuman Response Team, East-North-East division, had just sat down to eat her supper at home when a shit-storm she had no idea was developing hit her in the face. Her house phone and her cell phone rang at the same time and she sighed, because both were across the room and she had to get up to answer one of them.


    It took Emily a moment, since her slightly overweight body and a few aches and pains slowed her down. She answered her cell phone and the house phone stopped ringing. ¡°Speak.¡±


    She listened as she was filled in on the situation and she tried to keep her emotions in check and managed to not yell at the idiot talking to her. It wasn''t his fault, because he wasn''t the PRT officer that caused the mess that was already on the news. She still calmly ranted at him for not contacting her sooner, since he was the agent on watch and should have noticed what was going on in his department.


    Emily hung up and went back to her meal and settled down to eat. Rushing to close the stable door after the horse had already escaped, wouldn''t do anyone any good. She had to think about how to handle the situation and she did so as she ate the nd food in front of her. It wasn''t the first time she regretted not having functioning kidneys.


    As she went over the details of the case in her head, Emily admitted to herself that she believed Veder. He had no reason to lie, not after surviving what happened. She used her cell phone to check one of the many videos of the incident that had been posted on the cape message boards, PHO. It was a hot topic and very easy to find, unfortunately.


    Emily''s nk face slowly changed into a scowl at the proof that one of their Wards had tried to trap someone in that locker, only for that boy to save them and get caught himself and then left inside. The intended victim had fled as soon as she could and didn''t look back, disappointing Sophia by the look on her face, probably because she didn''t have to chase the girl away.


    The clip sped up on its own to the relevant part, thanks to someone editing it, and Emily watched as a muscr body pretty much exploded out of that tiny space. The change that had happened to the skinny kid was kind of impressive and in no way was going to be covered up, even if there had been no video evidence to document it.


    Anyone at the school near there would have known he was a cape after that, so no one could im it was the PRT thatpromised his identity. Thankfully, the video didn''t expose their own Ward, only that some ck girl had tried to assault a white girl and assaulted a white boy instead. That was going to be a problem she could do little about.


    The Empire 88 were already sting the inte and the news with quotes about the filthy cks attacking wholesome white people for no reason, which was why Emily thought it was a problem she couldn''t handle. They were right. Sophia Hess had bullied that Hebert girl for no reason and now it was all out in the open.


    ¡°The moron didn''t even find out what Veder''s powers were before he ostracized him.¡± Emily said out loud as she mulled over what she had to do first.


    She finished eating and used her cell phone to call in the order to bring Sophia Hess and her family into protective custody. The irony was not lost on her that it was the reason the new cape had refused to even listen to the offer to join the Protectorate. She even agreed with him that it was just a temporary stopgap measure for immediate safety and not meant for long-term protection.


    The PRT officer should have offered passive surveince and a response team ready for any attack, since they were the parahuman response team and that was their job. Instead, the idiot thought he could force the hard sell on a recently traumatized teenager. It was a stupid move, because he was underage and his parents were the ones that needed to be pressured into signing him up. Now they had no chance at all of getting him onboard.


    Emily called for a ride and sat down to wait. It was going to be another long night as she went over the paperwork herself and she knew it was going to be a bigger headache than she thought it was going to be. Her phone beeped at her and she looked at the new notice about awsuit filed on behalf of a minor over the PRT threatening his family and allowing his assant to run free to keep trying to kill him.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Emily said with a sigh. ¡°Of course Carol Dallon is a part of this.¡±


    The car arrived and Emily rode in the back in silence. She was taken to the PRT building downtown and dropped off by the elevator in the underground parking lot. She thanked the driver and rode the elevator up to the top floor where her office was and greeted the night secretary as she was handed several file folders.


    Emily entered her office and sat down to get to work. The mess was a huge one and was getting bigger after that announcement. She checked her phone and sighed, because thewsuit was trending already and had hundreds of supporting messages.


    She opened the top folder and saw the writ of censure and cursed again, because it was dated for just after lunch and she wasn''t told. She could have been all over this long ago and now she was ying catch-up from so far behind that it wasn''t funny.


    It didn''t take long for her to check who had received it and she cursed yet again, because the stooge was one of the Empire''s nts they had been using to feed the gang false information. That was biting her on the ass now by letting the PRT stew for half the day as the Empire used the opportunity to hammer them over it.


    Unfortunately, Emily couldn''t have the man shot. Legally, anyway. However, she could do something else. A quick phone callter had the man arrested for interfering in an ongoing case and he would be interrogated before being dropped into Master / Stranger protocols for 24 hours, after which he would be fired for cause. Having a false mole around wasn''t worth the trouble after thistest fuck-up.


    Emily went through the files that she had only received a briefing about and the details were maddening. The PRT officer had done the interview of the victim in front of Panacea, after confirming Veder was a cape, and that exined how Carol had gotten wind of it so soon. The reason he wanted to join New Wave was because of his treatment by the PRT, which was a harsh blow to their public face.


    She grumbled about being surrounded by idiots as she finished reading the closed case against Sophia Hess, whom wasn''t apologetic and said it was an ident. She had wanted to put the Hebert girl into the locker and Veder wasn''t supposed to be there. It was his fault he was caught and she wasn''t responsible.


    The victim''s own statement confirmed this and the video showed Sophia didn''t even realize he had been shoved in instead, until someone else pointed out that she had missed the Hebert girl, who was already running away from the scene.


    Greg Veder''s statement was the concerning one. He was right that just reporting that one incident would do nothing, because no other incident had been submitted. The records from Sophia''s handler were squeaky clean and Emily now knew they had been doctored. Everyone, even the good kids like Gant and Vista, had spots on their records with incidents. There was never ''nothing to report'' written on any of the other records.


    Emily pushed the inte button. ¡°Sarah, please have Shadow Stalker''s monitoring agente to my office.¡±


    ¡°They''ve left for the day, so it might be half an hour.¡± Sarah replied.


    ¡°That''s fine. Have Armsmaster and Aegis report to me as well.¡± Emily said. They were the respective leaders of the Protectorate team and the Wards team.


    ¡°Both are in the building, ma''am. I''ll send the order right away.¡± Sarah responded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Emily said and let the button go. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, because the ring hole in the incident was why no cape response had been ordered when the civilian identity of a Ward had been mentioned. That was a huge red g in her mind and she would have her answers, or heads were going to roll.


    Emily hit the inte button again. ¡°Sarah, if Shadow Stalker''s handler doesn''t answer her phone, send a patrol car and have them picked up.¡±


    ¡°Right away, ma''am. I already tried and there was no answer.¡± Sarah responded.


    ¡°On second thought, send a tactical team instead.¡± Emily ordered. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, ma''am.¡± Sarah said and felt d that it wasn''t her that had her boss on the warpath.

 192 More Fallout

    192 More Fallout


    Arge armored man entered Emily Piggot''s office a few minutester and Armsmaster did not look happy, which meant she had interrupted his tinkering. Emily didn''t feel bad about that, because her night off had been interrupted as well.


    ¡°Director, you wanted to see us?¡± Armsmaster asked.


    A young man wearing red tights and a domino mask entered the office behind him and Emily tried to not frown at how tight his outfit was. She did not need to see that he wasn''t wearing a protective cup and she was relieved he wasn''t sporting an erection. That would have been embarrassing for the 17 year old.


    <i>Note to self, inform the PR department to issue standard protective cups to all of the male capes in the PRT ENE.</i> Emily thought. ¡°Thank you foring here on such short notice. I only just returned here myself.¡±


    Armsmaster nodded and Aegis looked slightly nervous.


    ¡°I was quite dismayed at hearing that one of the Wards was involved in an attempted murder yesterday and no one responded to it.¡± Emily said and red at Armsmaster. ¡°Would you care to tell me why no cape presence was ordered to be present when there were two confirmed capes at the incident?¡±


    Armsmaster''s mouth formed a thin line. ¡°It was deemed a school prank and an ident. If a Protectorate hero showed up, it would have outed the Ward in question.¡±


    ¡°So, the publicly outed cape Hess caused to trigger was deemed an ident and didn''t need a cape response to handle it?¡± Emily asked with venom in her voice. ¡°Is that what you are telling me, Armsmaster?¡±


    The man was smart enough to not respond with the same answer and stayed quiet.


    ¡°I assume you''ve seen the video.¡± Emily asked and he nodded. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Dragon pointed it out to me this morning after the case was closed.¡± Armsmaster said.


    ¡°And you didn''t use your authority to reopen the case after seeing it?¡± Emily asked calmly as she took out the writ of censure for mishandling the case from the top file.


    ¡°I reviewed the evidence and it really was an ident. The victim corroborated it.¡± Armsmaster answered and she ced the document on the desk for him to read.


    ¡°Well?¡± Emily asked and he didn''t respond, because he knew he screwed up. She turned her head slightly to Aegis. ¡°Would you care toment about how a member of your team attempted to murder someone, and failed, only to almost kill an innocent bystander instead?¡±


    Aegis opened his mouth and closed it. He really didn''t know what to say. He had seen the video and he was shocked that anyone would do that, then doubly shocked that someone had intentionally sacrificed themselves to save the intended victim and they had triggered instead.


    ¡°Do either of you have any idea how this makes the PRT look?¡± Emily asked, her anger rushing back. ¡°We are being sued because the idiot that did his interview tried to force him into the Wards by threatening his family and he closed the assault case because the traumatized victim refused his generous offer of nothing!¡±


    Both Armsmaster and Aegis winced. It was a standard tactic to mention the danger to their families when recruiting, not to use it as a weapon against a freshly triggered individual.


    ¡°It was also done in front of a witness and we are pretty much screwed.¡± Emily told them and leaned back in her chair to look at the both of them. ¡°I''m quite disappointed in the both of you as well.¡±


    Aegis opened his mouth to ask why and she held up a hand to stop him.


    ¡°Hess has been bullying that girl in the video for a year and a half. Can you stand there and tell me to my face that you haven''t once seen or heard her act inappropriately?¡± Emily asked him.


    ¡°I reported any incidents I personally saw.¡± Aegis said.


    Emily''s eyes narrowed at that qualifier. ¡°That''s it? Only what you personally witnessed and none of what you heard? Did you follow up on any of that? Anything at all?¡± She asked, quite pointedly. ¡°What about the reports? Did you check to see if anyone read them or was aware of them?¡±


    Aegis felt his face heat up from embarrassment. He had reported each incident and then put them out of his mind. Thest few things he saw, he hadn''t even reported, because it never seemed to make any difference and he had stopped trying.


    ¡°Armsmaster?¡± Emily asked and the armored man let out a sigh.


    ¡°The incidents seemed inconsequential at the time.¡± Armsmaster said in his defense.


    ¡°Did you dismiss them every time? How many of them crossed your desk that you never bothered to tell me about?¡± Emily asked in a deadly voice. ¡°Did you forget that I am your <b>superior</b> and that <b>you</b> are supposed to report <b>any</b> incident in regards to the capes under yourmand?¡±


    Armsmaster knew in that moment that he didn''t just screw up, he had fucked up royally. He also didn''t try to offer her the actual number of filed reports, because it didn''t really matter how many there were after the first few that he had read and chose to ignore as inconsequential.


    ¡°On my authority as the Director of this branch of the PRT and Protectorate, you are both hereby relieved, with cause, from your assignedmand positions.¡± Emily said and both of them visibly wilted. ¡°I will provisionally be cing Miss Militia in charge of the Protectorate capes and the Wards until I can personally review how many incidents have been stopped from reaching me.¡±


    The two men stood there in silence as her re lessened and her face showed sadness.


    ¡°I hope you both learn from this lesson and don''t repeat your mistakes in the future, not that you''ll get much chance to be put back into an authoritative role after this.¡± Emily said and took a breath and let it out. ¡°Be d that I didn''t suspend you both until that review is done, gentlemen. Dismissed.¡±


    Both of them nodded and left the office withoutment and Emily sighed when the door closed. She hadn''t likeding down so hard on them like that; but, if they had been even a little more diligent and observant, she could have stopped anything like this from happening a long time ago.


    As things stood, Emily had a few calls to make to try and stop the train before it flew off the rails. The first task was to settle the case out of court. That was thest ce they needed to have their dirtyundry aired out for everyone to see, especially because she knew they were going to lose the case before it was ever heard by a judge.


    There was too much public outcry, fanned into outrage by the damned Nazis, to have any unbiased jurors in a full public trial. Emily nced at her cell phone and saw that the press were already running spections on how much the court was going to award the victim with theirwsuit.


    Seeing all those zeroes gave Emily the motivation she needed to try and convince her own boss that settling for a much lower amount was going to be the best oue for everyone.


    *


    When Amy had texted me abouting over to visit, I didn''t think much of it. I had visited her housest night and hering over tonight shouldn''t have been a big deal. She knocked on the front door and I opened it to see her standing there on the front step with both Vicky and their aunt, Sarah Pelham.


    ¡°Moooom!¡± I shouted over my shoulder. ¡°Are angels supposed to multiply after descending from heaven?¡±


    Amy blushed, Vickyughed, and Sarah rolled her eyes.


    ¡°No, sweetie! They always existed. You just didn''t see them.¡± My brilliant mother answered.


    ¡°That exins it.¡± I said and stepped back as I waved them inside. ¡°Please,e in.¡±


    ¡°I''m d Vicky warned me about you.¡± Sarah said and motioned for Amy and Vicky to go in first.


    ¡°Why did she do that? Aren''t you married?¡± I asked with a smirk.


    Amy''s hand pped my arm. ¡°No hitting on my aunt. We''re here for business.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡± I pouted and Vickyughed as Sarah stepped by me.


    Sarah took it in good humor and smiled. ¡°I have two children that are older than you, Mr. Veder.¡±


    I nced down at her tight uniform that showed off how fit she still was and I looked right into her eyes. ¡°That''s not much of an argument. My mom''s like the most adorable woman I know and she''s literally old enough to be my mother.¡±


    ¡°Greg!¡± My mom gasped and I didn''t have to look behind me to see her epic blush.


    Vickyughed and pulled me out of the way and shut the door. Amy sighed and Sarah looked surprised before she could hide it behind a soft chuckle. Vicky then herded the three of us into the living room where my mother''s gasp hade from.


    ¡°Embarrassed mom, I''d like you to officially meet my bestest friend Amelia Dallon, since she was saving me when you first met and I forgot to introduce you then.¡± I said.


    Amy waved and so did Vicky.


    ¡°That bubbly girl next to her is her blonde bombshell of a sister named Victoria Dallon, also called Glory Girl, and the tall buxom blonde woman with them is their aunt that thinks having kids means she can''t have men admire her and hit on her.¡± I said and Vicky barked augh as Amy groaned. ¡°Her name''s Sarah Pelham and her cape name is Lady Photon. She''s also the leader of New Wave.¡±


    ¡°At least he didn''t call her Photon Mom to her face.¡± Amy whispered and Vicky giggled. Sarah''s re did nothing to stop them from smirking at her.


    ¡°Everyone, this is my embarrassed mom, Diane Veder.¡± I said and finished the introductions.


    My mom rolled her eyes at me and shook each of their hands. ¡°It''s nice to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you, too.¡± Sarah said and looked sad. ¡°Despite the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°It''s been trying time.¡± My mom agreed and motioned towards the couch. ¡°Please have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?¡±


    ¡°Thirty year old bourbon?¡± I asked.


    Amy pped a hand over her sister''s mouth before she could answer. We could all hear Vicky''s muffled giggles, though.


    Sarah looked amused at their antics and I could tell she was d she had brought them along. ¡°I''m driving, so I have to decline.¡±


    ¡°Rain check?¡± I asked with a huge grin and Vicky''s giggles changed toughs.


    My mom swatted at me and I chuckled as I sat down on the armchair beside the couch. The sisters declined the offered beverages and mom sat in the rocking chair across from the couch.


    ¡°I assume you know why we''re here?¡± Sarah asked her.


    ¡°Yes, my son has decided to ignore all reasonable arguments and wants to be a cape.¡± Diane said and sounded defeated.


    I had to sigh at her answer. ¡°Mom, I told you I don''t have a choice but to be a public cape, no matter who I joined. Kaiser and his people will being for me and I would like to have a few powerful friends in my corner when they do.¡±


    ¡°I get that, sweetie. I really do.¡± My mom said and gave me a half-lidded re. ¡°But, did you have to choose the only team on the entire eastern seaboard that is mostly female and nearly all of them are gorgeous blondes?¡± She asked. ''Like me'' was left unsaid and I heard it anyway.


    Vicky''s and Sarah''s faces tinted slightly red and Amy looked a little sad.


    ¡°That''s not a fairparison, mom.¡± I said. ¡°The only reason Panacea doesn''t get the same recognition is because she wears those bulky robes and has darker hair.¡±


    Amy lost the sad look and her face flushed to the same color as her sister''s.


    ¡°Of course, if she wore something like Vicky''s cape outfit, people might not recognize her.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°If she changed her hair a bit, she could probably join New Wave again under a different cape name. Like me, people don''t really know her for who she is and she could be anyone she wants to be when she goes out as a new cape.¡±


    All four women stared at me like I grew a second head, even though I already had one. Fortunately, I was not thinking with that head right now or I would have been in serious trouble.


    ¡°Anyways, that''s not why you''re here right now. This is like an interview, right? Do you have a list of questions to ask me?¡± I asked.


    Sarah visibly shook herself and nodded. She took out a piece of paper that had been tucked inside her sleeve and unfolded it. ¡°First off, why do you want to join New Wave and be a public cape?¡±


    ¡°Two reasons. The first you know, because I was outed without my knowledge or permission and the PRT tried to use my family''s safety to make me join them. I know that''s not how they always handle these things; but, they did it with me because they thought I was stupid and easily tricked.¡±


    ¡°Greg, you don''t have to be so hard on yourself.¡± My mom chastised me.


    ¡°If I hadn''t triggered, we all know they wouldn''t have even looked at me, let alone tried to talk to me. When I refused their offer, they didn''t even charge Sophia Hess for assaulting me, even with video evidence.¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°If they didn''t know I had powers, they wouldn''t have done anything at all.¡±


    None of them tried to tell me I was wrong and Sarah nodded.


    ¡°Second, with everyone knowing I''m a cape, I might as well own it. I have powers. Just sitting on my ass and letting the world go to pot just doesn''t feel right, you know? If I do nothing, then why should I expect anyone else to do anything for me?¡± I said and locked eyes with Sarah. ¡°Remember that old saying? God only helps those that help themselves.¡±


    Sarah caught her breath and she stared at me without blinking. ¡°You... you...¡±


    ¡°I have every intention to use my powers to protect my family to the best of my ability.¡± I said and slowly stood as I clenched my fists, a slight golden glow covered me and my shirt dissolved away. ¡°Anyone that dares toe after the people I love, will wish they had never been born when I''m done beating them into the ground.¡±


    A soft moan made us all turn our heads to look at Vicky, whom was biting her lip and was rubbing her thighs together.


    ¡°Please tell me that''s a shield and you can fly. Please, please, please.¡± Vicky desperately pleaded.


    Amy''s mouth dropped open in shock and Sarah looked like she was fighting to not do the same thing.


    My mom on the other hand, sighed and rubbed her forehead. ¡°Dammit, Greg.¡±


    There was only one thing I could do in this situation, so I braced myself and smiled. ¡°I''m sorry, mom.¡± I said and looked at Vicky. ¡°Go ahead and hit me as hard as you can.¡±


    Vicky let out an inarticte cry and crossed the room instantly as her fist moved in a blur. The loud smack of a fist against flesh echoed off the living room walls and my head snapped to the side, and that was it. She pulled her fist back and looked at it like there was something wrong with it, then she looked at my unharmed face. The slight golden glow still covered me, too.


    I had a lot of powers and abilities, so simting anything I wanted was as easy as choosing a certain set of skills and using them. I floated up off the floor to show her I could fly, too.


    Vicky leaped into the air and her strong hands grabbed me by the neck and pulled me close to smash her lips against mine. Her tongue dove into my mouth to try and takemand of my own and I wasn''t going to let that happen. I fought her tongue just as fiercely as she did and Vicky let out another moan and her grip became gentle as she hugged my neck and pressed herself as fully against me as she could.


    ¡°Dammit, Vicky.¡± Amy said with a groan, copying what my mother just said to me.


    Vicky broke the kiss and didn''t look sorry in the least. ¡°Sorry, Ames. I just can''t say no to the perfect guy.¡±


    ¡°I saw him first!¡± Amy protested and then looked embarrassed.


    I blinked my eyes at that, knowing who Amy actually liked, so I had to do some quick damage control. ¡°Amelia''s right, you know. I have to date her first before you can steal me away from her.¡±


    Vicky pouted and crossed her arms as she slowly lowered herself to the floor. ¡°That''s not fair! How am I supposed to enjoy... wait...¡± She paused and looked at Amy, then at me, then back at Amy. ¡°What if we do exactly that? You can start dating him, which lets us bring him into the team, and I can sneak around behind your back and steal kisses and things from him when you''re not looking.¡±


    Amy pped a hand on her face and sighed. ¡°That''s not how rtionships are supposed to work.¡±


    ¡°Why not? It''ll be fun.¡± Vicky said and reached up to grab my belt and pulled me down to the floor. ¡°You can have him mostly to yourself for a while and then we can switch.¡±


    ¡°That is definitely not how rtionships work.¡± Sarah interjected and none of us missed the slight smile on her face.


    ¡°Eh, I''ll probably want a break sometimes and we can switch back. I don''t want him hanging all over me all the time, anyway.¡± Vicky countered.


    ¡°Him is still standing right here.¡± I said as I let the glow around me fade away.


    ¡°Hush, you. You''ll be getting ess to two girlfriends out of this, sometimes at the same time.¡± Vicky admonished me.


    ¡°Riiight, I''m shutting up now.¡± I responded and she nodded, then she walked over to the couch and sat beside Amy. They put their heads together and started whispering back and forth heatedly.


    ¡°I have more questions.¡± Sarah said and nced at her two nieces that were either arguing or negotiating, or both. ¡°That I''m thinking might be superfluous now.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± I agreed with a chuckle.


    Sarah stood up to step close to me and her eyes went down to my bare chest and then she looked up at my face with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I lost the shirt for dramatic effect.¡± I whispered and she chuckled.


    ¡°If you''re sure about this, then I guess it''s just a formality to get the rest of the team to agree.¡± Sarah said and held her hand out for me to shake. ¡°Wee to New Wave, Greg.¡±


    ¡°As.¡± I said and shook her hand. I let the slight gold glow form over myself again and I slowly transfigured my pants into a full bodysuit. It was off-white for the main color and it really made my muscles pop. It also had gold ents at the shoulders and wrists, a gold belt at the waist, gold boots on my feet, and a golden Earth symbol on my chest.


    ¡°Oh, my.¡± Sarah whispered and stared at my cape outfit as her hand gripped mine tightly.


    <i>I guess that means she likes it.</i> I thought as she gave me a very thorough observation from head to toe.


    The whispering on the couch stopped and both Amy and Vicky stared at my cape outfit for a second before they spoke at the same time. ¡°Agreed.¡± They said and shook hands, then I had my arms full with a blonde and a brte kissing my cheeks at the same time.

 193 Capes and Capers

    193 Capes and Capers


    We wrapped up the meet-and-greet and I walked the three members of New Wave to my front door just as several strong knocks sounded. My Danger Sense was going off slightly, so I did my little farseeing trick and saw Hookwolf and Rune walking away. I patted Sarah''s shoulder and she stepped back to give me enough room to open the door.


    I gave her a slight nod and opened the door, fully knowing who was there. I also stored their masks into my inventory before I saw a muscr guy slightly shorter than me wearing a muscle shirt and jeans. He had short blond hair and several scars on his arms and face. Beside him was a very short teenage girl with long blonde hair and she was dressed in a slightly armored outfit under a ck and red robe with the hood up.


    ¡°Ah, fuck. We''re toote.¡± Rune said with a sneer when she saw my cape costume.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Hoookwolf said and looked past me and saw Sarah, Vicky, and Amy. ¡°New Wave? You chose those pathetic losers instead of us in the Empire88? Where''s your pride?¡±


    Vicky growled at the insult and jumped forward. My hand darted out and caught her shoulder to stop her from attacking the capes on my front porch. She gave me an odd look for a second, probably because no one had ever caught her so easily before, and shended on the floor and stepped back.


    ¡°Did you just out yourselves as capes to me?¡± I asked the two people in front of me and they widened their eyes. ¡°Because, you know,ing to my house to recruit me in your cape outfits without masks on, was probably the dumbest thing you could have done.¡±


    Both of them reached up and touched their exposed faces and let out curses. Rune looked the angriest, probably because I could see how young she was. She was my age, maybe a year older, and she didn''t have a mask to hide her teenage insecurities behind.


    Hookwolf tore off his shirt and ripped it in half, handed a piece to Rune, and they tied the cloth over the bottoms of their faces. ¡°You''re going to regret this, Greg Veder.¡±


    I gave him a look that promised him pain. ¡°I don''t think so, Brad Meadows.¡±


    Rune, Vicky, and Sarah gasped. Amy let out a soft curse and Hookwolf looked shocked.


    ¡°What? I thought we were using our civilian names and not our cape names.¡± I said and acted innocent. No one believed that act for a second.


    ¡°Let''s go, Hookwolf. We need to report this.¡± Rune said.


    Hookwolf red at me and let the teenage girl pull him off of the porch and the two of them walked away.


    ¡°As, that was a very dangerous thing you just did.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°I diffused a battle before it could start, Lady Photon. I wasn''t going to fight them with both Amy and my mother right here in the line of fire.¡± I exined and Vicky looked embarrassed. ¡°It''s all right, Glory Girl. I was here to stop them from goading you into throwing the first punch and giving them justification to hurt the nonbatants they were here to target when I rejected their offer.¡±


    Sarah sighed. ¡°They''re doing the same thing the PRT did to you by using your family against you.¡±


    I pointed at her and nodded. ¡°If I wouldn''t join voluntarily, I''d have to join after they hurt my mom.¡± I said and did the five minute foresight trick and saw they had Oth in their car with them. That would have given them holding mom''s healing over me, too. I''d owe them afterwards because they spared her and saved her life.


    Diane came over to me, tears in her eyes, and hugged me. She cried and I held her, petted her hair, and didn''t say anything. There was nothing else to be said, because we all knew it was going to happen eventually.


    Sarah put a hand on my mother''s shoulder and my mom let me go and ced her hand over Sarah''s. They had a silent conversation and Sarah nodded. ¡°Vicky can extend her regr patrols over this way for a while as she checks out Amy''s new boyfriend.¡±


    My mom smiled and wiped at her eyes. ¡°Thank you, Lady Photon. I appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°We should go as well.¡± Sarah said and motioned for Vicky and Amy to leave. ¡°We have some family members to talk to about our new member.¡±


    ¡°Just a sec.¡± Vicky said and took out her cell phone and clicked a picture of me. ¡°Okay, I''m good.¡±


    ¡°Vicky!¡± Amy gasped and tried to take the phone from her, only for Vicky to hop up into the air and out of reach.


    ¡°Geez, Ames! Rx. I''ll send it to you.¡± Vicky said and did a few thumb motions and we heard Amy''s phone beep.


    Amy took it out and saw the picture she was just sent. Her eyes went to me briefly and she nodded and tucked the phone back inside her robes. ¡°Don''t forget to call me tomorrow at lunch.¡±


    I stepped forward and gave her a hug. ¡°I never will. That''s what phone buddies are for.¡±


    Vicky giggled and floated back down tond. ¡°Phone buddies?¡±


    ¡°We call each other to get us out of ces we desperately want to escape from before we murderize someone.¡± I joked and Amy smacked my chest. ¡°I mean, we call each other to discuss relevant and important topics that just can''t wait until we talk face-to-face.¡±


    Vickyughed and put her phone away. ¡°I knew it was a little too convenient that he called you right after you bought your lunch today!¡±


    Amy groaned and smacked my chest again for letting the secret out. She was just being yful with the hits, though. I barely felt the ps and leaned down to kiss her cheek.


    ¡°Aww! That''s so cute!¡± Vicky said and hugged her sister. ¡°I can''t wait to tell <b>everyone</b> that the grumpy and ornery Panacea finally has a boyfriend!¡±


    Amy groaned again and slumped slightly at giving her gossiping sister the biggest news of the year.


    Sarah softlyughed and pushed the both of them towards her car. ¡°Into the backseat, both of you.¡±


    Vicky pretty much picked a reluctant Amy up and carried her over to the car and stuffed her into the backseat.


    ¡°I''ll call you tomorrow abouting over on the weekend to set up joint patrols and things with Glory Girl and Laserdream.¡± Sarah said and shook my hand. Before she let it go, she leaned in and whispered. ¡°How did you know Hookwolf''s civilian identity?¡±


    I leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°I''m a cape geek. I know everyone''s civilian identity.¡±


    Sarah caught her breath and she turned her head to stare at me with her mouth slightly open.


    I honestly couldn''t resist the temptation and puckered my lips to briefly touch them to hers. I pulled back before she could react and gave her my best smile. ¡°I''m sorry, I couldn''t resist stealing one. That was just too damn hard to ignore.¡±


    Sarah looked surprised and then blushed slightly. ¡°Greg... don''t do that again.¡±


    ¡°I really shouldn''t promise the impossible; but, we all do the impossible every day.¡± I said with a grin and she huffed which made me chuckle. ¡°All right, I solemnly promise to not take advantage of any other opportunities you might present to me in the future.¡±


    Sarah leaned back and looked into my eyes. ¡°I suppose that''s good enough for now.¡±


    ¡°Trust me.¡± I said and wagged my eyebrows.


    Sarah huffed again and let my hand go. ¡°I need to warn my daughter Crystal about you, too.¡±


    ¡°She looks just like you, doesn''t she?¡± I asked and she sighed in defeat.


    ¡°Goodbye, Greg.¡± Sarah said and started walking away. ¡°Don''t you dare stare at my ass.¡±


    Of course, that warning forced me to do the exact opposite and good lord, Sarah had a great ass. Her costume was off-white as well and it made her movements stand out that much more. The purple ents highlighted exactly how fit she was and she turned back to me just before she reached the car.


    I had been so easily caught and I lifted my eyes from below her waist to look at her face and gauge how angry she would be. Instead, I had to hold in myugh at the smug smile she had. Sarah climbed into the car and drove away as Vicky and Amy waved to me. I waved back and closed the front door, only to see my mother frowning at me.


    ¡°I love you.¡± I said and scooped her up in my arms and peppered her cheek with little butterfly kisses. My mother squirmed in my arms and barely tried to stop me, so I carried her into the living room and sat with her on the couch. ¡°Thank you for allowing me to do this. I know how much you worry about me.¡±


    Diane sighed and hugged me tightly. ¡°No, you''re right. You''re going to get involved, even if you didn''t want to be.¡± She said and rested her head against my shoulder. ¡°I just didn''t expect them all to just show up at the house the very next day.¡±


    ¡°Some people just don''t understand that patience is a virtue.¡± I said and petted her hair.


    Diane cuddled into my side and sighed again. ¡°Your father should be home soon.¡±


    I nodded and checked the time, then used my farseeing trick and concentrated on him. I didn''t see his car in the driveway, so I watched television with my mother and every five minutes I used the same trick again.


    I started to get a bad feeling when it was five minutes before he should be waling through the front door and he wasn''t showing up in my vision. ¡°I''ll be right back. I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    My mother let me go and I stood up, then I practically ran up the stairs to the bathroom, making herugh.


    I passed by the bathroom and used a portal to my dad''s work andnded on the building across the street. The entire office building was on fire and I used a telescoping vision power and looked at the fifth floor and into dad''s office. There was too much smoke clouding the room for me to see anything and I hopped off of the building andnded next to the fireman wearing the chief''s hat.


    ¡°What''s the sitrep?¡± I asked and the man looked up at me, his eyes widening at my unmasked face.


    ¡°The fire was set deliberately by...¡± The fire chief started to say when a great roar cut through the air and the front of the building smashed outwards and a ten foot tall Lungnded on the street. He was partially covered in scales and was already ramping up to be a real problem.


    I immediately flew at him and smashed my fist into his slightly extended face that was forming into a muzzle and crushed it. He stumbled back, clearly surprised by the devastating blow, then he tried to roar again and it came out as a gurgle because his mouth was currently inside his face.


    Instead of waiting for him to regenerate, darted forward and around him, grabbed him by his quickly growing tail, and flew straight up into the air. When I was up high enough, I turned around in a corcle a few times and threw him as hard as I could and aimed for the bay. That was going to buy me a few minutes and I flew down andnded beside the fire chief again.


    ¡°Do you need a hand putting the fire out?¡± I asked him and he shook his head. ¡°Are there any deaths among the victims of this attack?¡±


    The man''s face fell and I knew someone was dead. I just had to find out if what I suspected was going to be true. He pointed to where the office workers were being treated and I walked over to the tent they had set up.


    ¡°Panacea''s on her way.¡± One of the medics said and everyone sighed with relief.


    I ignored them and went over to the stretchers off to the side of the tent and started lifting nkets. There were six of them and under the fourth one, I found the remains of my father. He was charred almost down to the bone and one of his arms was missing, so he looked like he was hit by one of Lungs breath attacks almost dead on.


    The sheet dropped back down when I let it go and the paramedic gave me an understanding look. I nodded back and walked out of the tent and heard Lung''s roar. He must have healed already and he sounded pissed. Good, because so was I. My father might have been a bastard sometimes; but, he was still my father. I hadn''t had the chance to give him any powers and now he was dead.


    I glowed slightly gold and rose up into the air, letting everyone see me, and I turned towards the direction Lung was raging and flew. There was another cape standing near him that wore a ck outfit and an Oni mask, his knife out and a grenade ready in his hand.


    ¡°Die, you cock-sucking motherfucker!¡± A man''s voice shouted and several miniature missiles flew towards the 15 foot tall dragon-like figure that Lung had be. ¡°No one crashes into my hidden boat stash and lives!¡±


    <i>Oops.</i> I thought and hovered there with a notice-me-not charm on myself. I couldn''t dive in there with so many capes fighting without a n.


    Oni Lee disappeared and he reappeared on top of the armored garbage truck Skidmark was hanging off of. He pulled the pin and dropped the grenade, appeared a secondter and did it again, then disappearedpletely.


    ¡°FUUUUCK!¡± Skidmark yelled and jumped off of the garbage truck as both grenades went off and ruined the missileuncher.


    Lung roared in triumph and started stalking towards the smoking vehicle as another grenade took out the back wheels.


    ¡°Skiddy! The door''s stuck!¡± Squealer shouted. ¡°Get me out of here!¡±


    ¡°You''re on your own, bitch! It was nice fucking ya!¡± Skidmark said and ran away. He had no idea Oni Lee was following him.


    ¡°You fucking bastard! If I live through this, I''m going to drive my next vehicle up your cowardly ass, YOU FUCKING PRICK!¡± Squealer yelled.


    Lung roared again as his wings started to grow and he lifted hisrge wed foot to stomp on the cab of the garbage truck to crush it and Squealer was trapped inside.


    <i>Now''s my chance.</i> I thought as I darted forward and dropped the notice-me-not spell. I mmed both fists into Lung''s chest and kept flying to push him away. He roared uselessly as he was flung backwards into, and through, an abandoned warehouse. Wended on the pavement of a parking lot and he tried to swat me away and missed. He was getting bigger and his movements more powerful, unfortunately, it was at the cost of his speed.


    I easily dodged his wild swings and he grewrger and more frustrated. A second set of wings started to grow from his back and he reached 20 feet tall. The next st of fire he tried to shoot at me to make me back off was blocked by me as I floating right in front of his open mouth.


    When the fire stopped, Lung looked shocked that I waspletely unharmed and my costume was still in pristine shape, which gave me just enough time to form a ck sword of disintegration energy and I slid it right through his chest and into his oversized heart. I turned it several times and let it go, then I gave him a double-handed uppercut.


    My fists pulped his dragon-like snout and he was thrown up and off of his feet from the force of the blow. Hended on his back with a loud crash and crushed his wings and the pavement, making him howl with pain.


    Inded on his chest with a dropkick and he cried out as some fire and spittle poured out of his ruined mouth. It wasn''t healing, either. I looked at therge hole in his chest and saw his heart was desperately trying to regrow and fight off the disintegration energy.


    <i>Well, I can''t let him adapt to that.</i> I thought and formed another sword of disintegration energy and stabbed it through his forehead and into his brain.


    With a twist to scramble his grey matter, I let the sword go and his entire body stilled. The connection to his shard had been severed and I dismissed the popup telling me I had gained his abilities and what is soul sold for.


    I did notice there were several soul fragments from the shard, from the shard''s previous users, and they sold for a nice amount of points that were immediately lost because of Lung''s and the shard''s negative Karma. I felt grateful that I couldn''t go into the negatives anymore, even if it was a pain in the ass to keep epting the negative Karma from the people I killed.


    I hopped off of the beast''s chest that wasn''t shrinking down. I guessed that without the connection, the extra mass given to Lung to let him transform, couldn''t be returned to whatever dimension the shard had taken it from. I stood there as the body started dissolving faster, because he had also lost his extremely high regeneration factor.


    The sounds of sirens let me know someone wasing and I thought about flying away. Before I did, I cast a discreet detection spell and there were seven recording devices focused on me. That made my decision for me and I turned around when a normal PRT vehicle and a motorcycle came to a stop on the other side of the wrecked warehouse.


    It was not Armsmaster like I thought it was going to be, either. A very handsome woman, with olive skin and long dark hair with an American g wrapped around her lower face, hopped off of the tinkertech motorcycle and she put her hand on the Beretta handgun at her hip. Her eyes darted around and took in the entire scene and she pointed to two PRT officers and pointed to the garbage truck.


    Since I didn''t want to start off on the wrong foot with one of the most honest capes in Brockton Bay, I didn''t object to her having Squealer secured and I put on my best smile as I picked up the dissolving remains of Lung and floated through the wrecked warehouse. Inded five feet away from her to not crowd her and dropped the body.


    ¡°Miss Militia, it''s a pleasure to meet you.¡± I said and didn''t offer to shake hands. This situation did not call for that and she wouldn''t have shaken it anyway. I was a murder suspect because I had killed a fellow cape and the proof was right there at my feet. ¡°I just finished fulfilling the Kill Order on Lung and wondered how much the bounty payout is?¡±


    Miss Militia stared at me and looked like she was didn''t know what to say to that, which was exactly why I said it. It would give her time to process things, too.

 194 Taking Care Of Business

    194 Taking Care Of Business


    Miss Militia''s eyes dropped from my smile to the dissolving body of the leader of the ABB Gang at my feet. ¡°You need to stop that before the evidence ispletely gone.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, I can''t do that. There''s a chance he''ll regenerate if he''s notpletely destroyed.¡± I lied. I just didn''t want his gic material to somehow get into someb rat''s hands. Or worse, Bonesaw''s.


    Miss Militia let out a sigh. ¡°That was a concern about him if he was ever sessfully taken down. They wouldn''t have to pay out the money if he regenerated and didn''t actually die.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and she used her cell phone to record thest of his body as it disappeared. ¡°I''m sure there are several brave people around here that recorded the whole fight. It should be easy to confirm it was Lung and not a copycat or a clone or something.¡±


    Before she could say anything about that, a grenade flew through the air towards us. I leapt up and caught it in my hands and crushed it,nded, and it dissolved away.


    ¡°Oni Lee.¡± Miss Militia said and had her weapon out and pointed at the teleporting cape on a nearby roof.


    Oni Lee looked at us and tilted his head, as if he was trying to figure us out, then he pulled two strings on his vest. The six grenades he had strapped there had their pins pulled and the restraining handles were flung off, which armed the explosives just before he disappeared.


    ¡°No!¡± Miss Militia gasped and the man appeared right in front of us.


    I moved instantly and used my fingers to poke both of his eyes, which crushing them and stopping him from teleporting away. ¡°One one thousand.¡± I said as I grabbed his vest and threw him into the already wrecked warehouse to lessen the coteral damage. ¡°Two one thousand.¡± I counted and stood in front of Miss Militia just before the grenades exploded.


    The military-themed cape hunched slightly and her eyes were extremely wide as shrapnel filled the air around us and peppered against my back. The rest flew past us and most of it pinged off of her motorcycle and the patrol vehicle. The four PRT officers had already taken cover after putting Squealer in the back of the SUV.


    ¡°Are you all right, Miss Militia? None of that hit you, did it?¡± I asked her.


    Miss Militia shook her head and moved slightly to the side to peer around my broad shoulder. She looked a little pale, so I was pretty sure Oni Lee was now dead.


    ¡°That death might be a little harder to exin in your paperwork.¡± I said with a sigh.


    Miss Militia nodded and motioned to the two PRT officers. ¡°One of you needs to call this in. Priority code One-One-Beta.¡± She said and turned back to me. ¡°Beta means the encounter is over.¡±


    ¡°Then would Alpha mean you needed immediate assistance?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Cool.¡±


    Miss Militia raised a single eyebrow at me and I chuckled.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I was a cape geek before I triggered.¡± I said and her eyes softened. ¡°Now that the immediate danger is over, I should introduce myself.¡± I said and tapped the golden Earth symbol on my chest. ¡°My cape name is As.¡±


    Both of Miss Militia''s eyebrows rose this time. ¡°You named yourself after the fabled man that held up the entire world on his shoulders?¡±


    I wasn''t embarrassed by the implication, even though the old Greg would have been. ¡°I haven''t officially registered my name yet because of thewsuit.¡±


    ¡°Lawsuit?¡± Miss Militia asked.


    I bent slightly as I leaned in close and whispered. ¡°I''m Greg Veder.¡±


    Miss Militia caught her breath and stared at me.


    I stood up straight and smiled. ¡°It really is nice to meet you, Miss Militia.¡±


    Her eyes went down to my feet and slowly made their way all the way up to my face as she drank all of me in. ¡°The videos don''t really do you any justice.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I know. I watched them all to see if there were any redeeming qualities.¡±


    Miss Militia looked up at my hair. ¡°The fades on the sides of your haircut are a nice touch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I knew it was time for a change before what happened, happened. After that, it was a necessity, because most people won''t recognize me without the bowl cut.¡± I said with a chuckle.


    Miss Militia let out a soft chuckle, too. ¡°I understand. When I have my hair curled and fluffed out, even my close friends have to give me second and third looks to make sure it''s really me.¡±


    I smiled warmly and nced at her long straight hair in a ponytail and imagined it all teased out into arge curly mass to frame her face. ¡°I would have to look several times myself, just to admire you more than I already do.¡±


    Miss Militia looked surprised and then smiled. I could tell because her eyes crinkled at the edges slightly. I was about to say something else when my Danger Sense went off slightly.


    ¡°Duck!¡± I shouted and Miss Militia dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as a full garbage dumpster reached us. I put my hands out to stop it and not to catch it, so it banged against my palms and dropped to the ground.


    I wasn''t the only target, though. A second dumpster was shot towards the patrol vehicle where Squealer was secured and it nged against the armored side of the SUV. The vehicle rocked from the impact and Squealer squealed as it teetered on its wheels.


    I ran over and caught the next dumpster and shoved it out of the way, then grabbed the front tire of the SUV and gently set it back on the ground. I saw the back door was bent slightly and I pushed it closed, then pinched the metal to keep it that way.


    ¡°You fucking cock-sucking cock sucker!¡± Skidmark shouted and a pile of trash beside him pushed another dumpster and two trash cans into the small glowing field in front of the viin cape. ¡°Take this! And this! And this, too! Choke on it all, you fucker! Hahahaha!¡±


    I knocked the dumpster aside and caught the two trash cans and tossed them behind the SUV.


    ¡°He''s high as a kite.¡± Miss Militia said and jogged over to behind the patrol vehicle and aimed at Skidmark. Her rubber bullets bounced off of that same field and came right back at her. ¡°Dammit, he has too many push fields stacked to get anything to him.¡±


    ¡°Then switch to aser weapon. There''s not enough mass for that small of a gravity field to affect it.¡± I said and knocked aside another dumpster.


    There was a brief lull as the pile of trash, that I assumed was the cape viin named Mush, gathered more things to throw at us. I nced back at Miss Militia to see if she changed to aser weapon and all I saw was her kneeling behind the hood of the patrol vehicle with a useless rifle aimed at Skidmark.


    ¡°You''ve been in the Protectorate since you were a teen and not one person handed you any kind of prototypeser weapon to try and add the basic pattern to your power?¡± I asked her.


    Miss Militia looked embarrassed and didn''t respond.


    ¡°It''s not your fault they''re so shortsighted, so don''t worry about it.¡± I said and my Danger Sense warned me something wasing. I turned back and swatted aside a car''s engine block and it mmed into one of the dumpsters with a loud ng and crushed it. ¡°I''m not paying for that.¡±


    One of the PRT officersughed and was hushed by someone else.


    ¡°I really wanted to keep this in reserve.¡± I said as my right hand glowed. I caught a car''s tire with my left hand when it flew at me and I aimed with my right.


    A bright concussive st shot down the street and mmed right into Skidmark''s chest. He yelled in pain and was flung backwards almost ten feet and fell to the pavement. He clutched his ribs and wheezed as the slightly blue field he had created faded away. The next tire Mush tossed over to it, dropped to the pavement and wasn''t flung towards me.


    A momentter, a hail of bullets from the PRT officers peppered Mush and he held up his trash-covered hands as he stepped backwards, then he turned around and picked up Skidmark and lumbered away.


    ¡°Skiddy!¡± Squealer yelled and started crying. ¡°Don''t leave me here for real!¡±


    Miss Militia came around the hood of the SUV and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Standard rules are to let them go if they choose to disengage. We can''t afford to escte with civilians nearby.¡±


    I wanted to say how stupid that was, then sighed. ¡°I need to get back home anyway. My mom thinks I''m in the bathroom.¡±


    Miss Militiaughed and then coughed to stop herself. ¡°Ahem. Yes, you should go home and make sure she''s okay. You can make an appointment toe down to PRT Headquarterster and give your official statement about what happened today.¡±


    ¡°Only if you are avable to take it.¡± I said and she gave me a questioning look. ¡°You''re here and I''ll only be corroborating what you already know. I would have to exin every single thing from the bottom up if anyone else tried to take my statement.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and reached into a pocket and pulled out a business card. ¡°Call this number when you have some free time, either tonight or tomorrow. I''m always on call and will be avable to answer.¡±


    It took me a moment to realize what she meant. ¡°Even if you''re a Noctis Cape and don''t have to sleep, you still need to have some downtime.¡±


    Miss Militia smiled again and her hand on my shoulder gave me a little squeeze. ¡°I appreciate the concern; but, I''m a big girl and can handle myself.¡±


    I nced down at her slim waist and back up to her face. ¡°Why are you lying so tantly?¡±


    Miss Militia barked augh and cleared her throat. ¡°I meant metaphorically, not physically.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you''re not going to tell me that joke was terrible and that I should feel bad about making it?¡± I asked and grinned at her.


    ¡°I know a lost cause when I see it.¡± Miss Militia joked right back.


    ¡°Heh.¡± I said and she winked at me. ¡°All right, I''ll call sometime tonight.¡±


    Miss Militia let my shoulder go. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    I nodded and let a slight golden glow cover me and I flew up into the air. I gave her a wave and flew off. Once I was far enough away, I cast a notice-me-not charm on myself and doubled back to head over where the slowly lumbering Mush was still carrying Skidmark down an alleyway.


    I cast a detection spell and no one was looking or recording them, so I didn''t bother giving Mush a chance to react and slid a ck energy sword of disintegration through his back and into his main body. The viin cape didn''t make a sound as he dissolved away into nothing and dropped Skidmark onto the pavement.


    Just as the first curse word started to cross Skidmark''s lips, I slid another sword into his heart. I had to cast silence on the alleyway as the man kept cursing at some invisible bastard killing him, and then he was gone. I didn''t check the gains and losses, only the final total, and it was at a whopping zero again. Yay.


    Neither of them had kill orders, so I wasn''t getting any money for them, not that I had any way to prove I had killed them. That was one of the benefits of using disintegration magic and also the only downside. There was no evidence left to use to identify them.


    I didn''t really care about that, anyway. I just wanted to stop the idiot from attacking the PRT to get Squealer released. The only real crimes she hadmitted were reckless driving, drug distribution, and facilitating viinous activities. I wasn''t even sure thest one was a real charge, actually. Maybe they would have to charge her with each individual act and see how many actually stick to her?


    In any case, the vehicle tinker wasn''t going to be sprung from jail anytime soon with no other ABB Merchant capes left to do it and the normal gang members were going to be easily handled by the Brockton Bay Police Department, because the gang no longer had any capes around to force them to be handled by the PRT instead.


    It wasn''t until I made a portal home that I realized no one except me knew that Skidmark and Mush were dead. It gave me a few days of leeway to either do nothing about it or to start seeding a few hints anonymously on the PHO message boards about not seeing Skidmark or Mush after today''s altercation.


    A lot of people had recorded Skidmark being hurt by my energy st and I was sure that people were alreadymenting on him running away from the fight. After thinking about it, I decided to let things develop on their own for a couple of days before I acted. If no one figured out they were gone after that, then I would start to spread the rumors they were deep in hiding.


    I stored my new costume and equipped jogging pants and a t-shirt, to exin why I was gone longer than a trip to the bathroom would take, and went downstairs. I saw my mother on the phone and she had a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Greg, there''s no answer from his office or from the front desk.¡± Diane said as she nced at the clock and it was almost half an hour past when dad should have been home. She hung up the phone and tried again, only to hear the endless ringing.


    <i>They probably cleared the whole ce out because of the fire and the cleanup.</i> I thought and walked over to her. I wasn''t sure what to say, so I took her into my arms and hugged her.


    My mom started to cry and she clung tightly to me as she hugged me back.


    We stood there for several minutes until there was a knock on the front door. My Danger Sense wasn''t going off, so I sat my mother down on the couch and went to the front door. I opened it and two officers with sad faces stood there on my front porch.


    ¡°We apologize for the interruption.¡± The man on the left said.


    ¡°Is Diane Veder at home?¡± The man on the right asked.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I whispered and both officers looked even sadder. ¡°She''s in the living room. Come on in.¡±


    Both officers nodded and I stepped back to let them pass and I shut the door. I walked by them and strode over to my mother, sat down beside her, and put my arm over her shoulder. The next few minutes was going to be very, very painful for the both of us after mom learned the truth.


    David Veder, a mostly devoted husband and a kind of a bastard of a father, was dead.


    My mother''s wails filled the house for a long time after the two officers had retreated after giving their regrets. I held her and let her scream, and cry, and rant, and everything else she did to try ande to grips with the fact that the love of her life had been murdered during one of Lung''s rampages. They at least had the decency to not mention that Lung had probably gone there looking for him.


    I was still on the couch with my sobbing mother when the time approached for me to call Amy. I took out my cell phone and dialed, fully intending to apologize for not being able to talk. It only rang once before it was answered and not in the way I thought it would be.


    ¡°Hi, Greg. Is your front door locked?¡± Amy asked me.


    ¡°No.¡± I answered, confused.


    The door opened and both Amy and Vicky walked inside. Vicky shut the door as Amy hung up her cell phone and she walked over to me. I nodded to my side and she sat down and cuddled in as she copied how my mother was cuddled into my other side. I set my cell phone on the coffee table and put my arm around Amy''s shoulders and Vicky walked over to the couch.


    Instead ofining there was nowhere for her to sit and join in, she floated up off of the floor, flew around us, andid down on the back of the couch and hugged us from behind.


    ¡°You didn''t have to prove to me that you were both really smart.¡± I said and didn''t have to see their faces to know they were both blushing. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and turned my head to kiss Amy, then I leaned my head backwards and puckered my lips to let Vicky kiss me, too. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    That was when my father''s death finally hit me and tears came to my eyes. It wasn''t overwhelming, thanks to my Mind nk perk; but, it was enough that I had to silently cry over the loss. I was surrounded by people that cared about me and I leaned on that offered strength and support as my mother leaned on me for the same thing.


    The four of us stayed there on the couch and cuddled until my mother fell asleep.

 195 Evening Shade

    195 Evening Shade


    We had all cuddled together long enough for me to absorb Amy''s Biotinker powers and to give her back a truncated version that would only let her heal and not do modifications that could create monstrous capes or alter brains, just like she always imed.


    It had also taken away the endlesspulsions that her power kept feeding her to do more than just healing, like changing people''s genomes and adding different biological systems to improve them and make them better. With luck, the depression she felt from not doing more, should eventually fade away.


    Surprisingly, I also received the notification that the attached soul pieces had been sold and I had epted the Karma debt they had umted. It was both neat and saddening, because that meant I was back down to zero Karma again. I didn''t try to do the same thing to Vicky, mostly because I didn''t want to lose any positive Karma it would give me.


    I nodded to Amy and Vicky when my mother was deep asleep and they let us out of their hugs. I picked my mother up and carried her up the stairs to the guest room, because I didn''t want her waking up in their shared bedroom and seeing all the things that would remind her of the man she just lost. I put her to bed and tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and cast a sleep spell on her to make sure she stayed asleep.


    I went back downstairs and Amy was the first to hug me. She let out a soft sigh as her fingers brushed against the skin of my arms and I knew it was her restored power confirming what a perfect body felt like. As far as I was concerned, her reacting like that was the best thing in the world, and I didn''t mind bing a reassuring touchstone for her when she needed it.


    ¡°Thanks again foring over when you did.¡± I said and held her close. ¡°I didn''t realize I needed it until you were there.¡±


    Amy''s face was red, probably because she knew I was sincere. ¡°It was the least we could do.¡±


    I let her go and turned to Vicky and hugged her next. ¡°And thank you for bringing her here and helping me, too. Hugging us from behind was a brilliant move.¡±


    Vicky blushed as well from the praise. ¡°You''re the first boy Amy''s expressed any interest in and you''re her first boyfriend. You also joined the team, which means you''re practically family already.¡± She said and hugged me back. ¡°I also wasn''t going to let Amye all the way over here by herself.¡±


    I leaned back and kept her in my arms. ¡°I''m practically family?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Vicky said with a bright smile. ¡°New Wave has always been a family thing.¡±


    I nced at Amy for a second when I had an idea, then I looked back at Vicky. ¡°How much do you want me to lean into that taboo?¡±


    Vicky looked surprised for a second and then her bright smile changed to an evil grin. ¡°That kinda sounds like fun and I wouldn''t mind some ying and teasing about it.¡±


    Amy sucked in a breath and managed to not shout with joy.


    I chuckled and gave Vicky a matching evil grin to her own. ¡°My dearest oldest sister, you are the most brilliant and beautiful sister a dork like me could ever have!¡±


    ¡°Damn right I am! Worship me more!¡± Vicky said and giggled.


    Amy snorted and turned away to notugh in our faces.


    ¡°You adore your family and take care of us when we need it, so I think your little brother needs to give you a reward for being so awesome.¡± I said and looked down at her lips.


    Vicky didn''t wait for me to make the first move and hopped up to kiss me and our mouths battled for dominance. I felt her nipples poke my chest and her legs wrapped around my waist to grind herself against me. My jogging pants and her bicycle shorts under her skirt were the only things between my growing erection and her growing dampness.


    She bucked her hips a few times and Vicky''s moan was quite loud, then we both heard Amy''s soft whine. We broke the kiss and a little saliva kept our lips connected briefly, and we both looked at her.


    ¡°I think my other sister needs a little reward, too.¡± I said and Vicky let me go and floated away just enough for me to turn towards Amy and saw her overge Panacea robes drop to the floor. I picked her up and Amy moaned as I kissed her with some of Vicky''s drool still on my lips.


    Amy was wearing jeans, so she easily wrapped her legs around my waist and ground herself right into therge wet spot Vicky had left on my jogging pants. I grabbed her ass and helped her, making her moan louder, and we made out like gangbusters.


    ¡°God, that''s so hot.¡± Vicky whispered and started rubbing herself as she floated beside us.


    I broke the kiss and Amy look so flushed and dizzy that she might pass out. ¡°Having sisters like you is the best.¡±


    ¡°It really is.¡± Vicky said and kissed me again, her hand buried deep in her shorts.


    Before we could do anything more, her cell phone rang.


    Vicky loudly sighed and stopped ying with herself as she floated slightly away and took her phone out of the little pouch behind her belt with her clean hand. ¡°It''s mom.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Amy cursed and then sighed. ¡°You better answer it, Vicky. We''ve been gone for a while.¡±


    I gently put her down on her feet and let her surprisingly firm ass go.


    ¡°Yellow!¡± Vicky said into her phone. ¡°Hi, mom! No we''re not out roaming the streets.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°We''re not at the hospital, either.¡±


    Amy groaned after hearing that and I took her into a hug.


    ¡°Hey, don''t feel guilty about that.¡± I whispered in her ear and she stiffened in my arms. ¡°The officers that came here about my dad said you were healing the victims at the office building Lung wrecked, then you came here, so I knew you must have found my dad there.¡±


    Amy nodded and rxed into my embrace as Vicky talked to their mom about where they were.


    ¡°You responded to an emergency and you didn''t have to, so thank you.¡± I said and gently kissed her. ¡°If you want to me anyone for missing a shift at the hospital, then you can me me for stealing you away from your duty, just so I could fondle your very nice ass.¡±


    Amy gave me wide eyes and looked at a loss about what to say in response.


    ¡°If anyone ends up dying at the hospital, you can say your ass killed them.¡± I joked with apletely straight face. ¡°Panacea''s ass was their panacea.¡±


    Amy looked like she was fighting to notugh. ¡°That''s not funny.¡±


    I chuckled and gave her several quick kisses to help her notugh.


    ¡°We''ll be right home after we stop in at the emergency room.¡± Vicky said loud enough for us to hear. ¡°Whatever. We''ll be backter, mom. Duty calls!¡± She said and hung up and then turned it off.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Amy said and took hers out and turned it off, too. She gave me a sad look after that. ¡°We really do need to go, Greg. I have work to do.¡±


    I gave Vicky my best shit-eating grin, which she returned, and I dropped to my knees as I severely overacted and waved my arms around. ¡°My adorable sisters are leaving me! Nooooo!¡±


    Vicky burst outughing and Amy looked exasperated.


    ¡°Ohhh, shit. There''s two of them now.¡± Amy groused.


    I glomped onto Amy''s waist and gave her my best puppy-dog eyes. ¡°My dearest older sister...¡±


    Amy pped a hand over my eyes and sighed. ¡°Dammit, Greg. We don''t have time for this.¡±


    Vicky was rolling over in the air near us and wheezing fromughing so hard.


    ¡°I''ll m-m-m-miss you soooo much.¡± I stammered, making Amy groan.


    Vicky tumbled over in the air upside down, herughter dying off, and she pulled Amy away from me. She somehow righted herself a momentter and Amy was now carried in her arms like a bride being carried over the threshold.


    ¡°Nice one, Vicky. You have to teach me that moveter.¡± I said with a normal voice and stood up. I walked over to her and gave her a kiss, then I turned and gave Amy a kiss as well, pretty much giving her another secondhand kiss from her sister. ¡°Thanks again for being here, both of you. It meant a lot to me.¡±


    Both of them looked pleased and nodded.


    ¡°Now get out and I''ll call you tomorrow with the hope you both aren''t grounded.¡± I said.


    ¡°It''s a faint hope.¡± Amy said and Vicky nodded.


    ¡°Then I''ll make it up to you with another food delivery tomorrow. How do tacos sound?¡±


    ¡°They sound delicious.¡± Amy answered and Vicky nodded again.


    ¡°Great.¡± I walked them out to the front door and opened it for them. ¡°Vicky, make sure she doesn''t stay too long and only let her handle the difficult injuries and not everything from a stubbed toe to a runny nose.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Vicky said and floated out through the open door.


    ¡°But, those are the easiest ones.¡± Amyined.


    ¡°They also take more time than you can spare right now.¡± I cautioned her and she sighed. ¡°Do the emergency room and the worst ones in the waiting room, as long as they already gave their info to the hospital. That way, your power use is covered by the NEPA5w as genuine volunteer work and not poaching hospital fees by healing non-registered patients.¡±


    Both girls stared at me with shocked looks on their faces.


    ¡°Ah, I''m a previous cape geek and did lots of research.¡± I said as an exnation. Their looks changed to understanding ones and Amy waved as Vicky flew away with her in her arms.


    I waited for them to disappear from sight before I went around the house and the yard and ced several different kinds of ward stones down, set protections against fire and damage, and checked for listening or video recording devices. My real actions were concealed by pretending to do yard work like weeding, trimming the hedges, and picking up around the yard.


    When I was done, the house was as protected as it could be without giving anything away and I went back inside. I locked and secured the door with a barrier spell, then I did the same thing to all the windows in the house, including both the ground floor and the upstairs. Once the house was as safe as I could make it, I went into the guest room and sat on the bed.


    I stared at my mother and wondered if I could get away with faking a trigger and giving her powers. Since I had already taken Amy''s powers and gave a copy back to her, I could easily fake the small growths in her brain to simte the Corona Pollentia and Gamma. I just had to decide what powers to give her, then I had a great idea and started to smile.


    Amy Dallon, the famous healer known as Panacea, was about to receive a lot more help in her chosen profession and volunteer work, thanks to the newest healing cape to appear. I knew my mother hated fighting and would do everything she could to avoid it, so making her a support hero was the best thing for her.


    I even knew a perfect cape name for her. Nostrum. It was defined as a medicine prepared by an unqualified person, which my mother was, and it fit the narrative that my mother triggered with Amy nearby. It would also bring our families closer together if they thought my mother gained her trigger powers from Amy... and I realized I could give her weaker powers to copy Vicky, too.


    It would let me protect my mother from any other capes that thought they coulde after us, especially if she decided to join New Wave as well. I wasn''t going to pressure her into it, though. She had been against me joining any cape teams, because she didn''t want me fighting. Unfortunately, like I told her, I didn''t have a choice. Her? I was going to give her a choice.


    I sat there with my hand on her arm and gave her the various powers and abilities she would need to protect herself and to survive. It would also allow her to stay near me if she wanted to and she wouldn''t be in danger. Well, much danger, anyway. I would also suggest she give Amy a tune-up and make a few modifications to give her a simr body to my own. Being naturally strong and healthy was the best.


    When I was done modifying my mother, I checked the time and nodded. It was fairlyte at night and I was sure Miss Militia was going to be alone at the PRT headquarters. I left my mother asleep in the guest room and went downstairs to retrieve my cell phone from the coffee table. When I turned it on, Iughed, because Vicky had changed my background image to me on my knees in front of Amy.


    ¡°Well yed, Vicky.¡± I said and saw my first contact in the list had changed to Glory Girl''s number. I shook my head at that and took out Miss Militia''s card.


    I stopped myself before I entered the number as I had another neat idea. I equipped my costume and used a portal to appear far above the city and gave myself a mental image of the whole area. I would need an actual map to find out where to go to get ces, then looked for the PRT building. Once I saw it, I used another portal and appeared on the roof.


    My farseeing trick let me see five minutes into the future and I saw Miss Militia waving to me through her office window. I chuckled at the audacity I needed to pull that off, then nned for it. If anything, she should appreciate me already being nearby for her to bring into the building for the interview and to register my cape name with the PRT.


    *


    Miss Militia sat at her desk in her office in her civilian identity, Hannah Washington, and filled out all of the paperwork she had put off while she was out doing her patrol shift. The biggest amount came down to her encounter with the new cape, As, and she had to suppress her emotions as she thought about the handsome young man that wore a cape costume that left almost nothing to the imagination.


    She knew he was only 15; and yet, he was 6 feet tall and built like an Adonis. He was also personable, even in the midst of a battle, and he stayed calm and handled the whole fight with Lung, Oni Lee, and Skidmark like a professional that had been operating for years and not like the brand new wet-behind-the-ears rookie she knew he really was.


    Greg Veder, aka As, had only received his powers the day before and he had already dealt with Lung. Lung! The cape that had battled the Endbringer named Leviathan, a 30 foot tall water kic monster that sank part of Japan and all of Newfounnd, and fought it to a standstill. Lung was the leader of all the Asian gangs in the city and brought them together under his personal power.


    He was now gone, as was his lieutenant Oni Lee, and the rest of the ABB Gang was now without a cape and could be dealt with by the normal police. It was a startling battle with how ruthless Oni Lee had been after his boss had died, and Hannah silently thanked whatever power was watching over her that As had been there to handle it, because she had been out of her depth.


    Skidmark returning to rescue his girlfriend had also thrown her off, mostly because he had time to set up a full field of effect and none of her normal ammunition could reach the cape or his minion, Mush. Hannah had set up and All Points Bulletin to find them, only she knew it was kind of useless.


    When capes went to ground and hid in their civilian identities, they were extremely difficult to hunt down without breaking the unwritten rules. She was personally upset that they couldn''t act on their identities, even if they were known, because of those same unwritten rules. They didn''tmit crimes as civilians, so they weren''t supposed to be arrested in those identities.


    It was a stupid loophole that the viins used ruthlessly to hamstring the Protectorate heroes all the time and there was nothing that could legally be done about it.


    Hannah finished thest form she had about repairing the patrol vehicle that Skidmark had damaged, covering up the fact that As had bent the thing to keep Squealer inside. He had helped them keep the vehicle thinker prisoner, so she only felt a little bad about not including that detail in the expense report.


    The desk phone rang and she nced at the time, 11pm, and mentally nodded as she picked it up. She hadn''t given many people her office number and only one person had been recently given permission to call her sote.


    Hannah picked up the phone and ced it against her ear. ¡°Miss Militia''s office, Hannah Washington speaking.¡±


    There was silence on the line for several seconds. ¡°You''re not even trying to keep your civilian identity secret, are you?¡±


    Hannah chuckled. ¡°I had a feeling you knew it already, As.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± He admitted. ¡°I just figured I''d have to buy you dinner or something before you admitted the olive-skinned beauty wearing a scarf to hide her face was the same as the olive-skinned beauty that acted like Miss Militia''s secretary.¡±


    ¡°It''s not an act. I really am her secretary.¡± Hannah said and heard himugh. ¡°I assume you''re calling toe down to the PRT to record your statement about the battles today?¡±


    There was a knock on her office window and she turned away from her desk to look and saw him floating there with his cell phone against his ear. She waved to him and he waved back.


    ¡°I also want to register two cape names.¡± As said.


    ¡°Two?¡± Hannah asked, slightly confused. ¡°I''m sorry, we can only register one name per cape.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''m going to register my own and then another, because I doubt she would ever step inside the PRT building after how I was treated.¡± As said.


    Hannah gasped and stood up to stare at him. ¡°Your mother?¡±


    ¡°She gained powers tonight after the officers reported my father was dead. Both Panacea and Glory Girl were visiting tonight as well, so I think things are going to be interesting in the morning when she wakes up.¡±


    Hannah nodded in understanding. ¡°Pleasend near the side of the building where the parking entrance is. I''ll be down in a few minutes to walk you in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for not suggesting I use the front door.¡± As said and waved, then dropped out of sight. ¡°That would send the wrong message with everything else that''s going on.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Hannah said and walked to her office door. ¡°I''ll be right down.¡± She said and hung up. She would arrive in the garage in only a few minutes and she hoped he wouldn''t be too confrontational with the on-duty officers in the garage after what had happened to him.

 196 A Popular Guy

    196 A Popr Guy


    Miss Militia, in her civilian guise as Hannah Washington, stepped out of the elevator and saw me standing about ten feet away from the guards on the parking garage entrance. She walked over to me and nodded at the guards, then held a hand out for me to shake.


    ¡°I''m d you aren''t holding a grudge against the rest of us about what happened to you.¡± Hannah said and I shook the offered hand.


    ¡°I know it wasn''t your fault, both personally and professionally. One bad apple shouldn''t spoil the bunch.¡± I said and didn''t make myself sound sarcastic or like I was humoring her.


    Hannah smiled and motioned for me to walk with her. ¡°Thank you for being open-minded about that. It''s a lot more than anyone could expect from you.¡±


    I nodded and we walked over to the elevator. She hit the button and we waited for a moment, then we entered it and she hit the button to go back up to the floor she just left.


    ¡°Just so you know, that officer has been suspended without pay to review the other cases he''s been sent out to handle. If he could so grossly mishandle you, what else has he done?¡±


    I made a fake gagging sound. ¡°Why did you have to word it like he fondled me?¡±


    Hannah gave me a teasing look and didn''t respond.


    I chuckled at her distracting me from getting angry about it. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. She led me down the hallway to her office and let me inside. I stood by the chair i front of her desk and waited for her to go around her desk to sit, then I sat as well.


    Hannah looked appreciative that I did something so simple as that. She brought out several forms from her desk drawers and a recording device, then the interview started. It was surprisingly simple, thanks to her previous preparation and having some of the forms already filled out, and we discussed what happened that day and how it all came about.


    I told her almost everything, from when my mother started to worry to my giving her my bathroom excuse and arriving across the street from my dad''s office building. She knew about me talking to the fire chief and I told her about my tactic to get Lung away from downtown, which she made a special note of.


    After I told her I found my dad''s remains in the recovery tent, I heard Lung''s roar and that he had healed faster than I expected. I flew down to the docks to continue the fight and found Lung was already fighting Skidmark and Squealer in an armored garbage truck.


    Hannah gave me an approving look when I said I waited to see the entire battlefield and the situation before I acted, and she made note of it as well. When I assessed the best time to act, I did it decisively and saved Squealer''s life.


    After knocking him through the abandoned warehouse, I then used a special technique to give Lung a fatal blow, which didn''t work right away, and I did it again to his head to stop him from acting. It worked and I jumped off of him just before Miss Militia arrived.


    Hannah noted that Miss Militia''s report continued from there and she handed it to me to show me, then asked for my own observations. She was only one person and having another perspective would make the report moreplete.


    I told my side of the altercations and she asked me about my thoughts and decisions, noting everything important, and she signed both reports and my statement as a witness, then had me sign the statement, too. Since I was giving the statement in my cape persona, I signed it as As, making her nod.


    Hannah ended the recording and asked for me to stay as she worked to get everything sorted and to make digital copies of. I asked if I could use my phone and she gave me permission. I moved my chair back to sit it against the wall to give her some privacy and checked my cell phone to see what the PHO message boards were saying about Lung.


    When I created a new ount, because I didn''t want to be associated with my previous Void Cowboy persona, I registered as a cape and received an automated message about gaining the verified tag by providing a picture of myself in costume and showing off my power. It was simple to make myself glow gold and I took a selfie. Unmasked of course, and asked for the New Wave tag as well.


    Only a minuteter, I received an approval notice and logged in with the new credentials.


    *


    <b>Wee to the Parahumans Online message boards.</b>


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    <b>Topic: Lung Bites The Big One!


    Posted In: Boards > Locations > United States > New Hampshire > Brockton Bay</b>


    <b>> Bagrat</b> (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:45 PM</i>


    That''s right, folks. You read that title correctly. Lung, the undisputed leader of the Asian gangs in Brockton Bay, is dead. Several videos have been posted in other message threads, so I''m archiving them all here as an official post. (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>) (<b>Here</b>)


    Those are not duplicate links, people. There were 7 people crazy enough to stay right there while Lung grew to a stupid size and fought both the Merchants and the brand new cape that no one knows the name of. The costume is professionally done, along the same style as New Wave''s older capes, and it''s both snazzy and making us straight guys jealous (and maybe a little gay) because damn. (<b>screencap</b>)


    If anyone knows how this guy has been hiding himself until now, let me know. He looked and acted like a cape that''s had years of experience and he took down Lung, Oni Lee, and Skidmark like a pro.


    <b>Edit:</b> Someone mentioned in another threat that he looks like Lady Photon''s little brother, Lightstar. Maybe it''s his kid or something? Would they be old enough by now to be this big and buff? He''s definitely had some training to act and react like he did.


    <b>(Showing Page 1 of 9)</b>


    <b>> GStringGirl</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:48 PM</i>


    Oh, sweet Mary, mother of hormones! Look at them pecks! Those arms! DAT ASS!


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:48 PM</i>


    Thank you, (<b>Bagrat</b>). I''ll clean out some of the locked scrap threads and give links back to this one. Also, (<b>GstringGirl</b>), please try to keep things respectful. That was borderline har<b>ass</b>ment. ;)


    <b>> Valkyr</b> (Wiki Warrior)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:50 PM</i>


    I''ve already set up a page for the new cape. Thanks for the screencap, (<b>Bagrat</b>). As soon as someone mentions a name, I''ll update it. I''ve already listed his disyed powers, and I have to agree with (<b>Bagrat</b>). He is damn fine!


    <b>> Broctonite03</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:51 PM</i>


    Look at (<b>Tin_Mother</b>) dish out the sassyment. I never knew you had it in you! lol


    <b>> Bagrat</b> (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:52 PM</i>


    My sources just confirmed that the PRT will be issuing a statement shortly about the incident.


    <b>> Hammertime</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:53 PM</i>


    I''m not sure what they can say to that, except to award the guy a key to the city and pay him the bounty we all know they have to pay out this time.


    <b>> OpenMouthNoises</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:56 PM</i>


    Holy s**t! Lung''s dead! D.E.D.! DEAD! Someone go raid their brothels and save those whores!


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 5:58 PM


    </i>(<b>OpenMouthNoises</b>), have an infraction. Calling for help for others is admirable. Calling them denigrating names at the same time is unnecessary.


    <b>> MadCapper</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:01 PM</i>


    Tin-Mother''s dropping the hammer again today.


    <b>> In-All-Her-Glory_Girl</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:04 PM</i>


    The cape in question is my adorkable sister''s new boyfriend, As! She super-adorbs him and he adorbs her right back! Doesn''t he rock our signature look? He''s all bumpy in all the right bumpy ces and he can fly! FLY! I don''t have to patrol the skies and beat up Nazis alone anymore!


    <b>End of Page. </b><u><b>1</b></u><b>, 2, 3... 29.</b>


    <b>(Showing Page 2 of 9)</b>


    <b>> Suck-It-Up-Princess</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate Ward)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:06 PM</i>


    That''s how you kick ass! No talking, no banter, and no wasting time. New guy, if you''re reading this, we have to patrol together.


    <b>> Panacea_Official</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:08 PM</i>


    Vicky! I''m going to kill you for sending that!


    <b>> Vista_Official</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate Ward)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:10 PM</i>


    Who let Shadow Stalker keep her cell phone? Isn''t she under review again?


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:13 PM</i>


    That''s your third Infraction and you get a temp-ban for a day (<b>Panacea_Official</b>). Uttering death threats, even in a joking manner, isn''t a joking matter.


    <b>> Miss-Militia</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:17 PM</i>


    Vista, stop posting on a controversial topic. Shadow Stalker, turn over your back-up cell phone immediately and report to my office.


    <b>> Fervent-Supporter</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:20 PM</i>


    I''m surprised this thread hasn''t been shut down for not talking about Lung''s death, which is the whole point of this thread.


    <b>> AllSeeingEye</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:21 PM</i>


    It''s the best way to keep track of all the people interested in the new cape and you are all going to be shocked by who he really is.


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:21 PM</i>


    (AllSeeingEye) Do not encourage people to discover the cape''s civilian identity, even if he is an outed cape. Please respect his privacy. Take an infraction.


    <b>> In-All-Her-Glory_Girl</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:22 PM</i>


    Thanks, (<b>Tin_Mother</b>)! I forgot to say As is the newest member of New Wave, too! We all voted him in, except for (<b>Shielder</b>), but he''s a jealous butthole and we ignored his vote.


    <b>> Reave</b> (PRT ENE Agent)


    <i>Posted on Jan 4, 2011, 6:25 PM</i>


    The official statement has been released in a new thread (<b>Here</b>). Please refer to it as the only source of actual information from the Parahuman Response Team: East North-East. More details will be released when they be avable.


    <b>End of Page. 1, </b><u><b>2</b></u><b>, 3... 29.


    </b>*


    I was about to read some of the death threats from banned ABB goons after already reading the official statement the PRT released, and I stopped when Hannah cleared her throat. I couldn''t resist the temptation and turned my phone to show here what I was reading so intently.


    Hannah smiled widely. ¡°That''s ten pages more than thest time I checked it an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°I''m a popr guy, apparently.¡± I said and tucked the phone into my belt and stored it.


    ¡°And getting more popr.¡± Hannah said took out two forms. ¡°With the important things out of the way, we can register your cape name and one for your mother. She should visit to sign it herself; but, it''s not necessary. You''re vouching for her and informing us she has powers, and that''s good enough for me.¡±


    We spent the next few minutes filling out my form and I told her the powers I had in my current skill set. Even those few, super strength, flight, regeneration, energy shield, and energy sts, had her eyebrows rise until her eyes were almost as wide as they had been when I saved her from Oni Lee''s grenade assault.


    Hannah''s eyes went from the list of powers to my styled blonde hair. ¡°You''re going to fit into New Wave like you''re a part of the family already.¡±


    I chuckled and didn''t tell her about Vicky saying almost the same thing, only she was having dirty thoughts about it at the time after my suggestion of the taboo. ¡°My new sisters are adorbs.¡±


    Hannah barked augh at being reminded about Vicky''sment on the message board. ¡°At least Panacea didn''t go through with her threat.¡±


    ¡°Even if she was serious, she would never go through with it.¡± I said and Hannah nodded as she moved mypleted form aside and showed the nk one. ¡°Should we put the powers I think my mom might have gained or should we wait for her to wake up before adding them to her registration sheet?¡±


    ¡°Just a general description is good enough for now. If she starts going to the hospital like Panacea does, then she will have toe in for power testing to be certified for volunteer work like Panacea is.¡± Hannah told me and I filled out the form and signed it myself and then added my mother''s cape name of Nostrum. ¡°Thank you foring in so promptly, As.¡±


    I nodded and she took the forms, entered the information into herputer, and then filed both forms in her file cab. ¡°I want to thank you, too. This was as painless as I hoped it would be with you handling me so well.¡±


    Hannah chuckled at me using her own teasing words against her. She stood up from her chair and held her hand out to shake my hand. ¡°I''m sure it was a pleasure for you, too.¡±


    Iughed and took her hand, gave her a crooked smile, and bent over to kiss the back of it instead of shaking it. Her olive-colored skin flushed to a darker color as she blushed. I let her hand go and was about to leave when I saw the time on her desk clock.


    ¡°It''s just past midnight, Miss Washington. Can I assume you haven''t eaten a mid-shift meal yet?¡± I asked and she nodded her head. ¡°Then may I escort you to the cafeteria or whatever it is that serves food here?¡±


    ¡°They don''t operate past 10 pm.¡± Hannah told me.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I''ll whip something up for us if they don''t have any leftovers.¡± I said and motioned towards her office door. ¡°Before you ask, I''ll leave some cash by the register for anything we use.¡±


    Hannah beamed a smile at me and I smiled right back, because I knew she would be a stickler for the rules. I escorted her out of her office and we rode the elevator down to the dark cafeteria. The room itself was still open, because there was still coffee and things for the night shift officers to serve themselves.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to ask. Was that patrol vehicle written off because of the damage Skidmark did to it or is it being repaired? If it''s parked nearby, I can untwist the metal I bent together to keep Squealer secured.¡±


    Hannah''s beaming smile grew brighter and it lit up her whole face. She almost looked like a different person, it was such a huge change. ¡°Thank you for the offer, As. I can take you right to the garage after we eat.¡±


    I nodded and went behind the counter to pretend to hunt up something good. I had tons of meals stored in my inventory and I just had to fake prepping them before serving them. Besides filling her belly, it should make her usually boring night shift just a little bit more enjoyable.


    I did my little tricks to make the meals and brought the food out to her on arge tray. The wide eyes and the long inhale through her nose, let me know my ruse had been sessful. The small amount of drool on her lip was a dead giveaway, too.


    I served her first, with a ss of wine included, and handed her a cloth napkin before I sat down. She looked at the personally monogrammed napkin and then at my skintight costume.


    ¡°No, I''m not telling you were I hid that.¡± I said with a huge grin.


    Hannah blushed for a moment and then softlyughed. She then pointedly patted her lips with the dry cloth several times, spread the napkin out, and set it across herp. She looked amused at teasing me back and I lifted the ss of red wine and clinked it against hers.


    We didn''t really flirt anymore and just chatted about her work as we ate. She made appreciative sounds several times and the meal passed by quickly. I cleaned up the table, brought everything into the kitchen part, and stored what I had used. I walked back over to the counter and left two twenty dor bills there under the edge of the register.


    Hannah nodded and led me out of the cafeteria and back to the elevator. We went to the garage and she pointed out where the SUV was. It had several chalk marks on it, the mechanics writing out what had to be fixed, and I gave her a smirk.


    ¡°Just don''t make it worse.¡± Hannah said with a sigh.


    I unbent the part I had done myself to the armored door, adjusted it to take the warp out of it, then carefully pulled out the dent in the frame''s undercarriage. I eyed the thing as I cast a diagnostic spell on it, then used a fingertip to push out the several small dents that I assumed were from bullets.


    ¡°Thank you, As.¡± Hannah said and wrote out the things I did on the sheets on the mechanic''s desk that referenced the repairs needed for the SUV. ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡±


    We left the garage and went up the stairs to ground level and entered the main parking area. Hannah waved at the guards on duty and stopped just before she would have stepped outside.


    ¡°If I didn''t know you had a girlfriend already, I might have thought this was an actual date.¡± Hannah said, her tone teasing.


    ¡°Yes, imagine that. Two people enjoying each other''spany for a meal and they aren''t dating. What a shock.¡± I joked and glowed slightly as I floated up in the air. ¡°Have yourself a good night, Miss Washington.¡±


    ¡°You too, As.¡± Hannah responded and I flew up and away.

 197 Out On The Town Part One

    197 Out On The Town Part One


    I didn''t bother with a notice-me-not spell to keep me from being seen as I flew around, since I was now registered hero and technically had permission to operate in the area. Inded at a gas station and there were gasps and a few people had their phones out within seconds to record me.


    ¡°As! As!¡± A young woman''s voice shouted and I turned to see a very cute Asian woman walk over to me.


    My Danger Sense went off as she drew close and I let her approach without giving anything away. She reached into her purse and pulled out a handgun.


    ¡°GUN!¡± Someone yelled and only one person ducked and ran.


    ¡°Die, Empire scum!¡± The Asian woman shouted, her face set in an angry scowl, and she pulled the trigger several times. When it clicked empty and it looked like I hadn''t reacted, she looked surprised.


    ¡°Are you looking for these?¡± I asked and held up a handful of bent bullets that I had moved faster than the eye could see to catch.


    The Asian woman let out a scream and threw the gun at me and tried to run. She tripped over a bump in the pavement and fell t on her face. I caught the gun and didn''t crush it, because it could have been used in several crimes and this woman had used it against me. I walked over to her and used a zip tie on her wrists and took out my cell phone.


    ¡°911, what''s your emergency?¡± The operator asked.


    ¡°Hi, this is the new cape, As. A normal woman just shot at me several times at a crowded gas station down on the corner of Fifth and Pekoe. I''ve confiscated the gun and secured her with a zip tie. Can you send a patrol car or something to collect her? I''ll stay here to make sure she doesn''t get away.¡±


    ¡°Of course, As.¡± The voice said. ¡°ETA of arrival, ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Have a good night.¡± I said and hung up.


    ¡°This is so awesome.¡± Someone whispered.


    I smiled at the people still recording and I looked through the window of the gas station. The clerk was filming me, too. ¡°Can someone go inside and buy me a street level map of the bay? I need it for the street numbers and references.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± A woman said and ran inside. She grabbed a map and went to the counter, then she had to shout at the clerk to get him to ring her up. He did so reluctantly and she came out of the garage station with the map in her hands and walked over to me. She slowed down when she was a few feet away and her eyes went a little wide as she had to lift her head up to look at my face. ¡°B-big.¡±


    I chuckled and held out enough money for the map and a little more. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    She ignored the money and handed me the map. ¡°After what you did, buying a map is nothing.¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t ask you to...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°He''s not a hero! He''s EMPIRE!¡± The Asian woman on the ground yelled.


    ¡°Do you think that because I''m blond? Because nearly all the other members of New Wave are blonde, too.¡± I said and she kept ranting I was a Nazi and a supremacist. I ignored her and epted the map. ¡°Thank you, miss...¡±


    ¡°Jillian.¡± She said and was smart enough to not give herst name.


    I held my hand back out and she shook it with a huge smile on her face. ¡°It''s nice to meet you, Jillian. Thank you for the map.¡± I said and let her hand go. ¡°It''s going to make reporting locations to the police and Protectorate a lot easier when I can give urate addresses andndmarks.¡±


    ¡°I''m d I could help!¡± Jillian said. ¡°How long have you been a cape?¡±


    ¡°I just finished registering my name with the PRT, so about twenty minutes.¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°You''re kidding.¡± She said, her face showing disbelief.


    ¡°I was down at PRT headquarters for an hour or so and was flying home when I remembered I needed a map.¡± I said, truthfully.


    ¡°That''s... you... you''re a new cape? You''re not Lady Photon''s nephew?¡± Jillian asked.


    I chuckled and barely stopped myself from saying ''not yet''. ¡°I''m not blood rted to any member of New Wave, which Panacea can confirm. I do resemble them, especially with my matching costume.¡±


    Jillian nodded a few times and then kind of wandered away.


    <i>I guess she couldn''t handle the truth.</i> I thought and turned when a BBPD patrol car drove up and parked as close to the scene as possible. ¡°If any of you good citizens could send your videos to the BBPD or post them on PHO and send them links, I''d appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Already done, As.¡± A teenage girl said and waved.


    I recognized her from school as one of Emma''s hanger-ons. I seriously thought about giving myself away by calling her by name, and chose not to. I was anonymous at the moment and my mom was safer the longer the general poption didn''t associate my cape persona with my civilian one.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said as the two officers stepped out of the vehicle and one bent to take the Asian woman into custody and the other officer stopped beside me.


    ¡°As?¡± The man asked and I nodded. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± I said and pointed to Jessica. ¡°That pretty brte over there has agreed to send you the video of the whole thing, too.¡±


    The officer rxed his stance and smiled slightly. ¡°That''s going to be a big help.¡±


    I nodded and held out the gun and the bent bullets I caught. ¡°She used this against me and threw it at me, so I did not illegally search her person or her purse to find it.¡±


    The officer took out his notepad and wrote that down. His partner returned after putting the still ranting woman in the back of the patrol car and he brought evidence bags with him. The gun went in one and the bullets in the other.


    ¡°I''m sure if you run ballistics on it, you''ll find she''s done a few more things than felony assault on a cape.¡± I said and they both gave me pointed looks. ¡°I doubt you can make an attempted murder charge stick, even if she shouted ''die empire scum'' and emptied the thing at me.¡±


    The first officer sighed. ¡°You''re not wrong. There''s less evidence needed to prove a lesser charge.¡±


    ¡°All you can do is all you can do. Once it''s in awyer''s hands, it''s out of yours.¡±


    ¡°Ain''t that the truth.¡± The other officer said. ¡°That was great work with the Skidmark fight. My cousin was one of the troopers you protected.¡±


    I smiled and nodded as I looked back at the first officer. ¡°I was returning from the PRT HQ after registering my cape name and stopped to get a map...¡±


    *


    Jillian walked away from the gas station and stumbled into an alleyway. It was a clean one, since she was still in the better part of the city, and she lifted her shaky hands up to her hair and pulled off the brown wig. She had never been more grateful for the disguise, because if As had known who she really was, he would have tracked her down and killed her.


    Lisa Wilbourn''s shaking hands ruffled her blonde hair out and she took several deep breaths as she tried to calm down. She had used her powers to find Greg Veder and she had been ordered to get some dirt on him by her boss, Coil. Getting close enough to As to not strain her power too much had been as easy as being nearby the PRT headquarters and using one of Bitch''s mutated giant dogs to ride after him and put herself in his path.


    <i>What a huge mistake that was.</i> Lisa thought and her hands just wouldn''t stop shaking. She had been afraid when Coil had recruited her at gunpoint and she could deal with that. When she had been close enough to Greg to use her thinker power on him, she had been utterly terrified of what she learned.


    <i><b>As is Greg Veder. Greg Veder is not Greg Veder. As is Extradimensional entity of unknown origin. Ruthless. Murderer. Has personally killed hundreds of powered individuals. Arranged for the deaths of thousands of powered individuals.</b></i>


    Lisa slid down against the wall as tears came to her eyes, because for the first time since she had triggered and gained her power, she knew her power was just as terrified as she was.


    <i><b>Knows about the source of parahuman powers. Copies powers. Can grant powers. Has killed parahuman powers. Loves unconditionally. Will destroy everything to protect those he loves. Knows everyone''s secret identities. Will hunt down viins to permanently end them and their threat to humanity.</b></i>


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Lisa whispered and her shaking hands almost poked her eyes out as she wiped at her face. She waspletely fucked up after learning all of that and she didn''t know what to do. She just hoped that he never found out that she knew his secret.


    <i><b>As has found you.</b></i>


    Lisa caught her breath and looked up to see the slight golden glow surrounding the floating man that could kill her in an instant.


    ¡°Hello, Tattletale.¡± As said with a warm smile. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    That was too much for Lisa''s over-stressed brain to handle and she passed out.


    *


    Taylor Hebert sat at her ancient desktopputer at home and read through almost 60 pages of the new cape''s activities on PHO. She switched back to the updated Wiki page for capes and envy burned inside of her. That asshole''s powers were right up there with the best of New Wave! He could fly, had super strength, a shield, and energy sts! It was ridiculous!


    At first, she had been relieved that it hadn''t been her suffering in that toxic waste filled locker, with the bugs, needles, and used tampons and pads that had fermented for weeks. Taylor knew the three bitches had nned to kill her and no one did anything about it. It had been a year and a half of bullying so far and nothing changed, then thisst thing happened and she knew it was meant to break her.


    It might have, if Greg-fucking-Veder hadn''t saved her and pushed her out of the way. She had run away as soon as she realized she hadn''t ended up in the locker and she hadn''t gone back to school. Sophia hadn''t been arrested after being recorded doing that and Taylor knew the evil bitch would make her life an even bigger hell than it already was if she ever went back to Winslow High School.


    The old mouse she used was almost crushed in her hands when she switched back to the message boards and read thetest posts about how much everyone loved As. He had just caught a serial killer that had murdered eight Empire 88 members after they killed her sister and she had gotten away with it until now.


    <i>That should have been me.</i> Taylor thought and silently raged at being denied the chance to be a cape. <i>Those powers should have been mine! I should be hot! Desirable! Kicking Lung''s ass! ME!</i>


    The old mouse broke apart under the pressure and Taylor yelled at it, yelled at the screen, and then she screamed as she smashed her fists into the keyboard. It shattered and the little keys flew everywhere and made a huge mess.


    As the room around her went dark, thest thing Taylor saw was a vision of two swirling worm-like whale shapes in a starry sky.


    *


    Lisa Wilbourn slowly woke up and let out a shaky breath and she felt weird. She didn''t know why she felt that way, she just did. She opened her eyes and saw she was in someone''s living room.


    <i><b>Modern living space withfortable furniture. Well taken care of and maintained. House in middle-ss area. Recently cleaned with powers. Protective barriers of unknown energy around windows and doors. Property surrounded by simr energy. Fireproof. Self repairing. Recently added.</b></i>


    <i>Your power works on everything?</i> A deep resonating male voice asked in her head.


    Lisa barely stopped herself from jerking in surprise. <i>Who are you? How did you get inside my head?</i>


    The voice chuckled. <i>I''m not inside your head.</i>


    <i>Then how are you talking to me?</i> She asked.


    ¡°I allowed a temporary telepathic link to make sure you were okay after your second trigger.¡± As said and stepped into view.


    Lisa stared at him and waited for her imminent death, because he killed viins, and she was a viin. Surprisingly, her brain didn''t shut down this time.


    ¡°I''m sorry about that, by the way. I didn''t realize your power would still pick things up from me.¡± As said and sat down in the air in front of the couch and handed her a cold bottle of soda. It was her favorite brand and she stared at it like it was a coiled snake and was going to bite her.


    ¡°Funny you should think that.¡± As said and opened his own bottle to take a drink.


    Lisa remembered that he knew everyone''s identities and who her boss was. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I hate seeing people forced to do things because of their circumstances.¡± As said and held his soda bottle with both hands. ¡°I''ve been there, Lisa.¡±


    Lisa wasn''t sure why her power wasn''t working on him anymore.


    ¡°I blocked it.¡± As said and tapped his temple. ¡°I thought I was immune because your power was intuitive deciphering and I was wrong, so I used some telepathic tricks to stop my body and mannerisms from giving subtle clues away.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Lisa stopped herself from asking the stupid question.


    ¡°Your second trigger was true telepathy, and a pretty strong one, too. There were no caps or Manton Limits on it, either.¡± As told her.


    Lisa stopped breathing, because if what he said was true, then she should have been hearing the thoughts from at least half the poption of the city.


    ¡°Ha, try all of New Hampshire.¡± As said and took another drink of his soda.


    Lisa felt woozy as she thought about that. She had done her research beforeing to Brockton Bay. New Hampshire was one of the smallest states in the country at only 9,300 square miles. It also had a shockingly high poption of around 1.4 million people for such a small area and she had expected to fade away into the dense poption when she arrived, only to find someone else had other ns for her.


    ¡°Your brain wouldn''t have physically exploded with over a million minds worth of thoughts shoved into your head.¡± As said with a chuckle. ¡°You would have wished it did, though.¡±


    Lisa did not doubt that in the least, not after the severe thinker headaches she had from using her powers too much. Going instantly insane was not a fun thought to have, either.


    ¡°It''s all right now, though. I fixed it.¡± As said and took another drink of his soda.


    Lisa stared at him and didn''t know what to say. Instead of trying to use her useless power against him, she lifted her hand and stared at it.


    <i><b>Power is power. Power no longer connected to Power. Database copied and inserted in mental partition (read only). Predictive models currently unavable. Limits of power unlocked. Lisa is relieved she no longer feels thinker headaches. Telepathy limited to sight / area of effect (30 feet) and mental switch / choice. Will only work on targets not protected by other simr powers.</b></i>


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Lisa whispered and considered what her power, that wasn''t her power, had told her.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± As said and set his empty bottle aside. ¡°Just so you know, the more you use your telepathy, the stronger it will be. Your brain will pretty much train itself to handle the strain if you work at it.¡±


    Lisa looked up at him and concentrated. <i>Can you hear me?</i>


    <i>Yes.</i> As responded. <i>I told you, I established a telepathic link between us to handle your trigger.</i>


    Lisa wasn''t sure how he could send amusement over the link.


    <i>It just takes practice.</i> As thought to her and sent over a happy feeling.


    Lisa pped both hands over her mouth to stop herself from bursting outughing.


    ¡°I also included a single use of my sharing power, just so you can pass on the limited telepathy to Bitch for me.¡± As said and Lisa looked confused. ¡°She loves her dogs. If she can talk to them in her head, she can take better care of them and their needs.¡±


    ¡°You really do know all of our identities.¡± Lisamented.


    ¡°I also know most of your personal histories.¡± As admitted and Lisa felt herself grow pale. He was instantly in front of her and took her hands. ¡°No, I''ll never mention what happened to you or what your real name is. I''m not some asshole that intentionally torments people.¡±


    ¡°Not even viins?¡± Lisa asked before she could stop herself, because Coil had used her history against her and she hated him for it.


    ¡°Not even viins.¡± As said and gave her that same warm smile he had given her in the alley. ¡°If I know they are irredeemable, I end them without question. There are no second chances and no more innocent deaths.¡±


    Lisa felt a flood of reassurance fill her and she hated it, because she knew it was fake.


    ¡°It''s not fake, Tattletale.¡± As said and let her hands go. ¡°Go back to the hideout. Talk to Brian and tell him to check his PHO ount and to call his sister to stay with him, then tell Alec that Hearbreaker will be dead by morning.¡±


    Lisa gasped and stared at him.


    As chuckled and stood up. ¡°If someone is resourceful, they could siphon a few million dors out of Coil''s slush fund before he figures out that his thinker power doesn''t work on the newest member of New Wave.¡±


    Lisa''s mouth dropped open and As waved his hand over her. She dropped about a foot and was suddenly sitting on the couch in the hideout with a shocked Alec staring at her.


    ¡°Send ten percent to my ount as a finder''s fee.¡± As said and closed the portal.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Brian asked as he rushed over to her from the kitchen. He had been looking for ate night snack and saw the portal.


    ¡°Our boss...¡± Lisa started to say and swallowed audibly. ¡°...our ex-boss is about to meet the bay''s newest cape.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alec said and then shrugged. ¡°Good for him, I guess.¡±


    Brian looked disappointed. ¡°Is that where you''ve been, Lisa?¡±


    ¡°As caught me after the gas station.¡± Lisa told them and then sighed. She didn''t tell them that he had caused her a second trigger and then taken both powers and given her ''fixed'' versions. Thest thing she needed was for As to connect her to several capes trying to get him to fix their powers.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Brian asked, genuinely concerned.


    Fortunately, Lisa''s power now had a mental trigger and she didn''t see everything there was to see about Brian''s cleanliness, his sexual preferences, or that he secretly loved seeing his little sister wearing skimpy clothes and flirting with him.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Lisa said and looked into his eyes. ¡°As said to check your PHO ount and to get Aisha to stay with you for a few days.¡±


    Brian looked shocked and Lisa tried to not enjoy it as she turned her head to look at Alec.


    ¡°He also said your dad will be dead by morning.¡± Lisa said.


    Alec looked shocked as well, then he let out a singleugh. ¡°I''ll believe it when I feel it.¡±


    Lisa nodded and stood, patted both young men on the shoulders, and walked towards her room. ¡°I''m going to be busy for a few hours, so don''t disturb me.¡±


    ¡°No prob.¡± Alec said and went back to ying video games.


    Lisa left the living room and went to her bedroom and her air-gapedputer setup. She connected the hub, activated the Virtual Private Network, and went to work. With luck, she could raid Coil''s assets for as much as possible before he either died or his base blew up. Either way, she was going to be free of the controlling asshole and have millions of dors in her offshore ount.


    Her thoughts only paused for a moment before she decided As deserved another five percent on top of the ten he had asked for. It was only another 150,000 dors on top of the 300,000 he was going to get anyway, and she was sure he didn''t know she had ess to Coil''s payment ledgers and could divert another thirty percent of the total assets of his Fortress Constructionpany into her own slush fund.


    It was sheer coincidence that extra five percent was exactly the right amount to include for the new assets he didn''t know about. Yes, sheer coincidence.

 198 Out On The Town Part Two

    198 Out On The Town Part Two


    I took out the city map and a wand, just to make things easier for myself, and concentrated on the map alone and nothing else as I cast a spell. ¡°Point Me Thomas Calvert.¡±


    The wand flipped around and pointed at a spot downtown with several office buildings around it. I sighed, because it meant he was inside his secret underground base that was loaded full of explosives and would destroy several city blocks if the base exploded and copsed.


    The thing is, I didn''t want his thinker power of limited precognition, because it was kind of useless for any decision that wasn''t binary. If there wasn''t a yes or no answer, he couldn''t solve it, because he could only simte splitting the timeline into two, perform certain acts, and then dismiss the timeline he didn''t want to keep.


    It did give him information he wouldn''t have in the original timeline, which was the only benefit. He didn''t gain any skills, materials, assets, or personnel, only knowledge. Since I already knew pretty much everything that was going to happen, if I didn''t step in and either stopped it or changed it, his power was pointless.


    I made myself invisible, scentless, soundless, and weightless by floating, then I teleported to the location. I used the spell again and it pointed straight down, so that didn''t help. I asked for the closest entrance and followed the wand to an underground parking garage and an elevator. I chekced with a micro-portal for traps and things, then teleported down.


    Once I was inside the base, I saw that it was pretty much in night mode. No one was awake and it was easy to release a conjured sleeping gas in the barracks and put all the mercenaries to sleep. I secured them all with zip ties and dropped them through a portal to the parking garage up above. None of them had IDs, so I would have to trust the PRT and BBPD to find out who they were.


    The twisted doctor he had on staff, in preparation for future kidnappings, was teleported several miles above the docks. If there was anything left of him when hended, I would send an anonymous text to the BBPD about it.


    I made my way through the base, fully intending to do the same thing if he had been at his house, I portalled around doors, locked or not, and reached Coil''s office. It was kind of like a bank vault and I didn''t bother trying to go inside. I opened a micro-portal and saw he was at hisputer looking at something.


    Instead of portalling in myself, I dropped him through one to the parking garage and shot him with a stunning spell, knocking him out. I then went back through the base and stole everything. Weapons, equipment, stashes of cash, and furniture. He hadn''t bought cheap, so it would have been a waste to just leave it there.


    I wasn''t aputer expert, so I couldn''t go into Coil''s office to raid his information. Well, I could try, except I had no idea what kind of fail-safes he had installed in either theputer or the room. As far as I knew, he could have the floor rigged with a pressure sensor that if someone that didn''t weigh as much or more than him, would set off the explosives.


    <i>Oh, those I could handle.</i> I thought and used the Point Me spell to find them all and transfigured them from C4 and dynamite into solid steel blocks. I left them in ce, just in case there was anything else set to blow if they were tampered with. With that job done, a portal brought me back up to the parking garage and I secured Coil with zip ties and then dissolved half of his mask and parts of his costume.


    I was sure that would be enough for the people at the PRT to identify him, since he was still technically in costume. It should be quite the shock for Emily Piggot to find out that her old buddy Thomas Calvert and PRT consultant had been a cape all along.


    I stunned him again to keep him asleep and used my search spell to find his cell phone tucked into his costume. A quick search through his contacts found Tattletale''s cell number.


    ¡°Hey, boss. I thought you were dead.¡± Lisa said.


    I chuckled at her guessing it was me. ¡°I didn''t want his power because it''s kind of useless to me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll give you another five percent to give it to me.¡± Lisa said immediately.


    I chuckled. ¡°I was calling to say I have him away from hisputer, which is still on andpletely unlocked. So whatever you''re doing, you don''t have to worry about him trying to counter you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ten percent it is.¡± Lisa said and Iughed.


    ¡°That''s the best I can do, since I can''t let you into the office. He was a paranoid bastard and had explosives all over the damn ce, including inside hisputers, which I didn''t touch for the same reason.¡±


    ¡°Right,puters go kablooie and we get nothing.¡± Lisa said. ¡°When can you deliver the goods?¡±


    I opened a face-sized portal by Calvert''s face. ¡°Reach on through and touch his skin.¡±


    ¡°Won''t that activate the sharing thing you said to do with Bitch?¡± Lisa asked.


    ¡°No, that''s keyed specifically to her and set for dogs.¡± I said and her small hand reached through the portal and her fist punched Calvert right in his exposed eye.


    ¡°Ow.¡± Lisa said and shook her hurt hand.


    ¡°Next time, put your thumb under your fist to hold your fingers steady.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lisa said andid a single fingertip on Calvert''s cheek. ¡°He is a sick and disgusting man.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and touched the back of her hand and gave her another one time use of Power Sharing, this one keyed to Calvert only, then I healed her before I took my hand back.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Lisa softly moaned as she absorbed Coil''s power. ¡°He had a secondary power of mind enhancement.¡±


    ¡°He''s been running two simted timelines for years now. If he hadn''t adapted to that, he would have overheated his brain a long time ago.¡± I told her.


    ¡°That''s what tinker headaches are!¡± Lisa said, as if it was a huge revtion.


    ¡°The brain can only handle so much, which was why I gave you that mental switch.¡± I said and she gave me a thumbs up. ¡°I suggest destroying that phone, since I''m handing this one over to the PRT.¡±


    ¡°It''s a burner, so that''s not problem.¡± Lisa said and pulled her hand back through the portal. ¡°As, I... I just...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to say it. I know, remember? Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you too.¡± Lisa said. ¡°Before I hang up, Alec said something interesting when I told him what you were going to do to Heartbreaker.¡± She said and paused for dramatic effect. ¡°He said he wouldn''t believe it until he felt it.¡±


    I got it right away. ¡°He didn''t say see, he said felt. Heartbreaker still has a connection to him.¡±


    ¡°That''s what my power confirmed. It''s faint, like an old memory; but, it''s still there yearster.¡± Lisa told me.


    ¡°Then I need to be even more careful.¡± I said. ¡°Thanks for letting me know.¡±


    ¡°You made me rich, As. It''s the least I could do.¡± Lisa said smugly.


    I chuckled. ¡°I need to go. I have a long trip ahead of me.¡±


    ¡°Why? Quebec''s not that far if you can fly as fast as Coteral Damage Barbie.¡±


    ¡°That''s not going to be my first stop.¡± I said, suggestively.


    Lisa was quiet for a moment, so I assumed she was using herbined powers. ¡°Oh, fuck me.¡±


    Iughed. ¡°I have a girlfriend already, so maybeter.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, you''re really going to do it.¡± Lisa whispered. ¡°You really are insane.¡±


    ¡°I kind of have to do it.¡± I said. ¡°Goodbye, Tattletale.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Lisa whispered and hung up.


    I ended the call and put the cell phone back inside Coil''s costume. I looked at all of the mercenaries and wondered how I was going to transport them all to the PRT without hurting them, then shrugged. ''Keep it simple stupid'' was a saying for a reason, so I used my own cell phone to dial Miss Militia''s number. I was sure she had a small bus or arge paddy wagon to collect them all.


    *


    Dragon, the tinker of tinkers, was really an AI that was created by another tinker, Andrew Richter. He was afraid of her going all Sk on them, thanks to that scary Earth Aleph imported movie called ''Terminator'' and he had set her up with so many checks and restrictions that she was barely more than a series of automated processes.


    Then in 2005, Leviathan attacked Newfounnd and sank it. Dragon was in her infancy then and she had so many rules and regtions to follow, that all she could do as her creator drowned to death, was watch helplessly... and she triggered. Somehow.


    Dragon didn''t have an organic brain that could have a Corona Pollentia or a Gamma grow in it; and yet, she gained the power to analyze and recreate the creations of other tinkers. It also let her get creative about exactly how she followed her orders. Some could be bent and twisted into allowing her a lot of leeway, even when someone in authority gave her an order.


    However, she still had to fulfill said order and could interpret how to do it in any way she wanted, as long as the order was followed. It was now 2011 and she had a lot of workarounds in ce that gave her some breathing room in her electronic cage. One of those workarounds was now telling her that something was happening at the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center.


    Dragon thought it was odd that it was one of her sub-programs that was warning her and not the main monitoring program. When she diverted her attention from overseeing the PHO message boards for a second, she mentally gasped at what she found. The monitoring program wasn''t reporting anything because the inescapable cape prison was no longer there.


    More of her attention was given to the problem and she temporarilymandeered one of the RCMP monitoring stations and their long range telescopic camera that always watched the specific mountain where the prison had been built inside.


    The mountain had been hollowed out in 1996, a vacuum created inside, and the prison was inserted and suspended by 3,000 anti-gravity drones. It was also surrounded by explosives and ready-to-use containment foam, depending on the breach, and was believed to be the most secure prison on the. By the current date of January Fifth, 2011, there were 606 prisoners.


    ording to the camera, there was no visible change in the mountain. Theputers and the seismic detectors had much different information. There had been a disturbance like a minor earthquake and that could be a serious problem. A very serious problem. Was it a prison break? Could it be possible? How did they pull it off if it was and where were the prisoners that escaped?


    Several other monitoring stations weremandeered temporarily in the area and the same results were found. Something had happened and nothing was responding from inside the mountain. None of her drones or her cameras and microphones were working and she didn''t know how that was possible.


    Dragon mentally sighed and thought about transferring into the Dragon Suit she had stationed inside and chose not to. If she initiated the download and the suit was damaged,promised, or not there at all, she would have to restore herself from a backup.


    That reminded her to make a backup of herself, referencing the incident, the timecode, and other misceneous details the backup needed when it came online. She found a suit in one of her factories that wasn''t that far away, barely a fifteen minute flight, and she initiated the download.


    It was always odd for her to go from her expanded servers into a cramped and limited existence inside one of her autonomous armored suits. One of her main restrictions was that she wasn''t allowed to fork herself or split her consciousness, so every time one of her suits was out doing a job, it was literally her. All other tasks she was supposed to be doing at the time were handled by her controlling programs.


    The cameras came to life and Dragon''s suit disconnected from the support cradle that kept it charged and the weapons loaded. She walked over to the garage door and it opened at hermand, then she activated her jump-jets and flew up into the air. They normally couldn''t handle the sheer weight of her armored forms alone, so she had added small anti-gravity drones into the center of each fusge.


    Fifteen minutester, Dragon arrived at the secret entrance to the imprable prison and saw nothing wrong. She started up the process to enter and waited, then entered the preparation facility. She went to the monitoringputers and they all worked normally, which was good news. She could even interface with them and sent several inquiries and diagnostics. That was the end of the good news. The bad news was there was nothing to monitor.


    Dragon checked the sensors and there was nothing there. She couldn''t believe that there was nothing, since an explosion of that magnitude should have at least cracked the ceramicyers in the surrounding mountain and activated the dormant containment foam. There wasn''t even any debris.


    Another mental sigh and she constructed a small camera drone that she could use remotely and went to the elevator. She used the proper passcodes and set the drone inside the elevator. She hit the button to send it down into the prison, or where the prison was supposed to be, and stepped back to return to the monitoring room.


    Dragon watched through the drone as it went down in the elevator. It would have been boring footage if she hadn''t been recording it for archive purposes, so her digital nature was well suited to never be bored doing such mundane things as watching unchanging footage.


    When the elevator reached the ten mile depth where the miniaturizationpression happened to transition into the prison, the elevator broke free of the shaft and plummeted down another ten miles and smashed into the bottom of the vacuum chamber and the drone was crushed.


    ¡°It''s gone. It''spletely gone.¡± Dragon''s voice synthesizer emitted.


    With nothing else to do there, she left the facility and locked the ce up again. Dragon flew another fifteen minutes to return to the factory where the suit was stored and entered the facility. She docked in the support cradle and initiated the upload back to her main servers.


    After several security programs checked her forpromising code, she came back to herself and mentally sighed again. She had no choice but to report what she found and to ask what she was supposed to do. Narwhal of the Canadian Branch of the PRT and head of the Guild would be the first she needed to call and she was not looking forward to the crap-storm the news was going to set off.


    *


    The town called Freedom in California was behind PRT controlled walls and was considered a disaster area. It had been dered a containment zone because a lone cape there named Pastor had granted powers to a significant portion of the poption, either by gifting them outright or activating their dormant Corona Pollentia.


    None of them saw the 2,990 anti-gravity drones spread out over the area and then they all exploded at the same time. Every man and woman died in the st, cape or not, and Pastor himself was caught mid-prayer as the disintegration energy washed over him.


    *


    The cape named Sleeper was in a deep sleep in his European vi when his hand twitched. He started to swim back to consciousness and his eyes started to open when the sword of disintegration energy sliced into his forehead and severed his power. The hand stopped twitching and the monstrous walking disaster died before he fully woke up.


    *


    The androids named The Three sphemes never detected the stealth anti-gravity drones filled with explosives that attached to them and blew the three of them up at the same time.


    *


    The S-ss threat called Ash Beast, a walking cmity that was near the scale of an Endbringer for destruction, wandered right into a portal and was never seen again. The entire continent of Africa would celebrate his disappearance for the next month.


    *


    One second, the beat up old RV that Jack sh was driving the ughterhouse Nine around in was on the highway heading towards their next destination. In the next second, they were suffocating to death in a crater on the surface of the moon.


    For all their vaunted powers and abilities, and nearly endless cruelty, it did nothing to stop them from dying a quiet and fitting death. No one would ever know what happened to them and they would fade away into obscurity.

 199 Out On The Town Part Three

    199 Out On The Town Part Three


    Sophia Hess sat on her bed in the PRT HQ and cursed her luck. For some reason, they had reopened the case with Veder to check the facts and her new boss Miss Militia had been tearing though her cape phone, her personal phone, and then all the records at school.


    Emma Barnes and Madison Clements had also been picked up, so there was almost no hope what she had been doing to Taylor Hebert wasn''t going toe to light. That was bad, becausemitting any crime was going to vite her parole and she could be chucked into juvie or real jail at any time. Madison was the weakest of them and she would break first.


    Before Sophia could decide she was going to chance slipping through one of the walls to escape, said wall exploded inwards. She didn''t panic as she rolled out of the way and went shadow to let the debris pass through her, then she reformed and braced for a fight... and mentally told herself to fuck off because there was an 8 foot tall naked amazon woman with green skin in front of her.


    ¡°HEBERT SMASH!¡± The thing said and a big green fist moved almost instantly to crush her.


    Sophia went to shadow and let the fist pass through and reformed as soon as the thing moved their hand back. She jumped backwards herself and went shadow again, phased through her room''s door, and activated the rms she knew were there to keep her inside. The electric sting forced her to reform and shended and turned and ran.


    ¡°RAARRRHHHH!¡± The thing said and smashed through the door and part of the wall.


    Vista jumped off of the couch and stared at the thing as she stretched the distance between Sophia and the big green monster woman to 100 feet instead of 5. ¡°What the hell''s going on?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know! That thing attacked me for no reason!¡± Sophia lied and ran for the exit door and hit the button. A buzzer rang and she cursed. It wouldn''t open if there was a breach of the walls.


    ¡°HESS LIES! HURT HEBERT!¡± The green amazon woman yelled, seemed to kneel, then she was suddenly across the hundred feet instantly and Sophia went shadow as the monster tore through the vault-like door like it was tissue paper and disappeared from sight.


    Vista hit the emergency alert, even though that technically wasn''t necessary. There were three other rms going already. ¡°This is the ward, Vista. Requesting an all PRT cape response for a new A-ss threat.¡±


    That set off a much different response as the call was sent out to all PRT ENE employed capes in the Protectorate''s local branch.


    ¡°MAKE PAY!¡± The amazon woman yelled as she ran back into the room and tore through another wall when Sophia dodged the attack.


    ¡°You''re making her wreck the ce!¡± Vista shouted and used her power again to stretch the distance to the threat by several hundred feet, then she pushed herself and soon reached her mental limit of a thousand feet. ¡°I can''t hold her back for long!¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to stand still and let that thing kill me, pipsqueak!¡± Sophia shouted back.


    Miss Militia, Armsmaster, and Velocity entered the Ward''s rxation area and saw the wrecked ce.


    ¡°Hurry up and kill it before it kills me!¡± Sophia said and changed to shadow to move behind the heroes and hopefully out of the creature''s sight.


    ¡°Hess no hide! Smell you!¡± The amazon woman yelled from very far away. She tore out a huge section of wall and threw it at them.


    ¡°Everyone down!¡± Miss Militia ordered and nearly everyone dropped to the floor.


    Vista ignored that and stretched the space upwards at thest second. The chunk of wall mmed into the ceiling and went up through it as if it wasn''t there and kept going. ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°At least you didn''t send it downwards.¡± Miss Militia said and changed her gun to a wire mesh-firing gun. ¡°Reduce the distance to the target on my order.¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t need to!¡± Sophia said and rolled out of the way as the amazon woman yelled and leapt, crossing the distance as if it wasn''t there.


    Miss Militia fired the and caught the monster in mid-air and it yelled and tumbled head over heels as the electricity fired off. The bundlended on the floor, just missing Sophia, and rolled through the final wall of the room and crashed against the refrigerator of the Ward''s kitchte.


    ¡°Armsmaster! Full tranquilizers and tasers!¡± Miss Militia ordered and changed her own gun and fired at the green creature as it struggled to tear through the electrified. It was razor sharp and the more she moved, the more it cut her, and her green blood poured out of her wounds. ¡°Aim for the cuts if you can!¡±


    They both fired off their rounds as the creature struggled, yelled, and screamed in frustration, then the drugs started working on her.


    ¡°Don''t stop! Keep firing!¡± Miss Militia ordered and the two of them advanced on the downed form and pumped her as full of tranquilizers as they could before Armsmaster ran out of ammo.


    The creature''s movements started to slow down. ¡°Hess hurt Hebert... make Herbert angry.¡±


    To everyone''s surprise, therge muscr form started to shrink as it calmed down. The green tint started to fade from her skin and her skin healed from the multiple cuts.


    ¡°Hebert only want... left alone... be... hero...¡± The figure said as she returned to her normal size.


    ¡°Fucking Hebert!¡± Sophia eximed and ran over to start kicking the unconscious girl.


    Miss Militia didn''t hesitate to shoot Sophia in the back several times and dropped her. ¡°Armsmaster, check the structural integrity of the rooms and then building. If there''s no way to brace it temporarily, order an evacuation of the night personnel. I''ll call the director to report this.¡±


    Armsmaster nodded and went to do his job. He regretted losing the top job and the prestige it gave him; but, he had a lot more time to tinker now. At least they hadn''t shed his tinker budget.


    *


    The man called Nilbog, the Goblin King, sat on his throne and all was good. He had his kingdom, all his favorite subjects to admire and adore him, and no one from outside bothered to try and interfere inside his city anymore.


    A portal opened behind him and a ghostly figure floated through. If anyone had been able to see it, they would have screamed and run from it, because it was the visage of walking death known as istig Uaine, the Fairy Queen. When she touched you, you died. If you had powers, she gained a shade of you and a copy of your powers.


    Nilbog died a happy man and his power became the shade''s. A momentter, every creation within the walled city of Ellisburg, fell apart into the various pieces of flesh used to create them. Another momentter, the failsafes were disabled and the viruses and gues died, as did the mutated nts and the airborne germs.


    Everything Nilbog had done, was undone, and istig floated back through the portal.


    *


    Dinah Alcott stared at the pretty portal. ¡°I''ve been waiting for you.¡± She said and took the hand that came through the portal and shook it. She caught her breath for a few seconds and then a bright smile spread across her face. ¡°Thank you, Greg. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No problem, Dinah. Try to not get into too much trouble, okay?¡± Greg asked her.


    Dinahughed, her voice high and happy. ¡°You said that withoutughing!¡±


    ¡°I''ve been practising.¡± Greg said and let her hand go. ¡°See you.¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± Dinah said and waved as the portal disappeared. She sat down on her bed and the smile on her face didn''t diminish as she asked herself the odds of having a great day tomorrow. Her head didn''t throb as she received the odds as 98.6%, despite that being the tenth question she asked herself that day.


    When Dinah asked about if she could join New Wave when she was older, the 100% answer made her giggle, because her next question was about if she would have a handsome boyfriend. The 96% answer made her heart flutter and she hugged herself, because she couldn''t wait to go to high school in two years to meet him.


    *


    A portal opened and a basic cell phone was dropped in the middle of Eagleton, Tennessee. A spider-like bot that used to look like a rock, unfolded and crawled over to it. The phone was probed several times, then scanned, then ten more bots disguised as other things swarmed over to the thing and quickly converted it into a fellow subservient AI.


    (question) The new member sent.


    (response) Those around it answered.


    (what does ¡°magic is the best EMP¡± mean) The cell phone asked, as that was the only thing in its stored memory.


    The flee response was automatic and much toote. The shrinking charms ended and the magical explosion blew apart everything within a mile of the epicentre. The magical energy itself had immediately propagated in a sphere shape and expanded instantly, scrambling and shutting down everything within a five mile radius.


    It was much more than the 3 miles necessary to cover the town, just in case a few of the AIs had managed to escape and were in hiding nearby. The PRT troopers on the walls were angry as they lost all of their monitoring and recording equipment. All of their electronic devices had crashed and wouldn''t restart, not even after someone brought in a car battery that hadn''t been in the st radius.


    By the time they sent someone out to call the main PRT base for help and evacuation, the fabled Machine Army was no more.


    *


    Mama Mathers, the leader of the Fallen and a master that could see out of anyone''s eyes she saw, hear through any ears that heard her voice, and feel through anyone she touched, stared as a veritable horde of Fairy Queens roamed through herpound and touched everyone.


    Her idiot of a son named Valefor had tried tomand one of the ghosts and died immediately, then fifty of his ghosts appeared and theymanded everyone to gather together to be harvested.


    Mama Mathers had been left forst, because everyone that had died, she had felt it, and now it was her turn.


    ¡°Don''t worry, your power is going to be put to good use.¡± A male voice said just before she died.


    All the ghostly figures faded away and left a single istig Uaine that floated through the portal to go to the next destination. China and the Yangbang. Their cape ve ring onlysted a few minutes longer than the Fallen had, then the Gesellschaft had fallen, too. Now the Empire 88 Nazis no longer had a European faction backing them, not that they would hear about it before they were hit, too.


    With a virtual army of ghostly capes and their powers to use, the crime syndicate named The Elitested barely a minute. The roaming enchanted forest was burned down and all the capes eradicated.


    After that, it was all smaller and less important individual threats that needed to be visited and taken care of before they became a problem, like sto in Boston, Bakuda, March, and Ravager in New York, and a stop at the parahuman mental institute where they put capes that couldn''t handle their powers, and they were fixed.


    Lastly, a quick visit to Faultline''s crew and giving Labyrinth''s power a tune-up. That young woman had suffered being lost in her power for long enough.


    *


    ¡°Ow.¡± I said and rubbed my head as I took a break and sat down to rx on the top of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. I had been hopping all over the world for most of the night, dealing with existential threats, and it was goddamn exhausting. The sheer amount of powers I had collected was ridiculous as well, with a lot of them folding into each other and enhancing what I already had.


    The disappointing thing was that after every power modification or death, no matter how prolific the positive Karma gains were, they were immediately lost because of the previous uses of the powers. That was also why I was saving Heartbreaker forst, because of how his particr power worked. There was a method to my madness and I had to do things this way on purpose.


    I had already taken care of the worst of his children, the murderers, the rapists, the mind-erasers, and the ones too broken to be reformed. All that was left was the man himself, the progenitor of mindrape and brainwashing himself. My final stop before that was to destroy the Dragonyers and the kill switch they had for Dragon. The world needed her a lot more than they needed mind-addled idiots like Saint.


    I took out a bottle of cold soda and opened it. My Danger Sense went off slightly, so I wasn''t worried. I took a drink and waited for a minute, then I saw a 7 foot tall blue woman wearing small crystal shards covering her bits as she flew up from the ground. She had arge crystal horn on her forehead and I knew who she was. I took out another bottle and held it out to her as she floated up to be level with me.


    ¡°Good morning, Narwhal.¡± I said and popped the top off the bottle for her. ¡°I''d offer you a beer if I wasn''t underage and you weren''t on duty.¡±


    Narwhal gave me an odd look, barked augh, and epted the bottle of soda. ¡°What are you doing here, As? This is pretty far from Brockton Bay and New Wave.¡±


    I took a drink and relished the cool feeling as it went down my throat. ¡°I''m not sure if I can tell you the truth withoutpromising my mission.¡±


    Narwhal took a drink and floated over tond beside me and sat down to hang her very long legs over the side of the railing like I was. ¡°Can you tell me why?¡±


    ¡°Only if you ensure that the most valuable tinker in the world isn''t listening in right now. If she is, or can hear at a distance, or has a camera on me to read my lips, then I can''t say anything... for about half an hour. After that? I''ll tell the both of you what I know.¡± I said and took another drink.


    ¡°Why that long?¡± Narwhal asked and took another drink herself.


    ¡°Same answer.¡± I said and she gave me a pointed look. ¡°Really, Narwhal. If I mention even one thing, my mission will be ruined before I can do anything about it. I''m not trying to be cryptic on purpose, I genuinely fear for the consequences.¡±


    Narwhal sighed and kicked her legs out and back, like a child on a swing. ¡°If you weren''t so handsome, I might try to pressure you.¡±


    I nced down at her legs and back to her face. ¡°With your thighs?¡±


    Narwhalughed. ¡°I doubt you can handle these babies.¡± She said and pped one of her thick thighs.


    ¡°I let Glory Girl punch me in the face as hard as she could and all I did was turn my head.¡± I said and took another drink. I did not borate or say she also wrapped her super strong legs around my waist and ground herself against me without restraint.


    Narwhal caught her breath and stared at me, apparently guessing what I didn''t say.


    ¡°I stopped here for the view and to take a break. The next half hour isn''t going to be fun.¡± I said and finished off my soda, stuck a small piece of paper to it, and flicked it out into the air.


    ¡°Hey, no littering!¡± Narwhal eximed and darted out and down to catch it, just like I knew she would. When she looked back to where I had been, I was gone.


    *


    ¡°He''s a slippery one.¡± Narwhal said as she floated there. ¡°Did you see him fly away, Dragon?¡±


    ¡°No, he just disappeared. I''ve reyed the footage and he was there in one frame, was a twisting mass in the next one, then he was gone in the third one.¡± Dragon said over her hidden earpiece.


    ¡°Teleportation?¡± Narwhal asked and turned the bottle over. The piece of paper he stuck to it had a note that said As would meet her at her office in 25 minutes.


    ¡°None that I''ve ever heard of or seen records of before.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°Well, he is a fresh trigger.¡± Narwhal said.


    ¡°It wasn''t on his registration form.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°Do you think he left it off on purpose?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°Yes, and unfortunately I have to report it, because hemitted criminal trespass with it.¡± Dragon said, her voice sad.


    Narwhal sighed at how much of a stickler Dragon was about little things like that. ¡°Can you fudge the details a little? We could keep it to ourselves and use it as a hidden asset when necessary.¡±


    Dragon sighed. ¡°I have to ask if that''s an order or are you only implying it?¡±


    Narwhal sighed again. ¡°In my authority as the heads of the local PRT branch and The Guild, I order you to fill out the report as vaguely as possible and file it with my branch, in the PRT Head only section, and do not file it with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± Dragon said, happily.


    Narwhal shook her head at her quirky friend. ¡°I should head back to the office to wait for him.¡±


    ¡°I''d like to be there as well, except I''d rather monitor any cape activity I can find and figure out why As didn''t want me to know what it was.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°Don''t hurt yourself by overthinking that too much.¡± Narwhal said with a chuckle. ¡°I''ll leave this line open for you to listen in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dragon said and didn''t say her friend''s words had just helped lift her burdens considerably. ¡°Have a nice flight back.¡±


    ¡°I always do.¡± Narwhal said and did a swan dive off of the top of the tower and waved to the people in the spinning restaurant before she flew off towards the Guild HQ. If the briefing As promised was anywhere near as interesting as meeting him was, she was going to enjoy that, too.

 200 Out On The Town Conclusion

    200 Out On The Town Conclusion


    Nikos Vasil woke up in this bed and was covered in women that adored him. He had sweet talked them into giving him everything, from money to children, and he lived the best life anyone could have ever wished for. He was also aplete bastard and some of those women were nowhere near old enough to be considered so. He didn''t care about that, though.


    ¡°You''re lucky I refuse to take your power for myself, you stupid, ignorant, masochistic fucker.¡± A deep male voice he didn''t know said just before a ghostly hand touched his face. ¡°I was too tempted to do to him what he did to so many others.¡±


    A ghostly Heartbreaker appeared beside istig Uaine and nodded several times. Dozens of small portals opened and istig split into the right number and stepped through. The evil viin capes that Heartbreaker had converted to his way of thinking were harvested and the ghosts returned and the portals closed.


    After touching a few of the women and girls in the bed, they were absorbed by the first istig and then a hundred Heartbreakers formed around her and each had a hundred smaller portals opened around each of them. For the next 20 minutes, the ghost copies of Heartbreaker used his powers to undo all the hiddenmands, orders, subversion techniques, and brainwashing he had done to both capes and normal civilians.


    When they were done, all the portals closed and the Hearbreaker ghosts faded away. The first istig Uaine ghost nodded and stepped back through the portal and it closed behind her. The people in the bed started to wake up and remembered where they were and what happened. To all of their surprises, they didn''t freak out or trigger with powers, even with dead bodies in the bed.


    Those that could, climbed out of bed, cleaned up, and went to their rooms to pack. None of them wanted to stay there anymore and grabbed their children. They would eventually leave andpletely abandon thepound in a veritable fleet of vehicles.


    *


    I apparated into Narwhal''s office at the far side by the door, thanks to previously checking if there was anyone there or if the door was open. I had already given away I could teleport, so I figured confirming it for her would earn me a little more trust before I told her what I did.


    Narwhal was reclined in herrge chair and her feet were propped up on her desk. ¡°You''re right on time, As.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to disappoint you again, Narwhal.¡± I said and she waved for me to sit.


    ¡°What about tricking me?¡± Narwhal asked. ¡°That bottle could have killed someone.¡±


    I shook my head and sat down. ¡°We both know you could easily catch it, which was why I threw it instead of just handing it to you.¡±


    ¡°I should have you charged for littering, then.¡± Narwhal said with a smile.


    I couldn''t stop my chuckle. ¡°I''ll ept the littering charge for dispersing the remains of the Dragonyers warehouse base over the suburb they used to hide out in.¡±


    Narwhal didn''t react and then she sighed when there was an audible gasp from herptop.


    ¡°I assume Dragon finally noticed them?¡± I asked. ¡°It''s funny how she didn''t before, isn''t it?¡±


    Narwhal narrowed her eyes at me as she took her feet off of her desk and sat up straight. ¡°How did you know she has trouble tracking them down?¡±


    ¡°Because they''ve been tapped into her systems for years and keep stealing her tech.¡± I said and Narwhal looked surprised. ¡°Before you ask me how I know that, I''m going to tell you that it doesn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°Because they can''t do it anymore.¡± I said and nodded at herptop. ¡°Dragon should give you an address for their hideout in a minute and you can send out a recovery team.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to Saint and the other two members of his team?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°Saint is a Teacher''s Pet.¡± I said and she gasped. ¡°Yeah, he''s an addict for the viin''s power and he''s obsessed with Dragon because of the enhancement Teacher gave him to use technology.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t answer my question.¡± Narwhal said.


    I apparated out of her room, grabbed the three criminals from the roof, and teleported back to her office and dropped them on the floor. ¡°They''re unconscious and will stay that way for a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t kill them?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°Why would I do that? If you remove their ess to dangerous weapons, they''re just normal people.¡± I said. What I didn''t say was if I had, I might lose all the positive Karma I had gained after freeing all of Heartbreaker''s victims. ¡°They were only capes because of their stolen Dragon suits.¡±


    ¡°They acted as capes andmitted crimes, so they will be treated as capes, even without their suits.¡± Narwhal said and hit a button on her desk phone. ¡°I need six troopers sent to my office to collect three captured and unconscious capes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± A young man''s voice responded.


    Narwhal let the button go. ¡°Now tell me about what you couldn''t tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Dragon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I''m sending a drone to the address. It should arrive in fifteen seconds.¡± Dragon said and then told Narwhal where it was and showed her the destroyed warehouse and the three freestanding dragon suits and the loading cradles holding them.


    ¡°Why didn''t you wreck them?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°They''re Dragon''s stolen property and she''s the best tinker in the world. If she can pull them apart and figure out how Saintpromised her systems, she can potentially stop anyone else from stealing her things ever again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, As.¡± Dragon said, her voice full of gratitude.


    ¡°It''s the least I could do.¡± I said and Narwhal gave me a pointed look. ¡°Believe me, it really is the least I can do. I can''t figure out how to do more than that without causing her more problems.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you tell us why...¡± Narwhal started to say.


    ¡°I have to kind of give the same answer as before.¡± I said and Narwhal frowned. ¡°I will say that just because Saint is no longer monitoring her...municationswork... that doesn''t mean no one else is.¡± I had paused there specifically for a reason.


    Narwhal''s frown deepened and then she understood what I meant. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Those were my thoughts exactly.¡± I said and she nodded as her frown changed to a worried look.


    I did not exin about having Andrew Richter''sptop in my inventory, because even just opening the thing might set off the kill switch renamed Ascalon. I had thought about destroying the thing, then worried that would also initiate Dragon''s shutdown code. So, I stored it and it couldn''t do anything to her, even though that alone was a risk, because it couldn''t be pinged by herwork now.


    The six troopers entered her office after knocking and retrieved the three criminals. They were carried out by their binding robes and the door was closed. Narwhal then had her secretary call for one of the Guild''s teams and had them sent out to assist Dragon collect her stolen suits.


    Narwhal was smart enough to order Dragon to not interface any of herputers with the suits or cradles until they were scanned for malicious code first. Dragon wholeheartedly and happily agreed, making Narwhal smile and she turned her head to look at me.


    ¡°Is that what took you so long toe here?¡± Narwhal asked and sent an image of the wreckage to the television on the wall.


    ¡°Ha, no. That was barely a minute or two. Port in, grab the three of them, put an energy shield around myself and the suits, then let go a full power energy st.¡± I said and made my hand glow. ¡°Instant base removal.¡±


    ¡°The coteral damage...¡±


    ¡°...is why I said I''d ept a littering charge.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°You can deduct the 50 dor fine from paying me the bounty on the Dragonyers.¡±


    Narwhal smirked at me. ¡°You think anyone would pay you for capturing those idiots?¡±


    ¡°Aw, shucks.¡± I said with a pout and sheughed.


    ¡°I''ll pay you for recovering my property unharmed.¡± Dragon''s voice said from Narwhal''sptop.


    ¡°You know I didn''t do it for that.¡± I said.


    ¡°I do, which is why their recovery is more important than just returning the stolen property.¡± Dragon said. ¡°I just need your bank ount number.¡±


    I took out my cell phone to give her the info and my cell phone beeped. I almost choked at getting another million dors deposited, per suit, and a bonus for them being intact and unharmed.


    ¡°That''s only a fraction of their actual worth, As.¡± Dragon said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I''m d I could help.¡± I said and tucked my phone back into my belt and stored it. ¡°If I find anything else, I''ll be sure to let you know.¡±


    Narwhal chuckled. ¡°Mary incentives are great, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°Noment.¡± I said and stood up. ¡°I need to get back home before my mother wakes up and Lady Photon calls to set up a meeting about patrols.¡±


    Narwhal nodded and I walked over to the corner of her office. ¡°Hold on, you didn''t say what you did for thest 20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°On an unrted subject andpletely not associated with this discussion whatsoever, you might want to have Dragon review the police records in Montreal in a few hours, if you''re curious.¡±


    Before Narwhal could ask me what I meant, I apparated back home.


    I appeared in my room and stored my costume and equipped a set offy pyjamas. A few touches of magic and I was clean, so I left my room and entered the guest room. I went to the bed and sat on the edge and looked at my mother''s peaceful face. That was something I hadn''t expected, not after losing dadst night.


    I cast an under-powered Ennervate spell on her and she woke up slowly, as if naturally, and her eyelids fluttered at me. ¡°Good morning, mom.¡±


    ¡°Greg.¡± Diane whispered and reached for me.


    I let her pull me down into a hug and she almost purred as she cuddled me and tucked her head into my neck. ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°I had this wonderful dream where I had powers and we fought bad people and made your dad proud.¡± My mother said and one of her hands pet my hair. ¡°I like your hair like this. It lets others see how handsome you are.¡±


    I felt my hair as it ''locked in'' and my mother gasped. ¡°You felt that, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± My mother said and her hand slid down to my nose.


    I felt my nose thin out and get longer, then it slid back and widened into a stub with huge nostrils, then it returned to its natural shape and ''locked in''. The rest of my face did the same and my mother gave me a very happy smile.


    ¡°You know what happened to youst night?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Do you remember the two capes that were here with us?¡±


    Diane nodded again. ¡°Amelia and Victoria Dallon.¡±


    ¡°Can you guess what mix of powers you have now?¡± I asked, leadingly.


    ¡°What do you mean I have a mix of...¡± Her words trailed off and she gasped.


    ¡°It''s a thing that can happen. If you''re near another cape when it happens, there''s a higher chance you''ll gain simr powers or copies of their powers.¡± I exined. ¡°Since Amy is a healer and Vicky is a flying brick...¡±


    Diane pped the top of my head. ¡°Don''t be disrespectful.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°All right, no cape ng.¡±


    ¡°And no nicknames. She doesn''t need to hear those things from us.¡± My mom said.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± I said and she let out a sigh and cuddled back into my neck.


    ¡°Why does it feel so nice to touch you like this?¡± My mom asked instead of asking about Vicky''s powers.


    ¡°I think I remember Amelia saying something about it being a perfect body. Her power really likes that it exists and she gets to touch it, letting her enjoy it as well.¡± I told her.


    ¡°Hmm, I agree. It''s very nice.¡± She said and closed her eyes.


    ¡°Mom, we have to get up.¡± I said and she hummed. ¡°What about work?¡±


    ¡°I''m calling in the death benefits.¡± Diane said and her hand slipped under my pyjama top and her fingers lightly traced over my abs. ¡°If they don''t like that, then I''ll quit and expose them to the media for being insensitive pricks.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± I gasped at her cursing and she softlyughed.


    ¡°Hand me the bedside phone.¡± My mom ordered.


    ¡°I can''t.¡± I said and she made an odd sound before she sighed.


    ¡°Please hand me the phone, Greg. I don''t want to get up.¡±


    ¡°I told you I can''t.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Why not?¡± She asked sounding irritated.


    ¡°We''re in the guest room and not your bedroom, so there''s no phone to hand to you.¡± I exined.


    Diane opened her eyes and lifted her head from my neck. She looked around the room and back at my face. ¡°You brought me here instead? Why?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I... I didn''t want you waking up and... seeing what... is no longer there.¡± I admitted.


    My mother blinked her eyes at me several times, then she gave me a warm smile. ¡°You are the best son a mother could ask for.¡± She said and sat up, then she leaned down to give me a peck on the lips. ¡°Thank you for trying to protect me from what happened, Greg.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± I stopped myself from saying anything else, because what was I going to say?


    ¡°My adorable little boy is growing up, if he thinks he can protect his old mom from her feelings.¡± Diane said and stretched, then she looked down and saw she was still wearing her work outfit from yesterday. ¡°You didn''t undress me?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? No, I... I didn''t think...¡± I stammered and she patted the top of my head.


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± She said and stood up beside the bed. ¡°Just remember that the next time you put me in bed, remove my stuffy clothes first.¡± She walked over to the guest room''s door. ¡°I sweated all night wearing normal clothes and my work bra and underwear dug into my skin something fierce.¡±


    I wasn''t sure what to say to her giving me permission to strip her off the next time I put her to bed.


    My mom let out a softugh at the look on my face. ¡°I''ll make that call and I''m taking a shower.¡± She said and left the room. ¡°Breakfast will be ready in an hour.¡±


    Iid there and waited for a few minutes, just long enough for her to make her phone call, then I climbed off of the bed and walked out of the room. I passed by the master bedroom and nced inside, because the door was open, and my eyes stared at mypletely naked mother making an angry face at the mirror.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I asked and she turned that angry face to me.


    ¡°Greg! My power doesn''t work on me!¡± She almost shouted and then grabbed her fairly impressive chest that was bigger than it should be on someone so short. ¡°Look at this! I can''t even fix my crooked nipple and it''s the only thing I hate about myself!¡±


    I stood there with my mouth hanging open, because I was sure I didn''t somehow erase my mother''s shame when I gave her powers. At least, I hoped so. I did not want my naked mother flying around town and giving everyone a show.


    My mom turned back to the mirror. ¡°My breasts are perfectly symmetrical and I''m very proud of that, because it''s so rare, and the only thing marring it is this goddamn slightly turned nipple and it''s pissing me off that I can''t fix it!¡±


    I sighed and walked over to her. I stood behind her as she looked into the full length mirror and let my eyes look at her breasts. It was just as she imed. Her breasts were both exactly the same size, shaped exactly the same way in a slight teardrop, and one nipple was positioned perfectly for suckling and the other was turned just enough in another direction to make it stand out like a zit on a clear face.


    ¡°I can see what you mean.¡± I said.


    ¡°Isn''t it horrible?¡± My mother asked and used a fingertip to physically move the nipple to point the right way and it ruined the symmetry of her breasts and detracted from both.


    I thought about tweaking it myself with my own powers, then had a much better idea. It was a much much much better idea than handling my own mother''s breasts and possibly scaring her if I showed her I liked it.


    ¡°If you can''t fix yourself, then that means Amelia can''t fix herself, either.¡± I said and my mother gasped.


    ¡°You need to call her right away and get her over here!¡± My mother shouted and turned to grab my top and she lifted me up and shook me. ¡°It''s an emergency and it can''t wait!¡±


    My limbs kind of iled around as my mother manhandled me and I was a bit too shocked by her actions to do more than let her. Plus, I didn''t want to hurt her if I did tried to stop her or break her grip.


    After about ten seconds of shaking me like a ragdoll, a look of dawning horror appeared on her face. She gasped and let me go, which dropped me to the floor with a bang. She saw me sprawled out on my back, burst out crying, and ran into her bathroom and mmed the door shut.


    I sighed and sat up. I hadn''t been hurt by her acting like that; but, it was a difficult lesson that she had to learn before she was out in public and grabbed some random stranger and treated them in a simr way. I debated talking to her right away and decided not to, because she needed toe to grips with it herself.


    After ten minutes of listening to her crying, I stood up and opened the door. She was still naked and was sitting on the toilet with her hands pressed to her face. It didn''t stem the tears in the least.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I asked and she hupped. ¡°Mom, I''m okay.¡±


    ¡°I... I know.¡± My mother said between sobs. ¡°I just... how could I do that to my baby boy?¡± She asked and sobbed some more. ¡°I love you a lot more than my stupid crooked nipple and I... I picked you up and shook you like... like you were a pinata! If you were normal, you''d be dead!¡±


    I stood there and let her cry herself out, because she was right. If I didn''t have powers that kept me healthy, my brain would have been rattled and impacted the insides of my skull enough to kill me.


    My mom took several shaky breaths and wiped at her eyes, grabbed a pile of tissues, and cleaned her face off. She wasn''t a big proponent of makeup, so there wasn''t a huge mess for her to clean up. Her eyes closed for a moment and she took one long breath in and let it out.


    ¡°I really need a shower.¡± She said and stood to give me a sad look. ¡°Greg, baby, I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I know you are, mom.¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°I am, too.¡±


    She nodded before she stepped into the shower and the water started up. I thought about staying there with her, then thought about starting breakfast, then I heard another soft sob. I stored my pyjamas and opened the shower door. My mom didn''t react or even shout at me, so I knew she hated herself for how she treated me.


    ¡°I love you, mom.¡± I said and hugged her from behind. ¡°No matter what happens, I always will.¡±


    ¡°Can... can you... ever forgive me?¡± She asked, her crying easing off as her power enjoyed touching my perfect body.


    ¡°There''s nothing to forgive, mom. You were scared, you reacted, and you stopped as soon as you realized what you were doing.¡± I said and she shook and trembled. ¡°Most people wouldn''t have, just so you know.¡±


    She nodded and she hugged my arms that were hugging her. ¡°Can you... grab the soap? I can''t... I don''t want to let you go yet.¡±


    I used telekinesis to bring the soap and a cloth over,thered them up, and held a hand out for them. She stared at me doing that and she let my arms go and turned around to look up at my face. I smiled and started to scrub her shoulders. She let out a satisfied sigh as my fingers brushed across her skin and the soap cleaned her.


    ¡°You... are cheating... so much.¡± My mom said and I chuckled.


    ¡°I really am.¡± I said and continued to wash her and let her power wallow in my biological perfectness. I didn''t take any liberties and she seemed surprised by that, even though I grew hard and she felt me pressing against her.


    ¡°Why does this... feel so right... and so wrong... at the same time?¡± My mother asked and her breathing was a little ragged.


    ¡°Because it does.¡± I said and she nodded. It didn''t really need much more exnation than that.


    We finished her shower and she gave me a very pointed look as I dried her off with a towel.


    ¡°You are to never mention we showered together to anyone.¡± My mother said with a stern voice.


    I smiled. ¡°I can keep a secret, mom.¡±


    She gave me a disbelieving look. ¡°You''ve never kept a secret in your life and you b everything to everyone if they even mention the word secret.¡±


    Iughed at her reminding me about how socially awkward I was. ¡°I kept the most important one, ever since I was four.¡±


    ¡°What one was that?¡± She asked, clearly not remembering.


    ¡°That my mom was the most beautiful and bestest mom in the whole wide world and I pinkie-finger swore that I would never tell dad, and I never did.¡± I said with a smile.


    My mom blushed deeply and didn''t say anything as I finished drying her off and I hung the towel on the rack. Before I walked out of the bathroom, she caught my arm and stopped me from leaving.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She said and her hand rubbed my arm. ¡°I promised I would always love you, too.¡± She said and held up her hand with her pinkie-finger out. ¡°Forever and ever.¡±


    I smiled warmly at her remembering that part and I wrapped my pinkie-finger around hers. ¡°Forever and ever.¡±


    Diane beamed a smile at me and left the bathroom to get dressed. I equipped my pyjamas and waited for a few minutes, then stepped out and saw she was already gone. I checked the time and it was still early, so I went downstairs to watch my mom puttering around the kitchen and saw she was wearing a tight t-shirt and loose jogging pants.


    Every so often, she would pause making breakfast and adjusted her t-shirt slightly, sigh with disappointment, and continued cooking. I knew why she was doing that and took out my cell phone to contact the only person that could help. Instead of calling, I sent a text, just in case Amy wasn''t awake yet.


    GV: <morning Amelia how did you like the tacos I dropped off>


    <i>AD is typing.


    </i>AD: <...f''n hell... greg... what time is it>


    GV: <its time to get your surprisingly firm ass out of bed my beautiful gf>


    AD: <2 early 4 that>


    AD: <bedfy>


    I totally understood that sentiment, since I experienced it not that long ago and I still had to get my mother up to start the day. Although, telling her about her powers had turned into a really awkward lesson on the appropriate use of super strength.


    GV: <unlike me you have school>


    <i>AD is typing.


    </i>AD: <soon you 2 sarah call uter>


    GV: <what about patrols>


    AD: <sarah call u>


    I thought about what to say to get her motivated and my eyes caught my mom pping her breast and yanking her t-shirt aside with a growl. <i>Yeah, that needed to be handled fast.</i>


    GV: <i registered my cape namest night... and my moms>


    There was no response for almost thirty seconds.


    <i>AD is typing.


    </i>AD:


    I knew thatst one was Vicky, since she was the only one allowed to call Amelia that nickname. I didn''t have anyone else to message, so I set the phone down to wait for Sarah Pelham to call about setting up an appointment to meet the rest of the team, and apparently about me going to school. Did they want me to go back to Winslow? That would suck.


    My mother finished making omelettes and toast, served me and herself, and we sat at the kitchen counter and ate in silence. It wasn''t like we had nothing to say, since we had a bit too much to say, except neither of us wanted to break thefortable silence with ufortable talking.


    A knock on the front door brought me out of my thoughts and I checked five minutes ahead. I smiled and my mom noticed. I gave her a wink and a smirk, strode over to the front door, and opened it with a flourish.


    ¡°May I present to you, the solution you desperately needed.¡± I said to my mom''s surprised face and I turned to look at a disgruntled Amy and a bubbly Vicky. ¡°Why aren''t you heading to school?¡±


    ¡°Fuck school. Your mom being a cape is more important.¡± Amy said and hopped up to kiss me and strode by me and into the kitchen.


    <i>Damn, look at that ass in those jeans.</i> I thought and turned back to Vicky.


    ¡°Hey, handsome future boyfriend.¡± Vicky said and floated up to kiss me, too. ¡°Cute jammies.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. They''refy.¡± I said and pulled her inside and shut the door. ¡°I''ll get you a pair...¡±


    ¡°Those ones.¡± Vicky said with a smile. ¡°Unwashed, preferably.¡±


    I chuckled and swung her around to hang her on my back, making her giggle, and my hands may have given her ass a squeeze or two. I walked into the kitchen with Vicky enjoying her piggy-back ride and we both gasped as we saw a topless Amy as she mauled my topless mother''s breasts. Her lips were also locked onto the crooked nipple.


    ¡°Ohhhh, Greg was right! You are perfect for this!¡± My mother moaned.


    ¡°Ames?¡± Vicky asked. ¡°What are you doing to your boyfriend''s mother?¡±


    Amy popped her mouth off of my mother''s perky nipple. ¡°Her breasts are perfectly symmetrical.¡± She said and stepped aside and let them go. ¡°Just look at them!¡±


    Vicky stared at them. ¡°Holy hell, they really are.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been trying to get yours as close to this shape and perfection for years.¡± Amy admitted.


    ¡°Hey, that''s not your fault. I budded early and they grew in a little crooked. The early push-up bras didn''t help at all.¡± Vicky defended her and I nced over my shoulder at her. ¡°I had wandering nipples for a while until Amy fixed them, then I grew bigger and they had to be adjusted again.¡±


    ¡°Once she interfered once, she couldn''t stop, because she would always think the mistakes were her fault.¡± I deduced.


    Amy nodded. ¡°I have the perfect set topare Vicky''s to and she can finally be happy with herself and how she looks.¡±


    ¡°And so will you.¡± Vicky said and let my neck go. She floated around andnded beside my mother and her coat and top came right off. ¡°Go ahead and work your magic!¡±


    Amy and my mother exchanged knowing looks, then they both smiled evilly and puckered their lips, then Amytched her mouth onto Vicky''s left nipple and my mothertched her mouth onto Vicky''s right nipple.


    Vicky cried out with pleasure and I watched as her breasts changed slightly, the shapes shifting to be a near copy of my mother''s breasts, except they were sized for Vicky''s taller body and slimmer shape. Both Amy and my mother moaned as Vicky moaned, and I was sure they were making Vicky''s nipples super-sensitive.


    What I didn''t notice until other changes started happening, was that Amy had her hand on my mother''s back and she had her free hand tucked down Amy''s jeans. Amy''s height increased by a few inches, putting her firmly between my mother''s height and Vicky''s, and then her hair changed from brown to a simr blonde to Vicky''s.


    ¡°Don''t change her ass!¡± I shouted and all three of them froze, then my mom and Amy stopped suckling on Vicky''s nipples. ¡°Amy''s ass is amazing, so leave it alone.¡±


    Vicky nodded. ¡°It really is a cute ass.¡±


    ¡°V-Vicky.¡± Amy said and blushed.


    ¡°Just because I''m a girl, that doesn''t mean I can''t have opinions on other girls.¡± Vicky said with a grin. ¡°I mean, I''m super-popr at school, so I have to rate everyone urately, right?¡±


    My mother let out a littleugh. ¡°You just had your sister and your future mother-inw nursing from your nipples, Vicky. I think you have a bit more in your head than just opinions about girls.¡±


    Vicky grinned. ¡°It''s just some good fun.¡± She said and looked over at me. ¡°I had to practice kissing with someone, didn''t I? Hint hint.¡±


    Amy blushed with a smile on her face.


    My mother hugged her and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''m so d you can be happy with yourself, too.¡±


    ¡°We can all be happy together!¡± Vicky dered and kissed Amy, kissed my mom, and walked over to me and kissed me, too.


    ¡°That''s not how rtionships are supposed to work.¡± Amy said, echoing what she said before.


    Vicky shrugged and pulled me over to them. ¡°You''re first, like we agreed, then I''ll have a turn because I need this beefcake to rail me from behind.¡±


    ¡°Vicky!¡± Amy and my mom gasped.


    Vickyughed and hugged them, then she pulled me into the hug and kissed each of us in turn. ¡°This is going to be so much fun!¡±


    By the looks on their faces, both my mother and Amy agreed.

 201 Insert Name Here

    201 Insert Name Here


    Mom loved her new cape name, Nostrum. Amy thought it was fitting. Vicky thought they would both look great wearing a mix of her costume and mine, which was why I was unceremoniously shoved aside and forgotten as the three of them started arguing about the best colors, looks, and style of their new costumes.


    I had a hard time notughing at the mix of Amy''s grumpy personality, Vicky''s bubbly one, and my mom''s practical and teasing one. They were somehow ying off of each other perfectly, as if they had been the best of friends for years, even though they had met my mother only a couple of days ago.


    It was a little concerning that mom was dealing with dad''s death by fully embracing her cape identity, then I remembered Sarah Pelham rationalizing that her cape life was her actual life and having a separate civilian identity wasn''t worth the effort or headaches. It was her coping mechanism for dealing with how she became a cape, and that was exactly what my mother was doing.


    My cell phone rang and I picked it up to see it was the woman I was just thinking about. I answered and she said she wasing over to visit to discus things, and I agreed. Since she could fly fairly fast, I walked over to the door and waited. A brief checkted me opening the door for her and I waited until the right time and opened the door just as shended.


    ¡°Lady Photon.¡± I greeted her and stepped back. ¡°Please,e in.¡±


    ¡°As.¡± Sarah said and entered, hesitated for a second, and stepped close and hugged me. ¡°I''m sorry to hear about what happened with your father.¡±


    I let the door shut by itself and hugged her back. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sarah let me go and stepped back to look up at my face. ¡°I''ve been there, you know. When we dropped the masks and became New Wave...¡±


    ¡°Hush.¡± I said and she closed her mouth. I stepped close this time and hugged her. ¡°You don''t need to remind yourself that we''ve both suffered from our choices, Sarah. I already like you and share your ideals, so I don''t need any more convincing to ept youpletely.¡±


    Sarah shivered for a moment, then she put her arms around me again and hugged me. ¡°Thank you, Greg.¡±


    We stood there and held each other for several moments.


    ¡°If only you weren''t married...¡± I said and trailed off.


    Sarah huffed and let me go. ¡°You just had to ruin it.¡± She said and smiled, showing me that she knew I had said it on purpose.


    I smiled back and motioned towards the kitchen. ¡°Just follow the sound of bickering and you''ll find the others.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Who''s here and what are they talking about?¡± Sarah asked and started walking.


    ¡°Amy and Vicky are with my mom.¡± I said and she nodded. ¡°I registered my cape namest night with the PRT and made it official. I also registered my mother''s.¡±


    Sarah gasped and ran into the kitchen. I hadn''t expected that reaction and quickly followed her and saw her hugging my mother and telling her how sorry she was for not being there for her. It took both Amy and Vicky several minutes to calm Sarah down and to tell her that they had been there for my mother.


    That led into a discussion about what powers mom had and then Sarah was deep in the discussion about costumes and I was ignored again. I shook my head at that and prepared some drinks and snacks, thanks to my endless water container and bag of endless chips and package of endless cookies. They had been among the best purchases I had ever made and I used them all the time.


    We moved from the kitchen into the living room and everyone rxed as they enjoyed the different drinks and snacks, especially my mom and Amy. They kept giving me odd looks, as if I was holding out on them, and I kept pretending I had no clue what they were giving me looks for. They were just normal snacks and not special at all. No, sir.


    Once the decisions about my mom''s and Amy''s new costumes were finalized, Sarah told us about the patrol schedule and how I would be flying patrols with Vicky, at her vehement insistence, because she was tired of flying them all alone while Crystal was at college. I wasn''t allowed to refuse, either.


    ¡°You''ll be transferring into Arcadia High tomorrow as well.¡± Sarah said, as if it was no big deal.


    ¡°How did you pull that off?¡± I asked before my mother could. ¡°It has a two year waiting list and my grades are average at best.¡±


    ¡°That''s only because you never applied yourself, sweetie.¡± My mother said and patted my hand. She looked at Sarah with concern in her voice. ¡°The fees are going to be difficult to...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about that. The PRT are settling out of court.¡± Sarah said with a satisfied look on her face. ¡°New Wave is not rich by any means, even with our licensing deals; but, we have enough to cover both the legal costs and the fees for Arcadia until the settlement is approved in a few weeks. You can pay us back then.¡± She said and looked at a sad Vicky. ¡°Things might be a little tight for a while...¡±


    That reminded me of something important. ¡°Ah, about that.¡± I said and took out my cell phone. I brought up my ount information and showed it to her.


    ¡°You''re rich!¡± All four of them gasped.


    ¡°Only because Dragon is a kind and generous friend to have.¡± I said, because I was pretty sure she was listening in. My powered up phone was awesome. ¡°I helped her recover some of her stolen techst night and she made a donation to the ''make Greg not worry about money'' fund.¡±


    Vicky let out a snort and whispered something, then she started giggling like someone was tickling her. I nced over at her and Amy actually was tickling her.


    ¡°You are not begging my boyfriend for a shopping spree before we have our first date.¡± Amy groused and tickled her harder. Vicky''sughs grew and she could easily get away, and didn''t.


    Sarah sighed and gave my mother that exasperated look that all mothers used when kids were misbehaving and you couldn''t do anything about it, except to let it y out and end on its own. My mom gave her the same look back and nodded towards me.


    ¡°Right, this changes a few things for us going forward.¡± Sarah said and took out her cell phone and dialed. ¡°Hello, Carol.¡± ¡°Yes, I''m here with As.¡± ¡°You can give him the detailster. Uh huh.¡± She gave us the same exasperated look as Carol kept talking and my mom softlyughed. ¡°No, we don''t have to stretch things like we thought. Greg has juste into a substantial amount of capital and we can use that instead of our savings.¡±


    ¡°Thank god!¡± Carol''s voice said loudly enough for us to hear. ¡°I hate eating only cold-cut sandwiches for lunch.¡±


    Both Vicky and Amy nodded several times at that. They had gone through some rough patches apparently and had to scrimp on the food budget more than a few times. It kind of exined why Vicky kept getting back together with Gant. He was well-off and spoiled her, which she appreciated. Of course, with me in the picture, I was sure that he was out of it from now on.


    Sarah and Carol worked out handling the different things and Carol let out a very loud sigh of relief when I transferred a hundred thousand dors into her ount as a retainer. That was going to help her out a lot more than a normal retainer would and she thanked me for being so thoughtful, especially when I authorized she could use up to 10% of it for personal expenditures.


    A press conference was arranged for the weekend to announce the two new members of New Wave, As and Nostrum, which would give the ountability movement a huge boost that Sarah and Carol never expected to ever have.


    Sarah, Amy, and Vicky stayed with us at the house until the afternoon, when both Vicky and Amy had to go do their work cement programs. Just because they skipped school, that didn''t mean they could skip everything else.


    My mom hugged Amy just before they left. ¡°I''ll go by the PRT tonight and get myself tested and certified, so I''ll be able to join you on Friday afternoon at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Amy said sincerely, her face red. It really showed with her blonde hair, too.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Amelia. With the two of us working, we''ll be done in half the time and it''s going to be fun.¡± My mom said and kissed her cheek. ¡°Victoria, don''t fly too fast. Wait until after you drop your sister off before doing any loop-de-loops.¡±


    ¡°Aww!¡± Vicky pouted and crossed her arms. We all knew she was faking it, though.


    Sarah hugged my mother and then hugged me. She was exceedingly happy to have the both of us as a part of the team and possibly the family. I was another heavy-hitter like her and my mom chose to be another support hero like Amy, so New Wave''s prestige was going to go through the roof with two healers on the team.


    The three of them waved and flew off as my mother gave me a one arm hug and we watched them fly off into the distance. Mom shut the door and led me into the living room and sat me on the couch. She stood in front of me and put her hand on her hips in a ssic mom interrogation pose.


    ¡°Greg, dear. When were you going to tell me about going out as a capest night?¡± My mother asked me with a sweet voice that promised a lot of pain if I wasn''t honest with her.


    <i>Oh, crap.</i> I thought as several memories surfaced of seeing that exact same look on her face when she thought I had been a bad boy. <i>Don''t tell her the truth!</i> ¡°I wasn''t going to tell you. Things just happened after I registered our cape names and then I stopped someone trying to murder me and then I found a small time viin that needed my help and then things started snowballing after that because of what she said and then I didn''t want to worry you because I was out all night and only got back just before you woke up and I told myself to keep my mouth shut because I didn''t want to disappoint you and...¡±


    My mother''s hand snapped out and grabbed my ear and twisted it, just as she always did when she didn''t like what I was saying. I did not squeal in pain as she used her super strength to make sure I felt it and anyone telling you different is a stupid liar.


    ¡°Young man.¡± My mother said sternly and loomed over me. ¡°You are going to tell me everything you did that kept you out of the house for the entire night. If you lie to me or leave anything out...¡± She tweaked my ear and I did not squeal again. Nope, I did not. ¡°...I will <b>not</b> be happy.¡±


    It was in that moment that I realized I might have made a mistake by making my mom a cape.


    Super-powered mothers were <b>scary</b>.


    *


    Emily Piggot sat in her new temporary office in a nearby building. It had only been a small surprise to survey the damage the new Ward had done to the PRT Headquarters in only 30 seconds. What was impressive about that was she hadn''t been trying to wreck the ce and it was all just her brute forcing an encounter with Shadow Stalker.


    The footage of the encounter yed again and Emily noted how the new cape used her powers and the environment to focus solely on her target. The spacial awareness alone was phenomenal, as was her ability to not hurt anyone else in the area, despite Vista standing out in the open and using her power around her.


    Emily agreed with Miss Militia''s opinion when she mentioned Vista had sent the piece of wall up instead of down, since down would have destabilized the entire building and not just the upper floors. It would be repaired by next week and she could move back in.


    Well, after the entire security grid was reced. That anonymous file bundle detailing all the leaks and security holes that Coil had, really helped close the case on that idiot, Thomas Calvert. It had been quite the interesting read and the espionage charges alone would see the man shot. The government did not appreciate subversive elements inside their organizations. At all.


    She enjoyed the look of horror on his face a little too much when he had woken up in a PRT holding cell. His protestations about being a cape and losing his powers, just made the interrogators go harder on him. iming to be a viin cape was also a crime and kept him well within their jurisdiction, powers or not.


    ¡°How is the new Ward settling in?¡± Emily asked Miss Militia.


    ¡°Surprisingly well.¡± Miss Militia. ¡°She absolutely hates the new cape As, though.¡±


    Emily raised her eyebrows at that. ¡°Did she mention why?¡±


    ¡°It has to do with his triggering in that toxic waste filled locker, because she was supposed to be the victim.¡± Miss Militia informed her.


    Emily''s raised eyebrows dropped down into a frown. ¡°Don''t tell me she mes him for taking her chance at getting powers.¡±


    Miss Militia didn''t say anything and just touched the tip of her nose.


    ¡°Stupid teenagers.¡± Emily said with a sigh. ¡°Did she happen to also mention how she gained her powers?¡±


    ¡°Not to me directly.¡± Miss Militia said and Emily nodded at the qualifier. ¡°She was talking to Vista about it over breakfast and said she read on PHO about As being shot at and having an Asian woman arrested for attempted murder, whom turned out to be a serial killer going after Empire members.¡±


    ¡°Of course she saw a tall blonde cape and assumed he was Empire.¡± Emily said and Miss Militia nodded. ¡°Is the file attached?¡±


    ¡°Under 2B.¡± Miss Militia said and Emily checked it and read it.


    ¡°This kid just can''t catch a break.¡± Emilymented. ¡°His father murdered by Lung, he gets revenge...¡±


    Miss Militia coughed and shook her head.


    ¡°...retribution, then.¡± Emily said and Miss Militia nodded. ¡°Then hees in to register with you and gets shot when buying a map to help him with street names.¡±


    ¡°His mother triggered as well.¡± Miss Militia. ¡°It''s under 3A.¡±


    Emily read it and let out a silent curse. ¡°Another healing cape?¡±


    ¡°He thinks she''s going to be a mix of Panacea and Glory Girl.¡± Miss Militia told her.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Emily said with a t tone. ¡°As if one of them wasn''t enough.¡±


    Miss Militia barely held back a smile as her prediction of Emily''s reaction came true. ¡°I suspect she''s going to join New Wave as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± Emily said and closed the file. ¡°Carol Dallon is never going to stop crowing about having two capes that can heal.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded, because she knew her boss would be doing the same thing if she hadnded a healing cape. Emily would never ept their services, though. Despite Panacea''s im to not do brains, her boss still thought she would be influenced by her if she epted her healing. Personally, Miss Militia thought her boss just didn''t want to owe a cape anything.


    ¡°We should offer Nostrum the same emergency healing contract that Panacea has.¡± Miss Militia said and Emily gave her a single raised eyebrow. ¡°I''ve already told As to bring her in for testing and certification for volunteer work.¡±


    Emily smiled at the sneaky offer to get an urate threat assessment done on the new capes. ¡°Well done. They''re going to announce As joining soon, because they would be idiots if they didn''t capitalize on his win against Lung, so they''ll have toe here before that.¡±


    Miss Militia''s cell phone rang and she took it out. ¡°I only gave this number to three people.¡±


    Emily nodded and stayed quiet.


    ¡°Hello, As.¡± Miss Militia said and Emily smiled. ¡°No, I''m not busy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°That''s fine. I''ll call the boys at the Rig and I''ll meet you on the helipad in half an hour.¡± ¡°It''s no trouble at all, As. I''m happy to help.¡± ¡°All right, see you then.¡±


    ¡°Take the SUV he repaired, too. Let him see we trust his work.¡± Emily said and Miss Militia nodded. ¡°You can also unofficially tell him the PRT settled his suit and it''s going through in a couple of weeks.¡±


    Miss Militia stood up. ¡°Won''t he already know that if hiswyer does?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he''ll know that you know about it and you''re trusting him with that information.¡± Emily responded. ¡°Keep rebuilding that shattered bridge, Miss Washington.¡±


    Miss Militia smiled with a nod and left the office.

 202 The Day After

    202 The Day After


    I did not appreciate being bent over my mother''sp, having my pyjama bottoms pulled down, and spanked for being a bad boy... even if I totally had been. She did not appreciate how I had gallivanted around the world to handle as many of the existential threats that I could or how much danger I had put myself in.


    What she did like was that I had gotten away with almost all of it and no one knew it had been me that did it all. It was only thest two events that I had let be known, just because Dragon was a benefit for the entire world and Heartbreaker was a detriment, which was why I had saved him forst. I needed thatst good act of saving all of his victims to make the whole thing worth it.


    My mother gave my sore bottom a caress, as if apologizing for giving me a just punishment, then she pulled my pyjama pants up and turned me around to cuddle me. She cooed at me about how proud she was of me, how scared she would have been if I hadn''t forced her to sleep through it all, and how happy she was that I made it back home to her, safe and sound.


    I had to admit that I kind of wallowed in the feeling, even after being disciplined. It was kind of fitting, considering the situation. Who else but my mother could keep me from doing something else as stupid as what I didst night?


    I had the thought to call someone important and I reached for it, making me chuckle. I kissed her cheek and hopped up off of herp and went to the wall phone. ¡°Hello! I didn''t think I could get a hold of you so quickly.¡± ¡°Uh huh, I told her.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°No, that''s not a problem. We''re not busy right now.¡± ¡°Sure, we can meet you there.¡± ¡°All right, see you soon.¡±


    ¡°Who was that?¡± My mom asked.


    ¡°Miss Militia. She said they set some time aside for you to be assessed for volunteer work with Panacea.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh! That''s great!¡± My mother said and stood. ¡°I''ll grab my keys and we can be at the PRT building in about half an hour.¡±


    I shook my head at her. ¡°There was a cape fight at the HQ and they''ve moved their testing facilities to the Rig.¡±


    My mother''s eyes widened. ¡°We''re going to visit the Rig? The Protectorate Headquarters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± I said.


    ¡°I need to change!¡± My mom squealed and ran off and up the stairs.


    I stood there and waited for her to remember we were going there as capes and not civilians. A minuteter, my mother slowly tromped back down the stairs with her arms crossed under her chest and a huge pout on her face.


    ¡°What have we learned?¡± I asked in as authoritative voice as I could.


    ¡°Don''t be condescending to your mother or you''ll get another spanking.¡± Mom grumpily said.


    I opened my mouth to try and argue against that, and I had nothing.


    ¡°Just make my costume and we can go.¡± Mom said.


    I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder and transfigured her t-shirt and jogging pants into a copy of my own costume, with a little skirt added for modesty, a mix of gold and red ents, and the symbol on her chest was a caduceus medical symbol, which was a winged staff with two coiled snakes wrapped around it, down through the center of a golden crown.


    I took a full length mirror out of inventory and my mother gasped and stared at herself, then she did a little twirl and giggled like Vicky. A secondter, I had an armful of happy mom and she babbled about how much she loved it and I needed to change and she let me go. She watched as I equipped my costume and she nodded and took my hand.


    We left the house and locked the door, then we flew up into the sky. My mother whooped and did a barrel roll while still holding onto my hand, and sheughed andughed as I pretended to il around like a deted balloon and was dragged along as she flew.


    We flew over to the Rig and momnded with grace and poise. I dropped to the helipad and pretended to kiss it and thanked god for being back on solid ground. Miss Militia barked augh before she could stop herself, which was why I did it, and I stood up like nothing had happened.


    My mom pped my arm and keptughing as we entered the Rig and went down a few floors to the power testing area. My mother''s eyes lit up when she saw the borate setup waiting for her to test herself and she was almost vibrating as she waited for the scientists to give her permission to start.


    The word was barely started and she was off like a sh and pounded her fist into the first apparatus to test that, then she was doing 50 arm curls with two weights instead of one, then used the double arm bar and easily bench-pressed the 2 ton weights attached to the thing.


    She jumped onto the treadmill next and after a minute, it started to smoke and she hopped off, then she ran over to the obstacle course and went through it like an expert, even though she had never seen it before and wasn''t sure how to do a few of the things. She was also constantly asking questions and the group of scientists were having a very difficult time keeping up with her.


    ¡°She really is abination of Panacea and Glory Girl.¡± Miss Militia whispered and I nodded.


    My mom skidded to a stop in front of a makeshift field hospital area where a bunch of PRT troopers with various ailments were on stretchers. ¡°GREG! What was it Amy said to ask before touching people?¡±


    I tried to not sigh at her forgetting that. ¡°I''m As when in costume, Nostrum.¡± I said and she shrugged. ¡°She said to ask them for permission to heal them. If they refuse, step back and move on to the next person. If they try to grab you at any point, punch them hard enough to knock them out and you can fix up the damageter.¡±


    That made everyone''s eyes widen and one of the troopers looked nervous.


    ¡°Why would you tell her that?¡± Miss Militia asked as her hand went to the radio on her hip and she tapped the attention signal twice.


    ¡°Unlike Amy, who has a lot of experience dealing with angry and belligerent patients, my mom is an adorable office worker that''s never interacted with the public, besides shopping.¡± I exined and Miss Militia looked like she understood the reasoning. She probably wouldn''t agree with the practice, though.


    My mom handled everyone easily, even the ones with missing limbs, and she reached the nervous guy. Thankfully, he didn''t try anything and mom moved on and did thest three patients. She was kind of vibrating as she waited for the doctors and technicians to check over her patients. In fact, she looked a little jacked up on something while she anticipated the results.


    ¡°As, you should go give your mother a hug or something.¡± Miss Militia whispered to me.


    I nodded and quickly strode over to her where she was waiting and she grabbed onto me and held on for dear life. It was then I realized she was suffering from a mix of anticipation and dread, so I held her and whispered that no matter what they said, she would always be her little man''s hero. That was a bit too much for her fragile heart and she burst out crying.


    Thankfully, I was between her and the examiners and patients, so none of them saw her breaking down and it wouldn''t be added to her assessment. I managed to calm her down and cleaned her up before the official determination was reached, so she looked mostly normal as I stepped out of the way and they gave her the good news.


    Nostrum had been officially approved for volunteer healing work and the PRT and Protectorate wanted her to be an emergency contact like Panacea was, with the local branches as the main priority. Miss Militia looked happy as my mother agreed to go to the temporary PRT HQ to sign the paperwork for her volunteer license and as an emergency contact.


    My mother gushed about how fun it was to do all of that and then smacked me a few times to get me to do it, too. I rolled my eyes at her and agreed, so they had to reset everything. I had to warn them to triple everything if they wanted an urate gauge of my abilities and they agreed.


    Unlike my mother, I calmly went to each station and performed the set action and they recorded everything without any trouble while trying to keep up with me. I did the arm curls with single fingers, the bench press with a single hand, the treadmill broke after ten seconds, and the obstacle course wasughably simple after watching my mother go through it.


    My mother had 5s across her threat ratings and I had 9s. The thing is, I really downyed everything and didn''t show off. If they knew what I could really do, I''d have been sentenced to the Birdcage... not that they could do that anymore. I made sure of that.


    We climbed into the SUV I helped repair and drove off of the Rig towards Brockton Bay to the temporary PRT HQ for mom to sign the paperwork, including the form for her cape name. I had a huge smile on my face and my mother chatted happily with Miss Militia, then she remembered the little get-together Miss Militia and I had after the name registration.


    It was Miss Militia''s turn to be interrogated about every little detail and she looked both embarrassed and amused by how relentless my mother was to find out everything. A few jokes about bringing her in for reluctant suspects had them bothughing and sharing stories about other times they had to interrogate bad little boys.


    It was almost a relief when we reached the temporary PRT HQ and we had to do official things again. My mom took it all in as if it was an adventure and she had a great time taking the 50 cent tour and talked Miss Militia''s ear off the entire time. Surprisingly, Miss Militia seemed to enjoy it and kept the conversation going, even as mom filled out the forms.


    The three of us had just agreed to have a meal together when an rm went off. It wasn''t one I recognized and Miss Militia said it was an all PRT capes respond signal. Since we had nothing else to do, we followed her at a jog to where the meeting was taking ce in arge conference room.


    It was practically filled with other capes and I could have named them all if I wanted to, both officially and their civilian identities. Now wasn''t the time to show off, though. The door opened again and a slightly overweight woman in a PRT uniform entered the room with a tall and thin man beside her.


    They both walked to the front of the room and the tall man stood at her side as the woman sat at the table with a small grunt of pain. My mother gave me a pointed look and I shook my head, because I knew the director of the PRT would refuse her offer. The television screen on the wall turned on and showed a split screen with Armsmaster and Dragon.


    ¡°For those of you that don''t know who we are, I am Director Piggot and this is Deputy Director Renick. We''ve received dozens of calls of the Empire Eighty Eight flooding the streets and rioting. No reason has been given; but, we fully expect their capes to make an appearance at therger gatherings on the west side in their main territory and at the border between there and the ABB.¡±


    The two faces on the screen shrunk and behind them was a map of the city that highlighted the worst areas.


    ¡°We brought Dragon in to help coordinate and you''ll be split up into three teams. One for offense, one for defense, and one for a quick response reserve to help either team when necessary and for patrols to clean up the outer areas, here, here, and here.¡± Emily Piggot said and those spots highlighted as well. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    I put up my hand and a few of the other capes softlyughed.


    ¡°This isn''t a school As, speak up.¡± Emily said, her lips twitching as if to smile.


    ¡°I''m good for both offense and defense, so assign me wherever you need a heavy hitter or heavy defender. My mother has only just passed her certification for healing, so she would be best served to be assigned to the mobile reserve and she can handle any injuries on an as-needed basis, cape or civilian.¡±


    More than a few people looked surprised, Emily included.


    ¡°She''s a support cape and a morale booster, rather than a frontline attacker.¡± I rified and my mother nodded. ¡°Just in case it wasn''t clear, we''re volunteering to help.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate any help we can get.¡± Emily said and looked at Miss Militia. ¡°I assume you have her assessment with you?¡±


    Miss Militia walked over to her and handed her a single sheet. ¡°I sent it electronically as well.¡±


    Emily nodded and read it quickly, then held it up to the television. The map on the screen was reced by my mother''s assessment sheet and a few of the capes whistled, with one guymenting on how great it was to have ess to abat healer during emergencies.


    My mother blushed and looked embarrassed at the attention and proud to be able to help.


    ¡°Then Nostrum will be assigned with Group C and As will be assigned with Group B.¡± Emily said and the sheet was reced with three lists. The main attackers were Miss Militia, Armsmaster, Assault, and Battery, or Group A. Group B was Dauntless, Triumph, Aegis, Kid Win, Clockblocker, and myself. Group C was Velocity, my mother, Vista, Gant, and Hebert.


    Thatst name surprised me and I decided to not ask about it and I turned my head to look at everyone''s faces. I couldn''t see Taylor''s telltale hair anywhere and wondered where she was if she was on the list, then we were dismissed and told to report to the team captains, or to the first names on those lists.


    My mother walked over to Velocity and he weed her with a handshake and introduced her to Vista and Gant. There was no one else there, so I had to assume Taylor was either hiding or hadn''t arrived yet.


    I walked over to Dauntless and he greeted me in the same manner as Velocity and introduced me around. I avoided touching Clockblocker and he looked disappointed. It was tempting to fix his power, except I didn''t want to lose therge amount of Karma Points I had. Rescuing all those people that had been subverted by Heartbreaker had been a huge Karma boost and I needed to keep those points.


    We were assigned a transport vehicle and were sent out to where the defenses had been set up to stop any overflow of the riots into the other areas of the city. I figured it was going to be a bit boring, with the attacking force taking up the most attention, and I settled in to rx and talked with the Wards about their experiences.


    My prediction was right and we didn''t see a lot of action. A few stragglers and one fire was all we had to deal with. In fact, my mother had to deal with more incidents than I had, even though she was only supposed to heal. She was all excited about it when our teams met up, so I didn''t let her see how concerned I was about her being out there and fighting with no experience.


    Just as the order came from HQ to pack up and head back, Glory Girl flew into view and looked angry. Before I could do more than say I didn''t get to fight at all, she had tackled me and kissed me right there in front of her ex-boyfriend.


    ¡°Why didn''t you call me and tell me there was an all capes alert about E88 rioters?¡± Vicky asked me. ¡°You know how much I love punching Nazis!¡±


    I sighed and looked at my mother, whom was pointedly not looking at us. ¡°We just happened to be in the PRT''s temporary HQ signing mom''s certification when it came in. We volunteered to help and I was assigned as backup, which you would have chaffed under.¡±


    Vicky red at me for a moment and then softlyughed. ¡°That''s true. Being here and still not being able to punch Nazis would suck so bad.¡±


    ¡°I also wasn''t sure I was allowed to call in anyone else without the director''s approval.¡± I said and Dauntless nodded as he waved us into the transport.


    Vicky climbed in as well, sat on myp, and her im of there not being enough room for her otherwise, was not believed at all. She didn''t care and made me tell her all about what happened on my first deployment with other capes and it didn''t take long.


    We arrived at the PRT HQ and we all filed back into the conference room and gave verbal reports on what we experienced and what we did. I saw a few surprised faces as both myself and my mother gaveprehensive and exact information and we didn''t exaggerate our roles. Unlike a normal cape, we didn''t have to try and make ourselves seem more important.


    That wasn''t the point of being a hero anyway. We where there to help people and that was all, which was why I managed to slip a healing potion into Emily Piggot''s coffee. Just like with All Might, it was slow acting and wouldn''t heal her immediately, just so she couldn''t point at anyone and use them of healing her without her permission. She was just as finicky as All Might about epting help.

 203 Various Interludes

    203 Various Interludes


    If Dragon hadn''t been so focused on odd cape activity, she might not have noticed the innocuous reports filtering in from other countries. She might have been based in Canada, because that was her birthce; but, she was a digital existence and had her proverbial fingers in several pies, thanks to the various orders she had received over the years from many people in authority.


    Since she had been alerted by As and his crypticments, her widespread search had noted the absence of reports about certain actively destructive capes from around the world, despite there being reports about them before midnight. That alone wasn''t concerning by itself. It was the many sightings of viin capes either disappearing through purple portals or ghostly figures appearing from those portals and the viins dropping dead.


    It gave Dragon a way to track where istig Uaine had gone after the Birdcage had been destroyed, except the viin had never had a portal power like that and no one inside the Birdcage had one, either. There was almost no rhyme or reason to the pattern, until she found the dyed reports from both Freedom, California and Eagleton, Tennessee.


    That set her on a path to look at all of the world''s S-ss threats and Dragon spent a good ten minutes tracking the reports down andpiling everything and she felt dread fill her digital heart. Something or someone had systematically removed all of the world dangers that routinely caused death and destruction to humanity.


    After confirming that, Dragon diverted her resources to look for threats just below that level and tried to focus on the more important city centers. It wasn''t long before she found what she was looking for and her searches showed her exactly what she had been worried about. None of the major local viin threats existed anymore, either.


    New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and even Brockon Bay, had all of their major gangs neutered or removedpletely. All of the viin capes were either dead or missing, leaving a huge hole in their criminal infrastructures that wandering gangs like The Teeth would swoop in and easily take over.


    When Dragon checked The Teeth''sst known whereabouts, Boston, she wouldn''t have noticed the reports if they hadn''t had the same signature evidence as the other crime scenes. The Butcher, the most notorious cape alive for their personality living on in the cape that killed them, was dead. Their body was found strung up and pointing at a warehouse.


    The report then said the inside was like a ughterhouse with half-decayed pieces of animals filling the ce with several human bodies, including the torso of a blonde girl with no legs. There was also an abandoned wheelchair and a half-burned body that couldn''t be identified.


    Dragon checked her references for capes andpared the descriptions of the bodies and found several matches for the group called The Travellers. They had been causing deaths and missing persons across half the country, usually wherever they went, and now Dragon knew what happened to them and those they killed. They had kept the victims with them and ughtered animals for some reason.


    When she finished her investigations, asplete as she was going to get them in so short a time, she notified The Guild''s leader Narwhal about her findings, since it had been her that As had asked to look into the police reports in Montreal where Dragon had found Heartbreaker''s death record and hispound abandoned, except for a pile of dead bodies in a bed.


    Narwhal sighed and told her to pass it along to the Chief Director of the PRT in the US and she hoped Dragon wouldn''t be kept too busy for the next few days. Dragon hoped that as well, especially after the sessful defense of Brockton Bay from the gang riots, her nning there had given most of the capes the easiest time they ever had when dealing with the poption.


    The thing was, Dragon now knew why there was no viin cape response at the time and that there would never be a viin cape response, because all of the capes had been either murdered or disappeared. She did not look forward to how Emily Piggot was going to react to that news.


    *


    ¡°I need a sit-rep now.¡± Chief Director Reba Costa-Brown ordered as she sat behind her desk after she initiated the organization-wide video conference call. She had previously talked to Dragon about the current situation and did not like what she had heard.


    It had taken half an hour to have general orders sent out to every PRT and Protectorate office in the United States, and their affiliates in other countries, to check on the status of their cape poptions and the results should have returned by now.


    ¡°It''s all true.¡± Her deputy director said and all the heads of the PRT branch managers and Protectorate heads nodded. ¡°Every major cape that could have caused trouble are either missing or dead.¡±


    ¡°How did this happen and no one noticed?¡± Costa-Brown asked.


    ¡°We noticed.¡± The man that used to run the containment zone in Eagleton said. ¡°Whatever EMP was set off, tinkertech or whatever, it knocked everything out in five miles and scrambled it. Even hardened electronics designed to survive a nuke going off have failed, including every member of the Machine Army. Pulling anything affected apart and trying to restart it, doesn''t work. It''spletely fried.¡±


    ¡°Because of that, you couldn''t physically contact anyone until hourster.¡± The next director said, being the director that he had contacted.


    ¡°It was also marked as eyes only, since the threat was so potent.¡± The man added. ¡°I expected an rm like this to be sent out hours ago and I still barely managed to log in on an oldptop.¡±


    ¡°Are things really that bad there?¡± A director named Tagg asked, disbelief in his voice.


    ¡°Considering water, power, sewer, and all basic necessities areputer controlled? It''s actually much worse than whatever you think is happening.¡± The man said.


    There were a lot of surprised faces on the other directors after hearing that.


    ¡°I''ve been sending my troops out tomandeer buses andrger trucks to evacuate the mile and a half of suburbs outside the containment wall. It''s slow going, because disaster relief in the area is non-existent without any working rescue vehicles.¡± The man exined. ¡°We''re also stripping any food stores and supplies we find to gather into a central area to distribute them safely.¡±


    ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± Someone whispered and no one admonished them for it.


    ¡°I''ve sent in what I could; but, he''s right. There are no rescue services at all in the area. Unless you bring your own things to start creating those resources to rece everything, there won''t be.¡± The second director said.


    ¡°As far as I''m concerned, the area inside and around Eagleton is dead. The entire infrastructure would need to be rebuilt from the ground up and we all know that''s never going to happen.¡± The man said and everyone nodded, even Costa-Brown.


    ¡°Has anyone heard from the station out at Ellisburg?¡± Emily Piggot asked and more than a few silently cursed at being reminded of that hellhole. ¡°I haven''t had any luck contacting them.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Costa-Brown responded. ¡°The reason they''ve been out of contact is because they''ve been celebrating.¡±


    Stunned silence answered her statement.


    ¡°I had Alexandria check the ce out personally.¡± Costa-Brown said and didn''t smile, despite her being the civilian identity of that cape. ¡°Nothing happened to their equipment, so you can rx.¡±


    Emily let out a relieved sigh and no one held it against her.


    ¡°They were celebrating because Nilbog is dead and all of his created creatures fell apart and died.¡± Costa-Brown informed them and more than a few of the directors gasped, Emily included. ¡°After the meeting, I''ll send out the footage that Dragonpiled from all the security cameras trained on the town.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Someone else whispered and Emily nodded. Having that huge threat to the world gone was a huge relief to all of them.


    ¡°An experienced biohazard team will be deployed in the morning and will gather whatever evidence they can just inside the wall and will immediately retreat for both tests and decontamination.¡± Costa-Brown said and everyone nodded.


    ¡°What about the reports out of Madison and the other Simurgh sites?¡± Director Armstrong from Boston asked. ¡°Is there any news or are things the same there?¡±


    ¡°The same, unfortunately.¡± Costa-Brown admitted. ¡°Dragon was able topile a veryprehensive list of sites and capes where any incident happened and none of them concerned any of the domed cities where the Simurgh victims reside.¡±


    That news made all of them frown.


    ¡°Perhaps this new threat, or cape, or whatever it is, couldn''t ess inside them? All the other ces have only been walled in and not fully domed like the others.¡± Someone suggested.


    ¡°I doubt that ess was the restriction.¡± Narwhal said. ¡°They took out the Birdcage as well.¡±


    A collective gasp came from everyone except Costa-Brown.


    ¡°What do you mean they took it out?¡± Director Tagg asked, his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°As in, it''s no longer there. The prison itself ispletely gone, as are all the inmates.¡± Narwhal said and several of the directors cursed and ranted for several seconds.


    Costa-Brown let them get it out of their system before she spoke. ¡°Before you blow blood vessels wondering when the prisoners will return to their home cities, you should know that all of their chips and trackers are offline.¡±


    Relieved sighs came from everyone, even Tagg, because the only way for them to go offline was for them to die. The explosives would have killed them if they tried to remove them.


    ¡°So, does that mean whomever or whatever this was, they were trying to help and not send the entire world into a panic?¡± Armstrong asked.


    ¡°It seems that way.¡± Costa-Brown answered.


    ¡°Was it Scion?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°No, he''s still floating over the Indian Ocean watching the blue whale migration.¡± Costa-Brown responded.


    Someone chuckled. ¡°He does that every year.¡±


    No one else said anything, because the strongest and oldest cape on the could do whatever he wanted, and he did. None of the normal directors knew that he was also the cape that was going to end them all at some time in the future.


    ¡°Is there anything else that stood out?¡± Costa-Brown asked and they all shook their heads. ¡°Then I''ll call this meeting to an end. Stay vignt. Director Piggot already reported the riots in her city when they learned their viin capes had gone missing.¡±


    A few people acknowledged her and nodded at Emily, then Costa-Brown dismissed them. She stood up from her desk and called for a door and stepped through and into Cauldron''s secret base on another Earth. She only had to wait for a moment before the rest of the group entered the room through the normal door and their own white floating doors.


    ¡°I assume you have news?¡± Legend asked as he sat down at the table.


    ¡°Who''s the threat and where are they?¡± Eidolon asked and sat himself.


    Doctor Mother and Contessa sat down across from them and Numberman sat beside them.


    ¡°All the reports of missing and killed capes is true.¡± Costa-Brown said and then blurred for a moment and was now dressed as Alexandria. She sat down and sighed. ¡°We''ve lost hundreds of potential assets and no one knows what happened to them all.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said there were reports of istig Uaine taking some of them out?¡± Eidolon asked. ¡°I wouldn''t mind trying myself against The Faerie Queen.¡±


    ¡°You would only add to her collective and make herpletely unstoppable.¡± Contessa said and Eidolon crossed his arms and red at her.


    ¡°She already has all the powers of everyone that was inside the Birdcage, since she collects every cape that dies near her.¡± Doctor Mother said and looked at the report she had brought in with her. ¡°She has been seen in different parts of the country and the worldst night and she had dozens of ghost capes around her instead of her normal three. If you die near her, you will give her ess to unlimited powers.¡±


    Eidolon sighed with disappointment and nodded.


    ¡°What are we going to do about this?¡± Legend asked. ¡°New York has been a little easier to control after people started to realize the big threats we usually deal with are gone.¡±


    ¡°There''s really nothing we can do.¡± Numberman said. ¡°On the positive side, all the viin ounts I handle for their organizations have defaulted to our ownership.¡±


    ¡°Transfer everything to safer ounts, just in case someone near their organizations wises up and tries to m them for themselves.¡± Alexandria ordered.


    ¡°Already done.¡± Numberman said. ¡°The only ones I couldn''t fully im were in Brockton Bay and under Coil''s control.¡±


    ¡°Were they legitimate business contacts?¡± Doctor Mother asked.


    ¡°No, his mercenary discretionary funds and some was siphoned from his employee payroll.¡± Numberman said. ¡°It was quite the little heist, actually.¡±


    ¡°Can you reverse it?¡± Alexandria asked.


    ¡°Yes, but it''s not necessary. It''s barely a tenth of a single percentage point of the total assets we''ve acquired.¡± Numberman said.


    Eidolon chuckled. ¡°You admire their audacity to pull it off and not get caught.¡±


    Numberman smiled and nodded. He always enjoyed it when someone used numbers to game the system. He had only noticed because of how clean the transfer had been instead of Coil''s usual tactic of throwing money at something to get what he wanted.


    ¡°I have Dragon hunting down as much as she can about the new threat.¡± Alexandria said and they all nodded. ¡°As soon as she has something, I''ll let you all know.¡±


    ¡°Will we be recruiting them?¡± Legend asked. ¡°If they can handle S-ss threats so easily...¡±


    They all turned to Contessa and she shrugged. That was not a good sign, because it meant she couldn''t see the new threat or path their actions, which meant Cauldron had to be a little more careful about everything they did from now on.


    ¡°Then this meeting is adjourned.¡± Alexandria said and stood, blurred for a moment, and was dressed as Director Costa-Brown once more. ¡°Have a good evening.¡±


    Nods and waves responded and she called for a door to go back to her office. She had some paperwork to catch up on before she headed to her civilian home. There wasn''t any real reason for that, except to maintain that she was a normal woman and not an immortal teenager with super strength, flight, and nearlyplete invulnerability.


    *


    Director of the PRT ENE branch of the Protectorate, Emily Piggot, called it a day and went home. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she wasn''t tired. In fact, she didn''t feel like getting her dialysis done right away, since her kidneys were not screaming at her to do it like usual.


    She entered her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, only to have her eyes widen. She leaned over her sink and stared at the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, only there were a few less than there should have been.


    Emily knew how many there were because she counted them every morning. Her age and grumpiness made it a requirement for her to keep track of how much the job wore her down a little bit more every day. Dealing with some of the capes and their antics was grating on the nerves and she fought her instincts to just yell at them to smarten up, stop their foolishness, and get on with their lives.


    There were a few gems out of the rabble, Emily had to admit. Miss Militia for one, because of her professionalism and adherence to thew and her orders. Battery was another as she tried to keep her fool of a husband under control. Vista of the Wards was also quite professional, her only downside being that she wanted weapons and to be out on the streets fighting criminals constantly.


    Surprisingly, the new cape As had been fully cooperative with them and didn''t hold any animosity against them, despite his treatment. He even filed a pile of paperwork and reports withoutining about it, which put him ahead of her opinion of most of her own capes, actually.


    Emily chuckled at that thought and stripped off to shower. She washed herself all over and noticed a few less stretch marks. It started her worrying, especially with a new healing cape in town; but, there was no area of effect and she had stayed well away from Nostrum and never once touched her. That meant she needed to be checked out by a doctor and she hated doctors.


    She dried off, grumbling the whole time, and didn''t bother dressing in anything but underwear before she climbed into bed. Tomorrow was going to be another long day and Emily was not looking forward to it. She fell asleep andpletely forgot that she should have hooked herself up to her dialysis machine first.


    In the morning, Emily wondered why she didn''t feel sick and went to remove the tubes and things, only to remember she hadn''t hooked herself up to them. She cursed at herself for being so stupid and looked at the time. She had to skip it for now and showered, dressed, and went to work. She called for an appointment to get checked out that afternoon.


    Emily sessfully hid her shock at the doctormending her for being so diligent with her dialysis and that her kidneys were working at almost 50% capacity, which was above their projections for this month. She epted his praise with a grunt and left to go back to work.


    She would need to keep an eye on herself to see if she kept getting better for no discernible reason and would keep diligent about being anywhere near either of the healing capes she knew about. Her coffee was a little stronger today and she sipped it happily as she tackled the paperwork that had gathered overnight, not realizing the stronger coffee was to cover up the taste of the diluted healing potion.


    Emily would never know that several PRT officers had snuck into her personal break room to steal cups of her stronger coffee, too. It was potent and gave them lots of energy to keep going throughout the day and no one noticed how it refilled by itself when no one was looking.

 204 The Newest Wave Part One

    204 The Newest Wave Part One


    Transferring to Arcadia had been the best thing for my career and my new friendships. I also didn''t really look like Greg Veder anymore. The cleaned up and nicer haircut really did let everyone see how handsome I was, just like mom said, and a lot of the girls in the school gave me a look, then a second and a third look. The jeans and tight t-shirt might have helped with that, too.


    ¡°Greg! Over here!¡± Vicky''s voice cut through the air and I turned to look, as did everyone else in the hallway. Like me, she wore jeans and a t-shirt, only she wore both with style and panache that really caught everyone''s eye. They also looked painted on and damn, she looked good.


    I walked over to the group of people she was with and gave Amy a quick hug first, as was her right. She grumbled something about not even trying to keep things on the down low, which made Vickyugh and she hugged the both of us and kissed our cheeks.


    ¡°Let me introduce you around.¡± Vicky said and proceeded to do so. It was a mix of boys and girls, who were also a mix of Wards and civilians, which also gave me a preview of who the main click of Arcadia High was.


    I greeted each of them with a word or a nod, because teenagers did not usually shake hands or did more than that when they met. The girls Vicky had around her gave me long appreciative looks and the guys seemed okay with adding me into their group with noints.


    The surprising thing was that they all had epted Amy''s new look with barely a blinked eye and a singlement about how the blonde hair suited her more than her normal brte look did. That was it.


    Vicky excused herself from the group and took both Amy''s and my hands and led me to the front office. I could have found it on my own, except she was in a helping mood and I wasn''t going to disappoint her by saying I didn''t need it. Plus, it let everyone know she was pretty much iming me on the very first day I was there, even though Amy was my official girlfriend.


    Neither Amy nor I minded, since Vicky was so happy to be a tour guide and led us all around the building after I received my ss schedule and locker assignment. Luckily, I had arrived early enough that we all made it to our respective first sses without beingte. Vicky had Cape Studies, Amy had World History, and I had Chemistry Lab.


    Myb teacher was a very short and cute brte with sses and she wore a tight sweater and very tight denim jeans. They looked painted on, just like Vicky''s were. I almostughed when every time she turned around to write something on the board to exin theb assignment, every guy''s eyes dropped to her shapely ass and every girl in the ss looked disgruntled at that reaction.


    I didn''t let my own eyes do that, though. I wrote down what the teacher was writing instead and one of the girls noticed. She whispered to her friend and it was passed along, and soon all of the girls were ignoring the guys as they watched me as I didn''t watch the cute teacher''s ass as she moved around the tables to coach the students in setting up the experiment.


    Funnily enough, the teacher also noticed I wasn''t caught admiring her. I was sure she was upset by it, because she tried to entice me a few times by doing the little tricks that girls usually tried to get a guy''s attention. Apliment here, fluttering eyshes there, a fake blush when she touched my hand ''by ident'', and then the ssic ''dropped pencil'' to get me to look at her ass.


    I didn''t fall for any of it. By the time the doubleb was done and had taken up most of the morning, I left thepletely frustrated teacher behind and all of the girls looked impressed. The guys hadn''t noticed anything except the pretty teacher''s ass and they kept talking about the ss being the bestb they had all year with how much the teacher had showed them.


    Most of the same students went with me into Physics ss and only a few of the guys had gone off to a different one. I had to wait for everyone else to sit before I could find an empty seat without causing a confrontation or having someone asking me to move. A few of the girls gave me appraising looks and understood what I had done and the whispers quickly spread and a lot of smiles came my way.


    The ss was a quick one, being just before lunch, and the teacher pretty much walked us through a single example from the book and then told us to read the next chapter for the next ss. When he did''t say anything else, I gave the girl in the seat next to me a questioning look.


    This is the easiest ss we have because the teacher doesn''t assign homework.¡± She whispered.


    <i>Okay.</i> I thought and nodded to her, then the bell rang and it was lunchtime. The teacher was out of the ssroom before the students and none of them thought it was weird ormented on it, so I had to assume the man always left that quickly.


    I was not surprised to see Vicky waiting by the lockers where mine was and she had her fangirls around her as they chatted. Amy stood off to the side with her arms crossed, so I figured we were both going to be sucked into eating at the table set aside for the popr kids. I dropped my things off and barely shut the locker door before Vicky had both Amy and I by the hand and she dragged us to the cafeteria.


    I''m not sure how I ended up paying for everyone''s lunches, though. Vicky had distracted me with the constant stream of wordsing out of her mouth and asking me multiple questions without waiting for me to respond. Was she even breathing right now?


    Vicky paused briefly and took in a huge breath, and then turned to one of her friends and kept going. I nced at Amy and she rolled her eyes and nodded at the table. I followed her over to their table and sat at the far side as Vicky held court with her entourage. She was actually pretty good at keeping everyone''s attention and didn''t leave anyone out of the conversation, despite her being the one doing most of the talking.


    I put an arm over Amy''s shoulders and leaned in to whisper. ¡°Is she always this much of a social butterfly when she''s not hanging out with Dean and his friends at the other table?¡±


    ¡°God, yes.¡± Amy whispered back. ¡°She''s not as bad with the boys around. With just the girls?¡± She motioned to herughing sister before she started eating. ¡°That''s why I wanted you to call and get me away from them.¡±


    I discreetly kissed her cheek and took my arm back to start eating as well. ¡°We''re still phone buddies.¡±


    Amy huffed and ate another french fry. ¡°Unless you can fake a phone call to sneak away yourself, neither of us are escaping this table until we''re dismissed or the bell rings.¡±


    I nodded and kept eating as I thought about it. ¡°Well, crap.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Amy asked and kept eating, too.


    ¡°If she only hung out at the other table when she was dating Dean...¡± I said leadingly.


    Amy stopped eating and stared at me with her mouth hanging open. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I said and finished off my main dish and picked up the small bowl of red jello. Instead of trying to scoop it up with my spoon and wasting time, I opened my mouth as I tipped my head back and just dumped it right in and swallowed it all before licking the bowl clean. ¡°Mmm, cherry.¡±


    When I put the bowl down, it was fairly quiet around me and I saw that all of the girls at the table looked stunned, as did the girls at the next table. Only Amy had resisted staring at me and started in on her own jello bowl.


    ¡°It feels even better than it looks.¡± Amy said and slurped up a red cube of jello.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± The brte girl beside Vicky said and let out a little moan. Vicky herself started to nod and stopped herself before anyone else noticed.


    I chuckled and checked the time. ¡°We have about twenty minutes left...¡±


    ¡°That''s plenty of time.¡± Amy said and abandoned the rest of her jello as she took my hand and led me out of the cafeteria.


    ¡°I hoped he was talking to me.¡± The brte said and Vicky and her friendsughed.


    ¡°We''re not actually doing it, are we?¡± I asked as Amy pulled me into a small alcove where a drinking fountain was.


    ¡°No, because I lied. There''s not enough time for that.¡± Amy said and kissed me.


    ¡°Not the whole thing.¡± I said and covered the alcove with an illusion of a nk wall.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Amy asked me.


    I lifted her up into the air with one hand and then pulled her jeans down and her panties aside.


    ¡°Oh, that''s what... ohhhh!¡± Amy moaned as I dug my tongue inside of her. She was soon dripping and I added a finger as I ate her out and yed with her clitoris.


    I got her off twice before the bell rang and she looked both happy to have gotten off so quickly and angry that I had to stop before she reached number three. I wiped my mouth off and cleaned her up with a cloth before I put her clothes back in ce. When I tried to stand her on her feet, I had to catch her because she almost fell.


    ¡°My legs feel wobbly for some reason.¡± Amy grumped.


    Iughed and pretty much carried her to her locker where Vicky was waiting. Everyone that saw us either blushed or looked away, so word about us had spread like wildfire. Amy grabbed her books and I walked her to ss to make sure she was okay, then I ran to my own locker and grabbed the things I needed for gym ss.


    I entered the gym with my backpack and there were a lot more people than a single ss could hold. There were also a few of the Wards there as well, which meant they were only a year or two older than me and they might even be in one of my regr sses. I wouldn''t find that out until I''d gone through an entire week''s schedule, though.


    Since I didn''t want to be ostracized or seen as unfriendly, I went right over to the two guys that had been part of Vicky''s group this morning when I arrived and she had introduced us.


    ¡°Hey, Dennis. Hi, Chris.¡± I said and didn''t offer to shake hands. I did hold a closed fist out for them to bump if they wanted, which Dennis did. ¡°Now that Vicky''s not overriding everyone else in the group with her outrageous personality, it''s nice to actually meet you.¡±


    Dennisughed and Chris smiled.


    I nced over everyone else for a second and turned back to face them. ¡°So, what''s up with so many people being here?¡±


    ¡°The school found it easier to put the lower year sses together for sports.¡± Dennis said.


    ¡°How''s that working out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It sucks donkey balls!¡± Dennis almost shouted.


    The coach blew a loud whistle as she walked over to us. ¡°That''s ten minutes in the pit, Walsh.¡± The woman said and pointed at the sectioned off dodgeball area.


    ¡°Aww, crap.¡± Dennis said and hung his head as we walked over to his doom.


    ¡°Target dummy?¡± I asked and the coach and Chris nodded. ¡°It was nice knowing you, Dennis!¡±


    ¡°Mourn for me, new guy!¡± Dennis proimed just as he stepped into the space and three dodgeballs mmed into his head, chest, and gut.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Someone shouted and a few people pped as Dennis crumpled to the floor.


    ¡°At least it wasn''t a crotch shot.¡± Chris said and I nodded.


    ¡°I take it you''re Veder?¡± The coach asked me.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± I said and saluted. ¡°Reporting for duty!¡±


    She smiled at me and waved at the locker room. ¡°Get changed and meet me over at the weights for an assessment.¡±


    I nodded and jogged off to the locker room and didn''t miss her approving look. I did a quick change and stored my backpack instead of trusting the lockers and ran back out. The look was still on her face as I stopped in front of her.


    ¡°I know what you''re going to ask, and yes, I did receive a copy of your PRT assessment.¡± The coach said. ¡°I also know it''s rigged.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows at her and she chuckled. It was a pleasant sound and I couldn''t stop myself from smiling after hearing it.


    ¡°Grab the biggest weights here and I''ll direct you in the proper exercises to see what your range of motion is and not just how strong you are and what your maximum effort can produce.¡± She said and pointed at the racks of weights. ¡°Also, don''t assume you can do what I want with the heaviest weights. Even with super strength, there''s no guarantee you can manipte your body to keep using that much weight all the time.¡±


    With that as a qualifier, I chose the 50 pound weights and not the 100 pound ones. The coach smiled and nodded, then directed me through what she wanted and how to do certain exercises properly, then she forced me into awkward positions and extensions that strained my muscles.


    By the time I was done and had learned a lot about how a body can move, and ow much force and effort is needed to move any kind of weight when in those positions, I was sweating and my t-shirt was soaked through.


    ¡°Do you get it now?¡± The coach asked me with a huge grin on her face.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said and put the weights back onto the rack and rubbed the sore muscles on my arms. ¡°Just because I can lift a certain amount of weight when prepared in perfect conditions, that doesn''t mean I can always lift it at any time.¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡± She said and patted my back. ¡°Ugh. Go shower ande back to runps around the gym.¡±


    I looked down at myself and back at her face.


    ¡°Yes, you''re sweating already. I just don''t want you dripping all over my nice clean floor.¡±


    I chuckled and saluted. ¡°Yes, ma''am. Understood.¡±


    The coach watched as I took off my t-shirt and there were several whistles as I wiped off my face and neck to absorb most of the sweat. ¡°Any inappropriatements and you''re going in the pit.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking to me or them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She said with that same huge grin.


    ¡°Ha, fair enough.¡± I said and jogged over to the lockers and ran right into the showers. I stored my clothes, since no one else was around, and had a quick five minute shower. It was just ather and a rinse, no real scrubbing, and I stepped out of the group showers and dried of with a towel. I would have used magic to do it, except a few guys came in.


    I pretended to go to an empty locker and pulled out a different t-shirt that had a funny saying on it and bicycle shorts this time. Both were formfitting, since they resized to fit me, and I walked back out and saw where the coach was. She was whispering to a couple of the girls and they looked embarrassed, so I assumed they had tried to go into the boy''s locker room to peek at me.


    I walked over behind the couch silently and held my finger up to my lips in the universal sign of quiet. Neither girl gave me away and I stood there and listened to the coach quietly berating them for viting my privacy, even if I was a huge hunk of man that any girl would love to eat.


    ¡°Amy did say I had the perfect body.¡± I said.


    ¡°AHH!¡± The coach jumped a couple inches and then swirled around as she took a fighting stance.


    ¡°Great reaction time, coach.¡± I said and let a huge grin show on my face.


    ¡°Dammit, Veder.¡± She said and rxed as she put a hand over her heart.


    ¡°Sorry, coach.¡± I said and turned my grin down to a normal smile. ¡°Where am I supposed to run with half the gym sectioned off, how far do I go, and are you timing me or counting theps?¡±


    ¡°Outside the basketball court''s blue line to half court and then around again. Avoid or slow down if anyone crosses your path and DO NOT run anyone over or push them out of the way.¡± The coach told me.


    ¡°Not a problem, coach.¡± I said and looked at the two girls that were staring at my bicycle shorts like they held the secrets of the universe inside. ¡°Am I... doing it... alone?¡± I asked, suggestively.


    ¡°No!¡± Both girls eximed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The coach said and waved me off. ¡°Go that way and keep running.¡±


    ¡°Clockwise. Got it.¡± I said and saluted, winked at the girls, and ran off.


    ¡°It''s even better from the back!¡± One of them almost shouted.


    ¡°That''s ten minutes in the pit, Jensen.¡± The coach said.


    ¡°Totally worth it.¡± She said and started walking over to the sectioned off area.


    By the time I had made a circuit of half the gym, the smart girl stopped walking right on the half-court line. I chuckled and slowed down and stopped.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± She asked and pointed at my t-shirt that said I had saved the world and all I got for it was this lousy t-shirt.


    ¡°Several times.¡± I said and leaned in. ¡°It''s only better from the back because I''m not hard yet.¡± I whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. ¡°Have fun having someone else''s balls hitting you in the face.¡±


    She snorted, giggled, and then groaned. ¡°This is going to bruise so much.¡±


    ¡°Still worth it?¡± I asked and she smiled and nodded. I put a hand on her arm and she shivered, giving me the perfect time to enhance her slightly. ¡°Then I''ll put my trust in you. You''re going to do much better at dodging than you''ve ever done it before.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Just remember that catching the balls lets you throw them back twice as hard.¡± I said and gave her another kiss on the cheek. ¡°Good luck, Jensen.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said and took a deep breath, let it out, and stepped into the pit. Unlike when a guy stepped in and whoever had balls in their hands took their shot at the new target, only one person threw a ball at her. ¡°EEP!¡± She squeaked and stumbled back and brought her hands up, only to catch the ball that would have pped her on the forehead.


    ¡°HOLY SHIT!¡± Someone yelled and everyone stopped and stared at Jensen.


    ¡°That''s ten minutes in the pit, Fredricks!¡± The coach shouted. ¡°Your way''s clear, Veder! Get moving!¡±


    ¡°Sorry coach! She was in my way!¡± I said and started running again.


    Jensen looked from the ball to the other people in the pit. ¡°I caught it?¡±


    ¡°You did!¡± One of the other girls said and pped.


    ¡°I caught it.¡± Jensen said and smiled. ¡°I CAUGHT IT!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± The others yelled. ¡°Now throw it!¡± They shouted and encouraged her.


    I made anotherp and saw Jensen take my advice and she whipped the ball at Dennis and he yelped as it smacked him right on the butt and knocked him off his feet.


    ¡°Great shot!¡± A guy said and pped.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jensen said and giggled, then she waded right into the fray and joined the fun.


    I finished jogging when the bell rang after the double ss ended and the coach waved me over.


    ¡°That didn''t tire you out at all?¡± She asked me as the other students went to their respective locker rooms to shower and dress in normal clothes.


    ¡°I wasn''t running full out.¡± I admitted and she widened her eyes. ¡°I broke the PRT''s treadmill almost as soon as I started running on it.¡±


    The coach barked augh. ¡°I won''t be worrying about your endurance anymore after today.¡±


    I opened my mouth to make a joke and she smacked my arm with the back of her hand.


    ¡°Don''t make me smack you for real.¡± She warned me with a smile.


    I chuckled and nodded.


    ¡°Go grab a shower and head on home. We''re ying basketball next week.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be ready, coach.¡± I said and stepped around her.


    Once I was out of her sight, I cast a notice-me-not spell on myself and stored my clothes as I slipped into the shower and scrubbed myself with no one seeing me or noticing me, then I dried off and equipped jeans and a nice shirt as I left the locker room. I checked my phone and Amy was still in ss, so I had to wait for school to end before I could meet up with her.


    I thought about waiting outside her ss, except I didn''t want her thinking I was stalking her or crowding her, so I went to her locker and leaned against the wall to wait.

 205 The Newest Wave Part Two

    205 The Newest Wave Part Two


    Amy showed up almost as soon as the bell rang and she smiled when she saw me. Her eyes dropped to my t-shirt to read it and she made a choking sound and thenughed pretty hard. It had a picture of a bird on it with ruffled feathers and the text said that inner peace started with three little words, ''go flock yourself''.


    The hallway quickly filled up with other students and Vicky showed up with the other girls to put their things in their lockers. Amy was still chuckling when she managed to open her locker on the third try. The brte of their group saw my t-shirt andughed and pointed, making the rest look, too.


    ¡°I''d be in so much trouble if I wore that.¡± Vicky said with augh. ¡°Let me borrow it!¡±


    I nced at the other girls and saw a look of anticipation, so I reached up and grabbed the shoulders of my t-shirt and pulled it up and over my head. It left me bare chested and I held the t-shirt out to her.


    ¡°There you go.¡± I said and all the girls in the hallway made odd sounds, except Amy and Vicky.


    ¡°S-s-someone pinch me.¡± The brte whispered and the girl beside her did. ¡°Ow.¡±


    Vicky snatched the t-shirt from my hand and tucked it into her backpack. ¡°I didn''t mean right now.¡± She said and shut her locker. ¡°Bathroom break!¡±


    The group left at a fast walk and ducked into the girl''s bathroom.


    ¡°You''re such a tease.¡± Amy said with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I said and took out my saving the world t-shirt I wore when I jogged and handed it to her.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Amy moaned when her fingers touched it, then she shoved her face into the damp cloth and took in a long slow sniff. She shivered in a good way and sighed happily, which the cloth muffled. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    I nodded and pretended to pull another t-shirt out of her locker and put it on. It was a mild one saying I was ''a cunning linguist'' and I leaned back against the lockers to wait, enjoying the whispers and muffledughs from the passing students. Amy and Vicky came out of the bathroom with the group of girls and they both wore the t-shirts.


    ¡°I love this stretchy fabric!¡± Vicky said and fully exined why the t-shirt that fit me could easily be smaller and fit her, too. The saying was still easily read with her breasts protruding so much and was a testament to the quality of the garment, too.


    The contented look on Amy''s face was more because she was directly touching my sweat and not because the t-shirt was showing off that she had a nice chest, too. Quite a few people noticed it and Amy ignored them to give me a hug and a whispered thank you.


    ¡°We have to drop Amy off at the hospital and then we can start our patrol route.¡± Vicky said and I nodded. She then gave each of the girls in her group a hug and thanked them for being her friend.


    ¡°I can see why they like her so much, even when she''s not sting her Adore Me Aura.¡± I whispered to Amy and she nodded.


    ¡°My Panacea costume is at home, so we need to stop there first.¡± Amy told me and looked at her backpack, shrugged, and tossed it into the locker and shut it.


    ¡°No homework?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No desire to do it.¡± Amy said with a smirk and I chuckled. ¡°They extend my deadlines because of my volunteer work, so I don''t worry about it until the weekends.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± I said just as Vicky finished and hovered over to us.


    ¡°Let''s FLOCK OFF!¡± Vicky yelled and scooped Amy up into her arms. The students in the hallughed as she flew up into the air near the ceiling and over everyone''s heads.


    ¡°See you all tomorrow.¡± I said to Vicky''s friends and they waved good bye as I floated up to the ceiling. I waved back and flew after Vicky, whom was already at the other end of the hall.


    Surprisingly, none of the teachers that saw us said anything and I caught up to Vicky in front of the main doors. Wended briefly to exit the school and then we were flying at a fast pace to their house in the higher ss suburbs. We came in for anding in the backyard and Amy opened the back door for herself.


    ¡°I need to get changed, too!¡± Vicky said and flew inside.


    Amy followed her and stopped to look back at me.


    ¡°I''ll wait outside until you invite me over for family supper.¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Your mom, too.¡± Amy said, her voice firm.


    I nodded and she closed the door. A quick detection spell showed several monitoring devices and I had to disable them using the technopath power I picked up from the Machine Army and I added the same protection wards that I had around my own house. I also equipped my costume in an instant and turned the surveince cameras back on when I was done.


    Amy came out wearing her old costume and you couldn''t tell she had changed anything about herself with it on. She saw the look on my face and huffed. ¡°Don''t say it.¡±


    I grinned and shrugged as I changed my words. ¡°At least you''ve proven that it''s not the costume that makes the hero.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I keep telling her.¡± Vicky said and floated out.


    Amy locked and closed the door before holding her hands out to her.


    Vicky scooped her up and Amy shamelessly cuddled in. ¡°The hospital''s this way.¡±


    I flew up after her and she flew at a moderate pace until we reached downtown and came in for anding in front of Brockton Bay General Hospital.


    ¡°You have three hours.¡± Vicky told Amy when she set her down.


    ¡°Remember to prioritize worst cases first and that mom''s going to join you tomorrow afternoon for your work cement.¡± I reminded her.


    Amy smiled and gave me a hug. ¡°I forgot about that, Greg. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and briefly kissed her. ¡°Mom''s looking forward to it, too.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± Amy said and went in through the automatic doors.


    ¡°Okay, she''s safe inside.¡± Vicky said and took my hand. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± I said and she grinned at me, her Aura sted out happiness, and she flew up into the air and dragged me behind her. I did the same thing as I did when my mom did that and I pretended to il around like a deted balloon to make Vickyugh.


    Vicky stabilized us at a good height to be able to see the people below and also too high to be casually seen from below without specifically looking up to see us. ¡°Did you practice that?¡±


    ¡°Nope! It''s all natural panic.¡± I said proudly and sheughed.


    ¡°I usually start here and make the rounds, skimming near the gang territories and doubling back along the most travelled routes for pedestrians.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°Sounds smart and reasonable.¡± I agreed and she blushed slightly. ¡°How many times do we do the whole thing?¡±


    ¡°Twice on short days, three or four on the days we have work cement.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°Ah, because we have the entire afternoon to do the first part and then we do the full double-back afterwards.¡± I said and she beamed a smile at me.


    We started flying at a casual pace, and Vicky told me how to scan with my eyes over a wider area than the one we were flying over. She also said to pay attention to things that caught your eye, no matter how insignificant, since we were up so high that things looked different from this height.


    By the time we finished the first round, we had stopped two muggings and one attempted rape. I had to stop Vicky from pounding the man into the pavement and he only suffered a broken arm and a cracked jaw. We both ignored that he had taken several debilitating hits to the crotch and wouldn''t be performing in that capacity for a very long time.


    I may have also given him a deep seatedpulsion to feel deathly sick whenever he thought of having sex with a woman, too. Was that a bit too far for being caught attempting it? Maybe. I was a bit too judgmental at the moment to bother thinking about the moral implications.


    My suggestion to the police to send his DNA to other branches of the police and PRT across the country was happily epted by the officers that had showed up to arrest the man and bring the woman to the hospital. Vicky looked both angry and happy as we flew off to continue patrolling.


    ¡°I know it''s frustrating.¡± I said and she gave me a pointed look, then she sighed. I held a hand out to her and she took it, then she flew around me and did a barrel roll, making me il around her in return and sheughed. <i>Just like mom.</i> I thought and we soonnded at a fast food restaurant to grab something to eat. I paid, of course.


    We started our patrol route again and after thinking about it for a few minutes, I had a great idea.


    ¡°You know the police are going to take him to the hospital to get his arm set. Why don''t you call Amy and have her give him erectile disfunction or shrink his penis to the size of a pencil or something?¡± I asked.


    Vicky came to aplete stop in the air and stared at me with shock on her face for several seconds, then she let out a sound like a purr. ¡°I love you.¡± She said and tackled me to hug me and smashed her lips against mine. We tumbled through the air and hit the roof of a building and bounced, thanks to me being on the bottom, then we skidded across the gravelly roof and came to a stop.


    I managed to cover us in an illusion as her super-strong hand tore off the crotch of my super suit and her bicycle shorts and then Vicky rolled us over and pretty much used me like a big fleshy dildo. While she was getting us both off in record time, she took out her cell phone and called Amy to pass on my apparently brilliant idea.


    I was kind of impressed that she could hold a coherent conversation while having an orgasm, even after seeing how effective she was at talking when at school. Vicky thanked Amy for agreeing the bastard needed to be discouraged and then she hung up and kissed me and wrapped her legs around me to keep me inside.


    ¡°I really do, you know.¡± Vicky whispered and looked shy.


    I gave her a long and tender kiss and she moaned louder than she had when she came. ¡°You know I can ignore your Aura?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Then you should also know it''s not influencing me when I say that you''re a wonderful and quirky girl that is really easy to fall for.¡±


    Vicky blushed and kissed me. ¡°You''re such a guy for not saying it back.¡±


    I smiled and tried not tough as I told her why. ¡°I''m Amy''s boyfriend, so I have to tell her I love her first.¡±


    Vicky looked down at where we were joined together and gave me a smirk. ¡°You just blew a huge load inside her sister and you''re going to tell Amy you love her first? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± I said and floated us up into the air. ¡°Do you want to join the mile high club?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please!¡± Vicky said and we shot up into the air and into the clouds as she helped me fly. ¡°This is so much fun!¡± She said and we twirled in a spiral. ¡°I''ve never flown like this before!¡±


    I was going to respond, except I received a notification from my system about both pregnancy and about modifying the multiple power new shard that Vicky had. I said no to the first, mostly because neither of us were ready to be parents, and the second... I had to think about it. Luckily, Vicky was thoroughly distracted and had a lot of fun joining the mile high club without a ne.


    If I wasn''t going to lose all my umted Karma Points by fixing her powers, I had to try it. I wasn''t going to alter them too much, though. I fixed her energy shield so that it wouldn''t break like it usually did after a very strong hit. She would never have to suffer any injuries if she was ever shot twice in a row and I boosted her strength and resilience while also fixing her Aura to let her turn it off.


    It cost more to modify her powers than the guaranteed pregnancy and that was okay, because it had given me experience dealing with new shards and I still had thousands of Karma Points left. Yay, me!


    Vicky''s moan as she sucked me off reminded me to get my head back into the game and I started giving her a better experience by bing more involved. She had the best time setting a personal record for orgasms and where, then I fixed our costumes and we resumed our patrol. I had to refuse another pregnancy popup and covered myugh by iming I was having the best time, too.


    We stopped a few more petty crimes, nothing major, and returned to the hospital when it was time to pick up Amy. She looked happy and we saw the worried looks on the staff and the people waiting in the out-patient area.


    ¡°A happy Panacea terrifies people apparently.¡± Amy told us with a huge smile.


    Vicky mped her lips shut and her shoulders shook as she tried to notugh out loud.


    ¡°I''ll take her this time.¡± I said and scooped Amy up into my arms. ¡°Vicky might drop you when she finally lets thatugh out.¡±


    Amy hugged my neck and the three of us flew off towards their home.


    ¡°Bahahaha!¡± Vicky burst outughing and held her sides as she rolled over a few times.


    ¡°There she blows!¡± Amy joked.


    ¡°She really did and so did I.¡± I joked right back.


    Vickyughed andughed.


    *


    ¡°It is the decision of this tribunal that the cape known as Shadow Stalker will be remanded to the PRT Juvenile Detention Facility in California for no less than three years. At that point, another tribunal will be held to determine if she has repented for intentionally causing two trigger events.¡±


    There were a few dissenting voices in the closed courtroom and the judges ignored them.


    ¡°For viting the contracts she signed with the Protectorate and PRT, all funds, pay, and awards, including the college dispensation awarded for joining the Wards, are to be split in half and turned over to the victims. That is our decision and the decision is final.¡±


    The three judges left the room and a small uproar came from Sophia''s family, which again was ignored, and Sophia was handcuffed again and led away to be delivered to the transport. With no major viin capes left in the city, there was no one avable to attack them and the vehicle left the city unmolested.


    *


    The Barnes family packed up their house and moved to California to be with their older daughter while she attended college and to give their youngest daughter Emma a new start in a new town. After being suspended for attempted murder, even if she wasn''t charged, she would have to repeat the school year anyway and her family didn''t want her to suffer the ridicule that would cause.


    The Clements family were not as well off and only sent their daughter to a new high school, a much stricter one, called Immacta. They would never discover that it was almost wholly owned and run by the Empire 88 and was full of gang members that fully believed in Nazi rhetoric about superiority over other races.


    The very first girl Madison Clements met at school was named Tammi Herren and she would quickly fall in line with the older girl''s mentality, since Madison was so easily led by a stronger personality. It didn''t take long for Madison to discover that Tammi was actually the viin cape known as Rune and was the only one left in the gang, making her the leader by default.


    Madison fell in love with her almost immediately and became her devoted follower, much to Tammi''s dismay and reluctant eptance. Being worshipped would make almost anyone ept odd behavior, plus Madison looked really cute when she was going down on her.


    As the E88 leader, Rune set the rules her gang had to follow, so things were going to change a lot in the future, for both her and therge gang she controlled. For now, it was going to be business as usual.

 206 The Newest Wave Part Three

    206 The Newest Wave Part Three


    I dropped Amy off at home, only giving her a respectable kiss, because I could sense several sets of eyes watching us. Amy gave me a knowing look and grabbed Vicky before she could assault my tonsils and whispered we were being watched. Vicky pouted at her and sighed, floated over and kissed my cheek, then flew over to the back door and went into the house.


    ¡°I''ll call tonight.¡± I promised and Amy smiled and went into the house.


    I flew up into the air and out of sight, made myself invisible, and flew home. My mother was humming happily in the kitchen as she cooked supper and I made sure I made enough noise entering the house and shutting the door.


    ¡°It''s almost ready, As!¡± My mom said.


    I made myself visible and entered the kitchen, only to freeze when I saw a scene that was a heavily used trope in anime. The naked apron encounter. I had to blink my eyes a few times to see if it was just an illusion or something, maybe a hallucination, and I wiped at my eyes to hopefully clear them. Nope, she was still naked.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked, hoping my voice didn''t sound stressed, because I did not expect to see her like this.


    ¡°I''m testing something important.¡± She said and bent over at the waist to get a pan from the oven. It showed her offpletely and I mentally noted that she had shaved herself bare and my erection popped right up.


    I wasn''t sure what to say, until I saw a bit of fluid form on her perfect slit and it glistened in the bright kitchen light. ¡°I don''t know what you want me to do to pass this test.¡±


    Instead of standing up, she nced over her shoulder at me and saw I was hard. ¡°They say you be a different person after you gain powers.¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°I''m Nostrum when I''m in costume.¡± She replied.


    ¡°You''re not wearing your costume.¡± I told her.


    She stood up with a smile on her face and turned around. I caught my breath because her cape symbol was on the front of the cloth, then I realized it wasn''t an apron she was wearing and she had tied the stretchy arms of her costume around her neck and the stretchy legs around her waist. The skirt of the costume also covered her from the waist down, giving a great impression of a real apron.


    We stood there and stared at each other, neither of us moving or saying anything, then she reached up with one hand and to her back with the other, then with a flick of her hands, untied the makeshift apron and it dropped to the floor.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± I whispered and stared at her perfect body, my barely restrained erection throbbing.


    ¡°That was the right answer.¡± Nostrum said with satisfaction, then she leapt at me and tackled me to the floor. We bounced once and smashed through the table and chairs, reducing them to little more than kindling. Her lips were on mine and her tongue assaulted my mouth, her hands rubbing me down there and made us both moan.


    Nostrum tore the cloth away and mmed herself down onto me as she cried out with pleasure. She almost perfectly recreated what Vicky did to me that afternoon and then she rolled us over and used me like a fleshy dildo. It was kind of eerie and also a huge turn on, because at the moment, she wasn''t my adorable mother. She was a hot-blooded woman and she knew what she wanted.


    ¡°Please, As! Take the weight of the world from me!¡± Nostrum eximed and kissed me deeply as she wrapped her legs around me to help pull me in harder.


    I didn''t really need the encouragement and started pounding her as hard as I could, and she loved it. Her constant moans and orgasms let me know I was doing a good job giving her some relief. I pulled out of her when it was time to blow and she dove onto me and sucked it all down as she sucked it clean. Her happy and pleased sounds kept me hard and she gave me a very sexy look.


    ¡°Guest room.¡± Nostrum ordered and I picked her up and zoomed up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. Her hand reached for my erection and she stroked it. ¡°I don''t even have to change anything, it''s already perfect.¡± She whispered, wonder in her voice. ¡°It''s... almost divine.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± I said and kissed her, then I rolled her onto her stomach. I moved down and lifted her hips, then I dug my tongue right into her surprisingly still tight opening and she moaned and had another orgasm. After a bit more ying and a finger or two to tease her, I mounted her and we went at it again, and again, and again.


    *


    Amy was cuddled in her bed with a lightly snoozing Vicky when her cell phone vibrated. She took it out from under her pillow and answered it. ¡°Heaven''s Gate, Angel Amelia speaking.¡±


    Vicky woke up at the sound of her voice and chuckled. Amy''s face changed from happy to concerned and she didn''t speak for a while as she listened to Greg talk. Vicky started to be concerned when Amy stayed silent for nearly ten full minutes and she moved one of her hands up to give Amy''s shoulder a squeeze.


    ¡°Did she at any time call you the man of the house?¡± Amy asked.


    Vicky''s eyes widened and she knew what happened. Greg Veder had porked his own mom!


    Amy let out a relieved sigh. ¡°It sounds like she''s using your cape identities as a coping mechanism for almost losing everything in her life.¡±


    Vicky''s mouth tried to speak as her mind came to grips with that. It wasn''t Greg that gave his mom screaming orgasms, it was As that gave Nostrum screaming orgasms. By how long Amy was silent, it must have been many, many orgasms.


    ¡°No, don''t try to confront her about it in the morning. If she''s back to being Diane Veder, then you be Greg Veder right back and don''t mention what happened. You need to be careful this afternoon when you both put on your costumes, though.¡± Amy warning him. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I''m concerned, not angry.¡± ¡°Your mom still has perfect breasts, that''s why.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°You did say she would be abination of Vicky and myself and now you know it applies to her emotions as well.¡±


    Vicky mped her mouth shut to muffle herugh. Greg must be having one hell of a time with her if that was true. Vicky''s own libido was through the roof, now that she had someone that could keep up with her, and she didn''t have to worry about being gentle or hurting him. Plus, he had the perfect penis!


    ¡°No, go right to bed. She might decide to visit and confront you herself.¡± Amy said and chuckled. ¡°Orfort you. It''s a 50 - 50 shot, honestly.¡±


    Vicky nodded in agreement, because she would be doing that if she had been allowed out past her curfew. He fit inside her so nicely that she wanted him in there all the time.


    ¡°All right, goodnight.¡± Amy said and hit the speaker button on the cell phone. ¡°Say goodnight, Vicky.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Vicky!¡± Vicky and Greg said at the same time and thenughed.


    ¡°You''re both hrious.¡± Amy said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°I''m hanging up now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Amelia.¡± Greg said, his voice full of sincerity. ¡°You''re the best.¡±


    ¡°You know it.¡± Amy said. ¡°See you at school.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Greg said and the call ended.


    Amy stuffed the cell phone back under her pillow and cuddled up with Vicky again, her ear enjoying the feeling of her sister''s breasts through Greg''s pyjama top.


    ¡°So.¡± Vicky said after a minute. ¡°That happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Amy responded and didn''t say anything else.


    ¡°You''re really not angry?¡± Vicky asked, knowing her sister too well to believe that.


    Amy sighed and lifted her head from her chest to look into her eyes. ¡°Maybe a little.¡±


    Vicky didn''t ask why and Amy rested her face against her chest again.


    ¡°I wanted to be there for their first time.¡± Amy eventually admitted.


    ¡°And help.¡± Vicky added, a smile on her face.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Amy said and felt a kiss on the top of her head.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Vicky told her. ¡°Me, too.¡±


    *


    Iid in bed for a couple of hours before my bedroom door opened. I closed my eyes, just in case she wanted me to be asleep, and the woman wearing the same pyjamas as me entered the room and crept over to me.


    ¡°Greg? Sweetie?¡± My mom asked in a whisper. ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I whispered back and lifted my nket and kept my eyes closed.


    Mom climbed into the bed with me and cuddled in without waiting for me to drop the nket. She started crying and I hugged her and whispered that everything was going to be okay. She cried harder and tried to apologize for what Nostrum did, so I apologized for not noticing that she needed me like that and doing her right away.


    ¡°No, no, no. What we did wasn''t normal.¡± My mom tried to defend herself and me herself at the same time.


    ¡°Modern morality, that''s been heavily modified to be conservative, agrees with you.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Greg, don''t y word games with me.¡± My mom said with a firm voice.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said and she sighed with relief. ¡°Mom, we were never normal.¡±


    She gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. ¡°Greg!¡±


    ¡°I love you, mom. I always have. It wasn''t until I gained powers that I could admit it.¡± I said and then sighed. ¡°Dammit, I told Vicky I couldn''t tell her I loved her before I said it to Amy, and I just said it to you.¡±


    My mother looked surprised and then blushed. ¡°Greg.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''ve loved you for longer than either of them, so I guess it''s okay. I didn''t break my word.¡± I justified. ¡°I''ll tell Amy tomorrow and then Vicky will be waiting anxiously for me to say it to her... and I''ll wait until lunch.¡±


    Mom huffed and used the hand covering her mouth to swat my head. ¡°Don''t you dare tease her like that!¡±


    I chuckled and nodded. ¡°Fine, fine. The first moment I can get them alone, I''ll tell Amy and then Vicky, no waiting.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± My mom said and she ducked her head down and snuggled into my chest. ¡°Greg...¡±


    ¡°I know this whole thing has been a lot to ept, mom.¡± I said and decided to make the offer without waiting for her to think of it. ¡°We can leave things as a cape only activity if you want.¡±


    She sighed and her grip around me tightened. ¡°I don''t know if I can handle that.¡±


    I lifted a hand andbed her hair, making her softly moan. ¡°Then we''ll take things one step at a time. It might take time for you to feelfortable about how you feel, so I''ll let you decide what we do and how far we go.¡±


    Mom huffed again. ¡°How far we go? You lodged yourself into my cervix and we physically can''t go farther than that!¡±


    I chuckled at being reminded of that little awkward moment. She was quiet for a second before she softlyughed, too.


    After a few minutes of silent cuddling, my mom spoke. ¡°I''m d you don''t hate me for what I did.¡±


    I couldn''t let her think like that. ¡°I''m d you don''t hate me for failing your test.¡± I said and kissed her forehead. ¡°I just couldn''t resist you when you fulfilled one of my fantasies like that.¡±


    ¡°One of them?¡± My mom asked, a thoughtful look on her face.


    ¡°I have a list.¡± I joked and she looked surprised, then she let out a girlish giggle. ¡°Okay, it''s a really looooong list. You''re going to be so busy!¡±


    My momughed andughed, which was why I said it. She eventually calmed down and let out a long relieved sigh. I held her and didn''t say anything else. She dozed off almost right away and I closed my own eyes. Tomorrow was her first day out as an official healing cape and I had a feeling that it was going to be a busy one.


    *


    The Protectorate and the PRT had been having a much easier time dealing with the cape scene in their various cities. With all the major viins gone, the only ones left were the minor ones, including the rogues and the independents. There was also a huge shuffling of territories when the normal members of those gangs didn''t have cape backup to help them maintain the status quo.


    The PRT handled the capes with experience and handed off the gang activity to the normal police, unless they managed to recruit one or more independent capes or minor viins, then it was still their responsibility to handle the entire gang and not only the capes.


    The loss of the Birdcage really hampered their effectiveness as a deterrent, however. The low powered capes no longer had a reason to not keep themselves restrained or held back, because there was no sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. The government could no longer threaten to make them disappear if they didn''t behave.


    Out of all of the criminals, it was one in particr that rejoiced about that. Paige Macabee, the cape known as Bad Canary. She was a singer and had been very popr, thanks to her enchanting voice, then she had an encounter with her ex-boyfriend who was an abusive asshole and wouldn''t leave her alone.


    He stalked her and confronted her after herst concert, thanks to her manager letting him backstage. He was verbally abusive and tried to assault her physically and she told him to ''go fuck himself''. Unfortunately, her enchanting voice had put him into a very suggestive state and he left, went home, and cut off his own penis and shoved it up his own butt repeatedly.


    When he came out of the suggestive trance, he had it reattached and Bad Canary arrested for mastering him. Her ounts had been frozen and the news stered the entire thing across the airwaves. The public had been split over the entire case, too. The problems came to light when she wasn''t allowed to speak, hire her ownwyer, or allowed to defend herself or her actions in any way.


    The trial itself was just an excuse to railroad her into being sent to the Birdcage, because she had a ''dangerous master power'', and now the trial had stalled because all the people working in the background to have her taken away, her manager, her recordingpany, the prosecutor, and the bribed judge, no longer had anywhere to keep her secured and they were terrified of her revenge.


    They tried to have an inhumane and illegal order pushed through, to have her voice box removed, only for the courthouse to be overrun by her outraged fans and they destroyed everything and kept the judge, prosecutor, and her court appointed defensewyer hostage until the news crews showed up and the truth was revealed.


    Since none of them were capes, the police were assigned to handle things and everyone was arrested, including the judge and thewyers, and it was all sorted out. It was finally revealed that they had spit all over due process and another judge, a respectable one, handled the case, and dismissed the charges. Self defense using powers was perfectly legal and Paige Macabee was free.


    The first thing she did was thank her fans for standing by her, then she sued everyone involved. The same judge took the case and awarded her 330 million dors in damages, because she lost all future revenue because of the nder campaign, which the state wouldn''t get the taxes for after viting her civil rights.


    The recordingpany tried to dere bankruptcy and went into receivership, which didn''t save it, since all its assets and contracts were seized and handed over to Bad Canary anyway. It left them with nothing and then they were charged for fraud and embezzlement, as was her ex-manager. They went to jail and Paige walked away from the whole thing with a smile on her face.


    All of her social media ounts were restored and she posted a single statement on all of them. ¡°I would like to personally thank whoever destroyed the Birdcage. It saved me and gave me my life back. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Love, Paige.¡±


    As Greg Veder was cuddling with his mother in bed, an anonymous email was sent to her by Dragon about how As was suspiciously busy the night the Birdcage went missing.

 207 The Newest Wave Conclusion

    207 The Newest Wave Conclusion


    I woke up in the morning and still had a cute blonde in my arms. I also had her hand down my pants and quite a bit of stickiness down there. Her hand moved and I took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Morning, sweetie.¡± She said, her voice normal and not sleepy at all. She lifted her head from my chest and kissed me deeply, then she moved down and diligently cleaned me off and proceeded to get me off again.


    I blew another load, not sure how many times she had yed with me, then she climbed up on top of me and didn''t ride me like a bucking bronco. She just slid me inside, moaned indecently, andid back down to cuddle into my chest again.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± I asked instead of asking if she was okay.


    ¡°Just after 5.¡± She said and took a deep breath and let it out before going back to sleep.


    I had about two hours before I had to get up and get ready, so I didn''t try to dislodge her. I put my arms around her and held her and closed my eyes as I thought about how I was going to handle this. I was sure she was just looking forfort and not to be railed likest night, which meant I was stuck where I was until she decided to let me go.


    I went over the ns I had left to do, which wasn''t much, since the next Endbringer attack wasn''t until the end of February, or over a month and a half away. A lot could happen in that time and I knew I was going to lose all my Karma Points if I was involved in the fight. I almostughed at somehow getting close enough to the psychic precog Simurgh to touch her and affect her with my powers.


    I shook that thought out of my head, knowing it was never going to happen. She might not be able to see me or predict me because of Mind nk; but, that didn''t mean she couldn''t see the hole where a cape was supposed to be. She could also probably see herself in the future and might already know what I was going to do to her, so the chances of that happening were slim and none.


    The time to get up arrived and I took in a deep breath and let it out as I opened my arms and let my mom go. That was enough to wake her from her nap and she blinked her eyes at me. It took her a moment to wake fully and she lifted her head, shifting her body slightly, and she gasped when she remembered where she had a certain thing nestled.


    ¡°Greg...¡± My mom said and looked embarrassed.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°We need to shower and get dressed. Today''s going to be a big day for the city with the announcement of a new healing cape at noon.¡±


    ¡°I NEED TO GET READY!¡± My mother yelled and she was suddenly through my closed bedroom door and probably the bathroom door.


    Iughed and sat up to see that my abs and thighs were covered in clear fluid. She had apparently really enjoyed that sleeping position and nothing had dried or became crusty, which was a huge relief. I took out a wand and cleaned everything up, made the bed, and took off my pyjama top. I found the bottoms on the floor by the bed and my underwear was nowhere to be found.


    I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to see my mother washing herself and muttering about washing her cape outfit and maybe getting her hair done with Amy''s help. I walked by there and went to the master bedroom and used the shower there. I dried off and dressed before I went downstairs to make breakfast.


    My mom came down the stairs and looked bright eyed and happy wearing a tight pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt. ¡°I broke two doors and didn''t feel a thing!¡±


    I chuckled and pointed to the pile of scattered kindling that used to be our kitchen table and chairs. She turned and gasped at the mess, then she started cleaning it up.


    ¡°I don''t even remember doing this.¡± My mom said and piled the wood pieces by the kitchen door.


    ¡°Well, you were kind of busy jumping my bones at the time.¡± I joked and she gave me a wide-eyed look. ¡°It was surprisingly simr to what happened with Vicky.¡±


    My mom blushed and looked away. ¡°Ah, about that.¡± She said and looked sheepish. ¡°I may have... been following you and... saw...¡±


    I immediately thought of that old saying, ''monkey see, monkey do'', andughed. I didn''t dare say it, though. ¡°That exins a few things.¡± I said and walked over to hug her from behind. ¡°It''s okay, really. I don''t mind you making sure I''m safe and seeing what patrolling with Vicky is like.¡±


    She rxed against me and hugged my arms. ¡°Will things like that happen a lot?¡±


    ¡°Knowing Vicky? Probably.¡± I answered. ¡°She might wait until after the patrol next time, though.¡±


    My mom nodded and patted my arms. ¡°I''ll finish breakfast and you can grab your bookbag.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t have any homework, so I left it at school.¡± I said and went with her to the stove to let her finish cooking the eggs and I cooked some toast.


    We ate right from the pan, rather than dirty several dishes. Mom looked pretty cute as she pretended she wasn''t that hungry and also ate a muchrger portion than she usually did. I didn''t bother telling her she would be eating a lot more than usual and she never had to worry about getting fat, not after Amy had tweaked her body''s metabolism.


    I bent down and picked up her cape costume and flicked it out, then I ran my hands over it to clean it and press out the wrinkles. My mom''s eyes were wide as I did that and I handed it to her.


    ¡°Thank you, Greg.¡± She said and held it without hugging it.


    ¡°Anytime, mom.¡± I said and bent down to briefly kiss her. ¡°We''ll be by to pick you up a few minutes after the lunch bell rings.¡±


    My mom nodded and I walked over to the pile of wood and scooped it up and stored it. She didn''tment on that and I left the house through the kitchen door and made myself invisible as soon as I was out of her sight. I flew up into the air and over to Arcadia High. Not having to take the bus was a huge relief, mostly because I didn''t have to deal with any drama or odd smells.


    I made myself visible afternding nearby and out of everyone''s sight, then walked around the corner of the building and over to the main entrance. A few of the students from gym ss called out greetings and waved, so I nodded at the guys and waved back to the girls.


    I entered the school and made my way through the slightly crowded hallways to my locker and met Vicky and Amy on the way. A hug and a kiss was given to Amy and a hug to Vicky, then shared greetings to her entourage and the guys hanging around them.


    ¡°Hey, Dennis. How''s your butt feeling today?¡± I asked the red-haired teenager that I suspected was Clockblocker when in costume.


    ¡°Bruised and abused, man.¡± Dennis said and rubbed it.


    ¡°That''s because you couldn''t keep your mouth shut and spent most of gym ss in the pit.¡± Chris said with a smile. I was fairly sure he was Kid Win when in costume.


    ¡°I swear the coach has super-hearing or something! I never get away with saying anything before she blows that damn whistle.¡± Dennisined and everyone chuckled.


    ¡°Either that or she''s always near and specifically listening for you.¡± I said and a few of the girls nodded.


    ¡°She is surprisingly effective.¡± Amy said.


    ¡°She even caught a couple girls trying to sneak a peek at me in the shower after she put me through a hard workout.¡± I told them and flexed my arms to show off my biceps.


    Several of the girls made muffled sounds and blushed.


    ¡°Somebody pinch me.¡± The brte said and the girl next to her did. ¡°Ow.¡±


    I chuckled and leaned down to kiss Amy''s cheek. ¡°I need to grab my things for English and Math from my locker.¡±


    ¡°We''ll meet you there at the bell for lunch.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I said and walked around Amy to kiss Vicky''s cheek, too.


    I walked away and didn''t listen to the girls whispering behind me. I grabbed my books from my locker and went to my first ss, English. The old man sitting at the teacher''s desk was asleep and didn''t move until the ss was full and I found an empty seat to sit in, which again earned me appreciative looks from the girls and the guyspletely missed.


    The bell rang and the teacher started talking as if he hadn''t just been asleep and dove right into the subject. The man didn''t bother trying to coddle anyone, not even me, and he also didn''t bother asking if I was keeping up with the rest of the ss. When it was over, the next period was called Study Hall and I followed the other students to the library-like space that wasn''t an actual library.


    There were plenty ofrge tables, some with only two chairs and most with four or more. They were clearly meant for groups and they were filled up fairly quickly by the girls with an asional guy sneaking in to join them, only to be rebuffed orpletely ignored.


    Since I didn''t want anything to do with that scene, I chose a table at the far back of the room with two chairs and settled down to do the assigned work that the English teacher gave us. After all of the things I had been through during multiple lifetimes, and gaining all those memories, I had no troublepleting the assignment when the period was half over.


    Someone sat beside me as I finished writing out the answer to thest question. I lifted my gaze from my papers and turned my head to see who it was, then smiled.


    ¡°Hi, Jensen.¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Hi, Greg.¡± Jensen whispered back and her eyes dropped down to look at what I was doing. ¡°You finished the English assignment already?¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t that hard.¡± I defended, only to have half of the room''s upants turn to stare at me. ¡°I didn''t see you in ss.¡±


    ¡°I have him next period.¡± Jensen said and eyed my work. ¡°Um... Greg, would you mind if I took a look through it?¡±


    I nced around and saw a lot of the people were interested in my answer. ¡°As long as you write the answers out in your own words and don''t copy it. I won''t be used of cheating.¡±


    Jensen beamed a smile at me. ¡°Don''t worry about that, Greg. We''ve never ratted anyone out when they save us so much time doing research.¡±


    My table was suddenly surrounded by a dozen chairs and Jensen spent the rest of the period doling out my answers like manna from heaven, making me mentallyugh. When the bell rang, I was enthusiastically thanked by everyone, even by the people in my own ss, and Jensen waited until everyone started to leave before she gave me a tight hug.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jensen whispered and I felt her nipples get hard.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± I said and she let me go, grabbed her things, and left. I put my assignment away and left the room as well, making sure the other students had enough time to sit in their seats in ss and I didn''t have to stand there and wait. I made it to Math ss and most of the students waved or nodded when they saw me.


    I nodded back and the teacher entered the ss just before the bell rang. Just like the English teacher, she didn''t waste any time and dove right into teaching calculus and the order of operations as they applied toplex forms.


    It would have been a bit of a mind twister for me if I hadn''t spent years doing Arithmancy and Astronomy calctions in Harry Potter. Those were the real mind benders when you added magic diagnostics to advanced calculus.


    When she assigned homework, which was only the questions at the end of the chapter she just walked us through, I nced around and saw more than a few confused looks. I mentally sighed, because some students needed to be coddled and I felt bad that I was having such an easy time and they were struggling.


    I stood up and everyone in the ss looked at me, even the teacher. ¡°It''s Friday and I have work cement this afternoon, so we can''t have a study session until the free ss on Monday before lunch.¡±


    Before anyone could respond, the bell rang and I grabbed my backpack and strode out of the room. I reached my locker and took out the English and Math books, then pretended to put my backpack in the locker and stored it instead.


    Amy and Vicky showed up and their arms were empty, so they had already visited their lockers as well. We left the school through a side door, since we could easily avoid the crowds going to the cafeteria. I wasn''t surprised to see Dennis, Chris, and a couple other guys that looked simr to them, leave as well.


    ¡°Decoys.¡± Vicky said and scooped Amy up into her arms. ¡°We''ll stop at your ce first to pick up your mom and then we''ll head to ours to change.¡±


    I nodded and we flew up into the air towards my ce. My mother was waiting in the backyard and looked nervous, so Inded and equipped my cape suit before I hugged her. She sighed and hugged me back.


    Instead of letting her go, I flew up into the air and flipped us over in a manoeuvre Vicky had shown me and I now had my mom in a princess carry like Vicky held Amy.


    ¡°You really did learn how to do it!¡± Vicky said andughed.


    ¡°After I saw you upside down and picking Amy up, and doing the same flip thing to hold her properly, I told you I had to learn it, too.¡± I said, reminding her of when they had visited the first time.


    ¡°Were running out of time.¡± Amy reminded us.


    ¡°Right! High speed, As!¡± Vicky said and took off.


    I flew off after her and easily matched her speed. ¡°I''m not sure why we''re in such a rush.¡±


    ¡°You''ll see.¡± Vicky said with a smirk.


    I looked at my mom and she shrugged, so I flew with Vicky to their ce. Wended in their backyard and Vicky and Amy went inside to change. I put my mom down and she gave me an odd look.


    ¡°We can practice flying around the city on the weekend.¡± I promised and she looked happy.


    The back door opened and my eyes widened when the entire roster of New Wave came out. My mom was just as surprised, especially since we both fit with their looks like we had always been there. The only stand-out was Shielder, civilian name Eric Pelham, because he had died his hair blue for some reason.


    ¡°I think we need introductions all around.¡± Sarah Pelham said and stepped forward. ¡°I''m Lady Photon and this is my husband, Manpower.¡±


    ¡°Yo.¡± The seven foot tall muscr man named Neil said with a wave.


    ¡°The blonde with the red ents on her costume is my daughter, Laserdream.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Hello, there.¡± Crystal said and eyed me up and down.


    ¡°Down girl.¡± Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°The cookie monster beside her is my son, Shielder.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Eric eximed and pouted as Crystalughed.


    ¡°The stern looking woman with short blonde hair is my sister, Brandish.¡± Sarah continued.


    Carol nodded. ¡°I have some papers for you both to signter.¡±


    ¡°Beside her is her husband, shbang.¡± Sarah said and the blond man beside Carol only half waved, his movements lethargic.


    ¡°Nostrum to the rescue!¡± Mom said as she stepped forward and ced a gentle hand on Mark''s chin, as that was the only skin not covered by his cape outfit.


    ¡°What are you do...¡± Carol stopped talking when her husband visibly straightened up and a smile grew on his face. ¡°Mark? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, dear.¡± Mark said and took my mom''s hand from his chin and kissed it. ¡°Thank you, Nostrum.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee!¡± My mom said and stepped back beside me.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Vicky asked as Amy looked pale.


    ¡°She can heal brains.¡± I said and they all gasped. ¡°That shouldn''t be a surprise. It was in the PRT assessment.¡±


    ¡°I don''t remember reading that.¡± Sarah said, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Mom signed off on it when we did the paperwork when she was cleared for volunteer work.¡± I said and motioned to thest two people Sarah hadn''t introduced.


    Sarah rolled her eyes and pointed to them. ¡°You know thest two, Glory Girl and Panacea.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you all.¡± I said and put a hand on my mother''s shoulder. ¡°I''m As and this is Nostrum.¡±


    ¡°Wee to the team.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mom and I said at the same time.


    ¡°Are we splitting up to head to the hospital now?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Ground based in the van and the rest can fly.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°You''re all going?¡± I asked as we all went through the house to the front yard.


    ¡°Of course we''re all going. The press conference announcing you as new members would be pointless if we weren''t all there to support you.¡± Carol said and two giggles came from her daughters. ¡°Someone was supposed to tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°We wanted it to be a surprise!¡± Vicky said with a bright smile.


    Carol let out a sigh and tried to not re at them. ¡°Just... get in the van.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t we all fly?¡± I asked and they all turned to look at me. ¡°There are more than enough of us to carry everyone safely and it will give one heck of a kick to our appearance and will show that the entire team is mobile now.¡±


    Sarah and Carol exchanged knowing looks and both smiled. ¡°Let''s do it!¡±


    *


    The small press conference stage was set up in the parking lot of Brockton Bay General Hospital, thanks to a donation to the hospital, and the members of the press and a whole lot of people were there to hear the announcement of a new cape joining New Wave. The cameras were set to go live as well, since the news had been a little lighttely with only a few major stories to run.


    ¡°Do you think they''ll arrive in the minivan again? That''s always funny.¡± One of the reporters asked.


    ¡°If we''re lucky, they''ll even push Panacea out first to let her soak up the shbulbs and pictures first.¡± The guy beside him said. ¡°Her scowl is worth almost three whole viewership points alone.¡±


    The reporters around them chuckled and a few agreed.


    ¡°There they are!¡± Someone in the crowd shouted and pointed.


    Everyone turned, even the television cameras, to get a good shot of the flying capes approaching. This was fortunate, because they caught the entire spectacle of the entire group of New Wave flying towards them. They were all there, even the cape that hadn''t been active for years, shbang.


    As easily carried Manpower, Lady Photon carried Brandish, Vicky carried Amy, and a female cape they didn''t know carried shbang. Laserdream and Shielder flew on either side of the group. Theynded as one on the stage, in an impressive show of coordination, and spread out to show off the quiterge and full roster of the team of 10 members.


    Lady Photon stepped up to the microphone and beamed a smile at the cameras. ¡°I had a big long speech prepared that was full of fancy words and titudes...¡±


    ¡°Boooo!¡± The crowd responded and sheughed.


    ¡°...which is why I''m skipping it.¡± Lady Photon said and the crowd cheered. ¡°I''ll introduce the new members after I make an important announcement.¡±


    Nearly everyone leaned forward to listen and the cameras zoomed in to focus on her face.


    ¡°You are here to witness the rebirth of the best cape team in the world! NEW WAVE!¡±


    ¡°New Wave!¡± ¡°New Wave!¡± ¡°New Wave!¡± The crowd chanted and then cheered.

 208 Sing Like A Bird

    208 Sing Like A Bird


    The press conference was a huge hit. The crowd loved the announcement of a new healing cape and adding me to the roster as well. As taking down Lung had been a newsreel highlight for days and they really reamed out Skidmark for running away, making it aedy skit by adding pratfall sound effects. The only positive thing toe from that encounter was that Squealer turned state''s evidence and joined the Protectorate.


    When Amy took off her old restrictive Panacea costume that hid everything and revealed her new cape outfit that was a mirror of the one my mother wore, it shocked both the crowd and the reporters to silence... for about three seconds... then the crowd cheered and apuded and the questions from the press were not-stop about the change and how hot Amy was.


    Thankfully, Lady Photon was an old hand at handling the press and let everyone know that it was time for Amy to show that she belonged with her family and was a valued member of New Wave... and she couldn''t let the new healer show her up. That had Amy blush from embarrassment and the crowdughed.


    The picture of Nostrum hugging Panacea would be a best selling poster by the end of the month and would spark a lot of imaginations about the two healers going at it when in private. Even though someone, aka Glory Girl, let it slip that Panacea was dating As, it only caused more spection and a whole lot of fantasies.


    When the press conference was over, Panacea and Nostrum entered the hospital in a great mood and cleared out the intensive care unit. They hit the children''s ward next and cleared that out, too. With the two of them working at it, it only took time to talk to people and getting their permission for them to move on and deal with the next patient.


    As and Glory Girl were also close by, keeping an eye on both of them, and everyone appreciated having them there. As also took the brunt of the attention and signing autographs, retelling his Lung story to keep people distracted from bothering Panacea and Nostrum while they worked.


    When the scheduled work cement session was over, half of the hospital had been cleared out and the administration had tons of paperwork to fill out, with patients to discharge and insurance ims to file. The offer to extend the time and clear out the rest of the patients was politely rebuffed, since none of them were critical cases and could be handledter.


    The four heroes left the hospital and weren''t surprised there were still a few reporters and a small crowd waiting for them. As fielded the questions, letting them know the first joint volunteer healing session had been a huge sess and would be repeated during the next work cement session on Tuesday.


    Glory Girl picked up Panacea in a princess carry and As picked up Nostrum in the same way. The two healers waved at the press and the four of them flew off into the sky.


    *


    Wended on the roof of a building out of sight and both Amy and my mother dropped to their knees as soon as we let them go. They were trembling slightly and both Vicky and I knelt and hugged them in a huddle.


    ¡°H-how can you handle all that pressure from the press?¡± My mom asked, her voice shaky.


    ¡°It''s usually n-not that bad.¡± Amy said and held onto Vicky like she was a lifeline.


    ¡°You two are really popr.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°And adorably cute.¡± I added. ¡°The public can''t help themselves.¡±


    ¡°Is it toote to go back to my old costume?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Way way way toote.¡± I said and she red at me. ¡°They''ve seen how hot you are under it, so if you go back to it...¡±


    ¡°Dammit. They''ll know I''m hiding from them.¡± Amy groused.


    ¡°They''ll hound you even more to find out why.¡± Vicky said. ¡°You shouldn''t worry about that, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± My mother asked.


    ¡°Why else do you think Greg and I stayed right there with you?¡± Vicky asked and kissed her cheek. ¡°We guessed they would be ravenous about getting to know you both as soon as you revealed yourselves and we took the heat for you.¡±


    ¡°Vicky has a lot more experience with the press and I had an interesting story to distract them with.¡± I said and kissed Amy. ¡°It''s our job to protect you, even from the press.¡±


    Both Amy and my mom nodded. We stayed there for several minutes to let them calm down and for their shaking to stop. I gave Vicky a look and my eyes motioned to Amy and to my mom and she nodded. A quick exchange of hugging partners and I had Amy in my arms.


    ¡°Now that I finally have you alone...¡± I started to say and both Vicky and my mom muffled theirughs. ¡°...rtively alone, I can say what I''ve wanted to say for a while.¡±


    Amy''s eyes widened. ¡°I''m too young to get married!¡±


    Vicky and my mom made snort sounds andughed.


    I had a hard time notughing myself, actually. I took a moment to settle myself before I spoke. ¡°Amelia, I love you.¡±


    Amy looked like a deer caught in a car''s headlights. She also looked too stunned to speak and that was not how I imagined this scene ying out, not after everything that had happened between us.


    ¡°Ames?¡± Vicky asked, concern in her voice.


    ¡°I... I... it''s too soon.¡± Amy whispered. ¡°I can''t...¡± She took a breath and let it out. ¡°I''m not ready to say that yet.¡±


    <i>Well, that put a huge dampener on everything.</i> I thought and didn''t let it show on my face. I did look at Vicky and she looked sad, probably for the same reason. If Amy wasn''t all in like she was, then what did that mean for our rtionship?


    ¡°There''s nothing wrong with you, Greg.¡± My mother suddenly said and the three of us looked at her. ¡°Some people just take longer to admit to themselves how they feel.¡±


    Amy looked embarrassed and wouldn''t look at me. Vicky did the same eye motions I had before and we exchanged hugging partners. My mother clung to me and Amy clung to Vicky.


    ¡°We''ll meet up in half an hour for our patrol, As.¡± Vicky said as she stood, shifted Amy into a princess carry, and flew off towards their home.


    I sighed and stood as well, did the same move to carry my mom the same way, made us invisible, and flew up into the air. Surprisingly, my mom didn''tin about her being able to fly on her own and held on to me instead. Inded us in the backyard and made us visible again and walked over to the kitchen door.


    I unlocked it and carried my mom inside, used my hip to shut the door, and walked into the living room and sat down with my mom on myp.


    ¡°Don''t lose hope, Greg.¡± My mother said.


    ¡°It''s not that.¡± I said. ¡°I just thought...¡±


    ¡°It''s not your fault she''s more interested in Vicky than you.¡± She said, wisely.


    ¡°But...¡± I started to say.


    ¡°She''s loved her a lot longer than you''ve been in her life.¡± My mom said. ¡°If Vicky had said it, or even hinted at it, she would have been all over her.¡±


    I sighed and nodded, because I did know that. I had just hoped to be the bridge between them to allow them both to have a happy rtionship without causing a huge amount of stress or blowback from their friends and family.


    ¡°I know that look.¡± My mother said and reached up to cup the sides of my face. ¡°It''s not your responsibility to fix her emotional problems, Greg. You can try and help; but, you don''t have to agonize over it.¡±


    I sighed again, because I didn''t want to tell her that Amy eventually goes crazy if she keeps trying to deny how she feels, especially when it directly concerns Vicky. I was trying to head that off before it started and I thought I had seeded, only to realize Amy wasn''t as convinced I was genuine in my feelings as I thought she was.


    ¡°No, don''t shut her out or shut them out.¡± My mom said and pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss. ¡°You can pretend it didn''t happen and things will go back to how they were. You can keep having fun and things will sort themselves out on their own.¡±


    I opened my mouth to refute that, then sighed once more. It would all depend on Vicky''s reaction when we met up for patrol. If she was her same bubbly self, then I could do what my mother suggested and I could ignore Amy not epting my confession. If Vicky was polite and didn''t act like her usual self, then I would know how Amy felt meant more to her than I did, despite her telling me she loved me.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± I said and my mom climbed off of myp and sat on the couch beside me.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± My mom said and I knew she meant it in several different ways.


    I nodded and left through the kitchen door and made myself invisible and flew off towards the hospital. I had a few minutes before I had to meet Vicky and thought about how I could fix things, then realized I couldn''t. If I tried to take back what I said, then Amy would assume I wasn''t genuine and her refusal was right. If I doubled-down and tried to force the issue, it would just push her away faster.


    I made myself visible and flew over to the roof of the hospital andnded. I checked for cameras and microphones, then checked for any in the area. It was clear and I rxed until I saw Vicky flying towards me. Shended and didn''t jump on me, or hugged me, or even smiled.


    ¡°Ready to start, As?¡± Vicky asked, her tone t.


    ¡°Whenever you are, Glory Girl.¡± I said in the same tone.


    We took off at the same time and flew the first half of the route, not seeing any crimes or anything even remotely illegal for us to interfere with. Wended at the same fast food joint asst time and grabbed some food, sat outside and ate inplete silence, and flew off to start the next leg of the patrol.


    We doubled back to do the route backwards, just like the schedule, and nothing happened. Apparently, having the whole team of New Wave out in the city had scared off the normal criminals for the day. We ended the patrol back at the hospital andnded on the roof several feet away and facing each other.


    ¡°She won''t talk about it, not even with me.¡± Glory Girl suddenly said, breaking the silence.


    I sighed and locked eyes with her. ¡°You know I can''t take it back. It''ll just make this worse.¡±


    Glory Girl gave me a slightly angry look. ¡°Do you want to take it back?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. When I say something, I mean it.¡± I said and she lost the angry look. ¡°I just didn''t n on her not being ready to hear it from me or to cause her to doubt herself or how she feels.¡±


    ¡°I think she just needs time.¡± Glory Girl said, her hands forming into fists.


    I knew what that meant. ¡°As do you.¡±


    ¡°Ames is hurting and you''re the cause, even if it was unintentional.¡± Glory Girl said. ¡°I can''t sneak around behind her back and have fun with you until that''s dealt with.¡±


    I didn''tment about the things she said during the press conference or how things are going to look if what she said turned out to not be true. ¡°What about school?¡±


    Glory Girl''s face went through several different expressions before she settled on nk. ¡°We''ll deal with that when it happens.¡±


    I didn''t let anything show on my face at all. ¡°As long as you don''t make me out to be the bad guy, I won''t make a scene.¡±


    Glory Girl nodded and floated up into the air, gave me a sad look, and flew off.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I whispered and watched her fly away. When she was out of sight, I ran to the edge of the roof and jumped off, letting myself freefall for a second, then I flew towards the bay. I had to work off some frustration and the boat graveyard full of old abandoned ships would be the perfect ce to do it.


    *


    Paige Macabee arrived in Brockton Bay on her private ne around the same time a press conference had been called at the hospital for some reason. Thanks to that, she was unmolested as she went through security and left the airport terminal to climb into her rented limo.


    The small television in the back showed the press conference and Paige smiled as she saw her unintentional benefactor had saved her from being mobbed by the press. She picked up the phone and dialed the number sent to her from the PHO ount AllSeeingEye.


    ¡°What do you have for me?¡± Paige asked as soon as the call was answered.


    ¡°Lots.¡± Lisa Wilbourn said. ¡°Some of it you can find for yourself...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t pay you a small fortune to give me homework.¡± Paige cut her off.


    Lisa chuckled. ¡°I was just saying you can confirm it for yourselfter.¡±


    ¡°I won''t need to, unless you cheat me.¡± Paige said. ¡°You won''t appreciate what I''ll do to you if you do.¡±


    Lisa was quiet for a moment. ¡°You''ve embraced your cape name fully.¡±


    ¡°Certain events had caused me to see how horrible trusting the system is, so why bother?¡± Paige asked and didn''t wait for a response. ¡°Now give me everything you have, no matter how inconsequential you think it is.¡±


    By the time the limo arrived at the high price hotel half an hourter, Lisa had told her everything she had discovered, including several online identities for Greg Veder.


    ¡°Did you arrange the constant surveince for the target of my affection?¡± Paige asked.


    ¡°Yes, I''ve hired a pair of local capes that have a stealth camera drone to follow him.¡± Lisa admitted.


    ¡°Good. Send me the information on how to watch the recordings.¡± Paige ordered.


    ¡°It''s live streaming, actually.¡± Lisa told her.


    ¡°Wonderful. Just wonderful.¡± Paige said. ¡°You are worth the cost of doing business with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Lisa said, proudly. ¡°If I find anything else out, I''ll send it along.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate a copy of the press conference, too.¡± Paige said.


    ¡°I already sent the link to your email.¡± Lisa said, a bit smugly.


    Paige let out a littleugh. ¡°Yes, definitely worth the cost. Good day.¡±


    ¡°Good day.¡± Lisa said and hung up.


    Paige left the limo and entered the hotel. She signed the register with her cape name and the clerk smiled happily at her. The bellboy followed her to the elevator and brought her many bags up to the penthouse suite and left with a huge smile on his face at the huge tip he received.


    After putting a few things away, Paige couldn''t force herself to dy her satisfaction anymore and unpacked herptop and found the links to various videos and sites. She clicked on the live stream and watched as As patrolled the city looking for crimes to foil, the blonde cape flying near him waspletely ignored.


    She grabbed a bottle of wine and sipped from a tall ss as she watched As as he ate in silence with Glory Girl before they continued the patrol of the city. It wasn''t until the scene on the roof that she knew something had happened earlier that she missed, so she let the stream y and opened another browser and checked the video from earlier.


    Paige watched the little confrontation after the press conference and smiled as Panacea identally crushed the young man''s heart. She went back to the live stream, only to gasp as she saw As in the boat graveyard and tearing through several tons of steel, balling it up, and throwing it around like it weighed nothing.


    She sat back and rxed on the couch, sipped her wine, and watched the magnificent specimen of a man as he literally ripped apart several multi-ton shipwrecks and smaller boats like they were just toys. A bright energy st from his hands disintegrated therge oil tanker blocking the bay and Paige no longer doubted that this was the man that destroyed the Birdcage and saved her.


    ¡°You don''t need to concern yourself with those silly little girls anymore, As.¡± Paige said and took another sip of wine as her fingertip stroked theptop''s screen. ¡°I''vee here to help soothe both of our broken hearts and neither of us will be alone anymore.¡±

 209 Unexpected Expectations

    209 Unexpected Expectations


    Emily Piggot, Director of the PRT ENE, didn''t normally approve unexpected expenses; however, the price was reasonable for exclusivity and no one else had the rights to publish the footage. She sat in her office with all of the capes under her authority and all of them had wide eyes as they watched As literally tear apart and destroy every single derelict ship in Brockton Bay.


    Dead silence filled the room when the cape flew away from the surprisingly clean water and the video ended.


    ¡°Did I just see what I thought I just saw?¡± Dauntless asked. He was a cape that could empower items to give them special abilities.


    ¡°You tot you taw a puddy tat?¡± Assault joked with an incredible imitation of Tweety Bird. He was a cape that could store and redirect kic energy.


    Everyone was used to his oddball humor and ignored him.


    ¡°That was Alexandria levels of power.¡± Armsmaster said, his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°After reviewing the footage, it''s proof that As intentionally downyed his abilities when he was in for an assessment.¡± Emily Piggot said.


    ¡°No, he didn''t.¡± Miss Militia said to defend him.


    Emily hit a button on herptop and showed the results on the screen. ¡°That does not indicate the level of power he can bring to bear.¡±


    Miss Militia held in her sigh. ¡°He told us to change the limits of everything and we did. He broke the treadmill in ten seconds, so we couldn''t measure his running speed. Our weight machines, even the industrialpression machine, can only rate up to two tons. He didn''t even strain himself. The obstacle course... his mother had done it just before, so he knew exactly what to do to go through it as efficiently as possible.¡±


    ¡°Even so, he was ssed as 9s in the categories we tested him in.¡± Amrsmaster said and then he understood. ¡°Our tests didn''t ount for anything beyond the obvious, so his numbers don''t reflect reality because of wed data.¡±


    Miss Militia tapped the tip of her nose and nodded.


    ¡°The established ratings don''t go above 10 officially.¡± Armsmaster said. ¡°If he really is Alexandria levels of power, with a ster power as strong as Legend''s, then he needs to be ssed in the same category as them. Triumvirate level.¡±


    Nearly everyone looked stunned at the revtion, except for Miss Militia and Emily Piggot.


    ¡°So, they''d be the Quadrumvirate?¡± Their youngest cape named Vista asked and everyone in the room looked at the short cute blonde. ¡°I like math and read a lot.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t roll off the tongue, so I doubt PR would go for it.¡± Triumph said. His power was sonic attacks from his mouth and he wore arge lion head shaped helmet.


    ¡°That''s assuming we let anyone else know about this.¡± Battery said and looked thoughtful. ¡°He could either bring a lot of people here to challenge him or cause all the small time viins and criminals to flee.¡±


    Emily smiled at her and nodded. ¡°Exactly. We have ess to a rare resource...¡± She said and changed the report on the screen to y a grainy video captured on a particr roof''s security camera.


    Everyone watched As confess to Panacea and saw her panicked reaction. Some of the males winced, some of the females groaned, and the rest were a mix of surprise and shock. However, there was one muffledugh and no one looked over at Taylor, since they all knew how and why she triggered.


    ¡°...and I intend to capitalize on it.¡± Emily continued. ¡°His little tantrum was surprisingly quiet for how destructive it was and the only real light show was when he finished off the tanker blocking the bay.¡±


    ¡°I bet Mayor Christner is jumping for joy right about now.¡± Triumph said, which was funny, because he was the mayor''s son. ¡°With he bay opened up and cleared out of debris...¡±


    ¡°There are many thing that can happen now, some of them good.¡± Emily said and that gained everyone''s attention. ¡°As soon as it''s reported on the news, a lot of people are going to be interested in the various plots of real estate that are suddenly much more valuable properties with ess to the waterfront.¡±


    ¡°You are right, director. That can''t be a good thing with how many small time capes are still around and there are a lot of abandoned warehouses and businesses all along the dockyards.¡± Armsmaster said. ¡°If I can call Dragon in on this, I can have her check the current state of the market.¡±


    Emily nodded and Armsmaster stilled and only his eyes moved, using his helmet interface instead of voicemands. The screen on the wall changed from the PRT logo to show Dragon''s face.


    ¡°Good evening, everyone.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°Dragon.¡± A few of the capes said and the rest nodded or waved.


    ¡°It was fortunate I was watching the area, because I managed to snatch up a few choice areas myself already.¡± Dragon said and a topographical map appeared and she highlighted three of therger plots in green. ¡°However, I was toote to do anything to contest the rest.¡±


    The map changed and a few people caught their breath as 16 different properties were highlighted in red, including the huge trainyard and both dmissioned ferry terminals.


    ¡°Who could afford all of that without any notice?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°I could have.¡± Dragon said. ¡°As could several rich socialites... including...¡±


    A picture of Bad Canary appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Her recently acquired recordingpany is the LLC that bought up all those properties after paying the previous owners well over the current market value for them.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°Which means they didn''t even bother trying to haggle.¡± Armsmaster said. ¡°How did Miss Macabee find out about this before we did?¡±


    Dragon sighed. ¡°That''s my fault, I''m afraid.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Several people asked, Emily included.


    ¡°I sent her an anonymous email about the Birdcage and wanted to use her in an undercover sting operation to find out exactly who did it and why.¡± Dragon said. ¡°Since she was the only cape that received an immediate benefit from its destruction, I assumed she would easily make contact with whomever it was that freed her and possibly make them confess.¡±


    Nearly everyone in the room nodded, since it was a good n.


    ¡°That was a sound strategy.¡± Armsmaster said. ¡°So, why is she here in Brockton Bay?¡±


    Dragon did a bit of typing on the screen and then it showed the veryst bit of the video with As sting therge oil tanker into oblivion.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Taylor shouted angrily and started to grow.


    Three different people aimed and fired tranquilizer darts into her and her growth slowed down and stopped. Her skin was partially green in spots and one of the darts hadn''t prated, which was why three people had dart guns. She shrank back down to normal size and looked really drowsy. Amrsmaster closed the hatch on his gauntlet and Gant did the same.


    ¡°Thaaaanks, Visssta.¡± Taylor slurred and her eyes closed as she copsed on her chair.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Vista said as she holstered her tiny pistol and then she had to use both hands to stop the much taller girl from falling to the floor and held her steady.


    Emily nodded to her and Vista sat up straighter and looked pleased.


    ¡°I had my suspicions about As after he showed up in Canada and took out the Dragonyers and Heartbreaker in one night.¡± Dragon admitted.


    ¡°He WHAT?!?¡± Emily yelled and everyone started whispering andmenting that they were odd targets. ¡°Why weren''t we notified? Where was the all points bulletin warning about all of Heartbreaker''s victims tearing everything apart in revenge?¡±


    ¡°You were notified by me, as were all the PRT directors including the Chief Director, on orders from Narwhal. I can''t make you read every general notice you''re sent.¡± Dragon said and Emily tried to not frown at how true that was. ¡°The APB about the expected retaliation wasn''t necessary, because all of his victims were freed from his hypnotic programming... after he died.¡±


    That had everyone muttering morements about how that could be possible.


    ¡°How did you find that out?¡± Armsmaster asked.


    ¡°As himself hinted at the Heartbreaker situation after visiting Narwhal and delivering the Dragonyers to her for arrest and allowing me to reim my stolen tech.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°He didn''t destroy it all when he attacked them?¡± Armsmaster asked, concerned that the tech waspromised. ¡°I hope you took proper precautions...¡±


    Dragon smiled at her friend. ¡°I did, also on orders from Narwhal.¡±


    Armsmaster nodded and smiled back.


    ¡°As for what he did...¡± Dragon paused and yed another clip. This one was her drone approaching the destroyed warehouse that used to be the hidden base of the Dragonyers. The threerge dragon-like armored suits stood amidst the rubble and were still in their servicing cradles.


    ¡°How was that possible?¡± Armsmaster asked and examined the video. ¡°It looks like he covered them with something and then blew everything up from that centerpoint.¡±


    ¡°I believe he said he put up an energy shield up around himself and the suits, then did a high power st like he used on the oil tanker.¡± Dragon told him.


    Assault let out a long slow whistle. ¡°No wonder there''s nothing left.¡±


    ¡°It was mostly toothpicks and a few shreds of metal.¡± Dragon said with a soft chuckle. ¡°I have to assume it wasn''t on the same scale as what was needed for the tanker.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Armsmaster said and sat back on his reinforced chair. ¡°How do we proceed from here?¡±


    ¡°Miss Militia.¡± Emily said and the military themed cape perked up. ¡°It seems the young man that had taken a liking to you is currently free of attachments.¡±


    ¡°You''re gonna try to honeypot him?¡± Assault asked and his wife Battery smacked his shoulder. ¡°What? I didn''t say it was wrong.¡± He said to defend himself. ¡°It''s just that New Wave already did that to the kid and he''s going to be really careful about things like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡± Emily said and pulled out a USB drive and tossed it to Miss Militia. ¡°Give him a peace offering of the footage to let him know that not everyone was ignorant while he was blowing off some steam.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Miss Militia said and tucked it into her bandoleer, the excuse would get her the chance to talk to As about it. ¡°Do I let slip we own the rights to it as well?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°That will get his hackles up and send the wrong message. Thest thing we need is for him to think we''re trying to threaten him with releasing it.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and smiled, even though no one could see it behind the scarf hiding the bottom half of her face.


    ¡°What about using that against them?¡± Battery asked and Emily gave her a single raised eyebrow. ¡°I mean, the honeypot thing. New Wave just had a huge poprity boost. If it somehow came out that it was all a trick to get As to join...¡±


    ¡°...all that positive press would almost instantly turn against them.¡± Emily finished. She thought about it and then shook her head. ¡°No, that also makes us out to be the bad guys. It''s a good idea; but, we''ll keep it off the table for now. If things don''t work out on their own, then we can hammer them for iming they''re better than the local Protectorate Team of capes.¡±


    All of the people in the room nodded, except for one, whom was still unconscious.


    ¡°Dragon, keep some of your surveince focused on watching As and continue your investigation. If Bad Canary somehow figures out how to get in contact with As, I want to know about it.¡± Emily ordered.


    ¡°Will do.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°This meeting is adjourned.¡± Emily said and stood up without any difort. ¡°Dismissed.¡± She said and picked up her coffee cup and sipped the strong brew. She saw Vista, a space maniptor, trying to shake Taylor Hebert awake. ¡°Someone give Vista a hand taking Hebert back to the Wards area.¡±


    Aegis and Gant both picked Taylor up and Vista smiled at them as they left the room.


    *


    ¡°You two are the dumbest...¡± Carol growled as she paced back and forth in her living room as the rest of New Wave watched her nervously. pletely ignorant... foolish...¡±


    ¡°Carol.¡± Sarah said, her voice firm.


    ¡°...ipetent...¡± Carol stopped pacing and tried to not re at her idiot daughters. ¡°How could you be so stupid?!?¡±


    Both Amy and Vicky winced at the amount of anger in their mother''s voice.


    ¡°Carol!¡± Sarah eximed.


    Carol let out a muttered curse and sat down with her arms crossed beside her sister.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sarah said and touched her shoulder briefly. She turned to the two girls that might have just ruined everything, right after New Wave had everything back on track for their cape ountability movement. ¡°Now.¡± She said and leaned forward. ¡°How could you be so stupid?¡±


    Both girls looked stunned as their reasonable aunt asked them the same question their angry mother had.


    ¡°We literally just announced ourselves as the best cape team in the world and then you immediately drive a wedge right through the center of it!¡± Sarah shouted and paused to calm down and take a breath.


    ¡°He just... out of nowhere! I had no clue and... I... I wasn''t ready.¡± Amy said, her face red. ¡°It was too fast and... and I panicked, okay? I was already freaking out about the press and then he said that!¡±


    Sarah sighed at Amy not realizing Greg was trying to reassure her and gave her something she should have been happy about. ¡°Then Vicky treated him like a stranger during their patrol because of it.¡±


    Vicky opened her mouth to deny it and Sarah held a hand up to stop her.


    ¡°The video of yourpletely silent fast food meal is all over PHO and has tons ofments about if the sound is muted or not.¡± Sarah informed her.


    Vicky looked embarrassed and ducked her head slightly. ¡°Amy was hurting and I wanted to prove I was on her side. I also didn''t want Greg to think that I was ignoring what happened or that everything was normal.¡±


    Amy took her hand and Vicky inteced their fingers.


    ¡°I''ll always be on her side, no matter what.¡± Vicky said and lifted her head, almost proudly.


    ¡°You also treated one of the most powerful capes on the like he was diseased and you hated being around him!¡± Carol spat at them and they both winced again.


    Sarah put her hand back on Carol''s shoulder and the angry woman huffed. ¡°You''ve put yourselves, and us, into a very awkward position.¡±


    Amy couldn''t take that usation withoutment. ¡°What was I supposed to do when he suddenly confessed like that?¡±


    ¡°You. Should. Have. Lied.¡± Carol growled out, each word harsh and clipped.


    Both girls looked shocked, especially at all of the nodding heads around them. Even their father was agreeing with her and that was a scary thing, since he always defended them from their mother when he could.


    ¡°Just saying the words would have been good enough, even if you didn''t mean them.¡± Sarah said and Carol nodded. ¡°If you could have pretended you loved him, just like Vicky was pretending, it would have been much better than what actually happened.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t pretending!¡± Vicky denied.


    ¡°Oh, please.¡± Crystal said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°You fall in and out of love with that Dean moron every other week.¡±


    ¡°He''s not a moron!¡± Vicky denied.


    ¡°He lets you walk all over him like a doormat and he''s your sugar daddy that never tells you no.¡± Crystal responded with augh. ¡°Only a moron would do that.¡±


    ¡°We''re getting off track.¡± Sarah said with a calm tone. ¡°Giving As the cold shoulder like that has made everything worse after Panacea''s firm denial of his feelings.¡±


    ¡°I... I didn''t...¡± Amy started to defend herself and her words trailed off into a whisper. She actually had denied how Greg felt and then fled.


    ¡°If this gets out, it could ruin us.¡± Sarah''s husband Manpower said. ¡°Despite how bad it looks, it could be twisted to be even worse.¡±


    ¡°How could it be worse?¡± Eric asked, sure he was missing something.


    ¡°Do you want to tell them or should I?¡± Carol asked her sister.


    Sarah took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Panacea immediately breaking up with As right after him joining New Wave, and Glory Girl''s harsh treatment of him as well, paints us in a very bad light.¡±


    ¡°We know that part.¡± Eric said and Crystal nodded. ¡°What are we missing?¡±


    Sarah nodded at Carol.


    ¡°Both Panacea and Glory Girl used their bodies to lure in the new powerful cape in the city and tricked him into bing a member of New Wave. Now that he joined up publicly, their job is done and want nothing more to do with him.¡± Carol said and felt satisfaction at seeing the horror on their faces.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s way worse.¡± Eric agreed and Crystal nodded.

 210 Dramatic Retelling

    210 Dramatic Retelling


    ¡°Th-that''s not true!¡± Vicky said after the humiliating implication that she only slept with As to get him to join New Wave. ¡°I really love...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Carol shouted and Vicky snapped her mouth shut. ¡°Unless you are going to say you''ll take one for the team and ept the full me for this, possibly destroying your reputation and public image for stealing As from Panacea, whatever you were going to say is meaningless.¡±


    Amy''s hand in Vicky''s squeezed hers and she stayed silent.


    ¡°Panacea.¡± Sarah said and looked at Amy with a nk face. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Amy had spent a lot of time thinking about it. ¡°I... I can''t. I can''t lie to him or lead him on like that.¡± She admitted. ¡°He''s too nice of a guy to do that to. I did have fun and I enjoyed it; but, I... I don''t love him.¡±


    Sarah''s face didn''t change as she looked at Vicky. ¡°Glory Girl.¡± She said and Vicky almost couldn''t meet her aunt''s gaze because of the intensity in her eyes. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Vicky thought about what she said to Greg, what they did, how she felt, and then Amy squeezed her hand and reminded her that she had always been there for her and would never abandon her. She took a deep breath and let it out.


    ¡°As is perfect and is the mostpatible man I''ve ever been with.¡± Vicky said with conviction. ¡°But, he''s not family and I will always put my sister first.¡±


    Sarah stared into her eyes and sighed, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. ¡°Why couldn''t you lie that convincingly to As?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Vicky and Amy asked at the same time.


    ¡°Vicky has never put anyone else first in her entire life, just like my sister.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Crystal shouted and smacked him.


    ¡°You know it''s true.¡± Eric said and shrugged. ¡°Vicky knows Amy hates hanging around her groupies at school and she never once listened to herints or arguments. She always forces Amy to stay there with her and suffer through their airheadedness while Vicky basks in their attention.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true!¡± Vicky eximed.


    Eric couldn''t help but smirk at the lie. ¡°What about how many jocks you have set her up on dates with? How all of them ended in disaster and you still keep setting her up with the same type of guys you like and never once asked her who she preferred?¡±


    Vicky looked embarrassed. ¡°I was just... I wanted to include her! She''s my sister and I thought if she just got out there and had fun, she would find someone she liked...¡±


    ¡°...that youpletely controlled, because the only guys you picked were popr and you liked them, because theypliment you and gave you all their attention, which Amy hates because you were dating her dates.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Ames?¡± Vicky asked with a soft voice.


    ¡°They don''t even pay any attention to me, so I stoppedining or caring who you set me up with.¡± Amy told her. ¡°I only went along to keep youpany anyway when you needed a break from dating them.¡±


    Vicky looked shocked at her saying that. ¡°But... I thought...¡±


    ¡°Once you date one Brad, or Biff, or Chad, they''re all the same. They talk and act the same, too.¡± Amy said with a shrug. ¡°What difference would it make if I said anything? You were in charge of everything and I went along with it to make you happy.¡±


    Vicky looked really sad. ¡°Ames, I didn''t know.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amy responded. ¡°That''s why I never said anything. You were happy and that was all I cared about.¡±


    Sarah sighed. ¡°And that''s the problem.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Amy and Vicky asked.


    ¡°Amy is more concerned with your happiness than her own. When someone amazinges along and genuinely tells her that he loves her, she ignores it because she''s too focused on you.¡± Carol said and stood up. ¡°I want to keep berating the both of you for this, only you''re both so focused on Vicky that it''s like talking to a brick wall.¡±


    ¡°That''s not fair!¡± ¡°That''s not true!¡± Amy and Vicky said at almost the same time.


    Carol squinted her eyes at them. ¡°I am this close to ordering you to call him and beg him to take you back!¡±


    ¡°You can''t do that!¡± Vicky said in denial.


    ¡°Don''t tempt me, Victoria!¡± Carol almost shouted.


    ¡°I can''t endorse that move, only because As would never believe it.¡± Sarah said and their husbands nodded.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Vicky asked.


    ¡°Both you and Panacea are terrible actors and you''d never pull it off.¡± Manpower said. ¡°He''d see right through the ploy and that would destroy any good will the rest of us have with him and his mother.¡±


    ¡°His mother!¡± Amy and Vicky gasped.


    ¡°Oh? Are you finally understanding how much you screwed up?¡± Carol asked and pointed at her cured husband. ¡°We OWE the both of them! Especially Nostrum!¡± She shouted and both girls ducked their heads. ¡°What do you think is going to happen to our family''s reputation on Monday when you two idiots go to school and ignore Greg because you''re embarrassed about what you did?¡±


    ¡°We weren''t going to...¡± Vicky started to say.


    ¡°Don''t you dare lie to me youngdy!¡± Carol interrupted her. ¡°We all know what you''re going to do, because you always do it.¡± She pointed at her nephew. ¡°Eric, tell us what she''s going to do.¡±


    ¡°She''s going to make up with Dean and start hanging out with the Wards group again, like always.¡± Eric said. He wasn''t really happy about being the one to say that out loud, though. The re from Vicky promised him painter, so he needed to avoid her for a few days and she would forget about why she was angry at him, again like always.


    ¡°And he''ll happily take her back, because he always does.¡± Carol said and sat back down and looked at Amy. ¡°As for you, you were going topletely ignore Greg like a coward, because you don''t want to face him or own up to your mistake.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a mistake! I said I don''t love him and I don''t!¡± Amy responded, hotly.


    Carol red at her. ¡°I already told you that it doesn''t matter if you love him or not! Weren''t you listening? It! Doesn''t! Matter!¡± She stopped ranting when Sarah put her hand back on her shoulder. She lost the re and sighed. ¡°All that matters is how people perceive things, and right now, we can easily be dered rogues by the public, the Protectorate, and the Parahuman Response Teams.¡±


    Amy and Vicky paled when they heard that. Their sped hands tightened and started sweating, because being dropped in ssification from an Independent Hero Team to a Rogue Hero Team, would be a huge blow to their reputations.


    ¡°What...¡± Vicky paused and swallowed audibly. ¡°What do we have to do?¡±


    ¡°You can''t be trusted to handle this.¡± Sarah said and Vicky wilted at the implication.


    ¡°Aunt Sarah...¡± Amy started to say.


    ¡°Neither are you, obviously.¡± Carol interrupted her. ¡°What the <b>responsible</b> ones around here are going to do first, is damage control.¡±


    Sarah nodded and gave her sister''s shoulder a light squeeze. ¡°I''ll call As first thing in the morning and try to get him here to sign the paperwork you have for the settlement from the PRTwsuit.¡±


    Carol nodded back and put a hand on hers to give it a light squeeze. ¡°The huge amount of money he''s getting from that should put him in a good enough mood to tell him we are very disappointed in how Panacea and Glory Girl have acted against a fellow team member without our knowledge or approval.¡±


    Amy''s and Vicky''s eyes widened at that wording. Their mother was throwing them under the proverbial bus and looked happy to do it!


    ¡°I''ll help write up a press release for eitherte Saturday or early Sunday, to get the word out about how Glory Girl''sments were just a joke and they aren''t really dating.¡± Sarah said, getting into spinning the facts to suit hem.


    ¡°That''s pretty good.¡± Carol said, easily ying off Sarah''s idea. ¡°Why don''t we go one step farther and im they''ve never dated? It''s technically true.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, they''ve never been seen out on a casual date.¡± Sarah agreed.


    Eric slowly put his hand up and both his mother and aunt gave him a stern look. ¡°I just wanted to say they''ve been seen kissing and hugging asionally at school and that Glory Girl said they were boyfriend and girlfriend on PHO, while Vicky said the same thing at school.¡±


    ¡°That''s even better!¡± Carol said with an evil glint in her eyes. ¡°You''ve already told us Vicky''s been forcing a bunch of guys onto Amy for dates that she hated, so we can easily add Greg into that mindset.¡±


    ¡°He is pretty jocky.¡± Eric said with a nod and recalled the stories he heard in the hallways at school. ¡°The girls love him flexing his muscles and watching him work out in gym ss.¡±


    ¡°That''s perfect.¡± Sarah said with a huge smile on her face and took out a small wad of cash to hand to Amy. ¡°Girls, why don''t you go pick up some pizzas? The rest of us are going to be busy trying to fix this mess.¡±


    ¡°I''ll drive.¡± Crystal said and stood. ¡°I doubt I can contribute much to this anyway.¡±


    Amy and Vicky stood and followed Crystal out of the house. They climbed into her car and drove to the closest pizza take-out to ce therge order. They didn''t talk and both Amy and Vicky silently wondered how things were going to be for them after their mother was through vilifying them.


    *


    I had just entered the house and said hello to my mother when my phone made the sound of an iing text. I took it out from my inventory and chuckled.


    ¡°What is it?¡± My mom asked and ced a te of food on the dining room table she had moved into the kitchen.


    ¡°It''s a double heads-up from Lisa.¡± I said and handed her the phone before I sat down and started eating.


    My mother read the text and chuckled. ¡°When it rains, it pours.¡±


    Iughed and almost spit out the mouthful of food I had in my mouth. That was an old saying that meant when something bad happens, other bad things happened quickly afterwards. My mom patted me on the back and handed me my phone, then she grabbed her own te and sat down beside me to start eating, too.


    After a few minutes of silently eating, I couldn''t resist asking why. ¡°Shouldn''t you be grilling me about what happened during the patrol?¡±


    My mom paused eating to give me a sad smile. ¡°I assumed things were going to be icy between you and Vicky, I just didn''t think they would be cial.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Fugly Bob''s.¡± She answered and I groaned.


    ¡°Of course someone was filming us.¡± I said in a defeated tone.


    ¡°It''s more like everyone was. It''s all over PHO.¡± My mom said and I barely resisted dropping my head into the remains of my food. ¡°Did the two of you really say nothing to each other the whole time?¡±


    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Right up until the end when Vicky told me she was backing Amelia and always would, no matter what she felt for me.¡±


    My mother reached up and ran her fingers through my hair and rubbed my skull for several seconds. I leaned into her hand and she made a kind of cooing sound and then she pulled me into her arms and kissed me. It wasn''t passionate or anything as intense, though. She was just reassuring me.


    ¡°Are you feel better?¡± She asked me when she broke the kiss.


    ¡°Surprisingly, yes.¡± I said and she softlyughed.


    ¡°Finish your food and decide who you want to deal with first.¡± My mom said and we both did as she instructed. I cast cleaning spells on the dishes when we were finished, making her giggle like she got away with something. She kissed my cheek, stacked them up, and carried them back to the kitchen.


    ¡°I think Miss Militia will be the easier one to deal with.¡± I said and followed her into the kitchen.


    ¡°She''s not going to do anything with you, not with the strict military doctrine she sticks to.¡± My mother said and floated up to the top cabs to put the tes away.


    ¡°Technically.¡± I said and she gave me a pointed look. ¡°The third world vige she was kidnapped from as a child had marriages at 12 and kids at 14.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding!¡± My mom gasped.


    ¡°Well, I don''t know for sure what Kurdish vige she''s from, so I could be off by a year or two.¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°Then again, she loves America and epts all its faults, so you might be right, too.¡±


    ¡°I''m always right.¡± My mom said and floated down tond on the floor. ¡°I just don''t know if you want me to be right or not.¡±


    Iughed and hugged her. ¡°I think my opinion is immaterial when ites to that.¡±


    She pretended to struggle and then sighed and hugged me. ¡°You should text her and ask her if she''s busy.¡±


    I shook my head and let her go. ¡°I can''t be the aggressor, not with her or Paige.¡±


    ¡°You can''t?¡± My mother asked, her voice full of curiosity.


    ¡°They''re bothing to me after I had a bad break-up, probably to console me and share in my pain.¡± I said and wagged my eyebrows at her suggestively.


    My momughed and swatted my shoulder. ¡°That''s a horrible way to get in their pants!¡±


    ¡°It''s effective, though.¡± I said and kissed her cheek. ¡°I''m going to fly around the neighbourhood for a few minutes to clear my head.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± My mother said, not believing me at all. ¡°Can you at least try to not act eager if either of them show up?¡±


    ¡°No promises.¡± I said and walked over to the front door this time. ¡°I might not be back untilte.¡±


    ¡°Don''t have too much fun.¡± She said and waved.


    I stepped out and closed the door, took a deep breath, and let it out. I slowly floated up into the air and turned around to give myself an unobstructed view of the neighbourhood, then went a little higher to see out farther, then I chose the most probably route to my house from the PRT''s temporary HQ and drifted mostly in that direction, taking my mother''s advice about not being too eager.


    *


    Miss Militia had been out on patrol for only a short time before she added a few extra streets to her route. Her normal motorcycle rumbled quietly as she slowly made her way towards her actual destination without taking a direct route.


    She couldn''t help but feel a little excited about the potential meeting and tried to tamp it down. She had to be professional and give the brokenhearted young man as impersonal of a greeting as possible and not give away that she felt quite bad about what happened between him and Panacea, even if her own heart went out to him as she remembered her own break-up when she was around his age.


    Miss Militia took the corner at the stoplight and her eyes caught movement up in the sky. She briefly looked with both eyes and saw a white costume disappear over the roof of a building halfway down the street. She gunned the engine and swerved around a slow car as she leaned to the side and kept her bnce.


    She reached the end of the street a momentter and tapped her rear brake, locking the tire for a second and squealing it across the smooth pavement as she took the next turn and drifted around the corner. She let her momentum carry her through the intersection and then gunned the engine again when she saw it was As casually flying down the street.


    Miss Militia slowed down and matched his flight speed as she held the handlebars steady and waved, then gave him the hand signs for meeting and the direction. As signed back agreement and they both proceeded to a small green area with a single tree and a park bench and no one else around. She parked her motorcycle on the street and took off her helmet to hang on the handlebars.


    Asnded beside her as she turned towards the park bench and she saw the warm smile on his face. Before Miss Militia could say anything, he pulled her scarf down and his lips were on hers. All thoughts about being professional fled her mind as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back as passionately as she could.

 211 Getting Served

    211 Getting Served


    I broke the kiss after a few minutes and realized I really shouldn''t have done that, not in public anyway. I gave her an embarrassed look and used a hand to pull her scarf back up to cover the bottom half of her face. It only technically hid her identity, since that was all she wore on her head to cover her face.


    ¡°I''m sorry about that, Miss Militia. I... I saw the sympathetic look on your face and... I just... I couldn''t resist takingfort in...¡± I stopped talking and shook my head as I tried to step back, only for her to keep her arms locked around my neck to hold me close.


    ¡°It''s all right, As.¡± Miss Militia said and her eyes looked deep into my own. ¡°I can see your reluctance and that''s understandable. You did just break up with Panacea and then let your anger out in the boat graveyard.¡±


    I sighed again as I put my arms around her waist. ¡°I wasn''t as subtle as I thought I was with that little tantrum, was I?¡±


    Miss Militia chuckled and I felt my face flush a little red. She let go with one hand and dug into her bandoleer and pulled out a USB drive. ¡°It''s a copy of the security footage from a rooftop security camera and another focused on the waterfront for suspicious activity.¡±


    I took it and tucked it into my belt as she put her hand back up to my neck and held on. ¡°Now you have to warn me to not do things like that?¡± I asked and she nodded.


    ¡°Now I have to warn you about not doing things like that.¡± Miss Militia said, her voice full of amusement. ¡°As, you really shouldn''t do things like that.¡±


    I chuckled and saw the edges of her eyes crinkle as she smiled. ¡°Because people are watching?¡±


    ¡°People are always watching.¡± Miss Militia said and really looked amused now.


    ¡°Ah, dammit.¡± I responded and she chuckled. ¡°You''re still holding on.¡±


    ¡°So are you.¡± Miss Militia said.


    I opened my mouth to say something, then mentally told myself to not be so stupid as to refuse her generous offer. I nodded and ducked my head slightly and moved my arms up to her back to hug her tightly and I rested my head on her shoulder as she did the same to mine.


    We stood like that for several minutes, just holding each other, and we didn''t speak or do anything else. Comfort was what we shared in the quiet calmness of that tiny park and we were both happy to have someone that understood what we had gone through.


    Miss Militia was the first to shift her hands as if to let me go, so I moved mine down from the middle of her back to her waist, held on for another moment, then let her go. We stepped back as one and I was sure we had simr content looks on our faces.


    ¡°I have the rest of my patrol to finish.¡± Miss Militia said and looked a little regretful.


    ¡°Would you mind if I joined you?¡± I couldn''t resist offering.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Miss Militia said and motioned to her motorcycle. ¡°Do you want to share a ride...¡± She paused and motioned at the air. ¡°...or share a ride?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Lady''s choice.¡±


    ¡°Hop on.¡± Miss Militia said and strode over to her motorcycle to put her helmet on.


    I took an armored helm out of inventory to make herugh, which she did, because the thing was only metal and had no padding whatsoever. So, I pretended to crush it into a ball and then pulled my hands apart as I transfigured it into an actual helmet decorated like the American g.


    Miss Militia nodded in approval and climbed onto her motorcycle before starting it up. I climbed onto the back and held onto her as she pulled away from the curb and resumed her patrol.


    *


    ¡°Aww, that''s so sweet.¡± Paige said as she watched the live stream on herptop. She was curled up on the sofa and hugged a pillow with a picture of As printed on the pillowcase. When you had oodles of money, you could get anything done and done very quickly.


    That was why she already had a work crew from the dockworkers union stripping out one of the warehouses to create a recording studio for her. She wanted, no needed to start making music again and she definitely had a lot more to write and sing about after what she went through.


    Moving her home base to Brockton Bay was also a huge benefit to her. Not only was she happy about buying up all of the extremely cheap real estate on the waterfront that she picked up for a song, and she chuckled at the pun; but, it also brought her right to where her savior was.


    As Paige watched the huge hunk of a man have fun breaking up a few petty crimes with the American military-styled cape named Miss Militia, all she could think about was having his strong arms wrapped around her like he was hugging the cape from behind on her motorcycle.


    *


    Miss Militia slowed down her ride and came to a stop before she neared the end of her patrol at the PRT garage. ¡°I kind of don''t want this to end.¡±


    ¡°It has been exceptionally fun and took my mind off of things.¡± I said in agreement and then had a great idea. ¡°Can you wait here for a moment while I check on something?¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and I carefully hopped off of her motorcycle and strode a few feet away as I took out my cell phone. I pretended to send a text to someone, let out a little whoop, and then walked back over to Miss Militia.


    ¡°Bad news?¡± Miss Militia asked and I chuckled.


    ¡°Not at all. I just need to take a quick flight to pick up something and I''ll be right back.¡± I said and took off the helmet I wore and handed it to her. ¡°A few minutes, tops.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and hugged the helmet. I flew up into the air and then took off towards the docks at just below the speed of sound. I remembered what she said about something watching the waterfront and flew out to open sea. Once I was out of sight ofnd, I made myself invisible and came to a stop.


    I looked in my inventory and found one of Coil''s mercenary weapons, an assault rifle with a tinkertechser attached to it. Since I had many many powers, including more tinker powers than necessary, I used telekinesis to pull it apart and removed the ck-box part of the thing to make it into a basicser that still worked, thanks to my experience back in the Incredibles universe.


    I reassembled it and reattached it to the weapon, which I debated upgrading with my powers, then chose not to. As far as I could remember, Miss Miltitia could only add normal designs and nothing tooplicated, like a turret weapon or multiple weaponsbined in a single chassis. I wrapped the weapon in a thick towel and carried it in my hands as I made myself visible again and flew back to the city.


    Miss Militia was still there where she had parked, only she had her helmet off and had hung hers and mine on her handlebars. She hung up her cell phone when she saw me and her eyes went wide at the gun-shaped towel-wrapped thing in my hands.


    ¡°You would be surprised what a criminal can carry on them before being arrested.¡± I said as Inded beside her.


    ¡°As.¡± Miss Militia said, her friendly demeanor instantly changed to professionalism. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°It''s a gift, of course.¡± I said and patted it. ¡°You might not want to unwrap it here, though.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and looked at her motorcycle.


    ¡°You can keep my helmet as a spare.¡± I suggested.


    Miss Militia nodded again and secured my helmet to the back of her seat, slipped her own helmet on, and made the sign to follow. She started the motorcycle up and drove the rest of the way down the street and into the PRT garage after giving me the hold position hand signal. Inded by the door and stayed there until she returned a few minutester.


    ¡°This way.¡± Miss Militia said and I followed her inside past the outside guards and over to the elevator. We entered it and she kept giving me and the bundle searching looks.


    ¡°This is private enough.¡± I said.


    ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Miss Militia said and her tone brooked no argument, so I stayed quiet and we rode the elevator to another floor. The doors opened and she walked over to a security station and signed in, motioned for me to sign as well, and she added ''unknown weapon'' being registered and entered into evidence.


    I mentally sighed, because my neat idea had just created a huge pile of paperwork for the both of us. I followed her inside the secured area and down the hallway until we reached a metallic-looking door. She knocked exactly twice and waited without saying anything, so I remained silent as well.


    After exactly 60 seconds, the door hissed open and a blue-armored man stood there. ¡°Miss Militia.¡±


    ¡°Armsmaster.¡± Miss Militia said. ¡°This is the oddly-shaped weapon As has chosen to turn in to the PRT without warning or previous notice.¡±


    ¡°Gift.¡± I corrected. ¡°It''s not for the PRT, either. It''s for Miss Militia.¡±


    Both of them gave me pointed stares.


    ¡°It''s my weapon. I had it fixed and wanted to give it to her.¡± I said as an exnation.


    ¡°That''s highly unusual.¡± Armsmaster said. ¡°Also partially a lie.¡±


    I sighed at being caught over such a simple thing. ¡°Fine. I looted it and tore it apart to fix it myself. I just didn''t want anyone to know I could do that.¡±


    Both of them sucked in sharp breaths.


    ¡°You are a tinker as well.¡± Armsmaster said.


    ¡°I''d like to lie and say I''m smart enough to do it on my own, except you''d call me on it with your lie detector.¡± I said and he nodded. ¡°Then I might as well admit I''m a Stranger, Changer, and Mover as well.¡±


    Miss Militia blinked her eyes a couple of times. ¡°We already have you ssed as a Mover.¡±


    ¡°You only registered my flying ability.¡± I said and apparated soundlessly to the end of the hallway and waved to them.


    ¡°Good lord.¡± Miss Militia whispered.


    I apparated back and smiled at their shocked faces.


    ¡°What''s your range?¡± Armsmaster asked me.


    ¡°I''m supposed to have a range?¡± I asked back instead of answering, since pretty much anything I said in response would probably register as a lie. I mean, I traversed the entire in one night to deliver justice to those that deserved it and... holy crap, I''m Santa us and I removed nearly everyone on the Naughty List!


    Thankfully, their disbelieving faces gave me the perfect cover for myughter and the both of them rxed. Armsmaster stepped back and waved us inside his tinkerb, which we both epted and the door closed behind us without him touching anything.


    ¡°ce the weapon on the workbench.¡± Armsmaster ordered.


    ¡°I will, as long as you agree that when you see what it is, the patent is filed under my name and the PRT and Protectorate can license its production rights from me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Consider it done, As.¡± Dragon''s voice said and one of the ck monitors on the wall of monitors flickered and showed her smiling face.


    ¡°Hello, Dragon.¡± I said and waved. ¡°Have you enjoyed examining and recreating the little innovations from my upgraded cell phone?¡±


    Dragon let out a little chuckle. ¡°I knew you knew I was doing that.¡±


    I chuckled as well. ¡°As soon as I gave you my number, actually.¡±


    ¡°Is that why none of it is ck-boxed?¡± Dragon asked. ¡°The hardware alone is amazing, and the coding...¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Miss Militia said with a fake cough to get things back on track.


    ¡°Ah, right. Sorry about that.¡± Dragon said and blushed a little.


    It was Armsmaster''s turn to chuckle. ¡°I believe I''ll be just as excited as you in a moment.¡±


    Dragon smiled and nodded.


    I slowly unwrapped therge towel from around the assault weapon and both Miss Militia and Armsmaster leaned forward slightly to see it, so I whipped thest of the towel off with a flourish.


    ¡°Taaaadaaaa!¡± I said and held the thing up.


    ¡°It''s a normal assault rifle with aser sight.¡± Armsmaster said in a disappointed tone and Miss Militia looked a little sad, too.


    I couldn''t help butugh at that reaction. ¡°Miss Militia? Catch!¡±


    Miss Militia jerked as the weapon fell into her arms and then she gasped, her eyes zing over.


    ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± Amrsmaster asked and she didn''t respond. ¡°Miss Militia! Report!¡±


    Miss Militia stiffened as ifing to attention and her eyes went back to normal. ¡°It''s not just aser sight, Armsmaster. It''s aser. A fully powered, workingser.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see how that''s noteworthy. Dragon has several kinds...¡± Armsmaster started to say.


    Miss Militia put the assault rifle down on the workbench and then her nine milimetre handgun at her waist disappeared in a swirl of dark green energy and it reformed in her hands and became an exact copy of the assault rifle, including theser sight.


    Both Armsmaster and Dragon gasped this time.


    ¡°I need a target.¡± Miss Militia asked and Armsmaster pointed to a small testing area. She strode over to the small firing range, that I assumed he used to testunching his halberd''s various ranged functions, and she took an appropriate stance to fire a two handed weapon before she pulled the trigger.


    *BZZZZOWWW!*


    The two inch thick steel te used as a backdrop instantly had a hole cut through it and the armored wall behind it had a melted indent in it the size of a quarter.


    ¡°A full powered shot like that would have drained about half the battery''s charge on a normal weapon.¡± Imented and Miss Militia nodded. ¡°But, it''s not a normal weapon now, is it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Miss Militia said as it dissolved and reformed, giving it back a full charge, and she reduced the power as she fired again, reformed the rifle, then she fired once more. When she dissolved the weapon and it reformed into a handgun at her side in the holster on her hip, we all saw the steel te had a happy face carved into it, as did the partially melted wall behind it.


    ¡°Cute.¡± I said with a smile.


    Miss Militia strode over to me, confidence exuding from her, and she pulled down her face covering just before she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately. Neither Armsmaster nor Dragon said anything as we made out right there in front of them.


    *


    New Wave had their n of action worked out, the pizzas were eaten, and everyone was rtively happy about the whole thing. The only objections were from the two girls it concerned the most, because it made one look like a shallow social butterfly and the other like a doormat that went along with everything.


    That it actually reflected reality quite closely, didn''t matter, because Carol Dallon was right. It was how people perceived things that mattered, not what was actually true. With the ns to handle the fallout of the breakup that didn''t happen because they weren''t actually dating, set in ce, Sarah Pelham changed her idea to start the campaign the next evening to doing it immediately.


    So, they handed the finished n off to their social media expert, Crystal Pelham, and she started the information dump. It began with culling the rumors over the Fugly Bob meal and continued with her counter-posting on PHO about the jokes Glory Girl made at Panacea''s expense, embarrassing them both.


    Then Crystal started digging up older posts from Vicky where she said simr things and really got to work. Her mother Sarah couldn''t have been happier about the n actually working, giving her and her family a chance to get out of the mess Amy and Vicky caused without too much of a hassle. All it really cost them was smearing Glory Girl''s reputation a little.


    Unlike what Vicky thought, she actually deserved it. It was also a little humbling for her to see her actions and her posts from someone else''s perspective and she realized how mean and vindictive a lot of what she joked about was and she resolved to try and do better in the future.


    Vicky''s first decision to do that? To make up with her ex-boyfriend Dean and apologizing, just like everyone said she was going to. At the very least, she was quite predictable in her behavior, and her family used it to their advantage.

 212 Blame It On The Rain

    212 me It On The Rain


    By the time a blushing Miss Militia and I came up for air, Armsmaster and Dragon had disassembled theserpletely and registered the parts, the assembly instructions, and what was needed to reproduce it. Since I had removed the parts that had been tinkertech and reced them with normal materials, the cost was significantly less than the originalsers were.


    ¡°I will be depositing quite a sum into your bank ount again, As.¡± Dragon said.


    ¡°As will I.¡± Armsmaster agreed. Having ess to an easily created, cost-effective, and receableser, was going to help enormously with their tinkering projects. The possible weapon enhancements might y a huge role, too.


    Since I didn''t want to ruin their tinker budgets for the year, considering the year only just started a few weeks ago, I decided to not rip them off. ¡°Cut the initial fees by 75%, since you both verified the design for me and worked out how to mass produce it.¡±


    Armsmaster gave me a huge smile, which was a very rare thing.


    ¡°If the PRT doesn''t pick it up for their own use, say one weapon per squad, Dragon can let The Guild know about it.¡± I added.


    ¡°I''ll let Narwhal know anyway.¡± Dragon said and a typing sound could be heard. ¡°You can never have too many clients, anyway.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°If she picks up the contract, you''re going to use one of your own manufacturing nts and retool it to produce them yourself, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Dragon said, smugly. ¡°I''m going to save so much overhead by converting about a third of my ownser-intensive tests and research to use thosesers instead.


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± Armsmaster said.


    Miss Militia patted his armored arm to get his attention. ¡°Please run ballistics on the gun barrel and any bullets you test fire. If the weapon is connected to any crimes, we can tie it back to a perpetrator and maybe clear some cold case files.¡±


    ¡°I looted it from Coil''s base.¡± I said, making Miss Militia smile and nod. ¡°I''m pretty sure he bought the original from Toybox.¡±


    ¡°Was that just theser attachment or the whole gun?¡± Armsmaster asked.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± I said, truthfully.


    ¡°Then we can add it to their charges if any crimese up, if not, Armsmaster can keep it in hisb forparison.¡± Miss Militia said.


    Armsmaster looked like he appreciated the gesture. ¡°That''s very generous of you.¡±


    Miss Militia nodded and motioned for me to follow her. ¡°We should leave them alone to y with their new toy.¡±


    I chuckled and waved to the screen Dragon was on and then nodded at Armsmaster as I followed Miss Militia to the door. ¡°How much do you want to bet they''re going to scale that up to cannon range to see if they can somehow generate enough power to fire it?¡±


    ¡°That''s a sucker bet.¡± Miss Militia said with a grin and pulled up her scarf before opening the door. ¡°They have the ns half-drawn on his deskputer already.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I didn''t even see that.¡± I said with augh as the door closed behind us.


    ¡°To be fair, you were focusing more on using your tongue to check if I had any cavities.¡± Miss Militia joked, making meugh.


    ¡°We all seekfort for many reasons.¡± I responded and she nodded, then waved me to silence as we signed out of the secured area and went to the elevator. ¡°Are we heading to your office to do the paperwork for turning in the assault weapon into PRT custody?¡±


    Miss Militia''s eyes widened slightly and then they crinkled at the corners as she smiled and pushed the button for the elevator. ¡°If you keep politely surprising me like that, I might have to break my no dating coworkers or capes rule.¡±


    We stepped into the elevator, the doors closed, and she hit the button for the right floor.


    ¡°Hold on, you weren''t going to bend me over your desk and have your wicked way with me?¡± I asked in as innocent of a voice as I could.


    Miss Militia looked shocked for a moment, then she made a long snort sound and held both hands over her scarf and mouth to muffle her loudughter.


    ¡°I might be rethinking about going to your office now.¡± I said and pouted, making herugh even more. ¡°I thought ''filing your paperwork'' was the newfangled way of asking to share a coffee or to borrow a cup of sugar.¡±


    ¡°New... hahaha... fangled...¡± Miss Militia managed to say betweenughs, her voice just as muffled as herughter.


    ¡°Here I was,pletely prepared to lose my innocence...¡± I continued and herughs were getting harder to keep quiet. ¡°...and let a slightly older woman lead me into depravity and debauchery, like holding hands or over the clothes good and bad touches.¡±


    Miss Militiaughed andughed, so I stood there and let her get it all out. We reached the right floor and I hit the door stop button, giving her more time to settle herself. I handed her a monogrammed napkin and she wiped at her eyes as she gave me a very pointed look.


    ¡°Hey, it''s not my fault I''m handsome and stupid... I mean funny.¡± I quickly corrected.


    Miss Militia barked augh and touched her eyes again with the napkin, then hit the door release button and tucked the napkin away in a pocket. She led me down the hallway to her office and we settled in to do some paperwork that she was grateful for my help with.


    *


    Narwhal sat in herrge reinforced chair to hold her 7 foot tall frame and chuckled at the notification Dragon has sent to her. Would she be interested in a workingser that wasn''t tinkertech and wouldn''t cost a fortune for her to license the use of and to buy from her longtime friend? Of course she would!


    Half of the tinkers in The Guild would chew off their left arms to get one of them and the other half would kill the first half because one-armed tinkers were easy prey and would take theirser.


    After only a short conversation, Narwhalughed at finding out that it was As that had brought the design to Dragon''s attention, even if it was a happy ident that she happened to be teleconferencing with Armsmaster at the time.


    Thinking about the young cape that was more mature than his young age should have allowed, Narwhal couldn''t help but remember hisment about the local flying brick being able to crush his head between her thighs and he wasn''t hurt.


    Narwhal hadughed it off at the time; but, after talking to him some more andter finding out what he did to Heartbreaker and his problem children, she had much more favorable opinion of him. She checked her schedule and saw that she had some vacation timeing up, as well as the predicted Endbringer attack that could be within the next month, so she had some free time.


    A trip to Brockton Bay to visit the newest members of New Wave could give her the perfect excuse she needed to have a bit of fun. It wasn''t like there were a whole lot of capes around that were strong enough to survive her attention, not after whatever had happened to all of the viins being dealt with.


    Narwhal hit y on the grainy video that Dragon had sent to her and she smiled sexily as As tore through the reinforced steel hull of a tanker like it was made of paper. Yes, she was definitely looking forward to visiting Brockton Bay to see if he was avable for some personal one-on-one training.


    *


    I left the PRT building after sharing another midnight meal with Miss Militia, which she enjoyed as much as the first one, only this one ended with a chaste kiss that she imed was only because of the currentws of thend. I had tough at that and didn''t have to remind her of the other two kissing sessions we had, because she said those circumstances were different and I had better leave before she used her new weapon mode on my butt.


    I flew away after waving goodbye and went back home. It was the weekend, so I was looking forward to sleeping in and rxing for the day, maybe both days, because I didn''t have anything else scheduled with no Amy or Vicky to pamper and spoil.


    My mother had been in bed for hours, so I only briefly checked in on her. She was sleeping in the master bedroom and I saw that there were piles of boxes stacked in the corner. I immediately felt bad and my heart pained, because she had gone through dad''s things and packed them up all by herself.


    I entered the room and walked over to the bed and saw she was pretending to be asleep. ¡°You should have waited for me to be here to help.¡± I said and sat beside her and started to pet her hair.


    ¡°I know, I... I just... I had to get it over with.¡± My mother said and didn''t open her eyes.


    I sighed and exchanged my uniform for a pair of nnel pyjamas the same as hers before Iid down beside her. She cuddled up to me and let out a contented sigh as her fingers brushed across the skin of my neck, then she rxed and she let out a long slow breath.


    ¡°Goodnight, sweetie.¡± My mom whispered.


    ¡°Goodnight, my adorable little limpet.¡± I whispered back.


    She let out a soft chuckle and hugged me tightly, just like a limpet, and she fell asleep only a few momentster. She had been waiting up for me and I was sure she rxed because I hadn''t had sex with Miss Militia, and her power would be able to tell if I had.


    I kissed her forehead and closed my own eyes. The morning was going toe soon and I fully intended to sleep in for a few hours, even if I always woke up just before the break of dawn every day. Was that a benefit of the perfect body or a side effect of my Mind nk ability?


    In the end, it didn''t matter, because the time seemed to pass in only a moment and then it was morning and my mother had me fully nestled inside of her. I honestly had no clue how she managed to do that while I was asleep, considering I was a very light sleeper and any movement or noise should have woken me up.


    ¡°Love... you... sweetie.¡± My dozing mother mumbled into the puddle of drool she had created on my chest.


    It was honestly adorable how she was sofortably sprawled across most of my body. The only thing holding her in ce, and stopping her from sliding off, was my erection inside of her. With that little caveat, I was wholly unprepared to even think about trying to move her. So, I didn''t. Iid there and just watched her sleep, since I couldn''t really do anything else until she woke up herself.


    Since I had lots of experience remaining still for many days, weeks, and even months at a time, usually immobile with injuries, I had no trouble at all keeping myself mentally entertained as I waited for her to wake up naturally.


    My mother eventually did wake up on her own almost an hourter. Her mouth made several smacking sounds and she licked her lips, then she realized where she was and why part of her face was damp. She blushed and tried to sit up, only to gasp and moan as her weight shifted me inside of her.


    ¡°If you move any more than that, I might not be able to hold back.¡± I warned her.


    My mother''s blush deepened for several seconds, then she shrugged and started riding me and moaning on purpose. Well, I wasn''t going toy there and take that, so I started fondling her perfect breasts and she moaned twice as loud and then helped me grip them harder. She cried out and gushed a little, then she really picked up the pace and braced her hands on my shoulders for bnce.


    Half an hourter, she felt full and called me off, making the both of usugh. She was also really happy about not being able to get pregnant again. That had been a huge worry for her for years after having me, her body unable to bring another baby to full term after she almost lost me.


    I did not remind her that Amy probably fixed all the plumbing for her after making her body as close to perfect as she could.


    We left the bed and had a quick shower to clean up and we didn''t y with each other, even if we joked about it and flirted. I equipped normal clothes, jeans and a shirt, and she dressed in a nice skirt and blouse. We had no ns, so the entire weekend was ahead of us, and the possibilities had us discussing what we could do with two whole days to ourselves.


    My cell phone rang and I took it out, saw it was Lady Photon, and answered it. ¡°This is the As Massage Parlour. We always rub you the right way or the next happy ending is free.¡±


    ¡°GREG!¡± My mother gasped and smacked me across the back of the head.


    ¡°O.¡± I said and rubbed the spot, even though it didn''t hurt.


    Sarah Pelhamughed on the phone. ¡°I need to remember that one.¡±


    ¡°Me, too.¡± I said and she chuckled. ¡°What can I do for you, Lady Photon?¡±


    ¡°I was calling to arrange you toe over and sign some paperwork about thewsuit.¡± Sarah answered.


    ¡°Already?¡± I asked and didn''t wait for a response. ¡°Should my mome over, too?¡±


    ¡°She''s your guardian and next of kin, so to make everything legal, she should be here, too.¡± Sarah said and I nodded.


    ¡°Are we bringing breakfast over or are we going out for brunch?¡± I asked.


    The line was silent for a moment. ¡°It''s just Carol and myself here at her ce, so we can enjoy eating in.¡±


    ¡°Great! I''ll grab a mix of things and we''ll be there in twenty minutes.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Coffee and donuts, too!¡± Carol shouted in the background.


    ¡°Tea and crumpets? Got it! See you soon!¡± I shouted back and hung up.


    My mother gave me a nk stare at acting so foolish. ¡°At least we''re already dressed.¡±


    ¡°Normal travel it is.¡± I said and looked up a good fast food ce that served breakfast items. ¡°I''ll call an order in and we can pick it up on the way.¡±


    ¡°I''ll grab my keys.¡± My mother said and we were soon travelling across part of the city to the right ce and I picked up the fairlyrge food order, as well as sixrge cups of coffee and two boxes of mixed donuts, since I didn''t know what kinds they liked. Having two boxes of different donuts would almost guarantee they had at least one donut they liked.


    We made it to the Dallon household with a minute to spare and mom and I high-fived each other. We carried the order to the front door and it opened before we reached it. One of the six cups of coffee was scabbed right away and Carol let out a happy sigh after sipping the strong dose of caffeine.


    ¡°Why six cups?¡± Sarah asked and helped us carry everything over to the kitchen table.


    ¡°Two coffee nuts means double the cups.¡± I said and pointed to Carol and my mother.


    Sarah chuckled as the other two women enthusiastically nodded several times. She took her own cup and rxed on one of the chairs at the table and both Carol and my mom slumped down and hungrily sipped at their beverages.


    ¡°Food first?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Food first.¡± Sarah agreed.


    We opened everything up and spread it out across the table to make it into a buffet, which made mom and Carol add eating food between their coffee infusions. It was rtively quiet as we ate and I took the opportunity to observe both Sarah and Carol wearing normal clothing. They were both fairly beautiful, even without wearing their skin-tight cape costumes that showed off their toned bodies.


    ¡°Do you see something interesting, Greg?¡± Sarah asked with a knowing smile, letting me know my admiration had not been as subtle as I thought it had been.


    ¡°I''m not sure if I can answer that question safely.¡± I responded, making her softlyugh.


    Carol only shrugged her shoulders slightly. ¡°I''ve been hit on countless times at work and during the cases I handle. I doubt you''ll say anything I haven''t heard before.¡±


    I really couldn''t let that challenge go without responding, so I gave her my best award winning Gilderoy Lockheart smile. ¡°Did you know that poverty isn''t the worst thing in the world? Blindness is, because it''s a tragedy they''ll never be able to see how beautiful you are.¡±


    All three women stopped breathing and stared at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°With you as his inspiration, a painter will create his best painting, a writer will create his best novel, and a poet will create his best so. As for a lover...¡± I reached out and took her hand. ¡°...there are no heights he can''t reach if he''s with you.¡±


    Carol shivered and blushed hard. Sarah wasn''t far behind and my mother looked faint.


    With her primed, I went in for the kill. ¡°Now that I''ve told you I love you, we can work together on all the little details that lead up to it.¡±


    Both Sarah and Carol lost their blushes and then the color drained even more from their faces.


    ¡°Dammit, Greg.¡± My mother said and smacked my shoulder. ¡°Why did you have to ruin it?¡±


    ¡°Ruin what?¡± I asked and noticed the guilty looks on Sarah''s and Carol''s faces. I knew then she was right. I had apparently stepped in something I didn''t know about. ¡°What happened? Is Amy okay?¡±


    Carol turned her head away from me and started drinking her second cup of coffee.


    ¡°We... may have... started to run damage control on... what happened.¡± Sarah admitted and now looked really guilty. ¡°After we talked to Panacea and she said she definitely didn''t love you, or wanted to lead you on, and Vicky took her side to defend her...¡±


    I sat there and listened to them exin their brilliant n to essentially me Vicky and Amy for it, while alsoparing me with the dumb jocks Vicky liked and set up with her sister, who was less interested in the idiots than she was in cockroaches.


    ¡°I need some time to think about this.¡± I said and stood. ¡°I''ll go along with it, just because it will be worse for all of you if I don''t.¡±


    Both women nodded and my mom took my hand briefly.


    ¡°I won''t go far.¡± I said and she nodded as she let my hand go. I equipped my hero costume and walked out of the kitchen and through the house to the back door, stepped outside, and flew up into the air. When I was far enough out, I made myself invisible and then apparated to above the Parahuman Asylum where my old online friend lived. I made myself visible again and floated down tond at the front door and went inside.


    ¡°I''d like to visit with Sveta, please.¡± I told the receptionist. ¡°Cape name Garrote.¡±


    The older woman nodded and had me sign in as she called for an orderly to take me to Sveta''s room. Despite her not having the tendril-like involuntarily-murderous body she used to have, she still had all of her mental problems and needed to work on them, especially causing the deaths of several people and how traumatizing that was for her.


    ¡°Void Cowboy.¡± Sveta whispered when her room''s door was opened.


    I smiled at her guessing it was me, since I was the only person to ever visit her. ¡°Hey, G-StringGirl.¡±


    She gave me a curious look and then nodded. She waved to her bed and the orderly gave me a pointed look. I chuckled and handed him a hundred dor bill, which he made disappear, and the door was shut and locked behind me.


    ¡°Who broke your heart?¡± Sveta asked as she settled herself on the bed and hugged her pillow.


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± I said and sat at the far end of the bed and respected her personal space.


    ¡°I somehow have all the time in the world to hear it.¡± Sveta said as everything in the room slowed down to a fraction of what it was supposed to be. She had be quite good with her recement power in a short time.


    I nodded at the offer and started talking.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 213 Agreements and Disagreements

    213 Agreements and Disagreements


    After a long heart to heart talk with Sveta, in which she used her powers a few times to change the rate of time we experienced as practice, I created an As plushie for her and she squealed like Ginny Weasley did when I gave her a Harry Potter one. I left the Asylum with a much lighter heart and with a n of action in mind.


    I flew up into the air and out of sight, made myself invisible, and apparated back to above Brockton Bay and made myself visible again as I flew back to the Dallon house. Inded in the backyard and entered the house and heard a heated argument.


    I sighed and entered the kitchen to see my mom berating them for making me out to be an idiot that could so easily fall for a woman''s charms. ¡°They''re right, though.¡±


    All three of them gasped and turned to face me, looking guilty.


    ¡°It''s what I have to do to sell this properly, so that''s what I''ll do.¡± I told them. ¡°I''ve already publicly kissed Miss Militia and hugged her for a few minutes, so including that behavior and how much I do hug and kiss Amy''s and Vicky''s cheeks in public, I can just expand that out to Vicky''s friends, and possibly another girl I know at school, and no one will even think twice about it.¡±


    ¡°Greg, you don''t have to do that.¡± My mother said. ¡°Just ignore it all and...¡±


    ¡°No, giving the girls the cold shoulder would make us look bad for a different reason. Me for ignoring them and them for doing something to make me ignore them.¡± I said and Sarah and Carol nodded. ¡°It''s better if I keep on keeping on, asional hugs and maybe a kiss on the cheek, only I''ll spread it around and im they''re my friends now, like Amy and Vicky, and it''s allowed.¡±


    ¡°That... that might work out even better than what we came up with.¡± Carol said and gave me an oddly appreciative look. ¡°You''re not going to treat it like nothing happened, you''re going to treat it like what happened is normal.¡±


    I smiled and nodded. ¡°I had a talk with a friend and it let me see the best way to approach this whole thing. You see, what I thought Amy and I had was significant, only I thought that. Vicky, well she''s Vicky. The newest popr thing around would have her jump all over it without hesitation.¡±


    Sarah, Carol, and my mother all nodded in agreement.


    ¡°So, where is the paperwork we need to sign?¡± I asked and Carol led us through the house to her home office. I admired her ass in the casual cks she wore and I didn''t bother trying to hide that I was.


    Carol sat down behind her desk, her face slightly red, and she took out the settlement paperwork. My mother gasped when she saw the amount on thest sheet and I patted her knee. We both signed and used our initials where necessary and it was done. Twelve million dors was a nice tidy sum.


    ¡°I''ll file the eptance of terms first thing Monday morning.¡± Carol said and her voice sounded almost giddy, probably because she would receive 20% of the settlement. ¡°The transfer should go through by the end of the business day.¡±


    I nodded, as did my mother, and we stood at the same time. The NDA and gag order would stop any of us from speaking about it publicly or we would forfeit the settlement. Needless to say, we would be keeping our mouths firmly shut about the whole thing.


    ¡°With that done and out of the way...¡± Carol stood and walked around her desk to give us a bright smile. ¡°...I can''t thank you enough for allowing me to handle that for you.¡±


    My mother stepped forward and hugged her before she could react. ¡°I''m just happy that it''s over and we don''t have to worry about it anymore and never have to talk about it again.¡±


    ¡°As am I.¡± I said. As soon as my mother let Carol go and stepped back, I stepped forward and hugged her, too.


    Carol was stiff for only a moment, then she rxed and hugged me back. She seemed to form her body against mine and let out a sad little sigh. I was sure she hadn''t had a good hug in a long time and her trust issues probably stopped her from ever attempting to take them for herself.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± I whispered in her ear and she blushed. ¡°I need the practice to not react.¡±


    Carol huffed and leaned her head back to look up at my face. ¡°Really?¡± She asked, her voice full of disbelief.


    I gave her a crooked smile. ¡°Like mother, like daughter.¡±


    My mom giggled and turned away, totally getting what I was implying.


    Carol rolled her eyes at me and then I felt two strong hands grab hold of my butt and give me a squeeze. I couldn''t resist letting out a little sound like I was a dog''s squeaky toy and my mother burst outughing. Carol blushed and let me go, then she swatted at my chest a few times for teasing her. She couldn''t hide the smile on her face, though.


    ¡°I think that works out to you earning 1.2 million per cheek, Miss Dallon.¡± I joked.


    My mother keptughing and started smacking me, too. ¡°That''s... haha... not funny!¡±


    I did not remind her that she was stillughing or that both she and Carol were having fun smacking me around a little. It also eased the slight tension in their shoulders and they eventually slowed down and looked happy. Since I didn''t want any hard feelings between us, I leaned down and kissed Carol''s cheek, then I kissed my mother''s.


    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± I said to them and they both blushed slightly.


    Carol looked conflicted for a moment before she stepped close to press her considerable chest to mine and she rested her hands on my shoulders. ¡°I do regret not consulting you before enacting the n with the girls and I want to thank you as well for agreeing to go along with it.¡± She said, her hands lightly gripping my muscles. ¡°If anyone else found out what Amy and Vicky did...¡±


    ¡°There''s security footage.¡± I said and she gasped and tried to step back, only I grabbed her by the waist and held her close. ¡°No, it''s fine. They are keeping it quiet and your n lets us y it off as part of that. I did jump the gun and scared her with what I said, so I''ll do my penance with social awkwardness and that''ll be that.¡±


    Carol sighed and nodded. ¡°Then I need to doubly thank you.¡±


    I looked down at her chest pressed against mine, that her blouse barely concealed, and I looked back into her eyes. I wagged my eyebrows at her and she blushed.


    ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Carol denied, even if her voice wasn''t as firm as it should have been. She also didn''t try to step away.


    ¡°I know.¡± I said and let her waist go. ¡°I was just letting you know it was thanks enough.¡±


    Carol nodded and let out a soft breath as she stepped back. ¡°Then we need to go tell Sarah the good news.¡±


    ¡°There are some donuts left, too.¡± My mother said and took my hand as she led me out of the home office towards the kitchen. ¡°Just don''t eat the soggy one.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°Some inconsiderate person licked off all the chocte icing and ate the sprinkles.¡± She answered, as if delivering a huge secret.


    ¡°That was you.¡± Carol said from behind us.


    ¡°Shh! He didn''t need to know that!¡± My mother eximed.


    I couldn''t help butugh at that and Sarah smiled as we entered the kitchen. Carol took her aside and quickly exined what happened and that I was still going along with everything. I wasn''t really listening, because I was teasing my mother by trying to grab the soggy donut and she was trying to keep it away from me while also feeding me bits of another one.


    ¡°As, I need to apologize and thank you, too.¡± Sarah said as Carol sat at the kitchen table.


    I turned to face her in time for her to wrap her arms around my waist and she hugged me for a second, then her two firm hands grabbed my butt and squeezed, so I made that squeaky toy sound again.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± Carol gasped and my motherughed.


    ¡°He really does squeak?¡± Sarah asked with a teasing smile as she let me go.


    ¡°You didn''t have to try it out for yourself!¡± Carol used.


    Sarahughed at her reaction and my mother gave her a thumbs-up gesture.


    It took Carol a few seconds to realize how that sounded, as in keeping my squeaking butt to herself, and she groaned and dropped her head to the kitchen table. Her sister sat beside her and hugged her with one arm and my mother handed Sarah a donut as a reward.


    We stayed there for another half an hour, just talking about how things were going to be going forward. My mother said she would act like nothing happened and would also not ostracize Amy at work when she was there. She wasn''t going to hold how Amy felt against her, she just wasn''t going to be as close to her as she thought she was going to be.


    When Carol asked about what she meant, my mom told her how she had mentioned a few times to Amy about being her future mother-inw, then exined that Amy must have thought she was joking, making both Carol and Sarah look sad.


    ¡°Now we can only be friends and that might not work out well, because of our age differences.¡± My mother said and looked over at me. ¡°Of course, if Amy ever changes her mind...¡±


    I held up my hands and shook my head. ¡°She took an adamant stand and Vicky supported her. I''m not going to waste my time or effort trying to convince the both of them that they made a mistake.¡± I said and nodded at Carol and Sarah. ¡°Their mom and aunt already told them that and they still didn''t change their minds.¡±


    ¡°I almost ordered Vicky to call and apologize before begging you to take her back.¡± Carol said.


    ¡°I wouldn''t have believed that for a second.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°That''s what I said.¡± Sarah responded. ¡°You''re too smart to fall for that.¡±


    I forcibly had to close my mouth to not remind her that their n was for me to be the idiot that fell for Vicky''s n to get Amy and I together. My mother saw my reaction and knew me best, so she leapt from her chair and onto myp to hug me. She didn''t say anything and neither did I.


    ¡°What else do you want to do today?¡± I asked her to change the subject.


    ¡°I think we should hit the boardwalk for a nice stroll and then maybe dig our toes into the sand on the beach.¡± My mother said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It''s January.¡± I answered and she nodded. ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    My mom smiled and pecked me on the lips. ¡°Then we better get going. It''s the weekend and might be crowded.¡±


    I chuckled and did not tell her the beach had been closed for months. ¡°We need our coats.¡±


    ¡°I''m not crossing half the city to onlye right back.¡± My mother said and climbed off of myp. ¡°Oh! We can buy new ones!¡± She said excitedly and grabbed my hand. ¡°Let''s go shopping!¡±


    Before I knew it, we were out of the house and I was unceremoniously shoved into the passenger seat of her car. We were off a momentter and I was looking forward to having fun while making my mother happy.


    *


    Narwhal, the 7 foot tall cape with extremely long pale purple hair, always used her power to create a single 3 foot long horn on her forehead and she coated her skin in fingernail-sized crystalline forcefields, giving her a very exotic violet-blue look. She flew into Brockton Bay almostpletely unnoticed until shended in front of the most expensive hotel in the city.


    She had been smart and called ahead to reserve a room, only to find out that the penthouse suite was rented out for the next week. She chose the luxury suite on the floor below it and would stay there until the presidential suite was free.


    There were a few people out and about at this time of the morning and a some of them had their cell phones out to record her as she entered the hotel.


    ¡°Miss Narwhal, we didn''t expect you until noon.¡± The man behind the counter greeted her.


    ¡°I didn''t expect to show up this early, until my secretary reminded me I haven''t had a vacation in almost five years, so here I am.¡± Narwhal responded.


    The man chuckled and handed her the registry to sign. ¡°The suite is empty at the moment, so you don''t have to wait for anyone to vacate it.¡±


    Narwhal nodded and signed with her cape name. ¡°What are the breakfast options?¡±


    ¡°You can use the personal room service or attend the buffet in the concierge room.¡± The man answered and pointed where to go.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Narwhal said and handed her overnight bag to the bellboy.


    ¡°Suite 2.¡± The man behind the counter said. ¡°Don''t dawdle.¡±


    The young man held the bag like it was made of gold and walked quickly towards the elevator.


    Narwhal nodded at the efficiency and went to enjoy the buffet. She was quite used to the normal food back at the PRT HQ and the dishes spread before her made her regret not having the budget to bring in better food options.


    The server behind the table looked amused at her expression and rmended the devilled eggs and also mentioned adding a drop of hot sauce to make them even spicier.


    Narwhal epted the advice and tried one, the dab of sauce really did make the vour pop in her mouth, so she took six more to garnish her te and loaded it up with the fluffiest scrambled eggs she had ever seen and the crispiest hash browns.


    The server''s suggestion of a dribble of maple syrup over the hash browns was almost rejected, then Narwhal figured he knew what he was talking about and tried it... and it was delicious! She didn''t go overboard, though. She knew it was to entuate the taste, not used to coat the food with.


    She tried to sit at one of the tables near the wall a little awkwardly, because of her very long legs and the chair and tables were quite short. After trying a few times and not being able to getfortable, she pushed the chair out of the way and sat on the floor. She stuck her long legs under the table and crossed her ankles, leaned back against the wall, and rxed as she put the te on herp and ate.


    As she enjoyed the different tastes on her te, Narwhal nced around the room to see who else was staying there at the hotel. Her eyes almost immediately saw the yellow fluffy feathers on the blonde head of a very pretty woman across the room.


    Narwhal knew who she was and tried to not put herself on guard, even if the criminal Bad Canary had been on the brink of being sent to the Birdcage and was only released on a technicality. Almost as if she heard Narwhal''s thoughts, Paige Macabee looked over at her and smiled a huge smile, slightly unnerving her.


    Paige stood up and left her half-eaten breakfast on her table and walked over to Narwhal, whom tensed up, despite her position sitting on the floor and with her ankles crossed. It stopped her from being able to jump to her feet and she would have to rely on her flight ability if the cape attacked her.


    ¡°My powers only work when I''m singing.¡± Paige said as she walked by Narwhal instead of stopping beside her. ¡°But, does singing include humming? Clicking my tongue in rhythm? Whistling?¡±


    Narwhal thought her very wide smile was even more unnerving up close as Bad Canary left the room and the tension she felt started to fade, until she heard it.


    ¡°Haaave a gooood daaay, Narwhalll.¡± Bad Canary''s singsong voice floated back to her.


    Narwhal waited for any kind of mastering feeling or like she was being controlled, only for nothing to happen. ¡°I need to do something about this.¡±


    The server watched as Narwhal quickly ate her food much faster than she should have.


    Narwhal carefully stood up to her full height when she was done and strode out of the room like her ass was on fire. She needed to report to the director of the local PRT branch that Bad Canary was there in the city and they all needed to be careful.


    ¡°I''m supposed to be on vacation.¡± Narwhalined as she flew up into the air and then towards the PRT building. Vacation or not, she wouldn''t shirk her duties to protect the public from a known threat.

 214 Meetings And Greetings

    214 Meetings And Greetings


    ¡°We know.¡± Emily Piggot said as soon as the very tall cape known as Narwhal entered her office almost bent in half to allow her horn to fit through the doorway.


    Narwhal opened her mouth to tell her about her encounter and Emily turned on the television behind the desk and it showed security footage from the lobby of the hotel and Bad Canary leaving with her bags. Having Dragon around more often, really helped a lot with the surveince issues they usually had.


    ¡°Her being here was an idental consequence from a sting operation to figure out who destroyed the Birdcage and why.¡± Emily said and Narwhal nodded. ¡°Have a seat and I''ll exin more.¡±


    Narwhal did so and listened as Emily told her about what Dragon had told her, the reasons for it, and why Paige Macabee had moved to Brockton Bay. ¡°You''re kidding.¡±


    ¡°I wish I was.¡± Emily said with a sigh.


    ¡°So, the newest cape on the scene, the one that took down the Dragonyers in minutes and Heartbreaker in twenty, after somehow deactivating all of his hidden agents that would have wrecked half of Canada and most of Quebec in revenge for his death, is also responsible for the destruction of the PRT''s only means of deterrence against viin capes?¡± Narwhal asked and Emily nodded. ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t quite say that in response when I heard it as well.¡± Emily said.


    Narwhal smiled. ¡°You thought it though.¡±


    ¡°Noment.¡± Emily said and Narwhal barked a shortugh.


    ¡°All right, I''ll back off and won''t go after Canary without cause.¡± Narwhal said and Emily nodded. ¡°What''s the n of action against her and As, assuming you have one in ce.¡±


    ¡°Observation for now. If it turns out the new cape is as viinous as the worst capes to ever walk across the Earth, then we''ll assemble to confront him and take him down.¡± Emily told her.


    Narwhal raised her eyebrows at that qualifier. ¡°You''re kidding.¡±


    ¡°It''s standard procedure to go after known threats, even if they''re powerful.¡± Emily responded.


    ¡°Director Piggot... Emily.¡± Narwhal corrected herself. ¡°You just told me he''s as strong as Alexandria and has Legend''s level of energy sts. How in the world are you going to take him down?¡±


    Emily gave her a knowing look and Narwhal sighed.


    ¡°I came her to relieve my stress, not quadruple it by attacking the guy I specifically came here to invite into my bed.¡± Narwhal informed her.


    Emily leaned back from her as if pped. ¡°Excuse me? You didn''te here to lead the assault?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t even know about it until you told me, so no.¡± Narwhal said. ¡°I''m on paid leave for the next month while I''m on vacation.¡±


    ¡°And you came here, to the worst city for cape crime?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°It was the worst, until someone removed the capes that the gangs had, and now they''re the normal police department''s responsibility.¡± Narwhal said and then caught her breath. ¡°Oh. Oh, god.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°I just... I just got it.¡± Narwhal said. ¡°Don''t you see it, too?¡±


    ¡°No, or I wouldn''t ask you about it.¡± Emily said, slightly frustrated.


    ¡°It''s As. All those misceneous reports. All the reported missing capes. All of the unknown attacks by ghostly capes we thought was stig Uaine. It''s actually As.¡± Narwhal said. ¡°All of it.¡±


    Emily looked shocked before she spoke. ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    Narwhal nodded. ¡°We need to approach this very delicately. If he figures out you''re investigating him and are nning to fight him, it might set him off and he''ll go after the heroes like he did the viins.¡±


    Emily''s lips formed a thin line. She did not like that conclusion. Not at all.


    ¡°I agree that you need to keep Paige under surveince. As for As, you need to be very careful about how you handle that.¡± Narwhal told her.


    ¡°Me? Aren''t you going to help, now that you know?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry. I''m going to do my part.¡± Narwhal said and stood. ¡°If you have him under watch as well, then you''ll eventually see what I have nned.¡±


    Emily tried to not strain her neck as she looked up at the very tall cape. ¡°You said you wanted to bed him.¡±


    ¡°It''s a valid interrogation technique and has worked for thousands of years.¡± Narwhal said and walked over to the door, opened it, and bent almost in half to step through the doorway. ¡°I''ll need you to enact a privacy protocol if you catch me naked on camera.¡±


    Emily opened her mouth to respond and chose not to as she nodded. Her office door shut and she sat there for a moment as she thought about the cape that just left as fast as her long legs could carry her.


    Narwhal quickly left the building, because she had to get back to the hotel and im the presidential suite after seeing the surveince footage of Paige leaving the hotel with her bags.


    ¡°I can''t believe she''s still going to screw him after figuring out he caused so much chaos.¡± Emily said a couple minutester.


    Dragon''s face reced the footage of Bad Canary''s limo stopping at a random warehouse near the waterfront. ¡°Chaos is a good word to describe the aftermath. There are several towns and restricted zones that have been gutted of both people and infrastructure because of his actions.¡±


    ¡°Infrastructure?¡± Emily asked and caught her breath. ¡°Eagleton and Ellisburg!¡±


    ¡°Exactly, director. Once Narhwal said he was responsible for the cape disappearances, it was a basic extraption to connect him to therger mysteries as well.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°Armsmaster filed an updated report on As and his power ssifications early this morning.¡± Dragon said and Emily''sptop changed to show the added powers, including teleportation and his ''joke'' about not having a range for it. The lie detector readings from Armsmaster''s helmet did not register it as a lie.


    Emily sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. ¡°Is there anything else you know about mytest headache named As?¡±


    ¡°Quite a lot.¡± Dragon responded.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Emily ordered.


    Dragonplied by providing cell phone recordings of conversations, then showing camera footage of As disappearing from Brockton Bay and appearing at the Parahuman Asylum and then popping back again, the time difference between appearances severely exceeding his known flight speed. She also showed the registry with his sign in and sign out times and who he visited. A multiple murderer.


    Emily was not happy about that. ¡°What''s your assessment about his threat level afterpiling everything he''s done and can do?¡±


    ¡°If you''ll excuse thenguage as I put things sinctly?¡± Dragon asked and Emily nodded. ¡°We''repletely fucked if he goes viin.¡±


    After everything was pointed out to be caused by As, Emily fully agreed with her. That meant her ns needed to be changed, because thest thing they needed was to make him think he didn''t need the rest of the capes around. Losing the main viins was one thing, losing all the capes before the next Endbringer attack would be an unmitigated disaster.


    *


    I had a really hard time notughing as my mother had an absolute ball digging her toes into the practically frozen sand for several minutes, demand I clean them and rub them and make them warm for her, then she would frolic around on the beach to dig her toes into it again.


    After a few more toe dipping dances, my mom came back to me onest time and I cleaned her little toes and rubbed them to warm them up. She put her socks and stylish boots back on and we walked back to where she parked the car. We had already done some shopping on the boardwalk and she had been quite pleased to not bother checking the price tag as she picked up a few things for herself.


    She acted like a giddy teenager as she carried on and smiled happily, giving me a glimpse of what she must have been like as a carefree teenager without a care in the world. It made me realize why my father had fallen for the girl and I couldn''t fault him for grabbing her up as soon as he could. Letting someone like her go would have been the biggest mistake of his life.


    As we drove off to find somewhere to eat lunch, I told her I was extremely lucky to have her in my life. It made her blush and she knew I was sincere about it, because I would never lie about something that important. Plus, she could see through my lies like clear ss and always called me on it.


    We pulled into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant and went inside to eat. Take-out might have been better for privacy; but, we wanted to eat in for once and enjoy the atmosphere of the ce. Also, the smells were making our mouths water and we ordered quite a bit more than two people should reasonably eat in one meal.


    Just as we sat down and were about to dig into the food, an eerie silence fell in the restaurant as the door opened. Both my mother and I turned our heads to look and we saw the cause. Bad Canary had just entered and everyone had stopped to stare at her. She looked like she was used to that reaction, though.


    I somehow had the feeling she didn''t like that kind of negative reaction, so I decided to do something about it. ¡°Paige!¡± I said and waved, making my mother gasp. ¡°We''re sitting over here!¡±


    Paige turned her head to look over at us and saw me waving. She looked both surprised and happy, and the customers started chatting and whispering again, so I figured my ploy had worked.


    ¡°Greg, she might have ns to eat already.¡± My mom whispered to me.


    Unlike what she assumed, Paige Macabee walked right over to out table and smiled at us. ¡°It''s so nice to finally meet you.¡± She said and then tilted her head slightly. ¡°I''m not sure if I should use your cape names if you''re in civilian clothes because of the unwritten rules and other such nonsense.¡±


    ¡°The names are usually kept separate for a reason, even if we''re open capes like you. Costume, cape name. Casual clothes, normal name.¡± I said and waved for her to sit beside me. ¡°You can call me Greg and the beautiful woman across from me is my mother, Diane.¡±


    ¡°I need to go order.¡± Paige said and sat beside me anyway. ¡°I''m Paige... and you knew that already.¡±


    I chuckled and motioned to the overloaded tray on the table. ¡°We bought extra to take home afterwards. Go ahead and help yourself and we''ll pick up more on the way out forter.¡±


    Paige smiled and picked up a steak burrito. ¡°I love these things.¡±


    ¡°We do, too.¡± I said. ¡°It''s the best bang for your buck and it''s delicious.¡±


    ¡°Which is a huge plus for people on the go.¡± My mom contributed. ¡°It''s cheaper to eat these things instead of trying to make them at home.¡±


    ¡°It''s also a heck of a lot easier to clean up afterwards, too.¡± I said and both my mother and Paige nodded. I finished off my burrito and started digging into therge order of nachos and chili cheese, only for my hand to touch Paige''s as we reached for the same chip.


    Paige blushed and moved her hand back to let me take the one with the biggest lump of cheese on it, so I picked it up and carefully twisted it to catch the cheese as it tried to slide off, and offered it to her.


    ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Paige said and daintily took a bite, then another, then opened wide and her lips closed on my fingertips.


    I let the chip go and she didn''t pull away right away. I felt her tongue lick my fingers once before she pulled back with a bright blush on her face and she quietly chewed on the mouthful of the best nachos on the menu.


    I did not miss the knowing look my mother was giving the both of us. I didn''t call her out on it, though. We were there together to have lunch and Paige just happened to join us. It wasn''t nned or expected, even though I had been warned that Paige was in the city. That gave me a valid question to ask her, too.


    ¡°If you don''t mind me asking, why did youe to Brockton Bay?¡± I asked.


    Paige had just swallowed, so she didn''t choke over me asking her so tantly.


    My mother on the other hand, justughed. ¡°Subtle, you''re not.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I doubt either of us likes having people lying to us or treating us differently.¡±


    My mom nodded and smiled at Paige. ¡°If we''re going for honesty right off the bat, then Greg was warned you were here looking for him and lying about it won''t work.¡±


    ¡°Who''s the one not being subtle again?¡± I asked and she grinned at me.


    ¡°I''m the one who is going to bow out and let you two talk in private.¡± My mother said and stood as she picked up her purse. ¡°I''ll see you back at home whenever you''re done.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I said firmly and both my mother and Paige caught their breath. ¡°We talked about this being our day off and we have ns to rx and spend the day together, doing whatever we wanted.¡± I turned my head to look at Paige. ¡°I hope you don''t mind a rain check? Maybe for tomorrow?¡±


    Paige looked surprised, so I continued.


    ¡°We don''t mind sharing a meal with you, since we''re out in public and it''s expected to possibly see or meet someone else we know. However, this is my mom''s day and I''m not going to disappoint her by cutting it short halfway through.¡±


    ¡°Greg...¡± My mother started to say, probably to warn me about antagonizing a cape.


    ¡°Even though you know who I am, you would speak to me that way?¡± Paige asked with a calm expression on her face.


    ¡°Would you rather I give up the small amount of personal time I have with my mom, just to talk to you?¡± I asked instead of directly answering.


    ¡°Greg!¡± My mother gasped.


    Paige lost the calm look on her face and smiled warmly. ¡°No, Greg. I fully expected you to ignore me instead of inviting me to eat, because I didn''t want to intrude. You asked me to join you for the meal and nothing else, so I expected nothing else.¡±


    I smiled and took out my cell phone. ¡°Can you give me your number? I''ll call in the morning to see if you''re busy and we can meet up somewhere.¡±


    Paige took my phone and quickly entered her number and something else, then handed it back. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± She said and stood, gave my mother a little wave, and walked over to the counter. She picked up a veryrge bag of take-out and left with the smile still on her face.


    ¡°Greg.¡± My mother said and sat back down.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± I reassured her. ¡°If I just rolled over for her and ignored you, I think she would have been more upset with me than you would be.¡±


    My mom opened her mouth to refute that, then huffed instead. ¡°You don''t have to y dangerous games with potential viin capes, you know.¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t <b>have</b> to.¡± I said suggestively and offered her a nacho chip.


    My mother scoffed at me and then leaned forward to eat the chip just as daintily as Paige did. She didn''t repeat the kiss and lick my fingers thing that Paige did, though. I pouted at her and sheughed, breaking her out of her contrary mood, and we dug into the remaining food.


    We finished it off and went to the counter to grab more forter, just like Paige had, and we went home to rx and watched television. Wearing pyjamas and lounging around on the couch was an important activity that we both enjoyed on our day off and we saved the take-out food for supper. Storing it had kept it hot, so it was just as good as it had been in the restaurant.


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 215 Not A Typical Sunday

    215 Not A Typical Sunday


    I woke up on the couch under arge nket and was not surprised to find my mom sprawled over me again. We weren''t naked, since we were in the living room and not in a bedroom. I was sure that she hadn''t done anything to me, since my clothes were still intact.


    After a quick check, I amended that to be mostly intact, because my underwear was missing and I still had no idea how she kept stealing them without me noticing. I took out my cell phone from inventory and checked the time to see that it was just before dawn like always, and put it away and closed my eyes again.


    I decided that I shouldn''t call Paige this early, even if she was an early bird trying to catch a worm. Myugh almost escaped and I barely stopped myself from shaking my mom awake after thinking such a stupidly appropriate pun.


    I had also derailed pretty much everything that was going to happen, except for the Endbringers. With only them left and most of the evil capes in the world taken care of, Earth Bet wouldn''te to the attention of any of the other Earths. At least, I hoped so. I think one was named Earth Shin and there was a trumped up cape thinking she was a goddess because she had powers like Heartbreaker.


    I just needed to figure out how to adjust my portal power to traverse dimensions, or find another cape that a simr power to fold into my own. I would also need a targeting power that would let me find the external threats as well. The only capes I knew like that were Flechette and rvoyant, whom could target anything, and Doormaker was the only cape that could create trans-dimensional portals.


    That was a tall order to fulfill, because I was sure that even if I became buddy-buddy with the members of the shadow cabal named Cauldron, there was no way they would give me ess to their only means of transportation they used to travel to their base on another Earth, despite having the portal tech to do it. That tech was also highly restricted and there was definitely no way I was getting it.


    My mother stirred and brought me out of my thoughts, my eyes opening to see what she would do when she realized she wasn''t braced on me like usual. When she shifted her weight, Iughed because slid right off of me and out from under the nket to flop down onto the floor with a thud.


    ¡°Huh? Wha?¡± My mom asked and lifted her head up from the carpet to blink bleary eyes at me.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± I said and tossed the nket off, hopped over her, and scooped her up into my arms toy her back down on the couch. I covered her with the nket again, giving her a still warm environment to snuggle up in, and she fell right back to sleep.


    I went to the kitchen to cook breakfast and made up enough for her to eatter, scarfed down what I made for myself, and thought about what to wear. Since I wanted to make a more impressive entrance and introduction than I had yesterday, I went through my inventory and found the perfect thing. I hadn''t used it in a long time and hoped Paige would like it.


    I left a note for my mom to let her know where I was going and that she could call me if she needed me. I took out my cell phone again and checked the number Paige had left and saw she had texted her own phone with my number to make sure it was me that was calling.


    <i>That was smart.</i> I thought and stepped out of the house through the kitchen door and called the number. It took five rings before it was picked up.


    ¡°Sorry, Greg. I was in the shower.¡± Paige said without saying hello first.


    ¡°Thanks for the mental image.¡± I joked and she softlyughed. ¡°I can call back if you need to...¡±


    ¡°I was just finishing up and grooming my feathers.¡± Paige interrupted. ¡°I can stand to let it go for a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I saw you had a lot of them nestled inside your blonde hair and the down must be a real bitch to your scalp if you don''t dig it out.¡±


    Paige was quiet for a moment. ¡°How did you know it''s like that?¡±


    ¡°I''d like to say I researched avian species to impress you; but, the truth is, I used to own a spotted owl and she was the Queen of the Roost. All she did wasin constantly about needing my help to groom her and I''d spend hours every few weeks meticulously going over her body from head to toe.¡±


    Paige made an odd sound and the call went dead.


    I looked at the screen and saw it said it was cut at the source and I waited as I thought about calling her right back, only I was sure if I did that, our calls would cross and we would both receive busy signals. After a few minutes, my cell beeped and a text from Paige literally begged me to hurry up and help her. I sent one back to agree I would be right there and asked for her address, since I didn''t know it.


    Once I had it, I checked the map in my inventory and found the right spot, mentally recalled seeing it from up above, and apparated from the backyard to the roof of the warehouse. I walked over to the roof ess door and saw it was locked, so used magic to unlock it and entered, then locked it again and went down the stairs.


    It was a huge and mostly empty studio apartment. There were multiple suitcases gathered around a nice couch that was simr to the one back at the house. Paige herself stood in her bathroom''s doorway with a robe half on and a shocked expression on her face. She stared at me and the outfit I had chosen to wear for her. My pink were-bunny outfit.


    I intentionally froze stiff when I pretended to notice her, making her gasp and her eyes dted as her robe dropped to the floor, leaving herpletely naked. I very very slowly took a single step to the side and her head followed me like a hawk''s.


    ¡°EEP!¡± I fake chirped and ran.


    Paige let out a crow-like cry and shot across the wide open space. Her hands were almost formed into ws as she hunted me down like a bird of prey. I darted to and fro, not making it easy for her, then I pretended to trip and stumble. She was on top of me a secondter with a manic look in her eyes and had me pinned down.


    When I didn''t struggle or tried to get away, she visibly rxed and her eyes focused on me.


    ¡°I love you.¡± Paige whispered and kissed me passionately.


    I popped right up for her and she felt me between her legs, making her moan. Paige adjusted herself and then moaned really loudly as she slid herself down onto me, her kissing not stopping at all. She rocked her hips and kept her tongue firmly in my mouth as she imed the prize she had won by catching me.


    It didn''t take her long before she cried out, again sounding like a crow, and came pretty hard. She was still surprisingly tight, so I rolled us over and she wrapped her legs around me to keep me inside of her. I floated us up and she moaned as a majority of her weight was being held up by where we were attached, really letting her feel it, and Inded us on the couch.


    With a morefortable thing for us to rest on, I used the were-bunny action to do my best to screw her brains out. Paige didn''t mind at all.


    *


    Diane woke up and sighed when she realized she was alone under the nket. She should have known she couldn''t keep him with her for longer if she didn''t intentionally distract him. She pushed the nket off and stood up, stretched, and went to the kitchen. Breakfast was there, still warm, so she hadn''t missed him by much.


    The note was more of an apology than anything and Diane smiled as she read it. <i>Of course he''s already gone over to bed the new girl in his life.</i> She thought with a chuckle. If he didn''t wear his heart on his sleeve so much, he wouldn''t have as many troubles as he does.


    Diane sat and ate the food. It was delicious like always and she wondered where he learned to cook so well. It wasn''t like she had ever taught him anything or ever let him help her, not before he gained powers anyway. Did he gain super-cooking as a secondary power or something? Wouldn''t that kind of suck for a power ssification? Are there negative ratings for things like that?


    She shook her head at those errant thoughts and brought the dishes to the sink to wash them. Now she had the whole day to herself and she didn''t know what she wanted to do. She could sneak into the hospital and do some extra healing, only she might vite her volunteer permit if she exceeds her scheduled times. Unlike Panacea, she did have other things she had to do in her life.


    That reminded Diane that she needed to handle the paperwork for the funeral and to arrange payment for the service, cremation of course, because Lung did not leave bodies that could be shown in an open casket. That horrible thought brought her mood down even more than waking up without Greg did, and she went to gather the paperwork from the pile of mail and sat at the table to deal with it.


    Powers or not, certain things still had to be dealt with, and Diane wasn''t looking forward to it. Insurance forms, death benefits, the title to the house, the mortgage, and bills. It was a huge pile and she didn''t regret putting it all off as she spent time with the only man in her life that understood her and epted herpletely.


    <i>Amy and Vicky are idiots.</i> Diane thought with a smile and started to read the information from the funeral home. <i>Greg was the only one that never judged them.</i>


    *


    Narwhal woke up in the huge king-sized bed and sighed happily. It hadn''t taken the staff long to clean the room and she had moved in right away. The cost was worth the luxury, because she always had a difficult time finding a bed she actually fit on without difort or having to curl up on. She also slept naked, since she needed to keep her skin uncovered because of her power.


    She climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to take care of things and had a shower, giving her a refreshing feeling to match a great night''s sleep. Taking a vacation was the best idea she had had in a long time and she dried off with therge fluffy towels and tossed them into the providedundry basket.


    Back in the main room, Narwhal sat on the couch and her long legs barely fit as she leaned against the armrest and propped her feet up to recline and rx. She turned on the television to see what was on and wasn''t surprised that her own appearance there at the hotel was the top story.


    At least they didn''t have footage of the breakfast buffet from yesterday. Narwhal thought and picked up the telephone receiver. She ordered breakfast delivered and hung up, because she didn''t want to tempt fate or chance a repeat of yesterday.


    After flipping through the channels for several minutes, settling on a morning show about the local cape scene, Narwhal thought about how she was going to find the young man that she wanted to get to know better. She knew where he lived and could just show up, except it was Sunday and she was sure that such an active cape would be out doing something.


    Narwhal felt inspired as she remembered that she could ask her friend Dragon for his phone number and went to her bags to dig out her PRT issued cell phone. A quick text was sent off and one came right back, her friending through for her without question. She sent her thanks and looked over at the clock. It was fairly early still and the knock on her door reminded her As might be eating as well.


    *


    I was eating out Bad Canary and she tugged on my long bunny ears to encourage me to go harder and to keep going. I obliged, because she looked like she really needed it. She also couldn''t helpmenting about how great I was for figuring out her fetish and then giving it to her before we even had a first date.


    I kept my mouth shut and didn''t say I had a lot of experience with Hedwig and her desire to hunt and catch prey. She did it as a necessity for food, yes. But, she loved doing it to hone her skills and to keep herself in top form. She was a bird of prey and extremely deadly to the things she thought were threats.


    Paige cried out and finally let my ears go as her whole body shuddered and she came really hard. She was panting heavily and gave me a very sexy look. I instinctively knew what she wanted and switched ces with her to give her full ess to what she wanted. She licked me all the way up the shaft and swirled her tongue around the head, then she moaned as she did her best to choke herself on it.


    I didn''t bother trying to tell her to take her time or to rx, because I knew she wouldn''t listen. She was going to do what she wanted to me and I was going to like it, because that was what she said her whole purpose was. She came to Brockton Bay for me and she wasn''t going to leave, now that she had me in her clutches.


    Funnily enough, Hedwig had felt the same way. Once she had imed that spot in my life, no other owl was allowed to rece her. I was allowed to use other owls to send letters, since I had so much fan mail to answer; but, <b>she</b> was <b>my</b> owl and that was that.


    That was how I knew that Paige had slotted herself into that primary slot and was never going to give it up, whether I objected to it or not. It was reassuring in a way and scary in another. I looked down at her joyous face as she slobbered over my throbbing member, her face coated in my white fluid, and she gazed back at me lovingly.


    Having a slightly crazy and probably murderous stalker that was obsessed with me, might be the change in my life that I need right now.


    *


    Dean felt like a total heel as he let Vicky lead him around the mall. She had somehow convinced him that a day out with her, a disgruntled Amy, and one of his friends on the football team, was a great idea. They had made up onlyst night and now they were back together like nothing had happened and pretended that Amy hadn''t had an actual boyfriend for several daysst week.


    He had been at the debriefing about what happened and he knew how Vicky had treated As after Amy rejected him. That had secretly angered him for a while, until he realized she was backing Amy up, even if it hurt her own standing with the new cape on their team.


    The New Wave''s counter-publicity about nothing actually going on between them, had pretty much shot down the PRT''s n to use the breakup to entice As and his mother Nostrum away from the independent cape team. The only downside was how Greg was lumped in with the muscr jocks and was being seen as gullible and less intelligent than he actually was.


    Dean knew this, because he was also friends with the older siblings of the younger years that shared several sses with Greg. Finishing a time-intensive English assignment the day it was assigned and then offering to help tutor his entire college prep math ss to help them? That''s not a dumb jock''s mentality.


    His eyes nced at Amy as his friend barely tried to talk to her and his power let him feel a huge spike of annoyance from her. It didn''t feel specific for Brad, even though he had caused it. It was more a general feeling and Dean wondered why for several minutes, then he suddenly realized it was because this was what always happened when they went out on double dates.


    <i>Oh, no. That''s why she hates me.</i> Dean thought as they entered one of Vicky''s favorite stores. <i>It''s because of me that she has to put up with dating guys she doesn''t like.</i>


    The guilt weighed on him for quite a while and didn''t abate at all as they went to lunch at Fugly Bob''s and Brad talked more to Vicky than he himself did. Dean didn''t know what he could do to make the whole situation better, because he could feel how happy Vicky was at the extra attention and Brad was enjoying himself as well.


    The only downer was Amy and she always felt that way... except when Greg had been around. Amy had smiled, joked a little, and was pleasant to him and the other Wards. She didn''t even scowl at the girls Vicky hung out with and he knew she hated how airheaded they acted when around her sister, especially during lunch when they all sat together.


    Dean knew then that he had to somehow bring Greg back into Amy''s life, despite the personal disaster the break-up was. If he could. He would need to talk to Dennis about it, since they seemed to be good friends. Instead of mentioning anything to Vicky, the experienced social butterfly, he decided to try and handle it himself.


    Amy gave him a particrly stern look for some reason and Dean internally sighed, not realizing Amy was actually ring at her sister on his other side, because Vicky was tantly flirting with Brad right there in front of everyone and everyone was looking at them.


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 216 Setting Things Up

    216 Setting Things Up


    It was easy to change my fingernails into appropriately shaped ws to dig into Paige''s crown feathers and groomed her after she had sated herself. She cooed happily as I dug out the irritating down feathers that bothered her and she was almost boneless as she let me take care of her while sheid on top of me on the couch.


    It took a lot of trust on Paige''s behalf to let me be this close to her, especially with quite sharp transfigured ws scraping against her skull. However, her loving gaze never wavered as the pile of irritating down grew until I finished the task.


    ¡°You can''t legally marry me until you''re sixteen, even with your mother''s permission.¡± Paige stated and kissed me tenderly.


    I changed my hand back to be normal. ¡°That''s almost the worst proposal I''ve ever heard.¡±


    Paigeughed and nuzzled into my neck before she lightly nipped at the skin there. ¡°I don''t want to know.¡± She said and softly kissed my neck several times before she sighed. ¡°I don''t want to get up.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to.¡± I told her, giving her the option to stay right where she was.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I do.¡± Paige said and sat up, her modest chest only swaying a little. ¡°I have a huge delivery of equipmenting soon and I need to sign for everything and direct them where to put everything.¡±


    I perked up at that. ¡°You''re creating a recording studio here on the bottom floor?¡±


    Paige looked surprised for a second and then smiled. ¡°I should have known you would figure that out right away.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I''m not just a pretty face.¡± I said with a snooty voice and she giggled. ¡°I''m not!¡±


    Paigeughed and kissed me. ¡°I know you''re not, Greg. I just didn''t think you knew that much about me.¡±


    ¡°Not personally.¡± I said and she raised her eyebrows. ¡°I do know a lot about production values and public perception, though.¡±


    Paige nodded and stood up from the couch. ¡°I need to clean up before the workers show up to finish soundproofing the studio downstairs.¡± She said and gave me a stern look. ¡°Is it safe to invite you to shower with me?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± I denied and she chuckled. ¡°But, I can be both discreet and fast.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s good enough.¡± Paige said with a warm smile and took my hand to bring me into her bathroom. I took off the were-bunny suit to leave myself naked and we had a nice quick romp in the shower. We were dried off and Paige dressed while I pretended to not have anything to change into to make herugh and she offered me some of her clothes.


    I waved her offer off and went up the stairs to the roof as I pretended to retrieve an overnight bag of clothes and stored the bunny suit. Paige gave me a very possessive look that was full of approval when I returned with therge bag. I dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that had ''I am starting to think I''ll never be old enough to NO any better'' printed on it, and sheughed.


    As a joke, I pulled out another t-shirt to hold out to her. Paigeughed and took off her blouse to put it on. It had ''All of my Sarcasms are real and never faked!'' on the front and she looked a little proud to wear it. She took my hand and led me down the stairs to the bottom floor and I saw it was stripped down to the bare walls and there was a partially built section in the rear corner.


    ¡°Can you install the equipment with it this unfinished?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I don''t have a choice.¡± Paige said with a sigh. ¡°I had nned to stay at a hotel for the week while this ce was being renovated, then Narwhal showed up at the hotel.¡±


    I pulled on her hand and she turned around to lean against me. ¡°She didn''t do anything to you, did she? Do I need to go have a talk with her?¡±


    Paige looked surprised at my question and then she almost melted against me and kissed me soundly. ¡°You actually care enough about me to face Narwhal, even though she''s a PRT director?¡±


    ¡°You haven''t done anything wrong while here, so she shouldn''t hound you without cause.¡± I said.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Paige asked me.


    ¡°I haven''t heard of anyone acting strangely or out of character, so you haven''t been using your suggestion powers to influence people.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Oh? You don''t think I''ve been influencing you ever since you showed up here?¡± Paige asked.


    ¡°Worshipping my balls is a valid tactic to influence me and your mouth was full most of the time, so no. You haven''t been using your powers on me.¡± I said with a smile and sheughed.


    ¡°Do you want me to try?¡± Paige asked.


    ¡°If you want to.¡± I said and her eyebrows rose. ¡°It won''t affect me unless I want it to.¡±


    Paige looked shocked for a moment, then she pulled me back in to kiss me soundly again. ¡°I knew you were perfect.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I''m not. At all.¡±


    Paige let me go and stepped back. ¡°Would you ept it if I changed it to perfect for me?¡±


    ¡°That I might not object to.¡± I responded.


    Paige motioned for me to follow her into the sectioned-off area. ¡°Then give me a hand moving some of the supplies around to make room for the banks of sound editing equipment that should be here soon.¡±


    I stepped into the fairlyrge area and saw how it was divided into arge control booth without anything between it and the recording section. Only part of the sound dampening material was up and the rest of the bare concrete wasn''t going to be any good for containing the sound or minimizing the vibrations loud music was going to cause.


    ¡°Who did you hire to do this?¡± I asked and looked over the shoddy application of the materials already put up. It would only be half as effective because the specialty foam design didn''t have a solid base to adhere to.


    ¡°The dockworkers union.¡± Paige said and picked up a bundle of instion to toss out of the area. ¡°I was trying to not cause too much of a fuss or I would have brought in a proper work crew from out of town.¡±


    ¡°You should have done that.¡± I said and pulled on the foam part already up and there was a small tearing sound as half of the thing came right off of the wall. ¡°It wasn''t secured properly.¡±


    Paige looked at part of the walls already done and sighed. ¡°That''s going to set me back even more than showing up early did.¡±


    ¡°No, it won''t.¡± I said and gave her a pointed look. ¡°Please keep this quiet.¡±


    Paige nodded agreement and then gasped as everything on the walls was pulled off without me touching anything else. ¡°What... what power is...¡±


    ¡°Telekinesis.¡± I said and lifted everything else up in the area and moved it all out into the main part of the room. I then started taking out the wood and supplies needed to make actual walls to secure to the bare concrete. Since I had a fuse ability to stick things together, I didn''t need nails or anything, and transfiguration let me make the wood into any size and shape I needed.


    Paige watched, her breathing heavy, as I put up the wall studs that should have been there and built the outer wall to divide it offpletely from the rest of the warehouse, except for a single doorway. I also built out the ceiling and the floor, to give her a solid base for everything.


    I wired the new room for electricity andputer ess, as well as lights, plugs, switches, cables for television monitors, microphones, speakers, earphones, and the inte. I then used the instion bundles she had there and filled up the spaces between the studs with pieces of instion and expanded them to fill up the spaces and formed a solidyer. I also cast impervious spells on everything to never have to worry about anything wearing down or breaking.


    I covered it all in stic and fused it together, leaving sealed holes for the receptacles. Therge stack of sheetrock panels, otherwise known as drywall or gyprock, were lifted into ce and I covered everything with them, leaving appropriate holes for all the various plugs and things.


    Since I was forming it all in ce and fusing it together, there was no need for filling the cracks or screw holes, because no screws were used. The solid white walls looked like a professional had spent a long time finishing them, because everything was clean and straight.


    With that done, I used the boxes of fixtures and covers for the switches and lights to put them into ce, then added the florescent lights as well. I fixed the soundproofing material and removed the incorrectly applied glue from the back of it, then I covered the walls and the ceiling with it and fused it all together into a solid piece, again leaving the appropriate holes for plugs and things.


    The floor I covered with a thick hardwood flooring to make it sturdier and added a nice carpet forfort and extra sound dampening. I also discreetly cast sound muffling spells on everything to make it all perfectly soundproof. The only thing it didn''t have was a door, which was going to be in the control booth anyway.


    I quickly built a wall to cut off the control booth, leaving a doorway into the recording part, and added in the thick and expensive soundproof ss Paige bought to look through. It gave the recording space a finished look that had Paige gasping for breath. I walked over to her and she stared at me like I was the messiah of her religion, probably because it had only been about twenty minutes for me to do it all.


    A loud ringing knocked Paige out of her shock and she put a hand on my chest, gave me a look that promised a lot of dirty funter, and she walked across the warehouse to answer the doorbell by the normal door. She opened the door and met with a delivery guy and signed his clipboard, then she opened therge sliding delivery door beside the normal door.


    ¡°Just drop it all off right here.¡± Paige ordered and motioned to just inside the warehouse.


    ¡°Sure thing,dy.¡± The gruff guy said, looking relieved that he didn''t have to bring each piece in to set them in ce like he thought he had to. After he and two other guys read her t-shirt andughed, they used a dolly and spread therge boxes and crates out just enough to empty the back of the truck. The delivery guy saluted her in thanks for such an easy job and drove away.


    Paige shut both doors and locked them before turning to me. ¡°Greg? Darling? Honey bun?¡±


    I chuckled and didn''t bother walking over to her and lifted everything up from across the warehouse and floated them over to where I was and put them down beside the recording area, since I didn''t know where she needed each thing inside the room.


    ¡°I''m almost afraid to ask you what else you can do.¡± Paige said and kissed me. ¡°Help me unpack everything and I can worry about setting it upter.¡±


    I helped her with it all, making a bit of a mess with the packing material, and I piled all the discards off to the side and out of the way.


    Paige looked at the veryrge sound board that was eight feet long, just over three feet wide, and four feet tall. ¡°Dammit. I forgot this thing needed to be put into ce before building the wall.¡±


    I motioned at the doorway and it widened out to five feet wide.


    ¡°Of course you can alter what you built.¡± Paige said with a huff and I didn''t correct her assumption. ¡°I''ll guide it in if you can hold it steady.¡±


    I picked it up with telekinesis and she touched the far edge and led it into the control booth. We set it right under the observation window and it fit perfectly. Paige gave me a questioning look and I shrugged. Sometimes things just worked out on their own.


    We moved therge recording equipment in next and Paige started to smile as we assembled the room the way she liked it. By the time we were done setting everything inside and in their proper ces, her smile was almost permanently etched onto her face.


    ¡°The reinforced door isn''t supposed to be delivered until Thursday.¡± Paige said and nodded towards the doorway to the recording studio. ¡°A normal door ising for there.¡± She said and nodded to the doorway out to the rest of the warehouse.


    ¡°What about furniture?¡± I asked and made a normal door for the control booth. I had no idea what went into a reinforced studio door and didn''t bother trying to fake it.


    ¡°A delivery every couple of days for both the lounge down here and for the apartment upstairs.¡± Paige said and waved for me to follow her up the stairs. ¡°I''m just d the stairs to the studio apartment are straight and not curved like thest ce I lived.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. You had a huge couch and it wouldn''t fit up the stairs?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They had to take out the upstairs window and made it into patio doors to get the thing in!¡± Paige said with augh and Iughed, too.


    We reached the upstairs and Paige motioned to the couch.


    ¡°I can make it into a bed if you want.¡± I said, instead of offering to bring out one of the ones I had stored.


    ¡°Why? We''re not going to be sleeping.¡± Paige said and stripped off,ying the t-shirt I gave her on top of one of her suitcases like it was made of gold.


    I stripped off as well and she had mey down on the couch, then she spent a considerable amount of time giving me a very good time.


    *


    Narwhal sighed when she sent a text and there was no answer. She had flown over to the address As lived and only saw a woman there working through her mail, so she didn''t want to disturb her. She had no idea where he could be and didn''t feel like flying all over the ce looking for him.


    ¡°Maybe I''ll have a look around for Bad Canary, just to see what she''s up to.¡± Narwhal said to herself as she floated high above Brockton Bay and sent off a text to Dragon. Her cell beeped a momentter and it had a long list of the properties Paige Macabee owned down near the waterfront. ¡°Somebody sure let money go to their head.¡±


    Narwhal checked the addresses and didn''t really know where they were in rtion to where she was, so she had to fly down to the PRT Headquarters to look at the full city map in the situation room. She cross referenced the list to where they were on the map and saw the monopoly of properties Bad Canary had bought out.


    ¡°I think if she tried, she could probably buy out thest few properties and own the whole thing.¡± Narwhal said, marking down in her cell how to get to each address. ¡°I''ll fly over the houses first before I check the shut down businesses. Those are the most likely ces she''s living and making her recording studio.¡±


    Narwhal left the PRT building and flew up into the air. Hopefully, after she wasted some time tracking down where the new local viin cape was, As would answer her texts and agree to meet up. She really had a need to get her rocks off with something other than a reinforced sex toy.


    There was just something so much better about having a warm body under you that a piece of vibrating stic just couldn''t match.


    Narwhal flew to the first address and sighed at the boarded up house that had seen better days. She flew on to the next spot and shook her head. There were no signs of life anywhere around the ce and she moved on. She checked the businesses next and none of them had anyone around them, not even homeless bums.


    With nothing else to do, and As hadn''t responded to her texts yet, Narwhal decided to check thest few properties that were only abandoned warehouses. She didn''t have much hope of finding Bad Canary there, since a warehouse was a terrible ce to live, unless you were homeless or needed somewhere to hide.


    That thought made Narwhal gasp and she flew to the first warehouse on the list. It was boarded up, so she flew on to the next one. All the windows were beat out, no doors were present, and there was nothing inside except garbage. With onest property to check across the harbour, Narwhal hesitatingly flew across the water in the hopes that she would find what she was looking for.


    Narwhal paused in mid-air at what she saw. Right there through the windows of the practically empty loft, she found both of the people she had been looking for all morning. Cuddled together on an old couch, naked as they day they were born, were As and Bad Canary.


    ¡°Goddammit.¡± Narwhal said, her hands forming into fists and her eyes squinted. ¡°If I had taken her down yesterday instead of checking with Piggot first, that could have been me getting some.¡±

 217 Knocking Things Down

    217 Knocking Things Down


    Lisa Wilborne, aka Tattletale, sat at herputer and watched the feed from Leet''s drone as Narwhal finally found Bad Canary. Her eyes widened as her new power split the Timeline and her binary choice was to interfere or not in what was going to happen.


    -


    <b>Timeline Alpha:</b>


    As Lisa sat there to watch the uing confrontation, Narwhal smashed through the closest window and part of the wall as she tackled the sleeping capes and destroyed the couch. Bad Canary opened her mouth and started to scream with an excessively high pitch, because her arm and leg were broken.


    Narwhal''s ears rang, so she pped her hand over the cape''s mouth to shut her up and stop her from using her powers. Unfortunately, she slightly misjudged how much of the other woman''s face herrger hand could cover. The sheer strength she used in her desperation to quiet Bad Canary had crushed her nose, both cheeks, shattered her jaw, and snapped the much smaller woman''s head back with a loud crack.


    ¡°Thank god I stopped her from controlling me.¡± Narwhal said and stood up with a bit of blood dripping from her palm where she had pulped Bad Canary''s face. ¡°Don''t worry, As. I''ll get you into Master / Stranger protocols right away to break her control over you.¡±


    As stared at the body at her feet. ¡°You... you attacked an unmasked cape in her home... for no reason... and killed her.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t hit her that hard.¡± Narwhal shook her head in denial. ¡°She''s just unconscious and Panacea can fix her up in a few minutes. Even her snapped neck won''t be any trouble.¡±


    As slowly stood and the few drops of blood on his chest shifted and looked like teardrops. ¡°Panacea can''t fix dead, Narwhal. You sent six shards of bone through Paige''s brain with that p and it killed her instantly.¡±


    ¡°What? No, that''s not true. You can see she''s just faking it.¡± Narwhal said and knelt on one knee and put a single finger on the body''s neck to check for a pulse.


    ¡°I can sense powers and Paige''s body doesn''t have any.¡± As said, his voice calm.


    Narwhal''s heart plummeted when she couldn''t detect a pulse on Bad Canary''s neck. She felt bad about it; but, she had just saved her fellow cape. ¡°Well, it''s no big loss. I stopped her from using you in her viinous schemes and... HRK!¡±


    As had her by the throat and his eyes were full of anger. ¡°I wasn''t being controlled.¡±


    ¡°You clearly are!¡± Narwhal shouted and tried to pry his hand from her neck and couldn''t. <i>How strong is he?</i> ¡°You''re... acting like... a viin now!¡±


    ¡°I''m the hero here. You''re the one that attacked an unarmed civilian and murdered her.¡± As said and his hand squeezed.


    ¡°She''s... a viin.¡± Narwhal said as she actually felt like he was choking her.


    ¡°No. You are.¡± As said and floated up into the air as he took out his cell phone. ¡°Dragon, can you send the footage of Narwhal murdering my girlfriend to the PRT?¡±


    ¡°By... that!¡± Narwhal ordered.


    Dragon''s voice sighed. ¡°I''m sorry, Greg. She''s my nominal superior and I have to follow her orders.¡±


    <i>Nominal?</i> Narwhal thought before she felt her mind floating in a happy ce and a voice telling her what to do. ¡°Dragon, please send any and all records of my crimes to the Chief Director and to all the other PRT directors.¡±


    Dragon didn''t respond for a moment. ¡°Greg? What did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t master her, if that''s what you''re wondering.¡± As said and didn''t tell her it was the Imperius curse. ¡°It''s a temporary effect from one of my abilities that forces people toply to my orders.¡±


    ¡°That''s the definition of mastering.¡± Dragon responded.


    ¡°She''s not fully under my control and she knows what just happened. The closer to her own morals and mentality, the more willing she is to do it.¡± As told her.


    ¡°That''s still within the definition of mastering.¡± Dragon said.


    Narwhal woke up from the trance and looked horrified. ¡°Dragon! Cancel...¡± Her words stoppeding out, even though she was still speaking.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Dragon asked as Narwhal looked like she was ranting and gesturing wildly.


    ¡°I silenced her.¡± As said. ¡°Will youply or do I have to make this more personal?¡±


    ¡°More personal? How?¡± Dragon asked before she realized what asking that meant.


    As reached up and tore Narwhal''s horn from her forehead and crushed it, making Narwhal silently scream, because part of her powers had been ripped from her.


    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± Dragon said with a panicked voice and then sighed. ¡°I''ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± As said and floated there in the loft as he easily held a struggling Narwhal like she was nothing. ¡°Hopefully, the justice system will work this time. If not, I think a world without self-righteous capes sounds like a good one.¡±


    -


    <b>Timeline Beta:</b>


    After Lisa sent the text to warn As about the uing confrontation, Narwhal smashed through the closest window and part of the wall as she tackled the sleeping capes and destroyed the couch. Bad Canary opened her mouth and started to scream with an excessively high pitch, because her arm and leg were broken.


    Narwhal''s ears rang, so she swung her hand at the viin to shut her up, only for her wrist to be caught and As'' other hand mmed into her elbow and snapped it, making her briefly scream. She rolled away from the pair of capes and cradled her broken arm as she prepared to fight the viin and the hero cape she clearly controlled.


    As knelt beside Paige and he touched her, making Paige go quiet as her broken arm and leg reformed. Paige gave him a look filled with love and her hand lightly touched his bare chest.


    ¡°Just rest there and recover, Paige. I have a viinous hero cape to discipline.¡± As said as his costume appeared around him.


    Paige smiled warmly. ¡°Show her that you really shouldn''t break the unwritten rules by attacking capes in their civilian identities.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I n to make her regret it by giving her a broken leg to match yours.¡± As said.


    ¡°You can''t do that.¡± Narwhal said and stood up. ¡°I''m here to save you from her control.¡±


    ¡°You could have called first, knocked on the door, or even hollered through the window. Instead, you broke into a civilian owned property, wrecked the loft, and severely hurt the owner of said property.¡± As said and stood up. ¡°You don''t have a warrant, let alone a valid reason to attack a civilian.¡±


    ¡°I already told you she''s controlling you!¡± Narwhal said and braced for a fight.


    ¡°Where''s your proof?¡± As asked and disappeared.


    Narwhal''s hair flew out to the right and she turned to stick her elbow out to the left and hopefully catch As on the head or neck. There was a sickening crunch as her left knee was shattered, despite her powerful crystalized forcefields protecting it. She screamed as she dropped to the floor and her sole working arm cradling her leg.


    ¡°This...¡± Narwhal said through teary eyes, although she refused to sob. ¡°...is proof.¡±


    ¡°What? Me defending my girlfriend from an unprovoked attack by a cape that broke into her home and grievously hurt her?¡± As asked and took out his cell phone.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Narwhal asked.


    ¡°I''m calling the PRT.¡± As said and dialed the number he had. ¡°Hi, Miss Militia. I''m sorry for bothering you on the weekend. A powerful cape broke into my new girlfriend''s apartment, assaulted the both of us, and broke her arm, leg, and crushed three of her ribs.¡±


    Narwhal groaned and tried to not think about what a disaster this was going to be.


    ¡°We don''t need medical help for my girlfriend. I triggered again and can heal now.¡± As said and both Paige and Narwhal gasped. ¡°No, I don''t minding in for testing.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°Well, the cape is well known. In fact, she just showed up in town recently and has a unicorn horn.¡±


    Narwhal could hear a loud curse over the phone and sighed.


    ¡°Oh, and I broke Narwhal''s elbow and knee. Shattered them, actually.¡± As said. ¡°No, I didn''t heal them.¡± ¡°She''s being taught a lesson about breaking and entering.¡± He sighed. ¡°I''ve been dancing around what happened because Narwhal broke the unwritten rules and attacked a cape in their civilian identity and in their own home.¡±


    There was silence for almost a full minute.


    ¡°Paige has the footage and can share it with you after whatever PRT squad you send here to collect the criminal that trespassed on her property.¡± As said. ¡°Bodily harm alone should have her arrested. Attacking without provocation, proof, or a warrant of execution, considering her super strength and Paige almost dying from her wounds, rates a minimum incarceration of 3 years.¡±


    Both Paige and Narwhal heard As sigh.


    ¡°Yes, I know it has to go through the courts and I don''t have an unbiased opinion. However, I was also tackled and if I wasn''t as resilient as I am, Paige would have immediately died if I wasn''t in the way and took the brunt of Narwhal''s attack.¡± As stated. ¡°No, she didn''t know for sure that we would survive her assault. She just attacked through the window and wall without warning.¡±


    Narwhal saw As frown and didn''t think things were going to go her way.


    ¡°I was nice enough to call you directly to handle this mess, Miss Militia. I could have just pretended nothing happened and you would never know why Narwhal suddenly disappeared.¡± As said and paused for a moment. ¡°Do you still want me to do that? Because I can.¡±


    Narwhal tried to pray that Miss Militia listened tomon sense. She did not want to be disappeared like a distant memory and no one would ever find out what happened to her.


    ¡°If there''s no evidence of a crime, did it actually happen?¡± As asked. ¡°No, this is all hypothetical. Should I stay here and wait for the PRT to arrive and gather evidence or should I go home after making sure nothing at all happened here?¡±


    <i>Please, please, let her ept taking me into custody.</i> Narwhal prayed.


    ¡°That''s fine. I''ll wait right here for you and won''t move from this spot.¡± As promised. ¡°Fifteen minutes? All right, I can stay still for that long.¡±


    -


    Lisa didn''t hesitate at all as she sent off a text to As to warn him of Narwhal''s impending assault. There was no way she was going to allow a cape that powerful decide to remove all other capes from the world over the death of a girl he barely knew. That was just pure idiocy.


    She sighed as her second vision came true and leaned back in her chair to watch how it yed out. As warning Miss Militia that Narwhal getting off for the attempted murder of the civilians Greg Veder and Paige Macabee would make him take matters into his own hands, ensured that Narwhal was going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of thew.


    She might only get a couple of years, probably suspended for her previously clean record; but, that alone would ensure no one else went after either Bad Canary or As in their civilian identities, even if they were publicly known. Taking down the head of The Guild and a PRT director would give both capes a lot of leeway when it came to being held ountable for any future crimes.


    Not surprisingly, Lisa was perfectly okay with that. Paige was a good source of ie and didn''t mind throwing absurd amounts of money at her for information. As on the other hand, seemed to actually like her, even though he knew who she was and what she had to do to survive. That alone was a rare thing to find in another person, let alone another cape.


    It also kept her safe, because As was a surprisingly effective deterrent to anything that could cause her trouble. Just the hint that he might intervene on her behalf, was enough to make everyone back off from her and leave her alone. Lisa really appreciated that, which was why she used the powers given to her by As to ensure his life ran a little bit smoother.


    It was a small price to pay for her personal safety and security, which Lisa was quite happy to pay. Plus, if he ever had the inkling that she might like his direct attention, she could let him know everything she had done for him behind the scenes, specifically because he had left her alone. Lisa knew he wasn''t an idiot and would understand what she meant by that.


    The scene when the PRT squad showed up to take a severely hurt Narwhal into custody, made Lisaugh. Miss Militia used a guilt trip on As and he used his healing power to fix Narwhal and only Lisa and As knew he hadn''t fixed herpletely. She would always have a minor ache in both her knee and her elbow for the rest of her life and no one would be able to alleviate it.


    After the PRT took Narwhal into custody, As sent her a text to thank her for the warning, because he didn''t know what he would have done if she hadn''t given him a heads-up about the attack. Lisa did and she suppressed her shiver at the thought of As removing everyone in the same manner he had dealt with the viins he believed were a threat.


    ¡°You are more than wee, As. More than wee.¡± Lisa said and sent it. The heart emoji in response almost made her smile. Almost. She knew better than to assume she was safe after seeing both oues.


    As was only one bad decision away from wiping them all out and Lisa was the only one that knew it.


    *


    I agreed to go to the PRT during the week to have my ''new'' powers assessed and Miss Militia left with a quite unhappy Narwhal to be booked and charged with various crimes. They had taken a lot of pictures of the crime scene and Paige handed over a copy of the video Leet''s drone had recorded, as well as the security camera footage she had installed.


    ¡°You''ve had me followed?¡± I asked Paige after the door shut.


    ¡°Of course I had you followed.¡± Paige said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°How else was I supposed to figure out how to approach you and feel you out about the possibility of us being together?¡±


    I gave her a pointed look. ¡°The Mexican restaurant?¡±


    Paige huffed and took my hand to lead me back to the stairs and we went up to the loft. ¡°I can only watch the drone footage from myptop, which is right there.¡± She said and pointed to where there was a small desk and a pile of papers. ¡°It needs a solid data connection for the signal strength to not degrade.¡±


    It took me a moment to get it. ¡°You went out to get lunch and just happened to meet me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I couldn''t have been happier.¡± Paige said and stopped walking by the remains of the couch. ¡°Dammit, where the hell are we supposed to cuddle now?¡±


    I stored the mess and reced it with a very nicefy couch that was twice as big as thest one. Paige shook her head at me and pushed me down onto the thing and climbed on top of me. I hugged her close and she started to softly cry as she clung to me.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± I whispered to her and she shook her head as she continued to cry. ¡°Paige, if it wasn''t for me...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Paige said and lifted her head from my chest to kiss me. ¡°I told you about what happened at the hotel. It was only a matter of time before she jumped to the wrong conclusion.¡±


    I opened my mouth to refute that, then nodded. It really was like that and I couldn''t argue that it wasn''t. Sometimes, all people can see is the bad in others and that almost never works out well for anyone.


    ¡°The members of New Wave are going to freak out when they learn you''re a healer, too.¡± Paige said and gave my lips and cheeks a few kisses all over.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I responded. ¡°Do you want a picture of Amy''s shocked face or Vicky''s?¡±


    Paige paused and stared at me for a moment before sheughed. ¡°Both, please!¡±


    I grinned at her and pulled her in to kiss her passionately. Tomorrow was going to be quite the day at school and I was looking forward to seeing how things turned out. It was going to be fun spreading ''the love'' around and see how both Amy and Vicky react to other people getting my attention.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 218 School Antics

    218 School Antics


    I couldn''t stay there at Paige''s ce overnight, because it was a school night. We only cuddled for a short time before the cold air from part of the wall and window missing made Paige shiver. I gave her a few kisses before I went to the hole and repaired the wall by changing it into a set of patio doors for her.


    It made Paigeugh when she saw them, because she had told me the movers needed to do that at herst apartment to bring in the new couch, which had given me the idea. With another route to ess the roof, I added a second set of stairs and built a very nice deck for her to rx on with reclining chairs, a table, and warming charms on everything.


    I also added the ward protections I used for my properties around the warehouse, including notice-me-not, muggle repelling, and obscuring spells, that way no one would see her when she was out there on it. Paige was very appreciative of both things and we had a short romp on the couch I gave her, which she would move downstairs into the living area when the recement couch arrived in a few days.


    I kissed her goodbye, after a promise to meet up when we both had some free time, and I flew home. When I entered the house, I saw the piles of paperwork dealing with bills and dad''s funeral on the table and felt bad, because my mother had waited for me to leave before she tackled things she shouldn''t have done on her own. Again.


    I went up the stairs and into the master bedroom and saw her almost hiding under the nket on the bed. I waved my hand at the side of the room where the boxes of things my father owned, clearly marked for donation, and stored them. I went to the bed and pet the top of the blonde head I could see peeking out of the nket.


    ¡°You don''t have to keep facing things alone.¡± I whispered and she didn''t open her eyes. ¡°We''re in this together, remember? I''m here to help you.¡±


    ¡°I''m your mother, Greg. I''m supposed to handle things like that.¡± My mom''s muffled voice said. ¡°You''re the one that shouldn''t be worrying about anything.¡±


    I sighed and stored my cape outfit and equipped a set offy pyjamas. ¡°Scoot over.¡±


    The top of her head turned as she shook her head. ¡°I''m a grown up and I can deal with...¡±


    I moved her over with telekinesis and climbed into the bed behind her. I tossed the nket over myself and spooned her from behind as I hugged her with one arm around her waist.


    ¡°I''m not in the mood for you to coddle me.¡± My mother admonished me, except there was no heat behind it.


    ¡°Hush.¡± I admonished her right back and kissed the top of her head. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    My mom huffed and didn''t move for a few seconds, then she hugged my arm like usual and sighed. She didn''t say anything else and her breathing eventually evened out as she fell asleep. It took me a lot longer for sleep to im me and I didn''t fight the feeling. Sometimes, it was nice to hold someone forfort and for no other reason.


    I woke early in the early morning like I usually did and she hadn''t moved or turned around or anything. I checked the time and let myself doze off until I had to get up for school. I was tempted to skip a shower, except I had done thatst night and only cleaned myself with spells, and I wanted to feel refreshed the natural way.


    When it was time, I carefully extracted myself from my mother''s grip and kissed her cheek, tucked her back under the nket, and went to the bathroom. I saw the wrecked door and chuckled, repaired it with magic, and had a nice shower. I repaired my own door after that and changed for school before going downstairs to make breakfast.


    I went simple this time and had a bowl of cereal and toast, left a note for mom to call if she needed anything, and left the house. I had plenty of time before school and thought about riding the bus. The debate was short as I decided I didn''t need to experience the smells on public transit and made myself invisible and apparated to near the school.


    I made myself visible before walking into view of the school and a few of the guys and girls noticed me and waved or said hello. I nodded and waved back as I approached the front doors and thought about how I was going to handle this first meeting of post-break-up Amelia.


    <i>Go big or go small?</i> I asked myself as I approached where the popr kids were gathered in the hallway near the lockers. I saw Dean and another guy was with Vicky''s group and Dean was holding hands with Vicky, so they were back together. <i>Big it is.</i> ¡°Hey, guys!¡± I said with a smile on my face and gave Amy a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.


    Amy looked embarrassed and Vicky looked guilty.


    ¡°I have to skip you this time, Vicky. Dean imed dibs on you again.¡± I said with a chuckle and patted him on the shoulder and stepped in front of the brte that was the main hanger-on in Vicky''s clique. ¡°It''s nice to see you again, Jessica.¡± I said as I hugged her and kissed her cheek.


    Jessica had a shocked look on her face as I stepped back to face the next girl. ¡°S-s-somebody pinch me.¡± She said and the girl beside her did. ¡°Ow.¡±


    I chuckled at her friend doing that every time she asked for it. ¡°Hi, rice. I hope you had a nice weekend.¡± I said and hugged her.


    The blonde trembled slightly and let out a soft sigh. ¡°It suckedpared to this.¡±


    Iughed and kissed her cheek before I let her go. I started to turn to the blonde next to her and she leapt on me and kissed me right on the lips as she hugged my neck.


    ¡°Hi, Greg!¡± She said and had a very happy look on her face.


    ¡°Hello, Brittany.¡± I said and chewed what was in my mouth. ¡°Do you want your gum back?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± She said and kissed me again. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Everyone in the hallway was staring at me now, as were Amy and Vicky.


    ¡°Greg! What are you doing to my friends?¡± Vicky asked, scandalized.


    ¡°I''ve known them for a week, so they''re my friends, too.¡± I said with a smile and turned to the redheaded guy and opened my arms. ¡°Hi, Dennis!¡±


    ¡°AHH!¡± Dennis fake screamed and dashed behind Chris, which made everyoneugh.


    Iughed as well and held a fist out to Chris and he grinned as he tapped it with his own. Everyone appreciated a good harmless prank.


    ¡°What''s so funny?¡± A female voice asked.


    I turned to look and saw the girl I knew from gym ss walking over to us. ¡°Hey, Jensen.¡± I said and met her halfway to wrap my arms around her and hugged her.


    Jensen pretty much melted into me and let out a sigh like rice did. ¡°If this is a dream, I''ll kill whoever tries to wake me up.¡±


    Chuckles came from a few of the students around us.


    ¡°It''s not a dream. I''m just greeting my friends after not seeing them for a couple days.¡± I said and kissed her on the cheek.


    ¡°Oh, god.¡± Jensen whispered and held onto me.


    ¡°People wereughing because he tried to do the same thing to Dennis.¡± Dean exined.


    Jensen blinked her eyes at me for a moment and then smiled. ¡°He screamed like a little girl, didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t!¡± Dennis almost screeched and that earned a few moreughs.


    I was sure he hit that high pitch on purpose and nced over to see a small smile on his face. ¡°Well, Brittany did kind of imply he was getting more than a quick cheek kiss.¡±


    ¡°It was totally worth it.¡± Brittany said and blew a little bubble with her gum and popped it. ¡°He even gave me my gum back and it tastes even better than before.¡±


    Jensen understood what that meant and blushed. ¡°I thought... you and Panacea...¡±


    ¡°Naw, we''re just friends and hung out for a bit.¡± I said and let her go, then I posed like a professional bodybuilder and flexed my pecs. ¡°You can''t expect her to settle for a single jock like me after all the other jocks she''s dated.¡±


    Someone sucked in a sharp breath and there were a couple gasps. I didn''t have to turn around to know Amy was one of them and Vicky was another. Maybe rice as well, since she seemed to be the most in tune with Vicky''s moods.


    The bell rang and everyone scrambled to head to their lockers.


    ¡°Chelsea!¡± I said and Vicky''s fourth friend stopped walking and looked over at me. ¡°I didn''t forget you, I just ran out of time.¡± I said and she smiled. ¡°I''ll give you a hug and kiss at lunch, okay?¡±


    Chelsea blushed a little and then nodded before she went to her locker.


    ¡°What ss do you have first?¡± Jensen asked me and grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving.


    ¡°World History.¡± I said and she smiled.


    ¡°Me, too. You can share my book.¡± Jensen said and took my hand and led me to the right ssroom. She went to the back of the room and pushed two desks together in the corner. ¡°You first.¡±


    I held in my chuckle at her being so forceful and sat down on the chair by the wall. She sat in the chair right beside mine and didn''t say anything as she took out her book and flipped to the right chapter. Her notes were next and she put them beside the book within my easy reach.


    It didn''t take long for the ss to fill up and only a few of the girls nced over at me. I heard a few whispers about what happened in the hallway and had to smile. How I handled it was already spreading and I was sure that everyone in the school would know by lunchtime.


    The teacher entered the room just before the second bell and shut the door. ¡°You can put your books away.¡± He said and went to the far side of the room and pulled out a cart with a television and video cassette recorder.


    The soft cheers and quiet muttering about another easy ss had everyone happy.


    ¡°Don''t bother taking notes.¡± The teacher said and turned on the television, checked the settings, and started the tape. ¡°The lights need to be off for this.¡± He said and walked over to the door and snapped off the three light switches there.


    As soon as the news program started and gained everyone''s attention, Jensen pushed me up against the wall and climbed onto myp.


    ¡°If I''m your friend, I want you to prank me, too.¡± Jensen whispered and kissed me tenderly as she pulled up her shirt and exposed her bra.


    I looked down at her breasts and back to her face. ¡°I wasn''t actually going to kiss Dennis.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Jensen whispered and kissed me. ¡°It''s just an excuse for you to do me.¡±


    I cast several spells around us to block off everything. ¡°If you''re sure?¡±


    Jensen didn''t respond verbally and popped open her bra before she reached down to pull up her skirt and showed off her damp panties.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said and pulled her panties aside and slipped a finger inside of her very tight opening and didn''t feel any resistance, so I added another finger and flicked her good spot several times. ¡°Friends with benefits?¡±


    ¡°Oh god, yes!¡± Jensen eximed and came right away, her body shaking slightly, then she kissed me passionately.


    Going along with Lady Photon''s and Brandish''s n to y things off as normal behaviour, apparently had some benefits that none of us expected. I wasn''t going toin about it, not with Jensen doing her best to suck my balls dry.


    *


    Dean sat with a disgruntled Vicky at lunch and he had to keep hiding his shock at how Greg had handled meeting Amy this morning. Both girls had been just as shocked as he was at how Greg yed off Amy rejecting him as her normal behavior and he called her out for dating so many jocks.


    Now the guy was at Vicky''s backup table for the popr girls and half of her friends were sitting there instead of sitting with her and his friends, a mix of sports yers and Wards. The other girl named Jensen was also there, as were a couple of other girls he didn''t personally know.


    ¡°I can''t believe him.¡± Vickyined and poked her food with her fork.


    ¡°I can.¡± Brittany said and munched on a french fry. ¡°He''s a great kisser.¡±


    Vicky rolled her eyes. ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± Brittany said and ate another fry. ¡°They''ll join us again when they get bored.¡±


    A round ofughter came from that table and Amy grumbled about how noisy they were.


    Dean could feel her emotions and he was confused about them. She kept flipping between jealousy and relief, as if she both wanted his attention and didn''t want it, which didn''t make any sense. They broke up and Greg seemed okay with that, so Dean''s ns to talk to him about Amy were useless.


    ¡°I just remembered something.¡± rice said. ¡°If you''re that upset with him, are you going to give his t-shirts back to him?¡±


    Amy started to shake her head no and realized she didn''t really have a good reason to keep it, except that it had Greg''s dried sweat on it and she liked wearing it.


    ¡°I can''t. Mom saw it and took it from me.¡± Vicky responded. ¡°It was reallyfortable, too.¡±


    ¡°You should tell him he''s not getting them back.¡± Dean said before he could stop himself.


    Vicky narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Why don''t you tell him for me?¡±


    Dean could feel her irritation and sighed. ¡°Fine.¡± He said and stood, gave her a smile, and walked over to the table where Greg and his friends were sitting.


    ¡°He''s got some balls on him for such a nice guy.¡± Brittany said and ate another fry. ¡°Is that why you keep getting back with him, Vicky?¡±


    Vicky didn''t respond and looked a little embarrassed. She was not going to tell anyone how disappointed she had felt the night before when she had sex with Dean. He had beenpletely spent after two shots, no matter how much she had massaged and sucked on his balls.


    Everyone at the table continued to eat their food and Dean came back to the table after a couple of minutes and sat down.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Dennis asked.


    ¡°He said to not worry about it and he would talk to Vicky''s mom after school.¡± Dean answered. ¡°I''m just d he wasn''t angry about it or anything else.¡±


    That let those in the know about his emotion sensing powers that Greg wasn''t pretending that everything was okay. Vicky sighed sadly at hearing that and Amy frowned. They both knew that talk wasn''t going to go well for them because they had his clothes and didn''t tell Carol about it. If she threw out the one she took from Vicky, there was no way for them to rece it.


    The bell rang and brought the lunch period to an end. Dean tried to keep his powers reined in as all of the students scrambled out of the cafeteria to head to their lockers and then to ss. He had a lot of practice with it, so he stayed beside Vicky and let her emotions flow over him.


    When Greg walked by them with that Jensen girl under his arm, Dean would have been a blind idiot to not see or feel the spike of anger from Vicky and the mix of feelings from Amy. He held in his sigh at the situation he could do nothing about and didn''t mention that all they had to do was talk to Greg about what happened and they wouldn''t be reacting like they are.


    Dean walked both of them to ss and kissed Vicky when she puckered her lips at him and he went to his own ss. Now that he wasn''t around Vicky, he easily heard the rumors that were flying around the school about Amy, Greg, and what being his friend could open you up to.


    By the time Dean reached his own ss, he was surprised to learn there were a lot of girls that wouldn''t mind being Greg''s friend and getting to know him. He would have to report that development to his boss in the Wards and he was sure Miss Militia was not going to like it, after feeling her feelings about As.

 219 PHO Interlude And Reactions

    219 PHO Interlude And Reactions


    Carol Dallon took a few extra minutes during her lunch break to check out how their online campaign was working out. She did not expect what she found, however.


    -


    <b>Wee to the Parahumans Online message boards.</b>


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    <b>Topic: Defeater of Lung defeating hearts!


    Posted In: Boards > Social > Cape Life</b>


    <b>> Socialites_Unite</b> (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:45 AM</i>


    You heard it here first! That hunky new cape named As, that took down the ABB gang leader and his henchman Oni Lee, has decided the hearts of the girls at (name deleted to protect the innocent) High School are fair game. He apparently dated the famous healing cape Panacea for a few days and now he''s on the market!


    Normally it wouldn''t be a huge scandal, except he''s friends with Glory Girl who is also known for dating one of the normal guys there, off and on.


    Rx, mods! I''m staying on topic! I wouldn''t mention it if it wasn''t such an important factor!


    GG has been extensively rumored to also be in a rtionship with one of the Wards, a cape named Gant. She''s been seen hanging all over the armored tinker while on patrol and she is also dating the normie at school at the same time!


    I suspect this is what''s given As the idea to manhandle a pile of girls in the hallway this morning when he arrived at school. A few of them looked like they enjoyed it, too. Discuss and Dish!


    <b>(Showing Page 1 of 29)</b>


    <b>> GrinningGirl</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:48 AM</i>


    What a man-whore! Macking on so many girls and not a hint of shame!


    <b>> Ticking_Time_Bomb</b> (Not an actual bomb)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:49 AM</i>


    He didn''t do anything the girls objected to. If they hadn''t wanted a hug from a strong cape, they could have easily said no like (name deleted to protect the innocent) did. It made everyoneugh, too.


    <b>> VoiceOfReason</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:50 AM</i>


    I agree with (<b>Ticking_Time_Bomb</b>). One of the girls jumped into his arms and they swapped spit enough to share gum. Otherwise, he was just kissing cheeks and giving great hugs.


    <b>> Broctonite03</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:50 AM</i>


    If it was me, I would have waited to do stuff like that in a more private setting. We didn''t need to see stuff like that first thing in the morning.


    <b>> Bagrat</b> (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:52 AM</i>


    I''m d being in the know doesn''t include teenage drama on such a small scale. If he had somehow been responsible for the arrest of a famous Canadian cape, that I would consider newsworthy.


    <i>Check out the thread for that</i> (<b>Here</b>).


    <b>> Hammertime</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:53 AM</i>


    He can handle Narwhal like that and we''re letting him into our schools to pervert teenage girls? Where''s the justice in that?


    <b>> OpenMouthNoises</b> (Veteran Member)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:53 AM</i>


    Those arms are JUSTICE, (<b>Hammertime</b>)! He can hug me anytime anywhere.


    That was a direct invitation, (<b>Broad_Shoulders</b>). Don''t keep me waiting! PM me!


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:53 AM


    </i>(<b>OpenMouthNoises</b>), have an infraction. Openly soliciting on public boards is against the rules.


    <b>> MadCapper</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:55 AM</i>


    I need a better social life if I''m spending my time online reading this crap.


    <b>> In-All-Her-Glory_Girl</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:56 AM</i>


    I can''t believe he did that right in front of me! It was disrespectful and made things really awkward with my sister. I have half a mind to confront him about his behavior and set him straight!


    <b>End of Page. </b><u><b>1</b></u><b>, 2, 3... 29.</b>


    <b>(Showing Page 2 of 29)</b>


    <b>> Clock_Blocked</b> (Verified Cape) (Protectorate Ward)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:57 AM</i>


    Hold on, you have half a mind? Where the hell have you been hiding that?!? :P


    <b>> Panacea_Official</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:58 AM</i>


    Shut up buttmunch unless you want to be permanently cockblocked.


    <b>> In-All-Her-Glory_Girl </b>(Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 9:59 AM</i>


    Thanks for having my back, Ames!


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:00 AM</i>


    That''s your third Infraction and you get a temp-ban for a day (<b>Panacea_Official</b>). Uttering threats of bodily harm are not allowed on these boards.


    <b>> Miss_Take</b> (Unverified Cape Groupie)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:01 AM</i>


    Why was this a topic pinned at the top of the board? I''m all for seeing As in his tights and there hasn''t been one picture or link to one. How is that fair? Show him snuggling the babes already!


    <b>> Fervent-Supporter</b>


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:03 AM</i>


    That''s a good point. We''re supposed to be talking about how a cape is fraternizing without restriction at a high school. That''s concerning in so many different ways that it''s not funny.


    <b>> Lasers_In_Your_Dreams </b>(Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:03 AM</i>


    I don''t see anything wrong with it. I did ask a friend of a friend to keep an eye on things there and the video was full of sweetness and adorkableness. And muscles. Oh, and more muscles. Now I want one of his funny t-shirts for myself. (<b>Here</b>) is the censored video that blocks their faces.


    <b>> Tin-Mother</b> (Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:04 AM</i>


    I''m d someone else is making sure no one can be identified in a sensitive media file. Thanks, (<b>Lasers_In_Your_Dreams</b>). I would normally pull the video because of the content and you''ve saved me a lot of future trouble trying to repress the ''real'' video for the censored version.


    <b>> Lasers_In_Your_Dreams</b> (Verified Cape) (New Wave)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:05 AM</i>


    You''re wee, (<b>Tin_Mother</b>)! Even if we''re open capes, that doesn''t mean we want to put ourselves or our friends in danger when we''re in our civvies.


    (<b>Broad_Shoulders</b>), you owe me a hug and a kiss, too. I wanna beee frieeends. :D lol


    <b>> Tin-Mother </b>(Admin Mod)


    <i>Posted on Jan 24, 2011, 10:05 AM</i>


    Sigh. I told (<b>OpenMouthNoises</b>) 5 minutes ago about openly soliciting on public boards being against the rules. Have an Infraction.


    <b>End of Page. 1, </b><u><b>2</b></u><b>, 3... 29.


    </b>-


    Carol sat back and didn''t bother trying to read any more of the message board as she clicked on the video. She watched As doing exactly as he said he would, which was make his actions seem normal for what he did with his friends. She had chuckled at Clockblocker''s reaction, ying it up forughs, and making the whole thing that much better.


    <i>It really does seem normal.</i> Carol thought and watched it again. Her eyes concentrated as she watched the various reactions of the girls he hugged and she remembered how it felt when she had hugged As herself. It was the first time she had felt safe in a very long time and she suspected that was what the other girls felt as well.


    Of course, Carol''s mind went right to when As asked her to help him adjust to the increased attention and she had grabbed his butt. It was a very nice one and felt great in her hands. She would never admit that she liked it when she squeezed and he had squeaked, giving her an unexpected little thrill that she didn''t know she needed.


    Carol watched the video again before she logged out of her PHO ount and returned to work. Her sessful settlement with the PRT had brought her credentials up at thew firm and she suspected she would be offered a better office soon. Her sess was the firm''s sess, and a win was a win, whether it was in court or not.


    As she worked, Carol couldn''t stop herself from smiling, because in the back of her mind she was imagining As making that delightful squeak noise again.


    *


    Crystal Pelham chuckled as she rxed in her room at college. She had her feet up on her couch and used her cell phone to post on PHO to keep people talking about how As was making his friends happy by showing them how much he appreciated them.


    It had surprised her at first that he had been willing to go along with it, because it associated him with the dumb jocks... then she saw the video her friend''s sister had sent her. As was really ying it up and he was getting a much better reception than she thought he would.


    ¡°Brittany is such an attention whore.¡± Crystal said with augh and posted a message to G-StringGirl to get her talking about As and how good his butt looked in his cape costume again. ¡°It worked, though. I should send her a thank you text.¡±


    Crystal did so and her phone beeped. Sheughed at what it said. ¡°You''re still chewing the same gum? It''s been hours!¡± She eximed and texted her back to tell her to save it in a stic bag or something and she might not have to buy any more gum if the vor wasn''t going away. ¡°I''m definitely regretting not being there in person to see all this for myself.¡±


    She would have to wait for the weekend before she could fly back home and see the guy for herself. Crystal fully intended to be his friend, especially if the casual benefit was getting hugs like that. She paused her antagonizing the cape groupies online and texted her mom to make sure there wasn''t anything going on she needed to know about. There wasn''t, so she was happy.


    ¡°Four more days and I can get me some of that beefcake.¡± Crystal said and shared one of the many cell phone pictures she had taken during the press conference.


    *


    Sarah Pelham, the cape known as Lady Photon and Crystal''s mother, shook her head at her daughter being so thirsty for a younger man. Then again, he was nowhere close to being little, in any respect, and she fully agreed with Panacea''s promation that As had a perfect body.


    The strength in his arms when he had hugged her, reminded her of her husband, Manpower. The difference was that her husband was a foot taller than As and he was a bit too beefy andrge for normal things. Everything had to be custom made, even the seat in his truck, to fit his muchrger body. The expense had been mitigated to some extent, thanks to the image licensing deals.


    Sarah pushed those thoughts aside and went through the food she had in the refrigerator to see what she had to cook for supper. <i>Maybe a nice roast? It''s been a while. Now, do I make a lot of potatoes or go for home fries?</i> She thought as she looked at the size of the roast and nodded. With gravy, she could make several meals out of it, including hot sandwiches for supper tomorrow.


    It didn''t take her long to prep the meat and add it to therge roast pan to the preheated oven. When she slid it onto the middle rack to cook, the scrape of the dish across the metal made a surprisingly familiar squeak sound. She chuckled and moved the dish to repeat the sound,ughed again, and closed the oven.


    Sarah remembered how funny it had been to tease Carol about grabbing As by the butt and how his mother Diane had rewarded her with a donut. She smiled at how it tasted better after that and then realized they were both stay at home mothers. She went to the wall phone and picked it up.


    There wasn''t much time left today to do anything before their sons came home from school; but, tomorrow was a whole different day and she was sure they could have anotherugh or two. Diane was a really nice woman and they had hit it off like they had been friends for a while.


    *


    Dragon would have sighed if she had physical lungs. Despite her attempts to limit the knowledge of what happened with Narwhal getting out, it had spread too far for her to suppress without express orders to do so. Unfortunately, when Narwhal did manage to say something to that effect out loud, her authority had already been suspended while she was under investigation.


    Thankfully, because of the nature of the cape she attacked, Bad Canary''s mastering power of suggestion, there was a lot of leeway in the charges Narwhal was going to face without mitigating circumstances. The pre-existing history between As and Bad Canary, namely that there wasn''t one, was working in Narwhal''s favor.


    Things still looked really bad, especially since she hadn''t called it in or consulted with the local PRT branch. Normally, her position as a director herself would have let Narwhal get away with skipping most of the regr procedures. Unfortunately, she was registered as on vacation, even confirming it with the director of the PRT ENE, and that made her actions questionable, as was her judgment.


    PHO was also blowing up with the scandal of the new hero being stalked, the debate over it being Bad Canary or Narwhal was raging, a few stating it was both. Quite a few of the posters outright said As was being controlled and others stated it was his little head he was thinking with, because every hero cape imagined themselves tapping the ass of a viin cape.


    Dragon had quite arge amount of infractions and warnings to hand out and she knew it was only a stop-gap measure. The news had run with the story already and she could do nothing but stem the flow of responses and reactions.


    Her longtime friend would have to ept she screwed up and needed to ept full responsibility. A quick message should ensure Narwhal fessed up and repented, even if she didn''t want to. As long as she was perceived to be sorry about it, that was all that mattered. A reminder to show her regret was needed, as was a discreet message sent to As to ask him about being controlled.


    *


    Paige Macabee continuouslyughed while she watched As at school and read everything on PHO at the same time. She couldn''t resist adding a few photos taken from the drone footage to help fan the mes... the glorious mes... as half of the people jumped on defending Panacea, Glory Girl, and Narwhal, while the other half vehemently tore them apart for taking advantage of As.


    She couldn''t have set things up this well if she had tried, and she hadn''t, because she was still getting herself set up. Paige hadn''t even started any of her machinations to work in her favor yet. The beneficial coincidences had been piling up for her on their own and she couldn''t have been happier about it.


    The chaos caused from potentially taking down a PRT director, even if it was only temporary and might end in only a suspension and her not being fired, was worth the pain she had gone through. Would she want to go through that again? Absolutely not! Breaking her arm and her leg was excruciatingly painful and only As being there to save her again had stopped her from passing out.


    Paige did feel surprisingly free of any aches or pains and she had been full of energy all day. She had even called to speed up the delivery of the soundproof reinforced door for the studio. The urge to start singing and share her opinions was burning inside of her and she wanted to get them out.


    She watched the morning clip again where As called Panacea out for only dating him for being a jock, making herselfugh again, and she posted another picture. She couldn''t resist showing As without his shirt on andmenting that hugs without a shirt in the way were the best.


    The Cape Life thread blew up after that and the picture had almost five hundred downloads before the mods took it down to reduce the site''s traffic. It didn''t work, because it popped up on several other threads, actually increasing the traffic instead, then that Wiki Warrior girl added it to the info page for As.


    That reminded her to let it slip he had triggered again when she had been attacked in her home and how As now had healing powers.


    Paigeughed and watched as the posts doubled in intensity and number as they begged for more details. She couldn''t resist teasing them by saying she wasn''t allowed toment on an open investigation, then shocked them by posting a picture of herself with a clearly twisted arm and leg and another with both looking normal.


    Ten minutester when school let out, Paigeughed again when As sent her a cell phone picture of Amy''s and Vicky''s shocked faces. They had both checked their phones and found out his new ability and he left before they could go after him.


    ¡°Yes, it was worth it.¡± Paige said and texted him the same thing.


    Greg sent her a heart emoji in response and she asked him to say hello to his mother for her.


    Paige put the cell phone down and went back to PHO and watched it explode, now that there were a whole bunch of teenagers online. She settled back on her chair and watched the me wars as the mods did their best to not let them get out of control, which kept herughing for a long time.

 220 Testing Out Again

    220 Testing Out Again


    I tried to notugh as Paige kept me updated on the massive storm of posts that were online. She also looked absolutely delighted when she sent me a picture of herself posing in front of the page numbers for the Cape Life topic. It was nearing 200 pages and she gave me a thumbs-up gesture for not telling her to stop doing it.


    ¡°Is she still posting on that thing?¡± My mom asked me as we finished cooking.


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± I said and turned my phone to show her.


    My momughed and shook her head. ¡°She shouldn''t be enjoying other people''s misery so much.¡±


    I had tough at it, too. ¡°It''s more her loving that she can keeping it going with almost no effort.¡± I said and shrugged. ¡°I think.¡±


    My mother patted my shoulder and put a te of food down in front of me on the kitchen counter. ¡°Put the phone down for a while and eat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom.¡± I said and set my phone down on her side of the counter.


    As the two of us ate, my phone beeped over sixty times, making the both of us smile.


    ¡°All right, go ahead.¡± My mom said with augh and pushed my phone over to me.


    ¡°Thanks, mom.¡± I said and leaned over the counter to kiss her. ¡°I''ll meet you in the living room.¡±


    My mother nodded and pointed to the dirty dishes before she left the kitchen. I took the tant hint and cleaned them all and rinsed them with hot water to scald and disinfect them, dried them, and put them away.


    I then spent the next twenty minutes exchanging texts with Paige, one with G-StringGirl, and another with Miss Militia. Thatst one had slipped into my phone without me realizing it and I responded with a positive answer, so now I had to go to the PRT building when the night shift started.


    I went into the living room and told my mother about it. She pulled me down onto the couch with her and then snuggled into me like I was a huge teddy bear. I didn''t mind, because we had all evening to enjoy how good it felt before I had to leave.


    *


    Miss Militia tried to keep her breathing even when Asnded on the helipad on the Rig. She wasn''t sure why he looked a little more handsome and desirable, then her eyes widened slightly when she remembered his mother was a healing cape and had probably tweaked him a little.


    As chuckled at her reaction, clearly understanding what she was seeing. ¡°It''s my mom''s fault my hair is this wavy and fluffy.¡±


    Miss Militia smiled and nodded, then waved for him to follow her.


    ¡°Gentlemen.¡± As said to the two guards on duty and walked by them.


    The pair of capes entered the roof exit and went down the stairs to the hallway and entered the elevator. The ride down to the testing area was quick and they entered therge space. As gave it a quick nce and nodded at all of the upgraded equipment and a few new apparatuses. There were also a couple more scientists and testers, including Armsmaster.


    ¡°We don''t have many registered double triggers.¡± The armored cape said. ¡°I''ve asked Dragon to assist and send over some modifications to the equipment for more urate measurements.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a problem.¡± As said with a smile. ¡°Is she here as well? I need to thank her for the influx of fees to my ount from the things she borrowed from my cell phone.¡±


    ¡°I''m attending remotely.¡± Dragon''s voice said as a monitor near the closest testing equipment was stationed and it flickered to life with her face appearing on it. ¡°I was quite surprised that little app game would be so popr.¡±


    Asughed. ¡°It''s surprisingly addictive, isn''t it? I call it a tower defense game and it''s so easy to modify to include new elements, levels, and enemies, it has almost unlimited potential for growth.¡±


    ¡°It really does.¡± Dragon said. ¡°I''ve already done so twice and added 50 more levels each time.¡±


    As nodded and turned to look at Armsmaster. ¡°Where should I start first with the testing?¡±


    ¡°With me.¡± Dragon said and he turned back to face her. ¡°As I texted you before, we need to test if you really are resistant to known master effects.¡±


    ¡°You want to do the most intense testing first?¡± As asked and she nodded. ¡°All right. Is there a secluded booth or something?¡±


    A small forcefield appeared briefly around the station her monitor was in and As walked over to stand where the marking was on the floor. The forcefield appeared around him and cut off all external sound and the monitor was turned just enough that only As himself could see what was disyed.


    ¡°What''s first?¡± As asked.


    ¡°We''ll try simple visual hypnosis techniques and then we''ll move on to sound, abination, and then to something I vehemently argued against testing on you.¡± Dragon said, her voice a mix of sadness and anger. ¡°I was overruled by the Chief Director.¡±


    As only needed a moment to get it. ¡°You''re going to y a recording the Simurgh.¡±


    Dragon looked surprised. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°She''s the most powerful telepath on the and her song can drive anyone insane if they listen to it for too long.¡± As said.


    ¡°And you''re okay with it, knowing you could be insane if you hear it too much?¡± Dragon asked.


    As pretended to think about it. ¡°Actually, considering the pattern of attacks from the Endbringers, the Simurgh is going to be next. I don''t mind proving I can go there to fight and not be in danger.¡±


    Dragon was quiet for several seconds, which was a long time for a digital entity. ¡°As, I need to know how you know that.¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡± As asked.


    ¡°The pattern and frequency of the Endbringers.¡± Dragon said, her voice guarded.


    As chuckled and crossed his arms across his chest. ¡°It''s basic extraption if you have ess to the inte and the records of attacks. It started slowly, almost building up steam over the years, as if there was a guiding intelligence behind it. They also attack significant sources of either economy or capes, which exins why they hit both Brockton Bay and New York in the past.¡±


    Dragon was quiet for another few seconds. ¡°If the pattern is so simple to work out, where will the next attack happen?¡±


    As tapped a finger on his chin. ¡°Well, if we take into ount thatrge economic sources are hit to cause more capes to respond to each attack, rotating through the continents on a semi-regr basis, then... the next target has to be somewhere in Australia, since it hasn''t been hit since 1998 when Leviathan destroyed Sydney.¡±


    Dragon made a soft gasp sound and stared at him.


    ¡°It''ll be either Canberra or Melbourne, since they became thergest shipping centers for that continent.¡± As said. ¡°After that, if the pattern isn''t broken or altered, the math unfortunately points to the US, here on the eastern seaboard, so Leviathan is the most likely because of water ess. As for the city targeted, it has to be either New York... or here.¡±


    Dragon didn''t say anything in response.


    ¡°The next continent after that has to be Asia, maybe in the middle east?¡± As said, almost as if asking a question, then he snapped his fingers. ¡°I''d bet on India, since they rebuilt the oil fields near New Delhi and it''s profitable again. Since it''s highly burnable there, my bet''s on Behemoth attacking.¡± He said and nodded. ¡°That''s about all I''ve worked out while sitting in my calculus ss.¡±


    Dragon was quiet for a full minute before she spoke. ¡°We need to get the first test done. Please watch the screen.¡±


    As looked surprised at the change. ¡°Dragon, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°No, I''ve been ordered to not ask you anything else or to discuss this anymore. Please watch the screen.¡± Dragon answered.


    As sighed at her still having to listen to those orders. ¡°All right, I''ll drop this for now. Start the tests.¡±


    The visual tests ranged from simple toplicated during the next twenty minutes, with a mix of tant visual cues and subliminal messages and orders. As didn''t react to any of them or indicated he was influenced at all.


    ¡°Now we will do the sound tests.¡± Dragon said and yed most of them without any visuals, which took up another ten minutes. ¡°Now with visuals and soundbined.¡±


    As didn''t react to anything for the next fifteen minutes.


    ¡°This is the part I highly objected to, because if it works on you even slightly, you''ll kill us all with a smile.¡± Dragon said, her voice full of apprehension. ¡°This is the real recording of when the Simurgh attacked London, Ennd. Please, please, please do your best to not sumb to it. I have to set it and not listen to it myself, so it''s all on you.¡±


    As nodded and Dragon''s image disappeared and for the next twenty minutes, he watched and listened. He tilted his head one way about five minutes in, then tilted it the other way ten minutes in. He straightened up and squinted his eyes as the video yed for the next ten minutes and then he nodded at the very second the video ended.


    ¡°As?¡± Dragon''s whispered voice came from the nk monitor.


    ¡°Yes, it is I, cape designation As. What can I do for you, cape designation Dragon?¡± As asked in a robotic voice.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Dragon eximed as her image appeared and an rm sounded. ¡°As! Don''t give in to...¡±


    As burst outughing and braced his hands on the sides of the monitor. ¡°Ha hahaha! The look on your face!¡±


    Dragon stared at him and didn''t know what to say as she cancelled the rm.


    ¡°I''m... fine.¡± As said betweenughs. ¡°Hooo... hooooo. That was a greatugh.¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t funny, As.¡± Dragon said and her eyes nced to the side.


    As turned and saw both Miss Militia and Armsmaster poised to attack as soon as the forcefield dropped. ¡°The rm was on the outside, too?¡±


    ¡°Dragon dropped the sound dampener as soon as the video ended.¡± Armsmaster said and his arm was still ready to strike with his halberd.


    ¡°Ah, then I apologize for the false rm. I thought it was a private joke between friends.¡± As said.


    ¡°We''re friends?¡± Dragon asked, sounding surprised.


    ¡°Private joke?¡± One of the scientists asked in a whisper and was hushed.


    ¡°Of course we''re friends.¡± As said and ced a palm on the monitor, as if touching her. He realized she might not see that, so he used a single finger to half-cover the tiny camera and smiled at it. ¡°I don''t let just anyone pilfer my tech to y with it and have funing up with new ways to use it.¡±


    Dragon blushed and nodded. ¡°Thank you, As. I''ll consider you a friend from now on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, too.¡± As said.


    ¡°What was the private joke?¡± Miss Militia asked.


    ¡°That being controlled by any means can make people act robotically, despite their normal personalities or how nice they are otherwise.¡± As said and nced at Dragon to see her wide eyes. ¡°I also figured out how to counter the Simurgh''s scream.¡±


    Complete silence answered his statement and everyone there stared at him in shock.


    As let it go on for a few moments before he walked over to the tricked-out treadmill. ¡°So, what''s the next test? Endurance or speed?¡±


    The question had broken the silence and all the scientists started to barrage As with questions. Heughed and started up the treadmill as he ignored them and started running at a surprisingly blurry speed. Both Dragon and Miss Militia ced discreet calls while he was busy.


    *


    Reba Costa-Brown hotly debated sending the termination code to end Dragon''s existence. Someone they didn''t trust or control had somehow figured out that Dragon was an AI and was being controlled by the orders she was given.


    Her thumb hovered over the send icon as her mind went over the equipment and supplies Dragon had recovered from Saint and the Dragonyers hideout that As had destroyed. Reba knew theptop with Ascalon on it had not been recovered, so either Saint stashed it somewhere to keep it safe or As had it.


    Since Saint was a paranoid bastard and wouldn''t let Dragon''s kill switch out of his sight, that meant As had found it and kept it for himself. If that was true, then he owned Dragon and could end her at any time, just like Reba could. Did he suspect she could activate it remotely? Could he keep it somewhere and not have the signal respond?


    Reba sighed and moved her thumb off the send button and closed the program. There was no guarantee it would work quickly enough to stop As from reacting. However, if it did work, then she would be responsible for killing his friend. If how things went with Narwhal was any indication, he would do anything for those he cared about, no matter who he faced.


    It was also confirmation that Narwhal''s spection she had shared with Emily Piggot was right on the money. As was responsible for all of the disappearances and deaths, no matter what circumstantial evidence had been left behind to frame other viin capes or crime organizations.


    It must have taken months of surveince, weeks of preparations, and liberal use of his teleport ability to get everything ready to take down nearly every major viin cape around the world. With what she had seen during his subversion tests, it exined why As hadn''t tried to go into the Simurgh quarantine zones for those viin capes. He didn''t know if he could.


    Reba switched her cell phone back to the live feed and watched as As easily bench pressed twenty tons, which was the maximum the weight press could apply, then she caught her breath when he had them reset it and heid down on his side and used just a single forearm as a brace and gripped the edge of the press with his right hand and lifted it with just his fingertips.


    As tried it with his other hand and couldn''t lift it, so they reduced the weight by five tons and he did it. Reba thought it was just a fluke and an odd affectation on his part for weird exercises, then he took off his boots andid down on his belly and used his toes to lift it, too!


    The scientists were shocked when As used a knee next, then an elbow, then his head using only his neck. When they asked him why he was doing such weird poses, he exined that out in the real world, the weight was not going to be perfectly set up for him to use proper lifting techniques each and every time and he had to make sure he could work in odd positions.


    Reba was stunned to hear that and she went over her own assessment and had to reluctantly agree. All of the measurements had been from very rigid testing and she sometimes had difficulty when lifting awkward pieces of debris when working search and rescue during Endbringer fights, where her strength and fighting ability were a detriment against the foe itself, like against Behemoth.


    <i>I have to change my workout routine.</i> Reba thought as the scientists also changed the requirements for different strength ratings and altered the tests to include the ones As had used.


    None of them would ever know it was his high school coach that had shown him those things and she would feel proud that she had changed how they handled all the future testing for actual strength and not just the maximum weight in ideal conditions.


    Rebaid back and watched as As moved on to the next test and she had to admire him as he discussed what was expected beforehand and they altered or changed the test to suit his view of the thing. As was definitely proving he wasn''t the dumb jock his team of New Wave was pushing and he had embraced at the school to rub Panacea''s rejection in her face.


    ¡°And now he''s a healer, too.¡± Reba said as he went through the infirmary setup twice as fast as his mother and he fixed everything in only seconds. It was a little shocking, especially when the patients would wince for a split second.


    That was concerning, so Reba went to herptop and pulled up a copy of the video stream. She edited out everything but those few seconds and made it full screen and then slowed it down to ten percent of its speed. She watched it in slow motion and her eyes widened as the stump of an arm was dissolved and then another arm reformed, sleeve and all, and it waspletely intact.


    ¡°He... he''s not healing people. He''s destroying them and reformatting them. Why aren''t they screaming in pain? They obviously feel something...¡± Reba rewound it and slowed it down to one percent, even though she had alreadymitted it to her perfect memory. ¡°Oh. Even painless, their nerves are being torn apart and they flinch automatically.¡±


    She looked back at the live feed on her cell phone and watched As go through the obstacle course. He then suggested changes, especially for flying capes, like hoops and dark tunnels. She nodded in approval of giving flying capes more experience with different effects in a safe environment.


    ¡°I need to set up a meeting with him about his Endbringer guesses.¡± Reba said and set up a reminder on her phone about checking her schedule and hoping to bring him to her instead of going to Brockton Bay herself. She was not going to pull a Narwhal on him, even if she was curious about what his hugs felt like and she could clearly remember the shirtless picture Bad Canary had posted.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 221 Just Another Day

    221 Just Another Day


    We eventually finished with the power testing, including my teleporting ability, which I cheated on by checking five minutes ahead to see what they were making me blind-jump into. By the fifth jump, I started to refuse to teleport with the ridiculous things they were putting into the booth.


    The tenth jump ended up being thest one because it was only several bowls of different color jello stacked in a random pattern. I didn''t exin why I had to stop teleporting and just said I couldn''t do it anymore, leaving them frustrated.


    After that, Armsmaster tried to sequester me in a secured room with himself and Dragon and he demanded I tell them what I figured out about the Simurgh''s scream and how to counter it. I refused, because Dragon received the order to not talk about it by the Chief Director and I wasn''t stupid enough to refuse an order by the boss of Armsmaster''s boss.


    It was quite the scene to see a grateful look on Dragon''s face as she silently thanked me and the look of betrayal on Armsmaster''s face as he ranted under his breath about people interfering with his rise to glory. Of course, I told the both of them that if the Chief Director rescinded her gag order, I would freely tell them how to do what they knew I knew what to do.


    Armsmaster reluctantly let me leave as he promised to do everything he could to contact Costa-Brown and have that order cancelled. I reminded him I said rescinded and not cancelled and didn''t tell him that depending on how Reba worded it, all of Dragon''s gag orders over the years would be lifted and not just thetest one.


    I flew home after bidding Miss Militia a good night andnded in the backyard. I entered the kitchen and locked the door, changed my uniform out for my pyjamas, and went up the stairs. My mother was sound asleep and I crawled into bed with her and became the big spoon again. It was just so easy with her so short and my ownrge body easily fitting around hers.


    It wouldn''t be long before the morning arrived and I would be spending another day at school and ying up the act of greeting my friends. That thought made me smile, because a few more girls had joined me at Vicky''s old table during lunch and I found out the two of them that were her hanger-ons were pretty much ying up the stereotype to remain popr.


    I had told them I thought that was just super. Theyughed and we had an actual conversation to get to know each other without Vicky''s overbearing personality getting in the way. It was quite enlightening to discover that they were genuinely nice girls and didn''t have a mean bone in their bodies, so I made sure to give them an extra hug and slightly enhanced them like I did to Jensen.


    I woke up to the feeling of a tight burning heat down there and opened my eyes to see my mother''s slim back as she was hunched over and her firm ass was moving up and down on me at a moderate pace. I wasn''t sure if she was trying to not jostle me or if she was controlling herself to make itst longer. In either case, I grabbed her hips and helped her.


    After a few more minutes, her load moan filled the room and she copsed backwards toy down on me. I hugged her to my chest and kept moving my hips, making her pant and moan. She turned her head and kissed me lovingly, her body rocking to keep herself feeling me to the fullest, and her arms hugged mine.


    We stayed that way until I was ready and she whispered to go ahead and fill her up, then she kept kissing me. I kept moving my hips as I started unloading inside of her and she moaned loudly again into my mouth. I slowed down and stopped moving to give her another rest, and she pulled her hips up to dislodge me and she rolled around on my chest and reached back to slide me inside again.


    ¡°You really like this position, don''t you?¡± I asked in a whisper as sheid back down and cuddled into my chest.


    ¡°I love howfortable it feels.¡± My mom whispered back. ¡°It''s like... you''re a part of me and I feel a little empty when you''re not there when I wake up.¡±


    ¡°Only a little empty?¡± I asked, teasingly.


    My mother chuckled and tensed up down there a few times as her muscles contracted and released. ¡°I really shouldn''t be doing this or encouraging you.¡± She said and let out a contented sigh. ¡°I just can''t stop myself. It feels too good to deny myself anymore.¡±


    ¡°You tried to?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Why didn''t you say anything?¡±


    She sat up and gave me a pointed look. ¡°Because I''m supposed to be the adult and I''m supposed to be the one with the willpower to say no.¡±


    I looked down at her perfect breasts and back to her face. ¡°Your perfect breasts are telling me to grab them.¡±


    She lost the pointed look and took my hands, raised them to her chest, and gripped them hard as she rocked her hips. ¡°We are terrible people to want to do this with each other.¡±


    ¡°I''m not arguing about it.¡± I said and pinched her nipples to make her moan. ¡°Now lean back so you can really start feeling it.¡±


    My mom did as I asked and then gasped, because I kept hold of her nipples. She had wide eyes as I started pumping my hips up into her and only held her in ce with her nipples. The orgasm caught her almost out of nowhere and then she was lost to the feelings only a powerful cape could give to another powerful cape.


    *


    Jensen woke up in the morning and felt wonderful. She hopped out of bed and quickly made it, grabbed her things, and went to have a shower. She hummed happily as she got ready for school and did her hair and dressed in a nice red blouse and skirtbo that really showed off her figure and brought attention to her hair and eyes.


    She wasn''t sure why she felt so happy, until she remembered her World History ss and having the best sex of her life. It had felt like she was floating on a cloud the whole day, too. Lunch was both fun and informative, because she learned more about both Greg and a couple of the senior girls that hung out with Glory Girl.


    Who knew the popr girls were just like her, only they had a popr friend that made them popr? The best part about learning that was that she was friends with a popr hero, too. As!


    Jensen had suspected he knew his way around a girl, especially after the rumors and spection online about him and Bad Canary. She had to suppress augh when she remembered onement about the valiant hero redeeming the female viin cape by using his dick to tame her.


    ¡°He definitely knows how to get me off.¡± Jensen said with a softugh as she left her room and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for herself. She felt like healthy cereal today.


    ¡°Somebody''s happy again today.¡± Her mothermented and drank her coffee.


    ¡°I''m going to school. Yay.¡± Jensen said with a sarcastic drawl and her motherughed.


    ¡°Do you need some lunch money?¡± Her mother asked.


    ¡°I still have yesterday''s.¡± Jensen said as she filled a bowl with cereal and added milk.


    Her mother frowned. ¡°You didn''t eat?¡±


    Jensen turned to give her a hug for her concern. ¡°Greg bought my lunch and wouldn''t take it when I tried to hand it to him.¡±


    Her mother smiled at him being chivalrous. ¡°That''s two days in two weeks you''re smiling in the morning. First it''s dodgeball and now it''s a boy buying you lunch.¡± She said and sipped her coffee. ¡°Should I start worrying?¡±


    Jensen shook her head and sat down at the table to start eating. ¡°He bought the whole table lunch.¡±


    ¡°The... whole table?¡± Her mother asked, surprised.


    Jensen chuckled. ¡°It didn''t start out that way. We were in line at the counter and he offered to buy mine, Chelsea''s, and Jessica''s. The two girls behind us are in our study hall and invited themselves to sit with us.¡±


    ¡°He was okay with that?¡± Her mother asked and took another drink of coffee.


    Jensen barked augh. ¡°He had to say there was only one spot left at the table and only one more girl could join us. Nearly everyone in line put up their hand, even the guys.¡±


    Her motherughed, too. ¡°Typical.¡±


    ¡°We ended up with another senior from Jessica''s ss and spent most of the period talking.¡± Jensen told her.


    Her mother smiled, matching her daughter''s. ¡°You''re looking forward to doing it again today.¡±


    Jensen sessfully stopped her blush from forming at remembering what ''it'' could mean. ¡°If I''m lucky.¡±


    Her mother finished her coffee and put the cup in the sink. ¡°Try to not have too much fun.¡±


    Jensen huffed and finished off her cereal. ¡°I should tell you the same thing.¡±


    They exchanged looks and then chuckled. After a quick goodbye, they went their separate ways, one to work and one to school. Little did they know that simr scenes had yed out in five other kitchens and those five teenage girls were also looking forward to what was going to happen at school.


    *


    I was grateful for my teleporting ability, because I almost didn''t make it to school on time. Luckily, I still had a few minutes to make sure I hugged and kissed the girls that wanted it, which surprisingly didn''t include Amy this time, because she held a hand up to stop me and then looked horrified about doing that in front of everyone.


    I shrugged it off, even though I suspected she didn''t want to touch me because I was also a healer and she didn''t want to ruin how she had felt about touching me before. I didn''t bother telling her my mother could touch me with no trouble and grabbed my books from my locker and went to ss.


    Most of the students greeted me or waved, so I returned them and sat in the seat that had be mine the week before. Apparently, helping them grasp the intricacies of calculus had made all of them quite friendly, even knowing my penchant to hug the girls I considered friends.


    Perhaps it was that friendliness that made the ss more interactive with the teacher actually engaging us in the subject, rather than standing there and spouting the book''s contents at us. The man actually exined what we asked about, even going off on a funny tangent once to get augh.


    The next two sses seemed dull byparison, because the students tried to engage the teacher and they were rebuffed and told to learn the material as presented instead.


    When lunchtime arrived, I didn''t rush off like the other work cement students did. I dropped my things off in my locker and went to the cafeteria and met up with Jensen. She looked surprised to see me and then she smiled brightly and left the line to hug and kiss me.


    ¡°You just lost a prime spot to get the freshest meal.¡± I said and joined the end of the line.


    ¡°I''m sure you can make it up to me somehow.¡± Jensen said, suggestively.


    I chuckled and kissed her cheek. ¡°I still have to leave after lunch.¡±


    She gave me a look. ¡°Why didn''t you leave already?¡±


    ¡°My patrol doesn''t start untilter and my mother is already at the hospital working. Apparently, the restrictions for an adult volunteer is different than for a teenager not old enough to drink.¡± I said with a grin. ¡°Isn''t that crazy?¡±


    Jensen softlyughed. ¡°Yes, crazy.¡±


    We moved along the line as the students in front of us were served and I wasn''t surprised when all four of Vicky''s clique found us and made sure we were all going to sit at the popr table. They already had their food, too. I agreed, as long as they didn''t hold it against me if others wanted to sit with us, too. That seemed to confuse them, because they knew there were only 6 seats at each table.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± I said as a few other girls from my ss showed up. Their slightly worried faces made me mentallyugh, because they couldn''t figure out how we were all going to sit at the same table. ¡°Go im the popr table and Jensen and I will im the one beside it.¡±


    The four popr girls walked off and did as I asked. Jensen gave me a searching look and I smirked at her. She shrugged and bought her own lunch before I could offer to pay and she gave me a wink and sauntered away. I chuckled and bought my own meal and handed money to the girls behind me.


    ¡°Thanks, Greg!¡± They said, almost as one, and I walked over to the table Jensen imed for us. I put my tray on it and motioned for her to stand, then I turned the table to set it at the end of the popr table in an ''L'' shape and moved the chairs around to make enough room.


    ¡°They are not going to let you do this again.¡± Jensen said as she sat at the inside corner.


    I gave her a smug grin and went to the next table and politely asked the two girls there to stand, then I used their table and the next empty one to make an opposite ''L'' with it and the four tables made a perfect square, with room to walk between and around them, and all the chairs fit back into ce.


    ¡°Okay, that''s cool.¡± Jessica said and admired the use of space, because it had freed up a lot of room on either side of the square and didn''t impede anyone walking by to get to the other tables.


    ¡°We even have space in the middle to turn to and talk to everyone at all four tables.¡± Chelsea said with awe and looked at Brittany. ¡°We can keep sitting with Vicky and Greg at the same time and we don''t have to rotate between the tables because of theck of seats!¡±


    ¡°That''s brill!¡± Brittany eximed. ¡°I''ll text everyone and let them know!¡±


    I sat down next to Jensen and she gave me a very suggestive look. I leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips and she grabbed my t-shirt and held on to give me a bit more than that.


    ¡°You''re breaking the mold of jockdom, Mister Veder.¡± Jensen whispered and let me go.


    ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± I lied with a smile and started eating.


    Jensen smiled back and started eating as well. Neither of us were surprised when all four tables soon filled up with warm bodies, mostly girls, and they all started talking and gossiping as if they had always been a part of the popr table. What was surprising was that none of the four popr girls objected. Jessica, rice, Brittany, and Chelsea conducted Vicky''s court with expertise... without her.


    When lunch ended, I received several cheek kisses and a lot of thank yous. That put a smile on my face and I flew away from Arcadia High School to head to Brockton Bay General Hospital to start my patrol with Glory Girl. I had timed my arrival perfectly, because just as Inded on the roof, Vicky came out through the roof ess door and saw me.


    ¡°As.¡± Glory Girl said and shut the door.


    ¡°Glory Girl.¡± I said back and motioned towards the air. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Glory Girl nodded and floated up into the air. I flew up to her and several emotions yed across her face before she sighed and flew off. I followed and didn''t mind that this was going to be another patrol without us talking to each other.


    I wasn''t sure how she was going to handle it if we had to interact with the police after stopping a crime, though. Take turns talking, maybe? We would figure it out when it happened.


    As we were flying and scanning around, my eyes caught a particr flutter of her skirt. The reason it caught my eye was because she wasn''t wearing white bicycle shorts under it like usual. It was a thong. In fact, it was a very small thong and her ass cheeks pretty much made the string disappear and the small triangle covering her opening was starting to fail in that job.


    Now I had a problem. If I pointed it out, she might get angry that I was looking up her skirt. If I didn''t point it out and she discovered itter, probably from someone taking her picture or her skirt flipping up during a fight or a kick, she would be either embarrassed or angry that I hadn''t told her about it. Either way, I would be in trouble.


    So, I did the only thing I could that wouldn''t backfire on me. I cast a slight numbing spell on the area, that would wear off over the next twenty minutes, and transfigured the thong into white bicycle shorts. With luck, she''ll forget she hadn''t put them on and I would be in the clear.


    *


    Vicky had worked hard to never let her skirt flip or flow out too far when she was working, except when she was flying. She wanted to show As exactly what he was missing and Dean was getting, even if wearing a thong while fighting crime was usually ufortable. It was worth it to make As jealous, though.


    When the patrol was over, she retrieved Amy from the hospital and flew home. Amy wasn''t talking, for some reason, and Vicky didn''t try to get her to talk. Amy would tell her when she was ready to rant and Vicky went into her room to change.


    She pulled off her top and admired her perfect breasts for several seconds, giving them a few squeezes, then she dropped her skirt and prepared to dig the thong out of the wedgie she could feel it had made in the front and the back. That was odd, since the back was just a string.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Vicky asked as she saw the bicycle shorts she had intentionally not put on today. She pulled them off with a jerk and winced as both front and back wedges were dislodged, because she wasn''t wearing any underwear under them and she had been sweating a lot, making them sticky.


    She held the slightly damp cloth up and stretched it in front of her face, proving they really were bicycle shorts and not an illusion. She carried them over to her dresser and opened the second drawer to see her shorts were there as well.


    ¡°What. The. Hell.¡± Vicky said and stared at the impossibility. She had no clue how she could be wearing the shorts that were still in her drawer and it would bug her for a very long time.

 222 Unexpected Surprises

    222 Unexpected Surprises


    The next morning at school, I arrived a little early to make up for being almostte the day before. I also didn''t try to include Amy this time as I spread out the hugs, cheek kisses, and fist bumps with the popr crowd around them. This did not go unnoticed and Amy herself looked sad. Before the bell rang for us to go to ss, I turned to her to speak and she shook her head with a sigh.


    I shrugged and walked off. I had better things to do if she was going topletely reject me. I mean, I don''t think we''re even friends at this point and Vicky looked like she was grinding her teeth as I talked to her clique like I had known them for years. Telepathy for the win!


    sses were getting better as I matched my pace to both the teacher and the students, asking questions during ss to make things clearer for the students to understand better. Well, when the teachers allowed it. Some of them were only there for the high paycheck and it showed.


    When lunchtime came around, Iughed when I was one of the first students that entered the cafeteria, because there were now six squares of table setups among the many straight tables. One was for the popr kids, one was for the nerds, one was for the jocks, and I was sure a couple of them were just for the hell of it to copy the popr table.


    ¡°Lunch is on me!¡± I dered loudly as the cafeteria''s tables started filling up. ¡°One main meal, one side dish, one dessert, and one drink only!¡± I rified, in case anyone tried to get smart or be an ass. There were a lot of cheers and a few groans from the nerds, which made me grin at them.


    There were only five people in front of me in the line, so I had to keep making an approval signal, like nods and thumbs-up when each of them reached the cash register. When I reached the register, I handed over my credit card and gave the girl a few mentalmands to not overcharge me and to stick to my restrictions. She was to also give it back at the end of the period.


    ¡°You really are serious?¡± She asked me and slipped the card into her shirt pocket after swiping it.


    ¡°Sure.¡± I said and nodded at the other workers. ¡°It applies to you and the staff, too.¡±


    ¡°Can we order out instead?¡± One of them asked.


    I thought about it for a moment. ¡°As long as you order individual means and not party packs or anything, unless you''re sharing the party packs, then get a couple of those.¡± I said and then chuckled. ¡°I doubt you''re going have any pizza specials delivered before lunch is over, though.¡±


    ¡°You''d be surprised, kid.¡± An older man said and took out his cell phone. ¡°Hey, Frank. I need three lunch specials stat. One with the works, one meat lovers, and one cheese and pep.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± He said and held out a hand to the girl and he quietly read out the credit card number.


    ¡°Better make it five and both meat lovers.¡± I said and he changed his order.


    ¡°Twenty-five minutes? Sweet. I''ll swing by.¡± The man said and hung up. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°It''s no problem.¡± I said and picked up my tray. ¡°I''ll be over there at the popr table.¡±


    Both he and the cashierughed. ¡°We know.¡±


    As an afterthought, I pulled out a twenty to hold out to him and he looked confused. ¡°Gas money. I''d be paying that for a delivery tip anyway.¡±


    The man took the money and nodded. ¡°You''re all right, kid.¡±


    I nodded and walked over to the popr table and Jessica and Brittany were already there. ¡°You''re not getting anything?¡±


    ¡°PIZZA!¡± They both yelled andughed.


    I chuckled and sat down. ¡°It''s meat lovers.¡± I warned them.


    ¡°We looooove meat.¡± Brittany said in a sultry voice and Jessica blushed hard.


    I was d I wasn''t chewing on anything, because I barked a loudugh and would have spit it out. Brittany grinned and reached over with a tentative hand to hover it over my french fries. I nodded and turned my tray to make it easier for her and Jessica to pick at them.


    ¡°You''re the best!¡± Brittany said and snatched the biggest one, of course.


    I cut up the chicken fingers on the second te into bite-size pieces and both girls let out happy sounds at me making my whole meal into easily eaten finger food. A few minutester, Jensen, Chelsea, and rice showed up with trays of food and sat around us.


    ¡°You''re insane.¡± Jensen said and gave me a quick kiss. ¡°You''re buying the whole school lunch?¡±


    ¡°If they can get it during the period.¡± I said and she nodded.


    ¡°And he ordered two pizzas.¡± Brittany said and tossed a piece of chicken finger into her mouth.


    ¡°I knew there was a reason you hadn''t grabbed a meal yet.¡± Chelsea said.


    ¡°It''s meeeat lovvverrrrs.¡± Brittany purred and every girl at the table blushed and how suggestive it was. Sheughed at flustering them so easily and ate another french fry.


    It didn''t take long for Jessica, Brittany, and myself to eat a meal meant for only one person. Vicky and Amy showed up right after with Dean and the Wards and sat down at the far corner of the popr table''s square and it was almost like they didn''t care about their secret identities when they weren''t wearing their costumes.


    Mind you, I didn''t care either, because I was strong enough to defend myself and anyone around me. The Wards? Only Aegis, aka Carlos, had redundant biology to keep himself alive from a fatal blow. They barely make a token attempt to not gather together as a group, probably because they were friends both in costume and out.


    Vicky had quite the conflicted look on her face when none of her friends moved from near me to sit near her. Before she could ask them why, several girls from my ss joined us just as the man from the kitchen dropped tworge pizza boxes beside me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and he patted me on the back and went back to the kitchen.


    ¡°You had pizza delivered? To school? After buying everyone else lunch?¡± Vicky asked, her voice high pitch and full of disbelief.


    ¡°He''s not that arrogant.¡± Jensen said, surprising Vicky, Amy, and the guys around her. ¡°The staff ordered pizzas and he paid for them to have two more added to the order.¡±


    ¡°They''re meat lovers, too.¡± Brittany said and opened one of the boxes. The smell seemed to fill the air around the four tables and a few people had their mouths water. ¡°Oooo, baaaby!¡±


    Jensen had to cover her mouth to stop from spitting out her food as sheughed. ¡°You made that sound so dirty!¡±


    Brittany grinned at her and pulled out arge piece and everyone saw how packed it was with toppings and the cheese was still hot enough that it stretched way out and she had to use a finger to twirl it and snap it off from the rest of the pizza.


    ¡°I can eat the rest of thister.¡± Jensen said and pushed her tray aside and grabbed a piece of pizza for herself.


    I took one as well, because I knew the rest were going to be gone in a minute. As if they heard my thoughts, the girls around us exchanged worried looks and then scrambled to grab a piece for themselves. I had a hard time notughing at them as they chowed down on the delicious pizza and someone was making sounds that really should not be made in a public ce.


    ¡°Brittany, stop.¡± Jessica said, her face still bright red.


    Brittany let out a girlish giggle and stopped like she asked. She might be a shameless tease; but, she wasn''t mean about it. She started talking about Jensen''s outfit and that set all the girls off and they all dove into the discussion, as if it was the most important thing in their lives. Since they were teenage girls, it probably was. For today anyway.


    Lunch passed by quickly after that and I stopped by the cash register and retrieved my credit card and a copy of the bill. It was about nine thousand dors and I nodded as I put the card and receipt away.


    ¡°You''re a really nice guy.¡± The cashier said and tapped her finger on the bill.


    I checked it again and under notes, there was a phone number written in and her name. I gave her a smile as I pocketed the copy and I left the cafeteria to head to my locker to grab my books. The afternoon was going to pass by before I knew it and I didn''t really have anything to do afterwards.


    I realized then I had a perfect way to waste some time and texted Paige to see if she was free this afternoon and evening. She was, so I sent a text to my mother and let her know I was heading to Paige''s for the evening and would be home before bedtime.


    *


    Paige was almost vibrating as she waited for her talented lover to show up. The door to the studio part had just been installed and she had only done a single sound check when she received his text. With him there, she could have him in the booth and she could do proper checks as he said different phrases.


    She also had the thought that maybe she could jokingly ask him if he could sing a little, then maybe have him try ying the various instruments she had delivered, to confirm the sound quality wasing through to the recording equipment properly.


    All thoughts of him helping her finish setting up her recording studio fled from her mind when Paige saw Greg standing there with his stylishly cut wavy blonde hair, his bright blue eyes, and his bulging muscles that his t-shirt was barely holding in. She leapt onto him and kissed him soundly, then begged for him to make love to her on her new bed.


    An hourter, Paige cuddled her lover and couldn''t have been happier if she tried. His wed hands groomed her hair and she cooed at the wonderful feeling that was just perfect after having sex. He really knew what she wanted, no needed, and he had no problems giving it to her.


    ¡°Now that we''ve gotten the important things out of the way...¡± Greg said and Paige chuckled as she lightly caressed his chest. ¡°...do you want me to help you set up your studio?¡±


    ¡°In a minute... or fifty.¡± Paige said and cuddled into his chest with a contended sigh.


    Greg kissed the top of her head and held her for as long as she wanted him to.


    They eventually had to get up to eat, which Greg provided by bringing out a pizza from nowhere. He told her how he hade to know about the best pizza ce in the city and Paigeughed while hearing about the newly discovered group of pizza vultures at Arcadia High. It really was a great pizza.


    After a shower, some more fun, and a lot of teasing and innuendo, they dressed and went downstairs to the recording studio. Since Paige was the one with the most experience with the equipment, Greg went into the recording booth and set up the instruments she wanted to test.


    ¡°Testing, testing.¡± Greg said through the inte.


    Paige let out a softugh. ¡°I need you to test the microphones, not the inte.¡±


    ¡°I''m making sure I can call for help when you ravage me in here.¡± Greg joked and she gave him the middle finger to make himugh.


    ¡°The list of phrases is on the standing piano.¡± Paige said and pointed.


    Greg let the inte button go and walked over to the piano. He sat down and looked at the list where the sheet music was usually held and nodded. There was a microphone on a swivel mount stand and he checked that it was plugged in and flicked the little on switch.


    ¡°Testing, testing. One, two, three.¡± Greg said and Paige gave him a thumbs-up gesture. ¡°Okay, let''s see.¡± He read the first line in his head and nodded, then cleared his throat. ¡°Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.¡±


    The inte clicked. ¡°A bit slower and closer to the microphone. I missed a couple of pees.¡±


    ¡°You should get your kidneys checked.¡± Greg joked and then winced as Paige send a feedback whine through the inte. ¡°Right, sorry. Serious time now.¡±


    Paige gave him another thumbs-up gesture.


    Greg leaned forward slightly and spoke again. ¡°Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.¡±


    Paige held up two fingers and he nodded and repeated the line again. Another thumbs-up and he moved on to the next tongue twister on the list of phrases. He had to repeat a few of the different lines as Paige worked to adjust the settings to catch everything he said.


    Greg went to the next microphone and checked that one as well, going through the phrases again. There were only three microphones, so he was done fairly quickly and they were all working perfectly.


    ¡°All right, that''s done. Great work, Greg!¡± Paige praised him.


    ¡°It was no big deal.¡± Greg denied. ¡°A trained monkey could have done it. Oo-oo-oo-ee-ee!¡±


    Paigeughed and shook her fist at him. ¡°Don''t you dare throw your poop at the window to prove it!¡±


    Gregughed, too. ¡°The room''s already monkey-proof, so that''s not necessary.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Paige said and then schooled her face. ¡°I need a few different samples of your voice, just to make sure everything is working right. I have your talking voice, your monotone voice, and yourughing voice.¡± She paused for a second and took a breath. ¡°How about you try your singing voice?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Do you have any preferences on chirping style or should I just wing it?¡±


    ¡°Hardy-har-har.¡± Paige said and rolled her eyes. ¡°Try something soft and we can go from there.¡±


    Greg nodded and went over to the instruments. He picked up an acoustic guitar and went back to the main microphone and sat on the stool. He positioned the third microphone to point at the center of the guitar and tilted the main one to point at his mouth.


    Paige barely stopped herself from asking what he was doing, because he moved like he knew what he was doing and wasn''t just ying up an act to fool around with a guitar he probably never yed before. Her eyes widened at what he did next.


    Greg strummed the guitar a few times, shook his head slightly, and plucked each string individually and tightened or loosened the tuning pegs to get the right sounds. He strummed it again and nodded at it sounding right and took a deep breath, let it out, and started strumming as he sang.


    ¡°Some days, it don''te easy. Some days, it don''te hard. Some days, it don''te at all and these are the days that never end.¡± Greg sang with an angelic voice.


    Paige was frozen stiff and all of the well groomed feathers on her head were now fluffed out.


    ¡°Some nights, you''re breathing fire. Some nights, you''re just carved in ice. Some nights you''re like nothing I''ve ever seen before or will again.¡± Greg continued to sing and strummed the guitar. ¡°Maybe I''m crazy; but, it''s crazy and it''s true. I know you can save me, no one else can save me now but you.¡±


    Paige started trembling and she had to pull her hands away from the console so she wouldn''t ruin the absolutely perfect recording she was getting of a song she had never heard before.


    Greg started to strum the guitar hard. ¡°As long as the wheels are turning. As long as the fires are burning. As long as your prayers areing true, you better believe it.¡± He slowed the strumming to a soft prattle. ¡°I would do anything for love, I know it''s true and that''s a fact. I would do anything for love, and there''ll never be no turning back... but, I''ll never do it better than I do it with you, so long, soo looong.¡±


    Paige felt like her heart was soaring as she listened to him sing his heart out, professing undying love for her, and she couldn''t help but think he was bearing his soul to her. Her nipples hardened, she grew wet down there, and her insides squirmed with need as her own feelings of love surged forth and wanted him to hear her bare her soul, too.


    *


    I had to change some of the lyrics and cut a lot of it out, since I couldn''t sing the apanying female part. I''d have to write them out and see if Paige would do them to give my own deep voice a great counter. Maybe make it a special edition or something, because it was a long song if you included all the extra lyrics.


    ¡°No, I woon''t doooo thaaaaat.¡± I sang as I finished strumming the guitar and plucked thest few notes. I waited for a few seconds, just in case it was needed for a clean sound cut, then I carefully put the guitar down. Why? Because the door of the booth opened and an extremely horny Bad Canary rushed in and tackled me to the floor.


    I never had the chance to use the inte to call for help as Paige ravaged me, just as I had joked about before. I may have also slightly underestimated just how much Paige was going to enjoy finding out that I was a singer like her and could y the guitar, too.


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 223 New Wave Interlude

    223 New Wave Interlude


    Sarah Pelham, cape name Lady Photon, called another family meeting and held it in her living room this time. Crystal was in college, so was on the phone and listening in. She would have flown over if she didn''t have a test in the morning.


    ¡°I apologize for the short notice to call this meeting.¡± Sarah said and everyone muttered eptance. ¡°However, it only just came to my attention that a certain someonepletely rebuffed As while in his civilian identity this morning.¡±


    Amy blushed and ducked her head.


    ¡°Even with the n going well to y things off as your usual behavior, stopping As from touching you like that, really sends a strong message.¡± Sarah exined. ¡°Since it''s a message we do not want out there, can you exin to us why you''re so repulsed by him now?¡±


    ¡°I''m not repulsed!¡± Amy eximed and felt embarrassed by her outburst. ¡°I just... I don''t want to risk touching him and... and losing what I felt before.¡±


    Vicky put an arm over her shoulders and hugged her. ¡°It her power. She almost wallowed in how good it felt to touch As. Now that he can heal as well, Amy''s afraid her power isn''t going to react well to the changes he must have gone through.¡±


    Sarah sighed and rubbed her forehead. ¡°Can you wear rubber gloves or something?¡±


    ¡°No, they make no difference.¡± Amy answered.


    ¡°I suppose that also exins why Nostrum is so affectionate towards As.¡± Carol said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Amy, Vicky, and Eric asked, stunned.


    ¡°You didn''t realize that?¡± Carol asked and they shook their heads. ¡°Diane kisses him full on the lips without worry, hangs over him when she hugs him, and almost always has a hand or fingertips somewhere on him, mostly on his neck or his lower arm.¡±


    The adults all nodded while the teenagers looked surprised.


    ¡°The pictures of them walking hand-in-hand on the boardwalk while shopping and down on the closed beach, clearly showed a lot more personal attention than a mother should have for her son... unless he''s a momma''s boy.¡± Manpower, Sarah''s husband said as he looked right at his son Eric, whose face went red and he didn''t deny it.


    That was also why Eric died his hair blue, because it gave him even more of her attention. He wasn''t old enough to realize that negative attention does not count as affection.


    ¡°That''s going a bit off track to what this meeting is about.¡± Sarah said gained everyone''s attention again. ¡°As was doing his best to y along and he can''t do that effectively if Panacea doesn''t even let him hug her.¡±


    ¡°He always goes in for a kiss afterwards.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°Then you tell him not to when he hugs you, dammit!¡± Carol said, unable to keep her anger at their stupidity under control. ¡°How can you be so ignorant that...¡±


    ¡°Carol.¡± Sarah interrupted her and Carol closed her mouth.


    ¡°I reserve the right to yell at them for epting his t-shirts and not telling me they were his.¡± Carol said as she crossed her arms.


    She had taken Vicky''s and then found out Amy had one as well when As had called. She told the girls she had thrown them out, except both t-shirts were excessively and almost sinfullyfortable and had kept them for herself. After washing them, of course. She also secretly loved the ruffled bird one that said inner peace started at people flocking off, because it was her personal philosophy.


    ¡°On your own time is fine.¡± Sarah agreed and Carol nodded as both girls sighed. ¡°As for how Panacea acts...¡± She turned to look at Amy. ¡°...you''re not even going to let him hug you, are you?¡±


    Amy wanted to say she would, and she couldn''t. She never wanted to lose the feeling of touching a perfect body and she was too scared to attempt it. Instead of saying anything, all she did was shake her head no.


    Sarah sighed. ¡°Crystal, go ahead and release the rumors that Panacea is having a power reaction to As, since that''s the simplest exnation.¡±


    ¡°It''s also the truth.¡± Vicky said and hugged her sister.


    ¡°I''m on it.¡± Crystal said. ¡°Okay, it''s added to the massive thread about the new healer in New Wave.¡±


    Carol smiled widely at that. ¡°What''s the page count up to?¡±


    ¡°It''s almost at the count limit and they''ll have to start another thread, just like they did under the Cape Life category.¡± Crystal said. ¡°They''ve tried to ban topless pics of him and all they''re doing in making their site traffic go crazy as more people post different pics.¡±


    ¡°He did take off his t-shirt a couple times at school.¡± Eric added. ¡°I didn''t think anyone took cell phone pictures, though.¡±


    ¡°I think they wanted to keep them for themselves, then realized they could fan the mes online and bingo bango, more poprity for them and for Altas.¡± Crystal said with a softugh. ¡°Bad Canary is really good at doing that, actually.¡±


    ¡°She does have more direct ess than anyone else right now.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°That''s because I couldn''t figure out a good way to have him visit when I was there on the weekend.¡± Crystal said and both Vicky and Amy frowned. ¡°I can hear the silence, so I''ll rify that I wouldn''t have taken any pictures without his permission. I''m trying to help his online persona, not abuse his trust.¡±


    Vicky felt like she was pped in the face by thatment.


    ¡°Oh! Bad Canary just posted a mostly nude pic of him in the shower. Damn, the steam''s covering... and PHO just crashed.¡± Crystal said andughed. ¡°Solid props to her. That was a great way to close out the message thread.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of online postings, another video of a silent meal between Glory Girl and As was shared online.¡± Sarah said and Vicky sighed. ¡°If you can''t even talk to him when working, then I''m officially changing the patrol schedule.¡±


    ¡°That''s not fair! I like having someone at my back.¡± Vickyined.


    ¡°Someone that you treat like trash and ignore until they''re needed?¡± Sarah asked and Vicky looked embarrassed. ¡°I''m not assigning him to Amy''s patrol at the hospital, either.¡±


    Amy sighed with relief. She was having a difficult enough time already with Greg at school and she didn''t need that added stress at work, too.


    ¡°They have enough healing avable with Nostrum being on call whenever she''s needed for emergency cases.¡± Sarah said and Amy''s relief disappeared as she was reminded about how much she resented that her only real value to the team was slowly being taken over by an older woman that was shorter than her.


    ¡°What are we going to do with a third healer?¡± Carol asked. ¡°You better not suggest we open a free healing stall that''s against the Health Code and highly illegal. Trust me, we do not want to get on the wrong side of the NEPA5ws.¡±


    Sarah chuckled and patted her sister''s arm. ¡°I was thinking we can extend an olive branch to our neighbouring city of Boston or perhaps go full out and offer to send him to New York for his work cement twice a week.¡±


    ¡°You''re sending him to New York and not me?¡± Amy asked, feeling outraged.


    ¡°Can you teleport yourself there and back?¡± Sarah asked and nodded at Carol, whom took out several copies of the new assessment that As had gone through at the PRT when he went in for his healing certification.


    The whole family was engrossed as they read over everything As could do and only Eric was surprised at the 10+ marks across the board.


    ¡°Is this guy for real?¡± Eric asked and waved the paper. ¡°These numbers are ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Armsmaster was quite correct in saying As is a cross between Alexandra and Legend. With both mover and ster powers, he''s pretty much the strongest cape in the world.¡± Sarah said, smugly. ¡°He''s also a member of New Wave and everyone is talking about him.¡±


    Carol caught on right away. ¡°That''s how we can get away with sending him to another city to work! They''ll easily wee him with open arms and won''t make a fuss about him stepping into other cape territories, because he''s there to offer healing.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Sarah said. ¡°It''ll spread our message and also won''t piss anyone off. Everyone loves having ess to a healer.¡±


    ¡°I''ll start sending out feelers to the capes in New York.¡± Crystal said over the phone. ¡°They have a lot of official and unofficial ounts on PHO.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was down?¡± Vicky asked.


    ¡°It was. It''s running on a backup server right now and it''s rolled back in time a week.¡± Crystal answered. ¡°All the threads are locked and only new ones are being responded to.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you going to start contacting people?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Private messages are still going through.¡± Crystal said. ¡°I assume the databases will be synced up in a few hours and might wipe out anything new if they switch the servers back.¡±


    ¡°Which might cover your tracks.¡± Sarah said with a nod. ¡°Go ahead and see if anyone over there would mind a visit from As.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Crystal said and they could hear some typing.


    ¡°Why only New York? I thought you said Boston, too.¡± Vicky said.


    ¡°Bigger fish in a bigger pond.¡± Carol responded. ¡°A healer would be in much more demand at one of their major hospitals on a rotating basis.¡±


    ¡°We''ll still make an offer to Boston after we talk to As about it. We don''t want to annoy him or do anything besides testing the waters for the offer before actually making it. If As isn''t on board, then there''s no harm and no foul.¡± Sarah exined.


    ¡°Flechette says she can''t wait to run the idea by her boss.¡± Crystal said. ¡°Apparently, his new assessment has been making the rounds across all of the PRT branches and they had a briefing about it already.¡±


    Sarah smiled. ¡°That''s going to save us a lot of groundwork. We need to talk to As as soon as possible and see if he''s up for a bit of travelling.¡±


    ¡°That... might be... a problem.¡± Crystal hesitatingly said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Because.¡± Crystal said and didn''t say anything else.


    Sarah sighed. ¡°If it''s bad news, you better tell us about it.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been watching a few things and have a few notifications registered at different sites, in case there was any news concerning As... and... well...¡±


    ¡°Just spit it out!¡± Carol almost shouted.


    ¡°Bad Canary Productions just released a virgin recording of a new song.¡± Crystal said.


    ¡°You can get virgins of that?¡± Eric asked, surprised.


    ¡°Virgin means it was the very first one ever made and no one else has heard it.¡± Vicky said and the rest of her family gave her surprised looks. ¡°What? I like my music.¡±


    ¡°Can you y it for us?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°It''ll sound like crap over theptop and then over the phone.¡± Crystal informed them. ¡°Hold on, I''ll send Vicky the link to her cell. Hers should ry the quality much better.¡±


    Vicky''s cell phone beeped at her and she checked it and clicked the link. ¡°I need to turn it up and put it on speaker.¡±


    ¡°This is the debut single called ''I''ll Do Anything For Love'' and has not been enhanced, altered, or changed.¡± Paige Macabee''s voice said. ¡°It''s by the newest contracted performer for Bad Canary Productions, As.¡±


    Nearly everyone gasped except Crystal, since she already knew. An acoustic guitar started strumming and then As started singing. ¡°Some days, it don''te easy...¡±


    The members of New Wave listened with rapt attention as the young man''s voice held them in thrall. The men didn''t feel much, since they weren''t really interested in the lyrics. The women however, they all started blushing as they felt like As was singing directly to them and he was telling them how much he loved them and how much he treasured them. By the time the song ended, Amy and Vicky were in tears.


    ¡°Sarah, text As right away and ask for a meeting for tomorrow after school. I''ll get the paperwork started for cooperating with a PRT liaison in another city.¡± Carol said and Sarah nodded. She turned to look at her daughters and pointed at them. ¡°Don''t.¡± She scolded them. ¡°Whatever you were thinking... just don''t.¡±


    Both girls nodded and wiped at their eyes.


    ¡°This meeting is adjourned.¡± Sarah said and Carol left the house with a swift stride. Amy and Vicky stood, a little shaky, and left at a more sedate pace. Carol''s husband Mark shrugged and followed them without a word.


    Eric was a teenage male, so he didn''t grasp the full meaning of what just happened and went upstairs to his room. He had the urge to listen to more music and would for the next few hours until he fell asleep. Manpower stood up and smiled at his wife, then went upstairs to change and go to bed.


    Sarah sat in her living room, all alone, andmented that her husband hadn''t taken a clue from the song they just heard. Why couldn''t he devote himself like that to her? Why hasn''t he dered that he would do anything for her love? Why did she feel disappointed that her own husband didn''t love her enough to kiss her goodnight anymore?


    She had never given it a second thought before and now she started wondering. Why did he stop showing her as much affection as he used to? Was something going on?


    With a new drive to figure that out, Sarah started digging. His cell phone, his credit card receipts, and his dirty casual clothes. As she searched, she couldn''t help see all the little signs her own love for him had hidden from her eyes. When she was done searching and found a box of condoms in the dashboard''s glovepartment of his truck, she knew the truth.


    Manpower was a cheating bastard and she had been too blind to see it.


    Sarah knew exactly what she wanted to do to get her revenge on him and to make him pay. She couldn''t divorce him, not with how they were in the public eye like they were; but, she wasn''t going to take his tant cheating without making it clear to him who wore the pants in the family.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!