Ashen City…
Momo muttered a nearly endless banter of curses under her breath as she walked away from an abandoned mansion. Some stupid, braindead woman suggested she Jump all the way to this part of the world for additional funding that just wasn't there. Not a trace of these supposed Ashfall people remained…
Oh, she wanted to choke-slam Lord Aunder. How dare he treat her like some maid. She was a Venus sister, the most respected women of her nation. Among the wise women, often looked up to, called upon, rulers in all but name. Now she babysat a kid and bent her neck for a lousy drunk who had the most irritating grin while under the influence. He spoke of honor in everything, but herded the Great Venus Sisters like slaves. Said it himself…
Momo wanted to howl. Her idiot sister Su Yang fawns over the man. Olivia acted as his attack dog. And the recruit, Julius or whatever, is the only sane one she could talk to. He clearly wasn't happy to be there. No one entered the Forgotten Party of their own will, except perhaps the kid. If Momo couldn't make contact with her goddess, she'd at least show her that she wouldn't let the poor little girl become like that stupid drunk. Honor her ass. If he needed to put down the alcohol for once!
She wondered if her goddess has forsook her servants. Can she not see them? Why wasn't she doing anything? Was it a test? Or…maybe there was no goddess Venus. Ludacris thinking. Aunder told them clearly that he blocked all paths to the goddess. He couldn't risk her interrupting his stupid plans.
She herself gave the Venus sisters the powerful magic in a dream. "Use it in my name. Love and sex. Kindness, peace, harmony, and fertility."
Momo tried for the umpteenth time to force her way past Aunder's magical chains—anything that could get even a faint cry for help out. Nothing. Another failure…
"Well, well," a masculine voice said.
Momo turned to see a man walking toward her, grinning.
"A beauty like you, alone, trespassing on sold property," he continued. "If you want me to keep quiet, you'd better bend over. I'll need to plug your naughty drain."
Momo felt outrage pour into her. This lowly, scum of Satovia, dare talk to her that way? He dare show such disrespect. She felt like…she felt murderous for the first time in her life.
"We can take this behind—agh!"
Momo smashed a fist into his testes and watched him drop. He wasn't worth killing after all. Just some pathetic thug.
"You will pay for this, bitch," he wheezed then pulled out a handgun. Momo gasped, sensing the silver bullets inside. She was going to die this day. Killed by a lowly thug. No…she couldn't let it happen, even if she'd welcome death. Not like this. Besides, someone needed to take care of the Princess Dire. And no one was better at it than her.
Momo teleported right as the man pulled the trigger. Standing on his back, she shook her head. The man trembled.
"Why couldn't the Stone find us?" she said softly. "Bounded by a lousy drunk of a Viper—our goddess as surely forsaken us. We who dedicated our lives to her service." A tear dropped from an eye. "I will be killing you in her name. In the name of Venus, who forsook her most loyal subjects. Your soul…will be a gift."
She placed a hand on his back.
"No—no, no," the man pleaded, but the paralysis was still in place.
"I will sacrifice you in her name," Momo said. "She who left us to this fate. You…filth."
**
Clyde's house…
That evening….
Clyde flinched as he heard Airi laugh at one of Seth's bad jokes. All the way from the living room. Who thought it was a good idea to let her get so out-of-control drunk? He kind of felt bad for Harumi—and so much for not being backed up. A shame, because he didn't get the chance to pick her brain. Someone like that was a goldmine for him, a man new to Satovia. Knowledge locked behind a drunken paywall. Clyde would ask at the hotel the following day.
He sighed, half-glaring at the women that piled into his room.
Ruri claimed she needed to protect her ears. Neko made the same excuse.
Alice was in his lap, reading a novel. At the desk, Chika switched back and forth from studying to reading an issue of the Loli Saga. Natalia shut off her handheld game to repeatedly poke Clyde's arm. He tried to ignore her, even abandoned the light novel on his tablet, but the loli persisted. Alice moved every once in a while to engage his erection. Tear flanked his left, also reading. It suspiciously looked like the sequel of a novel he hid from Alice.
"She still has the yarn," Chika said offhandedly. Neko purred, ignoring the silver-haired girl.
"Shouldn't all of you be getting some rest? We're leaving first thing in the morning," Clyde said.
"Would love to," Tear said, placing her hand on Clyde's chin. "Even if you could get Harumi's friend to quiet down, I'm too comfortable here."
"Tear, don't test my patience," Chika said. "When I'm done here, I will be taking back my spot."
"Fine, I'll just sleep on top of him," Tear said.
"I don't think so," Chika said. "We all agreed not to."
"First come, first serve," Tear said. "And I'm not moving." She grabbed ahold of Clyde's arm. Chika's jealousy aura flickered.
"Let's not start that tonight," Clyde interjected. "Or I'll kick everyone that isn't Alice, out."
Alice gave them a smug look, then tuned back to her reading without saying a word.
"You shouldn't favor her so much," Tear said. "I want spoiling too." She moved over to kiss Clyde, only for Neko to place her ball of yarn between the two. Clyde felt her tail grab his horn. His fists clenched.
"Neko," Tear said in a deadly calm voice. The catgirl removed the yarn, smiling innocently.
"Nya, let's play a game."
Tear raised an eyebrow. Clyde grunted when Neko stroked. Somehow Alice didn't notice. What could he say? Tear gave him a suspicious look. Ruri suddenly sniffed the air.
"Ruri, I think Matsume needed you for something earlier," Clyde lied. "I forgot to pass the message."
"I can smell the lie," Ruri said. "Neko, what are you doing to him?"
Alice looked at her, eyes of ice.
"Nya, both hands are right here."
The stroking increased. Neko suddenly licked his face. Alice's phone rang.
"Hi Harumi," Alice said when she answered. "Velvet cheesecake? I'm in."
With a flicker of magic, Alice's nightgown changed into a dress. She put on some shoes, kiss Clyde then scurried off. That's when Neko pounced.
Ashen City…
Momo muttered a nearly endless banter of curses under her breath as she walked away from an abandoned mansion. Some stupid, braindead woman suggested she Jump all the way to this part of the world for additional funding that just wasn't there. Not a trace of these supposed Ashfall people remained…
Oh, she wanted to choke-slam Lord Aunder. How dare he treat her like some maid. She was a Venus sister, the most respected women of her nation. Among the wise women, often looked up to, called upon, rulers in all but name. Now she babysat a kid and bent her neck for a lousy drunk who had the most irritating grin while under the influence. He spoke of honor in everything, but herded the Great Venus Sisters like slaves. Said it himself…
Momo wanted to howl. Her idiot sister Su Yang fawns over the man. Olivia acted as his attack dog. And the recruit, Julius or whatever, is the only sane one she could talk to. He clearly wasn't happy to be there. No one entered the Forgotten Party of their own will, except perhaps the kid. If Momo couldn't make contact with her goddess, she'd at least show her that she wouldn't let the poor little girl become like that stupid drunk. Honor her ass. If he needed to put down the alcohol for once!
She wondered if her goddess has forsook her servants. Can she not see them? Why wasn't she doing anything? Was it a test? Or…maybe there was no goddess Venus. Ludacris thinking. Aunder told them clearly that he blocked all paths to the goddess. He couldn't risk her interrupting his stupid plans.
She herself gave the Venus sisters the powerful magic in a dream. "Use it in my name. Love and sex. Kindness, peace, harmony, and fertility."
Momo tried for the umpteenth time to force her way past Aunder's magical chains—anything that could get even a faint cry for help out. Nothing. Another failure…
"Well, well," a masculine voice said.
Momo turned to see a man walking toward her, grinning.
"A beauty like you, alone, trespassing on sold property," he continued. "If you want me to keep quiet, you'd better bend over. I'll need to plug your naughty drain."
Momo felt outrage pour into her. This lowly, scum of Satovia, dare talk to her that way? He dare show such disrespect. She felt like…she felt murderous for the first time in her life.
"We can take this behind—agh!"
Momo smashed a fist into his testes and watched him drop. He wasn't worth killing after all. Just some pathetic thug.
"You will pay for this, bitch," he wheezed then pulled out a handgun. Momo gasped, sensing the silver bullets inside. She was going to die this day. Killed by a lowly thug. No…she couldn't let it happen, even if she'd welcome death. Not like this. Besides, someone needed to take care of the Princess Dire. And no one was better at it than her.
Momo teleported right as the man pulled the trigger. Standing on his back, she shook her head. The man trembled.
"Why couldn't the Stone find us?" she said softly. "Bounded by a lousy drunk of a Viper—our goddess as surely forsaken us. We who dedicated our lives to her service." A tear dropped from an eye. "I will be killing you in her name. In the name of Venus, who forsook her most loyal subjects. Your soul…will be a gift."
She placed a hand on his back.
"No—no, no," the man pleaded, but the paralysis was still in place.
"I will sacrifice you in her name," Momo said. "She who left us to this fate. You…filth."
**
Clyde's house…
That evening….
Clyde flinched as he heard Airi laugh at one of Seth's bad jokes. All the way from the living room. Who thought it was a good idea to let her get so out-of-control drunk? He kind of felt bad for Harumi—and so much for not being backed up. A shame, because he didn't get the chance to pick her brain. Someone like that was a goldmine for him, a man new to Satovia. Knowledge locked behind a drunken paywall. Clyde would ask at the hotel the following day.
He sighed, half-glaring at the women that piled into his room.
Ruri claimed she needed to protect her ears. Neko made the same excuse.
Alice was in his lap, reading a novel. At the desk, Chika switched back and forth from studying to reading an issue of the Loli Saga. Natalia shut off her handheld game to repeatedly poke Clyde's arm. He tried to ignore her, even abandoned the light novel on his tablet, but the loli persisted. Alice moved every once in a while to engage his erection. Tear flanked his left, also reading. It suspiciously looked like the sequel of a novel he hid from Alice.
"She still has the yarn," Chika said offhandedly. Neko purred, ignoring the silver-haired girl.
"Shouldn't all of you be getting some rest? We're leaving first thing in the morning," Clyde said.
"Would love to," Tear said, placing her hand on Clyde's chin. "Even if you could get Harumi's friend to quiet down, I'm too comfortable here."
"Tear, don't test my patience," Chika said. "When I'm done here, I will be taking back my spot."
"Fine, I'll just sleep on top of him," Tear said.
"I don't think so," Chika said. "We all agreed not to."
"First come, first serve," Tear said. "And I'm not moving." She grabbed ahold of Clyde's arm. Chika's jealousy aura flickered.
"Let's not start that tonight," Clyde interjected. "Or I'll kick everyone that isn't Alice, out."
Alice gave them a smug look, then tuned back to her reading without saying a word.
"You shouldn't favor her so much," Tear said. "I want spoiling too." She moved over to kiss Clyde, only for Neko to place her ball of yarn between the two. Clyde felt her tail grab his horn. His fists clenched.
"Neko," Tear said in a deadly calm voice. The catgirl removed the yarn, smiling innocently.
"Nya, let's play a game."
Tear raised an eyebrow. Clyde grunted when Neko stroked. Somehow Alice didn't notice. What could he say? Tear gave him a suspicious look. Ruri suddenly sniffed the air.
"Ruri, I think Matsume needed you for something earlier," Clyde lied. "I forgot to pass the message."
"I can smell the lie," Ruri said. "Neko, what are you doing to him?"
Alice looked at her, eyes of ice.
"Nya, both hands are right here."
The stroking increased. Neko suddenly licked his face. Alice's phone rang.
"Hi Harumi," Alice said when she answered. "Velvet cheesecake? I'm in."
With a flicker of magic, Alice's nightgown changed into a dress. She put on some shoes, kiss Clyde then scurried off. That's when Neko pounced.
