I awoke to the feeling of my cheeks being pinched. Again. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of red eyes staring back at me. "Can't you wake me up like a normal person?" I complained to my tormentor with mild annoyance.

"Teehee~," Dovarata grinned. "But you're so much fun to play with!"

"Fun, huh?" I frowned. I rose to my feet and stretched. I looked up at the hole in the ceiling and saw that it was pre-dawn. What the heck? I became angry. "Why did you wake me so early? It's not even dawn!" I complained while pointing at the dark sky.

"I wanted to chat a bit with you before your companions awaken," she replied mysteriously.

"What about?" I was very concerned because if the draco tried to fly out of the lair and take me with her, no one was awake to stop her right now. Thus, I immediately raised my guard and prepared to defend myself!

"Eloping together with just the two of us," she grinned and elbowed my arm slightly.

"Elope? Do you even know what the word means?" I began to shout at her before the draco covered my mouth. I tried to twist my head back and forth but her grip proved to be too strong.

"Shhh!" My tormentor covered my mouth for a few seconds. When Dovarata became convinced that I would keep quiet, she released me. "Look, you are a very interesting man. Brave, strong, intelligent, and loyal. Plus you're a nobleman and blessed by the gods. As a proud daughter of Hleandros, I have an obligation to continue his lineage with a worthy partner. You are the first man I have deemed worthy of this honor. And since my sister likes you as well, I wouldn't mind sharing you with her. So how about it?" she asked with seriousness.

"I'm flattered to be considered worthy of being your consort. But I was not born of this world and I am seeking to return to my home. I don't belong here," I explained patiently while trying my best to avoid blushing. I was very surprised by her proposal of marriage or whatever the dragonkin called this.

Honestly, the notion of starting a family with the two sisters was very tempting but I had to decline the offer. My ultimate goal was to return home and I couldn't, in good conscience, do so while leaving my children behind in this world. At the same time, I wanted to remain faithful to Amelica for the remaining duration of my stay in this world.

The draco's head lowered at my answer and she sighed deeply. She lifted her chin and looked straight into my eyes. Her eyes were teary for a moment and then her resolve took over. "Very well. I respect your decision, Lord Mulligan." Dovarata bowed deeply to me. She took out the Orb of Travel. "So, when shall we leave for Southampton?" she asked.

I smiled with relief at her acceptance of my decision. I was concerned that Dovarata would not honor her promise due to her anger at my rejection of her offer. I was glad to discover that she was emotionally mature enough to separate matters of the heart from other matters. "I have to talk to my companions to figure out if Southampton should be our first destination. They may decide they need to return to Tregome first," I replied.

I was mindful of the fact that Quale, Onxyx, and Kourant were "on loan" from The Elven Nation for the limited purpose of helping Hleara to reclaim her share of the treasure hoard. The trio of elves had no obligation to me and thus, I couldn't assume that I could bring them along. Furthermore, I didn't think they would be interested in joining my quest to unlock the two remaining Ph'laen Ruins.

They seemed to be more conservative and less outgoing than Bjoukin and Bjoukia. My sense was that the trio was anxious to return to the woods. Thus, the proper move for them was to return to Tregome first so that the trio could report back to Roen and Valatea and then collect their next assignment.

Since only the two of us were awake right now, I decided to ask the draco something that had been bothering me. I pointed at the basalt golem. "How did the golem return into operation so easily? I thought my party destroyed it yesterday. Are you an enchanter?"

Dovarata puffed out her ample chest. "Yup, I was the one who fixed little old Doyen. My father liked to tinker and I learned how to fix the golem from him." She noticed the look of admiration in my eyes. "You know, it's not too late to change your mind and elope with me," she said and grinned.

I immediately crossed my arms. "Nope. I wanna go home," I replied firmly.

"Suit yourself," she shrugged.

"So learning to make a golem from you is out of the question, huh?" I floated the idea tentatively.

"It's a family secret," the beautiful woman winked at me. "I can't reveal it to you unless you're part of the family."

"Cheapskate!" I huffed.

"I'm glad you two are having so much fun," someone interrupted us.

We turned our heads in unison and saw that it was Hleara.

"How much did you hear?" I asked with growing dread.

"Oh, starting with the offer of elopement," the younger sister grinned. She flew over to my position and landed next to me; she elbowed me gently in the ribs. "Too bad you declined. Or else you would be getting a two-for-one deal. Right, sis?" Hleara glanced at her older sibling.

"Right," Dovarata nodded in agreement. The two slapped their hands together. *CLAP*

The noise was loud enough to awaken the rest of my companions. With one exception--Bila.

Van tried to nudge the cat girl's foot but it had no effect. "Milord, could you rouse her?" he requested with a slight bow.

"Why me?" I replied.

"Because Bila is your retainer. As her superior, you have to discipline her. If her conduct is poor, then it will reflect poorly on her master," Van explained.

Damn you, Van! The paladin actually had a cunning side to his personality. I couldn't think of a good counter-argument and quickly waved the white flag. "Fine." I sulked and cautiously approached her. I got down on one knee and shook her arm. "Bila, it's time to wake up." Seeing that this had no effect, I shook her harder.

The cat girl hissed and scratched the back of my hand, leaving three red lines.

"-5 Health." "Ouch," I said and released her arm.

Bila's eyes opened and she finally awoke. "Good morning, master," she purred and rubbed her forehead against my chest. She noticed the trickle of blood dripping down my hand and gasped. "Did I scratch you? I'm so sorry, master!" The cat girl stuck out her tongue and tried to lick my wound.

I resisted and somehow, I managed to push her head back. "It's fine. I can heal myself, remember?" I reminded her.

The cat girl released me and started cleaning herself.

I rolled my eyes and used Minor Heal on myself. "+5 Health." I was surprised to discover that I did not receive any experience points for my self-heal. I guessed my character level was too high now to receive easy experience points. Oh, well.

A short while later, Bjoukin called us over to the campfire. "Breakfast is ready!"

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When I received my bowl, I was happy to find a bird wing in the soup along with some veggies. I dipped the rye bread that I also received into the soup and took a bite. I noticed that Bjoukin had added some herbs and spices into the soup and they definitely enhanced the flavor of the soup.

When I finished eating my meal, I set down my bowl and started the discussion for our next move. "We're going to leave this place shortly. My question to everyone is our next destination. Dovarata has graciously agreed to use the Orb of Travel to bring us to Southampton. But I assume that not everyone here is planning to come along, right?" I directed the question to Quale, Onxyx, and Kourant.

The priestess bowed to me. "That is correct. The three of us need to return to Tregome. We will not be accompanying you on your next mission," she confirmed.

"And you'll be able to return on your own?" I asked. I had a suspicion that Onxyx was also a Gatekeeper just like Valatea. After all, Onxyx was able to send me directly to Gaea's domain. I believed that only a high-ranking priestess of Gaea had that privilege.

The priestess nodded.

"Are you planning to keep the portal here?" I asked while pointing at the red plant.

Onxyx turned toward the two draco sisters. "It depends on them."

They shared a look and turned toward the elven priestess in unison.

"Please do," Hleara answered.

"Then we'll be leaving now," the priestess replied with a bow. Leaving behind the giant plant, Onxyx reached out with her hands and touched Quale and Kourant on the shoulder. She cast Recall and the trio of elves teleported out of the dragon's lair.

Dovarata turned to face her sister. "Hleara, please trade positions with me and guard the lair today," she pleaded while folding her hands together.

The younger draco eyed her elder with suspicion. "Why? Do you plan to accompany Lord Mulligan to his next destination?" she asked.

The draco grinned. "I'm not going to hand him my Orb of Travel, right?"

Hleara folded her arms and frowned. "I was going to borrow the relic from you and use it to take my party to Southampton. And then accompany him on his next adventure," she replied.

Dovarata shook her head and wagged a finger. "I'll never give you the orb either."

Her sister's hands balled into fists. "But that's not fair!" she yelled.

The elder sister's grin widened. "You should have thought of this before agreeing to split the treasure hoard."

Hleara glared at her and started throwing insults. "You're an evil, conniving wench, aren't you? You're jealous because Lord Mulligan prefers my company to yours."

Dovarata ignored the temper tantrum. She calmly took out the magic item. "Ah, but I'm the one holding the Orb of Travel. If Lord Mulligan wants to use its power, this will occur on my terms," she retorted.

Hleara stomped her foot on the ground and sulked. She exhaled a deep breath and turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Lord Mulligan. But it looks like you're stuck with my sister. Please bear with her for a short while." The draco turned back toward her sister. "I'll have you know that I'm the party leader and if you dare to try anything funny like kidnapping him, I will make you pay dearly!" she threatened.

Dovarata examined her fingernails. "Yes, yes. I understand, dear sister. I will keep your precious toy safe. You have my word as a daughter of Hleandros."

The sister nodded in satisfaction. Dragons don't lie and Hleara was glad to extract a promise from Dovarata to protect me. Hleara turned toward me and nodded. "I wish you all a safe trip. For your safety, I will remain as your party leader until Dovarata returns home."

I bowed deeply to the draco. "Thank you." I turned toward Dovarata. "Please take us to Southampton now," I requested politely.

Holding the orb in her hand, the proud draco puffed out her chest. "Please make contact with each other and with me. Next stop: Southampton!" When we were all connected physically, Dovarata activated the orb and selected Southampton as the destination.

A flash of blue light erupted from the orb and blinded us. A moment later, we arrived at the harbor in Southampton.

"And here we are!" Dovarata announced cheerfully as she returned the magic item to her Bag of Holding.

As expected, we arrived in front of the shrine dedicated to Lady Musa and Lord Bane. The shrine was comprised of a thick pole arising from the ground. The top end of the wooden pole was attached to a rectangular platform some three hands wide and one hand long. On the platform was a display case. Inside the case were two small stone statues: one depicted Musa and the other depicted Bane.

I turned to my party and said, "Please pay your respect to the gods for our safe voyage back to Southampton," I said in a firm tone of voice. I bowed deeply to the statues. I was happy to see that everyone, including Dovarata, obeyed my command and bowed toward the gods.

Suddenly, a wind blew by and messed up my hair. Ah! I realized that the harbor was a natural leyline for wind! And I could tap into the water as well! I looked at my companions and said, "I need to stay here and meditate for a little while." Before my companions could protest, I untied my money sack and handed each party member a gold coin. "Please indulge me on this selfish request. You can use the coin to buy supplies or grab a meal," I said. "I ask that you return in a half hour."

Rijana, Bjoukin, and Bjoukia accepted my coin readily. They headed north.

Van and Bila stared at each other for a long time until the cat girl suddenly sneezed and squeezed her eyes shut briefly.

"Ha! I won!" the paladin blurted out.

"Fine!" Bila hissed. "Buy me something to eat," she demanded.

Van nodded.

"I guess it's my turn to stand guard," Bila grumbled.

"Thank you," I replied with a smile. I was happy to see that she was taking her responsibility as my bodyguard seriously. I looked at Dovarata, who had remained behind. "Aren't you going to tour the city?" I asked. Frankly, I was surprised that she was still standing next to me. I thought she would be visiting the shops and sampling their goods.

The draco shook her head. "I can return here whenever I want. I promised my sister that I will protect you and I intend to keep that promise," she answered.

"I am in your care," I said and bowed deeply. Ignoring her puffed chest, I sat cross-legged on the ground, closed my eyes, and meditated. After a while, I felt the chaotic energy of the wind and the steady, rhythmic current of the moving tide. I decided to approach the leyline of the water first. I reached out using my metaphysical hand and plunged into the current. The leyline readily accepted me and I was able to connect with the water immediately.

My soul returned to my core being and I confirmed that the link to the leyline remained intact. With this assurance, I reached out for the wind current. The leyline proved uncooperative and refused my overtures. I gathered my will and focused again on grabbing the leyline. It was a bitter struggle from beginning to end. But somehow, I managed to hold onto the leyline. With one last tug, I pulled the leyline back to my core.

When I opened my eyes, I saw two in-game notifications: "Leyline ACQUIRED: Southampton Water (Water). +500 XP." "Leyline ACQUIRED: Southampton Harbor (Wind). +500 XP." I wiped the sweat from my brow. Suddenly, I noticed someone sitting to my left and right. It was Dovarata and Bila, respectively.

"Finished, master?" Bila asked me. She casually unleashed a sharp claw and cleaned her teeth with it.

Yikes! It was her way of threatening to poke my right shoulder with her claw if I gave the wrong answer!

In response, I rose to my feet. Standing nearby was the rest of my companions. "Thank you," I said simply. I turned away from the shrine and looked for the mage tower which served as the headquarters of the Magic Guild and the government of the city. When the tower in question was in my sight, I started walking in the direction of the building.

As I walked I looked at the buildings near the harbor. When the Zorxilixian slaver and her forces invaded Southampton, they traded spells with the members of the Magic Guild. As a result, many fires broke out within the storage warehouses nearby. However, from my cursory examination of these buildings, I saw that the massive structural damage to the city had already been fixed. Thus, I was very impressed with the speed of such recovery. I had no doubt that the Magic Guild intervened and marshaled the resources necessary to make this happen.

When our group arrived at the entrance of the Magic Guild, I saw a familiar face awaiting us: Delkon!

The master mage looked at me with disapproval. "You're late," he said.

I bowed deeply to him. "I'm sorry, Councilor."

Delkon waved his hand. "It's quite alright. I was surprised that you didn't return to the city immediately. I had the impression that you desired to leave for London ASAP." Suddenly, he noticed the red scales of Dovarata and his eyes widened. "It has been quite a while since dragonkin has visited Southampton. My name is Delkon and I am part of the Leadership Council of the Magic Guild. On behalf of the city, I bid you welcome," he introduced himself formally and bowed.

"I am Dovarata, daughter of the late Hleandros the red dragon," she replied with an equally deep bow.

"She's going to London with us," I added nonchalantly.

The mage was surprised by this development but wisely kept his questions unasked.

"By the way, how did you know that we arrived in the city?" I asked. It could not be a coincidence for him to be waiting for our party in front of the guild's entrance.

"Hehehe," the councilor chuckled. "Our magic barrier around the shrine detected the use of teleportation magic. Clairvoyance revealed who the visitors were. Since I had requested that I be notified immediately whenever you return to Southampton, I became aware of your return. And then I simply waited here at the entrance," he explained patiently. "Since I answered your question, please answer mine: why were you meditating next to the shrine?"

I hesitated to answer the question. I wasn't sure if I wanted to reveal my status as a Spirit Magi. I was afraid that the mages would take advantage of my nearly unlimited access to the four elements and besiege me with requests for assistance.

Thankfully, Delkon took notice and said, "It's probably related to the gods, eh? Don't worry about it." He waved his hand dismissively. "But I DO need to know when you are ready to Gate over to London."

I grinned sheepishly. "Um, I need to visit your Magic Shop first."

The councilor was intrigued by my response. "In that case, I shall take you there myself."

"Thank you." I bowed deeply to Master Delkon.