I rolled around the luxurious bed fitfully. My overfilled bladder was determined to ruin the first good night of sleep I had enjoyed in days. Dammit. I sighed in defeat as I phased up to a sitting position. I was naked except for my boxers as I looked around the penthouse suite. The green LED clock said 07:28. Guess I slept a little more than five hours. I don’t think my body really required sleep anymore but it was still a luxury I enjoyed to the fullest.
Two minutes later I was still in front of the toilet. Wonder what the record for longest pee is in this world? I’ve gotta be a contender with this one. At least a minute later I was still going. Did I really drink that much? I was barely even buzzed when I went to bed, but I guess I was almost keeping up with Yugal. The stream finally came to a sputtering stop and I sighed in relief. I washed my hands and started brushing my teeth (every room was supplied with toiletries that replenished automatically).
As I scrubbed my sharp teeth, I dropped my shorts and walked around the short hallway leading to the walk in shower. It was a polished black granite room the size of an average bedroom with three shining chrome shower heads arranged in a triangle on the eight foot ceiling. There were also two handheld shower wands on opposite walls. A motion sensor detected my entrance and warm water began cascading down. I touched the little waterproof screen near the entrance, bumping up the water temperature a few degrees. I’ve always been in the hotter shower faction, I know it’s supposedly not good for you.
The shower was heavenly and I felt myself slowly coming back to life as the body wash and shampoo did their thing. Fifteen or so minutes later I was leaving the shower and as I turned the corner to the bathroom proper I glanced in the mirror and froze.
I was used to my reflection being a practical stranger but this was something else entirely. The head of an enormous black panther with the curling horns of a ram was glaring at me with piercing neon yellow eyes from within the mirror. Instinctively, I knew exactly who I was looking at.
“Baelphegor.” I said the name and the response was instant. The panther’s ears flattened and thick white canines were revealed as the lips pulled back in a snarl.
As instantly as it had appeared, the apparition vanished. I was left staring at my own naked reflection with a tense look on my face. It hadn’t spoken, but the message was clear. My apparent familiar was not happy about being ignored. Still, did I even want something scary like that following me around? Also if I get any more cats I might as well throw on an oversized disney sweater and fully embrace the crazy cat lady lifestyle. Ultimately I decided that I could just deal with it after Grandring.
In response to that unspoken decision, a sudden dull pain in my stomach made me look down. A stomach ache in my old body wouldn’t have made me think twice at all. Honestly I was more surprised on the rare occasion when nothing hurt. Now such random biological inconveniences were not normal at all. I decided it was time to address this here and now.
“Look, since I know you can hear me I’ll spell it out. If you’re trying to bully me, you better have way worse to offer than a tummy ache.” I spoke out loud in a flat voice. “The more grief you cause me, the less inclined I am to see your face out here. As of right now, I plan to address this as soon as we break the siege on Grandring. Keep messing with me, and I’ll gladly ignore you for the rest of my life. No one, and I mean no one can ignore his problems like I can.”
The pain suddenly vanished, and the oppressive feeling of being glared at went with it.
“Good. In that case I’ll see you soon. Hang in there prince of sloth, maybe take a nap.” I said as my suit appeared on my body.
I left my room feeling fully refreshed and ready for whatever the day would throw my way.
----------------------------------------
Yugal watched his sister wading about in the large pool, her eyes wide with wonder and excitement. At lord Gray’s request, Tabula had made some modifications to EDEN’s large resort configuration which allowed giants like Yugal and Ignea to access this area. Natural morning sunlight bathed the black marble around the pool, and the water temperature itself was quite warm from the perspective of a mountain giant. Ignea was in the deep end of the pool, which still only came up to around her waist. Yugal was soaking in the shallow end like it was a bath tub, enjoying the simple feeling of pure relaxation. For once, there was no worry or anxiety pressing in on his mind.
He hadn’t slept the night before. Even after lord Gray had stumbled off to bed and the rest of the giants had returned through the portal, Yugal had lingered in the waking realm. He couldn’t stop stealing glances at his beloved younger sister, sleeping peacefully in the mountain of furs next to him under the open sky. It had been a night of reflective soul searching.
His uncle, in the throes of the celebration had called upon Yugal to rejoin the southern clans and find a wife from among the many giant maidens. Yugal had deflected the offer, but now wondered about his future. A loud splash and the sound of giggling jolted him from his reverie.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
A head popped up near Ignea. The lavender hair flowing in the water gave away the identity of the intruder. It was that girl from yesterday that had been honored. She had also been curious about Ignea, asking her all sorts of questions. Was her name Luka? Luda? Lu-something or other.
“Pardon her, please.” Another voice from the edge of the pool apologized. “Luna can’t stay away from the pool.” It was the other girl from their party. Like the lavender haired woman, she wore a one piece black bathing suit supplied by EDEN. “Sorry I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Delia, a new adventurer here.”
“I am Yugal, she is Ignea my sister.” Yugal answered, somewhat impressed by the girl’s courage to approach him so brazenly. “Congratulations, you achieved a high honor here in your short time.”
“Thank you very much. It means a great deal coming from the famous Mountain Terror of the Western Blades.” Delia’s voice was packed with sincerity as she referred to the range of mountains that had once been home to Yugal’s great clan. “Mere sight of you was enough to send most adventurers running in fear.”
“I never sought those conflicts, but being a big target with too much pride to flee led to the deaths of many challengers.” Yugal reflected on his youth with a sigh. “Our great lord ended that petulant cycle with ease.” Yugal couldn’t hold back a smile as a playful splashing battle broke out in the deep end between Luna and Ignea. “Where but in a dream could one find a giantess frolicking so carelessly with a human adventurer?”
“Dreams could never reach these heights of absurdity.” Delia sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “You only graze the surface. A human and giant are frolicking, sure. But they are doing so in a huge pool of warm water that is always crystal clear, and replenishes Soul Energy by simply being submerged in it. That pool is in a building where merely eating the unnaturally delicious food applies blessings that make an S ranked cleric look like a bumbling novice. Every single ‘suite’ of which there seem to be thousands, has a bath with hot water that falls from the ceiling, and a bed that can only be described as a warm fluffy cloud.” Delia suddenly realized she was rambling and snapped her mouth closed. “I’m sorry, I have no clue why I went on and on like that.” She was blushing.
“Don’t apologize!” Yugal laughed sincerely. “I was quite enjoying your perspective. I’ve been among them for long enough that my wonder was diminishing. Please go on.”
“Well if you insist...” Delia sucked in another breath. “The immediate area is patrolled by a talking bird so strong that it can erase mountains at will, a dragon can be found lazing about in the bar chatting with a little catkin girl whom has an honest to gods Domain power. Lady Tabula, a being so powerful I can’t even fully Appraise controls this entire space as though it were her own body. I couldn’t fathom what kind of person she would actually call her master until I met that man yesterday...” She paused briefly to shudder at the memory. “I was so scared I could barely remember my own name and class! Those muscleheads I work with! How can they chat so glibly with such a monstrous aura bearing down on them?"
“Monstrous?” A girl’s voice announced the arrival of the green dragon in human form. “He was holding his aura in as much as possible. He’s gonna laugh when I tell him that one.” Jade snickered.
“P-please lady dragon, don’t tell him I said that!” Delia yanked her feet out of the water and scrambled to a prostrated position.
“You need to lighten up, girl. My name’s Jade not ‘lady dragon’.” Jade’s face was screwed up with a mixture of confusion and pity. “Anyways, Yugs. Tabula told me to tell you that our Master is gonna be ready to go in an hour, so meet him out front then.” Jade swung around and departed with some final words. “Congrats on getting your sis back, big guy!”
“Thank you Jade!” Yugal called, and she gave a wave over her toned shoulder.
Delia watched with wide eyed wonder as Yugal stood and wrapped a ‘towel’ around his waist which she recognized as one of the comforters found in the suites. Without the layers of hides and fur that typically covered him, so much muscle and scar tissue was revealed that Rust himself seemed an infant by comparison.
“Sister.” He called over to Ignea whom was still enjoying her playful scuffle with the mighty monk. “We must prepare for our journey.”
“It’s not really a ‘journey’, brother.” She answered. “You step into the red thing and you’re there.”
“Still, we should look our best. This announcement will be a historic one.” He pressed her gently.
“Bah. Very well, I suppose I should go act like a princess.” She grumbled. “I’ll visit again soon, Luna.”
The two of them had hit it off at the party, and now seemed like lifelong friends.
“Be safe Ignea!” Luna waved before diving back under the water.
“She’s like a mermaid.” Yugal chuckled as Ignea walked past him wrapped in her own ‘towel’.
They dried off thoroughly and dressed themselves in a private dressing room with large sturdy benches and giant sized cabinets. Lady Tabula was an incredibly thoughtful and thorough person. Yugal brushed the tangles from his thick red mane and beard, and donned the ceremonial fur lined blue toga that his aunt had made as a gift for him. Ignea wore a light grey dress tinted a pastel shade of aquamarine, and a supple but wide leather belt around her slim waist. Each of them cut a majestic figure as they left their dressing room.
The giant siblings passed dozens of dwarves, humans, celestials, and even a few cambions as they walked down the long and tall hallway that had been modified for them. They all were here to visit the Office of Commerce headed by lady Raj and Ms. Sapphire. EDEN was truly bustling now. Never in his life had Yugal imagined such a diverse gathering, and the echoes of Delia’s ramblings made him smile even wider. This nation would someday steer the course of this whole continent, and likely even the world beyond that. Yugal was proud to be a witness to the very beginning of it all.
After gathering a few things from Yugal’s cabin in the rear courtyard, it was nearing the appointed time. They rounded the building and found a gathering of the fledgling country’s most elite people.
Lord Gray stood at ease in his typical striking suit. Niiya stood next to him in a set of beautiful leather armor crafted in the celestial style, meaning it was a dark purple color with studs that glinted like stars. It was a gift from Saet, and she wore it as naturally as her own skin.
Leza and Leifa were present as the leaders of their individual groups. Leza wore a sleeveless black tunic and baggy olive colored pants that cinched around her calves. The Hellcats favored garments like those these. They wouldn’t be shredded by their White Fury forms, which unlike most transformations didn’t overwrite clothing. Leifa was dressed much more elegantly in a cream colored dress that flowed and clung in all the right places.
The Dark Alfar ladies were also present, wearing leather and cloth armor made by the new local dwarven craftsmen. The quality was exceptional and would shame any human artisan from the kingdom. Dark traveling cloaks only added to their mystique. The deputy governor tengu, Raj was there with her typical cohort and guildmaster Hurstag. Raj wore a dark robe tied at the waist with a white sash, and a fluffy white fur scarf around her neck. She seemed like a person that very much hated the cold. Hurstag wore a set of heavily embellished plate armor as was typical dwarven ceremonial attire.
“Looks like we’re all here.” lord Gray announced with a smile. The man seemed unusually chipper for a human that drank several mountain giants and dwarves under the table less than eight hours ago.
Without further chit chat, lord Gray conjured the portal that would be the holy grail of magic for any nation (nevermind individual magic users). Personal teleportation spells were rare with a harsh distance limit, and could even misfire, landing the unfortunate user in a random location (including the bottom of the sea).
Yugal grabbed his sister’s hand for courage and stepped through the blood red gate.