Their first stop wasn't far from where they entered the city; a nondescript shack of a building that Princess Adageyudi thought looked more like a gardener's shed than a place of business. She wasn't a fan of the smell, either.

"Hail, stranger," Arakash said while giving a flourish of his hands, opening his arms as if in the gesture of a hug while bowing his head. It was the traditional greeting, revealing a lack of weapons and putting oneself in a position that would make most spellcasting difficult as well.

The stocky leatherworker gave him a glance, his eyes glowing red as he worked. "Hail. Please, give me a moment to finish." He brushed his hand over the tanned material, smoothing it, before dipping it back into the infused fluid that would give it its magical properties. "I beg your pardon, it is hard to find help during farm season."

"I cannot help you there, but perchance we can make your labor fruitful." He was looking around at all the outfits; nothing here looked better than his own armor. "Something light, suited to my mage-friend, here."

"Aye," the man gave Ada a long look, too long for Ada to consider polite, but his interest was for reasons other than suspicion. "If'n you seek quality but light, I recently finished a fine suit of gryphon hide. I guarantee, when wearing it, you'll feel like you're n-flying." The minor slip-up was politely ignored by Arakash, though Ada found herself stepping back.

"Gryphon is fine material," Arakash said. As common magic leather went, it was some of the best. He hadn't expected dragon or even wyvern in a place like this, nor could they have afforded it if there was. "Now, let us discuss the price."

Several minutes of haggling later, and Ada had her outfit in her arms. "Was that really necessary?" The question carried numerous undertones. "And the way that lecher kept staring at me..."

"Yeah, well, that lech gave us quite the discount for the sake of 'the pretty girl'," Arakash said. He tactfully left out the part where he'd been subtly using his power to influence the man. Her frustration worked in his favor, after all. "If you agreed to change in the store, I bet we could have gotten it at cost."

Ada considered, for a moment, punching the demon then going back into the shop and giving him a proper dressing down. "I'm not doing that again."

Arakash suppressed the urge to laugh. Perfect. He kept walking for a moment, allowing the girl to stew in her resentment until he spotted a pair of attractive, if somewhat older, women coming toward them. Timing won wars, as the saying went. "Welcome to the poor side of town, Princess," He whispered. Then he offered his best smile to the women. "How are you lovelies this fine day?"

They giggled, but didn't shy away from the 'younger' man flirting with them. One woman had the social awareness to glance Ada, in case she might get upset. The bolder of the pair ogled him openly. "I'm sure you have ways to make my day better."

"Ah, but if I could." He put on the charm nonetheless, with the smooth flowing body language that only centuries of practice could accomplish. "Alas, I find myself saddled with too many responsibilities and too little time."

"A pity." They walked away, but Ada noticed them both looking back more than once.

"That's how people live outside of the fanciful halls of the rich and powerful," Arakash said. "Guys lech on girls, girls lech on guys, and most of us take it as a compliment." He was taking a risk in talking about this subject with the princess; if she made the association with his typical dietary habits, it could push her the wrong direction.

"But it's so..." Ada searched for the words.

"Crude?" Arakash offered. "Yes, it is. The world is a crude place. And most people wouldn't have it any other way. Certainly better than basing your entire view of people on their money and power.

"But if it bothers you, then perhaps you'd better head to the inn, because it's going to get worse." He gestured at the docks they were approaching, taking time to point specifically at the nautical figurehead sitting over the entrance of a tavern which proclaimed itself the 'Drunken Mermaid'.

The artwork's depiction of a woman with comically oversized breasts covered only by the hair on her head. He had to admit, however, that the wood bleached to the point where it could be mistaken for ivory was a nice touch, if nothing like the real verion, which had neither breasts nor hair.

Ada stared at the carving for a moment. "What sort of place..."

"The kind which sells alcohol and other services to lonely sailors," Arakash said. "Unless you're a specific sort of woman, you're better off staying away, so it's best for you to get a room for us while I find us a ship."

Ada considered his plan, then made certain to push her own point. "You don't hurt anyone, and you come straight back when you're done. Swear it."

"I swear it." He tested the limits of his enslavement again, and found that his mental assurance that he'd kill if he had to protect himself didn't push the compulsion. "When you get there, only ask for one room, merchant quality. Also request two baths."

She blinked. "What? Why?"

Arakash yearned for the coming day when she took his word at face value instead of questioning everything. Until then, he'd continue giving advice so obvious it made her feel dumb for not thinking of it herself. "I don't need to sleep, so there's no point in a second room. It calls attention, but if they think you're alone, you'll be lucky if the worst they do is try cheating you. This way you sound like you're ordering a room for yourself and companion. Which would also explain your lack of baggage. I'll know if you're in real danger, but better to avoid it in the first place."

Ada considered his logic for a moment, and had to wonder if the world was as harsh as he implied, but she lost little if he was wrong and couldn't risk it if he was right. "Very well. You had better return soon."

Arakash stepped into the bar, content to trust the magical compass he had to monitor the princess while he took care of business. Within the building was a creature which stank of poison magic, power, and greed. There, he identified the man sitting near the back. He was tall, and the right side of his face was covered by a solemn black mask. A cloak covered his right side as well. The left side revealed a middle-aged man, face and clothes aged by the rigors of life at sea.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

He walked over and sat down at the table, ignoring the man's two companions. Men like this didn't appreciate cowardice. "Hail, Captain."

The captain's good eye narrowed. "What do ya want, lad? Ye'r ruinin' my drink."

No point in beating around the bush. "I'm looking to charter a ship."

The captain laughed, and after a moment his subordinates joined in. That moment revealed a great deal to Arakash about how the man ran his ship. "Look somewhere else, mine ain't no luxury cruiser fer ferrying whelps around."

"That is precisely why I'm interested." Arakash reached his own cloak, then pulled out the large summoning crystal containing the power of a hydra. "For this, I think you'll reconsider."

The captain kept his surprise hidden as he considered the prize at hand. "Hmph, and what would I be needing with such a gem? It be too much trouble to sell quick. Take yer little barter elsewhere."

In spite of the rejection, Arakash knew full well the man was salivating at the idea. A summoning stone of this degree of power could buy a ship. The trick was finding someone who could afford it. A process that might take months. Arakash held out his hand, stone atop his palm. "I'm not asking for a cut. You bring us to Vara and it's yours to keep or sell at your leisure."

"Very generous, lad." The captain moved the mask to the side, revealing the hidden half of his face. While the men with him recoiled in disgust and horror, Arakash just kept his eye on the man. With both eyes locked on the glowing rock, he reached out to touch it and all the wealth it represented.

Arakash gripped the gem and pulled back. "You'll get this tomorrow, after we've left port, not before."

The captain pulled his mask back on, and smiled. "We leave at dawn, when the winds change."

Not saying another word, Arakash nodded and walked out of the bar; the longer he stayed, the greater the risks something might go wrong.

One of the men took a moment before asking the question both were thinking. "What are the real orders, sir?"

"For a treasure like that? I bet he's a criminal, maybe robbed it from one of the noble houses and now wants to flee for his life. We take him on board, then it's just a matter of if he's worth the effort of selling to the navy, or tossing into the sea."

Arakash took a few minutes to explore the area, what little freedom was allowed before the control magic's compulsion became too powerful to bear. Still, it was longer than he expected; either the binding was growing weaker, or he was developing a tolerance to its effects. He could taste his freedom, and his revenge, growing ever closer.

Princess Adageyudi jumped when he entered their shared room without needing her to unlock the door. She ran through things to say, but by the time she thought of any it was too late to feel natural. "Do we have a ship?"

"Yes. We'll leave near dawn tomorrow," Arakash said. "It's a cargo ship, so keep your expectations low, but I doubt anyone will expect the princess to be travelling with them." Except as a hostage, he added in his head.

Ada nodded; she had a mission to complete, and she was so tired. "You've done well." A phrase her father often used, which came with the unspoken 'now leave me alone'. She sat down on her uncomfortable bed and, before she had a chance to complain that this inn didn't even offer a free meal with the room, she fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

Arakash waited, watching over the girl. At first, he tried to find a way to kill her, but the compulsion was too strong to so much as consider the scenario. Instead, he went to the window and climbed out, scaling his way to the roof. He couldn't attack the princess, but with enough power, perhaps he could attack the bond itself.

He shifted into demonic form, and with it took on the full clarity of his senses. His eyes glowed red, and the city became a sea of black, with the glow of people and magic showing in dim lights of red, orange and yellow. Each one, the glow of living essence, prey for him to feed upon. He'd get one attempt; if it failed, he had no doubt the princess would make certain he had orders to never feed again. If he was lucky, she'd add 'without my permission'.

He found his target: a burning, almost white, ember of living magic. He spread his wings and made his way toward his target, his prey, his salvation.

He found her sitting, relaxed in an alley, examining a delicately ornate curved dagger with a blade of silver, and a shade of red just a little darker than that of her hair. She was a beauty, even he could see it, and bold to be in this part of town alone at night. Then, with the aura of power she possessed, chances were low that she ever met a fight she couldn't win.

How fortunate for Arakash that he could beat her without a fight. He approached, once again using the best of his casual charm.

Her eyes narrowed as he approached. "What do you want."

Arakash brought his hands up as a show of harmless defensiveness, as he had earlier with the leather worker. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt anything important."

She considered him for a moment longer. He was young, seemed helpless enough, and she supposed most people would find him handsome. "No, things are really quite boring right now. You're a welcome surprise."

Arakash chuckled and smiled. "Glad to be of service to such a beautiful woman"

"I was hoping you'd feel that way," she replied. Then she pointed the dagger at him. "Now hand over your weapons and valuables."

Arakash stepped closer to the woman who was now mugging him. "I don't have much money, but I can offer something so much more fun if you give me a chance."

She laughed. "I can't tell if you're clueless or just that confident. I'm sure that line works on some girls, but I'm not-"

Arakash' eyes glowed blue as he poured his power into the most blatant of his mind altering magic. The girl's jaw fell open as she dropped her weapon and lost all focus and some balance. In most cases, expending this much power on a single victim would have led to him starving to death in days, but for a girl with this much power, it was worth the effort.

He caught her in his arms the moment her legs gave out, then kissed her neck.

In her half-conscious haze, she mumbled. "No, you can't." As Arakash slid his hand up under her shirt. Then her skin began to glow orange.

Arakash stumbled back, holding his smoking hand. His discipline and need for secrecy kept him from crying out at the pain, but didn't hide the snarl, surprise, or fear on his face.

Engulfed in flame, the girl stood dazed for a moment. "Wha.... what did you do to me?" She got her bearings, then stared straight at Arakash. "What were you trying to do to me!" A burst of flame traveled from her hand, almost striking the demon as he fled.

Panic wasn't something that came naturally to Noctrel, who shared more in common with the dead than the living. Their hearts did not beat, they subsisted on magic alone, and their emotions were muted as a result. He had not considered that a weakness until this day. As he pushed his legs with as much strength as he could, he yearned for that extra bit of speed which terror bestowed. The extra push that might have led him to run through the wall of flame which erupted at the end of the alley, trapping him with the creature of living flame.

A moment of hesitation, a surge of power he could ill-afford to spend, he forced his transformation to demonic form and jumped up against one wall, kicked off it, then the other, and then over the flames. The updraft from the heat served to push him into the sky, where he would be safe. He'd head for the sea, where she'd be unable to follow.

Or so he though, before the girl grabbed the dagger by her feet, and took off after him. He had never encountered a being of living fire before, but in retrospect it made sense that such a thing wouldn't have a weight.

He ducked and rolled as two more bursts of flame nearly struck him. Fire blossomed where the attacks struck building and found the sea-rotted wood to its liking. Driven back, he lost control of his flight and slammed onto the roof of another building. He ran for a window and took a burst to the back which drove him through the paper of the window.

Arm broken, he pulled himself to his feet and ignored the screams from the residents. They had more to worry about him, anyway, as the inferno started to take this building as well.