We exit into the wide grassland, but it's now completely dark and the Chimeras have all entered the ships. The fake ceiling has begun to shut off since the crystals that created the illusion are fueled by sunlight, and the last rays are saying their goodbyes as dusk is almost at its end.
The three large ships are perfectly visible as the Chimeric crystal lights illuminate them all, their figures looking imposing when contrasted against the dark background.
Salbotica silently stares at them with awe. Few elves have seen actual airships bigger than our cargo transport ship.
He squints as Oritiki and Paraaone land on the grass before us, their armor shining like beacons in the dark environment.
"[Greetings, Ryders]," Oritiki coolly receives us in Reo.
"[Greetings, Oritiki. We've come to discuss the living arrangements of the Chimeras]," I respond in kind and motion towards Salbotica.
"[We need a dedicated translator, but I'll act as one temporarily]," Yunia gracefully adds.
Oritiki nods towards Paraaone, and he goes off in search of a translator.
We walk towards the Carrier and learn along the way that Oritiki has housed the Celestial Horns there so that she can always keep a close eye on Hihiriwa.
We stop before the large ship, and I cast [Telekinesis] on the three of us to bring us up. [Mana Body] has made it noticeably easier for me to cast spells on others.
We land on the deck and ask Oritiki for a tour, so she starts giving us a lesson on Chimeric airships. Salbotica intensely observes every airplane we pass, absorbing every detail he can.
The planes all have their wings folded, but they still look imposing and very recognizable.
The Eagle-class ships remind me of the old World War II Mustang fighter planes, though they're made of wood, lack propellers, and are much smaller than the real ones since the Chimeric planes don't have heavy engineering. They're made for mid-range combat with a long-range [Beam] turret that's controlled by the gunner and mounted under the nose.
The Dragon-Class ships are far sleeker, being longer but thinner, and they're all made of metal. The fastest ships in existence, they're bombers with a large explosive [Fireball] cannon in the nose, and two [Fire Arrow] turrets, one at the bow behind the pilot's cabin, and one under the tail.
The Chimeras don't have interceptor fighters the same way we do because the fastest monsters that might need to be intercepted can be handled by a Wasp or Eagle. Anything bigger requires firepower that only a Long Floater class or multiple Dragons can dish out.
The price of a gem with the mana storage required for long-range flight makes it too expensive to outfit it on a small and vulnerable ship like the Dragon, so all small ships are made for short-range flight, requiring Carriers to transport them around.
For dealing with monsters, this fleet is absolutely deadly. For a war against humanoids, not so much. Wasps would be swatted out of the sky like flies; Eagles could maintain their distance and harass for a while, but they'd still be at a high risk of getting shot down by flying mages; and Dragons could bombard from long range and with low accuracy, but then there'd be little point in having them capable of such high-speeds. Perhaps once we reach supersonic speeds planes will be able to confidently win in a fight against a mage because right now they're just highly-expensive monster killers.
Our biggest weapons are our cargo ship due to its defensive [Wind Shield]s, allowing it to transport groups of elite troops anywhere we want; the flying fortress that is the Carrier; and the Floater's self-sufficiency, refueling capabilities, and their castle-busting-strong [Beam].
Though, having the Celestial Horns on our side is our most valuable weapon of all. Their shining armor certainly impressed Salbotica, and their fighting prowess easily puts them far above the average knight, possibly even matching Lords.
Revealing our ships to Salbotica gives up the advantage of surprise, but we aren't at war, or at least we aren't expecting to use these ships anytime soon. In the end, revealing our fleet works best as a deterrent, even more so since it isn't exactly a nuke-like sort of power, unlike Patrono and our Gifts.
After the tour, Oritiki takes us inside the Carrier, and the opulence of all the gold makes Salbotica frown in displeasure. He strikes me as a frugal person, so the Chimeric fondness with gold will likely put him off a bit without even needing to bring up the teachings of the God of the Sun.
We enter the bridge, and Hihiriwa greets us. Aside from him, only a few officers are around.
Salbotica may have seen wereanimals, demons, or even beastfolk, but a dragon-headed man is seemingly new to him as he hesitates, then nervously shakes Hihiriwa's hand.
"Greetings, Sir Salbotica," Hihiriwa cordially hails in Andraste.
"Greetings, Marshall Hihiriwa," Salbotica responds in kind.
Once their handshake stops, the two of them enter a short staring contest. The daring Hihiriwa versus the rugged Salbotica, but we have no time for such games.
"[We're here to guide the Chimeras towards Escanso. I assume everyone's awake?]" Yunia interrupts their games, her voice stern, and her eyes as sharp as Patrono.
Hihiriwa turns to face her and nods. "[Yes we're… unusually energetic, but the smaller night crew is on shift for now since we don't expect a fight, correct?]"
Salbotica waits for our translation then states, "If you stay close to the crowns of the trees, then yes, there won't be any monsters to fight."
Hihiriwa smiles and gives an order to one of his officers. "[Then let's take off]." The ships activate their crystal engines, and a burst of mana hits our bodies, causing Hihiriwa and me to narrow our eyes in gentle delight.
Certainly, neither of us expected that as we both turn away awkwardly.
Salbotica turns to me and requests, "My Lord, can I ask you to bring a Space mage onboard? We need Spirit mages here to start to better understand the needs of the Chimeras."
I nod and casually respond, "No problem, I still have enough mana."
We send air-Alissa through the [Gate] with a letter because she has very little mass and isn't threatening like fire-Hana, then the ships lift off and cross through the [Eternal Gate] to the outside of the dungeon.
We exit right above the ginormous trees of the High Forest, and I realize that the entrance to Legado is right below us. A few curious elves observe the Gate, then go pale when they see the huge ships coming through it.
A few minutes later, an elven mage comes through my [Gate], then starts chanting his own.
Soon after, Paraaone finally appears with a Chimeric noble who knows enough Andraste to properly translate. Kaatohe knows some, but not enough to be a proper translator.
Now that things are progressing smoothly, our presence isn't necessary anymore, so Yunia and I return to the castle. We leave a Holly flying far beyond their Spirit pulse range just in case, and a small bird for official communications.
We join the girls and explore our castle for all of its wonders, and now that we're all together, Yunia gives us a quick explanation of the complete structure of the castle and the layers of fortifications around it.
This isn't a traditional castle, it's more of an artistic creation. It's only considered a castle due to its extensive fortifications.
The dark bark wall is extremely tough, and it's actually possible to close it up, completely enveloping the castle like an eggshell, though it's quite slow, so it won't really work to defend against a surprise attack. The enchantments protect it from being bombarded from long range, but when they're active, we can't fire back, though at least they're enough to keep us from being assassinated by [Meteor]s. The only way to break through it in an instant is to get two emperors to combine their power and cast one singular, town-wiping spell, but if the heretics have someone or something as powerful as two emperors then all of the humanoids are screwed anyway.
There's the outer bark wall, which separates the town from the castle grounds; then there's the outer layer of mansions that are supposed to be lent to guests and other high nobility; followed by the inner bark wall, which protects the inner layer of mansions for knights, extended family, and other important guests; followed by the last wall that protects the castle proper and the inner gardens.
The servants live under the castle, and while their quarters are surrounded by the two lower levels of the town, it's protected by a thick bark wall, making it easier to infiltrate from above than below, as was demonstrated by us when we deposed former Crown Lord Mavel.
The castle itself is structured like a "bush." It has a central, thick tower, and dozens of "branches," the corridors leading to the "leaves," the rooms. The mid to higher branches still have a [Weaverism]-powered elevator, which is a large platform that moves us up the steps, but it has all become obsolete now that there's literally an [Eternal Gate] connecting all the leaves to the main tower. Though, in the case of a "scrubber," at least there's a backup system to take us up and down.
The central tower has the main hall with the statues and summonable throne, the [Eternal Gate] hub, and a central dining hall for parties. The lower-leaves have the guest quarters, where Mimi will be given a room, baths, a dining room, a kitchen, party halls, and relaxation rooms. In the mid-leaves, there are all the different magical and combat training rooms, and the personal projects, like the special gardens that Yunia and her mothers once cared for, but mostly it's just empty rooms. In the high-leaves, there's the treasury and our personal rooms along with all the assorted facilities, like baths, dining rooms, etc..
The high-leaves have strict security separating it from the rest of the castle so that only a handful of people ever have access to it. Only Klein, the twins, my concubines like Osaria, all my knights to-be, High court mages, and the higher rank servants will have access to the upper levels. We'll start recruiting loyal Blood Slave maids to take care of the upper levels because having just any maid allowed up there is a security breach that needs to be remedied as soon as possible.
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Alissa rejoins us mid-way, and I refuse to probe her thoughts for what she has in mind.
Elves don't show wealth through gold or crystals, at least not anymore, but they do show it through art. Like always, everything is covered in detailed patterns that gradually change and become more intricate the higher up they are in the castle. There are at least a dozen gardens and greenhouses filled with exotic and aesthetically pleasing plants, and I even noticed one with a perfume that acts as an aphrodisiac.
The view high up is also stunning. Being able to look out over the outer bark wall allows us to see the entirety of the town. We can see all the different colored buildings, the crowns of the small trees they're carved from, and the little black dots of hundreds of people going about their day, though Alissa can actually see their features with her hawk-like eyes.
I look at it all wistfully and whisper, "This town is ours… well, not literally, but they all obey us. The whole Western High Forest." Then I smirk for a second and assume a low, husky tone as I recite, "Look, Yunia. Everything the light touches is our kingdom… A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun, and one day, Yunia, the sun will set on my time here, then it'll rise with one of our children as the new king."
"Reference?" Yunia questions flatly, then Alissa sends her nod through [Bind], making Yunia snort. "Sounded poetic, though."
"You sound exactly like an imperial," Antares casually comments.
"'Reference'?" Osaria repeats curiously.
"He likes to quote novels," Yunia tiredly answers.
I hug Lina from behind and slowly help her get closer to the edge.
Osaria chuckles and smiles affectionately. "That sounds adorable," she confesses.
Both Arturus and Antares frown at her in sync. "That sounds so childlike," Arturus blurts out what they're both thinking.
"There's something alluring about a man that can confidently act playfully," she defends me.
The twins turn to me and stare in confusion, as if they were trying to decipher my mysterious, cool aura-…
I hear a wheezing inside my mind. "Wolf, please," Roxanne begs for me to stop as she struggles to control herself.
"'Weirdo,'" Ciel adds cheekily in English, and I feel the other girls wanting to laugh.
"Alright. Screw all of you," I pout inwardly and return to helping Lina conquer her fear of heights.
She breathes heavily as she looks down at the long, long way down, and even I get a bit nervous, but the dragon inside of me huffs smoke at my fear of heights. My monkey-… part-monkey brain is still afraid of falling out of trees, even though I can fly at will.
I cast [Telekinesis] on us and gently lift us above the railing. Lina whines faintly and squeezes my scaly hand.
"Come on, Lina, you have to face your fears if you want to beat them," I encourage her with a warm and whispery tone.
Hana raises an eyebrow and leans on the railing as she questions, "Didn't you fly for all this time on the ship without complaining?"
"There was no ground below the ship, and it was required of us to fly to continue the dungeon, so I didn't complain," Lina responds and starts to pout.
She's really good at hiding her real feelings, so I might have to actively probe her to make sure that she's truly fine. She's not the type to lie, but she won't tell us if we don't ask.
I pad my claws, then I pull her up and turn her around. Our eyes meet, and I see a hint of fear in them, then I pull her face closer to me and kiss her.
She eagerly opens her little mouth to receive me and immediately forgets all about the hundreds of meters of open air separating us from the ground as I make us float away from the railing.
"What?!" Her voice echoes in my mind.
I snort internally, and she tilts her head so that she can look down, but she doesn't break off the kiss. She whines softly again and closes her eyes, then tries to swallow my tongue with even more intensity.
Roxanne loudly clears her throat, and I smile wryly, then I force Lina to slow down.
Aside from the twins and Gify, everyone else here wants a piece of me, even the golems, and their combined hunger begins to really bleed through [Bind], so I think it's time for us to take a bath. The twins are certainly wishing very hard for this tour to come to an end.
We claim ownership of the big bath while the twins claim a smaller one. I can't believe that we actually have a choice of bathroom now. That's just so ridiculously opulent my Earthling self is complaining.
I shut him up real quick because now's not the time to be a whiny bitch. We enter the bath and see a line of maids all waiting for us with their heads down.
The bath itself is a large, tiled dome with pleasant blues and greens that make me feel refreshed just from looking at them. Half of the floor is taken up by multiple party-sized pools that would allow for massive "group parties" with half of the castle; the other half has massage beds, chairs, and tables with snacks and cooled drinks; the walls have a few mirrors so that we can watch ourselves as we make love; the ceiling has the usual patterns and hanging mirrors so we can watch ourselves make love from above; and there are curtains that lead to a balcony with a pool for when we want to refresh ourselves or make love out in the open.
Shala raises her head and greets us with a smile, "Welcome, my Lords. Let us take care of you and prepare your bodies for this session of ravaging."
Holy shit, she actually said that with a perfect smile.
They surround us and help us shed our clothes. The overwhelming majority of the maids here are young and beautiful, and because I'm such a degenerate pervert, I instantly become aroused from their gazes.
The maid assigned to me gently pulls down my tight underwear, and my bounciness makes her wince and giggle faintly since my Holy Spear almost slaps her, then she regathers her composure and continues to undress me.
Our naked bodies are taken to tubs with warm water where they wash our every nook and cranny. Their [Washing] skill is better than Alissa's, not that she's ashamed to admit that, and their touch is very arousing. The maid responsible for me deliberately strokes me to make me hard, then she pulls back the skin and washes me, but I almost reach the apex just from lewd her touch is.
The girls get wet as the delicate fingers of the beautiful elves play with their private parts, getting them ready for me. No kisses or tongue, at least not yet.
The maid responsible for Aoi is visibly nervous, but she gets Aoi aroused the same way as the others, a testament to her professionalism.
Once the washing is done, they dry us off and give everyone a set of clothes. Aoi looks down at hers, then at the confused maid and grins, scaring the poor elf.
Aoi starts glowing and shifts into human-Aoi, and I must commend the maids for not losing their composure from the sudden change.
To calm them down a bit, I caution them, "Keep Aoi's transformation a secret, but everything about this…" -I create my huge, spiky draconic weapon- "you can gossip as much as you like."
I'm hoping that they will because that'll mean more horny and curious women for me.
My maid freezes in fear, so I dress myself while she recovers. My clothes are just a thin black shirt that's open at the chest and some tight not-yoga pants.
Alissa looks at my cute ass, perfectly enveloped by the gentle fabric, and licks her lips. Hana sees the bulge at the front and breathes heavily. Ciel and Lina look at my exposed chest and their hearts tighten. Roxanne and Aoi have been a bit horny all this time because of my horns, and now, their horniness is reaching another level entirely. Yunia seems to enjoy the set of clothes and how it makes me appear more mature.
Alissa walks over to me and makes me roll up my sleeves. "These shining scales should never be hidden," she whispers, then they start dressing themselves.
I look at myself through the girls' eyes, and I feel like I'm dressed like an alpha in one of those ladies' erotica. Wait… I think I'd fit in well in one of those BL mangas…
It seems like I can't escape this. I whimper to myself, then look at the girls.
Long gloves, stockings, garter belts, corsets, lacy bras and underwear, and chokers. The girls each put on their Clothes of the Berserker, and I go berserk.
As my greatsword rips out of my pants, Alissa stops and makes me look to the side.
Covered in a transparent, white veil, wearing a metal choker with an attached chain, Aoi is waiting for me. Her over two meters of height towers over me, but her posture tells me that she'd be more than glad to bend over and obey my every whim.
I walk towards her and lift the veil with [Telekinesis], revealing her bewitchingly feminine face, her long, almost Asian eyes, the smile gracing her delicate red lips, and a beautiful silver circlet that holds the veil.
Her blue hair still pools down on the floor, giving her a fairy-tale air, as if I'm about to plow Rapunzel or some Disney princess. When I look down at her small chest being supported by a very small and lewd lacy bra that leaves the center bare, I feel my sword twitch with excitement. Then I look down at her light blue landing strip, which is exposed by her open underwear, and see that she's dripping with anticipation.
The dragon growls, and I let him loose.
With my sword limp, my MP low, and my muscles exhausted, I finally settle down and take off my ripped clothes, then I relax in the magically enhanced bath.
The massage makes my friend stop hurting rather quickly, and when the girls enter it too, their skin gets immediately cleaned of all the love fluids.
The maids are frozen, staring at us with neutral faces like statues, so I look over at them and smile gently.
"Anyone wanting to spend some time with me can just ask," I offer with a husky tone. Hana, most of all, seems to love the intensity of my eyes lately, and the way I look at the maids makes me seem a bit like a hungry predator, but it isn't intentional.
Shala is sweating cold, her eyes locked onto the bubbles covering my friend. I'd actually have her because she's still fairly attractive even at her age, so I'd be willing to make her happy.
"She's married, so please, don't," Yunia pleads.
"Alright then, I guess she's off-limits," I casually respond and shrug internally.
Alissa enters the bath, and the cuts on her face quickly heal up. Once they're gone, she snuggles with me, then she notices how she smells and submerges herself entirely for a few seconds. When her skin has returned to the same purity it had before, she returns to snuggling with a delighted smile on her face.
She feels like my sword is a Gift from the Gods, so my willingness to share it with all women pleases her greatly. It's totally not her fetish speaking.
Aoi crawls to the bath, then reduces her size to small-Aoi and dives. She resurfaces a moment later and lets herself drift aimlessly on the surface.
Gify pops into existence beside her and they join claws. The little griffin missed her best friend quite a lot.
The maids remain stunned for a while, and nobody takes me up on my offer, not just yet at least. I know those eyes when I see them, a few of them are definitely considering it. Alissa can even smell it when one of them is so horny that she has an obvious wet spot on her not-bikini bottoms.
The ones who accept will be prime candidates for the High Maid positions.
"I don't sleep with women in exclusive relationships, though," I add and turn around.
Yunia gives Shala an apologetic look, then the old maid seems to finally get a hold of herself again and calms down.
The bath actually replenishes our energies, and since it's magical, it has a greater effect on me.
I stand up, sword drawn and ready to fight again.
I look around in search of another prey and take a glance at the maids, but they're not ripe yet. I look at Jarn and feel in the mood for some clang.
"Come over here, Jarn," I order, and she diligently obeys. "You said that you wanted to have lay with me?"
"Yes. We desire to please you in all ways possible," she instantly replies in her usual robotic tone.
"Lift your dress, and show me your gikes," I request, and she obeys again.
I see Ciel's perfectly trimmed landing strip and lips peeking out from underneath their hood, but there's no hole for me to enter.
"I need to give you a hole," I murmur.
"And us, too," Ted pleads.
I smile excitedly. "Yes… I need to give you all artificial bodies." Then I turn my gaze to Hana. She's still walking, so her hips can surely endure some more pounding. "Come over here," I order her.
She gets up, the water droplets enticingly streaking down her body, enhancing the contours of her perfectly shaped large mounds and muscular arms.
"We must wrestle," she states like a barbarian, and we both play the part.
We invite Mimi to join us for dinner, well, feast.
The girls and I eat with gusto, relishing every bite. Our stomachs are still a bit needy because we likely haven't eaten anything like this in the past four months. We're all suffering from the same kind of problems on the toilet, so I think Arreira gave us some pasty mix through our feeding tube while we were asleep.
I find myself enjoying meat more than usual. Perhaps my draconic side will help me get swole, but Aoi's human side being so thin doesn't give me much hope of a significant boost.
We eat under the starry sky with a great view of the town, making our meal breathtaking, but it's also a bit awkward to eat while the servants wait on us near the walls. We certainly don't let them serve us as if we were children who didn't know how to do it ourselves.
Then our tiredness starts to get to us, so we decide to retire to our quarters immediately after.
Neither we nor the twins are sure if they want to live in the higher levels with us considering how lascivious we are, so for now, they'll sleep in the lower levels.
Our "leaf" is pretty large, with multiple rooms for children and other concubines. Yunia's old room is among them, but it hasn't actually been that long since she left, and nothing will ever go back to how it was before, so she doesn't feel like digging those memories up by taking a look at it.
Our bedroom is huge, making it easy for us to fit all the beds alongside the king-sized one that's already there. That's Yunia's parents' bed, though.
"I don't smell anything, but I don't think we'll be comfortable sleeping on it," Alissa comments, and Yunia and I agree wholeheartedly.
Ciel and Hana think it's a waste, but nobody else does, so I decide to store Mavel's bed and dispose of it later.
Klein will probably live as a knight in a mansion in our inner circle while Osaria will have her own room in this "leaf," but whenever they are here, they must sleep with us.
After some light reading under the night sky, we all go to sleep naked in a mess of limbs.