"Harriet," Ori gently shook the Queen, his heart aching as he disrupted her silent weeping, a necessity given the situation's urgency.
"Ori, I'm so sorry," Harriet wailed.
"We can discuss the bonding later; I need you to focus."
Harriet collected herself, her eyes growing distant and her lips thinning. "I see."
"Poppy says we're under attack. An immortal is holding the residence's defences at bay while assassins breach the compound."
"Rufus," Harriet whispered under her breath, more a curse than a question, her mind evidently racing through their predicament as if unaware of their current state of undress or what they were up to not five minutes before. “Poppy?”
"She's organising defences as planned and will return with your battle regalia," Ori explained, puzzled by the oddly translated term and its implications.
Harriet nodded, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him long and hard. Confused, Ori returned the kiss, holding her close.
"With the blindness, this seems like a reactionary move born out of panic and opportunity. His forces might suffice for what he assumes is here, but he has no idea what's to come." Harriet said with growing steel.
"You still want to go through with it?"
"Yes, Bondweaver," she smirked, her tone rueful despite eyes still red from crying. "Congratulations, by the way. You collect rare accolades as others might find copper coins by the roadside, though the description from the divination did cause me to shiver. To have the librarian's attention..." She shook her head, overwhelmed by the significance, and sent him the details of his new title.
> Accolade: "Bondweaver"
>
> Type: Unique, Significant, Merged, Evolving, Titled, Ability, Trait, ???, ???
>
> Legend: As named by Harriet, Anoriel Thalionwen Luinilthar, "Bondweaver" is a unique, titled accolade bestowed by the Library of Fates for exceptional demonstrations of soul crafting and the weaving of soul bonds.
>
> This accolade honours the first mortal human to form a familiar pact with a wild fae in over seven thousand years. It also acknowledges the extraordinary feat of soul bonding with an Immortal-ranked artefact and its lich spirit, while being mortal, as well as being the first human to form Taurna'diem with a High Elf. The recipient of this title has not only formed two such bonds in rapid succession but has also used these connections to perform feats of high magic, such as dreamwalking across demiplanes and ages, successfully retrieving a soul fragment from the ethereal void and the assistance of a racial evolution that resulted in a new minor evolutionary branch.
>
> Further, by surviving a soulcrafting and enhancing their Soulcraft affinity comprehension to the level of Immersion, re-enchanting and reshaping a soul-bound artefact to exceed its original rank, and bonding their soul to more beings or entities than any other mortal man has done so before, "Bondweaver" has consistently reshaped bonds with expertise that surpasses their rank by levels never before seen in fate.
>
> These feats have been recognised by the Librarians as significant. As such, unique advancement opportunities exist should this individual ever awaken.
>
> Note: Upon naming, this accolade merged various lesser accolades into one, granting the unified Trait, Ability and Title of “Bondweaver”. Further achievements related to souls and bonding will instead enhance the legend of “Bondweaver” and evolve its aspects.
>
> Trait: Once per day, while bonded are under threat or duress, enhances spiritual and mental characteristics of the user and all bonded by 100% for the duration of the circumstance.
>
> Ability: Through an intimate act, weave bonds with those who desire you and are desired by you. Enables user the Soulcrafting of bonded without duress.
“Wow… And wow, you named my title?” Ori asked, shell-shocked by the accolade and its implications. Harriet, still unclothed, simply shrugged, the movement of her smooth, flawless shoulder stealing his attention momentarily before he regained his composure. “What are those question marks?”
“That, I do not know. Perhaps my naming expertise isn't up to scratch yet? You should know, though, through stirrings in fate I sense the emergence of another title or accolade just as potent, although it is some way off and I lacked the skill to divine it,” Harriet explained.
Ori grunted, a prickly feeling of unease wrapping around him like a cellophane bag. “Probably something to do with my vision,” he mused.
Sensing his discomfort, Harriet swiftly changed the subject. “Now is not the time to dwell on such matters. Make your preparations. When Poppy returns, we'll proceed as planned.”
Ori nodded, stepping out of bed to put on his trousers and gather his sack of minor enchantments. He walked beyond the floor markings, scattering his aetheric enchantment breakers. These small, caltrop-like objects could automatically seek out and degrade enchantments. With the amount of stabilised Aether packed into each one, combined with the Aether rift and Harriet’s Bloodline ability, there was a significant chance the Enchantment Breakers would do more than merely degrade their targets.
While he would have relished creating a brilliant, unique enchantment like an Aetheric Tap, which might have empowered a defensive enchantment far beyond his or even Harriet’s capabilities, Ori had to settle for the Dreamwalkers’ Wards he had crafted. His original was still attached via a wrapping around his forearm, while another, a circlet for Harriet, lay in his sack.
The residence shook again, dust falling from the ceiling. Ori's heart skipped a beat, fearful for Poppy’s safety amid the chaos.
"Poppy will be fine," Harriet reassured him, drawing soothing circles on his bare back. He turned to face her, her translucent white satin nightgown doing little to conceal her stunning figure. She smiled, appreciating his gaze. "Are you ready, my consort?" she asked. Ori’s eyes searched for the chain he had given her, frowning when it was missing. She then showed him her ring finger, where a silver-cobalt ring shone under the eerie aetheric light. “Is this what you were looking for? I decided that if fate considers you my consort by Taurna’diem, then I shouldn't let trivial conventions stop me from wearing your wedding band.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“I’m starting to. I’m only beginning to understand how high a pedestal you placed me on. You think of me as a goddess, while I still see myself as a child. Perhaps by the time you return to me, fate will have found a balance between the two.” She smiled as he hugged her.
“Nope, I have plans,” Ori said cryptically.
“Oh?” Harriet began but was interrupted by Poppy’s return.
Ori’s mouth dropped wide open as he saw her fully decked out in high-elven enchanted armour. It clung to her skin like living bark, with swirling patterns that not only decorated it but also provided pathways for Mana and Grace. The armour enveloped Poppy from the neck down, flaring out from her waist into an ankle-length, flexible skirt designed for freedom of movement. Ori's awe and curiosity peaked as Vision of the Progenitor flared, revealing how the armour interwove Poppy’s Grace into tightly coiled threads of protection, brimming with suppressed energies ready for release. Meanwhile, her presence projected the aura of a predator, a creature of deadly grace, void and shadow.
His gaze then shifted to a sword staff, long and straight, its tip reaching about a foot above Poppy’s height, which Ori estimated at approximately five foot nine, as it stood with its butt end on the ground.
“Wow,” Ori gaped.
Poppy returned a prideful smile at his admiration. “Mistress,” she said, handing over a similarly styled collection of folded armour. This set was inset with lines of sapphire and ivory within the swirling seams. She began to dress, and Ori, initially just watching, was confused as she seemed to contradict her earlier words.
Yet, the vision of the queen donning her gleaming, intricately patterned elven armour was something Ori knew he’d remember for the rest of his life.
“I thought…”
“Ori, now that we’re bonded, certain things have come to light,” Harriet explained, her smile bold and confident, the smile of someone secure in being loved. She approached him, pressing her armoured self against him, the material cool yet flexible, moulding to her form like a second skin. “Desires you have for both Poppy and I. Things you’d do with us, to us, or want us to do with you—ways you’d like to claim me but would never ask even though I already offer myself to you completely. Knowing this, do you really think I’d believe my regalia to impede what's to come?” Overwhelmed and aroused by her newfound assertiveness, Ori took her in, imagining the intensity of their encounter in her high-tech magical cosplay. He shook his head. “Good. While I intend to conclude this ritual and leave this chamber with your seed dripping between my thighs, I am still a Briar Queen, and entitled to the dignity and modesty of one.”
“Anoriel!” Poppy gasped in feigned scandalised outrage.
Harriet kissed him and led him back to the bed. “Come, my consort. I’m curious about what you have planned.”
----------------------------------------
“So,” Ori began, sitting on the bed with Harriet straddling him in the position typical for rituals under the Lunaesutra’kuri Kari. The fabric of her armoured skirt bunched up behind her, allowing for their necessary access for their intimate intentions. Meanwhile, Poppy stood battle-ready with a slender sword staff in hand, positioned between them and the entrance to the sanctum, guarding against any intrusion. The ground trembled intermittently, like the aftershocks of a distant explosion, dust falling from widening cracks in the ceiling — a stark reminder of the urgency and desperation of their situation and the limited time they had left together.
“So?” Harriet prodded gently, pulling Ori's scattered thoughts back to the present.
“Yeah, so, after I failed to secure Poppy’s domain—” Ori started.
“I wouldn’t call what you did for Poppy a failure by any means,” Harriet interjected.
“Well, it was one of those things I thought you’d need to achieve the four-fold unification accolade, that along with a racial and possibly a class evolution, would make you a shoo-in for the Immortal Ranks.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Harriet chuckled, her laughter lightening the gravity of their circumstances and transforming it into an adventure shared between lovers.
“So anyway, it seemed impossible at the time, like a bridge too far to cross. But I have an idea,” Ori continued.
“Yes?” Harriet prompted.
“Domain Union,” Ori declared as if the mere mention of the concept could set their plan into motion.
Harriet’s expression shifted from confusion to dawning understanding as she grasped the entirety of his proposal. “So, it’s like Mana Union, but with your domain. With me taking over the cognitive tasks so that the transference of comprehension lasts longer, effectively using one domain throughout most of the process…”
“Exactly, what do you think?”
Harriet kissed him, her smile radiant. “I’ve never heard of a shared Domain before, as a domain is something intrinsic to oneself. But you are my bonded, so who knows what is possible between those who share a bridge between souls?”
Ori rested his forehead on her chest, lamenting the fact her armour obscured his view of her amazing cleavage. “Either way, it won’t hurt to try. It either works and we can maintain the domain as long as needed, or I’ll have just as much time with you as I did with Poppy.”
She nodded, “I’m ready when you are.”
“Alright. I love you, Harriet, my goddess.” He said.
“And I too, Ori my hero,” she said, pulling back briefly to undo the drawstrings and free him from his trousers. Ori revelled in the cool, silky smoothness of her dainty hands as they wrapped around and stroked his already firm length. Her armour proved little hindrance to their intimacy, the novelty and splendour of his manhood disappearing beneath her battle dress, and her rhythmic movements under her skirt amplifying the sensations below, while his eyes feasted on the intricate, bark-like armour that, while covering everything, concealed little, revealing even Harriet’s tiny, almost inverted nipples. He reached under the skirt, pressing his hands into the flesh of her buttocks, his desire to be one with her reaching a fever pitch.
Just as he resolved to take control, Harriet began to slide him along her moistened folds, the feeling of hot wetness and the tease of barely entering her driving him wild. Ori growled and then groaned in relief as Harriet sank onto him, their union complete.
As before, the rest of the world faded away as mana union swirled magic between them and for a moment, Ori was lost in the simple act of making love.
“Ori, I… we need to,” Harriet gasped breathlessly.
“Mmmhhhggnn-y-yeah,” Ori groaned, then came back to himself, and began to soulcraft.
Once again, Vision of the Progenitor delved deep into Harriet’s soul and their connection. Ori expanded their bond, reinforcing it and adding the same safeguards made to his bond with Poppy, that would allow her to unilaterally terminate the bond for any reason at any time.
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He heard Harriet moan, the wet, slapping sounds of their grinding, the smells of her sweat and sex, the contractions of her pussy amplifying with every adjustment to their metaphysical connection, which in turn sent electric waves through their physical union.
Then, Ori unfurled his domain. Through Mana Union and Split Mind, he guided Harriet towards control over his domain, first by allowing Mana Union throughout, before linking her consciousness to his through dream affinity. As they did so, his mental load lightened and their awareness slipped into a twilight state between waking and dreaming. They made love in the dreaming, naked and uninhibited, chasing a release they couldn’t allow themselves until the end of the ritual, while their physical bodies continued thrusting and plunging into one another in the waking world.
“Ori?” Another slightly faded Harriet appeared alongside another Ori. They both watched in fascination as they made love across multiple planes of existence. Harriet was flushed, a brilliant red blooming across her face while sweat gathered on her cheeks and forehead.
“This is a bit different,” Ori noted, nearly overwhelmed by the flood of sexual sensations from a body not engaged in physical sex. “This is Split Mind. I remember you mentioning you had this ability.”
“Yes, I can split my mind three ways,” she confirmed, as yet another version of Harriet materialised beside him.
“Good. Send that version of yourself outside, and focus on holding onto the domain, practical experience should help in comprehension. They…” Ori pointed to the astral version of them still having sex. “...Should probably focus on that, so the ritual continues or my ability, though not sure if there’s any difference at this point,” Ori said, his face heating as he held this instance of him back from joining the other in a pile of tangled limbs on the astral floor. “Meanwhile, maybe we could, through the dreaming, help each other through affinity comprehension?”
They proceeded to share experiences; Ori explained his journey in unifying his characteristics using the dreamscape as an illustrative aid, while Harriet detailed the nature of her Yin-based Moon affinity, Selene. Though celestial in nature, its qualities didn't seem applicable to Ori, which frustrated Harriet.
With control over the domain in the waking world, she aspected all mana within the domain with her inherent affinity, and with their consciousness still linked, a sudden shift occurred.
Ori's soul, for lack of a better term, expanded. It was fuelled by Harriet's Selene-aspected mana while his inherent affinity reciprocated, each cycle enhancing her harmonic affinities as his soul fed on her Yin-based affinity. A multitude of affinities surged between them, propelling their understanding past Threshold, including higher-order concepts previously unknown to Ori, such as daylight, moonlight, moonbeam, night, shadow, darkness, fate, and freedom. This rapid expansion of comprehension across multiple affinities catapulted both into a state of enlightenment.
If Ori had been awake in the physical world, he would have seen a whirlpool of Peritia and Aether swirling around them in an oceanic maelstrom. Fate, responding to their mutual enlightenment, produced a sea of mana tinged with Selene and Ori's inherent affinity. Meanwhile, Harriet's bloodline talents manipulated the surrounding aether, accelerating their growth and class comprehension.
As Ori's soul expanded, Harriet's affinity for soulcraft surged to new heights, and then she began to sing.
Her song etched into Ori’s soul, her words in an advanced language that should have been incompatible with soulcraft or enchanting. Yet, they inscribed into him with a purpose and shared desire that echoed his deepest wishes. They needed each other to be strong, to be made powerful and complete, to survive whatever fate demanded of them and in the grooves left by her carvings, Aether flowed into his soul.
She sang both in the dreaming and the waking world—a haunting melody in minor keys, about love and impending loss, hidden sorrow and fear beneath her slain mother's mask while her world crumbled around her. But on the last note of the last verse, there was hope in a major key so poignant in its isolation, that it transformed the entire song from a mournful dirge to an enduring promise of better days ahead.
As the song concluded, their souls collided with such intensity that what they experienced could no longer be defined by words such as climax or orgasm. They convulsed and exploded in ecstasy around each other.
Harriet's Page from the Library of Fate was fundamentally rewritten as she passed out.
Meanwhile, Ori’s soul transformed. It wasn’t a drastic change, but rather the completion of a process that had begun when he’d entered the Crucible. He felt his soul settle, buzzing with promise and potential.
As his consciousness fully returned to the waking world, Ori gently placed Harriet’s limp and still glowing form on the bed. She continued to advance in her class and affinity comprehension drawing in ever greater amounts of Peritia, even as she subconsciously took control over the domain while lost in the dreaming.
Focused on the woman beside him, Ori retrieved the Dreamwalkers’ circlet he’d crafted and gently placed it on her head. As he did so, awareness of the world around him surged back in a rush. Stone and wooden beams were scattered around the sanctum; he looked up where the ceiling should have been to see the night sky. A vivid aurora blazed overhead, its dancing colours and brightness intensifying as if heralding something momentous, with a beam of moonlight shining directly upon Harriet’s still sleeping form.
The scene would have been beatific, were it not for the distant sounds of fighting from beyond the sanctum doors. He saw Poppy, a whirling dervish of Grace and Peritia, the remnants of his and Harriet's shared enlightenment fuelling her own deadly flow. Using the narrow corridor to funnel and limit the number of opponents she faced, she danced with her sword staff in a swirl of shadows that seemed to leap out, either as unpredictable extensions of her weapon and movements or from the very shadows and crevices of the walls and corridor itself. Her armour and Grace defended her from any attacks she couldn’t parry or deflect, her stance aggressive as she fought with a wildness and fury born of desperation and love. Her every attack was a killing blow, sacrificing defence to land a greater quantity of lethal hits. Despite the press of attackers, each one at the Sovereign rank with their unique magic and deadly dances, continuing to drive her back to the hall with every step, Poppy seemed to grow stronger, the swirl of Peritia growing until she visibly glowed, and her fate was rewritten.
The Matriarch of the New Moon Elves yelled in defiance as she ascended to Immortality. The pressure of her aura intensified a hundredfold, as caution and confusion noticeably slowed the pace of the aggressors. Uncaring of their disposition, Poppy’s next horizontal slash extended through the corridor, a blade of void light slicing through armour, weapon, and flesh alike.
Amidst the carnage, the still steaming blood from the fallen and dust from a building about to collapse was a beauty Ori would never forget. Wounds were carved through her magnificent armour, her smile bloody as she used her staff to hold herself up. In a way, she was a glorious mirror to the Spear Warlord, that desolate figure who stood alone, atop a field of corpses. Instead of standing alone, Poppy had been the guardian standing between those she loved and those who sought them harm.
Ori wrapped her in his arms, heedless of the blood and mess around them. “More will come,” she groaned into him as Ori used his domain to convert all mana and light into Lesser Regeneration. A trickle of Poppy’s mana joining the flow through mana union was enough to halt the worst of the wounds. Releasing his domain after several seconds, Ori spoke.
“You alright? Harriet should be coming out of it soon.”
“I’ll hold on. Seems like Rufus bet big on the assassination contract,” Poppy said, her breathing still ragged, with intermittent rattling or all too liquid coughs that made Ori’s fists tighten in helpless fury.
“Well, I’ll be here with you now. I should be able to use the ward to protect us from magic, my domain healing you from time to time as Harriet returns to us.”
Poppy wanted to protest, but something in Ori’s eyes told her that it was not up for negotiation. Just then, a familiar, though battered figure stepped out of the corridor looking lost and near defeated.
“Poppy?” Irbron asked, confusion clouding his bloody expression.
“Yes?”
“You’ve ascended? You’re an Immortal?”
“Yes.” Poppy grinned with cocky pride despite her condition, the sight and knowledge adding steel to Irbron's spine as he straightened.
“Very well, the guild has breached the compound in too many places, and I’ve lost contact with our guard. What in the spirits’ name is going on? What scheme has my sister embroiled us in this time?” Irbron said, his head attempting to peer past them into the sanctum. “Is she well?”
“This is Rufus’s doing. As for her schemes, it’s done, as long as we hold out for mere moments, this will all be over,” Poppy said, the brief respite allowing her to stand taller and breathe easier.
“And him? Are you telling me that… this… mortal,” Irbron visibly struggled for words, disbelief and incredulity rising, "...is Harriet’s consort?”
“Yes,” she said, her smile no less bright. “He’s mine and Harriet’s bonded.” And kissed Ori on the cheek to punctuate the fact. “Anyway, no time for any more talk and such nonsense, they come. Ori, behind me. Let my flow move you,”
Ori cast Death Ward on both of them as magic flew across the corridor. Something clanged, parried by Poppy's incredible reflexes as a barrage of ranged attacks pelted them. Swirling pulses of fire and darts of mana-based poison streaked through the air faster than Ori could track. The air sizzled with ozone and the smell of burning. They took cover behind the door at the end of the corridor, which rattled and shook under the force of hammer blow explosions that rattled Ori’s teeth. Spells that manoeuvred around obstacles were absorbed by the ward, with Ori’s will converting the magical attacks back into mana to recharge the ward's charges.
Standing beside them, Irbron's eyes widened as he watched the sea of attacks crash harmlessly against the ward, the intensity of the spells escalating. The door splintered, then burst apart, forcing Poppy to move; she lunged forward, extending her sword staff into the eye of an assassin before they could even perceive their peril. And then Ori felt a tug, a flow that compelled him to follow Poppy, guiding him through the shadows as they danced through the void.
Despite Ori’s enhanced perception, the world turned into a blur as he and Poppy danced, her blade howling otherworldly hymns as hostile blade singers sang their deadly songs, songs that just a day ago, would have caused Ori’s legs to buckle and his mind to flee.
Meanwhile, Poppy's aura of an Immortal void dancer reshaped their melodies, her unpredictable movements rendering their song false and insubstantial.
Exhausted, Ori stepped out of the dance and keeled over to catch his breath. He was surprised to find himself within the sanctum, surrounded by bodies and fallen masonry. Harriet’s slumbering form lay as Ori had left her, bathed in moonlight and the light from the gas giant beyond, shining through the hole in the ceiling.
Outside his protection, Ori watched helplessly as a sword impaled Irbron, hoping his Death Ward would last long enough for revival. His killer leapt towards his next victim, but Ori's Arcane Hands materialised and caught the Sovereign ranker mid-leap. Although easily dispelled, the hands flickered back into existence, shimmering in the sea of Aether. Distracted, a third Arcane Hand, more solid than the rest, shot through the air and plunged a dagger into the assassin’s knee. Wounded and distracted, the assassin failed to notice Poppy until her Swordstaff cleaved them in two with a blade of darkness.
Feeling the tug of Poppy's relentless dance, Ori rejoined her, allowing her to take a more offensive stance and decimate their aggressors whenever she unleashed her sweeping horizontal void attack. More assassins gathered, and through flashes between steps through the void, Ori spotted his Enchantment Breakers sparking and fizzling against the armour of the assassins, their magnetic attraction finally paying dividends as they slowed, allowing Poppy’s aggressive movements to reap more lives.
They fought back to back in the hall beside the bed, overlapping wards blocking dozens of Sovereign-ranked spells. As the physical attacks began to overwhelm Ori’s ward, another pressure—an Immortal rank aura—enveloped them, halting everyone in their tracks. Ori saw realisation dawn in everyone's eyes as another message from the Library of Fates was broadcast on frequencies Ori could not yet perceive.
Then the aura expanded into a domain, and Ori heard a familiar, much welcomed voice echo throughout the building like the word of god.
"Kneel to your High Queen, or perish."
Ori and Poppy sank to a knee alongside most of the assassins and mercenaries they had just been fighting. A few bewildered or defiant individuals who remained standing simply evaporated like mist burnt away by sunlight, with Ori mouthing the words 'That’s mad,’ in amazement and gleeful relief.
----------------------------------------
By borrowing Harriet’s mana, Ori was able to repair Irbron's flesh well enough for Lesser Life Spark to restart his heart and reconnect his soul to the realm of the living. Irbron gasped in pain as he was resurrected, with the glowing form of Seraphine’s Beacon being the first thing he saw. Ori watched Harriet sag with relief, likely relieved to still have blood relatives to count on, despite their currently frosty relationship.
Ori inspected his brooch, noting that the silver and orichalcum enchantment had clearly seen better days, yet he remained proud of its performance. It had so effectively shielded both Poppy and himself from a lethal barrage of magic that he was reconsidering his decision to soul-bind the artefact. Originally, it was a limited-use, low-durability item that would break without constant reshaping and re-enchanting, great for preventing others from getting the drop on him, but for constant, long-term use? Ori had been unconvinced. Given his painful experiences with Seraphine's Beacon and the toll of practically soulcrafting himself while reshaping it, Ori was reluctant to bind another artefact that wasn't impervious to wear and tear or had limited reusability. Especially now, as Ori felt that his next binding might be the most his mortal soul could handle.
However, despite its flaws, Ori's ability to recharge the ward with the very magic it was intended to counter convinced him that this damaged enchantment was worth taking back with him through time and space, as an artefact intimately linked to the last, free remnants of his soul. Normally, an enchanter would need specific skills to accomplish this, but with Vision of the Progenitor and his gifted ability, Bondweave, forming the necessary soul tendrils to permanently bind the Dreamwalker's Ward to his soul was as straightforward as any enchantment process Ori had performed that week.
Irbron read in a murmur the message from the Library of Fates as he came to his senses. “Let it be known throughout the Briar Lands and beyond, that there has occurred the ascension of a new High Queen. By virtue of racial evolution to Arch Elf, class ascension to High Ruler, Arch Bard, and Herald of the Bondweaver, and mastery of a primordial affinity to Immersion, Harriet, Anoriel Thalionwen Luinilthar has ascended to Immortal, a rank surpassing her peers. Henceforth, she shall be recognised and revered as High Queen. Blessed be her name, and may her reign over the Lunaesidhe endure through the ages. Long live High Queen Harriet the First.” Irbron mumbled, growing ever more confused. “How!?” He finally asked, his eyes focusing on those around him.
“One of these days I’ll tell you all about it, brother. For now, we both have urgent matters to attend to. Get yourself properly fixed up and then arrange for those who’ve surrendered to be placed under soul-geas. Let no word on my consort's knowledge or appearance leave these walls.”
“Yes, High Queen.” Irbron stood and wandered away in a daze as Poppy bound and secured the prisoners, each now staring up from where they continued to kneel in a mixture of awe, confusion, and terror.
Despite the onlookers, or perhaps knowing that they’d be under magical compulsion not to repeat what they’d seen, Harriet walked up to Ori, hugging him tightly. He could feel the sensation of her grace, now multiplying in real-time, flowing around him as an extension of Harriet’s subconscious will.
“Herald of the Bondweaver?” Ori finally asked. Harriet simply shrugged.
“I had a few new class slots and that one caught my eye. Unique classes are still prestigious, even for queens. Anyway, seeing as Poppy picked Muse of the Bondweaver, it seemed fitting that we make a set.”
Ori chuckled, “What does it do?”
“Hmm, it’s bardic in nature and mostly synergies my song, but I can do minor soulcrafting with my song, and sing across multiple planes of existence at once.” Harriet smiled. “Interesting, though I am a bit jealous of Poppy’s ability to spark moments of enlightenment, still I suspect by the time you come back to me, I’ll be able to do more.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Ori squeezed her back.
“Become stronger and awaken, Ori, so you're strong enough to deal with nuisances. I’m sure that by the time you become a Sovereign, no one could prevent you from making your way back to me. Also, I’ll try and send help to the realm of Twilight to aid your escape.”
“Thank you. And I’ll try and dreamwalk to you when I can.”
Arms wrapped around him from behind as Poppy’s presence settled on his back.
“Remember what I asked for… when you return, I expect a proper accounting of every nipple you’ve licked and pussy you’ve played with.” Ori chuckled as Poppy’s hands played with his exposed chest while Harriet gasped, her hand covering her mouth in second-hand shame. “And when you get back, I expect you to be at least a Sovereign, if only so you’d survive the centuries of lust that you’d have to satisfy, from the both of us.”
“Perhaps I'll stay an extra day and make a down payment on that lust,” Ori said, turning behind him to kiss Poppy and then Harriet as he was sandwiched between them. “And see if there was anything more I could do to tweak you and help you grow.”
Harriet sighed, concern and unwillingness in her tone. “The longer you stay, the harder it’ll be to keep your identity and involvement a secret and—”
“It’s okay. I understand. Anything to keep you safe.”
“Oh, it’s not me I’m worried about, you know that anonymity is your greatest shield right now. Until you get strong enough to deal with—” Harriet said before being interrupted again, her words a reminder Ori didn’t need.
Ori sighed. “Yeah, I know. What about Rufus?”
“Fled without a trace as soon as she ascended. Between the residence's defences still hindering him, and the presence of two Immortal ranked he didn’t expect, he’s likely licking his wounds and trying to figure out how to play this gross violation of protocol off as just a harmless probe,” Harriet sighed. “Without rank supremacy, he couldn’t beat me in a duel so things might settle into indirect conflict behind the scenes.”
“And more assassins,” Poppy groaned as she moved around to wrap Harriet in a hug.
“We’ll be fine,” Harriet said confidently, returning the embrace.
“Yes, we’ll be fine. Look after yourself and come back to us.”
“I will,” Ori said, his tone resolute before shifting into what he hoped was a cocky smirk. “And when I come back, I will claim the both of you in all those ways you said I’ve wanted to but was afraid to ask.”
Ori burnt into memory the way their expressions changed as eyes grew wide and ears turned red in a mix of competitive and scandalised amusement and left the final trial with his heart heavy despite his joy and sense of accomplishment.