Support my main contracted novel and winner of Writing Prompts #26 - The Legendary Mage!
Desolate Mage: A Legend Reborn!
https://www.webnovel.com/book/12013957905760805/Desolate-Mage%3A-A-Legend-Reborn!
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Reeve woke with a start.
Covered in cold sweat, he breathed heavily, trying to get his bearings.
(Where... Where am I...?) He frantically looked around in the dark, fumbling in the bedsheets and comforter as he sat up and patted around.
He looked beside him - empty; but with the signs of someone who had just been lying there.
Then he remembered. (Oh...!)
He looked over to the window and saw the silhouette of his lover - tall, slim even in their 40s - and absolutely captivating to Reeve.
He smiled gently, wondering what made his partner wake up in the middle of the night.
He quietly slipped out of the bed, naked from their last night's tussle. He mused about how it had been more enthusiastic than usual as he tip-toed over to the windows. Perhaps with the threat of the second demon's invasion; and the accompanying pressure from the duel to the death with planet Eunos' representative god coming up... He sighed inside; being a divine emperor came with a terribly heavy burden...
He stared one last time at the figure and back of his lover; entranced by the curves and lines and still-perfect skin.
Trying to make it a surprise, he snaked his arms around the waist and put his head on the shoulder; and kissed the neck of Samuel.
(SAMUEL?!!?!?!? F***!!!!!!)
Reeve woke with a start.
Covered in cold sweat, he breathed heavily, trying to get his bearings.
Then he realised he had just been dreaming; it was still the first night he had settled down in Turin - he wasn't 40 years old, he wasn't a divine emperor preparing for a duel to the death.
And most of all, he wasn't married to Samuel, hadn't spent the night in "activities" with the boy.
"F*** what a dream... No! I'm not gay!!"
But his heart was still beating fast; his feelings for Sam conflicted; as well as his own sexual orientation.
* * * * *
"So you'll be having your first day with the Knight's Order today...? A bunch of pansy kids if you ask me! You should be joining the military!" Principal Reynaldis Snow's son; Roland Snow chuckled over breakfast. He and Reeve were eating breakfast together; it was only the two of them today at the long and ornate table in Baron Novius' dining hall - a table meant for up to 30 people.
Over the course of breakfast, guard captain Snow recapped how Baron Novius and Marquis Trenel belonged to the loyalist faction; supporting the Roman emperor firmly.
On the other end of the political spectrum were his cousin once removed, Marchioness Adalle and her son and daughter, belonging to the roots faction. Their faction claimed that the Roman empire should return to their roots, that is, the Gautaz-Uro empire's wings.
Interestingly enough, the Roman emperor not only did not shut down this faction; he instead encouraged and provided funding for some of their activities; as long as those activities benefited the people. Top political scientists claimed that the emperor's act was a brilliant move, both demonstrating magnaminity as well as ensuring a strong Opposition to maintain a check and balance with the ruling hegemony.
The Marquis and Marchioness were at odds with one another, and this was exacerbated when they were both tasked to develop a base of influence in Turin; away from their home base of Rome.
Why Turin?
Duke Greybeard, who reigned over Turin, was in the neutral faction. In fact, he stood among the strongest and most powerful members among that faction. He also had a son of paramount talent; so talented in fact that he had crossed level 12 at the tender age of 18.
However, this son also embraced ascetism; and had openly renounced all worldly ties, professing that he would embark upon the Daoist path of the East once he had come of age - in 3 years time.
The Duke still had not given up home; however as a doting father with only 1 child, and having lost his sole wife many years ago, he allowed his son complete independence - even going so far as to entreat the leaders of the Daoist path, the Heavenly Master tribe, to accept his son as a disciple.
And so, the loyalist and the roots factions both sought to expand their influence in Turin in the event that the next generation's ruler happened to change, they would be ready.
"Alright, you'd best be off. The Duke appreciates talents - do your best and I'm sure you'll repay the trust and investment the Baron has placed on you."
With that, Reeve's new journey begun for real.
* * * * *
The demure looking maid held her razor sharp fingernails to Sam's neck; just barely touching the skin above her carotid artery - ready to sever the girl's supply of blood to her brain.
Little did she know that Sam didn't function with her brain anyway.
The seated; black-garbed girl in gothic, lacy wear began to smile wider as she licked her lips slowly. The carriage began to darken; the noon sunlight from the windows seemingly unable to pierce the miasma of purple darkness that filled the train car.
In the middle of this darkness, the fragile young girl sat enthroned as a queen, regal and imposing; radiating with an entrancing purple light from her eyes and body.
Fixing her gaze on Sam, she slowly blinked, causing the tall and strong girl to shiver imperceptibly. With a rush the purple miasma swirled around Sam; forming a transient vortex around her before dissipating as if it had never been.
The lighting within the carriage returned; their surroundings unchanged. Only now, Xera, her maid, lowered her hand from her captive's neck and bowed to her mistress, before returning to her earlier position guarding the entrance. On the other end of the carriage stood another green haired maid, similarly beautiful - in fact, looking like a twin of Xera except for her hair colour.
There was no one standing guard beside their magnificent mistress. When one glanced at her, they could not help but feel they could not lay eyes on her; that it was odd that she wore no crown, no coronet - and the observe would inevitably end up lowering their gaze. But perhaps the feeble looking girl had no protector because she needed no protection.
And now her counterpart, the erstwhile ogre-like brute of a girl, stood stock-still; calm and compliant - her eyes no longer black; but purple.
Still relaxed, the enchantingly beautiful girl spoke with a melodic voice; "Come, my darling~! Uun... Please; sit beside me." She moaned in delight and squirmed her butt over from the aisle seat to the window seat to make space for Sam, still managing to make the coarse action look graceful.
"Why not... Share a snack~..." Her rose-like lips parted - revealing inch-long canines; glinting with sharpness and threatening.
Like a zombie, the now docile 200cm tall girl stiffly walked over. Within 8 seconds she had reached Celica's side; then following her tiny new mistress' beckoning hand, she sat shoulder to shoulder with Celica; dwarfing the 135cm tall girl.
Unbidden and out of nowhere; there was now a third maid at Celica's side; like a clone of the other two, but this time with fiery-red hair and flame-red eyes. She carefully undid the collar of Sam's blouse, casting a derogatory and dismissive look at the flat girl's chest, and pulled the entranced girl's hair back off her neck.
Then the red-haired maid gracefully pulled out a cloth and a bottle of sanitiser-cum-perfume labelled "Channel - Desire" and religiously wiped the enthralled girl's neck clean of sweat and dust.
By this time, the vampire princess beside her was equally entranced; her gaze unable to leave the same carotid artery where the first maid's fingernail had lain; the smooth and unblemished skin - except for the slight pink mark where the fingernail had rested.
The doll-like girl craned her neck, then kicked off her shoes and got up onto her knees when she realised she was too short to reach Sam's neck with her mouth.
Licking her lips daintily and hesitating, as if unwilling to spoil the moment, she breathed out some hot air onto Sam's neck, causing the skin to have goosebumps. Then, pressing her palms together as if in a prayer of thanksgiving to the Eternal Night Mother, she recited the line from the eastern manuals she had borrowed, taught by her big sis.
"Itadakimasu~~~"
She drew back her lips and leaned in to savour her scrumptious prey.
* * * * *
[At the same time that this was happening; in the front-most carriage]
Matthew, the look-out on duty right now, yawned.
He had spent all of last night up frolicking with his newfound companion, Jho, who promised to introduce him to the newest red-light district in town - and the pudgy man delivered.
(Aww man... I'm kinda regretting that all-nighter...) He struggled to stifle another yawn; then gave up and raised his head away from the enhanced binoculars to let out a big yawn.
(Or maybe I don't regret...) He smiled as he closed his eyes and recalled the succulent memories of the young girl. (What's her name again...)
Matthew was in his early 40s, and he couldn't for the life of him understand why he was still single. Yeah sure, he was still working an entry-level job; but it was safe, stable and came with good pension and an early retirement age of 45! And yeah, sure, he was pretty overweight; but women liked that... Right...?
His parents had passed away when he had just started work; falling sick and quickly withering away under typhoid flu. And he also had no siblings. So he had been living a life of no attachments; no responsibilities and full of fulfilment.
Or so he had thought. But nowadays, seeing his friends and colleagues bouncing their kids on their knees, he started to feel quite empty inside. He opened his teary eyes and shared a chuckle with his other 3 co-lookouts; who were also wiping their eyes from fatigue - a product of being on the same excursion the night before.
When they peered back into their binoculars; they just in time for the adventure of their soon-to-be-short lives.
3 dragons, 1.5km ahead of the train - with the speed of a dragon's flight coupled with the velocity of the train; the distance would be closed in less than a second.
"Emergency!!! Ready for--" But before the panicked man could alert his companions; despite their lightning fast reactions; it was too late. Even though there were countless wards and defences, much of it relied on early warnings and fortifications. No amount of mages, not even 5 level 25 ones, could face 3 dragons at point-blank range without preparations.
ROAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!
The hair-raising sound of a dragon was heard, before the even more chilling sound of multiple dragons' breath attacks - and then they could hear no more.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!
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[Author's Notes - not enough space in the Author's Note Section T_T]
Experimenting with different titles - please bear with me!
50 chapter milestone! Top 6 voters by chapter 50 will get to work with me on 6 adventurer characters to be Sam's party members! Priority of design will be given to higher ranked voter!