Sael watched almost in a trance as his hand went from naked, to covered with the Antger armor, to the Conri armor, then cycled back around while half listening to the others.
"How could you be first! That's not fair, I was his first wife!" Ara was leaning forward over their breakfast to gripe at Beth.
Beth calmly ate her breakfast with the smuggest cat who ate the canary smirk the world had ever seen. "It is only natural. I knew him first, you just tried to steal him from me."
"What no! You probably just seduced him! Thieving cat!" Sael figured he should be worried but in truth after the initial shock had worn off the intense tension that had been between them since day one had gone away. Even their tones sounded more teasing or playful than truly angry. Sael mentally chanted his mantra of 'I'll never understand girls.' While enjoying testing the new surprise ability he'd gain from adding Beth as a consort. Who knew it wasn't just fairies that could provide a power. 'This ability would have been so helpful in that last fight. Things would have been so simple.' He thought before saying out loud "I wonder if I can find a weaponsmith to be my consort."
When the arguing instantly stopped and the temperature started to drop he realized he'd said the last part out loud. Looking past his own armored hand he found three girls scowling at him. Holding up his hands in surrender he said quickly "I was only joking!" he gave a nervous laugh. "I'm completely happy with just you girls?" his voice trailed off as he said the last.
Nee stopped scowling at him first and took a sip of her tea. "Good because I'll call next."
"What! No, It's already bad enough this... this floozy cut in line! I'm the first wife!" Ara slapped her hands on the table.
"Then you should have said something sooner. Sorry!" Nee's face was as calm as ever but the corner of her mouth twitched upwards slightly.
As the tone of the argument started to lose it's joking Sael slowly slipped out of his chair hoping to sneak away.
"Where do you think you are going! We have to settle this! No running away coward!" Ara was really riled up now.
"Um…. I'm not running away…. I… um… right I have to go register for round two of the Adventurer's ball! Yep, just being ol reliable hardworking me you know. Always gotta make that money." He was back stepping away as he noticed not only were all the girls watching him but everyone else in the dining room.
"Girls! Get him! Don't let him get away until he agrees who's next!" Ara led the charge and to his surprise Nee and Beth joined in.
None of them were fast enough to catch him as he dodged away. "Sorry, Got to go! How about you Rock Paper Scissors for it!" He dodged one last time while thinking 'Gods what have I gotten myself into.'
Ara let out a frustrated growl before turning to Nee. "Fine!" He slipped out the door just as Beth stepped up. "What? No you can't play, you already had a turn!"
Shanking his head he muttered. "What am I an amusement park ride?"
He only made it a short distance away when Nee stuck her head out the door calling his name. When he glanced back the normally stone faced fairy had a smirk that could rival Beth's "Don't forget you promised to spend some time alone with me outside the city walls. We are going to 'practice' right? I'll be waiting where we agreed!"
"Practice what? Alone time? Wait, that's not fair!!!!" Sael fled shaking his head as Ara tried to push past Nee complaining. 'What has gotten into Nee. Normally she's so… mature?' Still shaking his head he headed to the arena.
**********
Sael smiled at the tall dark skinned woman in front of him, shocked by the fact she was nearly as tall as him. Her head was shaved completely bald and her dark complexion meshed well with the deep purple robe she wore. Her eyes were silver, as in the iris of each eye really looked like liquid silver that shimmered with a pearlescent glow. Her cheekbones were prominent and sharp while she had a narrow jawline. That combined with her hawk-like nose made her too distinct for normal beauty but she wasn't unattractive. Her expression reminded him of Nee, or well how Nee normally was. Calm and emotionless right up until a shimmer passed across her eyes. For a brief moment her face showed a sudden surge of emotion that he couldn't identify but it was gone so fast he wasn't sure if he imagined it.
"Please place your hand on the testing sphere." Her voice was deeper and huskier than he expected but still feminine. Shrugging and wondering if the girls acting up didn't just have him on edge, seeing things that weren't there, he placed his hand on the sphere. He started to lift his hand right away and the woman placed her on top of his. "Just a moment, it isn't done yet."
Frowning he left his hand there but asked "It's never taken so long before."
"These are a new version. They aren't as fast as the old ones but do give a bit more detail." She stated calmly while keeping her odd gaze locked on him.
Sael suddenly felt like something was wrong and didn't like the change. But before he could complain she lifted her hand saying he was done. "So what information does it give?" He was eying the ball that now showed a number five as well as lines of text that he couldn't read.
"It shows your level just as before. As well as your class. I see you are a level five spearman." She gave him another look with those odd eyes. "I saw your fight previously and thought you were on at least one class change."
Chuckling in what he hoped wasn't a nervous way. "How could that be. I wouldn't be in this bracket if so." He felt relieved it hadn't given her his stats as well or she might have known what was up. He was more than a little relieved when she handed him his entry number and called for the next person.
**********
Sele watched the man named Sael walk away before letting one of the normal workers who was sweating bullets at having a guild master doing the work of a nobody take her place. Once she left the entranceway she wasn't surprised when Dinn appeared to walk in step with her. "Well?"
He didn't bother to mince words and she didn't either. "He really is level five and only on his first class."
"Really? Damn, what about race did you think to check that? You know he's got some fairies with him and a pan apparently. Maybe he isn't human?"
Sele hesitated. In truth the testing sphere should have finished just as fast as the previous ones but she sensed it was having trouble and had made the young man wait. "It said he was human but the sphere took a long time to determine it."
"What does that mean?" Dinn asked with a cocked brow.
"That… I don't know. But the test did say he was human. He is an Arrived though." Dinn grunted as if that was common knowledge. "His power… it's grown since the first round."
"So he's gotten a bit stronger. Probably been training non stop or doing quests. Those damned Arrived have it so easy." Dinn was annoyed at himself for how much envy he heard in his own voice. Arrived had an unnatural way of getting stronger. Where he had to shed blood, sweat, and tears to get even a little stronger, Arrived could gain power just completing quests from a guild or fighting a few monsters.
"It isn't just a bit. Before his power could have rivaled many of the top tiered adventures including those elite Arrived in the capital… Now I'm not sure if both of us combined could stop him. I think we should bar him from the competition."
Dinn watched his oldest living friend. They'd started adventuring together decades ago and out of their party only the two of them had lived long enough to retire. It was common in their line of work but also meant they'd seen more than most alive. Seeing her spooked sent a shiver down his spine, but unlike her it was from excitement. "Naw, the boy hasn't broken any rules. Besides it might be fun to see what he can do. The winner's exhibition match could actually be fun this year." Dinn gave a belly laugh while Sele just gazed at him with her usual calm expression. She hadn't expected him to follow her suggestion but was really afraid for her friend. When she'd used her ability to gauge his power hoping to better understand it from up close she'd felt like she was being drowned in it. It had taken everything just to keep from panicking before she could deactivate her skill.
"Let us just hope he is on humanities side."
"Meh he's an adventurer and a man. The only side he's on is his own or whichever one keeps him between his ladies legs. If he really is that strong we just gotta make sure we're the one's paying him the most!" Sele shook her head shocked that even in his old age Dinn still had his crude moments.
**********
Sael made his way out of town and towards the fairy circle. Sadly, he still didn't have any connected circles but it was a great landmark. Turning his back to the city he headed into the wooded area. When he came to the clearing he was shocked to see Nee already waiting for him sitting on the branch of one of the large trees that reminded him of an earth oak with her back to him.
When he was almost to her she swung backwards to hang by her knees from the branch. Her dress was tucked between her legs to keep it from flipping down all the way but it still exposed plenty of her pale legs. Her silvery hair was dangling free as she looked at him almost eye to eye. "What has gotten into you Nee. I never pictured the poised calm fairy who sipped tea while listening to my exaggerated stories of acting so… childish."
Her head tilted to the side. "You don't like it?"
Sael felt like he was walking through a minefield. "Well no I mean yes I mean… I just want you to be yourself." He smiled feeling like he'd avoided them all.
Nee's dress slipped down, flashing him briefly before she finished dropping down from the branch to land gracefully. "You're not… Where are your...NEE!"
"What? It's not the first time you've seen me. And it won't be the last." He could have sworn her tone was threatening at the end but she was back to her normal calm expression so he wasn't sure if he made it up on his own.
"Ok how about we just start my flying lessons…. Please?" Nee seemed to take pity on him and let him change the subject.
"Alright then. Take out your wings."
"Um about that… I haven't figured out how…" he gave her an embarrassed shrug when she looked to see if he was joking.
"Really? But you used them during the fight fairly well."
"Yeah… I have no idea what I was doing. I tried a few times on my own but no go."
Shaking her head she sighed. "Very well. We will start at the very beginning."
**********
Sael was exhausted when he collapsed to lean back against the tree. An electric shock ran up his spine as his wings were crushed between him and the trunk of the tree. "Damn getting used to putting these things away is going to be a pain. Now I know why you and Ara keep them put up all the time. As sensitive as they are it would be a pain to keep them out all the time."
Nee walked over and turned her back to him before plopping down in his lap surprising him. "They can be but you should build up a tolerance otherwise they can be a liability in battle." She wiggled around and snuggled back against him getting comfortable… he hoped that was all. Muscles he didn't even know he had were aching and sore from overuse. While his body could recover from wounds due to Summer's Vitality it seemed to have limited effect on fatigue once it set in. At Least he had a ton of stamina thanks to it.
"So you gonna tell me why you're acting all touchy feely, flirty, and such? Don't tell me you are jealous?" he'd had plenty of time to think during there practicing and finally found his resolve.
"Did you know the fairies are dying out?" Her response wasn't what he expected.
"Yeah, Gregory told me some. You have a low birth rate and still haven't recovered from the last war."
"Correct. But it is mostly the Summer Court that is dying out…. The Winter Court is almost extinct."
"I'm sorry." He didn't know what to say.
"Do you know why?" When he said nothing she answered for him. "The Summer Court is mostly like Ara. They are energetic and emotional, they wear their feelings on their sleeves is the human phrase I believe. Since there are so few fairies and we can mate with other species it has become more common… more necessary. But most races find winter fairies to be too cold." She chuckled some at her own joke. "I didn't want to make the same mistake so many of my fellow winter fairies had made. I thought you'd like me better if I acted more like the others… It worked for the human girl."
He mussed up her hair a bit. "Ahh so you were just jealous. Honestly, that is a bit of a relief. Here I thought it was something I wouldn't know how to deal with. You've got nothing to worry about Nee. I like all of you differently but equally. So you can just be yourself. I told you it wasn't desperation and I meant it. Besides I think you are the only one I can have a decent serious conversation with."
She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned back her head to look up at him. He gave her his best smile. "We good?"
She stood up and turned around to sit in his lap straddling him before once again wrapping her hands around his neck to kiss him. "We are perfect, my king."
Smiling he hugged her tightly then said. "Ok I'm glad things are back to normal. Now hop up so we can get back to town."
Instead of getting up she shook her head and started unbuttoning her dress. "NEE what are you doing! We just had a moment here!"
"Sorry but Ara cheats at games so now it's my turn to play dirty."
**********
Alan paced around his room waiting on his spies to return. When he finally heard the expected knock on his door he took a moment to compose himself before letting them in. "Well, what do you have to report?"
The two men that entered his room had worked really hard at looking unremarkable. One was dressed as a beggar complete with missing teeth, a wild rat's nest of gray hair, and a horrible stench that Alan only tolerated because he wanted to hear what the man had to say. The other was dressed as a normal merchant, one that could be seen at any stall or small shop. Overweight but otherwise unremarkable.
"The one you asked about signed up today. He's changed his moniker from the Fairy King to the Twilight King. More than a little presumptuous for some no name from the sticks." Stinky was the first to report.
"Do you have his number? Can we arrange for him to be my first stepping stone?" Alan's eyes had a hungry glint to them.
Stinky shrank back some. "I do not…. The one that did his testing was the Guild Master Sele herself."
Alan frowned " What do you mean the one that did his test was Sele? Why would a Guild master do something so menial."
"I do not know but she only showed up to do his then left…." Stinky watched and waited hoping he wouldn't be asked for anymore information since he had nothing else to report.
Luckily Fatty spoke up. "I found out he is accompanied by a number of odd individuals. There is a Faun he has been seen associating with but the trickster hasn't been seen much outside the gambling dens. There is a low ranked arrived adventurer here with him as well. Then there are his lovers. He has two fairies and a human woman, they made quite the spectacle this morning. He seems to take great pride in flaunting his women, even making them compete for his bed in public."
Alan's eyes lit up with a different hunger. "Interesting, how does he make them compete?" He imagined all kinds of salacious things.
"Er, they were um playing rock paper scissors it seems…" Fatty realized his answer wasn't what his lord wanted but knew better than to lie.
"Ugh boring. No wonder most of his whores are filthy forest creatures. Is the human at least attractive."
"She's… average?" Fatty didn't think the human girl was unattractive but she just seemed plain compared to the types of women his master normally paid for.
Alan made a disgusted noise and paced a bit waiting before asking. "Well what else?"
"That's it I'm afraid. No one has heard of him, he hasn't taken any guild quests before. Other than the room and board he hasn't bought anything. He has placed a large bet on himself with Gree but done little else."
"Ugh you are both worthless. I saw him fight. He may have shit taste in women but his abilities are the real deal. He's the only one worthy of showing my true greatness against in this silly tourney. If I don't even have someone half decent to go against no one will be able to see how amazing I really am. I need to know what he is capable of if not I'm likely to crush the weakling before I can show off. Damn it." He resumed his pacing biting his thumb. "I need my father to take me seriously and to do that I have to show him I'm strong enough to help with his plan otherwise he is just going to marry me off to that sow from Nindel."
Glancing over he growled out "What are you two still doing here? Go on and get me some more information." Both men bowed before leaving him alone. Stinky once again headed out to his begging spot near the inn his marks were staying at while Fatty headed towards the Duke's chambers. He had to report to his real boss what his son was up to.
**********
Sael collapsed into his bed exhausted but at least the soreness in his muscles was gone. He'd taken a nice long bath at a local bath house before coming back. It was because he was sweaty from all the flying practice and not because he was afraid he smelled too much like Nee. When the door opened he sat back up. "Y'all ready for dinner?"
Ara was standing fidgeting with her back against the closed door looking like a cornered rabbit despite being the one blocking the only exit. "Where are the others? I'm starving!"
"They went ahead… without us… You know… this place has room service." Her face was flushed and she stuttered some. Suddenly he remembered Nee's comment about Ara cheating. He reminded himself of his vow to stop running away from the girls and muttered. "Summer's Vitality don't let me down."
**********
Sael reached over and pinched Ara's nose to stop her from snoring so loud. "Damn, I've never heard her snore like that. She must really be exhausted." He couldn't help grinning with at least a little pride before standing up to stretch. "Alright, I just need to find my pants and get some breakfast before round two starts." He gave up looking after a few moments and exploited his inventories new function to dress instantly.
"Damn this is nice." He stepped out of their room and headed down to breakfast. He was kinda shocked to find Nee and Beth already at the table they normally used. 'They must have gotten a room here since so many left after the demon attack. I hope they didn't pay full price…'
"Moooooorning did you sleeeeep well?" Beth had a smug grin on her face. "I'm sure you got LOOOTS of sleep. Right?" He actually felt a bit relieved that she was teasing him like old times, it meant things might not get weird like he'd worried.
"About as much as I did with you. So… I'm still exhausted." Her face lit up bright red as he sat down.
"Yeah… Well then you won't need these will you?" She held up several books that somehow seemed familiar before he realized they were the ones Gregory had given him involving fairies.
"How did you get those?" He immediately checked his inventory, certain he'd had them in there. He watched as the books reappeared in his inventory. "Did you just use my inventory?"
Grinning she managed to get rid of the rest of her blush. "Yep! It's neat. I can even access my crafting skills without a work bench now. But the real question is why do you have a pair of Nee's underwear in here?"
Nee's tea spilled slightly as she looked at him shocked. "What! After yesterday you'd give me crap about underwear, you didn't even have any then… besides she is only teasing you. I don't have any of y'all underwear in my inventory." He checked quickly just to make sure while Beth teased her about not wearing underwear.
"Wait does that mean you can start crafting me new stuff right away?" He was more than a little excited. When she nodded he grinned back. "Damn, I didn't think you could get more amazing!"
"Praise me more!" Beth grinned shamelessly.
After that, Sael dug in famished since he'd missed dinner last night. Ara showed up just about the time he was done and left her to being teased by Beth as he made it to the arena.
'Things are going pretty good if I do say so myself. Things with the girls are better than ever, great even. I've got a fancy new spear, new skills, my awesome new armor I've still yet to test out and a buttload of money to make winning this tourney. You know what, screw this holding back. What good is being super bad ass if you don't get to flaunt it some. Fuck it, Ima go all out!' Grinning he whistled happily as he entered the arena to await bracketing wondering if the world was ready for the Twilight King's big reveal.