After checking the total, Atlas relaxed just as Estelle appeared. She was wearing a comfortable-looking nightgown that failed to hide her hourglass figure. He shook his head before taking the tea she offered with a smile.
''Thank you,'' he said.
The blonde woman beamed as she joined him on the seat, rested her head on his shoulder, and smiled as she drank some tea. Atlas felt warm and sunk into her as the two grew comfortable watching the night sky.
As they rested, the couple started to fall asleep. Estelle gently ran her fingers up and down his only arm, which relaxed him; Nulia and Amethyst left Mount Pass behind, drawing closer to the plant that would help him.
Meanwhile, Grishna and Artemis faced their trials on the journey south. Unbeknownst to them, the tides of war had finally reached the northern lands. The once-mighty Astorian Empire had fallen to the relentless Achaemenids, their forces sweeping the region like a storm.
