"So, love… how did you like it? Was it everything you thought?" Lyco asked Poduria, who was nestled lovingly in his embrace. They lay in their bed, covered in a white veil from above and a spread of rose petals beneath their sheet, with bouquets of flowers adorning the sides. The newlywed couple started their first day of married life lying naked between the sheets, closely hugging each other and speaking their hearts out.
In response to Lyco's question, Poduria lifted her head from his embrace. She brought her crimson lips near Lyco's cheek, planting a loving kiss, and whispered in his ear with a soft, seductive tone, "Even better."
Lyco smiled, his cheeks blushing at Poduria's loving gesture. He turned his head towards her, looking deeply into her brown eyes. He planted a soft kiss on her temple before he continued, "So, my love, have you thought about the future?"
Poduria smiled humbly at Lyco before drifting into thought for a moment. As she brought her gaze back to him, she replied in a soft, calculated tone, "Well…first we'll have to talk to the others about our next steps. As far as I know, we're going to floor 50 for that Lord battle, but after that, I'm not sure… Lyco?"
As Poduria spoke, her calculated tone faded into confusion and concern when she saw Lyco looking at her with a puzzled expression. Concerned, she asked, "Is everything all right, honey?"
Lyco moved away from her embrace, sitting up in the bed, keeping his confused gaze on Poduria, prompting her to sit up as well. He began to speak, "What are you talking about, Poduria? Next floor? Boss battle? I was talking about our future—kids, our own house, and all that. Why are you suggesting all those other things?"
Lyco's confusion spread to Poduria's face as she asked, her tone a mix of puzzlement and amusement, "Kids? Yeah, of course, we will have them, Lyco, and our house too. But first, we have to finish what we started. We can't abandon our friends like this; they count on us for our support."
"What do you mean?!" Lyco exclaimed, his voice rising with each word. "Poduria, we just got married, and you're suggesting we go back into danger the very next day? I care about our friends and our shared goal, but I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger. Our priorities have changed, Poduria! I care about us, about you, more than anything else!"
As Lyco argued, his volume escalating with each sentence, Poduria began to argue back. Suddenly, the shrieks of Lacerpulls and the rumble of carts echoed through the window, diverting their attention.
As Poduria turned to continue her argument, Lyco grabbed her, cupping her face in his hands. Pressing his temple to hers, he looked directly into her eyes, conveying sincerity, love, and concern. In a soft yet desperate tone, he spoke, "Poduria, my love, try to understand. I just got you. You've just become mine forever. Please don't ask me to take you back into the chaos we barely survived. I care about everything you said, but it means nothing if, Roiran forbids, I don't have you by my side. The Crimson Army will be there for our friends. Master Longiseus and the others are far more powerful than us. They won't even notice our absence. So please, don't worry about them. Worry about us. I want us to lead a normal, loving life. I want my days to start with you and my nights to end with you in my arms. I want to have babies with you, raise them with you, grow old with you. I want to die with you. So please, don't make me give up on these new hopes. Please, Poduria, I beg you."
Somewhere between his words, tears of concern and pain escaped Lyco's eyes. Moving from her face, he rested his head on Poduria's shoulder, hugging her tightly. He gritted his teeth, trying to control his emotions, to make Poduria understand his fears. His desperation made Poduria cry as well. She wrapped her arms around him, speaking in broken, tearful words, trying to uplift Lyco's mood.
"Lyco, honey, don't say that. Why are you being so negative? We can still do all those things together. Why are you afraid of such nonsense? I'm not afraid, and you know why? Because I have you by my side, my brave, strong, and charming husband, Lyco Preperena. If I'm not afraid, why are you? We can deal with any struggle as long as we're together. Maybe our friends won't need our help, but we won't be doing this just for them. We'll be doing it for us. My love, we will have kids—lots of them—once we do this. Once we help our friends kill this beast, I swear to you, we will go back to Pompeii and do everything you want. I promise you."
Saying that, Poduria gently extracted herself from Lyco's embrace. They gazed at each other's tear-streaked faces. Poduria smiled at the frowning and crying Lyco, and continued, "You know what, let's just discuss all this with our friends first. Then we'll make any decisions. Deal?"
Lyco managed a smile, mirroring Poduria's emotion, and nodded. Wiping his tears, he looked back at Poduria's weeping but smiling face. "Sure," he replied, before wiping her tears with his hands and pulling her back into his embrace.
As the couple sat entwined in each other's embrace, the warmth of their naked bodies radiated between them, their bare skin brushing against one another in a delicate dance. Poduria's heaving bosom pressed tightly against Lyco's tight chest, igniting a pleasurable sensation within his nether.
With the air around them shifting from sadness to a crackling passion, Poduria slowly withdrew from Lyco's embrace. Heavy warm breath eliciting from her lips, as with streak blush over her cheeks, she laid back on bed, removing bed sheet from her lower body, she suggestively and teasingly raised her legs, exposing her nether region to dripping with passion Lyco watching with blushing face, and eyes filled with as he prompted to move towards Poduria, as she invited with words filled pleasure and seduction-
"What do you think…Lyco? Wanna make one of those kids right now?.."
On her alluring luscious invitation, Lyco jumped on Poduria with his eyes filled in lust and his movements laced in passion, as they began their love.
After an intense two-hour session of their love, Lyco and Poduria, now fully clothed in their original raiding attire, strolled down the hallway hand in hand. They stopped at a door, where Lyco smiled at Poduria before knocking. His smile faded into concern as their knock received no response. Confused, Lyco turned to the door and knocked again, this time with more urgency.
"Alan? Relecta? Are you guys still asleep? It's afternoon, guys," Lyco called out, but still, there was no answer. Both Lyco and Poduria exchanged worried glances, growing increasingly restless. Just as Lyco was about to knock again, their attention was suddenly drawn to a female voice from behind them.
"Sis? Lyco? What are you two doing? There is nobody inside."
Hearing her words, Lyco and Poduria's confusion deepened, and they turned to see Poduria's sister, Ava standing behind them, holding her own confusion. Lyco looked at her puzzled as he asked, "Why? Where are our friends? Are they downstairs?" He glanced towards the stairway at the end of the hallway.
Ava saw the confusion and concern on her sister and Lyco's faces, and she quickly replied, turning their confusion into shock, "They all left this morning. Your friends and the Crimson Army. They didn't tell you?"
"What?!" Poduria and Lyco exclaimed simultaneously at Ava's revelation. Startled by their sudden reaction, Ava took a step back, gazing at them with a mix of confusion and sudden realization. She continued, "Oh...that's why they asked us not to wake you two up. Anyway, I was sent to get you two down to the main hall by father. The whole family is waiting downstairs for Lyco's welcome into the family. Come on, hurry up." With that, Ava pulled a stunned and confused Lyco and Poduria towards the stairway, leaving them both bewildered and unable to comprehend Ava's revelation.
Seated once again amidst the Silverforths, the couple found themselves under the expectant gaze of their family. However, Poduria's father, sensing their strange demeanor, exchanged a worried glance with Poduria's mother before they both approached with attempted smiles, adorning Poduria and Lyco with garlands of flowers. Oblivious to the activity around them, Poduria and Lyco remained lost in processing their friends' actions.
Just as Poduria's father began to speak, Lyco's voice cut through the silence. He turned towards Poduria with urgency, his gaze stern, and asked after a sigh, "So, Poduria, what do you want to do?"
After a moment of pondering, Poduria's eyes gleamed with resolve as she stood up. Without hesitation, she replied to Lyco in a determined tone, "We are going."
She then turned her attention to Roba and Hoba, gesturing to them with her eyes before issuing a swift command, "Roba! Hoba! Quickly, retrieve our gear and knapsack from our room!"
Then turning towards her elder sister, she spoke softly yet commandingly, "Sis, would you please prepare a Lacerpull wagon?"
Without a word of objection, all three of Poduria's siblings swiftly moved to carry out her command. Her father, visibly shocked by Poduria's words, shared his emotions with her mother and other relatives. Concern laced his voice as he addressed Poduria, his command tinged with a hint of desperation, "Princess? What does this mean? You're going? But where? Son Lyco? What is she talking about?"
Turning away from her daughter, Poduria's father directed his gaze towards Lyco, seeking an explanation. Before Lyco could respond, Poduria interjected. Standing between the two men with serious and determined eyes, she addressed her father with a firm tone, her voice rising slightly, "Father! Please... don't try to stop us. Lyco and I have already discussed this, and it was difficult enough to convince him. I won't waste any more time explaining to all of you. I've made up my mind. I refuse to abandon what brought Lyco and me together. That's final!"
"But Princess... you've only just been married. There are so many traditions and ceremonies left to fulfill, and if you leave now, who knows when you'll return... and Roiran forbid if you two w—"
"Father!!!" Poduria cut off her father's expression of concern and apprehension. Grabbing him quickly in a tight embrace, she spoke with a trembling voice, fighting to hold back her tears, while Lyco watched his wife's courage with a sense of helplessness. "Father, please... don't repeat all that again. I've endured your restrictive concerns for far too long. Please... you said you'd support me from now on. So please, do. I need your support, your trust right now. Please set aside your fatherly worries for today, and believe in your daughter. I promise that we will return safely." Poduria paused, taking a moment to extract herself from her father's embrace.
She saw him frowning, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to hold back his emotions. Each tear that fell from his eyes landed on the hand of his wife, who held him tightly. She looked at Poduria with a teary smile, addressing her husband, "She's right, honey. This is our moment. Stay strong. She needs us, she needs our trust, our support. Don't stop her now, my love."
As Poduria's mother finished speaking, she burst into tears, trying to conceal her tear-streaked face in the embrace of her husband's arm.
The room filled with the palpable sadness of their tears, each eye reflecting the struggle to muster enough strength to support Poduria's request.
Her father, his fists clenched, spoke to his daughter, who stood with a tight smile, holding back her own tears. "Okay, princess. I believe in you, and we will support you. Go! And Lyco!" He turned his gaze to Lyco, his expression shifting to a stern glare as he issued a warning. "Keep my princess safe. If anything happens to her," Poduria's father's tone turned grim, sending a shiver down Lyco's spine. "I will search for you through the bowels of hell and punish you myself. Understood?"
Lyco nodded quickly in grave apprehension. As Poduria's father stepped back, about to address Poduria, her elder sister's urgent voice cut through the tension. "Poduria, Father Zeneth is leaving in the last wagon. Hurry!" Poduria sprang into action at her sister's words, and as Roba and Hoba hurled Lyco and her knapsack toward her, they exclaimed loudly, "Sis, catch!" and "Take care, safe travels!" respectively.
Quickly catching their knapsacks, Lyco and Poduria sprang into action. Poduria exchanged determined nods with her parents before sharing a brief group hug.
Lyco exchanged smiles with Roba and Hoba, then took Poduria's hand in his and began sprinting through the crowd, leading her outside the mansion where Father Zeneth was preparing to depart in a Lacerpull wagon.
With smiles and determined glances exchanged between them, Lyco swiftly propelled Poduria into the air by manipulating the ground beneath her, creating a rock pillar for her to stand on, before jumping himself using the same technique.
Hovering mid-air, they approached the Lacerpull wagon. Father Zeneth, noticing the falling couple, moved aside in fright, allowing them to land gently on the wagon. Lyco quickly joined the wagon driver, seizing the reins and urging the Lacerpull into a full-speed run. Startled and confused, Father Zeneth looked at them and asked, "What is happening?!"
"Nothing, Father. We're just coming with you," Lyco and Poduria replied in unison, exchanging smiles and glances.
As their wagon began to fade into the distance, Poduria's family wept and waved, their emotions a mix of sadness and hope. From the other side, Poduria gazed back at her family, her vision blurred by tears, her heart heavy with longing. Beside her, Lyco stood, holding her hand for support. As their home and loved ones became blurred silhouettes, Poduria wiped a tear from her eye and looked down at Lyco. With a smile, she found solace in his presence. Returning her smile, Lyco gently nudged her to sit beside him in the wagon as they journeyed toward their friends.
After the sun began to hang low on the horizon, casting a golden hue from the hills behind the giant gate, three Lacerpull wagons approached slowly towards the clearing just feet before the gate.
"HALT!!!" Longiseus's commanding voice filled the evening air, halting all the wagons in the clearing. Jumping from the seat beside the driver of the lead wagon, Longiseus landed on the ground with firm feet. Once again, in his loud, commanding voice, he issued orders: "Orioros, Leotrus!"
King Raider Leotrus and Orioros emerged from the second wagon, followed by other members of the Crimson Army, all standing in position. Longiseus continued his commands: "Both of you, begin setting up the camp for the night. Bretren and Roartad, start preparations for our night meal. Artereia and Arian, refill all the water sacks and take inventory of our supplies. We are here only for the night. Once Father Zeneth arrives with the blessing in the morning, we'll cross the gate and move one step closer to our objective. Understood?!"
"YES, SIR!" the Crimson Army replied in loud unison, their voices resonating through the clearing as they set to work.
Giving a nod of confirmation to his team and sending them off to fulfill their tasks, Longiseus, with a stern gaze, moved toward the third wagon. He patted the Lacerpull tied to it, then parted the cloth covering the wagon, calling out, "Alan? How's everything coming up—"
Longiseus stopped mid-sentence as he peered inside the wagon and found Armis, Aurelia, and Relecta lying down side by side. They wore new attire provided by Longiseus, matching the classic attire of the Crimson Army. Aurelia was clad in a complete set of white armor over red tights cascading down to a skirt. Armis wore full red tights with a white robe over them, and Relecta had armor over her last night's wedding dress, an attire gifted to her by Alan. All three slept soundly.
Confused, Longiseus brought his gaze back out, ready to ponder Alan's whereabouts when a voice from above drew his attention. He looked up to see Alan sitting on the roof of the wagon, looking down at him.
"Up here, Commander," Alan called, a slight smirk on his face.
"What are you doing up there?" Longiseus asked, his tone curious yet commanding.
Alan, holding several vials of Favua honey and a vial filled with leaves, leaped down from the wagon, landing carefully beside Longiseus. Without responding to Longiseus's question, Alan took a couple of leaves from the vial, crushed them in his fist, and poured the powder into one of the vials containing Favua honey. Both men watched with anticipation as the powder mixed with the thick honey, but instead of blending smoothly, it clumped and formed specks within the honey.
Frustration etched across Alan's face as he swirled the vial, attempting to combine the substances. After several futile attempts, he gritted his teeth in disappointment. Longiseus, equally puzzled, watched him silently.
"I've tried changing quantities multiple times," Alan said, his voice edged with frustration. "No matter what I do, they just don't mix properly. It's getting frustrating. Maybe I should have asked for Poduria's help, but…" His words trailed off as he glanced towards Arian, who was assisting Artereia in counting supplies in the first wagon. Alan then looked up at the darkening sky, a sense of regret in his eyes. "Now I'm not sure if it was a good idea to leave those two behind."
"Well, it was Arian's decision. I think it's safe to say he knows his brother. Besides, it would have been too much to ask them to endanger their newly married life," Longiseus replied, glancing upward for a moment before returning his gaze to Alan. Both men shared a contemplative silence until Alan broke it.
"Yeah, you're right. But Poduria would've been a big help with this. She's an expert in making these mixtures," Alan said, a note of regret in his voice.
"Maybe we should focus on preserving these leaves and figuring out how to use them as they are," Longiseus suggested, gently taking the vials from Alan's hand.
"I'm not so sure about that," Alan replied, his tone becoming more calculative, with a hint of grimness. As they began walking towards the camp being set up by Orioros and Leotrus, he continued, "You've seen the side effects, right? And that was on a seasoned user like me. Who knows how severely they can affect all of your bodies. We can't afford to get caught in a sticky situation considering the prophecy and the looming battle. We need to find a way to reduce the side effects before we even consider using them."
"Well, I won't argue with that," Longiseus replied, his tone matching Alan's calculative seriousness. He sighed as they stopped in front of the already set bonfire. "But rest is important too, and looking at your condition…" He gestured towards Alan's restless form, noting the makeshift armor and the red tights underneath.
Alan's sleepy eyes were a dead giveaway. "You might need some rest. I'd advise you to take an hour or two before getting back to this. Maybe Orioros could help you; he does come from a lineage of Favua farmers." Longiseus nodded towards Orioros, who passed a stern gaze to Alan.
Alan reciprocated with a smile and turned back to Longiseus, amusement coloring his tone. "Well, I do feel a little worn out. Didn't get any sleep last night." His gaze wandered to the wagon where his friends slept, softening briefly. "If you know what I mean."
"Say no more. Marital bliss, I understand," Longiseus replied with a teasing smile and a hint of sarcastic mockery in his tone. Alan, catching the tease, mirrored his smile before turning serious.
"Well, that and I've been a little restless for a while. After our wedding, my priorities have changed. Don't take it as a threat, just a heads-up," Alan said, his tone shifting to grim seriousness as he fixed Longiseus with a piercing gaze. Longiseus listened intently, his own expression serious as Alan continued, "No matter what the stakes are, the lives and safety of my wife, Relecta, and my friends come first. I wouldn't hesitate to abandon this whole thing if it threatens their well-being in any way."
Longiseus absorbed Alan's words for a moment, then matched his piercing gaze. "I understand. But you have to understand as well, for me, completing this mission takes priority, whether I have to do it with you or without you."
"Well then, let's hope our priorities align in the face of the upcoming danger. Until then, you have my and my team's full support, in return for your own." Alan finished the grim discussion, extending his hand for a firm handshake. Longiseus reciprocated, both of them wearing firm smiles as they clasped hands.
Bathed in the shimmering moonlight against the backdrop of the darkened sky, the camp of Team Goliath and the Crimson Army hummed with activity.
Longiseus and Lady Roartad sat on one side of the fire, engrossed in their books, sharing a single blanket. Across from them, Leotrus and Bretren were already deep in slumber, emitting soft but steady snores. Meanwhile, Orioros and Artereia were busy experimenting with leaves and Favua honey, seeking a solution for Alan's predicament.
Relecta and Aurelia, seeking warmth from the fire, roasted meat skewered on a stick, their mouths watering in anticipation of their meal. Orioros used a stone mortar to grind the leaves into a fine powder, while Artereia added Favua honey drop by drop. With the mixture finally complete, darker from the leaves, Orioros presented it to Longiseus, his voice tinged with anticipation.
"Commander, see now?"
"Hmmm," Longiseus took the mortar cup from Orioros's hand, inspecting the liquid within for a moment. Lady Roartad stole a glance as well before Longiseus returned the mortar to Orioros, instructing him, "Keep it in the vial with the others. We'll have Alan check them after he wakes up. Until then, you two can rest if you want. Roartad and I will keep watch."
"No, I have a few more techniques I want to try before calling it quits. Come, Artereia," Orioros said, pouring the liquid into the vial, corking it, and gesturing for Artereia to follow as they moved toward a wagon.
Armis reacted with a chuckle to Arian's drunken mumble, replying to his suspicion with slurred words, "Bah! He's just not from here. Alan, my friend, hails from eastern Pompeii." As Armis said this, he tried to point in the said direction, but in his drunken state, he messed up his directions and pointed in the opposite direction, prompting Arian to correct him with an insult.
"That's west, you drunk."
"Oh... sorry, yeah," Armis corrected his pointing and continued, "Alan says that place is very... backwards. No education system or elites to develop it. So they have their own kind of education and stuff there. So it's normal for him to possess unknown knowledge and all, you know. So, simply, what I'm saying is... you're drunk!" Armis leaned in close to Arian's face, matching his drunken gaze with his own, and chuckled mockingly.
Arian, taking a moment to process Armis's words, became angry and pushed Armis back, retorting, "No! You're drunk, you brute!"
"No, you are!" Armis shot back, not backing down. Their banter, filled with drunken amusement, quickly escalated into a pushing contest as they locked fingers and tried to shove each other back.
Armis was about to slur something else at Arian when they suddenly heard a thud coming from the roof of their wagon.
Exchanging confused glances, they both quietly moved and peeked their heads out of the wagon. Suddenly, they saw something that made their eyes widen, and another resounding thud echoed in the air, knocking them both out of consciousness.
"Oh look, sis, it's done." Relecta smiled as she passed a stick skewered with juicy, roasted meat to Aurelia.
"Oh, yup. That's done well. Let me just pass it to Armis," Aurelia said, taking the skewer from Relecta's hand. She stood up and walked towards the wagon where Armis and Arian were drinking. Approaching the cart and coming towards the opening, she called out, "Honey, food is rea—" Her words trailed off as she saw nothing but empty mugs and spilled malt in the cart. Concerned by the scene, Aurelia looked around and began to call out for Armis, "Armis, wh—"
Suddenly, with a thud, Aurelia was pulled upwards, losing her grip on the skewer as the meat fell to the ground.
"Did you hear that?!" Lady Roartad quickly raised her head from her book, her voice low but urgent, as she spoke to Longiseus.
Hearing her warning, Longiseus also raised his head and gestured to Relecta. All three of them silently heightened their alertness. Suddenly, the shuffle of feet came from behind where Relecta was sitting. With resolve in her eyes, Relecta quickly turned, conjuring a water projectile in her palm. She aimed at the bushes before her, waiting for another movement.
Relecta's eyes widened in surprise as her heels collided together when a bind made of water clutched her legs, causing her to fall to the ground with a sudden thud. Before she could resist, a tendril of water shot through the bushes, quickly ensnaring her wrists and pinning her to the ground. Gritting her teeth, Relecta looked up as a figure emerged from the ruffled bushes, walking toward her.