She released Slather from her grip, giving him the chance to walk off and speak with the Inn owner. The two nodded their heads up and down, then Slather exchanged denars for a room key. Xanthe belly danced her way across the tavern, inching closer to the next lonely man nursing his drink—just a dancer using her allure to draw more business for the Inn.
How wrong they were.
Night had arrived again, and Xanthe sat at the dressing table in her Inn suite, giving the mirror a close look at the makeup she had applied on her face and her naked body sitting cross-legged, casting a shadow over what existed between her thighs. She extended her left wing out, gave the feathers a quick dust off, and repeated for the right.
Averyl lay tied-up on her bed, empty plates and cups on the floor with a damp towel next to her, used to dry off after the bath Xanthe gave her—one that Averyl did not seem to mind. If Xanthe were to guess, Averyl bathed with another to the side who would wipe her clean and dry. Averyl lived a life where servants or slaves tended to her needs. She was worth something to someone and was releasing sex pheromones when Xanthe had rubbed her breasts and thighs clean.
So it did not surprise Xanthe to discover that Averyl's eyes never shifted away from Xanthe’s nakedness as she stood to get dressed. It gave her an idea.
Xanthe turned, allowing Averyl to see her breasts and soft pubic hair. Averyl’s face was almost as red as her hair while her forehead moistened, just like the men who watched Xanthe’s performance earlier.
Xanthe grabbed her panties first and angled one leg through them, then the other, then pulled them up her legs to her thighs, slowly covering the sight of her front and arse, the source of Averyl's newfound desire.
“You are important to someone, Averyl,” Xanthe said. Averyl had said nothing in reply, but her body language? It said yes. “You wear a dress nobody else in this town has.” Wearing nothing but panties, Xanthe walked to Averyl and grabbed ahold of the necklace around the young fae’s neck. “And I would say this is worth more than the jewelry I wear. Are you a runaway princess? Then again, why would you want to run? Your status as a princess means nothing on other worlds or to the star-dwellers.”
Averyl broke her silence. “. . . I do not wish to live here anymore . . .”
“The men who slaughtered the bandits holding you. They were from the empire, right? What would the empire have done had they found you? Would they have killed you?”
“They might have,” Averyl said, her face unable to shift from Xanthe’s bare breasts and firm dark nipples a mere two inches away. “If I do not agree to . . .”
“Agree to what?”
Xanthe could not get that answer, though she had a good idea what type of key she would need to slip into Averyl and turn to unlock her secrets. Xanthe’s charisma could manipulate almost anyone now. She stood away from Averyl, grabbed the rest of her garments off the floor, and got dressed. Averyl watched every second, face still flushed and sweaty. Xanthe finished by taking the Silver Dagger and using it like a hairpin.
She left Averyl to think about her body and ventured into the Inn’s dark, empty halls, making her way to the room Slather had said he would be in. As instructed, Slather left the door unlocked. She went in without creating a sound, slowly shutting the door to ensure the same silence. Anyone who was awake and listening would have no idea she entered. Xanthe locked it for good measure—no more interruptions going forward.
“At last,” Slather said as he sat at the end of his bed. “I have been waiting all night for this.” He rubbed his hands together as his fae wings twitched with anticipation. “Now, let us see what you can do. Show me what the owners of this establishment forbid you to do.”
She stood in an empty space, bowed, assumed the correct dance form, and waved her hips about as her raven wings stretched from side to side. Slather’s jaw dropped. She had his undivided attention and danced toward him, her swift hands removing a layer of her attire, exposing more and more flesh. She tugged the bra off and her breasts bounced free, then reached for the veil over her face. Xanthe pulled the veil off and let go of it, allowing it to float to the floor. She only had the black lace loincloth of her dress when finished, then struck a dramatic pose.
“Did you like that?” Xanthe asked.
He shrugged. “It was lacking.”
“How so?”
“You are a shadow angel.” He pointed at what lay between her legs. “Take off your panties and do it again.” She did as requested and slipped out of her panties, held them in one hand, and let go, making them fall to the floor next to the veil. “Excellent, shadow angel. Show me what your kind is good for.”
She made a fake giggle. “Of course.”
“And get over here,” Slather said, pointing at the space near the bed he sat on. “You were closer to me out there, were you not?”
Xanthe danced with Slather again, giving him a show like the one she had given him in the tavern earlier. She held his hands and guided them down her naked torso. She let go of his hands. He did not let go of her. Reaching up, she moved her right hand to the Silver Dagger masquerading as a silver hairpin behind her head and pulled it free. Xanthe’s black hair draped her shoulders and back.
“Yes, that too.” Slather tugged a lock of her hair, bringing it to his nose. He inhaled, shutting his eyes in the process. Bliss brightened his face. “The scent of a shadow angel. The scent that turns decent women into whores—”
“And sends men to their deaths.”
She plunged the Silver Dagger into his neck with one hand, the other covering his mouth to silence his scream of pain. Yanking the dagger free released squirting blood from the wound, sending him to his knees.
“You fucking cunt—”
Xanthe twirled behind, covered his mouth, and pushed the Silver Dagger through his back. She did not stop until the edge hit his ribcage on the inside.
“And that yelp,” Xanthe whispered into his ear, “that was the same sound shadow angel parents made when crusader generals like you ordered men to steal their children.” She drove the dagger deeper, digging for the gap between his ribcage. He grunted. “And that noise? Why, it sounds like the one shadow angel girls made when they learned they had to use their bodies to survive.” Another push. This time the Silver Dagger’s blade had vanished within the bleeding hole. “Oh, now you sound like shadow angel boys when crusaders like you forced them into the labor camps, never to be seen alive again.” She shoved the Dagger as deep as she could. Its blood-dripping tip poked out a new hole in his chest, releasing a stream of red down his shirt. “And this blood on the floor? It looks like the blood that spilled from my sister’s back when a crusader cut her wings off, after promising her a life free of slavery if she let him do it.”
Xanthe released Slather to spit his last words as he fell to the bloody floor, body shaking. He looked at her. “You . . . bitch!” Slather groaned. “I had to feed my family somehow!”
“And the thousands of lives you destroyed no longer have a family to return to. Enjoy your visit to the underworld, you fucking murdering general!”
“That is . . . where you are . . . wrong,” Slather grunted his last words. “I am not . . . the fae . . . general you seek.”
“Spare me your rubbish!”
“I was his lieutenant . . . The man you seek still serves . . . in the imperial army—”
“Oh, please do hurry up and die. I have things to do still!”
But he did not die as requested. Xanthe lowered herself, offered him a smile, and sunk the Silver Dagger through his throat, gave it a wiggle, then pulled it free as blood gushed from the wound like a small red waterfall. She left him to bleed to death on the floor and collected her attire before the growing pool of crimson soaked it.
New City, New Job – Quest Complete
Obtained: 250 Experience Points
And those were not the only experience points she gained. Upon Slather’s death, she gained additional experience points, just like how she would gain experienc
e for killing beasts. Xanthe did not think much of it. She opened the window, tied his bedsheet into a rope, secured it against the bedpost, and tossed the other end out the window. Now it looked like a murderer broke into his suite and escaped from the window. Nobody would suspect her now. Being practically naked helped keep the image. She just needed to wipe the blood from her breasts and abs, then get dressed.
Xanthe spun back to bid farewell to the crusader general who ruined the lives of her people—
She grimaced at what became of Slather’s body.
It was not there. Only a crystal remained, laying in a pool of evaporating blood. Slather’s body had faded like the beasts she had slain, just like Dolnir and his bandit men. She grabbed the crystal, shook off the blood, and brought it to her face. Strange memories flashed. They belonged to Slather.
She saw the slaughter of shadow angels during the crusades as slavers collected those not killed. Star-dweller smugglers helped transport fae and other races to her planet to participate in the crusades. There were massive food and water shortages on the star-dweller ships during those years, and the crusaders were willing to trade more crops and livestock than usual if the star-dwellers gave them a lift.
Slather had received orders from another fae, a man who served in the Autumnfall Empire. She could not make out their face. The magic from the crystal made things unclear, foggy. In the vision, Slather referred to the other fae as a general. Slather was telling the truth; he was no general—
And the visions ceased, restoring Xanthe’s sight back to the murder scene and a quest window awaiting her attention.
Kill Slather’s Superior
Objective: Discover the identity of the imperial general Slather took orders from during the crusades.
Issued by: White Dragon
Reward: 1000 Experience Points
Accept quest? Yes/No—
She hit Yes without a second thought, pocketed the crystal, and escaped back into her suite.
Averyl gasped upon her return, gesturing at the bloody dagger Xanthe held. “What did you do?”
“What I came to this world to do,” Xanthe said, shutting and locking the door behind her. “I found a man who helped in the crusades against my people.”
“I see.”
“So, as you can see, I no longer need to sell you to learn of his location. I have no use for you.” So Xanthe put the Silver Dagger’s edge to Averyl, holding it steady for effect. “But you are valuable to someone.” With her free hand, Xanthe grabbed the crystal Slather’s body had turned into and held it up for Averyl’s trembling face to watch. “And I think it has to do with these crystals that the afflicted seem to transform into upon death.”
“I know nothing about them. I swear.”
Xanthe lowered Slather’s crystal next to the jewelry around Averyl’s neck, making a side-by-side comparison. “Then why do your jewels look like it?”
Averyl glanced down, wincing. “My father gave me this.”
“And who is your father?” Nothing. He is a man of wealth and power . . . and has enough of the crystals to turn them into jewelry for his daughter. Xanthe doubted Averyl’s father killed the afflicted to collect crystals for jewelry.
Just holding Slather’s crystal, and later the crystal making up the central part of Averyl’s necklace, filled Xanthe’s fingers with intense energy.
It was enough energy to tickle her astral circuits.
Chapter Twenty-One
Giant Moths and Warrior Lizards infested the desert along with a few lesser lizards called Hunting Lizards. It was good practice for Guy as he found himself unable to avoid most encounters. The Hunting Lizards were predictable. They slashed their claws and bit at Guy if he got too close. Hunting Lizards weren’t evasive, especially after he hit them with Provoke. From there, it was a matter of gaining AP quickly, then dispatching them with Storm Slash.
Battles with multiple monsters clustered together often ended quicker. All Guy needed to do was cleave as wide as possible to reach as many monsters as he could with one attack. One fight saw him surrounded by five Giant Moths. That meant 50 AP per swing if he cleaved fast enough. That meant with two cleaves, he’d be able to hit them with Storm Slash, killing the monsters that got hit. Those he missed with Storm Slash, well, they didn’t last long when he resumed his assault.
In between combat, Guy sat on the sand and drank his survival water to keep his gauge going. He had to stop five times to take a piss—that water went right through him.
Guy winced when hour five passed. The monster attacks were slowing his journey through the sand dunes. The only benefit from the many encounters was that he hit level 7. Opening his inventory, Guy checked the loot he got from the fights.
Guy’s Inventory - 07/50
Asteriarite: Strength +1
Hypospray: HP x4
Hypospray: MP x2
Lesser HP Potion x6
Lesser MP Potion x6
Sigil: Blade
Survival Water x14
His stock of water was getting low.
Too bad the monsters don’t drop that. I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it to Holt before I run out. Guess I should be thankful though, I’d be dead now without that magical water.
A roar greeted him from behind. Guy once again stepped in land claimed by the lizardmen. He spun to see three, shook his head, and put them to his blade. Blood caked the sand when the beasts’ bodies evaporated as expected.
Obtained: Sigil: Safety
He chuckled at the name of the glowing sigil. Guy found a spot in the desert sands free of roaming beasts, sat down, then removed all his sigils except for Guardian. Guy placed the sigil of Safety on his left arm, as he was curious to see what it offered.
New technique learned: Fortification
“Sweet.”
Fortification
The next five attacks you receive will inflict 20% less damage.
Cost: 100 AP
Okay, so the Guardian and Safety sigil give me Fortification, along with Storm Slash. Let’s see what happens when I put the Voice sigil on my other arm.
New technique learned: Stand Your Ground
Well, that sounds pretty cool.
Stand Your Ground
Reduces chances of knockback, knockdown, or stun.
Cost: 100 AP
The sigil combination of Guardian, Safety, and Voice gave Guy four skills: Storm Slash, Fortification, Stand Your Ground, and On Your Feet. No monsters were giving him problems, so he remained seated to further experiment with his sigil build, this time using the combination of Guardian, Safety, and Wrath.
Nothing, and checking his skills, he saw that Storm Slash and Fortification were the only ones available. Adding Wrath did nothing. Switching it up again, Guy used the combination of Guardian, Voice, and Wrath, giving him access to Storm Slash, Provoke, and On Your Feet.
Let’s try this setup. I hope it’s worth losing Stand Your Ground and Fortification for Provoke and On Your Feet.
Guy stood, dusted the sand from his pants and trench coat, and turned to walk toward Holt, hoping the fresh wave of monsters would leave him alone—
Heatwave Resistance: 14%
He had forgotten about that and pulled another survival water bottle from his inventory and drank it. Thirteen left.
Heatwave Resistance: 100%
The twin suns set, dimming the appearance of one of Guy’s shadows on the sand, while the other sun continued to bake his skin. Hours later, there was only one sun, and then that one set, bringing out the darkness and cooling the air around.
Heatwave Resistance: 87%
The gauge’s decay rate also decreased, and when he entered a small cave to the east, it vanished.
Notice: You have left the hazardous area - Heat
It was dark and cold inside the cavern, which went nowhere. It was just a hole in the rock face, a perfect place to curl up for the night and sleep.
The morning started with the larger sun rising, followed by the second s
maller one an hour later. Guy was on the move again, walking past the dunes as his Heatwave resistance gauge shrank in the sweltering desert air. He left behind a long line of footprints on the sand and the many dunes he scaled. He wondered if he had been meandering in circles, since the last eight dunes he passed looked like the previous eight an hour ago. His quest marker insisted he was close to Holt though.
Guy had stood on top of the tallest dune yet, using it to get a better lay of the land. He saw sand for days, grunted, and took one step forward—
He lost his footing and tripped.
“Oh, fuck!”
He faceplanted to the sand below and tumbled down the dune, rolling and rolling. Guy felt nothing but sand dirtying his face and getting into his ears; it probably would have gotten into his eyes and mouth if he hadn’t shut them fast enough.
“Fuck! Are you serious?—”
Guy rolled to the bottom of the dune.
The tumble felt like an eternity.
Eventually, his rolling body came to a stop at the dune’s foot. Guy pushed himself up and away from the river of sand he fell to, spitting out bits of it that got into his mouth. That’d teach you for yelling fuck during the dive—
A pair of legs in baggy pants entered his view as he pushed up.
A fae had flown down ahead of Guy, a black man with red, dragonfly-like wings who was holding a sword aimed for Guy’s head. The fae was shirtless and possessed a muscular body that’d put Guy to same. His muscular arms, chest, and six-pack abs were glistening with sweat and shined when the twin sunlight hit, as did his bald head.
“Look, man,” Guy said, raising his hands. “I don’t want any trouble!”
The fae grinned and took a step forward while keeping his sword tip leveled with Guy’s face. “You are creating it!” The fae shifted his blade to the horizon, aiming it at the endless sand. “The sandworm might detect you with the noises you have been making.”
“I’ve been in this hellhole for a day or two,” Guy said. “Or has it been three? Fuck, I can’t remember. Look, there’s no sandworm—lots of weird-ass monsters, but no worm.”
Star Paladin: A LitRPG Space Fantasy (Sword of Asteria Book 1) Page 16