Book 1 Bonus Chapters (Patreon)

[Hey guys. Those that follow the story on RoyalRoad/Scribblehub might be aware that Book 1 is set to come out March 28th on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. I wrote two bonus chapters to add to the book, in addition to countless edits and improvements. Overall, I don't think I effectively changed the story all that much, but I certainly improved the quality significantly. If any of you have kindle unlimited, a reading/rating would be much appreciated! In addition, those of you interested in buying a paperback/hardcover version of the book, I am making sure that these will be options! I will let you know when THAT portion is available for pre-order, and that should be soon.

You can find the pre-order for the Book here: https://www.amazon.com/Champions-Trial-Summoner-Fantasy-LitRPG-ebook/dp/B0BXMJ6TH9 

Regarding the bonus chapters, their purpose is to both add a little worldbuilding, but also entice those that read the book on royalroad to read it again on kindle unlimited. You guys have supported me from the beginning, so if you contact me on Discord, I can give the ebook over to you. Otherwise, it helps me if you purchase the book, for improving my rankings/visibility.  Either way, here's the two bonus chapters for you to enjoy! They both take place on the same world as the amusement park, and happen afterwards. The second includes an explicit scene at the very end, hence the hearts as usual.]

Epilogue 2 - Bonus 1 - Family Camping

Jake extracted the tiny camper designed to fit in his storage bracelet, plopping it down on the ground. He pressed a button, and the dwarven contraption unfolded into a makeshift kitchen on the outside with a shade, along with some chairs. The kitchen included several gas burners, sink, cutting board and food preparation area, and a nice charcoal grill.

Inside the camper itself was enough space for a group of people to sleep in a temperature regulated area. It had features to even deter and provide protection against various Tier 0 creatures, if needed.

“You know, husband, when I came up with the idea, it was just a joke. It wasn’t tacit approval or some hidden desire of mine.”

Fhesiah was wearing her cultivator robes, and was holding an elaborate sun umbrella over her head.

Jake shrugged. “Shouldn’t have mentioned fish then, so shortly after Ophelia wanted some. We’re about to leave tomorrow morning, so for one last outing, relaxation won out.”

Fhesiah scoffed. “We could have gone to a play, or a masquerade. Instead, we’re here with the bugs. Just what do your people see special about doing this?”

Jake watched as an insect floated near her, and it lit aflame.

Before Jake could respond, he heard a shout, “I got one!”

Ophelia raised a large fish on a spear above her head, as it was flopping around. She was wearing a cute swimsuit, her lightly tanned body glistening with water.

They were at a creek, just next to a lake with a small waterfall. It was a nice glade within a large forest, and Jake didn’t think it was all that different from Earth, only slightly higher. The world had very low levels of mana, still being Tier 0 as it was. As far as Jake understood it, like Earth, someone could not become a mage without assistance from another mage, or the Framework here. Prospective mages would have to go through an activation ritual, perhaps, how Odin activated his.

Ophelia brought the fish over with the smile. “The water’s warm, and there are tons of fish! That was just the first one large enough to be worth catching.”

Jake looked at the fish in interest. It didn’t look that dissimilar from a salmon, but it had sort of tentacles like a squid coming off the back of the fish instead of fins for a tail.

“I’ll wait till you get some more and cook them all at once. But it looks like I’m going to need some stuff, so I’ll have to pop back to our [Refuge].”

Ophelia nodded and flew away, back to hunting her fish.

“Ah, now that I can get behind, just a few minutes ought to be–”

Jake chuckled. “C’mon, you ought to be able to find something else to do? I’m just going to take a second.”

Fhesiah sighed. “Alright. I suppose I’ll have a look around, maybe find some meat a little redder?”

She flew away like a strange Asian dragon version of a certain magical nanny, flying with her sun umbrella.

Jake shook his head, and created a portal. On a [Bastion], he could use this from anywhere instantly, to enter and exit his [Refuge]. It would hold the location, until he decided to change it. He could open or close it from either side.

Jake grabbed various cooking materials. Jake had brought tons of cooking materials for their outing, he just had no idea he was going to be making takoyaki, a Japanese food made using squid. He grabbed a few extras in another storage bracelet, and popped back.

Jake was only gone about a minute, but there were already two more dead fish added next to the other one. There was another of the same squid fish, but now one that actually had crab legs on it. Just why?

Jake could feel the desire over their bond for consuming these strange fish, as she went to catch even more. He shrugged his shoulders at the oddity, and activated the [Looting] skill on each. The skill easily separated the skin and guts, bones, and left him with some fillets. Very convenient. Jake gave a silent thank you to the Framework, for making this task so simple for him now.

But then, he remembered his hands deep inside a giant spider’s guts, trying to grab the creature’s mana core. He realized that perhaps he’d be willing to gut and clean fish for the rest of his life, to not have done that. He had already suffered, and now he just gets to enjoy a small benefit.

Jake started to make the batter for takoyaki, while he got the grill prepared. Ophelia had moved to the lake itself, looking for spearing creatures there with swooping dives, entering the water to spear fish deep inside. She used her magical senses to detect the fish, rather than her eyes.

He was squeezing some lemon and adding pepper to some fillets, when he heard an odd whine, or bleating sound, come from the trees nearby. While Jake was battle-ready, he knew there was nothing to be overly worried about. His [Arcane Eye] only took a moment to discover what the sound was, and he just continued his preparations.

The sound continued getting closer, until two bear cubs came out of the bushes near him. They looked a little like red pandas from Earth, but were closer to a bear with a head of a fox, a foxbear. It seemed they were hungry, and they were looking for their mother.

Jake shrugged. He had plenty of fish guts and heads left over from the looting skill, that he was just going to throw back into the lake but hadn’t gotten around to it. Even if the momma showed up, well, he had a dragon and a Valkyrie.

He placed the guts with some smaller fillets on a tray, and put it on the edge of the camp site in front of them, and went back to what he was doing. They began to chow down on the free food, sniffing it all the while.

Ophelia returned with a massive fish that looked a lot like a tuna. “I think I have enough fish now, I’ll–Oh! Those look so cute!”

She went over to them, and they just took one sniff at her and kept working on their meal.

She watched them with interest. “I wonder what a bigger one of you would taste like… I’ll have to look out to not kill your momma…”

She flew off in search of her meal, spear in hand.

Jake’s batter for takoyaki and fish fillets now complete, he went ahead and started making some. He practiced cooking with his magical flames, trapping all the flavor and energy inside the food. Jake was both grilling some salmon-like fish in some aluminum foil, but also frying some in batter on his hot plate.

He had a special pan made for takoyaki, which was not that dissimilar from a cupcake pan. It had small divots in it for cooking the spherical treats, and he was making them by the dozens. A toothpick was inserted in them, and a sauce drizzled on.

He also fried up some fish egg rolls, knowing Ophelia was a fan of things crispy and crunchy. He blended the fish with carrots and onion, not including any cabbage.

For Fhesiah, he made a spicy fish soup, with tomato as the base. He already nearly had a veritable buffet, but he knew his hunter was not yet done.

Ophelia returned once more, her smile beaming, and her mouth almost watering. “I found this! It’s like an elk mixed with a cow! I almost felt bad killing it. Almost.”

Jake once again used his looting skill, and Ophelia petted the foxbears.

He gave over some of the meat along with more guts, as the creature was quite large. They were extremely excited about their new meal, making cute sniffing sounds all the while.

“Not going to go get more?”

“Nah, that should be enough for now. I could get some for leftovers, but that’s plenty. Fhesiah might have found something, too.”

Jake looked at the direction Fhesiah headed, and was surprised to find a foxbear floating towards them, with an umbrella over it.

The foxbear landed in front of them, and immediately rejoined its children.

“This creature was fighting on the other side of the mountain. It had gotten angry, I guess because she lost her cubs? It angered another one.”

She dumped out a monster carcass from her storage bracelet. It was some kind of elephant-sized moose?

“Whatever it is, I ended the fight for her, and she even tried to attack me. She was lucky we already met her children, or that would have been the last thing she ever did. I found some plants that I may be able to use for alchemy, but the most interesting thing I found was this.”

A rock filled with gems appeared. Jake frowned. “Where’d you find this?”

She shrugged. “There was an abandoned mine in the mountain. I picked it up with my divine sense. So what’s cooking, hubby?”

Jake chuckled. “I guess some cow elk and some super moose in a second. Most of the fish is nearly ready, but it will be a while on the meat. You girls will need to find something else to do for a while.”

The girls looked at one another, and seemed to realize they spend enough time together already.

Ophelia said, “I had that one book I found that I wanted to read, maybe I could relax for a bit. The sounds of nature make for a nice environment.”

Fhesiah said, “I did have plenty of alchemical and herbalism books to read. I suppose I could rest for a while, waiting for my hubby’s meal to be completed.”

Ophelia built a hammock in the trees, while Fhesiah just floated, lounging in the air under the shade of another.

Jake used the looting skill on the two carcasses, the cow elk and the super moose. An enormous amount of meat entered his storage bracelet, and he gave it over to the foxbears. The mother looked on warily, but it appeared she lost her need for aggression. She took a few sniffs of him, and returned to her meal. The two cubs were likely full now, and they began to play with one another.

He returned to his cooking, but had to set up a large fire pit. There was no way the medium-sized grill was going to be enough to cook the super moose in a reasonable amount of time, otherwise. He’d like to smoke some meat, but he’d have to wait until he was back at the [Refuge] to have enough time to accomplish that. For now, he would just grill it on a spit.

He used earth magic to slowly create a pit, and lined it with a few rocks he found nearby. He cut down a smaller tree, then used another runic magic spell to dry it out. Jake chopped it up, and started his fire.

He based oils and seasonings onto the meat, marinating them. He put some steaks on the charcoal grill, but put a large portion of the meat on some giant sticks to rotisserie cook them over the large pit.

Some time passed as he continued with cooking, the two girls lounging and reading, when he felt some mirth come from Fhesiah.

“What is it that you’re reading anyway, sister?”

“N-Nothing, it’s just… A romance novel.”

“Romance, is it? Why is it that you are blushing, or embarrassed?”

“N-No reason.”

“Hmm. The Shield-Maiden’s Triumph, huh?”

“How– Um, you don’t need to be so interested…”

“Would you look at that. The male lead is even named Jake, and the woman appears to be Ophelia! What a coincidence.”

“Y-You can get them customized. The credits came from my smithing!”

“Why are you getting so defensive? You shouldn’t be embarrassed. Reading fantasy is a way to form an emotional connection, or create new experiences. Why, I bet there are some good ideas in here for you to try out with our dear husband.”

Fhesiah cleared her throat, reading a passage of the book despite Ophelia having closed the book, to her horror. She even changed her voices to match the characters, sounding a lot like alternate versions of Jake and Ophelia for their lines.

“She felt his breath on her neck as he whispered, ‘You have my heart and my spear, my love.’ Her heart raced as she gazed into his eyes, knowing that their journey had brought them closer than ever before.

They stood in silence for a moment, savoring the victory they had won together, before he took her hand and led her to the balcony, leading her away from the crowd celebrating their success as he shut the door behind them.

The Shield-maiden could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as his eyes lingered on her, taking in every detail. He reached out to touch her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear as he leaned in closer to her. He said, ‘I can’t wait but another moment. I must have you here.’

She looked around in fear. ‘But what if someone sees?’

‘I don’t care who sees us. I must have you now, in the light of the moon.’

He kissed her there outside, where the stars shone bright in the sky, a symbol of the hope that lay ahead as he unbuttoned her blouse–”

Ophelia interrupted her narration, putting the book away. “T-That, you don’t have to read it! And why are you so good at narrating it?”

“Oh? Dear sister, I’m willing to narrate more if you like? I’m sure Jake can even help you live out all your fantasies. You have no reason to be ashamed, you know.”

“It’s just, I like that to be private! Some fantasies are fine, staying fantasies!”

Fhesiah shrugged. “Suit yourself. If it bothers you so much, I’ll leave it alone. Jake and I both see it as cute, or a positive quality. Right, Jake?”

Jake was putting on the finishing touches of the meal, the foxbears having left a while ago.

Jake said, “It is cute, and Fhesiah is right. I’m willing to make as many of your fantasies come true as you like, within reason. Just leave me one of those books with a scene marked, and I’ll be happy to make it happen.”

Ophelia blushed, her face scrunching up cutely in thought. “I… Maybe that one? But… I-I’ll think about it!”

Fhesiah smiled. “See? It’s not good to be so shy, you might miss out on some pleasant experiences. Why, any time you’re ready, I’m more than willing–”

Jake interrupted, “Food is ready! Let’s eat, girls.”

They sat down at a bench covered by the shade, digging in to the large meal. Jake had cut the grilled steaks up and inserted them into some grilled veggie skewers, the oils and seasonings adding a lot of flavor.

Ophelia said, “Mmm! The takoyaki is fantastic. I never had anything like this before.”

Fhesiah added, “It is good. Thank you for making some with a bit of spice, husband. The spicy seafood soup is excellent, too.”

Jake and the girls had plenty to eat, the meat from the creatures turning out great. The odd crab and squid fish tasting excellent on the grill, as well as being added into Fhesiah’s soup. They cracked open the crab-like legs and claws, enjoying the meat.

They talked for a while, about what other things they’d like to do later, or just as they traveled the multiverse.

Once their stomachs were a bit less full, Jake and Ophelia went for a swim in the lake. Fhesiah lounged in the air once more, reading. Ophelia was an excellent diver, swimming deep underwater. Her wings aided her, and she could fill her body with mana for even more strength.

Jake did his best to follow, and she dragged him down with her. He found that he could go several minutes without breathing, likely thanks to his mana core. His body was able to use mana in lieu of some of the things he obtained from breathing.

They swam deep to where it was so dark, Jake needed his [Arcane Eye] to see very well. They reached the bottom, and Ophelia turned to him. Her eyes and wings glowed under Jake’s magical sight, and he wrapped his arms around her, as she molded her body around his.

They kissed, before enjoying the surrounding sights. Small crabs and worms and other creatures lived at the bottom of the lake, and the amount of fish was surprising. They came in many colors, shapes and sizes. Jake definitely felt like this matched the ocean a lot better.

Her voice sounded in his mind, [I’m so glad I get to see more things with you finally, Jake. And that we can get some time alone.]

“Me too. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite a while. Now that we’re finally here, I feel like it’s surpassed my expectations. I’m happy to spend as much time together as you like.”

They kissed some more, before returning to the surface. They went ashore, drying themselves off with the cleaning spell-form.

“I didn’t want to ruin your moment, but you did know that I can still see you down there, right, battle angel? Still, I let you have your privacy. I realize you like to have your moments and keep them to yourself.”

Ophelia blushed. “Yeah, I do know that. Thanks…”

“Don’t mention it. Jake, it looks like there is in fact a ball for us to go to, and Ophelia can check out the Arena that they have while we’re there. She can even fight in it if she wants.”

“Oh! That sounds like fun.”

Jake frowned. “I don’t mind it, but I think I’d like to see that too?”

Fhesiah said, “Well, it’s an opportunity for you to give me that date you promised. You can take a look at it in the morning with her, and leave her to it to join me later?”

That was alright with Jake. It meant that they would stay one more day here before heading off. They went to sleep in the camper, which had a transparent roof. They spent the night under the stars, the three falling asleep together.

Epilogue 3 - Bonus 2 - Date at the Ball – ♥♥

Horses feet clopped down the road, a carriage being pulled up the hill. A mansion could be seen in the distance, as Jake sat across Fhesiah inside. Jake was wearing a strange red suit with a top hat, with a gold flower in his lapel. He had a red mask that he was supposed to put on, covering the area around his eyes.

Fhesiah wore a shocking for Victorians red dress. Her cleavage was on display, and her dress was sleeveless with red gloves. She wore a bonnet which sort-of covered her horns, and the dress portion was thick and wide. It was shaped almost like a bell, except in the front and back, where the fabric was close to her legs. The fabric in front of her legs was thin, allowing you to see some of her skin on her legs.

The trim of the dress was gold, her once again going with her color motif. Despite being Victorian styled, it certainly had Asian style scripts and markings on it. She had a red and gold mask covering the area around her eyes, and a smile on her face. She had on high heels, that made her more than a little taller than Jake, but his top-hat made them close to the same height.

“Isn’t this exciting? I was able to get an invitation, apparently because you’re a [Knight]. These should all be rich people here, those with high status. Still, this is just a Tier 0 world, and there should be very few Tier 1, or even people that use magic here. A majority of people don’t join the Framework, and many of the people with high status only join for the immortality, paying credits over time to extend it.”

Jake nodded. Those that don’t contribute to the war in some way, needed to pay to remain immortalized by the Framework. It appeared the cost increased over time, so people were certainly incentivized to let their lives come to its natural end, or to progress to the next Tier.

Jake said, “I guess? I wouldn’t feel good about this if not for there being a level of anonymity. I didn’t want people to know I was a champion at least.”

She shrugged. “They might somehow know anyway? But it’s not a problem. We can just leave if you’re unhappy. We can open a portal to the [Refuge] from anywhere, using [Call Summon] on Ophelia to bring her out of here.”

They had spent some time at the arena, and Jake had a good time. He got to see many different classes fighting, and he found the fights interesting. He was somewhat surprised at how powerful his party was, after looking at the participant’s capabilities. Jake was certain Ophelia could defeat their grand champion of the arena, and even Jake could do well enough.

“Surprised? But I’m a dragon, and she could more or less almost beat me? I know that you could hold your own, too, even if we might take the win against you in the end. You look down on yourself, husband. Hestia wouldn’t have made you a champion if you weren’t special. If some scrub from any-old Tier 0 world could beat you or us, why bother with you in the first place? You need to accept that you’ve built yourself up to become a powerful individual, even if it was with our help.”

They arrived at the ball, stepping out of the carriage. They walked inside, Fhesiah filled with pride, her walk full of confidence. Jake just smiled as the doormen and others greeted them, and they eventually reached the main hall of the mansion. They were elevated at the top of the second floor, the ballroom being on the first.

It was a large ballroom, with a second and third floor balcony surrounding it above. It was a Victorian style masquerade ball, with many influential people being here. An orchestra led by a strange steampunk organ were playing music, and people were dancing. There were foods at tables in the back, with waiters bringing drinks all over.

The people were dressed mostly like Jake and Fhesiah, other than the colors. Also, Fhesiah’s wings were real. Most of the women were wearing an angel or devil motif, with fake wings to go along with their mask.

When Fhesiah reached the top of the stairs, it appeared a chime sounded as a sort of announcement, that there was a new arrival. Many turned, taking in Fhesiah and Jake. Several people gasped, his and Fhesiah’s colors and outfits standing out. Most of the colors among those here were more muted colors, and her dress really popped.

She smiled and preened at the attention, the two of them walking down the stairs. Her statuesque body and long legs with wings made a strong image, as Jake escorted her. She immediately headed for the dance floor, surprising Jake. He spoke to her over their thought connection.

“Er, what are we doing? I’m not really great at dancing.”

[I know that, dear husband. Just follow my lead, our bond can handle this well enough? We can fight together in sync, moving at speeds these people can really comprehend, and yet you’re worried about a slow waltz?]

Jake was a little worried, but he would give it a try. It was certainly true that his footwork and movements were well beyond human at this point, and he should be able to manage a somewhat slow dance.

Jake did his best to watch others as they arrived into an open area. He grabbed onto her shoulder beyond her armpit with his right, and his left grabbed onto her open hand. She put her left hand on his shoulder as she smiled at him, and he could see her golden eyes lit with excitement. Many people were watching them, and she loved the attention.

Jake’s first couple of steps were unsure, but Fhesiah quickly guided him over their bond. Before long he was moving along with the beat perfectly, just following her guidance. He wondered if this is what his girls felt when he guided them to accomplish things in a fight with his intentions.

The music from the orchestra was slow, but the odd steampunk organ had an enchanting tune. The pace of the music increased, as Jake and Fhesiah found their stride. The two danced for two songs, and Fhesiah then lead them towards the rear, where the food was located, and many people were mingling.

She spoke into his mind, [I had all the eyes on me, so I figured I would use it. I was listening to the conversations here, getting an idea of what to expect. There is a fair amount of gossip on the gods and goddesses here! I’m learning a lot.]

“Anything interesting?”

[Apparently, this sector that we are in is what they call a Frontier Sector. It’s where the Framework is expanding outwards, and it can meet with new worlds, such as Earth. The war is fought a little differently here, but the idea is that it is a sort of land grab among gods and goddesses, and where they do a lot of their fighting. Even dirty fighting among those in the Alliance.]

Jake grimaced. “I guess we’ll have to look out for that, having to worry about our own team in addition to Tartarus seems like it would make it impossible for our team to win.”

Fhesiah nodded. [It does seem that Hestia and Odin have the right idea. I see someone I want to have a chat with, unless you want to join me, maybe go grab us some refreshments?]

Jake figured there was much to enjoy in a fantasy style buffet, and that was much more his speed. He’d join her in a bit. They split off, and Jake went to go check out what they had.

Jake found himself having to sniff a lot of items before putting them on his plate, because he had no idea what he was looking at. Then, he spotted some of the fish they had recently collected, and even what he was sure were elk cow steaks.

Jake snuck a few items into his storage bracelet when he was sure nobody was looking to share with Ophelia later. He was grabbing some glasses of what looked like champagne to bring over to Fhesiah, when someone spoke to him.

“You’re an odd one, lad. The mana in the room is converging on you like a high level mage, but my sight be sayin’ you can’t be past level ten. Strange.”

Jake looked over to the man, and did his best to keep himself from gawking. Jake was the weird one? The man was a dwarf with brown hair and beard, but had an odd bionic eyepiece grafted to his head made of metal, the eye mask not able to cover it. He was wearing a Victorian style suit like Jake, but had other metal grafted to him.

How was this allowed? Jake looked over him with his [Arcane Eye] in interest. There were magical energies running through his metallic portions.

“Hello there, a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jake.”

The bionic dwarf smiled. “First time to see one of my kind, huh? Us dwarves love our technology, no doubt about it. I’m Kedrin.”

Jake had to know. “How is… Your equipment allowed? I thought this goes against the law of balance.”

He laughed. “It does! I am not allowed to set foot on any world besides a [Bastion] within the Alliance! It has its benefits, though. I’m a talent scout, with my special eye, I can see people’s level, and judge their potential. I’d say I’d never seen any as high as yours, but that woman you came in with…” He shook his head, and his normal eye was wide. “It’s a close call!”

Jake frowned. He knew that there were scout classes that may be able to estimate the level of an opponent, but he knew it was mostly guess work, with a skill assisting them.

Jake asked, “How can you do that?”

Kedrin laughed again. “You can kind of think of it like rings on a tree trunk. My eye can detect the rings, so to speak. I came over to offer my services. I’ll share my contact information with you, and if you need talent in the future, I’m your guy.”

Jake received a notification in his menu, and he nodded. He wasn’t sure how or when he would be interested in people, but he knew if he was going to form a Guild, he would eventually want talent to join. The multiverse was vast with many unique challenges, and so having people of exotic races and classes able to join would be useful to have access to.

“Thanks, I’ll certainly keep you in mind, Kedrin. I can see how your skill would be valuable. I don’t know when, but I’m sure I’ll be interested in finding people.”

“People resources are the most valuable asset in this war, though, if we could just use technology—”

A woman’s voice interrupted him, “Kedrin is right. Only his people resources are little more than barbarians. Crafters are a much more important to have behind you.”

Jake turned to see Fhesiah with an elf woman, and he had to keep himself from rolling his eyes when he saw her. It was like Fhesiah must have bee-lined towards whom she thought was the most attractive woman in the room besides herself. The woman was a blond elf with a massive chest, wearing a green Victorian gown and mask. Jake could see Fhesiah’s smirk at his thought.

[Hmph, it just worked out like that! I had to get my invite from somewhere. It’s common courtesy to say hello to her first, no? She swore she’d retain our anonymity, even signing a Framework contract that would fine her heavily if she went against it.]

Kedrin shook his head before scoffing. “The best crafters can cast a mean fireball or ice shards spell too! The war is one where you gotta be willing to fight, not just sit at some crafting table or library all day! Besides, by not increasing their Tier from fighting, they limit themselves.”

The elf woman sighed. “Not everyone fights, and you know it, Kedrin. You shouldn’t dismiss people just because your eye can’t measure their precise level of value.”

Fhesiah smiled, and introduced Jake to the elven woman. “This is my husband, Jake. Jake, this is Trinity.”

Jake added, “Nice to meet you, Trinity. Kedrin, this if my wife Fhesiah. It appears you and Trinity have met?”

Kedrin chuckled. “We have, unfortunately. A pleasure, Fhesiah. An honor, I have never met your kind in person.”

“Oh, you’ve never met a cultivator before?”

Kedrin’s face scrunched up in confusion. “No, lass, I mean—”

Fhesiah interrupted, “I’m a cultivator. This is merely my costume. Observe.” Jake felt Fhesiah using her Qi, and the air around her horns shimmered, until they disappeared for a brief moment. Even Jake’s sight with his [Arcane Eye] was interrupted. Her horns then returned.

“See? Costume. I’m a cultivator, nothing more.”

Kedin’s face was filled with shock. Most likely, his sight was interrupted as well. Jake wasn’t even aware she could accomplish this.

Kedrin said, “I-I see. My apologies, for my confusion… How remarkable.”

[If it’s just for a moment, I can do things like this as part of what I learned of the path of the Dark Kitsune. I ultimately chose my dragon side the first time around, but I still learned a minor illusion. It’s not quite enough to use in combat, it only worked because I’m not even moving.]

Fhesiah clapped her hands together. “So Jake, Trinity was telling me the most interesting thing about our destination! She told me that [Ariminum] was saved originally by a figure you’d be familiar with!”

Trinity said, “Yes, everyone in this sector is familiar with the man from Earth, Marcus Aurelius. He long since moved on from that world, but his guild was vital in helping it complete its Trial, and some remnants of that guild remains.”

Jake was shocked that the roman emperor and philosopher had ended up being drafted and exploring the multiverse. He wondered who else he might have heard of, that was now combating [Tartarus] instead of how they might have died in history.

Trinity had already provided her contact details to Fhesiah, but she was a resource for crafters. It appeared that many of the best Tier 0 crafters would find means of advancement to pay and move to higher Tier worlds. There, they could level slowly given enough time as they progressed in their crafts. Heading to a T1 world was often expensive for Tier 0 people. People that didn’t have a [Refuge], or weren’t a combatant, like Jake.

The four of them talked for a short time, but eventually Kedrin and Trinity broke away to talk with others, as these masquerades were places to meet others.

Fhesiah said in his mind, [So what did you think, Jake? Want to try to get Trinity off into a side room, perhaps a balcony?]

Jake shook his head. “Not really? She was pretty, but so what? I really prefer to have a meaningful connection with someone to enjoy that kind of activity, and you know that.”

[Ah yes, she must first romance you, and on the third date you’ll give her a kiss? Then, on the fifth or sixth date, if she’s been respectful and made you feel special, maybe she can put her hand down your shirt?]

Jake sighed, and Fhesiah laughed. [You know I am just playing, husband. I don’t think Ophelia would feel too great about you just getting with a random floozy, either. Oh look, they’re going to do some kind of treasure hunt, looking for some kind of gem?]

There were various events at these masquerade balls, including some sort of march that was like a costume contest. He guessed Fhesiah had a good shot at that, though there was some strong competition from those that put in a lot of effort.

Fhesiah said, “Ah! Let’s head out here, Jake.” She gave Jake a devilish, sultry smile, and took his hand. He was both excited and a little worried about where this was going.

She pulled Jake out onto a balcony, the door closing, and she had even barred the door with a stick from her storage bracelet.

She smiled at Jake. “I cannot wait but another moment longer, I must have you now.”

Jake looked around. They were on a balcony, and other balconies were in view, though he didn’t see anyone, now that he looked. “But what if someone sees?”

Her smile became even wider. “I don’t care who sees us. I must have you now, in the light of the moon.”

Jake gawked at Fhesiah. This was Ophelia’s book scenario! He felt it was a little wrong–

Fhesiah snorted. “This is one fantasy she would never live out, don’t you think? Doing it in sort of public, really? I think that’s quite a bit outside her comfort zone.”

Jake had to admit that this was way outside hers, but it was also outside of his!

Fhesiah sighed. “Alright, how about this. Look at the balcony over there with your eyes, then your arcane eye.” Jake saw where she pointed, and there was nothing there.

Then he looked at it with his [Arcane Eye], and there was a sort of magical bubble, and he saw there were some silhouettes inside, and he could tell they were having a good time. His eyes widened.

Her devilish smile returned, as she activated some mechanism on a strange trinket. The same bubble appeared around their balcony. She set it down on the window seal.

“Like the dwarf, a combination of technology and magic that is only allowed on a [Bastion]. It’ll make it so that people can’t see or hear us. Now, what was next? Ah.”

Fhesiah approached Jake with a confident smile, kissing him on the lips, and knocking off his hat. Her eyes danced with mischief, as her body molded to his. He could feel her lust and desire over their bond, and his own rose to match hers. Her soft body was inviting, and he realized she unbuttoned his inner shirt with Qi. Her chest popped out of her own dress, being a slight pull on the fabric.

She was a little taller than him thanks to her high heels, and she brought up her breast easily to his lips. He licked and sucked on her perfect nipples, her moaning as her desire rose further. Jake’s pants popped open, and she reached her hand inside his boxers, wrapping her hand around his already hard cock and pulling him out of his opened pants. She stroked him, before she got down on her knees.

Jake then realized her knees weren’t even touching the ground, as his cock entered the hot, wet tunnel that was her mouth. She stared up at him, moaning as her mouth reached his pelvis, his cock entering into her throat. She bobbed her head, as Jake grabbed her horns.

He thrust his hips as he pulled on her horns, and her body lifted into the air. Her body was now parallel to the ground. Jake knew she loved this, him fucking her mouth in earnest. Her body shivered and convulsed, as he really used her mouth.

He continued to pump his hips, her moaning as he did. He then surprised her, as began to walk her to the edge of the balcony as she floated, where there was a railing. Jake lifted her mouth off his cock and her into the air, spinning her around, which she aided, knowing his intentions. She bent over the balcony, and lifted her dress, next to a flower pot sitting on a pedestal.

Her perfect, heart-shaped ass was presented to him, her tail waving back and forth. Jake was not surprised that she was not wearing any panties at all. He grabbed her dragon’s tail tightly and lifted it, being as rough as he knew she liked. He inserted his cock into her already wet pussy, her breath catching and her body shivering as he did.

“Yes! Jake, fuck my pussy hard! Use me!”

He pounded her hard, one hand gripping tightly on her tail and another on her ass. She squealed, as her legs shook and met his thrusts, her pussy convulsing and gripping his cock. Her excitement and lust wafted over their bond, making Jake’s rise in kind.

He increased his pace of fucking her pussy from behind, her moaning in pleasure. They continued for a time, her eventually collapsing over the railing of the balcony, as he continued to pound her. He could feel she was close, and his hips became a blur, as his cock bottomed out repeatedly in her cunt as she came undone around him.

Jake heard a commotion, and he looked over with his [Arcane Eye]. Some people were gathering outside the door. Jake gaped in horror as Fhesiah’s smile widened. “I wonder, maybe they’re looking for this?”

She picked up a gem from inside the flower pot near them. “Still, we got a minute, I think? I barred the door, after all.”

Jake could feel her mirth over the bond, she planned this! He raised his hand, and gave her ass a heavy slap. She moaned, and he channeled the small amount of anger over the situation into fucking her harder, in order to finish. He knew she could make themselves look proper in a mere instant. She dropped the gem, and it rolled behind Jake a few feet away.

He continued to spank the demon woman, as she shook in laughter and pleasure alike. The pleasure for Jake was too much, her moaning in delight and the feelings over their bond. He continued spanking her ass, her pussy convulsing on his cock once more. Ropes of seed were released in her welcoming cunt, as her pussy milked out everything Jake had to give.

The door started shaking, as people started to pound on the door in earnest. Jake panicked, but Fhesiah gave him an idea, so he quickly opened a portal to their [Refuge], and the two stumbled through and into it. The portal closed, and Jake was out of breath, but relieved. He realized he left his top hat.

Fhesiah’s face was filled with satisfaction. Ophelia came through another portal, the one that lead to the [Alliance HQ] on the world their [Refuge] was on.

Ophelia said, “That was fun! Oh, you guys are already–”

She froze, taking in the situation. Jake’s pants were open, and his cock was out, still hard. Fhesiah’s dress was still flipped over her tail, showing her naked ass, while she was on the ground on her stomach. She floated and righted herself.

Ophelia’s mouth was agape, before she sighed. “Really, here? You couldn’t make it back to the room? I guess that’s a little better than the nearest bathroom or balcony, but not by much?” She walked out the door, leading back to the living room.

“That was fun, huh, husband? You could have opened the portal right away, you know. We could have just finished here.”

Jake froze. Of course, he had let his little head do the thinking, at that time. He was partially angry, but he laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. He knew that if things came truly close, she would have had him do that much sooner. In many ways, it was quite exciting. He knew that with Fhesiah around, there would never be a dull moment.

He said, “You have my heart and spear, my love.”

Fhesiah laughed. “That’s right! Oh, I do hope Ophelia does enjoy this when I retell this to her! I know I will. I got a twofer there, seeing both your expressions!”

Jake shook his head. He was sure Ophelia’s feelings would be quite mixed on that, which he knew that Fhesiah would enjoy.

This was one night to remember, for Jake, and especially Fhesiah.