Chapter 69 Rejoice Ikaris
When he finally returned to the Transportation Portal, the sun was fully up. The sky was a cloudless, pure blue and there was a fresh breeze blowing gently. It was going to be a good day.
When he arrived, he saw neither Malia nor Ellie outside and concluded that they were still sleeping. Like him, they had spent a bad night, but unlike him, they had eventually fallen asleep.
In front of the cottage, the Tartarus Enforcer stood guard, inexpressive, its heavy cleaver resting on its shoulder. Perhaps subconsciously it knew it had to protect the two young women.
"Hello." Ikaris greeted his bodyguard spontaneously, but as he expected, the bodyguard had no reaction.
Hearing hoofbeats from behind the cottage, he walked around and, not too surprisingly, found Horny grazing ravenously in the flower field a little further away. The bison was clearing the grass more efficiently than a high-end lawnmower. The animal had taken a big dump a few yards from the cottage, but the teenager was glad that it at least possessed the decency not to poop in it.
'I need to set some boundaries.' Ikaris winced as he feared the worst after seeing the huge patties of dung the animal was churning out every 24 hours.
If he didn't step up, they would end up suffocating in the stench long before a horde of monsters finished them off. The matter of their own toilet was also urgent. They had been able to hold it in for one night, but relieving themselves in the grass was clearly not an option.
As soon as the Stele summoned the first batch of refugees, Ikaris would have them build a communal toilet. In the meantime, they had chamber pots...
"Horny, next time go a little farther to relieve yourself. We live here." The boy chided him with a fed-up attitude.
"Mooo!" (I shit where I want.)
"Damn it! I swear, if you don't obey this order, I will chop you up and cook you with a hundred different recipes."
The Alpha Bison didn't like being threatened and he responded with a furious snort to the provocation.
"MOOOO!"
At that moment, the Tartarus Enforcer who was camped in front of the thatched cottage's entrance swooped in and with chilling efficiency tackled the huge bison to the ground, the sharp edge of its cleaver intimidatingly pressing its jugular.
Ikaris' eyes widened in amazement and he realized that this Tartarus Enforcer was far more useful than he had originally thought. As long as this creature was by his side, he would have no trouble gaining the respect of his new subjects. At least in the beginning. It would be different once his village was a bit more developed.
"Moo-moo..." (Okay, I surrender..) The buffalo mooed pitifully, his eyes bulging with terror.
As arrogant as Horny could be, he was holding on for dear life. Realizing that he was no longer the strongest player here, his impetuous nature finally came into line. Once the Tartarus Enforcer moved its cleaver away from his throat he got up and obediently went to graze a few hundred meters away in the direction of the forest from which Ikaris had just returned.
"How long do I have before the refugees spawn?" Ikaris asked Magnus as he thoughtfully watched the bison trudge away.
"The summoning always takes place one hour sharp after sunrise." The Vampire replied confidently. "We should have about five minutes left."
The boy hadn't expected such an accurate answer, and he felt a tinge of excitement as he realized that he would soon receive his first loyal subjects. Remembering that Malia and the Karragin villagers were wasting half their morning capturing them in the jungle back then, he sighed with relief,
"This is a good thing that we are in the middle of a plain. Having to search for them in the forest earlier would have been a real headache."
Magnus paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Bwaahahahahhaa! Don't tell me you haven't defined any summoning points?" He laughed, his voice echoing from inside the ruby ring.
Ikaris' eyebrows twitched, wondering just how incompetent leaders Malia and Grally truly were. Was it really possible to make so many mistakes?
Noticing the boy's frustration, the Vampire stopped poking fun senselessly and said in all seriousness,
" Actually, it's a pretty common occurrence among new Lords. The Stele transmits its information as an intent. With an ordinary Soul Strength it is virtually impossible to understand and communicate effectively with the artifact. Not everyone has a System like you."
Ikaris calmed down, but remembering that he had less than 5 minutes left to define this summoning point he immediately broke into a sweat.
'Quick, the Stele.'
Listening to Magnus' wise advice the day before, he had left it in the thatched cottage. Traditionally, it was to remain near the Lord's residence after the village was established, within 100 meters, and its location would mark the heart of the territory. Moving it meant relocating the territory, which would instantly destroy the buildings magically created by the Stele.
Moving the Stele had other deleterious consequences as well, but with his Stele and his village at the lowest possible level, these were not his concern for the time being. If the Stele was destroyed or conquered by another Lord, it would have dire consequences for his kingdom and for that reason all the Lords protected it like the apple of their eyes.
He rushed to the cottage, but as he stepped inside he witnessed a sight that made him momentarily forget his priorities.
The two women, who now had more room to spread out, were fast asleep, and while they slept the revealing linen dresses they wore had crumpled somewhat, exposing their beautiful buttocks. Because they were usually so prudish and bashful, Ikaris could see an obvious tan demarcation at mid-thigh, the smooth, supple skin above being three to four shades lighter.
Ellie in particular, not having learned her lesson from the night before was sleeping in a suggestive position, the straps of her dress having slid down her shoulders, making the bulk of her bosom spill out. Malia was a bit more conservative, sleeping curled up in the fetal position, but her slightly spread legs provided a VIP view of the dark valley between her legs.
Gulp.
At that moment, the only coherent thought that crossed Ikaris' mind was,
'Is she waxing? Or are all the Vampire-Kitsunes hairless down there...'
"So in the end, you're still a boy." Magnus sneered in his head.
The tornado of hormones raging through Ikaris' body immediately ran out of steam and he began to actively search for his Stele, looking all around. When he couldn't find it anywhere, he started to panic and subconsciously looked at the two girls.
He moved closer, trying to ignore their mature bodies to focus on his missing Stele. When he came within a meter of Malia, he noticed that her head was resting on a 'strangely familiar cushion'.
'My Stele!' Ikaris paled as he saw where it was. 'Is this girl subconsciously dreaming of snatching it back from me?'
A playful smirk spread across his face at the thought. As if the Kitsune had sensed his intention, her two arms wrapped tightly around the Stele and she squeezed it tightly against her chest, determined never to let it go. Despite her deep sleep, she was gripping the hilt of her sword securely in her right hand, ready to face any threat.
'Shit!' This was getting tricky.
" Rejoice Ikaris. You have a good excuse to fondle her breasts." Magnus gloated, eager to see if he had the guts.
What followed disappointed him greatly. Audacity being far too risky knowing Malia's character, the boy shouted at the top of his lungs!
"Girls, wake up!"
Ellie shrieked, jumping to her feet, while Malia leapt into the air like a feline, suddenly flailing her sword at Ikaris, staring at him as if he were her worst enemy. At that moment, the straps of the student's dress, already in a precarious position, slipped completely down her arms and her perky and fluffy breasts burst out of her "nightie."