Let’s Have Ourselves a Soak

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The meeting soon moves on to discuss the heart of the matter- the bounties we have to bring in to Duke Gloomcrest. Snow, astute as ever, is quick to add the numbers up. She realizes that one bounty shouldn't have equaled one million gold and asks how much we were paid for Pimpington exactly.

Seeing no point in hiding anything from the girls, I openly tell them about all that's transpired with Abigail. From the donation to the magic notebook, all the way to how I want everyone to start writing to Abigail, the Guild is interested in hearing the many developments I've made with Lady Gloomcrest. Furthermore, no one seems surprised in the slightest when I reveal that Lux Ultima intends for the young Necromancer to eventually join us at our Guild.

"I would have been more surprised if nothing happened, really." Snow shrugs her shoulders but smiles gently as if this is all par for the course.

"Hells yeah!" Sam pumps her fist into the air. "Bag that creepy chick, Boss! If I were there, I'd kick down her door for ya myself!" She says while reminding me precisely why I'm glad she isn't here.

'I see. Well, I did my best, but I suppose one gloomy Mage with mental issues and a strong inclination towards dark magic just wasn't enough for you, Sir...' Zutiria stares off into the middle distance with her typical blank expression, making it impossible to tell whether she’s sarcastic or not.

"Necromancy sounds like it'd creep me out, b-but... um... I'm all for recruiting Abigail if you can, Master! We need more adventurers!" Meri shakes off her nervousness and resolves herself for the greater good. "I'll do whatever it takes to help, and maybe if I got to know her beforehand, then she won't be as scary..."

"Since she's another rich chick, I bet she won't care if you don't pay her, too!" Nikita grins and slaps her knee. I hadn't even considered that, but it's potentially true...

Once everyone puts their word in, I move the conversation away from my developing harem life and back on track regarding the battle we have against the Duke of Dewhurst. When I go over the details of the bounty quests, my adventurers are all equally motivated to earn the rest of the promised gold. That said, they're just as disappointed as I am when I tell them how little information we were actually given to work off of. Defeating Pimpington has put them in high spirits at least, making the remainder of our opponents less scary.

Sam then asks an important question. "Which of the targets do ya wanna go after first, Boss?"

"Opalina bought us some time for the Sage, but I'd prefer if we waited a week or two before fighting him. By comparison, Butcher Bludman would be easier to track down, and he's not as strong as the other targets. Assuming we get another of Luxy's emergency dungeons out of it, it'll make good training for all of you."

Meri breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, good... I-I don't know if I can handle another enemy as strong as Pimpington again so soon..." Her anxiety is palpable, but I know that if she were on the battlefield, she'd do her best.

'Shame. I was looking forward to seeing this specimen for myself.' Zutiria frowns. I can almost picture the inquisitive little lady dissecting the drugged-up Elf, with Opalina handing her a scalpel from behind.

Nikita is quick to remind me that the false Duke is likely to try and attack us soon to retaliate, which I hadn't forgotten for a moment. Between Nikita, Snow, the kittens, the three adventurers, potentially Opalina, and the defensive seal, I'm feeling confident about our defenses. For once, the Grekkan loosens her guard and admits we're probably in a good position here. As long as my confidence doesn't turn into over-confidence, we should be fine.

This seems like an excellent point to end the discussion for now. Since I'm coming home tomorrow, there's not much else we need to discuss that can't wait until then. Just in time, too, since Snow and Meri need to finish dinner anyway. Sam is starving, Zutiria has to be forced to eat and not go back to her lab, and adorably when food is mentioned, both of the napping maid's kitty ears start twitching.

We all say our goodnights, leaving me in a much better mood than before.

Immediately after I close Taskmaster's screen, Opalina up the door and stretches out her back. "Good work on Abigail, Dear. It was quite an impressive concussion, I'll give you that." She says seamlessly.

"Well, well. I hope I didn't keep you waiting..." I say sarcastically, marveling at the witch's timing.

"Just giving you a little space," She giggles. "Mind telling me what happened?"

"There was something I had to test out. I just didn't know Abigail would react so... jumpily."

"She's fine now. A little hazy, and her pale cheeks are redder than I've ever seen them but fine." Opalina assures me with a motherly smile. "More importantly, did you get the answer you were looking for?"

"I did. Would you care to guess what the answer was?"

Opalina smirks a self-satisfied smirk. "By the sound of things, it seems like a certain Goddess is trying to capitalize on all the hard work I've done over the years, whispering into the young Lady's ear about you..."

"Indeed..." I shift away from my comfortable seat on the bed, scooting toward the edge to see her directly. "Like always, it looks like you'll be getting what you wanted all along. Congratulations. Doesn't that make you happy?"

"Yes and no," The Mage teasingly shrugs. "It feels like she's gone and stolen all the credit for my little pet project."

"Then you'll be pleased to know Abigail is in a slightly different boat than all the other girls so far. Given the Necromancer's mental state, Luxy can't just upend Abigail's life and send her to my Guild without ramifications. I need to slowly work on getting closer to her, helping her through her feelings, and getting her to decide on becoming an adventurer for herself."

"Oh my," Opalina gasps in jest, unable to hide the excitement she feels over Abigail making some progress with her sheltered life. "Think you can handle it?"

“Of course I can,” I look the old Mage in the eyes and adjust my glasses, trying to look serious. "There's nothing I won't do for my Guild."

"Except clean it by yourself or pay your employees," She counters, canceling my attempt at looking cool.

"Shush," I tell her, crossing my arms and turning my head away.

Opalina giggles softly, stripping off her purple jacket to hang it on a nearby coat hanger. She kicks off her heels, and they magically land perfectly on a shoe rack. Then, the witch bellows out a weary sigh and removes her glasses. "You know, I've been freshening us up with magic for almost two days now. What would you say to an actual bath, my love? I promise it's very luxurious. It would be a shame if we left Dawnstead without you having used it." She starts walking towards the other chamber, keeping her head trained on me.

"I think I'd like that... but you promised me that we would have an important talk tonight."

"Trust me," She pulls her sweater tank top over her head, making her enormous breasts drop even as they're constrained by her magical bra. "I haven't forgotten," Opalina says while pulling out an expensive-looking bottle of Bourgeaux Sparkling Gold wine and two wine glasses from the Bra of Holding. "Come."

I rise from the bed and start stripping down. The harsh sound of rushing water comes after Opalina disappears into the bathroom, and steam quickly starts trailing out the crack of the open door. Considering that the bath doesn't need to be prepared by servants or Opalina's magic, it must be arcane tech. Solomon told me that Castle Mourneheart doesn't have very much of the stuff, yet somehow I'm not surprised that Opalina's permanent guest room is one of the few exceptions.

Once fully naked and with my glasses placed preciously on the nearest desk, I follow after my lover just in time to see her in the buff standing at the precipice of the large, square-shaped bath built into the floor. Water gushes from the mouths of the four massive stone gargoyles sitting at the four corners of the tub, filling it quickly and efficiently. The wine and the glasses are at the naked Mage's feet as she ties up her long, curly brunette hair into a bun so that it doesn't float off into a million directions while she soaks. Her gratuitous behind is pointed toward me, full-figured and enticing as it always is, yet I subdue my urge to come up behind her and act on lust. At the moment I'm more interested in the discussion we're about to have. Hopefully, there'll be time for fun later.

Opalina turns a dial on one of the nearest gargoyles, causing the boiling water to stop flowing. She then descends into the bath step by step. It's deep, but like a hot tub, seats are lining the edges. She sits down on one side, submerging her beautiful naked body up to her shoulders, while I move in and sit opposite to her.

I close my eyes and let the heat soak into my skin to take away the stress from the last few days. Even though they're both arcane tech, my bathtub back home doesn't get this warm, so it's a welcome treat. I guess that's the difference between higher-end models and the standard-issue ones my grandfather outfitted the Guild with. Our broken-down bathhouse rivals this one, though, but the less said about the state that’s in, the better.

Opalina wiggles her finger, causing the wine bottle to uncork, float, tilt itself and fill the two glasses with a bright gold liquid that contains lots of fizzy bubbles which shine like tiny diamonds. The witch sends them to our hands, and soon after, I bring the glass to my lips, taking in a deep sip of the rich wine. "Smooth, yet bubbly and rich... not bad. Isn't this stuff made by House Glorigold's wineries?"

"I won't tell Osbourne if you don't," She gives me a guilty smile. "I felt like celebrating a little... is that too much to ask?"

"No, and you won't ever hear me complaining about a free drink."

"I thought as much," Opalina takes a long, classy sip from her glass. Steam puffs out of her breath as she exhales her satisfaction. She looks beautiful like this, her hair tied and her flawless, youthful skin turning red from the hot bathwater. "Before you ask me anything, I'm sorry if I'm vague on things here and there. I promise that I'll answer most questions, but I distance myself from my past for a reason."

Of course, that would've been too easy. "Then this means you won't just give me a blanket summary, I take it?"

"Sorry, but no. I'm not even sure where I'd begin, and I'm evasive by nature." She looks away, proving her point.

"Could have fooled me."

Opalina laughs but hides her embarrassment behind another sip of her wine. "Yes, yes... If left to my own devices, I’m only saying that I'd be tempted to leave things out and oversimplify things... it's better to just ask what you want to know about me.

"It's alright. We’ll work up to it. I'll start off small..." There's something I've wanted to know for as long as I've known Opalina. Something that I will pounce on now that I've been given a chance, no matter how rude it might be. I ask the witch point blank, "How old are you, exactly?"

Even with her face red from the water, my lover somehow manages to turn an even brighter shade of red.

PunishedKom

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