After they had driven back from Highway 69, Hailey had taken a shower in his bathroom. There was not even a mont of hesitation to show off her obviously freshly fucked curves to the other harettes. The country gal hadn’t even bothered to put her panties back on. Reactions were withheld among the girls, which told John that they had been inford beforehand.
Things had gone pretty expected from there. Hailey had hung out for like 20 minutes, then she had left and that was the last he had seen from her, safe for a selfie she sent him of herself dressed in that leather bikini and with her vest on top. The trucker hat on her head and a smile on her lips, she smirked up at the cara. Even her rundown car looked like a stunning beach as the background for her body.
After that, the rest of the day had co and gone as expected. Just more bricklaying and ultimately sleep. Today, there would be no ti to see Hailey. If there had been, that had passed hours ago. Ever since breakfast, they had been on the move.
The layout of the streets around these parts made moving a bus their size simultaneously easy and a nightmare. Most roads were simple and straight, just rising and falling with the elevation. The problem ca when he had to take corners, most of which were at 90-degree angles. Each one had to be carefully approached.
Besides that, it was an eventless drive. Almost three hours of constant driving. Then, they arrived in El Reno and parked in the city centre. Honking should have accompanied that action. Thankfully, the Mobile Barrier was still active and would remain so for as long as either he or Lee stayed inside. “Alright, let’s discuss our strategy,” John loudly addressed the room.
Harettes stopped in their current chatter, walking from wherever they currently occupied a space to the couch. One by one, they gathered around. John stood in front of the TV and waited. Once everyone was gathered, he began the eting.
“We have two options,” he put it simply. “One is to search for the Natural Barrier within which the dragon is either forming or waiting. Lorelei’s prophecy described that he was impatiently weighing his options, but that could have been a view of a being that has existed in boredom for several hours or several days.”
“Dragons aren’t exactly known for their patient nature,” Momo threw in. “No offense, Nathy.”
“What is there to apologize for? Patience is a virtue only for those who do not deserve everything.”
“…My point made.” Momo turned back to John. “Option 2?”
“We sit around and drink tea until it shows itself, then we stop it before it can wreak too much havoc,” the Gar opened up. “Now, fundantally I’m not opposed to option 2, but there’s two issues with it. The smaller one is that we may not react quick enough to protect it from Gaia’s wrath, at which point the Quest fails. Now, thanks to the prophecy, we know we’re in the generally right area, so I’m not too concerned about that. Problem 2, however, is the area we are in.”
Rave sighed, “Wouldn’t be paragon of us to just put our feet up and wait for the tornado to hit the town, would it?”
“If I interpret my visions correctly,” Lorelei spoke up, “the tornado is a natural disaster. The dragon would boost its intensity, however.”
“Still wouldn’t be proper if we sat here and waited until the wind knocks all the houses down.”
“So, we agree on option 1,” John summarized. No surprise there, but he liked to be thorough. “Now, our search area is large, but if I’m thodical in my sensing, I should be able to locate it within a few hours at worst. Scarlett, can you plan a route in and around the city that utilizes the 150 tres range optimally?”
“No,” Scarlett responded, naked legs crossed, an arm over the backrest of the couch.
“Because you already did it?”
A tiny smile and an offhanded gesture towards the screen behind him. John turned around to see the route, marked in red, imposed on an aerial view of the city. “Really, you give country gals toys to train sucking my dick on, you make all my plans, you track down rumours, what do you not do for ?”
“Only thing I can’t do is give you tit jobs,” Scarlett joked drily.
“Or beat his enemies,” tra threw in.
Scarlett’s smile broadened until she showed a small amount of teeth. “Aclysia, whiskey.”
“Any technological developnts we should be aware of?” John asked, intrigued by her tone.
“Nothing to present yet, but let’s just say that Hailey and I will have projects when we get back… if you do not screw things up for .” Scarlett took and sipped the whiskey Aclysia offered her. “Not to alarm any of you, the greatest drone is only as good as its power source and the rate at which it can draw out that power. Machines will never be able to replicate the power innate to sapient beings.” She swirled her glass. “Unless we made them from sapient beings, but I wouldn’t run those experints.”
“Alright, ignoring that until another day then.” John checked his phone, where the map had conveniently appeared as well. A bit of technomancy, and he was connected with the file, retaining it clear in his mind. “Now, assumption would be that the dragon is sowhere in the level 150 to 300 range. In other words, not a threat to most of us. Still, I’d like to separate us into two teams. Team one will stay here and make sure those of us that can’t fight well are protected. This necessarily ans that Lorelei, Scarlett, Delicia, and Lee stay here. For protection, I’d like Beatrice, tra, Nia, Undine, and Eliana to stay behind. This ans that the other elentals, Aclysia, Claire, Momo, Jane, Nightingale and Nathalia would co with .” He looked over to those he had just nad. “You’re all free to stay, if you’d rather. This probably won’t be that entertaining.”
“Ja, count out,” Rave said and waved. “I’ve already seen Tilgun, can’t imagine a smaller version of him would be impressive.”
“eting this dragon intrigues, walking through mundane sunshine on human feet does not,” Nightingale added. “I would rather stay as well.”
“Urgh, it is sunny… Bae, can we switch?” Claire requested.
“Affirmative,” the passive maid allowed.
John’s forces were dwindling around him, yet it did not matter. It was only a hurricane-spawning dragon, hardly sothing of note for them at this stage. “Nathalia?”
“This would likely be made smoother by my presence, would it not?” the dragoness asked. A fair assessnt, dragons were sensitive to others of their own kind, especially more powerful ones. With her presence, Nathalia could likely put their target into submission imdiately, like a lonely coyote that ran into a German Shepherd.
“Between Aclysia and Beatrice, I think we have enough draconic intimidation to avoid conflict,” John responded. “You might make things smoother, but you’re under no obligation.”
Nathalia elegantly uncrossed her legs and stood up. “It has been a while since I allowed you to show off to the rest of your inferior species,” she said and headed towards the bedroom. “I will pick an outfit befitting the day.
Bouncing boobs drew John’s attention as she passed. “Make sure it’s modest enough; we don’t want to draw too much attention – also please don’t say inferior species.”
“I shall oblige,” Nathalia said and vanished past the doorway.
‘So that leaves with five elentals, Aclysia, Bae, Momo, and Nathalia,’ the Gar thought. Way more firepower than he needed and he was content to leave the majority of his harem behind for this. There was more to protect them from here than there was danger out there for him.
Everyone got ready. Maids grew out modest sumr dresses, the elentals ca to the internal resolution that they’d rather travel incorporeally, and Nathalia eventually stepped out in a short-sleeved red shirt and a pencil skirt. Had she been twenty centitres shorter, she would have looked like the secretary guaranteed to seduce him. Tall as she was, she was the CEO that was guaranteed to bang him.
Either way, her confident aura made it clear that she was nobody’s property – except when she enjoyed that position. “Alright then, let’s head out.” John led the way.
The first thing John noted was the wind. Braggs had given him plenty of air movent, despite being located quite far inland. El Reno was right at the core of the tornado alley. Just by sensation alone, the wind felt about twice as strong. It was hot and cloudy. John could practically taste the cold front approaching. Where this hot and cold air clashed, turbulence was inevitable.
“This way,” John said, following his marker on the map in his pocket. They left the barrier and entered sowhat busy streets. Once again, John compared the business of NYC to the relative calm of a middle state city. It was that odd in between, that he had grown up in but that seed so distant now, after all the ti he had spent in the Abyss.
It was strange to see the houses of normal people. He was so used to fantastically large structures, covered in the kind of intricate designs that the swiftness of magical engineering afforded. Entire floors dedicated to one person, maybe a family. Compared to that, even the two-story houses around felt like matchboxes. Luxury and a world with a lower population density really skewed the perception of what large and small were.
“Rember when I showed you my old room back in Springfield?” John asked, while they strut down the sidewalk. He led with a swift pace, too swift to keep his hands around anyone’s hips.
“Your tiny chamber?” Nathalia asked.
“Yes, tiny is the right word,” he responded. “Although that’s only in retrospect. It was pretty spacious for – perks of being a single child of moderately wealthy parents.” He smiled over his shoulder. “I just haven’t thought for a long while about how much larger my life has gotten.”
“We are larger than life figures,” Momo declared. The bratty maid was playing with the bangs of her hi cut. She, alongside the other two Artificial Spirits, currently sported black hair. The common hair colour only elevated their Asian appearance. From her face, his eyes wandered right down to her sinfully seductive thighs. Every step, their outline beca visible for a brief mont through her long, white dress. “Starer!”
“Yeah, and what of it?” John asked. “You’d stare too when you got partners this cute.”
“Unlike you, I have manners,” Momo declared confidently. “I can at least keep it to myself in public.”
John was about to give a very indecent response when he noticed a mother with two children co their way. They passed each other wordlessly. The mother was on her phone and did not really take notice of them.
“Yeah, not so talkative now, are you?” Momo called him out.
Quietly, John grumbled, “You win this one.”
“Oh?” Momo suddenly redoubled her steps. Intensely, she grabbed his arm. A smug grin spread on her face. Her green eyes looked up to him filled to the brim with self-satisfied intent. “Could you repeat that? Louder, if you were so kind?”
“You win this one!” John said loudly enough to satisfy. He bowed towards her to whisper sothing delightfully threatening into her ear. Momo imdiately backed off, sticking her tongue out before falling back in line with the other maids. ‘Enjoy it while you can, bubble butt fairy.’
“Her insolence towards you is entertaining,” Nathalia comnted on the whole scene. “Be it that she kept such insolence to you.”
“So, it is fine when I get annoyed, but when you get annoyed, that’s a cri?”
“Yes.”
John did not know what other answer he had expected. The hasty steps continued down the streets; the steady strides of the other girls continued after him. After twenty minutes of relative silence and small conversations, he asked Nathalia, “How is Tilgun anyway? Last I heard about him, you caused an earthquake because he annoyed you.”
“Hurting,” Nathalia told him.
“…What did you do?” John asked.
“I recently t him again – outside the Guild Hall, for your peace of mind – and he refused to apologize. Therefore, I saw it fit to toss him around like an oversized snake.” Nathalia crossed her arms. “I assu he may avoid our hoard for a little while. It often ends this way between us.”
“Well, as long as you don’t have a permanent falling out?” John asked. “Your family situation does honestly confuse . Why did you adopt him as your brother anyway, if you keep being annoyed by him?”
“I was terribly bored and perhaps a bit lonely,” Nathalia admitted and let out a long sigh. “Perhaps this permanent bond we have ford lets realize this in retrospect: the life of changing sexual partners was physically fulfilling. I desired an emotional attachnt of so variety, one that would exist at the side. At least that’s how I understand myself now.”
“Honestly surprised there was never any sort of tension between you, must be a dragon thing?” John wondered.
“It helps that he has no interest in females,” Nathalia said casually.
John blinked a couple of tis. “Huh,” he let out a surprised sound. “Did not expect that.” Not that he had spent any ti thinking about the sexual orientation of a male dragon without access to a human form either.
“For my part, while I would be interested in what procreation in my true form would feel like, I have long since accepted that this body…” Her hands brushed down the sides of her voluptuous curves. “…is superior when it cos to lovemaking. The humanoid form has access to so many fun twists and turns.”
“I know, right?” John stretched. Being born a human had its disadvantages, the weight of consciousness was a heavy one, but he really would not exchange it for anything in the world. Mostly because he felt like he was a fully self-actualized person by now. His self from two to three years ago would have had a number of wishes regarding a chance to beco soone or sothing else different. Nowadays he knew that all of the bad tis had been necessary to forge him into who he was now. Whether that was for better or worse was a question for the historians. Personally, he rather enjoyed being himself.
Before their conversation could continue, John stopped dead in his tracks. Everyone imdiately went silent and waited for him to speak up. “Either we’re in luck or we’re finding soone else who set up shop around here,” the Gar said and turned in the direction his Barrier Sense told him to go. “Let’s check which one it is.”
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