After dropping at Chainbreak, the journey forward didn’t take much ti. The hellish stretch of ocean was finally behind us.
Levi, Tristan, Nisha, Kassie, and I made our way to the harbor where fleets of ships were arranged in neat rows along the docks. Either the island was a shipyard or Chainbreak saw a lot of visitors. Given the vacation atmosphere, I was betting on the forr — these weren’t rchant vessels or warships. They were pleasure craft, designed for people with money and nowhere urgent to be.
We waited for Levi and Nisha at an open lounge bar overlooking the harbor. The place was lively, filled with people who looked like they’d forgotten what stress felt like. Tanned skin, relaxed shoulders, drinks with fruit in them.
’I figured Crystalis would be the kind of continent one ca to chill...’
Perhaps it was this world’s Maldives and Peru rolled into one.
It didn’t take long for Levi and Nisha to return. When they ca back, they had company — a new face I assud was Levi’s contact in Chainbreak.
Surprisingly, it was a woman.
’I don’t know why I was expecting a guy. Did I miss sothing?’
The young lady looked like a storm given flesh — pale, cold, and quietly dangerous. Silver hair fell down her back like moonlit rain, framing a face too calm for the red glow burning in her eyes.
She wore what I could only describe as a weaponized bikini. Two pieces, both inky black. The upper piece covered her chest — barely — and the lower piece left nothing to the imagination. Her entire thighs were exposed, the fabric riding high enough to make question whether Ealdrim had any concept of modesty.
’They have bikinis in Ealdrim?’
Apparently so.
Yet she carried herself with the kind of grace that made the outfit feel like armor rather than exposure. Authority radiated from her like heat from a forge. The revealing clothes weren’t vulnerability — they were a statent. This was soone who didn’t need to hide anything.
She entered the lounge where we were seated and dropped into a chair with practiced ease, crossing one pale leg over the other. Those deep red eyes surveyed both Kassie and with open curiosity. She had long lashes and a mixture of red and black eyeshadow framing her gaze.
"Is this him... and her?" She asked after a long mont.
Levi responded with a nod while Nisha, standing behind him, rolled her eyes at the woman. So history there, apparently.
"Beautiful..." Neve murmured. Her gaze drifted to Tristan then. Sothing flickered between them — recognition, or perhaps hostility. It was gone before I could be sure.
She turned back to .
"Hello, Otherworlder. My na is Nyneve. You can call Neve for short." She paused. "And you?"
I hesitated for a mont.
"My na is Cade." I gestured toward Kassie. "And this is Tyrant Empress. You can call her Kassandra."
’Only I get to call her Kassie.’
Neve’s smile was slow... and deliberate.
"I was told there was another one... you really are an anomaly." She leaned forward slightly. "Can you summon more?"
I shook my head. "No, I can’t. Just two."
She nodded, that small smile still playing on her lips. Her eyes hadn’t left mine since she sat down — it was not aggressive, but unwavering. The attention was starting to feel like a physical weight.
Then she exhaled and blinked for what felt like the first ti.
"I buy and sell information for a living. You’d be surprised how many people have in their pocket."
’Selling information... interesting. But—’
I glanced at Levi, confusion written on my face. She caught the look and chuckled.
"You’re wondering why an information broker is going to help you get to Ashara? It’s not so hard when you think about it. In fact, I believe it should make perfect sense."
I t her eyes. "You’re the one with the contact. Not him."
Her smile widened.
"Both of us, actually. But it’s more convenient this way." She gestured loosely at Levi. "He’s a very wishy-washy person. That nature of his has earned him many enemies. Not many people are willing to help him if they have a choice." A pause. "Of course, he doesn’t give many the luxury of choices. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that."
I had.
"I have."
She tapped the armrest of her woven wooden chair, pale skin catching the morning sun.
"Alright. I was very curious about you. It’s not every ti one gets to et an Otherworlder..." Her gaze shifted to Kassie. "And a Villainous Spirit."
She exhaled.
"I feel quite fulfilled. I just might take a vacation after today!"
’You look like you’re already on vacation.’
I kept that observation to myself. She seed like soone who’d rember an insult.
She stood, brushing nonexistent dust from her thighs. "You lot will have to wait here for a few more minutes. Your ship will be ready today. Want anything?" She turned to Kassie. "Does she eat too?"
I smiled. "Yes... we do. I’d like anything decent. The food on Wavegem was really nothing to write ho about."
Neve paused, a small frown creasing her brow.
"Why would you want to write ho about any food? Can you even write ho from here?"
I opened my mouth to explain the idiom, but suddenly it felt like too much effort.
"Yea... right."
Neve shook her head. "Weird... but okay. I’ll get you the best around here. In the anti, relax."
She gave a smile designed to charm — the kind of smile that had probably worked on hundreds of marks before . Then she turned to leave.
My eyes tracked the movent despite myself. Neve had a narrow waist that sohow hadn’t been obvious from the front, a fra that seed built for exactly the kind of attention she was getting.
It was a truly magnifying sight.
As she walked away, each ball of her petite and portable ass, jiggling with shockwaves.
After a mont, she was gone from view, leaving the rest of us in the shaded lounge.
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