New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

It shrieked a last time, shouting out an empty threat as it disappeared.

"You mortals are only delaying the inevitable! The king will reign once more on these lands, sooner or later!"

Baron Duncan struck his mace into the shadow's remaining cluster, disintegrating it.

"Then I will wait for him."

Astaroth slowly clapped at his reply, eliciting an angry stare from the man. He was obviously still mad at Astaroth for exposing his wife's breasts like a savage.

Astaroth raised his hands in a sign of peace, smiling.

"Tch!" the baron clicked his tongue, heading back inside.

Astaroth followed behind the man, at a safe distance. He didn't want to take the chance that the man might spin around and splatter his head with his mace.

They both made their way back to the panic room, finding in it the General with a tired look. He was still seated next to the bed, and on the bed, bed sheets covered the Elven woman.

Her complexion already looked better than previously. That made the Baron utter a sigh of relief.

Astaroth was waiting on his quest to end, but the notification was still not coming. He frowned a little.

Meanwhile, the woman's eyes started fluttering open. Amal threw himself at the bedside.

"Alora! You are awake!" he exclaimed, a tear rolling down his cheek.

The woman seemed disoriented as she tried sitting up in bed. As she did, the General, Astaroth, and all the guards in the room quickly spun around, turning their back to her.

The woman didn't understand why they acted like this until the breath of her husband sent chills down her exposed bust. Her head lowered, finding her two peachy mounds on full display.

Her cheeks flushed red, as the Baron shouted, "Everyone out! Now!"

Not a single soul in the room dared disobey the order. The guards fled the room, quickly followed by Astaroth and the General.

Astaroth suddenly felt boredom through his mental connection with Genie. He realizes he hadn't called on her to deal with the entity from earlier, and she had been waiting outside the mansion all this time.

He excused himself to the guards and the General, explaining that he needed to attend to his companion, and they led him outside. They guided him through the doors this time.

The General followed behind, as he was curious about something. Once outside, Astaroth called on Genie and sat down.

She came running from somewhere in the yard, and lay down next to him. She seemed to have forgiven him for forgetting her at the guild the day before.

"I've been neglecting you lately. I swear we'll do something together soon enough."

Genie let out a happy whine before dropping her head on Astaroth's thighs. He chuckled before scratching her head slowly, eliciting some joy from the wolf.

She had grown quite a lot recently, not reaching the size White Death was, but being considerably larger than other Dire Wolves. He could tell that in due time, Genie would have become an alpha.

Her head was already the size of his chest. Astaroth noticed the General was staring at him.

"Is there something you want to ask?"

"Hmm. Ahh, no. I was simply finding your versatility fascinating."

"My versatility? What do y–"

Then it struck him. The strong scanning he felt earlier that day.

How much had the man seen of him? Astaroth's head snapped toward the General, and Genie could feel the sudden wariness through their connection.

She jumped, lowering her stance as she growled at the blond man next to her master. The General chuckled, lifting his arms peacefully.

"She is quite protective of you, I see. You have nothing to worry about. I won't tell anyone your secrets. You probably have your own reasons to hide your full potential, and I can respect that."

Although Astaroth still didn't know how much the blond man knew, he felt like he was being honest, at least. He slid his hand on Genie's back, sending her a wave of reassurance.

The wolf calmed down, but didn't let her eyes wander from the General. This elicited another chuckle from the man.

At that moment, a guard walked towards them. The guard stopped a few feet away, bowing to the General.

"The Lord and Lady are ready to see you."

"Thank you. We know the way. You can tell the lord we are on our way."

The guard bowed again before turning on his heels and leaving. The General looked at Astaroth, smiling, before turning and leaving in the mansion entrance's direction.

Astaroth frowned at his shrouded attitude, but got up and followed behind. Was there even a reason to worry anymore?

The man was much more powerful than him, anyway. If he wanted to air out all his secrets, there wasn't much he could do to stop him.

But Astaroth didn't get any nefarious vibes from him, either.

'I guess only time will tell…'

The two men walked inside the house, heading to the study. They had guessed they would hold the meeting there.

Astaroth looked at the gaping hole in the window behind the desk and smiled sheepishly. The Baron followed his eyes and grumbled under his breath when he was reminded who broke the window.

The Lady, currently seated next to him, since her legs were still weak, put her hand on his arm. That instantly calmed the grumbling man.

"Ahem!" the Baron cleared his throat.

"I would first like to thank both of you for saving my wife's life today. Even if some of your actions were dubious–" the man paused, staring at Astaroth.

"She lives today thanks to your quick thinking, sharp mind, and senses. For this, I shall reward you handsomely."

The two men bowed in gratitude.

"Now, pertaining to your rewards," the Baron said, a devious smile flashing on his face.