“For a shitty master, you look reasonably well. Maybe I should fall for you…”

The uniform fit perfectly, Joe’s face had been freshly shaved by a local barber and he whipped his hairs into submission with a bit of green slime-paste he invented by accident. It made his hairs shine and supposedly fireproof. That’s what the analyze skill said anyway.

Savile stood perched against the arc of the open doorway. Her hairs were brushed and gathered in a bun, held in place with long silver pins, just behind her head. Long black curls framed her face on each side. She flapped her large ears, making her golden earrings ring and sparkle. Similarly, rich with diamonds, a wide silver choker tightly hugged her long neck.

He closed the book and put it back inside his item box. The sun nearly set anyway.

“You took your time.”

But the wait was worth every second it took.

Walking like a model, setting one foot before the other. Swaying her mesmerizing hips, Savile came closer, buttoned up his shirt and fixed the collar. Her tall heels put her mesmerizing eyes at his level but it were not the eyes Joe looked at.

“Ho-hum, humans and their eternal fascination with the mammary glands.”

She rubbed her enlarged chest then let her hands trace down her wasp waist and let them rest on her hips.

“This dress does some fancy things with my figure,”

She studied the reaction her master had.

“But I think I like it.”

She leaned closer, giving him a better view of the valley the dress formed between her breasts. The dress indeed turned out magnificent and the demi that wore it… hmm, the way she held herself had something noble to it. Most of the time.

She often played the game Neira made, annoy the master but most often than not, Joe found her deep in thoughts and quiet. She moved like a natural as if born to wear such dress. A subject to be checked later.

“Where’s the other furball?”

Salive opened her mouth when a new voice answered his question.

“Who you’re calling a furball? Useless human.”

Draped in a sister dress of the one Savile wore, Neira entered the room presenting her enchanted bosom.

Joe swallowed. He only charmed one dress since the spell gave him headaches and the runes were too complex but the result exceeded all his “bouncy” expectations.

“Well,”

Savile closed Joe’s mouth with her paw.

“This battle I’ve lost.”

***

The rented chaise had surprisingly good suspension and rocked little if any. The driver has been polite so far and the mugi that pulled it, looked magnificent and, as the girls said, smelled much less than horses.

They drove through the sleepy town at a brisk pace.

Joe wondered. The Moon Dust Company boasted more than five hundred years of tradition, with guild halls spread over the whole continent. The easiest way to describe them would be a multinational trade corporation, specializing in moving wares from one place to the other. The guild bought all kinds of wares at a discount in one place, move them, and resale then somewhere else with a bigger profit.

They did not focus on any single kind of product, as many other guilds did, but simply operated on a wider market. From wine, clothing, grains to books, art, and slaves. Where profitable, they even dealt in land ownership and private property.

On top of that, the guild held quite a bit of political power in many of the nations it operated in.

And the maids. Yes, the guild had the best maids this world had to offer.

“Welcome honored guests, may I see your invitation please?”

One of the said maids, assisted by a few well-armed guards, greeted them by the lavish gate of the guild hall. Joe gave her the letter.

“Thank you, sir. Please enjoy the party.”

She gave him a polite nod after inspecting his Invitation. Joe left her a golden coin and arm in arm with his beauties climbed the stairs into the main building.

Old. The hall must have been quite old and yet it was perfectly maintained by its current owners. Not even a crack in its hundred years old walls and the tapestry still held powerful, vivid colors. The air inside felt fresh with no trace of that funky musk old buildings often developed. No, this building lived and the ones living inside it cared for it.

“Sir, if you would come this way. Master is waiting.”

Another maid intercepted them way before they could mingle with the guests gathered in the main hall. A bit surprised, Joe followed.

They climbed the stairs to the third floor and passed even better-armed guards, minding a heavy wooden door.

Carved from a single slab of wood, nine-inch-thick and reinforced with iron, the door shut behind them with a rattle of a heavy bolt. No chance for interruptions.

“So, this is the famous man I’ve been told so much about.”

An annoyed but still sober voice called from a chair by the fireplace when the entered the room. Even in the dim light, Joe could easily name the man in the armor. The commander of the town’s watch sat sipping brandy from a crystal cup. On his left, dressed in a sparkling gown of white silk and blue feathers, Ralene, the master of the hall, kept him company. Joe made a slight bow towards her.

“Guild Master, Commander, good evening.”

“And what is so good about it? Hundreds of idiots trying to make me lower the bridge and open the gate. If it continues I shall hang somebody by the morning!”

“Calm now Augus, my guest has arrived. Be civil.”

She put her hand on his shoulder then walked over to Joe.

“Please excuse my friend and his words. It’s been a difficult month. Bad for business and bad for his nerves.”

Even though perfectly covered, Ralene’s figure left little to the imagination as her dress tightly clung to her body. Joe gave her one more, long look and reached into his item box.

“I appreciated the invitation guild master. I’d like to extend our gratitude.”

A bottle of wine with self-chilling charm placed on it, exchanged hands while the commander grumbled something. Savile’s ear twitched. An insult? Whatever it was, she ignored it.

“I see.”

One of the maids came and whispered something into her master’s ear.

“It seems we are all gathered now, Lady Varea had to cancel due to her husband poor health. I’d like to invite you all to our dining hall.”

Guided by several more maids, they made the small journey through a wooden hall of richly encrusted walls, colorful tapestries, and paintings of previous guild masters and entered the pleasant twilight of the dining room.

Joe tried to remember when was the last time he had attended such a formal meal. They sat them by a round table set with silver and accompanied by crystal cups. No glass whatsoever.

He had Neira on one side and Savile on the other while the guild master sat in front of him with the town’s guard commander on her left and his aide on her right.

“…So, if I understand you correctly, you want to stretch a line between the wall and the fortifications on the second side.”

The commander waved his fork at Joe.

“And use the line to cross the ravine?”

“I would prefer the gate but in current circumstances, I believe that should be the safest way…”

The guild master, the commander and even his aide stared at Joe. On second thought, they weren’t staring at him per se but somewhere slightly above his head.

Joe looked to his sides. Neira sat blankly staring at her plate, clutching her knife as if she’d go and stab someone. Opposite, Savile sat similarly silent, chasing a single pea with her fork all over her plate.

“What is going on with you two?”

Their ears were twitching and flapping madly.

“The is missing. You can’t hear it, can you?”

Savile broke the silence.

“No.”

Neira confirmed.

“?”

Joe tried to wrap the odd sound around his tongue.

“Yes, the sound of the world. It is not there. Just like, just like in that place…”

Neira shivered. Stupefied, they sat while Savile walked over to the open balcony and closing her eyes, listened.

“Indeed,”

The commander joined her.

“It is exceptionally calm tonight. There should be birds singing at this hour.”

“Silence!”

Neira stood up, her ears pointed towards a single direction.

“There! What is that sound?”

She exited onto the balcony and pointed onto a mountainside. Joe heard nothing.

“They’re coming. Hundreds of them. Sounds like, light cavalry.”

“Impossible! Not through that terrain!”

“I do not know what it is human,”

Savile’s eyes gave off an eerie glow.

“But they are coming.”