Sean’s POV

“How close are we again?” I asked. It was our fourth day of travel, and Carrigan said we should definitely make it before the fifth day. Most caravans took ten days to make the trip, but after two days to acclimate to our mounts we had increased to three times the caravan pace.

“Just relax, we’ll be sleeping in the city tonight.” Carrigan called over his shoulder. “I thought I caught the reflection a few times, so within the hour we should see it.”

“Reflections?” I asked Elendria, not wanting to annoy Carrigan anymore.

“Cliffsedge is a unique town. Much like Shineheart, most buildings were formed using earth magic. Sparkling bits were added into the granite, combining with the enchantments of the drow to create magnificent reflections.

“Whoah.” I muttered as we came through a break in the trees. They weren’t lying. Halfway up the mountain before us I could see several towers glistening in the afternoon sun. Reds, blues, greens, yellows. All the colors of the rainbow were refracted, and that was before even looking at it in the magical spectrum. The main road leading up to the city took three gentle switchbacks, and was kept clear of any sort of barrier for an attacker to hide behind.

“See? I told you ya just had to wait.” Carrigan grumped as he spurred his mount onward. “Elendria, could you grab the reins so that he can gawk all he wants?”

“Sure.” She chuckled. “Come on Sean. It’s even better when we get there.” I gently batted her hands away from my reins, stealing glances as we made our way up the road. It was hard to judge, but there were at least ten towers, possibly up to twenty. A few had fantastic spiral designs worked into the stone, while others seemed to be formed almost at random. The massive wall protecting the city wasn’t nearly as decorated, but the magic formations drawn into the stone were absolutely beautiful. I had expected some magical glyphs, runes perhaps or even a few circles similar to what they had in an alchemy anime. What they had looked like a calligraphic story. I couldn’t tell if it was one line, or up to six individual lines that merged and created larger letters. And the entire wall was one seamless whole. There was even writing on the archway over the entrance to the city, creating a magnificent bridge.

“Welcome to Cliffsedge. What’s the purpose of your visit?” While I was daydreaming, we had gotten close enough for the guards to question us.

“Passing through on our way to Outpost.” Carrigan said. “Planning to stay one night only. You guys got any recommendations for an inn?”

“Sure. The White Swan is nice for travelers without being too expensive. Take the third left, and it’s halfway down the street. One silver for your group to enter the city. Obey all laws and enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks.” Carrigan said, paying the soldier and leading us in. Our mounts followed him slowly. There were decent numbers of people, but most of the traffic in the streets was reserved for wagons. Covered walkways provided a path for pedestrians to walk safely.

“Staying at the Swan?” A thin drow was waiting for us as we walked around to the back of the inn.

“Planning to.” Carrigan said. “You the stablemaster?”

“That I am. Five eagzards? Must have come from Shineheart. We can take care of them, no problems. Half silver each per night, and each room inside will be another three silver.”

“Sounds good, but I hope you don’t mind if I double check inside first?” Carrigan asked.

“Not at all.” The drow replied. “Name’s Asven. Doreen runs the place, she’ll vouch for me.”

“You guys stay here, I’ll be right back.” Carrigan said, hopping off and heading inside.

“So, first time seeing a drow?” He asked, looking right at me.

“Yeah, sorry if I came off as rude.” I replied. I had been checking him out, trying to see what the differences were between species of elves. He wasn’t quite as tall as Elendria, and had a bit more muscle to his figure. His skin merely looked a deep tan rather than the dusky grey I was expecting.

“No worries. I’m not one to get upset over such a small thing. So long as you don’t go with any insulting comments that is.”

“Never crossed my mind.” I said with a smile. “And sorry about Carrigan. He’s been a bit more paranoid than usual on this trip.”

“Again no worries. It’s probably best to double check anyhow. I’ve known several people who have lost money and mounts to someone pulling the fake stablemaster bit.”

“If you don’t mind.” Elendria interrupted. “Is there anything fun to do in town tonight? We’ve been on the road a bit and could use something to help us unwind.”

“Hmmm, not really. We do have a few wandering street performers. A few doors down are the baths. Those are always popular with travelers, especially after a long journey.”

*SCREEEEEEEE!!!*

A loud screech interrupted our conversation, causing everyone to look up. Circling high above were several large bird shapes.

“Damn rocs.” Asven said. “Stupid birds never learn.”

“Rocs?” I asked.

“Eyup.” He nodded. “They claim some of the peaks. Occasionally try their luck on the city, not that they can get past the defenses.” As he spoke, electricity cackled as it climbed several of the towers. One of the taller ones charged up and launched a sphere of lightning that burst near the rapidly scattering birds.

“Not a bad defense. Do they try it often? And I assume they are weak to lightning?” I asked.

“Oh not at all.” He replied. “They are pretty strong against lightning. We just don’t want to kill them, and that should keep them away for a few days. If we killed them then the griffons would move back. They’re a lot bigger nuisance.”

“Alright everyone.” Carrigan said coming out. “Sorry for doubting you Asven. We’re paid up for the night. We got three rooms. I’ll stay with Sean, the demon brothers can stay together, and here’s your key Elendria.” He handed over a key, and Elendria immediately took my arm.

“Come on Sean. Let’s see the city.” Elendria pulled me away, and I gave a wave to everyone as they chuckled. To my surprise, our first stop was the baths.

“Um, Elendria?” I asked, nervously.

“Relax dummy.” She said, smacking the back of my head. “We will take separate baths. But you will take a bath. I am not walking around smelling nearly a week of road grime if I can help it. Even with your faux shower spell, you still don’t get all of the dirt gone.”

“Two private baths?” The attendant chuckled, having heard our conversation. “That’ll be one silver each. If you want, for another silver we can give you a couples massage after your bath.”

“That’-“

“Absolutely perfect.” Elendria smiled, handing over the four silver. “We’ve been on the road for a bit, and a massage sounds lovely.”

“Excellent! The red door is for men, blue for women. Simply find an open room for yoru bath. Once you are done, return here and I will get a room set up for you.” The attendant gave us both towels, and shooed us away with a smile.

“Don’t take too long in the bath Sean.” Elendria ordered, before heading through the door for her own bath. I simply shook my head and headed through the red door. Despite my nervousness, a massage did sound rather good. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen the goods anyhow. Those first two nights she got a rather up close and personal view, to be honest.

I walked down the hall, examining several of the open doors. They were all simple affairs. A large copper tub, with two handles for adding warm and cold water, helpfully labeled with a blue and a red color. I ended up with the fourth one on the right, and spent a few minutes getting the water to a proper temperature before plugging the drain and sinking in.

“Oh good god.” I moaned as I let the heat soak in to my muscles. “Damnit. I’ll never live this down.” I moaned, thinking about how I would have to admit to Elendria that she was right. Shaking my head, I banished thoughts like that and simply relaxed as the heat soaked in to my body. Once the water had cooled down a bit, I drained most of it then refilled the bath and got to actually scrubbing my body. Not quite as efficient as a shower, but it was still a great feeling. I finished quickly and headed out to the reception, to see Elendria giggling with the receptionist.

“Ah, there he is. He must have really needed the pampering to have taken that long.” The receptionist chuckled.

“I have to admit, those baths feel amazing.” I said with a grin. “So, are we ready for that massage?”

“I do believe I am.” Elendria said. The secretary led us to the back, opening a door for us.

“I already explained the process to Elendria, and she said she would walk you through the process. If you would, lie down on the table and your masseuse coach will be with you shortly.” With a smile and a wink at me, the receptionist headed back to her area, leaving us along. Shrugging, I headed in to see only one table.

“Elendria?” I asked, confused.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I paid a little extra to upgrade us.” She answered. “We will have a coach tell us how to work the massage, and will be giving it to each other.” I turned to look at her, only to see her blushing as she looked down at her feet.

“Elendria….” I let her name trail off.

“I know, I know.” She said, looking at me with pleading eyes. “But think of it like this. This will get you some intimate contact, without any risk of it going too far. The masseuse guarantees that further activities don’t take place here.”

“I.” I stopped to rub my face a bit out of embarrassment. “I guess we can do it. Just don’t talk about what pops up, okay?” I asked, hoping to use a bit of humor to diffuse the tension.

“Pop up?” She asked confused for a second, until her eyes got big. “Oooooh, ok.” She snorted with laughter. “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Thanks.” I said, assuming the position on the table. I had just gotten the towel positioned when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Elendria called, and I heard the door open and close.

“Hello, I’m Carmilla, and I’ll be your masseuse coach for the afternoon. Oh, we already know who is going first? Wonderful.”

“Hello Carmilla, I’m Sean.” I mumbled from the table.

“Huh?”

“He’s Sean, I’m Elendria.” Elendria clairified. “So, this is our first time doing this. Where do we start?”

“Well, I tend to prefer to start at the feet and slowly work my way up the body, but others prefer to start at the top and work down. Which do you think?”

“The calves.” I said, raising my head up. “My feet are way too ticklish.”

“Oh?” Elendria said, voice rising in glee.

“Easy there, he asked nicely so we should respect his wishes.” The masseuse chided her. “Now, put just a dollop of oil on your hands, perfect. You are going to slowly work it into his skin in smooth, circular motions with your thumbs. Work your way up his body, and you want to pay particular attention to any knots of muscles.” I tried to pay attention to the wording of the masseuse, but couldn’t keep focused. Elendria seemed to know just where my muscles ached, and was persistent in working them out. Each new knot would start with a sharp, stabbing pain that was quickly replaced by relaxing pressure. My eyes rolled back in pleasure as she worked her way up, places she had just worked on threatening to relax into a puddle of goo.

“Gods above Sean!” She grunted when she finally made her way to my neck. It seemed there was a line of knots waiting for her, but she couldn’t quite get the best angle on it. Before I knew what was going on, she was straddling my back and putting her full weight into it.

“Elendria, wai. . . . oh good god yes!” My outcry turned rapidly into a moan of pleasure as I felt the knots giving way. “Just ignore my protests, that feels amazing.”

“I’m going to remind you of this every single time.” She whispered as she leaned down by my ear. The wind from her voice, as well as the slight tickling from her hair sent shivers of pleasure down my body. I tried to fight off my body’s natural reaction to her proximity, as she slowly worked her way down my back once again.

“Alright, I think it’s time we switched.” I moaned out. “If not, I don’t think I’ll be able to move afterward.”

“A common reaction to a job well done. Excellent work miss Elendria.” The masseuse chuckled. “Very well. Sean, do you think you can handle what we just did?”

“I do believe I can.” I said, having paid attention to the process. Unlike Elendria though, I started with her feet. A bit harder pressure through the bottoms of her feet, but being much gentler as I worked each individual toe. “Can we buy a bit of this massage oil?” I asked, getting a smile from the masseuse.

“Of course. It’s five silvers per gallon.”

“We’ll take two gallons.” I said, fully planning on keeping them in my spatial ring.

“No objections here.” Elendria mumbled as I worked my way up her legs. I followed most of the pattern she did, working my way up her spine and out in gentle waves, but once I had her entire body relaxed, I went a bit rogue.

“You aren’t the only one with some tricks.” I whispered into her ear as I moved around and straddled her on the table. Starting just above her pelvis, I made two fists. Using the flat part of my fingers between the knuckles and first joint, I slowly rotated them back and forth as I moved in close to her spine and followed it up.

“Ah!” She cried, back arching at first before she laid back down and shuddered under my motions.

“Ahem.” The masseuse coughed just as I had made it to her shoulder blades. Startled, I sat back and immediately recognized that parts of my body had gotten rather enthusiastic with the activities.

“Sorry about that.” I said sheepishly, climbing off to try my best to hide my bulge from the blushing masseuse.

“It’s all right, you stopped when asked. Though that does mean we need to end your session here, I’m afraid.”

“Perfectly fine. Umm.” I trailed off, wondering how we were going to get dressed. Elendria and I had come to the room in only robes.

“If you would come with me, sir, I can show you to a dressing room. Miss Elendria can get changed here, and I will be waiting at the front desk with your massage oil.”

“Perfect, thank you.” I said, giving her a smile as I grabbed my clothes. I gave the robe a quick rearrange as well, just to make sure the important bits were covered. Following her out the door, I quickly got changed when she dropped me off in a nearby room. Before heading back out, I took a few minutes to cool myself down. “Damnit Sean. Can’t let yourself get carried away like that.” I growled out, frustrated with myself for letting it get that far. I was doing a disservice to both Elendria and Danielle, and I couldn’t believe how quickly I was ready to just throw it all away. Part of me wondered if Elendria was using some sort of subtle mind control, but the majority of me realized that it was just the horny teenager reacting to loneliness. I would have to watch it in the future, and make sure that things didn’t get out of hand.

“You ok?” Elendria asked when I met them at the front desk.

“Fine.” I said with a smile. “Feeling a lot more relaxed thanks to you.” She gave me that look women use when they know you are lying to them, but aren’t in a place that they can call you on it.

“Very well. I’ve already paid, could you grab the oil?”

“Sure.” I said, grabbing two handled jugs from the counter. “And thank you for the excellent service.” I told both the receptionist and the masseuse before heading out the door, Elendria following close beside me. “There anything else we want to do?” I asked, looking to the sky. It was slowly getting dark, but we likely still had an hour or so of daylight left.

“It’s probably best we head back.” She said, tugging me towards our inn. “Carrigan never said anything about dinner, did he?”

“No he didn’t, come to think of it.” I said, following along. “Let’s hope it’s covered then.” We headed back in silence, one of those where it was just on the edge of being uncomfortable. Scanning the common room, we couldn’t see either Carrigan or the demon twins.

“Welcome to the Swan. Do you need a room?” A young human woman asked. Blonde hair and blue eyes, she wasn’t overly endowed but the cut of her dress left very little to the imagination.

“We have one, thanks.” Elendria said, taking a half step between us.

“Sure thing.” The lady nodded. “Well, it comes with a meal, so go ahead and take a seat. Ale will cost extra, or you can just have water to drink.”

“Excuse me, are our friends upstairs?” I asked.

“Don’t know, and I can’t tell you. Don’t ask if you were sharing a room either, as it’s one key per room. Don’t have it, and you are outta luck.” She shrugged.

“Thanks, you’ve been so helpful.” I muttered, leading the way to an empty table. “Can you keep an eye out for Carrigan?” I asked, as Elendria had taken the seat facing the door.

“Sure. If nothing else, you can stay with me tonight.” She said.

“I know, but I don’t want to. I dunno.” I sighed.

“I know, and it’s fine. You got carried away a bit with the massage, nothing wrong with that.” She smiled. “At least I know it isn’t me. I promise I won’t push things.”

“Thanks.” We were prevented from further conversation as the waitress brought us out two steaks with roasted vegetables. I didn’t realize just how hungry I was until I dug into the food, smiling as I chewed the flavorful meal. We spent the next two hours just relaxing, but Carrigan and the others never showed. Elendria would sneak the occasional glance at me, but I was ignoring it.

I was just getting ready to resign myself to sleeping on the floor when a hand crashed down onto my shoulder. “There you guys are!” I turned to see Carrigan smiling. “Sorry, been looking around for you. We need to stay in a bigger group next time, or else you might end up sharing rooms. Hehe.” He giggled a bit.

“And I suppose you were checking the bottom of a few ale glasses along the way?” Elendria chuckled.

“Aww, s’not like that.” He slurred. “We wuz callin’ fer yaz, but then. The throat get’s a bit dry, yassee? Had to whet it downs a bit.”

“No worries Carrigan.” I said with a grin. “Though I’m sure you are going to love the morning wake up call. You wanted to get going near dawn, right?”

“S’right.” He nodded. “Sho let’s gets going.” He turned and stumbled a bit, but I helped him with some mana tendrils.

“Let’s get upstairs before he passes out or falls and breaks his neck.” I chuckled, following close behind the inebriated wizard.

“Sounds good.” Elendria said. There might have been a bit of disappointment in her voice, but it was probably for the best.