Dink’s ear twitched as he walked between the thick hedges. He heard her let out a defeated sigh as she gave up on attempting to garner his attention. He rounded the hedges and walked through an archway. In front of him was a mosaic water feature displaying a stylistic depiction of the god Mercy. He looked like a man of heroic proportions surrounded by beautiful adherents.

I recognise this art style. This appears to be an imitation of Master artisan Hazzik Pebblebreaker’s work. Which makes sense considering he died in a drunken skirmish with cave trolls not long after I met him. Dwarves never know when to hold back on the liquor.

He was distracted from admiring the skilled art piece by another splash. Unable to contain his curiosity, he walked around the mosaic as multiple jets of water fired into the air. They varied in length to create the illusion of waves. Dink felt a light tingle on the nape of his neck, reaching up he scratched it.

Suddenly the lines of water started dancing around him as he strolled past. The streams gathered together in the air to form the chalice symbol of Mercy. Dink got annoyed by the display and swatted it away. The water collapsed to the slate walkway after he destroyed the weak mana lacing it together. He reached the exit between the hedges, countless tiny white flowers bloomed on both sides to announce his arrival.

“Dink, you finally made it!” Martha exclaimed. She was in the middle of fending away a topless Axion. He took advantage of her distraction to lift her and throw her into a pool next to them. She landed in the water with a large splash as Axion turned to grin at Dink.

“Took your time, old boy,” Axion said, walking over to clasp wrists.

“I saw Estra on my way in. Then the mother superior got a little too friendly. This place is all wrong. Tahlea, I need you to do something for me,” Dink replied, facing the pool.

In response to his words, a head popped over the edge of the pool with blonde hair plastered to her scalp. Her expression turned serious as she climbed from the pool, drops of water streaming from her skintight swimsuit.

“Of course. What do you need, husband? Is it what I anticipate it to be? You need me to scry for Estra,” Tahlea observed.

“Yes. I don’t trust the sisters. One group wears exposing clothing, while the ones dressed like I’d expect them to be, act like puppets. Estra is alone with them all, right now,” Dink confirmed.

“Okay, give me a moment. Everyone, please get out of the pool while I prepare the spell,” Tahlea requested, leaving the area to disappear inside a sliding door into the villa.

Dink went to follow her inside but passed something that made him take a step back for a second look. His face scrunched in confusion as he walked toward Murkuk staring at a burning torch. He was completely oblivious to Dink’s approach due to being completely engrossed by the flickering flame.

Dink leaned in close and waved a hand in front of his face. Murkuk brushed it away in annoyance and tilted to the side to resume watching the fire.

“Fucking pyromaniac,” Dink said, shaking his head in bemusement. He walked away, leaving Murkuk to his own devices being mesmerised by the torch.

Dink turned to head inside only to almost collide with Tahlea returning to the pool. He effortlessly twisted out her way in a fluid movement. She stumbled on the edge of his toe, falling forward and almost dropping the supplies in her arms. To prevent her from falling face-first, Dink reflectively caught her chest and steadied her. The form-hugging swimsuit did little to disguise the soft feeling of her breast in his hand.

“T-t-thank you,” Tahlea said while blushing. She wiped away a loose strand of blonde hair, demurely peeking at him with wide eyes.

“Ah, life’s good. I’m more than happy to support you at any time,” Dink jovially replied, winking at her and giving her breast a playful squeeze before letting go.

“I’ve got everything I need to pierce through any barriers they may have in place. My mother likes to over-prepare when it comes to my Divination. Not to boast, with these supplies a Grand Magus won’t be able to repel me. There hasn’t been anyone capable of rivalling my Divination skills in living memory. This is the reason I was selected for this quest,” Tahlea informed him.

“I know you won’t let me down. Estra can count on you to find her,” Dink replied, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving a light squeeze.

“The pool’s clear, Tahlea. I’m right here if you need me,” Riva said wrapped in a towel beside the water with her wet red hair tied up into a bun. Dink swallowed at seeing her exposed cleavage pushed tightly together. She was completely naked under the towel.

“Alright, everyone please take a step back. Here goes,” Tahlea said.

She crouched down on the slate at the pool edge on a towel Riva had spread out in advance. Tahlea started arranging her supplies within easy reach. First, she placed down a selection of glass vials containing an assortment of rare herbs and flowers. Next, she set down three crystal rods made of different materials. Lastly, she unwrapped a purple silken bundle to reveal a crystal ball. It was a dark green colour with iridescent reflections of azure blue trapped within its depths.

Tahlea unstoppered each of the vials she brought and threw a pinch of each one's contents into the water. She suddenly stood and walked over to Murkuk and snatched the torch from in front of him. He angrily hissed and was about to pounce on her back as she walked away. He noticed Dink watching him and thought better of it. Instead, slumping to the floor and crossing his arms and legs with his jaw jutting forward in a pout.

Returning to the pool, Tahlea threw the torch into the water. It immediately extinguished and floated on the surface, plunging the area into darkness. Tahlea pulled the towel off to the side, out of the way. It still had all her supplies on it. She retrieved the crystal rods and crystal ball, placing them in a triangle formation at the pool edge. Finally, she stood within the formation holding the crystal ball.