Chương 136: Gathering Intel [ * ]

After the carriage disappears from my sight, I put my hands on my hips and look around.

"I guess I'm left to have a good old walk there." I smile to myself and then frown. "Wait. I completely forgot to ask Ross about the location. Shit."

Scratching my head a bit, I let out a soft sigh. "Well, it shouldn't be that hard. I think it was the Travelling Tit. Someone should at least know where it is."

As my eyes scan the street surrounding me, I notice a person heading more or less my way so I try to stop them as non-threateningly as I can, inserting myself into their path with a polite smile and relaxed posture.

"Excuse me, my lady. Would you please spare me a moment? I only want to ask about some directions."

The mature woman pauses her journey, gives me a brief glance from bottom to top, and smiles back.

"Of course, dear sir. What seems to be troubling you?" she asks while staring into my eyes.

"Have you maybe heard of an establishment called the Travelling Tit? I have some bussi—"

The smile disappears from her middle-aged face and is replaced by a scowl in a flash before I even finish talking.

"Pervert." She snorts at me and resumes her walk.

As she leaves my vicinity, my enhanced senses still pick up her muttering under her nose something about all the men being the same with just one thing always present in their minds.

Well, I bet bothering a random woman about a brothel wasn't the smartest thing to do. But hey, at least she knows about it or she wouldn't have reacted that way. I've seen plenty of pubs and bars with much more explicit names or slogans.

Knowing well which half of the population to avoid, I try my luck again and bother a few people more. All men, of course.

It takes a moment to get some concrete info on my destination. I have to approach five dudes in various stages of their life. Some of their reactions certainly make me feel awkward or even just a tad embarrassed, but the others are quite fun.

So, with the newly gathered directions in mind, I head straight to the Travelling Tit. The target of my adventure is located in the mercantile district from what I've heard. It's not that far from where I am but it will still take a moment on foot, and I don't really want to display my actual strength, speed, and abilities in public for no reason.

Just imagine a man in a full black suit jogging through the middle of the street at the pace of a horse. That would be hella eye-catching.

After about forty minutes of a casual stroll, I find myself near the location described to me by the very kind men who have completely no relation to this place and only remembered all the vivid details due to their great memory. Who would doubt such fine and honest gentlemen? I certainly wouldn't, especially while handing them some vouchers for a much better place as compensation for their wasted time.

Just a moment later, I come to a stop in front of a tall, multi-story wooden building very closely resembling an inn from the outside. It has that cosy facade made of warm wooden planks attached horizontally and simple, regular-sized windows. The latter are covered by thick brown curtains, which isn't a surprise even in the slightest.

Right above the entrance hangs a wide, rectangular signboard with the name of the establishment written in a similar colour as the drapes, with a fancy, curvy style. Right after the second word ends, there's a symbol of a golden horseshoe set vertically with an image of an appealing sideboob painted over it.

Yep. Definitely the place. No doubt about it. Though, I thought it was supposed to be a brothel where they are meeting. But, I learned better than to judge the book by its cover a long time ago. My mansion certainly fits that category too.

There's one way to see what's up with this design and I choose to do it right away. Plus, there's a chance that it's closed at this hour. It's still before noon. I don't know if other brothels operate on nightly schedules like we do and it would be stupid to assume but their employees have to rest sometime, right?

Pulling the heavy knob reveals that the entrance is not locked so I step inside carefully. I'm not sure what I expected but I'm greeted by a sight perfectly matching the outside. There are plenty of wooden tables with benches on both sides placed around the spacious hall. Everything is dominated by wood and decorations of either brown shades or golden hues. It really looks like your typical inn.

Except for the fact that plenty of pretty women walk around almost completely naked, clearly trying to capture the attention of the small group of people spread here and there. Skimpy bras, panties, and bikinis cover barely anything, just focusing on the most intimate parts.

The most clothed girl in this room is clearly the clerk standing behind the reception desk on the right side of the establishment. Although, even if she is dressed in what looks like a combination of barmaid clothing with a uniform resembling those seen in the Adventurer's Guild, she lacks one thing.

The chest part.

All is fine and dandy and looks really professional, except for the part where her tits are completely out. I guess the owner decided to bring boob windows to another level and just ripped the front piece off. It will be hard to look her in the eyes while talking, at least the correct ones.

So, reaffirming my spirit and thinking about all those beauties I have at home and how often I can bask in the pleasure of seeing their magnificent bosoms, I head straight to the ero-receptionist with the resolve not to fall for their obvious trick at seducing people. Not like I need to but it's more a matter of pride. Genjutsu of this level won't work on me.

But, before I actually make it to the flashing woman, someone approaches me with quick, small steps and I whip my head just in time to see one of the skimpy-clothed ladies bump into me. She throws her arms around my chest and hugs me tightly.

Damn. That's a quite straightforward way of procuring a customer.

"Excuse me but I came here to meet someone—" I try to gently put some distance between us while explaining that I'm not interested but she embraces me even closer and cuts me off.

"Thank you so much…" the woman says in a tender half-whisper.

"Pardon?" I raise a brow at her.

She takes a deep breath and pulls her head away from my chest as I look down at my conversation partner, who is about a head shorter than me or more. As our eyes meet, I notice a clear trace of tears gathering up in them.

"For saving me. I can never repay this debt," she continues with a dazzling smile.

Then, something clicks in my head.

Short black hair, a head shorter than the others, massive jugs which are currently pressing into my clothed chest, all of that jogs my memory a bunch and an image from the past flashes in front of my eyes.

"Wait. You are… Gloria?" I blink a few times in mild confusion.

"Damn. You even remember my name?" the short woman almost purrs at me as her smile grows wider. "What did I do in my life to receive so much?"

I chuckle while brushing away a single stained trail which has managed to escape her eye with that one tear.

"I don't think you did anything so bad in your life as to deserve experiencing what you had. I'm really glad I could help all of you girls return to normal. Well, to some extent, at least. May said that the cure might have changed her forever."

I certainly did not expect to run into one of the women brainwashed by Jericho's son here. I think there were like seven of them and I clearly remember Gloria throwing herself at another girl to stop her from getting her turn with their master as I and Jericho entered the asshole's bedroom instead.

A cute giggle escapes Gloria's luscious lips as she looks up at me with a slight blush.

"There's no doubt that it was a change for the better, at least if she suffers from the same side effects as I do." Giving me a playful wink, she finally steps back a bit. "But, where are my manners? It's our first official meeting, without anything interfering with my brain. I'm Gloria and I can't describe how grateful I am for your help. As you might have guessed, I worked here before the incident, and still do."

"Nice to meet you, Gloria. As you might know, I'm Alastair. You can call me Al for short." I nod at her kindly. "I could not be happier to see you back in full control of your body and life. It really warms my heart to see you doing fine after all of that."

Gloria adorably snorts to the side. "Please, that small dick of his would never be able to even scratch me deep enough, not to mention cause any traumas or whatever. I don't think I can expect any random customer to be stupid enough to use some forbidden concoction to turn others into loyal slaves to show up anytime soon and target me again."

"That would surely be something." I shake my head with a smile. "But, that would also mean you are just that much irresistible to men. Kidnapped twice with the use of a drug powerful enough to brainwash someone? I don't think even a princess or a queen has to worry about such problems."

The short girl nibbles on her lower lip as the rosy shade on her cheeks spreads even further.

"You know… I've been thinking about how to thank you since the moment I came back to my senses… But I felt that you would certainly not care about some random prostitute whose world is so much apart from yours… So I didn't dare to come to meet you personally, but… Maybe now I could…?"

Her finger travels over my covered pecs as she speaks with an upturned gaze. I smile and open my mouth to decline but an idea pops up in my head and I stop myself. Glancing back at the pretty lady in front of me, I nod.

"If you really want to express your gratitude for what I personally think was just the right thing to do, it would be quite rude of me to deny you that."

A beautiful smile blossoms on Gloria's face again and she pulls me into one more hug. She then grabs my hand and starts leading me to the receptionist with the tits out. At the same time, I finally notice her own attire, or its almost complete lack of.

Only her pert nipples and lips of her womanhood are hidden behind tiny bits of quite adhesive material. I swear I catch her backdoor wink at me a few times as her delicious bottom claps joyfully during our jog to the exhibitionist lady.

We show up in front of who I assume is the madame of this establishment and the woman's eyes widen just so slightly at my sight. As expected, she clearly knows who I am and what's my purpose for coming here.

But, before she can say anything, Gloria pulls my arm between her glorious mountains as she leans into me and shoots a toothy grin at the other woman.

"We'll be taking the VIP room three, no time limit. I'll let you know after we are done."

"But, he is—"

"It's alright. Put it on my tab, please. Bossman can deduct it from my pay. There's no need to check if this guy has money and I bet you can guess the answer just from his clothing."

The madame opens her mouth to protest again but Gloria hits her with unbelievably cute puppy eyes and a sad pout. The woman sighs heavily and takes a key out from under the counter, handing it to her friend.

"Fine. But… be careful." She relents, giving me an anxious glance.

Gloria beams at her again. "Thanks a lot. And don't worry, I know him well, he won't try any weird shit. Although, someone might need to come to check on me after an hour or two to see if I haven't ascended from this mortal coil if what I heard about his prowess is true."

I smile wryly at the shocked expression of the receptionist as her friend's hand wanders around my underbelly, hanging quite close to my fly.

"I promise not to cause trouble, you have my word. She was just so insistent that I got kind of swept up in this. I'll be back soon."

The woman gives me a slightly hesitant nod and Gloria drags me away with pure glee. I can literally hear that thick ass of hers applauding us as we pretty much run through the hallway which is stylised to resemble a common inn's corridor. We pass by a few other girls and one or two guys with their arms wrapped all around them.

Soon, we reach a slightly fancier part of this abode and Gloria hastily opens a wooden door with her key, pushing herself inside and watching me intently while holding it for me. I chuckle and step into the quite nice chamber. It still feels leagues apart from our common suites but it certainly can be considered in the higher price range of an inn like this one aspires to be.

My eager companion locks the door, throws the key on the nightstand, and bounces in excitement to stand in front of me. In one swift motion, Gloria tears off the bits of sticky material from her breasts and then pussy, revealing all of her girly bits to me.

"I really hope my body will be good enough for you." She smiles with a note of uncertainty in her eyes. "I've heard about the amazing women by your side, or even the girls you employ, and I'm just a plain, old, Human without anything exciting to offer besides all three of my holes."

I chuckle a little and sigh gently as my eyes skip down from her face for a moment.

"You certainly pack quite a rack up here. And remember what I said about the kidnapping. There's no need to downplay your beauty or skills so much." A more natural smile curves Gloria's pretty lips as more crimson shade becomes apparent on her cheeks. "Although, I might have to disappoint you."

Her black brows furrow a little while I slap Hall of Serenity on the nearby wall.

"What do you mean?" she asks with a tiny frown.

"The thank you that I would like to receive from you might differ a bit from what you imagined and planned. I wanted to ask you a few questions about this place and your boss. To be perfectly honest, I was invited here for the meeting of the association he belongs to but they might already be quite hostile to me so I figured out you could provide me with some information on them if you would be willing."

Gloria retains a slight frown while intensely studying my face.

"You are free to decline, of course. I don't want to put you at risk or anything, or undermine your loyalty. This room is now soundproof so nobody should be able to hear you talk if you choose to help me out," I quickly add.

The short woman glances me all over while crossing her arms under her impressive chest and nibbling on her lower lip a little. I can easily tell from her hard nipples and very faintly glinting lower lips that she has already gotten herself quite deep into the mood during our short meeting and jog.

"Well… If that's what you would like to request of me then I feel pretty obliged to lend you a hand… I don't know much but ask away… Although, I think it will look a bit weird if we come out of this room with neither of us looking any different, so…"

"Would it be fine if you had trouble walking for a few hours or a day, then?" I ask with a grin and Gloria's eyes widen as they lock on my crotch but I bring my hand up and wiggle my fingers a bit. "The girls really love my magic hands, you know?"

"Just hands?" She bites on her lip even harder, looking like she's barely withheld a whine.

"Let's do it like this, then. If you manage not to pass out from just hands, I'll let you experience the real thing."

Gloria shudders at my threat but in clear anticipation rather than fear as I notice a thin trail of love nectar drip down from between her pretty folds.

"D-Deal. But, just so you know, I always had good stamina, and now it's even better after I took the cure."

"I guess we'll see if it boosted you further than an Arch Succubus, then. That would be a real something, wouldn't it?" I smirk at her and Gloria's eyes turn into literal saucers. "Alright. Come. Let's not stand forever."

Walking to the decently comfy bed, I sit down on the edge and pat the sheets by my side. She saunters slowly to join me, definitely emphasising the movements of her enticing body. After she plops herself down next to me, I throw my upper clothing into my ring and wrap my arm around her waist. She should enjoy herself at least half as much as I do.

"So, we can start with something simple, like the names. Do you know anything about anyone other than your boss?" I ask while grazing her slightly chubby belly.

Gloria's eyes drill into my toned stomach for a moment before she regathers her wits. Her fingers move to stroke it gently as she looks up at my face.

"The owner of this place is Krizdian Vonhof, and I'm pretty sure he is the current head of the association you mentioned. There are four others besides him—Albertus Nogh, Todd Fush, Quinfey Longhorn, and… I don't think I've ever heard the actual name of the last one. He's always mentioned as Duke Gloomveil."

I nod, moving my fingers closer to her hefty breast and giving her underboob a gentle massage.

"Yeah, the last guy is the one who decided to pick some beef with us and hurt one of my girls recently."

Gloria's face turns pale in a second. "Really? Are you here to…"

I chuckle and shake my head. "No, I'm not here to kill him, unless he gives me another reason to. I was invited, remember? Although, it happened before the dimwit interfered. I'm afraid that after I let him go, he turned the entire association on me."

My conversation partner gives me a tiny smile. "Considering that he's the lowest seat, I don't think the others would instantly listen to whatever he has to say and band up against you if they went as far as to invite you into their ranks. I've heard that no new brothels have had this privilege in many years."

"I hope so. Even though I won't really have any issues dealing with all of them, I would rather reach a more peaceful conclusion." I start to softly knead more of Gloria's glorious hill and her mouth often hangs slightly open from her soft but increased breathing. "Anyway, anything else you can tell me about any of them?"

"Todd and Quinfey are on the younger side while my boss and Albertus are quite old men already. You certainly know about Duke. They have the most say in the matters of the association so you should try to address them mostly if you want to keep things in your favour. They've been in it the longest and I don't think they would like to see everything fall apart due to the stupidity of the lowest member."

"Got it. That sounds like I might get to them with some substantial threats. I appreciate it so much, Gloria."

I stop playing with her nipple and my fingers snake down her tummy until they dip into the wet embrace of her girly crevice. She lets out a cute 'oh' while staring me in the eyes with a much more apparent blush. I gently caress her warm folds and sensitive nub by rubbing my digits up and down her slit.

A moment of silence falls onto us, broken only by Gloria's slightly stronger breaths, until she continues on her own.

"Duke is a loudmouth so he will definitely try to talk over you but he is a coward so just look at him a bit angrily and he should shut up. Boss is extremely careful and sceptical. He might be hard to convince until the very end, but after he decides on something, he won't ever back down. Plus, he and Albertus really value their businesses so they would be afraid of losing them."

I give Gloria a moment to enjoy my caresses and just listen to her quiet moans and whimpers as I increase the pace a bit. She bites on her lip again after I slip a finger in and rub her sensitive insides by bending it a little.

"I'm pretty sure Quinfey cares about the well-being of his girls, albeit not as much as you do. He is just pedantic and loves fucking all of them all the time. He gets really enraged when someone bruises his prized women. I've heard from some of them that he'd murdered a bunch of too-violent customers with his own hands and dumped them in the docks with heavy rocks attached to their legs."

The heavy chest of my new friend heaves quite strongly already and I'm in awe of her ability to speak clearly and evenly under stimulation. Gloria saves all the moans and groans for after she delivers the message and makes a small pause to gather her thoughts. I lean forward to bring one of her nipples to my mouth and bring it up a little.

"Shit…" She curses for the first time, sliding her right hand into my hair and pressing my face more into her squishy cushion. "As for Todd… I don't really know. He seems like a complete idiot. I have no idea how he is successful but maybe that's his facade or he's just really lucky, or it's all thanks to his backing. He's greedy as fuck. Anything about money should work against him, or in his favour."

"You don't seem to mention Duke much," I say right into her beautiful tit.

Gloria giggles sweetly. "Do you really need to know much about the man whose life you are going to wreck anyway?"

"Oh?"

"He hurt one of your girls. I remember clearly what happened to the idiot who tried it before, which happens to be the same person who ensnared us. Plus, if you were willing to go so far for some random strangers like us, I can't even imagine the lengths of your revenge when someone you hold close is involved."

I chuckle and draw myself away from the stiff peak, moving my face closer to Gloria's and placing a small peck on her cheek.

"You might be onto something there. Would this be all?"

She glances to the front with her eyes jumping around the room. "I'm trying to think of any other significant things but… I'm just a lowly prostitute. Most of it is just what I heard from others. We don't really meet the big masters often or get close unless you work for Quinfey."

"It's alright. You've been of great help to me. This is way more than I expected by luring you in here. If you would allow me, I'll now move to the reward for your cooperation."

Gloria smiles softly. "You don't have to. I'm glad I could be of help. Sorry for throwing myself at—"

"No can do." I shake my head. "Promise is a promise. And I'm really curious if you truly can take it. If you don't mind ending up passed out, of course."

"Knock my lights out, Al," Gloria purrs with dripping desire in her voice.

"Alright. You might want to hold onto something."

"What do yo—OHHHHH MYYYYYYY FUUUUUUUCK!"

The very moment I turn my fingers into literal magic, Gloria's entire body shudders. I continue to drill her pussy with two of my digits to the accompaniment of wet, slapping noises with the tips infused with mana.

"OH SHIT! OH SHIT! WHAT IS THISSSSSSSSSS?!"

Gloria screams with wide eyes and her hands immediately lock my arm in a death grip. I grin at her shocked and melting expression while adding my thumb to it, tracing circles over her sensitive clit. Her face points to the ceiling as she moans like crazy until I suddenly feel her pussy clamp on me regularly.

"OH FUCK! I'M ABOUT TO—"

She doesn't get to finish her sentence as a wave of powerful quivering overtakes her entire being. Gloria's mouth ends up frozen open as if she is mid-scream but no sound escapes her throat. She rides her orgasm in complete silence, with just her body speaking for itself about how amazing it feels.

Her snug channel constricts around my fingers like a snake and sends them out with a small squirt as a farewell. Gloria finally wheezes for air with a sharp intake while still shuddering from her high. A few smaller spurts of love juices escape her twitching love nest, staining the sheets under her plump butt as I observe the fascinating show with a smile.

"So, you are a squirter, huh?" I chuckle as she slowly regains composure.

"Haaah… What did you… do? Haaaaah…" Gloria asks with some light trembling still shaking her body. "I've never come so hard… I don't even remember when someone made me squirt the last time…"

"Magic fingers, remember?" I wiggle my digits covered in her nectar and lick them off while staring at her, watching Gloria's expression heat up even more. "And there's a lot more where that came from."

She literally chews on her lower lip so hard I'm surprised it remains intact. Then, giving my fingers one more glance, she falls to the back with a soft thump and spreads her legs. Moving her hands under her knees, she pulls them more into herself and to the sides, exposing her pussy hungry for more rough treatment.

I lean over her body and hover my face above hers with a smirk.

"Until lights are out, right?"

"Please…" Gloria whimpers and I peck her lips. "Thank you…"

She closes her eyes and grits her teeth, resting her head on the mattress. Her preparations make me chuckle and I dive straight back to pleasing this gorgeous, plump woman. With a wet slap, my fingers dive deep into her.

"Ahhhh! Shit! Ahhhhh! Ahhhh! This is insane!"

Gloria starts moaning to the sky from the very moment my digits spread her velvety passage and I keep ramming my mana-filled fingers into her beautiful, slightly swollen from arousal lower lips. Of course, I make sure to stroke the best possible spots, not just violate her mindlessly. And it seems to work wonders.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"

I feel another wave of strong convulsions assaulting my digits and the chubby girl enters the next silent high, even mightier than the previous one. I retract my fingers before they are squeezed out and stroke her shy pearl with my palm ferociously as she squirts far into the room this time.

After a loud gasp, Gloria's breathing returns and she pants like mad while a few more small trickles shoot out of her leaking honeypot, throwing her body into a massive fit of shivers right afterwards. Her eyes are now wide open and drill into mine as she shakes and trembles.

"M-M-More…" is all she can mutter out.

"At your service, my lady."

I grab one of Gloria's juicy thighs and flip her over onto her belly. She giggles happily at the motion, perhaps a little light-headed from her intense orgasms. I bring her thick ass up into the air, setting her on her knees, and spread her legs just a little bit. Then, I form a cobra with my fingers and plunge them back into the heat of her girly mound.

"Oh shit! Mwwhhhhhmmm! Mmmmmmmmmm! Mhhhhwwwwwwwwmmmmm!"

Gloria buries her face deep in the sheets, making the bed tremble from her loud screaming and moaning almost as much as her body does. I hammer her pussy relentlessly, pounding her so hard that her ass bounces back and forth with tiny, little bumps of incredible speed. Bits of her love nectar splash out of her spread vagina from the very pleasurable motions.

"Mmmmmmm! Mhmmmm! Mmm! Mmm! Mmm! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

She explodes again in no time, shooting another hot jet of liquid out of her fragrant nest. I keep rubbing her clit like the last time and bring out the best for her. It's always so nice to see your partner enjoying themselves so much under your caresses. It just brings a smile to my lips each time.

But, I'm pretty sure she's still conscious so my job isn't done yet.

When Gloria starts coming off her high, still shivering quite a bit, I heave her up by hugging her waist and step onto the bed. I end up holding her upside down with her pussy right in front of my face.

Before she gets to say anything, I envelop my tongue in the same mana effect and slam my lips into her pearl with the full intention to suck her off like the goddess she is. Of course, my fingers take a dive into her pussy, already red from cumming so much, and stir her pot intensively.

"Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck! Goddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss!"

Gloria's thighs slap my cheeks repeatedly as her knees violently bang together behind my head. It takes just a moment for the joint efforts of my tongue and fingers to blast her into oblivion. She explodes like a fountain as her entire frame quakes in my arms. Hot love juices keep spurting out of her stretched slit for a good ten seconds.

Then, after the rain finally stops, I rest her quivering body on the mattress and check up on the gorgeous black-haired woman. A chuckle escapes my lips after I confirm that she's out cold, with an utterly silly expression on her face. I make sure that she's fine, setting her in a comfortable position, and give Gloria a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks for the help again. Have sweet dreams."

Cleaning myself up with magic, I resummon my suit and pick up the key. I have no idea about their protocols since Gloria explained nothing to me, so I lock the room from the outside and return to the reception. The madame eyes me suspiciously after seeing me come to her alone.

I reach out to her with the key in my hand. "You should send someone to check on her. She's out cold. I wasn't sure what to do so I locked the room."

The woman's eyes turn into literal saucers and I quickly raise my hands in defence.

"It's alright. I made sure to check if she was okay. She's just passed out from cumming too much. Happens."

"How did that even…" The lady stares at me a bit anxiously.

"Well… Like this…"

I slowly extend my hand towards her chest and gauge her reaction. She doesn't stop me, only watches, so I gently place my hand on her exposed breast and begin tickling her nipple with my thumb, of course, filled with mana.

The madame gasps loudly and quickly covers her mouth. I'm pretty sure I've also heard the bang of her knees and guessing by where her other hand shot, there might be a sudden leak somewhere. But, I don't intend to tease her too much and withdraw my fingers.

"Now, where should I head for the meeting?" I smile softly.

She quickly calls for some random girl, explains to her to check on Gloria and watch the reception, and offers to guide me. Shortly after we enter a different corridor, through stairs leading two floors higher, she leans into me and asks if I could do that again for a bit.

So, I naturally oblige and fondle my guide as she politely requested, having to slow down a little whenever it's too much stimulation for her to walk straight. I also catch that the front piece clearly isn't the only one lacking in her uniform as we leave a faint trail behind ourselves. I hold myself back from asking, though, just in case she asks me to touch her down there too and gets reduced to a slurring mess.

We stop in front of decorative wooden double doors and wait for a moment for the madame to recollect herself. I help her out with my Rejuvenate and she smiles at me sweetly. Taking a deep breath and assuming a more neutral expression again, she opens the passage for me.

A small chamber enters my sight. Even though it isn't super spacious, it's riddled with so much expensive-looking furniture and decorations that it certainly takes your breath away during the first visit. Statues, busts on pedestals, paintings, carvings, plants, pottery, a lot of shit.

Right in the middle, though, is a decently wide raised platform in the shape of a circle. Three completely naked women are currently entangled with each other in a slow and sensual moment of passion. All around the stage are long, curved couches, occupied by five men of various ages.

There's no doubt about their identities, especially since one of them looks exactly like I remembered him. Minus the bruises and purple spots over his skin from getting mauled by the angry mob, I guess.

And, unfortunately, that guy just has to sit exactly opposite the entrance so that he can notice my arrival first. Duke's face twists into a scowl for a fraction of a second but quickly rearranges itself into a twisted grin as he reaches out for a glass of wine from the shelf attached to the raised scene.

Alright. Here we go. Hopefully, this building still stands when we end. I would hate to destroy Gloria's workplace.