When Umara returned to the Capital, she gave me the news. 

I didn’t have any idea how the Duchess was trying to get me under her wing, but it was a bit disappointing that I wouldn’t be despite Umara’s assurances that it wouldn’t be that bad. 

It seemed that bigwigs had their eyes on me. I was getting used to it, as well as the trouble it usually came with. But now, it seemed that the attention would be more beneficial than not. If everything I was being told was true, then I’d be having the time of my life in the military, regardless of the Duchess’ intervention. 

People were beginning to recognize just what I represented: the potential future for the entire summoner class. I was now an asset, an investment, and bringing me down wasn’t in their best interests. 

Whatever got those noble dicks off my back was fine by me. And now, it was about time for me to say goodbye. 

Umara returned only three days before we had to report. In that time, we put together our luggage while making last minute preparations. 

Umara went and made sure all of my academic papers were bound into her books while I stocked up on plenty of cigars, enough to last me the next two years. They were also a level stronger than normal, compensating for the subtle amount of Vigor in my body from temperings, as well as the Crown. I actually had to let Umara pay for some of it as well since I was broke now. 

I had also decided to take on another bounty since my bank account was so pitiful. Umara came along, and we net around 250 thousand from two hits. It wasn’t nearly as much as the spoiled warlock gave us, but it was something. 

And it was during our salvage after the second bounty, just a day before we were meant to report, that I had an interesting encounter. 

…

“You got the storage?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go then. I never liked this place.”

I glanced around, seeing nothing but shabby wooden houses and crappy dirt roads. There were three other bodies around our bounty as well, some unsavory idiots who tried to lay a hand on Umara. I couldn’t even lift my gun before she simply took their hands off. Whether they were dead or alive now was none of my concern. 

She tossed me the storage bracelet. I snatched it out of the air and stuffed it in my coat. Although the bounty didn’t give us as much, he also wasn’t being protected by a powerful father. There was little to worry about. 

We trudged through the Trenches for a bit, intending to make our way out of the godforsaken place and back into the normal markets. 

I felt something running our way though. Uamra felt it too, and the two of us came to a halt, stances wary, before it even turned the corner. 

It was a brunette girl with a huge axe on her back and a long black coat, not unlike my own. My brows raised when I noticed that she was an Authority 6. It wasn’t so much the Authority that concerned me as the level of danger she could pose in spite of it. 

My only solace was her non-hostility, but I drew a pistol regardless, resting it against my chest, watching as she walked toward us. 

She spoke first. 

“You’re the American?”

“Who’s asking?”

“I… Nobody in any official capacity.”

(She’s a noble.)

I heard Umara’s voice in my head, her words making my own tilt in interest. 

I wasn’t sure how she came to that conclusion, but I’d take it at face value. Besides that though, the girl looked rather young. She’d be going through the Magisterium if she were a noble. But that would only make her power level more confusing. Maybe she just looked young for her age. 

Seeing my lack of a workable response, she continued. 

“My name… is Aria Gorvatch, daughter of a… former noble. But that is not important. I wish to ask you something. A proposition, perhaps.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“... I don’t know if you recognize me.”

She lifted her head, confusing me for a second before it suddenly clicked. 

“You’re the girl.”

“Who was to be delivered to the Clockwork Association, yes. You saved my life as well as those who were meant to be sold many months ago. I’ve learned since then that we were going to be used as human experiments. So my gratitude to you… cannot be conveyed in words.”

“... There’s no need to thank me. What I did back then was only a given. It was within my capacity, and so doing anything but saving you would go against all manner of human decency.”

“Maybe so. That doesn’t change the fact that you did it. And my gratitude remains the same. So I’ve been trying to find you. Not just to thank you, but to offer you something, if I may approach.”

“...  Alright.”

I put the gun away. This girl wouldn’t hurt me, so I didn’t mind letting her close the distance. 

She walked forward with measured steps. I could tell she was anxious, trying not to scare me as if I were on a hair trigger. It was almost humorous if not for how somber she was being. 

Then, once she was a few feet away, she dropped to a knee and took out her axe, laying its shaft across her hands. 

“I’ve devoted myself to purging this filthy place, saving as many as I can from the fate that had been my own back then. But I don’t want to do it alone. I don’t know if I can. But I know that I can help you. So, if you believe me worthy, I wish to pledge to you my fealty. And my offering to you shall be the heirloom of my family, The Bloodsworn. It is all I have left of my fallen lineage.”

“...”

I looked down at her, processing everything she said. I wasn’t exactly familiar with this kind of situation. I wasn’t sure how to react. 

But there was a clear issue that I immediately shattered her hopes with. 

“Aria, do you realize that tomorrow, I leave for the military?”

“...”

I could sense her jolt in response. Seemed she had been living under a rock recently. It was a bit funny. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you, or accept your fealty. I simply won’t be able to. Not to mention that I’m not strong enough to make any meaningful change. Not yet anyway. I need time and the battlefield. So for now, this isn’t my place.”

“... I see.”

Her arms dropped a bit. I could feel her disappointment clear as day. I was also a bit sorry. 

But there really wasn’t anything I could do. Even the bounties I could take were severely limited. All the valuable ones had the strength around Authority 9. That wasn’t something I could touch, let alone the leaders of places like the Clockwork Association. 

I was realizing that these organizations went much deeper than even close inspection would reveal. The Tavera family gave me a glimpse of that. So I couldn’t do anything until I got much stronger than I am now. It was the same for this girl. If she wanted to make real change, Authority 6 wasn’t enough. 

I reached out and pushed the axe back into her arms. 

“I appreciate what you’re offering. But if I’m being honest, you’re not strong enough right now to do much either. Both of us need to cultivate our power. Once we do that we can make this place sparkly clean, starting with the people who bring the filth here in the first place. Until then though, we need to buckle down.”

“... You’re right. But even so, there’s at least some good we can do. No matter how little.”

“Of course. But that’s not my fight. Not right now. So, although I hate this, unfortunately I’m going to have to leave this place in your hands.”

With those words I summoned a bullet, a standard .38 Special, and placed it in Aria’s hand. 

She looked at it, my mouth curving into a smile. 

“It’s like I’m fulfilling a prophecy… Anyway, I’ll come back eventually. If I don’t, it’s because I’m dead. If I do though, I’m going to be far stronger than now. So when that time comes, I’ll either have to take care of all the scum here by myself, or I’ll have one well-established ally. Think you’re up for it?”

I put out my hand, Aria looking at it before putting away her axe and taking it. Her hands were actually calloused, despite being a knight. 

Once she stood, she looked me dead in the eye. 

“I’ll await your return, and become someone capable of cleansing this place by your side.”

“Good. In the meantime, you should go find the Tavera Family. I’ll send a message to their patriarch. Maybe he’ll have some work for you.”

“The mafia? Are they trustworthy?”

“If my recent encounters are reflective, then yes. In fact, it was their patriarch that gave me the job to go and kill the man who was going to sell you. Without him, you would probably be dead.”

“I understand.”

She nodded, then looked at Umara. 

They stared at each other before Umara spoke with a bit of an edge to her voice. 

“I’m his girlfriend.”

“O-Oh. My apologies.”

“Hm.”

I could feel Umara’s amusement under the mask, making me roll my eyes. 

“Alright, we need to pack the rest of our things. We leave in the morning.”

“Let’s.”

“Goodbye, Aria. I hope we meet again sooner rather than later.”

I waved at the girl, hearing a goodbye in return as we walked off. 

Umara linked our arms as we walked back to the hotel. I also sent that message to the patriarch. I didn’t think he’d mind working with someone who was hellbent on clearing out criminals and enemies of the family. 

Once inside the hotel room, Umara sighed. 

“People really are attracted to you. In general, I mean.”

“Well, I am quite the charmer. Even those I’ve never met before flock to come and pledge their fealty to me.”

“Uh-huh. I’m not sure if I should be worried about being separated or not. You’ll do just fine, but I can't help but think about all the girls who will have their eye on you.”

“Yeah? And what am I supposed to do, knowing all the guys will be fighting and begging for your attention?”

“Please. I couldn’t possibly give a damn about any other man. I can’t even fathom another being able to compare to you.”

“And I couldn’t possibly care about the eye of another woman. I’ve already got the best. She’s the prettiest, and I’ve seen her proficiency in action. Not to mention how she’s already claimed all of my knowledge. I’m too invested.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

We shared a smile and a kiss. 

Then she stared at me before nodding her head to the side. 

“We need to shower. Care to join me?”

“Dear, you’ve got that knife from Shadowbane. If I ever say no to that question, I want you to stab me with it.“

“Hehe, deal.”

She grabbed my hand before the two of us ran to the back and stripped. After that, we jumped in a hot bath. 

It was our last night together, so we weren’t quick to jump to the climax. Instead, we spent some time simply savoring the pleasure of laying together in the tub, intertwined under the steaming water, relishing in the silence. 

I never got used to it. It was always so invigorating, simply being with her. A better way of putting it would be an addiction. I just couldn’t get enough. 

And it only got worse when I thought about how she thought the same exact way. There was no better feeling than knowing the person you loved felt affection just as intense. It was a mutual addiction. 

Our Auras practically fused given enough time. I could close my eyes and see every inch of her, feel every little emotion and thought she had. She wasn’t quite on the same level, but since I was completely open to her, I knew she could sense it just the same. We could both be completely vulnerable, and the only feeling that resulted between us was pure happiness. 

It really was a drug. I couldn’t help but think about how dangerous it was, how she could absolutely ruin me, and there would be nothing I could do about it. 

Damn was that an amazing feeling. 

After some stewing, we eventually started to move and wash each other. It was intimate, as well as a bit humorous. I found a few of her ticklish spots in the process, she a few of mine. A few minutes after that, both of us found out that neither of us liked being tickled at all. I would be going into the recruiting center with a new bruise on my jaw. 

We dried each other off. And the heat from then on never died, things quickly getting spicy as we moved from the bathroom to the bedroom. I was already rock solid from earlier, but now I could act on it. 

I kneeled down and moved my towel along Umara’s legs, mopping up the droplets tracing playful paths down supple skin, occasionally blowing a playful breath at her navel. 

But all the effort in the world couldn’t get her dry. Her heart rate climbed as more streams of all-natural lube dripped down her thighs. I was a bit amazed at how much there was. 

I kissed around the area while she stood, starting at the navel before going around her pretty little folds. She only leaked more, goosebumps appearing over her stomach and legs. 

I planted a chain of kisses around the area while she stood, starting from above and tracing a circle down and around her pretty little folds. She stood silently, shivering, and I felt goosebumps pop up on her stomach and legs under my lips. 

Her hands were stiff at her sides, nails gouging lines as her breathing quickened and face flushed. But it was a playful kiss, right on her clit, that finally broke her spell of silence, eliciting an aroused whimper that trailed off into hasty breaths. 

I smiled and rolled out my tongue, slipping it in as my hands went around and grabbed her perky ass. 

From then I heard nothing but moans and heavy breaths as her hands moved to my hair, urging me forward until I shoved myself fully inside her. 

She clamped down around me, and no more than 30 seconds later, I heard her shudder as one of her legs went over my shoulder, anything so I could push in deeper as she came. 

I worked over her clit at the same time, earning a few borderline screams as she grasped handfuls of my hair and pulled. 

A few minutes later she gradually calmed down as I moved her over to the bed. Her hair was still a bit damp, something I noticed when she moved to give Fresh Prince some savory attention. She even planted a bunch of kisses on it. Shameless.  

For a while, I just decided to lay back and enjoy it, hands behind my head like I was lounging at the beach. It was quite blissful, almost relaxing. Only when I felt it rising did I reach over and comb back some of her hair. 

I went over the edge when she buried her face and swallowed Fresh Prince whole. I barely had the mind to think about how good she was getting when I felt her tongue wrapping around me like bacon on hotdogs. 

My fist clenched her hair a bit as everything unloaded straight into her mouth. A long breath of contentment escaped my lips. 

I looked down as she pulled back, cleaning every inch as she did so. 

Her purple eyes were mesmerizing, a depth to them that threatened to such out my soul. She really was one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen, both adorable and sexy. 

It was an injustice, almost, that we’d have to separate, even if only for a little while. 

I stroked her chin, stricken with a sense of longing almost like she’d already left. 

The two of us simply enjoyed each other’s eyes for a time. And when I’d had enough, I grabbed her throat and pulled her over so I could fill her mouth with my tongue. 

We were gonna have fun tonight. Enough for the memories to last us months.