Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Hot Springs part 2
Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER.
.
.
.
Hot Spring-
He sat at the edge of the hotspring, leaning on the rocks. His upper body was completely open for the red-head's viewing pleasure. Maia knew that Archer was a fit man, the outfit he wore left little for the imagination for the woman to unapologetically ogle.
But seeing him out of his clothes was something else entirely new for the Princess Knight.
Before becoming a Princess Knight, Maia was no stranger to battle scars, having gotten many along the years working as a mercenary. After Celestine blessed her, every blemish, scars and wounds she had suffered in the past vanished leaving behind a silky smooth skin. She wondered if it was the same for the man in front of her as he also went through the same process. Though she paid close attention, Maia did notice some slight discoloration on his chest where the heart was—probably an old wound that healed over the years. Archer possessed an athletic build, with very little body fat that could be seen and muscles that were crafted from years on the field. Arms which could and had lifted her up with barely an effort even in his relaxed state. Chiseled six-pack abs, that if she wanted, could grate cheese on, while she watched droplets of water move down the muscles before merging with the water.
She gulped at that, staring at the man who's been giving her fuzzy feelings ever since their first encounter. All the more while keeping her eyes from focusing on a certain spot that is hidden below the hot water.
Contrary to Vault who possessed a herculean physique, with trunk-like arms that look like they could strangle a bear and crush a boulder with them. There had been very few women that would not say no to spending a night with him. This man in front of her may was not as big as him, but she could not deny that he exuded strength. And despite that, he was still agile enough to out match her in her area of expertise. The man was a fighter, a warrior, plain and simple, and Maia knew very few people that were like Archer.
"Why are you here?"
"Hum?"
Maia was suddenly woken up from her daze by Archer's deep voice.
"I-I was lonely and de-decided to pay my dear chef a visit."
Damnit!
Why did she stutter again!?
What happened to the confident woman that walked in like she owned the place!?
This phenomenon kept coming back ever since that day. Maia wasn't someone who stuttered, blushed or acted like a girly-girl. She always portrayed herself to be a charismatic and confident woman who kicked ass and did it while looking good. Never hesitating to speak her mind openly, even going as far as to insulting high ranking officials to their faces after being insulted by the pompous pricks before her anointment as a Princess Knight. Maia did not like the way she was acting around a man that she just met not that long ago!
Taking a deep breath and doing her best to act nonchalant, she gave the man a smirk and stepped into the water, moving seductively as she settled in.
With her feet touching the warm water, she carefully submerged herself for a brief moment before coming back up. Just to clear up her mind and keep her new bubbling feelings in check, the Queen of Mercenaries kept her cool as she slowly began to focus on the water. Their travel would certainly take a while to reach the village to get to Geofu. She believed the place was called… Heilung Dorf? Apparently, there were rumors of a beautiful Light Elf and Dark Elf residing there, which was rare for the two to be in the same area, especially in Eostia—this made Maia very curious about them.
"You know, if you feel uncomfortable with my presence, then I can leave." Archer said, knowing that this was his bath and that he shouldn't be the one to leave in the first place.
"Who says I'm uncomfortable? I just came here to… bond with you. Kaguya told me that they have a custom where people bond in baths but without the sex."
"We bonded enough as it is. Is this just another one of your ploys to try and seduce me into your group?"
As he spoke, Archer stretched his arms out a bit, making Maia blush lightly at the display. She'd seen men naked before, yet she could feel her body getting hotter by the second and she was sure that it wasn't the water.
Just who was seducing who in this situation!?
It certainly didn't feel like she was doing it!
"You certainly know how to wow the ladies. Speaking of ladies, you don't look the least bit uncomfortable with my naked body in front of you, are you perhaps not into girls in the first place?"
He facepalmed, making Maia laugh at his reaction.
"For your information, I am not attracted to men in that sort of way. I just chose to ignore you for the most part, as that proves to be the best solution for my sanity. I'm not going to pounce on a woman filled with lust and ravage her just because I saw her nude and offering herself. I have my faults, but I'm not that devious."
The entity known as Shirou Emiya would never stoop so low in life no matter which reality. Even the most broken versions would never cross that line, anything pushing him to that point would be swiftly killed and disposed of—including himself.
"Would have been nice if you were… I wouldn't mind." she whispered, not expecting Archer to hear her.
What?
"What did you say?" he asked, whipping his head at Maia and looking her straight in the eyes.
"Just kidding~!"
Yeah, and Kirei would finally believe the words that he preached.
"For someone called the Queen of Mercenaries, you certainly suck at lying," he said.
"Hey, don't look at me like that!"
"I was just making sure if you're alright in the head," he said. "As a mercenary who previously worked for the Kuroinu, shouldn't you be better at this sort of thing?"
Maia didn't notice his jab there.
"I'm not that fond of deceiving people, if I have something to say then I'll say it and fucking spit at anyone who gets offended by the truth." Maia huffed, annoyed at Archer's jab. "Not as good as you at least. You certainly have a specific goal for being here, which you haven't revealed to me or anyone else."
Maia knew from the get go that most of what Archer said felt misleading and not completely the truth.
"A powerful mage like you isn't just here to explore the lands or any other bullshit like that. You're definitely here for something, I just don't know what it is... At this point, I have given up trying to figure that out." If her constant inquiry forced him to leave sooner than she wanted, then remaining ignorant was a better alternative.
She wasn't even sure if she even wanted to know. As long as they could hang out, talk, banter, laugh and just have a good time, Maia didn't mind the secrecy. As long as he didn't bring harm to the seven kingdoms and continued to remain neutral, then there was no harm in staying like this.
Splash!
Maia splashed water on his face, ruining his hair. As he was about to push it back, Maia had moved to sit right next to him. Her face so close by, their skin touching with her breast softly pressing against his arm. Archer didn't react as he felt her touch his face, he let her be and waited, despite his instincts telling her to push her away. His eyes were focused on the woman in front of her, while she seemed to look him over.
"Huh, You look so different with your hair down. I… It kinda suits you, Archer. At least you look more approachable this way. Though those eyes need to relax, you'll have a lot of wrinkles when you're old if you keep doing that."
"..."
Deep breaths, he needed to calm down and deal with this woman as soon as possible.
"Maia, you're a bit too close." he said, trying to move away but was stopped as Maia grabbed his arm.
"Maia…"
Just what was she doing? Archer knew that Maia had a strong flirtatious personality which liked to get under people's skin one way or the other. She tried to break his guard ever since day one and wouldn't stop no matter what he said nor back down after his cutting remarks. But now, he felt like she was pushing herself a bit too much, he could see it from her blushing face as she pressed herself closer.
"Do… Do you have to leave? I can offer you a stable job if you work for me…"
Her voice was so low that he nearly missed her words. Her eyes completely focused on his own, as if pleading for something. Her friends whom she used to hang out with now no longer talked to her like before. There was this invisible barrier between them, even the people from the streets treat her the same way. Now whenever she had free time, Maia would drink till she would pass out in her room.
Alone.
But no such thing occurred since Archer came. Her life felt more vibrant and less dull, there was no barrier between them and she was having fun, despite their rocky start. After all, strong bonds sometimes started from a bad place, enemies could become the best of friends and she felt like both of them had a good synergy going on between them.
"I can guarantee you that whichever quest you're working on, with the help of Celestine and myself, we could make it easier if you—splash!"
Archer mimicked her previous actions and splashed a small wave of water towards her.
"Cough!—B-Bastard!" she exclaimed while coughing, feeling that she accidentally swallowed some of the spring water.
"Drop it, I have my own duties to attend to. Duties that I just can't ignore."
A duty which might end up making her his enemy by the end of it. Whether Maia found out about Vault's true goals or not was of no interest to Archer. He would show her the proof and whether she changed her views or not was completely up to her and no one else.
"..."
Archer knew something was off, the way Maia was acting, she reminded him of people who just wanted to be loved. Like a child constantly seeking their parent's attention, people who did not wish to be forgotten and left behind by those they once knew. All of these traits emerged from the Princess Knight near him and unfortunately, he couldn't do much about that.
"Will you still accompany me till Geofu?" she asked.
"Of course, I plan to leave before reaching Feoh, so it's not like I'm leaving in a single day."
That made her heart rest easy, knowing she still had a few days left with him.
"Good," she sighed in relief. "I'm sure you'll enjoy meeting Luu Luu, she'll go nuts over your swords, even someone as clueless about forging like me can recognise a masterpiece when I see one."
Kanshou and Byakuya, two swords Maia couldn't even begin to imagine how Archer got his hands on or even who forged them. Being able to break her own swords with a single strike, one could guess that there was magic involved in their creation. Everything Luu Luu created for the Princess Knights were top quality magical weapons. It wouldn't rust, lose its edge or even break from heavy impacts. So for Archer's swords to break them meant that his were even more powerful magic weapons.
"I heard she's a halfling, can you tell me more about her?" he asked, curious about the other Princess Knight.
"Not much to say about Luu Luu other than her being an open book. She's a half dwarf and half human, with a never ending passion to build swords and armors. To create a single sword capable of slaying anything of existence, that's her goal."
The image of an old blacksmith living inside the body of a certain redhead emerged in Archer's head.
"Liked she's really into forging. I heard rumors that she only became a Shield just because she wanted more privacy and resources to continue her work. Don't try to distract her or else she will turn into a mini tornado." Maia laughed as she said that. "Even Celestine avoids disturbing that little twerp when the latter is working. Thankfully, I sent a notice in advance of my arrival, so she will make some for us… hopefully."
That response didn't emanate confidence.
"So a blacksmith huh."
Archer wouldn't lie, but he was curious about this world's mysteries and their creation. Maia's swords weren't regular weapons but mysteries created from the use of the local magic. He couldn't read the weapons' history and could see many of its secrets. But seeing the process being done in front of his eyes was always better than getting the information with his Structural Analysis.
"You're going to bring Brynn with you as well?" Maia said, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
"No, I just agreed to train her a bit, not become her master or anything like that."
"Well ain't that convenient for you, doesn't help that the girl keeps calling you master at every chance she gets. And you aren't even stopping her or anything, are you perhaps into having teacher-student love affairs? I won't judge, I think that's pretty hot!"
He wasn't a certain blue hound, so no.
"Nothing of that sort, she's just stubborn, like you. Also, you can let go of my arm." Archer said while pointing at how his right arm was still held firmly between Maia's soft valleys.
"..."
She didn't say anything nor did she release her hold. Her head came to rest on his shoulders and she closed her eyes while the two sat in silence. Archer wanted to forcefully pry himself away from her but didn't have the heart to do it. He would give her this, if this one moment helped her accept the reality that he would soon leave one day, then there was nothing to lose to stay with her for the night.
The Counter Guardian relaxed himself, no longer feeling uncomfortable from having a naked beauty by his side as she continued to hold his arm. He looked at the orange sky, recalling past events that led him to this and going through the memories of his past. He wondered how Rin was doing, the Rin he met in his last summon. Maybe she already traveled to the Clocktower with the boy. Studying mineralogy under the tutelage of a Lord with her talent. He hoped she wouldn't have to go through a lot of trouble to keep Shirou Emiya in check, as Archer knew more than anybody how stubborn the boy could be.
He stayed like that for a few more minutes, dusk was a few hours away and the Kuroinu members would soon join them, it was time to leave.
"Oi, Maia."
He felt rested enough to leave, this was a pleasant experience but they still had a schedule to follow. The more they delayed, the longer it would take to reach Luu-Luu's kingdom.
"..."
She didn't respond.
He checked, and saw that she had fallen asleep.
'Just great.'
"Wake up." Archer shook her a bit, making the latter squirm and squish her breast against his arm, her nipples brushing themselves against his skin.
"Hmmm, five more minutes." she muttered half asleep. She was obviously doing it on purpose, if she didn't wake up soon, then he would throw her away deeper into the spring, that should be enough to wake her up. Maybe he could get a cold bucket of water and dump in on her head, it worked the last time he tried to wake her up from bed. Even Rin wasn't so troublesome to wake up, at least she was just grumpy and not as bad as Maia's case.
Creak…
"Hm?"
Archer's ears perked up by the sound of someone opening the door to the bath. His senses went haywire as he could feel another headache starting to grow.
The redhead beside him immediately woke up, looking behind before smirking. "Oh~, she certainly took her sweet time." Maia said with a sly smile, making Archer glare at her while she still laid her head on her shoulder.
"What did you do?" he demanded, hearing the footsteps slowly approaching.
"Hehehehe, remember how I said that I found the teacher-student love affair to be hot? Well, I really meant that and may or may not have… convinced the impressionable Knight that having some skinship with her master would increase their bond and make her more attuned with his teachings. So, master, will you show your 'sword' to Brynn and make her into an honest student?" she whispered to his ears, her hot breath further agitating Archer. But having her so close, and feeling her gentle breath caressing her ear, Archer to stamp down his desire once again. And the smile on her face, and the twinkle in her eyes told him that she knew that she was having an effect on him.
This sly fox!
She began learning to use a different approach.
"Now, guess this is my time to leave~"
Not giving him any time to respond, Maia rushed out of the water, giving him a view of her round behind, and headed straight for the exit.
Like he'd let her!
She needed to explain and clean up her mess!
Moving just as quick and nimbly, he managed to catch up to her and grab her by the hand to stop Maia in her tracks.
"Heh?"
What he didn't account for was her not expecting his sudden grab and having her feet slip on the wet floor and onto him.
"Kya!"
Bam!
The wooden doors opened with Brynn walking in while a white towel covered her body.
"A-Archer, Ma-Maia-sama told me th-that it would b-be a good idea to spend s-some time together to… to… "
Brynn's voice died down as she came to face the scene in front of her.
A naked Archer, her master, with an equally nude Maia, a Princess Knight, both in a very sexual position. With the Princess Knight's being very near to her teacher's intimate region, mere inches apart.
To anyone else that would see this scene, they would assume that Maia was giving Archer a... special service.
"Now Brynn, remember what I told you, it is always important to remain calm before judging a scenario no matter how misleading they may seem—and she fainted."
Just like he said, the powerful Knight Commander Brynn fell backwards, having passed out from the unbelievable scene and from having too much blood flow into her head.
At least she didn't break anything or screamed out loud, that would attracted far more attention than he was comfortable with.
'Brynn is one of those people.'
The redhead did not move as she continued to stare at his genitals, her face turning redder the longer she stayed in her position between his legs.
"Holy…"
"Don't even start, Maia. Just…Just get off."
This was going to be a long day…
{Break}
(An hour later)
After their stop at the resort, as well as clearing up the misunderstanding to Brynn once they got out of the hotspring, though Maia didn't help with her teasing. Maia's group saddled up and continued their journey to Heilung Dorf, their last stop before reaching Geofu and meeting up with the rest of their group.
Archer heard from Maia and Brynn that the village resembled Grünes Bergdorf and that it was one of the many villages situated at Ken's borders. This one was popular as was a location where many healers would visit due to a special herb which had the ability to rapidly heal wounds when crushed into a paste-like consistency. Another reason for its popularity was for a local Inn run by a dark elf.
"And the people aren't forcing her to leave?" Archer asked Maia, who was riding alongside him.
Brynn was at the very back, refusing to ride anywhere close to either of them. She wasn't even capable of making a simple eye contact without her face flushing red!
Who was the one wearing highly revealing armor without shame and then suddenly getting all flustered from a simple misunderstanding!?
'Leave it, she'll get over it.' he thought.
With the war taking place with Olga's forces which consisted of beastmen, demons and dark elves, he expected Eostia to be filled with people harboring resentment against those races and causing problems for those that were just innocent people trying to live their lives.
"I'm not too sure about how things work there. But apparently, the leader of the village is betrothed with another elf, a Light Elf named Anna and she just happens to be in a good relationship with the Dark Elf, Grace. I even received some information about how the latter's husband died and she ended up inheriting it. She runs it quite well with the place being packed everyday. So I guess she's doing well for herself and this shows how the villagers don't hate her kind, which is quite rare I must admit."
Even Maia found the whole story to be quite unbelievable. Even back in Ken, she had to deal with discrimination against the Dark Elves and now that she found that an underground slavery market existed under her nose this entire time, it made her unsure about the actual state of her Kingdom. Before leaving, she asked her closest spies to find out who bought the last batch of slaves from Henry and how the late Count was acquiring all of these people in the first place. She planned to put an end to this, not hesitating to arrest even some of her former friends if it came down to it.
"Who knows, maybe I'll get to learn some things from the villagers there and how they managed to put aside their hate."
Archer thought the same, there was always something to learn at every corner of the world. If Maia wished to be a respectable and competent leader, she needed to open her eyes and always seek knowledge from any kind of source. And she needed to lay off the alcohol for a bit.
He also planned to continue with Brynn's training after reaching the village and check if she learned the lessons he taught her from before. The girl was already catching up with her stamina training, Celestine's blessing not only gave her strength and speed, but it also made her recover at a faster rate than the average human. There was an active stream of Magical Energy reaching Brynn and every single female around him, this once again made Archer wonder how she could maintain such a process for so long. Maybe she truly was a goddess and not just a powerful mage.
"Maia-sama!" one of the Knights behind shouted. "A group of cavalry is fast approaching us from the south!"
They all stopped, Maia brought out a brass spyglass from her bag and observed the incoming group.
Being an archer with the ability of Hawkeye vision when summoned under the same class. EMIYA could achieve the same effect by reinforcing his eyes and seeing as far as four kilometers away. And as expected, it was none other than Hicks and another man with glasses beside him with an entire group of Black Dog mercenaries behind them.
'So they have finally caught up.'
Another thing he noticed was the rather enraged look on Hicks, the man looked like he was about to explode at any moment.
As they closed the distance and came at viewing distance, Maia signaled them with a wave which Kin returned—but not Hicks.
His glare was locked onto Archer and no else.
"You!"
His horse accelerated as he rushed against the red bowman. With a sword in hand, raising the weapon like he was about to deliver an attack, much to everyone's surprise. Bloodlust rolled off of his being, with red swollen eyes glaring at him.
"I'm going to kill you!"
'Who doesn't?' Archer thought sarcastically, looking unbothered at the fastly approaching man.
"Oi, stop! What are you doing!?" Maia shouted, not expecting such a reaction from the Kuroinu vice leader. "Kin, do something!"
Unfortunately, the mage just shook his head, his partner had been in such a state since he found that his men were killed by the guy who regularly paid the girl he had his eye on. He could stop him if he wanted to, but Kin wanted to see how everything was going to turn out. Even the Knights on the side who were supposed to protect them remained unresponsive to the incoming threat, having decided that the only one they needed to protect being Maia alone and no one else.
Archer wondered if he could use this opportunity to kill Hicks in an act of self defense. The man certainly looked the furthest thing from rational at this point, if looks could kill he would already be a pile of ash. Was he really that angry at Henry's death? Most likely not, he guessed that Hicks must have found out about Bianca and her missing from Ken along her family. He made sure to ask Sol to keep the girl hidden when she left the Kingdom, not wanting any of his informants to accidentally see her departure and follow her.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Archer didn't have to make a decision.
Hicks was a few meters away, his sword glinting from the sunlight reflecting off of it. Bloodlust and killing intent oozing from the man.
"Die!"
Before he could attack, a fist soon found its way in front of his face and an armored leg crashed into his stomach.
Both Maia and Brynn came to his 'rescue'.
Crash!
The man was sent flying off of his horse with a trail of blood, spit and even a tooth in the air. His body hit the floor and skidded for a few meters before coming to a halt.
Archer couldn't help but crack a smile at the scene.
"What is wrong with you, Hicks!?"
"I will not allow you to hurt my teacher!"
Both girls shouted at the same time, glaring at the man that had tried to hurt Archer.
{Break}
-Grünes Bergdorf-
"Order number 40, pan fried halibut with a side of rice."
"Order number 51, an Archer special."
"Order number 66, same as before, and Archer special."
In the Emerald Inn, business was booming with establishment getting nearly hundreds of customers each day. Adventurers, mercenaries and even traders from nearby villages would travel to the place to get the chance to eat at the Inn. Apparently, the food was so great that it even put the high end restaurants in all of the seven kingdoms to shame. Not to mention that the owner who ran the Inn and who was also the main cook was a beautiful maiden who many tried to court but got rejected in the end.
Other people also came to see the newest addition.
A waitress who moved gracefully around the room, taking orders from the many love struck customers who couldn't keep their eyes off the fairy-like woman. With short black hair that reached her neck and wearing a dirndl, which consisted of a tight but light bodice hugging her chest, making her bossom pop out more. As well as a short emerald green skirt showing much of her thighs and the bounce of her behind, a blouse of similar color, and a white apron.
She just started working and already looked like she was having the time of her life. Chatting and laughing with the other customers, and flirting a bit to get them to pay a bit more.
"Wah! I'm so happy you decided to live here, Bianca-chan!"
One of the regular customers, Jint, cried out loud in glee. He had several tankards beside him, his face red from the alcohol.
"If you ever need anything, come up to me anytime, I'll fight a fucking orc if that's what you want!"
The crowd burst out laughing at the man's drunken state.
"Oi, didn't you say the same thing to Alice-chan?" said one of his drinking buddies.
"I'll fight the world for both of them!"
"Yeah!!!!!"
Everyone in the Inn cheered in unison, they would do anything to save their village's jewels. If some adventurers or mercenaries were to get a bit too close or forceful with either Alice or Bianca, Jint and his group would make sure to teach them a painful lesson before throwing them out of town.
"I love you too, Jint-san! Chu!" Bianca sent a small kiss in his direction, making the man nearly faint from a heart attack due to the cute gesture.
Walking to the kitchen, she peered inside to find a deadly focused Alice cutting vegetables at lightning speed while watching over a few pans on the fire. The speed and grace at which she operated mesmerized Bianca to no end. Even while wearing a large dress with a cloth tied around her head, Bianca couldn't help but admit that Alice possessed a certain charm to her. Not to mention that chest size which nearly doubled hers!
"Jint is going to pass out drunk again, boss!" she said.
"Just have his friends throw him in his room, he'll be up by tomorrow." Alice answered without hesitation, her stutter long gone. "And stop calling me boss, it's distracting."
Bianca came in the middle of the night, along with her father and mother at her doorstep. Alice wasn't used to having any visitors at such an hour, still, she invited them inside. After conversing a bit, she found out that Bianca was sent here by Archer to escape her past life and her pursuer.
She immediately agreed to keep Bianca and her family inside her Inn. With how much she was earning daily, Alice was prepared to expand a bit by adding more rooms to the place and constructing a bigger kitchen. But the former noble girl refused to live under the kind girl's care. Without returning the favor, she offered to help out with the customers and work as a waitress. Her father had decided to work on the fields, while her mother helped in cleaning the inn rooms.
It was going to be a challenge, especially for people who came from a wealthy background. Nevertheless, as long as they were happy, they would try and adjust themselves to any new environment.
"Order number 67, 68 and 69 are done! Have the people know that I'll be taking a 5 minute break." Alice dropped three plates filled with food on the counter before untying the head cloth, letting her hair free and wiping off any sweat on her face. Her white cotton dress was soaked with sweat from the heat of the kitchen, making it become transparent, and revealing her pink nipples as it clinged to her skin. She grabbed a hold of her clothes, and started to fan herself, wanting to get some fresh air. The action caused her breasts to bounce from her fanning, bouncing and jiggling in every which way, making Bianca stare for a moment.
"Got it, boss!"
Focusing back on her tasks, she grabbed the plates and left the area quickly with a cheeky smile, Bianca continued to serve the people of Grünes without the worry of having Hicks getting his hands on her anytime soon.
Alicia sighed, that girl was quite energetic for her first day on the job.
"I really need someone else to help me out in the kitchen. But no one has passed my tests so far and they care more about the pay than cooking."
For now, she could manage cooking by herself, with Bianca taking over Jint's sloppy job at taking orders, it made her life much easier. Alice didn't touch the money Archer gave her. She followed his instructions and traded most of them for silver coins with some help from the blacksmith and some of his trader friends. But she kept a single gold coin as a token, a piece to remind her of Archer whenever she would miss him.
Every night, the girl would sleep with both the dagger and coin near her bedside, as they helped her feel safe and comfortable.
Walking to her room, she grabbed the letter Bianca gave her, something Archer wrote for her.
He was going out on another adventure and hoped she was doing well. He asked her to keep an eye on Bianca and to not overwork herself like before. It also contained some of the newer recipes he never had the opportunity to teach her and a passage mentioning how he had an annoying girl asking him to be her teacher. Alice laughed at the notion that Archer kept meeting people who wanted to learn under him, maybe he was destined to become a great teacher instead of a mercenary mage.
She sighed again.
"I miss you Archer."
The girl hoped to meet him again.
There was so much she wanted to show him, how she became a better cook, how much more confident she has become as well as wanting him to praise her while patting her head, just like he did the day he left.
She prayed to Celestine that he would come by again one day—just to see him again.
--------------------------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 2 Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword having 3 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise and Snafu.