Across Eternity Bk. 07 Ch. 06

A Glimpse

"So, what do we do now? That was a real swing and a miss," said Daniel as the group walked through the streets of Duravound.

"Now we find an inn where we can rest up for a bit," replied Noah. "We didn't fail at the castle; we simply came away with information to use for a future attempt. Before we make our next move, we need to continue gathering information. I want to know more about this city and its people; about the complexities and details of the situation we find ourselves in. Let's get a proper lay of the land."

"Well, I say we splurge a little. That last inn was like a sleepover in someone's basement," Daniel said.

"Spoken by the guy who doesn't pay for anything," Noah reminded.

"You use Shannon to make diamonds out of dirt and throw them around like candy. Hell, I'll buy whatever parchment and ink you need, and you can make a gem the size of a dragon's nuts so we can stay somewhere nice for a while."

"I know a good place we can go, if it's still open," said Valia.

Following her, they arrived at the most expensive and extravagant inn in the city, the Gilded Jewelry Box. It was one of the largest buildings, with everything kept immaculately clean and featuring luxurious art, carpeting, furniture, and other decorative elements. The dwarven maids wore pressed dresses and outfits, while the butlers sported meticulously braided beards and mustaches. The managers were hesitant to accommodate Noah's party, considering the current state of the country, but the flash of his gems and the sound of their scattering on the front desk changed their minds.

Noah got a room with Valia and Shannon, Alexis with Sophia, Daniel with Cyrilo, and due to capacity constraints, Seraph and Foley were sharing a double room. Each room was as exquisitely decorated as the rest of the inn, displaying paintings, statues, glasswork, decadent chandeliers, and other art pieces. They also had shelves of books, fully stocked liquor cabinets, and bathrooms with full amenities. They had a whole corridor to themselves, and everyone was eager to stretch out on their full-sized beds with their doors open, but Noah had yet to settle in.

"You all relax. I need to go do my usual walkaround and make sure everything is safe."

"I'll join you," said Cyrilo. "It's been ages since I visited Duravound, and I'm eager to do some shopping."

"Shall I come along?" Shannon asked.

"I worry that if you do, Cyrilo will use you as a packhorse and justify buying a ton of stuff we don't need."

"He's right. I will."

"You two play nice, but not too nice," Daniel groaned, lying face down on his bed and already half asleep.

They left the inn and began walking the streets of Duravound.

"Now, Noah, if I start going crazy with my purchases, you have my permission to pull me back to the inn by the scruff of my neck like a wayward kitten," Cyrilo said, her feline ears already twitching in excitement.

"Just so long as you understand that whatever you buy, you carry back."

"You'd really force a young lady like me to carry all her things without so much as offering your gentlemanly hand?"

"You really think calling yourself a young lady will convince me? You have your own knight ring. Mine is not yours to use as a shopping cart."

They wandered the city, taking in the sights. Duravound was a bustling metropolis, with gems and precious metals changing hands every second, both as a currency and a product. The dwarves had a deep love for the earth and Terranora, despite having fewer users of earth magic than humans. While walking, Noah and Cyrilo continued to receive curious and wary glances, but no outright hostility. Still, Noah didn't slack off in planning escape routes and noting points of tactical interest.

Unfortunately, Cyrilo's shopping took up a lot of his attention. Though they were technically traveling and had to pack light, she couldn't shake the mindset that she was looking for pieces to furnish her next Knight's Sheath. The way she kept pulling him aside to get his input on carpets and curtains, one might think they were newlyweds who just bought a new house. Noah had played the role so many times that it was difficult not to slip into it on Pavlovian instinct. He didn't grab her by the scruff of her neck, but he had to pull her away from many stalls.

"Oh gods. If I still had it, I know the PERFECT table to set this on," said Cyrilo, examining a vase in what could be described as a medieval Pottery Barn.

As she spoke with the shopkeeper, Noah's eyes and mind wandered, looking over the various shelves of home and cooking wares, none of which would suit well on their journey. His eyes fell upon a silver serving tray, perfectly polished to a mirror finish. He picked it up and examined it, and as he stared at his reflection, an idea began to form, one that made his pulse skyrocket.

"Excuse me," he said, interrupting Cyrilo and the shopkeeper. "Do you have any more silver pieces like this? Silver with a strong magical flux?"

The dwarf perked at the question. "No, I'm afraid not. I just sell normal housewares, not--"

"Do you know anyone who would have it? I need powerful, holy silver."

"Uhh, Kraven, in the northern district. He sells such metals directly to the temples, but I'm not sure--"

"Thank you. Cyrilo, let's go."

"Hey, easy!" Cyrilo argued as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the shop. "What do you want silver for?"

"Tell me, do you have any Moon Tears? The stuff you managed to salvage from the wreckage of the Knight's Sheath, did it include that bottle of Moon Tears you used to see if I could wield shamanism?" he asked, continuing to guide her down the street.

"What, no! Let go of me!" she exclaimed, pulling her wrist free of his grip.

"Then we'll have to check with the local apothecaries. It's a long shot, but maybe they might have some. Let's go."

"Noah, will you tell me what's going on?"

Noah paused and looked around. "Come on, out of the street." They ducked into an alley where they could speak in private.

"Remember what I told you about the Lunar Temple in Sylphtoria? About how I communed with the spirits of nature?"

"Of course. What of it?"

"There was an ancient mirror there that was used to see the spirits, using holy silver and fresh Moon Tears."

"And you want to make one yourself? To speak with the spirits again?"

"Close. You've seen my magic, but no matter how strong I get, or how my magic grows and evolves, I can't manifest a circle to find the key rune, even when it's active. Elisandra told me that such a powerful mirror was the only way the spirits could see their reflection. If it can do that, maybe it can show me my own reflection when my magic is active. The rune has been there all along, and simply haven't been able to see it."

Cyrilo's eyes lit up with the excitement and curiosity of a researcher. "Well then, let's go!"

They hustled through the city, following directions from the locals to find the dwarf known as Kraven. He operated a shop near the mine, and though it wasn't as powerful as the silver from the Lunar Temple mirror, Noah was able to buy a piece with a decent holy charge, as well as some enchanted glass. Finding Moon Tears proved far more difficult. The dwarves and elves had not engaged in a trade in quite a long while, and though the Lunar Temple was not the only source of Moon Tears in Sylphtoria, they did not give out the substance lightly.

At the very last apothecary in the city, in the very back room, on the dustiest shelf, they found a small bottle so old that the label had almost disintegrated. The tears had turned to dust ages ago, but they still had the same beautiful silver color as the freshest drops from the Lunar Temple. They hurried back to the inn, working in Cyrilo and Daniel's room while he continued to nap nearby. Using alchemy, they flattened the silver and glass into two perfectly smooth planes and pressed them together, with a layer of the dry Moon Tears between them, mixed with water.

The results seemed promising. Even with the film of Moon Tears, they had produced a mirror showing their reflections with perfect clarity, and more than that, they could soon detect the ambient mana in the air swirling around it like a vortex. When they looked directly into the mirror, both of them experienced a sense of vertigo. It felt like all the mana swirling around the mirror was being pumped through their mind's eye with painful intensity, like the mirror wasn't simply showing them the world, but forcing them to see more of it than they were supposed to. Noah remembered Elisandra warning that to look at oneself in such a mirror could cause madness, and he could understand why. He would have to be careful with how long he used it.

"Ok, here goes nothing," said Noah. He activated his magic and seemingly vanished into thin air, but his reflection still appeared in the mirror. Noah picked it up and could see himself shrouded in mana, surging from him like flames. To Cyrilo, it looked like the mirror was floating in midair, but by stepping behind Noah, she could see his reflection.

"I think I see something," he said. It was there, in his eyes, the rune imprinted on his iris with what appeared to be a magic circle etched into his sclera. However, the image was too blurred for him to see the rune clearly. He tried to look closer, but the more he focused, the more painful the effects of the mirror became, making him feel as though he was staring straight at the sun.

"Noah, that's enough!" Cyrilo exclaimed.

"Almost... there," Noah grunted, trying to endure.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to think, as if the mirror was reflecting his very thoughts and then shooting them back into his brain, where they would collide with the originals and shatter. It was a unique pain he had never experienced before, something that, in itself, was a rare experience. His eyes were almost touching the glass, but he still could not see the rune clearly. Finally, Cyrilo snatched the mirror away, and Noah collapsed, his spell coming undone.

"It was there. I was so close. It was just too blurry. Let me try again, this time with my other spell."

"First, let's have Sophia do some work on you. Your eyes look like they're about to start bleeding."

They called in Sophia and explained what was going on. She shared Cyrilo's concern and pumped as much healing magic into Noah as she could.

"You can be really reckless at times, you know?" she asked, cupping his cheeks as he rested his eyes.

"A bad habit. Sometimes I'm patient as a stone, and other times, I'm ready to start lighting fires to get my way."

"That just means you're still human. Ok, you should be good to go. Just, please, be careful."

"Thank you."

Sophia stepped aside, and Noah once more handled the mirror. This time, he activated his clone magic and gazed at his reflection. Once again, he could see himself wrapped in mana, as well as the smudged beginnings of a rune in his eyes, but no matter how hard he looked or at what angle he tried, he could not get a clear image and was finally forced to give up. After resting once more, he activated both spells at once, yet the mirror still showed him the same blurred reflection.

"It's not working. The mirror just isn't strong enough."

"Considering how those Moon Tears are probably older than I am, I'm surprised that mirror worked as well as it did," said Cyrilo.

"I'm sorry, Noah," said Sophia, clutching the sides of his head and healing his eyes.

"It's ok. The mirror may have failed to reveal the rune to me, but it succeeded as a proof of concept. This just means I need a stronger mirror and fresh Moon Tears. I need the mirror at the Lunar Temple."

"Do you plan on lassoing a wild wyvern and flying it to Sylphtoria?" Cyrilo asked.

"Don't need one. Have you forgotten? I can be in two places at once. Thank you, both of you."

Noah left and returned to his room, where Shannon was lying in bed, wrapped in towels and reading a book while waiting for her hair to dry.

"Oh, My Lord! How was your trip?" she asked.

"Excellent. I discovered a clue to help me further cultivate my magic. It seems you've discovered the joys of dwarven bathing."

Shannon rolled her head back and sighed in bliss. "There is something in the bathroom called a shower that pours hot rain, and it feels amazing. They also have these fancy soaps and oils that are even better than yours. I don't think I've ever been this clean in my life. I actually dread getting dirty again because I don't want to lose this sensation. Lady Valia is enjoying herself in there at the moment."

"Oh, then I think I'll join her."

Noah stepped into the luxurious bathroom and smiled at the sight of Valia standing in the shower, the hot water running down her ebony body. As he removed his clothes, she noticed him, and a grin spread across her own face.

"I was wondering when you'd get back. Perfect timing."

Noah stepped into the shower, but instead of joining her under the spray, he sat down on a small bench. "I've figured out how to find the rune for my magic. I need to use the mirror at the Lunar Temple. If my harkonen orb is placed there and I astral project on the night of a full moon, I may be able to see the rune."

"Interesting. It does make sense that that's how you'd be able to see it."

"I'm cursing myself for not thinking of it when we were there."

"Well, you, me, and Elisandra were preoccupied with... other things. Are you going to join me in those other things or not?"

"In a minute. Right now, I'm just enjoying the view."

"You like what you see?" she asked, spinning around so he could take in every angle of her beauty.

"Very much so."

"Well, it's all for you."

She then turned around and bent over to retrieve some soap on a low shelf, then paused as she felt Noah grab her ass. Round, toned, and beautiful, he massaged her glutes with reverence. She leaned against the wall with her arms outstretched, the muscles in her back expanding and contracting in pleasure as Noah kneaded her ass like dough.

She shivered in bliss, and her pointed ears twitched as he started playing with her pussy with his thumb, toying with the plump lips before sliding into her. While his thumb stirred around inside her, he tickled her clit with his index finger, making her pant and whimper. Feeling a little bold, Noah pulled his thumb out of her pussy and slid it into her asshole, causing her to tense up.

"I didn't say you could do that," she grunted.

"You said it's all for me. Are you telling me to stop?" he asked, continuing to swirl his thumb around in her anus.

She didn't answer immediately. "No," she finally gasped.

Noah began moving his thumb with more intensity, reaching deeper and pressing against all the walls. She was incredibly tight, but that would soon change. He soon replaced his thumb with his index and middle finger, sliding them back and forth in her ring with Valia whimpering in bliss. She was leaning down further and further as he played with her ass, losing the strength to remain upright.

Again, Noah upped the intensity of his movements, his fingers thrusting back and forth in her ever-loosening anus. At the same time, he reached up with his other hand and continued playing with her pussy, rubbing his fingers together with a thin layer of flesh between them. Valia's body began to tremble, and her whimpering became a moan that Noah knew very well.

He went fully on the attack, rapidly finger-blasting both orifices until Valia had a screaming orgasm. If not for Noah shrouding them in his mana, everyone in the inn would have heard her sinful voice. Valia was left barely able to stand, clutching a shelf on the shower stall for dear life. It felt like she'd collapse at any moment, but Noah was far from done with her. He kneeled down and buried his face in her elven ass, his tongue exploring her recesses and taking in her sweetness.

The shower above continued to hammer her back with hot water, letting it run through her silver hair and down onto him like a waterslide. With her legs feeling like jelly, the weight of the water was almost more than she could bear, making her feel like she'd crumple beneath the spray like she was made of tissue paper, and Noah's burrowing tongue was sapping her strength.

While he used his tongue to gauge her tightness and prepare her for the next stage, he gave her pussy a third pleasure bombardment, with her clit receiving extra attention. Her second orgasm came even faster than the first, leaving her struggling to remain standing, but Noah wouldn't give her any time to rest. He stood up and joined her within the hot spray, first applying some scented oil to use as a lubricant.

"There's no other man I would let do this," she panted.

"I know, which is why I am going to be exceptionally thorough."

She spread her cheeks, and he pressed the head of his cock against her ring. They both grunted as he penetrated her, Valia doing her best not to clench as Noah withstood her tightness. He had taken plenty of anal virginities in his time, and that first shove was always brutal, but the oil did its job beautifully, and he was soon buried in her ass up to the base. Valia was breathing heavily, feeling like his cock was filling up her torso and crushing all of her organs, but she could not deny the pleasure.

Noah pulled back out of her, all but the last inch, and then drove back in, forcing a guttural moan out of her throat. He was careful with how he built up his speed, but build it, he did, with the majestic dark elf struggling to endure the mind-crushing intensity. His hands on her shoulders, Noah was soon hammering her at full speed, with Valia moaning in pleasure as she was sodomized. Of course, there was some pain involved, but she relished it almost masochistically as Noah used his cock to beat the tightness out of her ass and force her muscles into submission.

"Oh gods, that feels so good! Why did we wait so long to do this?" Valia moaned.

He took just as much pleasure in the act. When it came to sex, he found that elves made the best partners, ranking just above succubi. There was just something about their bodies that felt so much more accommodating, like his cock was being luxuriously pampered. Tight though it was, Valia's ass was no different, lovingly massaging him with its soft inner flesh and losing more and more friction.

The scented oil he used before was washing away, but he still slid back and forth with growing ease. Plus, there was the sense of accomplishment he felt, having succeeded in fully ravishing a member of the elven race, especially one of its two most beautiful members. He hadn't felt this kind of pride since his first threesome with Valia and Elisandra at the Lunar Temple.

He wanted to keep going, but Valia's third orgasm took the last of her strength, and she went limp. Still, Noah wasn't done with her, and he grabbed her before she could collapse. Without pulling out, he picked Valia up, his hands under her knees and her back pressed to his chest. He turned off the shower with a kick and carried her out to the bedroom, all while continuing to fuck Valia.

"Shannon, you're needed."

Seeing them, Shannon immediately discarded her book and towels and knelt on the floor before them. From that position, she had the perfect view, and when she realized where Noah's cock was going, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"No, Shannon, don't look," Valia whined.

Considering the intimate nature of their relationship, she realized how strange it felt to say. Still, at the moment, she couldn't help but feel shame when she looked into Shannon's wide eyes and saw her own reflection as she was being sodomized in Noah's arms. He was pumping her fast and hard, her breasts shaking as his cock rampaged in her asshole.