Marcus walked down the road to Mihr Jhel in the morning sun. For the hundredth time his hand moved to his chest and to the small case in his jacket pocket. He was nervous and excited at the same time. He had spent his second day in Berlin hunting down a gift for Azaa and he was confident she would like it. He was less confident in his ability to say the words without falling apart. Marcus sighed and the man next to him took it as a sign to break the silence.

"It really is a beautiful area. Vibrant, lush and mild. I could see myself living here." Rian said. Marcus turned his head and smiled. "Let's start with a visit before you already draw up plans to build a home. It was hard enough to get permission for you to visit the city. Don't forget you are now on a cultural exchange mission for the UN," Marcus said, with a grin on his face. The smaller man laughed and readjusted his gigantic backpack. From Marcus' point of view Rian had brought half his laboratory on his visit and he couldn't blame him. Since the moment he had told Rian two ginghi master Alchemists wanted to meet him, he had nothing else on his mind.

"Thank you for walking the road with me instead of driving," Rian said, after a moment and Marcus smiled. "I enjoy the scenery too. Most times I walk this road instead of using a car or truck. It also gives Azaa time to get everything prepared," Marcus said, and Rian gave him a look, but said nothing. They walked for another half an hour without much talking, it was a relaxing silence. As they closed in on the large gates of the city, they could see several people waiting for them. Azaa, Pin, Tokk and two ginghi women Marcus didn't know.

Marcus greeted the ginghi in their own tongue, Azaa smiled and kissed him as a greeting. She was, as always, stunning and Marcus had to force himself to focus on the matter at hand. "Pin, Tokk, this is my friend Rian. He is the Alchemist of my clan," Marcus introduced Rian, and one of the unknown women started to translate. Rian also introduced himself and the two Alchemists quickly took him into their care.

Before Marcus could say goodbye, Rian was already walking away with the Alchemists and the translators. "I have never seen Rian this absorbed before," Marcus said, watching Rian talk and gesture heavily. "I think they will learn a lot from each other. Thank you for fulfilling the request of those two," Azaa said, and turned Marcus' head to her, so she could kiss him again.

They walked hand in hand back to her home and Marcus greeted the many ginghi who recognized him along the way. "I feel like people are even more welcoming to me lately. Healing your father really made an impact," Marcus said, and Azaa nodded. "That is true, but that isn't all of it. You are now recognized as a warrior by my people," she said, and Marcus blinked, not sure what that meant.

"Those who take the burden start out as trainees and stay like that for many years," Azaa explained, as they reached her home and she offered him entrance. "To become a warrior you need to prove yourself. There are different methods, but one is to slay a monster of a certain power level in single combat," Azaa explained, and took his bag from his hands. "The Huba!" Marcus suddenly exclaimed. "Yes, my father tricked you into proving your value without you knowing. Shen is more crafty than you think," Azaa said, and started to kiss his neck and to pull on his shirt.

Marcus took a deep breath and gently moved her away from him. He looked into her eyes and gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "Azaa, there is something important I wish to tell you," Marcus said. Azaa tilted her head and waited for him to continue. Marcus had practiced the words a few times, but he still felt like his legs were giving out on him. "You are my happiness and my hope," he started. and his mouth turned dry, but he pushed on. "Azaa, with your permission, I would like to court you." he said. and his voice was wavering as nervousness was mounting inside of him.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Azaa's eyes widened, her mouth opened and turned into a bright smile "YES!" She exclaimed, and threw her arms around his neck. Marcus held her tightly and she held on to him laughing with joy. "It isn't strange or unnecessary for me to say it?" Marcus whispered, and Azaa pulled back and shook her head. "Hearing this from you fills me with joy. To know, you wish to pursue the bond with me, on your own initiative… it means the world to me," she said, and more kissing followed.

Things quickly heated up, but Marcus wasn't done yet and for the second time he gently freed himself from Azaa and took out the small box. As soon as Azaa saw the box she froze and her eyes focused on the small object. Marcus opened it and presented her his gift. Azaa glowed as Marcus lifted the necklace out of the box and let Azaa behold it in the bright sunlight.

The silver chain ended in a beautiful silver amulet. It was made up from thinly weaved silver strands, creating a softly curved, elongated frame. Inside the silver frame was a large marquise shaped ruby. It was an artistic masterpiece made by an Earth Blood and cost a fortune, even though it wasn't enchanted. Azaa was speechless and Marcus gently put the necklace around her neck. Tears of joy filled her eyes and Marcus lifted her up and carried her to the bed, where they would stay for hours.

After a lot of exertion, two bodies had finally come to a rest, and cuddled in the midst of torn clothes and bed sheets. "How is young Fin doing?" Azaa asked, while she was gently touching the finely crafted silver amulet around her neck. Marcus stroked through her hair and enjoyed the pleasure in her eyes before he answered, "Great. The rookies just returned yesterday from their first mission and he got to level 4. There were more monsters than expected and they were also rather dangerous. One of his comrades got jumped on a patrol and received a deep cut on his leg. Fin used his Shadow Mass to cover the wound until first aid could arrive. After this encounter, he is more motivated than ever." Marcus said and Azaa nodded.

"And your Eshfa decoding device?" Azaa continued to ask, while Marcus enjoyed the view of the ruby between her naked breasts. "We have finally finished the hardware, next step is the reprogramming. Xeen said we might be able to finish it before we go on the raid," he said, and Azaa lifted her head up as she heard that.

"Raid?" She whispered, and Marcus nodded. "It is more than time. Alistair has invited us to discuss a 'promising lead'. I don't know the specifics yet, but as it is Alistair, I expect it will be worthwhile," Marcus said, and Azaa took a deep breath. "It can't be helped, you need to grow stronger. But you will be careful! Your life no longer belongs just to you. You have promised it to me," Azaa said, and tipped against the piece of jewelry on her chest.

Marcus enjoyed the beautiful sight in front of him and the expensive jewelry sparked a thought, "That reminds me. I have acquired something new too," he said, and got out of bed, to the dismay of Azaa. He searched for some clothes that Azaa hadn't torn apart and vanished down the stairs for a minute. When he came back he presented Azaa his new bracers, "Pain numbing bracers. They will help me to reduce mental fatigue and to keep a clear head in tough fights." Azaa inspected the enchanted items and gave him a cool look, "I see. Please don't take this as an encouragement to fight recklessly." Marcus nodded with a somber look on his face. "The Artificer who created this, Vivian Shan, wishes to make contact with your people. I told her I would talk with you about it…," Marcus said, and Azaa was instantly sitting upright.

"Do you think this person is trustworthy?" Azaa asked, and Marcus sat down next to her, thinking for a moment. "I am not 100% sure yet, but she is the only independent Artificer on Earth. There really is no realistic alternative and I think she wants to create a business relationship with your people," Marcus explained and Azaa smiled. "That is a great opportunity for us. I will discuss this with my father and the Elders," she said.

"Xeen has also started to educate Vivian, although she doesn't know it yet. We are waiting to see if she is able to follow his cryptic instructions. If things go well, then the skill level of human Artificers will rise in the next years," Marcus said, and surprised Azaa again. "Ancestor Xeen is sharing his wisdom? He must have great hopes for her then," Azaa theorized, but Marcus laughed. "More like, he can't stand how basic human Artificers are right now. It causes his soul to scream in agony. Believe me, I have heard it," he said, and now she laughed. "How long will you stay?" Azaa suddenly asked. "Three days in total, then I need to go back, because we will meet with Alistair." His answer only barely satisfied her.

"Good, then let's eat something and then your language training is waiting for you. I have found another simple children's book you can start reading." And from one moment to the next, Azaa turned into the strict teacher again. Marcus moaned, but from experience he knew that there was no getting out of this. Once Azaa had started something, she saw it through to the end.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.