The Gamer Chapter 1600 – Minor Events (Patreon)


John clicked his tongue. He wasn’t a big fan of any of these three Perks. For one, he had been hoping to expand on the Favour system. More importantly, he still fundamentally disliked anything that gave him a flat relationship increase with people.

‘At least it’s a bunch of free Charisma,’ he thought and rubbed his chin. ‘Choice here is fairly easy.’

Voice of Charme and Voice of Seduction both had a similar issue, in that they helped John in ways he didn’t appreciate much. It could not be stressed enough how little he liked the flat bonus. To have that increased immensely when he was flirting gave him a leg up of the variety he did not appreciate.

Voice of Authority, flat bonus aside, was quite nice. Having the option to overpower everyone else in the room when he wanted to was almost mandatory to someone of his station. How else would he be able to pull off awe-inspiring moments where he commanded the attention of an entire hall of squabbling diplomats?

The choice was made.

‘2 more Negotiator Perks, 4 more Martial Artist Perks,’ he tracked.

__________________________________________________________________________

“Ready?” John asked.

“Ready and displeased,” Siena answered.

They dropped into the realm of shadows together. A swift and painless descent and an arrival simultaneously awe-inspiring and dull.

All the other elemental rulers they had visited thus far had been in new parts of their realms or at least parts of it that were interesting in one shape or another. Fade, however, greeted them in the same unfathomable darkness she always did.

The gorgeous, oldest elemental awaited them with hands folded in front of her. A strand of her white hair was settled across her face, many others stretched out into the darkness around her like the strings of a spiderweb. Greyish blue eyes met John and Siena, her lips spread in a sultry smile. As always, John felt the draw towards her. Fade was a grey-skinned beauty beyond any poet’s description, slender and graceful, invoking the feeling of gently flowing water even while she stood.

“Welcome, daughter mine,” Fade greeted them.

Siena put a hand on the opulent swing of her hips. John always found it interesting to see the two of them next to each other. Where Fade was every bit the picture of an alluring lady, Siena was just raw sexuality, when it came to their appearance. Whether graceful or outright erotic, both were of a look that invited sin, however, and both had voices that caressed his eardrums like silk.

“What do you want, Mother?”

“Nothing.” The Mother of Shadow opened her hands. “I have all I wanted already. Your contractor fulfilled my request a long time ago, did he not?”

“…You really want nothing else from us?” Siena asked.

“Oh, daughter mine,” Fade sighed and strode towards the shadow spirit. Siena just followed her mother’s approach, raising an eyebrow when she placed a hand on her cheek. “Ever stubborn!” The two words screeched like nails on chalkboard.

Energy flowed from the surrounding abyss, channelling through Fade’s fingers as they dug into Siena’s face. John wasn’t sure if skin was broken. The swirling, raw shadow stuff hid the scene from his sight. He did not intervene, feeling no pain from Siena, only discomfort.

Deep purple, the excess energy sprouted from Siena’s black hair. They took the shape of a pair of swung horns, before cooling down to the same pale, greyish blue that her skin had. As little a change as others before her, and another nudge in the direction of the look of a succubus. Not that John was displeased with that.

Fade pulled her hand back and shook her head. “You’re welcome to visit for tea whenever you desire,” she invited.

“…I’ll consider,” Siena answered, ever the non-committal daughter.

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“So what can ya do now?” Rave wondered, poking Siena’s new horns.

John had already inspected them quite thoroughly. They were thicker than most horns and their S-like shape had a softly ridged texture. They reminded John more of that of a Draenei from World of Warcraft than a standard succubus, but the rest of Siena’s looks tied that together.

“Useful parlour tricks,” Siena answered and extended a hand towards a nearby shadow. A thread of woven moonlight connected the darkness to her finger. When she tugged, the shadow stretched – and the gamer girl that cast it stumbled forwards.

Lee may have protested if she hadn’t landed face first in Siena’s bosom. The shadow spirit let out a sensuous, soft laugh, before showering the dark-haired woman with whispers and kisses.

Siena’s new powers were on the milder side, compared to what the others had gotten. Sylph had been granted ramping speed, Undine a variety of Lovecraftian manifestations of her emotions, Salamander a suit of sturdy armour and additional arms to wield an array of weapons, and Siena the capacity to manipulate the shape of the shadows around her, allowing her easier travel than before, alongside some mild utility for unprepared foes. The tug people experienced when their shadows moved was ultimately weak and the shadow would be drawn back swiftly when the body did not move.

Only the Mother of Earth was left now. They just had to wait for her to send for them.

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“I’ll admit, this is something I didn’t want to happen,” the Gamer told the dark-skinned maid across the table.

Ehtra had entered his office suddenly and without invitation. That was a bit disrespectful, but since she was one of the people that did not mind the sucking sounds from under the table, he could hardly say he cared. What he did find some annoyance with was the paperwork she had presented to him the moment she had entered.

The First of Hatred had entered the Crowning Party – Fusion’s pro-monarchy representatives. “I’m not surprised, just not what I wanted to happen,” he clarified, as he looked over the form.

“I’m giving you a chance to intervene,” Ehtra reminded him and leaned on the table. Her dangling cleavage almost distracted him from the emphasizing tap of her elegant finger at the bottom of the page. The membership form was all filled out, but it was not signed or handed in. In other words, she hadn’t actually joined yet, just made it very clear she intended to.

“You already know I won’t,” John told her with a groan.

“Was that sound because you’re annoyed or because you just came?” Ehtra asked drily.

“Yes,” the Gamer responded, releasing Eliana’s head a moment later. “Regardless, it’s not a good look for me if one of my direct associates joins a party I expressly disagree with. I don’t want to be king.”

Ehtra mockingly pushed air out of her nose. “I don’t even have to repeat those words to taste the lie.”

John chewed on the inside of his cheek, then shook his head. “You’re just trying to rile me up again.”

“I’m trying to make you think, chosen heir of Akkad, but that’s a topic for another day.” Ehtra scowled and dragged her hand back, taking the form with it. “I come with this to you, rather than just doing it, because I’m genuinely not certain if I should do this. You’re always so eager to spout your ‘wisdom’, so explain to me why it is that being affiliated with a faction at court is wrong these days?”

“Well, that depends on the political system and the weight you put on the word ‘wrong’. It’s improper for one of my own to be directly tied to a political party because I’m appointed by myself. I have to at least try to be impartial and party membership eliminates that impartialness.” John let out a long sigh. “But, you are not one of mine, in that sense. You’re not in my harem and you don’t directly work for me in any official capacity.”

“…If I wanted to change that, I’d have to leave the party at that point?”

“I would kindly ask that you do,” John confirmed.

Ehtra took another look at the form, then rolled her eyes. “At least ink is cheap in this age,” she stated, before folding the document and tearing it apart. She left it in the bin on her way out.

___________________________________________________________________________

“Master…” Aclysia softly purred.

The first maid was comfortable atop one of six massage tables lined up in the spa area of their living quarters. On them rested, in order of seniority, Aclysia, Beatrice, Momo, Claire, Delicia, and then Lee.

All six were covered in oil and all six had two pairs of hands working on them. The entire harem was buzzing around the maids to the tune of classical music, making sure their every need was met. Shoulders were rubbed and round butts kneaded like bread in need of gluten activation.

“Why do I deserve this?” Lee mumbled.

“Because we take maid-tenance very seriously,” John joked, to the groans of many.

“You’re not funny,” Delicia sassed him in a gooey tone.

Momo mumbled something agreeing, but the fairy maid had effectively melted into a fully relaxed pile of joy, lying on her chest, her face buried in the cut-out that every good massage table had for that specific purpose. Nathalia was still rolling the mind-melted maid’s glutes and Rave was right next to her ear, whispering sweet nothings.

The rest of the maids were in either the same state or approaching it. Despite the universal nudeness, there was nothing sexual in the air. Just service for the servants and focus thereon. None of them would be allowed to know stress for the next couple of hours.

That did mean that they had to back off eventually. Nothing more stressful for a true maid than an entire day without work.

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“Can I look yet?” Aclysia asked.

“Is the blindfold still around your eyes?” the Gamer asked. “Because if yes, then no.”

Aclysia let out a half-frustrated sigh, while many hands pushed and pulled her along. They had been walking for almost ten minutes now and all that time the first maid had needed to keep her mind to herself.

It wasn’t until they practically stood in front of their target that John started to undo the blindfold. “Now, I have to confess that I may have lied a little bit,” John told her. “This might be a bit more than a general servant appreciation day.” He lifted the loosened, black cloth and let Aclysia look at her present. “Happy birthday.”

In front of them was a private plane. A full on passenger machine, illuminated by the airstrip lights. Painted the standard white of airplanes, it was decorated in all ways that were reasonably safe. The emblem of Fusion was painted onto the tail fin, the turbines were given a black paint job, and other dark strips tastefully invoked the black-white colour scheme of the maid outfits John’s servants all wore.

Aclysia let out an excited little squeak. It was the most adorable sound from a woman like her. Rapidly, she ran up and down the air strip, to get a view of all the parts that went into the plane. Had it not been for her supernatural speed, she would have needed quite a while to get to all of the checks.

The first maid had gotten her flight permits a while ago. They had flown on rented planes at times since, but this was their own for good. “John!” Aclysia returned to her Master and pressed excited kisses on his mouth, chin, and cheeks. The rest of the harem were swiftly given similar treatment.

When he was given the opportunity to talk, John told her, “The plane is registered in your name. I thought you’d want a gift we can all profit from. This was the best I could think of.”

“I love it,” Aclysia assured him. “May I check the inside?” Her green eyes sparkled. She knew as well as he did that he would never forego the opportunity to customize beyond a paint job.

Being an absurdly rich Abyssal with regenerating access to all kinds of magical materials made the private plane an absolute monstrosity of decadence. The framework was inspired by the Boeing 747, one of the premiere wide-body aircrafts. Those planes were designed to hold about 500 people plus cargo. Downsizing that to 23 created a lot of space for facilities.

The private plane was practically an airborne hotel. There was a main room with reclining seats, a bar, a video game room, a living room, and a harem-worthy bed. All of those rooms were outfitted with dark wood and rich leather. The floor consisted of lacquered planks. Beyond those ‘public’ rooms, there was a kitchen with all of the equipment that Aclysia could need to store and prepare satisfying meals.

Beyond that, there were the three necessities: storage, cockpit, and engine. Their private plane was mundane at first appearance, but thoroughly magical in all other aspects. The turbines were fuelled by mana, the battery capacity worthy of the task of lifting such a hulk of alloys into the air. It would have been a fortune to maintain for other people, but John had the mana to spare. A Mobile Barrier generator had been installed for obvious reasons.

The cockpit came with a golem that could serve as the autopilot, allowing Aclysia to get out of her seat and perform her maidly duties should she want to do so. Whether the autopilot was strictly necessary when other maids with flight permits existed was neither here nor there.

Storage was more than enough for their desires and more – it could even hold the entirety of tribute for a foreign nation. Incidentally, that was exactly what had already been loaded up. “Might I ask of you to take me to the Mandate of Heaven, my Aclysia?” the Gamer asked.

“You may, my John,” Aclysia swooned, too busy gliding her hand over the pilot’s seat to shower him with yet more kisses. “I shall carry you on these Wings of Duty.”

Quite a good name for a plane.