Chapter 1
It's a pleasantly warm evening in the Phalloji Village. The occasional carriage rolls by the trail between the lively taverns and brothels illuminating the sleeping twilight dusk as the stars begin to shimmer above with the moon just peering beyond the horizon of Aphrodita Island.
Aphrodita Island is no center of malice or filth, as it used to be a long, long time ago. It is a fruitful island that is run by free-minded people who seek trade and clean business while also catering to mildly loose policies and interests. It was once a site for slave trading and smuggling, but it was reformed near up to a century ago when it was raided by several royal armies and renovated for proper settlement. Now it is a capital that is known for its festive, if not explicit, lifestyle of half of its population.
Ruciel huffs with a tinge of impatience as he leans on a beam of his favorite establishment: The Iron Cloud brothel. He is dressed in a deep purple silk shawl that just covers his chest and drapes over half of his back like a small cloak. His hand goes to idly scratch at his lithe side before adjusting the scant and elegant violet loincloth curtaining his pelvis and over his ample bottom. Secured on either one of his elbows is a billowy sleeve made of the violet sheen silk, reaching down to waft around his hands, his garments shining in the evening lights with his silver belt and medallion, besides the beautiful bracelets on his left wrist and right ankle. His hand then goes up and moves the silk hood off of his head, showing a lush field of dark hair streaked with blue color. His soft, plump lips frown idly from his thinly-shaven beard that covers his lower jaw and chin, his skin a tanned shade across his body.
On a night like this, especially on a day off from his studies in the academy, nothing would beat a night stay in the Iron Cloud with one of their beefy, horny harem men; he's certainly an all-round favorite regular at the place, and has even worked an occasional shift for extra coin.
Lately, however, Ruciel's parents have been particularly restrictive with his privileges of late. Ruciel's education in the field of Alchemy has been going very smoothly with his assignments being accomplished and completed. And when he is not amazing his professors at the institute with his academic prowess of the philosophical science, he is either working hard at his family's farm or traveling with his father to various locations of the island for important business transfers and arrangements. And every once in a while when Ruciel has a night to enjoy himself, he likes to spend it in Phalloji Village to indulge in some lewd debauchery before he goes back to his rigorous studies and sweltering work.
Not to mention that unfortunate incident a fortnight ago. Ruciel's mother and father have always praised him and nurtured his talents and progress, but you get caught in bed with ONE naked man in ONE morning, and all of a sudden you are 'jeopardizing your future for the depravity of this island's savage curse of lust and greed!'.
It was ONE time! And now Ruciel's mother has severely limited his stipend while his father is sending him on erratic and pointless errands to amend his mistake.
Well, they can limit his freedoms all they want, he's still not interested in pulling a pair of trousers and suffocating himself in a stuffy tunic while he wants for a delivery for his father. Ruciel's clothing is safely tucked into his knapsack while he shows the patrons and local whores what he's got to offer. Call it one last hurrah at teenage rebellion before graduation and setting off on his own.
"Where in the Gods' name is that delivery?" Ruciel frowns as he looks to his Time Shard -- a pendant resembling that of a small hourglass that fits in the palm of his hand. There are 8 and a half glowing blue sand-like diamonds in one side of the glass, and 3 and a half shining yellow sand diamonds in the other, with the half diamond dissembling into dust and flowing into the narrow opening in the middle and floating into a developing blue diamond -- thus, indicating that the time is now almost 9 hours after the noon from today.
"They were supposed to show up with the damn package 2 hours ago." Ruciel huffed as he waits. Not that he has enough coin to really do anything once this errand is complete, but he also doesn't have a curfew, and he's still not in the mood to go back home to give his parents the satisfaction that they still own him through systematic familial attachment. "Ugh... I have half a mind to just whore myself all night and make a huge bag of gold and silver just to spite them."
Of course, his father did specify that the delivery will be made at the River Thorn Inn, but most of the barmaids in that place are stuck-up bitches who really don't care for loiterers. Especially that acidic cunt, Felicia. Ruciel can't STAND that whore! She is arguably one of Aphrodita's most beautiful and graceful maidens. And she knows it, and exploits herself to a rather distasteful degree. She considers herself a very bitter rival to Ruciel and can't pass him by without shooting a sharp insult at him -- despite the fact that she is a professional harem girl, while Ruciel has a promising career in philosophical alchemy ahead of him in his studies and only comes to Phalloji Village to either hang out or work in one of the male taverns for coin or company. And if he were to go anywhere near the River Thorn right now while she's on a shift and he's in a bad state, he may very well just grab a scimitar from one of the customers and cut a bitch!
"This is a bloody waste of time." Ruciel frowns as he gets up from his post, "I'm just going to-"
"Ahhh hey there, beautiful..." Comes a new voice. Ruciel looks to the side and raises his eyebrows as he sees someone leaning his arm right next to him. A big, hulking man with thick, muscular arms looks down at the younger male. Tanned skin that testifies of many days aboard a ship, the man leers at Ruciel as he removes his hood covering short-cut brown hair, giving a smirk of admiration from his thick trimmed beard. This person is half-wearing a robe -- his left side his clothed, while his right side his exposed, showing Ruciel a nicely built arm to a hairy pec and half a big rotund gut. He can't help but glance down and see a hefty round package under his tight pants.
"Well hello there, sir..." Ruciel says with a grin as he leans his back onto the post.
"This is some very fine cloth you wear." The stranger says as he feels along one of those bell-bottom sleeves on Ruciel's arm, "Is this not from the Midnight Divinity Brothel?"
"Yes and no." Ruciel answered, "They were weaved from there, but I bought these myself. I do not cater to Midnight."
"You do not, hm?" The thick man chuckles, "That is a shame... Because midnight is the magic hour, is it not?"
"Well..." Ruciel smiles as he turns in his lean to face the man, "The night is young. And magic doesn't have a schedule."
"Aye... You have a point, boy. Allow me to introduce myself." He says as he nods,
"My name is Bruno."
"I am Ruciel."
"And might I tell you..." A hand goes to rub along Ruciel's side, "You are a very enchanting one..."
"Oh?" Ruciel can't stop smiling at this pot-bellied stud. As Bruno moves one of his arm, something shiny drops from one of his pouches on his belt.
"Ah-"
"Oh, let me get that." Ruciel squats down and gasps lightly as he reaches for the trinket. It appears to be a silver round arrowhead with small smooth gems encrusted along the round surface, dipping into a narrow neck with a crystal shard attached to it.
Ruciel's fingers wrapped around the item and stood back up. He gives a very naughty and knowing snicker at the big guy, "You carry one of these? Surely a man like you would prefer something a little bigger, am I wrong?"
"Heh heh... You do not know what that is, do you?"
"I know EXACTLY what this is." Ruciel laughs cutely, "The Iron Cloud sells a lot of them."
"None like this one." Bruno says as he plucks the toy from the teen.
"Yeah? And how so?" Ruciel asks skeptically.
