Chapter 88: Crimson Convergence
The crystal bell chimed beautifully in his skull cutting through the rhythmic rumbling of the carriage wheels to project a glowing pink text box right above the velvet cushions.
[Quest Issued: The Confined Carriage]
[Context: The fierce noble daughter is highly stressed about the diplomatic mission and her own weakened state. A true conqueror knows how to assert his dominance while providing the exact physical comfort his woman secretly desires.]
[Objective: Do not sit across from her. Sit directly beside her on the velvet bench, casually lift her booted legs across your muscular lap, and massage her calves while telling her the Emperor will undoubtedly bow to her beauty.]
[Reward: +10 Charisma, Skill ’Vibration Sense’, 300 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will suffer a localized magical affliction causing him to violently hiccup the overpowering scent of raw garlic for the next forty eight hours ruining his magnetic charm.]
Leon read the horrific penalty and instantly recognized that a garlic smelling carriage ride would permanently sabotage his progress.
He stood up from his designated seat on the opposite side of the cabin and smoothly crossed the small space utilizing his flawless balance to navigate the swaying carriage.
He sat down on the red velvet bench directly beside the startled noblewoman deliberately pressing his broad muscular thigh flush against hers.
Seraphina gasped softly and turned her head to issue a sharp reprimand but before she could speak Leon reached down and firmly grabbed her dark leather boots.
He casually lifted her long athletic legs and draped them comfortably across his lap.
"What in the Goddess’s name are you doing Leon?" Seraphina hissed softly her violet eyes widening in pure shock as a brilliant furious red flush rapidly conquered her pale cheeks.
Leon ignored her aristocratic outrage. He placed his large warm hands firmly over her leather clad calves and utilized a fraction of his passive Basic Caress skill.
He expertly kneaded the tense tight muscles hiding beneath the dark leather sending a highly concentrated spark of soothing warmth straight up her legs.
"You are carrying a massive amount of stress Lady Seraphina," Leon murmured in a deep resonant whisper that vibrated heavily over the rumbling carriage wheels.
He locked his dark magnetic eyes onto her dilated pupils offering a highly charming wicked smirk.
"You need to relax. The Solarian Emperor will undoubtedly bow the moment he sees your breathtaking beauty."
The sheer scandalous audacity of the compliment combined with the highly intimate physical massage short circuited her brilliant tactical mind.
Seraphina opened her mouth to threaten his life but the magical dexterity of his touch felt so incredibly euphoric that a soft breathy sigh escaped her lips instead.
Her strict posture melted backward against the velvet cushions actively surrendering to the overwhelming gravitational pull of his raw masculine dominance.
[Quest Completed Successfully!]
[Your breath remains wonderfully fresh and highly seductive.]
[Distributing Rewards: +10 Charisma, Skill ’Vibration Sense’ Acquired, 300 Shameless Points.]
A sudden intoxicating rush of heat flooded his facial features elevating his Charisma to an astronomical one hundred and five points.
The newly acquired Vibration Sense skill burned into his nervous system granting him the terrifying passive ability to detect minute physical tremors in the ground and the air perfectly alerting him to approaching dangers long before they became visible.
Leon continued the deep tissue massage for several miles enjoying the rare sight of the Silver Goddess looking incredibly relaxed and deeply vulnerable. However his peaceful domestic victory was violently interrupted when his new Vibration Sense screamed a frantic agonizing warning directly into his brain.
A massive subterranean tremor rapidly approached the dirt road directly beneath the path of their speeding carriage.
"Hold on!" Leon roared dropping her legs and throwing his massive body directly over hers shielding her from the impending impact.
The dirt road violently exploded upward in a towering geyser of shattered earth and pulverized rock sending the heavy enchanted carriage violently tumbling through the air.
The heavy enchanted carriage was violently flipped end over end like a discarded wooden toy.
The sheer kinetic force of the subterranean explosion shattered the reinforced axles and snapped the thick leather harnesses tethering the massive armored warhorses.
Leon utilized his staggering two hundred ad his massive Strength to firmly pin Seraphina against the velvet cushions absorbing the brutal concussive impacts with his broad muscular back. His invisible Kinetic Barrier hummed fiercely beneath his skin deflecting the jagged splinters of ironwood and shattered glass raining around them.
The carriage finally slammed heavily into the muddy embankment rolling twice before coming to a grinding chaotic halt on its side.
Leon let out a harsh ragged breath and carefully pushed himself up off the noble daughter. Seraphina was panting heavily her violet eyes wide with shock but miraculously she did not bear a single scratch. Her dark traveling tunic was merely dusted with dirt thanks entirely to his overwhelming physical shield.
"Stay inside the cabin," Leon commanded in a low chilling tone that promised imminent lethal violence.
He grabbed his colossal star iron greatsword from the floorboards and kicked the shattered wooden door clean off its heavy iron hinges sending the debris flying into the tall grass.
He climbed out of the ruined carriage and stepped onto the devastated dirt road.
The scene was a horrific chaotic massacre.
The estate guards who had been driving the carriage were lying motionless in the dirt their silver armor heavily scorched by volatile fire magic.
Blocking the highway roughly fifty yards ahead was a massive jagged barricade constructed from charred logs and overturned merchant wagons.
Standing in front of the makeshift barricade was a highly coordinated squad of Eclipse Syndicate assassins. There were easily a dozen men wearing dark reinforced robes holding glowing runic crossbows and heavy serrated axes.
They had utilized a powerful subterranean earth spell to detonate the road intending to casually slaughter the survivors of the crash.
Standing at the front of the mercenary formation was a towering hulking brute of a man wielding a massive glowing warhammer. The leader possessed a thick ragged beard and a face heavily scarred by years of brutal warfare.
He radiated a dense suffocating magical pressure indicating he was a seasoned Tier Four Master.