Nidi was having a blast playing the game, completely forgetting the promise she'd made to Jennifer.
But once Roy escorted their souls out, Jennifer wasted no time holding Nidi to it.
"Now? What do you want to do?" Nidi asked warily.
Jennifer flashed a wicked grin. With her naturally striking features, that smile gave off serious villain vibes. "Hehe, just follow me upstairs, and you'll see!"
Ashley shot Nidi a sympathetic look, already guessing what Jennifer had in mind.
Roy had a hunch too and offered a word of caution. "Jennifer, don't go too far."
"I got it! Roy, give us half an hour before you come up!" Jennifer replied with a wink.
Roy shrugged and turned to Lilith. "You staying the night?"
Lilith shook her head. Yesterday's battle had left her thoroughly satisfied, at least for a few days. "Nah, Dorothy's in a rough spot right now. I can't leave her alone too long."
Roy nodded. A proper "battle" would take at least an hour or two, and Lilith didn't have that kind of time. "Alright, head back then."
Before leaving, Lilith gave Roy a lingering, passionate goodbye kiss.
Ashley's eyes gleamed mischievously as she spoke up. "I'm gonna go check on Jennifer and Nidi upstairs."
Roy needed to call Gerald about the game Among Ashes, so he let Ashley go ahead.
It was 1 a.m., and surprisingly, Gerald was still awake. The FEA's workload was clearly intense.
"Mr. Black, what's up?" Gerald asked.
Roy filled him in on the night's gaming session and the eerie events. Gerald's head practically spun.
"Mr. Black, thank God you played a leaked copy. If we'd found out on release day, this would've been a disaster!" Gerald said.
A global release would've made it a worldwide issue, and the FEA would've struggled to contain it. Some countries didn't exactly play nice with America, and it could've sparked a diplomatic mess.
"Mr. Orin, we don't know if other players with leaked copies have been affected. The FEA needs to track down the game's creators too," Roy pointed out.
Bloody Mary, the game's apparent antagonist, was a powerful spirit lord. Whether she was sealed into the game or entered it willingly was unclear.
"Mr. Black, I'll handle the follow-up. Oh, and about the wedding—the church is set up, and we've evacuated the townsfolk through various means," Gerald added.
The FEA's efficiency had really stepped up, setting up a church in just one day.
"Good. I'll send someone to set up some magical wards. Mr. Orin, we'll also need people to pose as wedding guests on the day," Roy said.
"Mr. Black, is this operation risky?"
"There's definitely risk. I can't predict what'll happen."
It was the truth. The Nether Archmage's abilities were too bizarre, his actions impossible to anticipate. No one knew how it'd play out.
Gerald sighed. "The clone unit's compromised, so I can only send a small team of FEA agents to play guests."
Ever since Paxton Fertel was exposed as being controlled, the FEA had lost trust in their clone unit and shelved it for safety, leaving them shorthanded again.
"Fewer people it is, then. Can't be helped," Roy said.
They hashed out the wedding day details, and time flew by.
When Roy hung up, nearly an hour had passed.
"Roy!" a voice called from the stairs.
He turned to see Ashley's head poking down from the second floor, a strange smile on her face. "Roy, you done with your call? Jennifer wants you to come up!"
"Just finished. I'm coming," Roy replied.
From Ashley's weird grin, he could tell Nidi was probably in for it.
Upstairs in the bedroom, Jennifer proudly showed off her handiwork.
Nidi was bound in an intricate Japanese-style rope setup, blindfolded, her figure and pale skin accentuated beautifully. She looked tense—losing sight meant she was down to hearing and smell, which was unsettling for most people.
Humans are visual creatures, relying on sight for about 80% of their information. Hearing, smell, and touch are just supporting players.
"Who—who's there?" Nidi asked nervously.
Jennifer, holding a feather, brushed it against Nidi's neck. "It's Roy, obviously. Who else?"
Nidi bit her lip, faint redness spreading across her neck from the ticklish sensation. Unable to scratch the itch with her hands bound, she squirmed uncomfortably.
Roy raised an eyebrow. "Jennifer, where'd you learn this?"
"Hehe, I picked it up after joining the Sisterhood!" Jennifer said proudly.
Roy hadn't expected Jennifer to actually learn techniques from the Sisterhood. He'd only jokingly considered joining the Serpent's Tail to pick up some skills himself, but he hadn't attended a single event since his initiation mishap. The group had been keeping a low profile, avoiding wild parties.
Nidi, meanwhile, was reaching her limit. "Jennifer, isn't this enough?"
"Enough? We're just getting started!" Jennifer teased.
"What? What else are you gonna do?"
"Make it so you can't hear either!"
Jennifer produced a pair of high-grade noise-canceling ear covers—the kind Roy used to see at the gun club, perfect for blocking out gunfire.
Once they were on, Nidi couldn't hear a thing, left only with the sound of her own heartbeat. Her tension skyrocketed.
From the gear, it was clear Jennifer had planned this. Even without the game, she'd have found an excuse to mess with Nidi.
Jennifer grinned at Roy. "Your turn!"
Roy's expression turned odd. He'd never played a game like this before. "Jennifer, this won't cause any problems, right?"
"Don't worry. Nidi gave me her safe word. If it's too much, she'll say it, and I'll stop. Plus, I'll hold her hand the whole time to sense how she's feeling."
Damn, she was playing for keeps!
With Jennifer's assurance, Roy reluctantly began to "disarm."
Nidi, deprived of sight and sound, became hypersensitive. The slightest touch elicited strong reactions, especially with Jennifer assisting with the feather.
It led to Nidi's swift and spectacular defeat—on a scale Roy found shocking, like the Angel Falls of collapses, more dramatic than the Amazon in flood season.
Roy had to ease up. Nidi was clearly "broken," unable to keep fighting, her expression dazed.
Jennifer, still eager, turned her sights on Ashley, who'd been watching. "Ashley, wanna give it a try?"
Ashley shook her head vigorously. Nidi looked happy, sure, but Ashley didn't like the idea of being controlled. Deep down, she was a rebel.
Jennifer's face fell with disappointment, but she pulled out another blindfold and ear covers, looking at Roy. "Roy, I want to try what Nidi felt. Can you help?"
"You sure about this, Jennifer?"
"My constitution's stronger than Nidi's. I should last longer."
Her curiosity was practically written on her face. Roy couldn't refuse such an eager student, so under her guidance, he completed the Asian-style rope work.
Deprived of sight, sound, and movement, Jennifer's breathing quickened. "I think I get how Nidi felt. This is wild!"
Roy gently lifted her. Despite her 1.8-meter height post-blood fusion, she felt light as a doll in his arms. "Ready, Jennifer?"
"I'm ready, Roy! Love me hard!"
Boom!
It was like a nuclear bomb went off in Jennifer's mind, obliterating her ability to think.
"Ah!" she gasped.
Jennifer's demon blood gave her a stronger constitution, but that didn't mean she could last longer.
Roy adjusted his approach based on his partner. With ordinary women, he was gentle to avoid harm. Some, like Madison and Maria, preferred it rough.
But with superhuman women, Roy brought out the big guns. So far, only Elizabeth and Athena could handle him at full throttle.
In the end, the fight duration was about the same regardless of the opponent's strength.
"R-Roy, I think I'm losing it!" Jennifer panted.
"Don't talk. Just feel," Roy said, silencing her with a kiss.
That was the final straw, sending the Nile into a raging flood.
After two battles, Roy was fine, but the bedsheets were a drowned mess, unusable.
He looked at Ashley. "Where do you want to fight?"
"How about the terrace?" Ashley suggested.
Having watched two rounds, Ashley was already losing control. She wasn't into bondage but was curious about an outdoor skirmish, hence the terrace idea.
Roy respected his partners' preferences, so he carried Ashley outside.
She was shy, keeping her top on but shedding her skirt.
At just 1.6 meters, Ashley was like a doll in the arms of 1.92-meter Roy. He set her on the railing, and the battle began.
"Mmph!" Ashley stifled her voice, not wanting to make a scene in the open.
This was Beverly Hills, celebrity central. Who knew if paparazzi were lurking?
But the more she suppressed, the stronger the rebound, like a coiled spring.
Soon, Ashley couldn't hold back, letting loose.
"Ashley, keep it down! You'll wake the neighbors!" Roy warned.
"I-I can't help it!" she gasped.
With no other choice, Roy covered her mouth. It helped a bit, but then she started licking his palm, which felt oddly ticklish.
In the end, Roy transferred his stored positive energy to Ashley, and she passed out, collapsing like jelly in his arms.
He carried her to a guest room, then freed Jennifer and Nidi from their bindings, moving them to another room.
The original bedroom was a flooded disaster, with water spreading across the floor—definitely not sleep-friendly.
The next morning, Roy woke up refreshed and drove to meet Lilith.
Setting up magical wards was Lilith's specialty, and Roy could assist.
But when he saw Dorothy, she was in clean clothes, freshly bathed, a far cry from her unlucky self.
"What's up? Did Dorothy's bad luck wear off?" Roy asked.
Lilith explained, "Not quite. Ms. Elizabeth used some special tricks to fool the misfortune, but it's temporary. It'll wear off in a day or two."
Roy's expression turned odd. "Ms. Elizabeth? Lilith, since when are you so chummy with Elizabeth?"
Lilith froze, realizing she hadn't told Roy about her connection with Elizabeth. She started to look nervous. "Little master, I just—"
"No need to explain. I can guess what kind of deal you two made," Roy said, glancing at her.
It was obvious: Lilith had discovered Elizabeth's existence and been subdued by her. Their power levels weren't even close—Lilith at her peak was a demon lord, while Elizabeth was a top-tier Hell Lord, one of the Upper Three.
Lilith had no leverage to negotiate with her.
"Little master, I'd never betray you. You can trust me completely!" Lilith insisted, placing Roy's hand on her chest as if to prove her sincerity.
To Dorothy, it just looked like flirting.
"Alright, enough, you two!" she snapped.
Dorothy (Matrix Reloaded still, Persephone at 40)