The next morning, Tierwyn greeted them with sunlight filtered through crystal-pane windows and the aroma of cinnamon, fire-roasted meat, and something sharp and citrusy that made Drathan's stomach growl.
The trio made their way through the upper merchant quarter, surrounded by the city's layered activity. Craftsmen barked orders. Mages bartered scrolls from floating carts. Wind-carried music from a lyre-player spilled down the cobblestones.
Their first stop: the blacksmith.
The forge hissed and rumbled as Seme handed over her sword for rune-cleaning. The blacksmith, a giant of a woman with brass-plated arms and heat-resistant goggles, nodded approvingly. "Dark Knight gear, eh? Haven't reforged one of these in a while."
Kenshin tried on a pair of lightweight greaves etched with storm glyphs. "These feel like cheating."
Drathan purchased throwing knives infused with Void-silk alloy—light as feathers but capable of phase penetration. "I love this damn city already."
Next came a stroll through the open markets. Smoke wafted from meat skewers sizzling over enchanted stones. Fruit vendors offered crisp, spongy green apples with sugar-crusted skins. One stall sold spice-dusted honey cakes that melted on the tongue like warm velvet.
"Bro," Kenshin mumbled through a mouthful, "what is this?"
Drathan nodded in delight. "Heaven. It's like biting into magic."
Seme, who had taken to chewing something akin to meat jerky laced with pepper oil, grimaced. "It's hot and I hate it, but I can't stop."
After wandering past potion merchants and scroll vendors, they entered the Chamber of Commerce—a vault-like structure overseen by armored accountants. They used it to cash in their Minotaur King loot, exchanging the monster's enchanted horns, molten heartstone, and fang-lined hide for a hefty purse of coin and guild credit.
They spent it immediately.
Down the southern rise of Tierwyn, nestled in a grove surrounded by soft-blooming trees, sat a six-room villa with obsidian-laced balconies, mana-lined windows, and seven acres of private land.
Drathan stared at the mansion as they signed the deed. The villa sprawled across a gently sloped hill, fronted by a mana-forged iron gate and flanked with rosevine-covered columns. Its obsidian-laced balconies gleamed with dusklight, and the roof tiles shimmered a deep blue-black under a passive enchantment that repelled heat and dust. The courtyard held a koi pond that glowed faintly under moonlight, and a two-story greenhouse sat beside a bathhouse enchanted to maintain a perfect temperature year-round.
The seven-acre property included a cobblestone training yard, three stables, and a crystal-warded perimeter wall. Six bedrooms with private bathing chambers lined the interior hall, each room decorated with elegant fixtures and tasteful furniture that clearly once belonged to nobility.
"I feel filthy rich and moderately aroused," Drathan muttered.
Seme snorted. "Let's see how long that lasts after upkeep and taxes.""I feel filthy rich and moderately aroused."
Seme snorted. "Let's see how long that lasts after upkeep and taxes."
They hired a guide from the guild's domestic registry—a woman named Mira. She was a hybrid: half-human, half snow-leopard beastkin. Standing just under six feet, Mira had a lean, athletic build and a tail tipped in white-black fluff. Her feline ears twitched atop her head, half-hidden under a loose hood. Her eyes were a sharp violet with slit pupils, and her skin bore subtle patterns of silver and ash fur around her shoulders and thighs.
She wore light leather armor with sapphire accents and a utility belt filled with scrolls, keys, and pouches. Her voice carried an effortless calm, and her movements were confident—like someone who knew exactly how much attention she drew, and how to use it.
"If you need combat aid, I'm serviceable. If you need a house managed, I'm excellent. If you need directions to a brothel—well, I probably already know where your brothers are going."
Seme exhaled slowly. "You're hired."—a brunette beastkin named Mira who had been a former scout and knew every alley, tavern, and shortcut in the city. She wore light armor and greeted them with a professional bow and a knowing smile.
"If you need combat aid, I'm serviceable. If you need a house managed, I'm excellent. If you need directions to a brothel—well, I probably already know where your brothers are going."
Seme exhaled slowly. "You're hired."
By evening, Drathan and Kenshin were gone.
The city's red lantern district, called Emberlane, glowed under the falling dusk. Perfumed smoke rolled from hanging censers, and music thumped gently from behind velvet-curtained doorways. Courtesans of every race and fashion leaned from balconies and laughed like they owned the night.
"Best investment we'll ever make," Kenshin said as two elves took him by the arms.
Drathan winked at a tall horned woman as he passed through the archway. "You know what they say—when in another world..."
The brothel they chose was nestled deep in the heart of Emberlane—a tiered pleasure house called Velvet Echo. Warm crimson curtains billowed from its arched balconies, and golden lanterns cast soft halos of light over the streets below. Inside, music from a three-piece band—harp, flute, and soft percussion—set a sultry tone while the scent of vanilla smoke and rosewater perfume clung to the air.
Roguish men drank and laughed at low tables, some arm-wrestling for wagers while others whispered into the ears of courtesans. Women in silks and lace moved between groups, their voices playful, their steps choreographed like dancers in an opera.
Drathan leaned back in a plush crimson seat, a goblet of fruit-laced wine in hand. A foxkin girl sat on the armrest beside him, tracing idle circles on his shoulder.
"So," she purred, "Void magic, huh? Sounds dangerous."
Drathan grinned. "Only if you ask nicely."
Kenshin sat across the room, mid-massage from twin high-elves, laughing as they argued over who got to braid his hair. "I'm never going back to Earth," he said dramatically, raising his cup.
Back at the villa, Seme sat alone on the veranda, sipping spiced wine and staring at the stars.
"I dealt with enough people for one day," he muttered to no one in particular.
Mira quietly swept behind him, lighting the courtyard lanterns with practiced ease. She didn't say a word, but her ears twitched with every sound beyond the trees.
The new chapter of their lives had begun—in gold, in laughter, and in the quiet moments between.
Tomorrow would bring more chaos.
Tonight, they lived. on the veranda, sipping spiced wine and staring at the stars.
"I dealt with enough people for one day," he muttered to no one in particular.
Mira quietly swept behind him, lighting the courtyard lanterns without a word.
The new chapter of their lives had begun—in gold, in laughter, and in the quiet moments between.
Tomorrow would bring more chaos.
Tonight, they lived.