William found himself utterly rendered speechless by the sudden, unannounced arrival of Karlach within his inner world. It wasn't until she burst into view and threw her arms around his neck, her gaze intense and filled with an affection that felt far beyond the capabilities of any of the copies he could summon.
"Karlach... How in the name of all the infernal gods did you manage to get here?" he muttered, as he held her close, the searing heat of her blazing hot infernal heart beating against his chest more than anything else served to confirm her true presence within his realm.
Karlach pressed her face into William's chest, her face flushed with emotions that caused his eyes to soften, no longer feeling as if this was some sort of trick of his mind.
"William, I'm really struggling to comprehend what's happening here. What is this place? I was using your body as a pillow just moments ago, but then suddenly, I felt this incredible force pulling me through space, and I was powerless to stop it. It felt like there was a hand holding me, a hand I knew I could never escape."
William pondered this for a few moments that felt like an eternity, but could not for the life of him understand what had truly occurred.
He mumbled something, then paused before starting again, "Welcome to my inner world," he began, "with an open bar, of course!"
Recognizing that Karlach was likely still a little hesitant, he opted for a lighthearted joke, and it seems to have had the desired effect.
Her expression quickly transitioned from a genuine smile of relief at seeing him to a radiant, almost childlike joy as she embraced the prospect of venturing into this new, exciting land.
William focused intensely, his mental energy and magic encapsulating the entirety of his realm and as he reached forward physically, the world around him seemed to react in kind, under the gesture of the mystical energies at his command the world seemed to listen.
From the depths of the ground, pitch-black stones began to emerge, their jagged edges slowly morphing into the solid, rectangular shape of stone blocks.
These blocks then settled back down, causing the ground beneath them to collapse inward, creating a deep foundation upon which he proceeded to replicate the very same process, starting with the surrounding trees.
The trees floated above them like a flock of long-necked birds, as they flew over to the foundation.
They began to shed their burned and twisted bark in order to transform into perfect planks of wood that settled into perfect positions over the foundation.
More stones continued to erupt from the ground forming thick pillars of stone that began to give the building a set of incredibly thick bones.
In a few minutes that felt like hours, a small fortress was created, its appearance a stark contrast to the devastatingly hellish landscape.
"Karlach would you like to come inside?"
"William... This place is yours, truly, wait does that make you a king?" She suddenly gasped, her face a picture of surprise and delight, "Does that make me a queen?"
Her eyes sparkled like an endless expanse of stars all inside a bright red and orange nebula.
William could never truly imagine denying her this, as she was so beautiful when she was happy, and he had become ever knowing of his weakness for her brilliant smile!
He reached out and gently held her hands to his chest, his intention being for her to feel the rhythm of his own heartbeat, "Karlach," he said, his voice filled with sincere affection, "You have always been my queen."
Karlach's face seemed to brighten until her red skin neared the color of pink, the infernal contraption in her chest that replaced her heart beat like a drumroll, and her eyes burned with an intensity nearing that of a star.
The two walked into the newly created fortress, the gates made of incredibly thick wood parting before them as if under strict command not to interfere with their masters' path.
Stepping inside the fortress, they were greeted by an environment that was both incredibly opulent and undeniably imposing; the rug they walked across was a warm, deep orange hue, woven with intricate purple patterns that seemed to shimmer and shift in the dim light.
Karlach's eyes lit up with a spark of interest, her gaze immediately drawn to what seemed to be a nearby bar.
There, on the bar, stood a collection of increasingly impressive-looking alcoholic beverages, each one more tempting than the last.
Her gaze landed on a bottle of Baldur's Grape, and she immediately began to drool, her eyes lighting up with recognition.
She knew this was her favorite alcoholic beverage in the world.
William watched as Karlach dashed towards the bottle and grabbed what in William's perspective was akin to a sakazuki from Japan and began pouring a proportional amount of the incredibly red wine into its rather shallow depths.
Karlach approached William, her right hand firmly holding the bottle of wine and her left hand holding the cup, her movements subtly accentuating the curves of her body as she walked.
William watched as her face neared his, her mouth holding the Japanese cup, the wine sloshing inside. The allure proved too strong to resist, and he found himself unable to help but take a drink. The contents of the cup emptied quickly under the suction exerted by both of their lips, the cup then falling to the floor dry and empty once they finally met in the middle.
"Oh William..." Her voice is cut off when his lips connect with hers but she paid no mind, falling into his arms and pressing her body against his with a possessiveness that bordered on obsession.
"Gods I love this woman!" He thought as she pulled gently on his lower lip, and separated with an incredibly flushed expression.
She grabbed William's hand firmly and started pulling him towards the staircase, simultaneously taking generous sips from the bottle of Balduran Grape wine that she held in her other hand.
She finally settled on the bedroom that was situated at the very end of the long, narrow hallway that snaked its way up to the second floor.
Once inside, she was greeted by what seemed to be a master suite, complete with a massive bed that dominated the room, a tall, ornate armoire, and a massive mirror that seemed to extend far beyond the reach of either the floor or the walls surrounding it.
She closed the door with a swish of her tail and then swung William around in a way that sent him tumbling right onto the bed, landing perfectly on its soft surface.
He was just about to recover fully when he caught sight of Karlach, who was mid-stride, already starting to strip down as she approached.
Meanwhile, she was actively taking a large swig of wine.
Karlach's face contorted, becoming a terrifying mixture of seduction and intimidation, "Just say it... say you love me... and maybe I'll be a little bit gentler."
William's smile widened, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint. "I must admit, I do love you," he confessed, "however, I confess I've been a bit of a bad boy, and I believe I'm due for a little bit of punishment!"
The sounds that emerged shortly thereafter from the master room within the fortress would have undoubtedly send any living creature into a state of immediate pause and flee, driven by their primal instincts and characteristic violence. And unfortunately for them, these sounds continued to reverberate for what they both felt was an eternity, before finally culminating in a desperate and guttural cry that abruptly silenced everything.
For what felt like an eternity, William lay sprawled out on the bed, completely engrossed in playing with a watermelon-sized, incredibly dense cube of stone.
This cube was undoubtedly strange to observe, though, as it seemed to constantly flow and shift, as if trying to morph between a solid state and a liquid state a truly bizarre and surreal phenomenon.
William's brow was already beginning to bead with sweat as he focused his full attention on the cube in his hand.
He poured every ounce of his psychic and magical energy into the task, applying intense pressure to the cube's surface.
Over time, the rock began to experience a noticeable rise in temperature. Its surface, initially solid, started to soften and exhibit a faint, almost ethereal glow.
As immense pressure continued to build, the rock's form compressed, shrinking from the size of a watermelon to that of a cantaloupe.
The once rugged, rocky exterior began to radiate a subtle sheen, accompanied by the formation of thin, metallic rivers snaking through its interior.
Continuing to apply pressure to what was now an orb of faintly glowing stone and metal, William grit his teeth as he applied more focused pressure upon the increasingly hot orb.
Even as it was still condensing and getting closer in size to the size of an apple, a tiny depression started to form right in the very center of the orb.
Over time, this depression kept growing and eventually punched right through to the opposite side.
The tiny perforation at the center of the orb widened as William bore down on it, his teeth clenched hard enough that his jaw trembled.
The apple-sized sphere began to glow a deeper orange.
Not the gentle warmth of a hearthstone, but the color of metal pulled fresh from a forge.
The faint metallic rivers inside it thickened, swallowing the last veins of dull gray rock.
The stone did not merely soften this time.
It surrendered.
Its surface smoothed.
Hardened.
Brightened.
What had once been rough, pitted mineral became seamless metal, gleaming like molten gold caught mid-breath.
The glow intensified until it was almost painful to look at, a miniature sun suspended inches above his palm.
William's vision blurred.
A sharp pressure bloomed behind his eyes.
Warmth trickled over his upper lip.
He blinked, and a drop of red splashed onto the bedspread beneath him.
Then another.
His nose was bleeding.
The orb vibrated violently, resisting him now, it did not wish to be made smaller.
It did not wish to be anything other than what it was.
"Not… done…" he muttered hoarsely.
He tightened his mental grip.
The golden sphere shrank, compressing inward with a faint, high keening sound, like metal screaming inside a furnace.
The hole at its center widened further, stretching, thinning, reshaping as he forced the mass to curve around absence instead of collapsing into it.
Smaller.
Hotter.
Denser.
The orange shifted toward white, the air above his palm rippling under the heat.
The sheets beneath his arm began to darken and smoke faintly.
William's arm trembled violently now.
Blood ran freely down to his chin, dripping from his jaw.
His heart pounded against his ribs as though it wished to escape the strain entirely.
But he did not release it.
The orb compressed again.
Apple became plum.
Plum became walnut. Walnut became something that could no longer be measured in fruit.
Light swallowed detail.
Then it snapped into shape.
A perfect circle.
A band of white-hot metal, seamless and impossibly smooth, hovered for a breathless second above his palm.
It radiated a brilliance that bordered on blinding, its surface gleaming like freshly poured gold held at the edge of divinity.
Then gravity reclaimed it.
The ring dropped into his hand.
It struck his skin with a soft hiss.
William flinched instinctively, expecting agony.
The sound was unmistakable, a faint sizzle as heat met flesh.
He stared.
The metal remained incandescent, fading slowly from white to a blazing gold-orange.
Yet his skin did not char.
Did not blister.
It tingled.
That was all.
He exhaled a shaky laugh, half delirious from strain.
"…Right," he murmured, staring at the radiant band resting in his palm. "Exactly how potent is my fire resistance?"
As the initial heat dissipated, the ring suddenly came into view, revealing a stunning piece of jewelry crafted from silver and gold.
These two distinct tones were seamlessly intertwined, creating a hypnotic effect that could easily draw the eye into its intricate depths.
William, driven by a torrent of emotions towards Karlach, poured his full heart into the ring by weaving together a powerful blend of psychic and infernal magic.
As this potent concoction took hold, intricate, glowing script began to appear across the surface, its vibrant light intensifying before fading once more, leaving behind the pristine silver-gold surface as if it were never there.
[Ding - Ring (Electrum) has been created!]
[The ring is imbued with the intense feelings the creator feels towards the wearer increasing the wearers resistance to psychic and infernal manipulation as well as the ability to traverse into the creators inner world at a whim!]
William let out a genuine, warm smile as he carefully observed his finished work. "This looks really good to me," he said, his tone expressing satisfaction. "I really hope she enjoys it."