The Original Beefcake

Shortly after nine in the morning, Marcus, Grace and Candis returned to the HQ with the help of the ever so helpful Rin. By the time they touched ground, Achara and Kou already came running and many of the other clan members also welcomed them. "Where is Janette?" Achara asked, with a hint of panic, but Marcus waved it off, "Janette is with Cherry. There is no way you can separate them after a month of being apart," he said, and grinned. Something he understood rather well. He only had returned home to get some new clothes and show his face to the clan before Rin would get him to Scotland.

Controlling his own desires, Marcus greeted his clan members with a bright smile and spotted his disciple. Fin was one of the first to welcome them and he was glowing like the sun while little Bob jumped up and down on his shoulder. Marcus couldn't help but notice that it wasn't him Fin looked at, it was the attractive blonde next to him. Marcus peeked at Grace and debated if he should talk with her about Fin or if he should stay out of this.

"Welcome back sir!" Fin greeted him directly. "Hello Fin, you are looking full of energy. Did something good happen while we were gone?" Marcus asked, and his disciple nodded. "We went on a mission and things got a bit crazy. I am level 11 now!" Fin said, and Marcus was surprised by that information. "Already? That means you can unlock your second ability. That is great! Have you already spent all your crests?" Marcus asked, and Fin shook his head and looked a bit bashful.

"I… I would like to talk about the crests," Fin said, and Marcus nodded. "Of course, but can this wait until I am back from Mihr Jhel? I don't have the time right now and I think we should talk about this in detail. Your training will become a lot more complex from now on," Marcus explained and Fin nodded fervently. "Yes! I have continued to play with Bob and I have learned some new tricks too." Bob turned into a ball, rolled down Fin's shoulder, and once he was in his hand suddenly became liquid. The Shadow Mass covered Fin's hand like a strange glove. "Great work Fin," Marcus praised his disciple. The rest would have to wait until I come back, Marcus thought. After saying hello to Sophon, Luca and Rian, Marcus quickly packed a new bag with clothes and was ready to leave again.

"Not like this," Candis said, as Marcus wanted to leave the villa. Trapped on the wrong foot he stopped and turned in surprise. "You aren't going to meet Azaa in this getup. Shower and put on some proper attire. You can't meet Azaa after a month, looking like some unsophisticated barbarian," Candis said. Marcus saw no other way forward and obeyed. He washed up, changed clothes and by the time he was ready to leave Candis had a bouquet of fresh flowers ready for him. "Thank you," Marcus said, with a thin voice and hugged the older woman. Rin, as disciplined as always, teleported Marcus to his target portal with great precision.

The transition through the portal base was as smooth as always. Everybody recognized him and his special UN permit gave him unrestricted access. Only the security measures at the portal seemed a lot stronger than Marcus could remember. But right now he didn't have the head to think about details like this. He spent the time until Mihr Jhel by talking to Xeen, who would soon be muted. Xeen was still very down on himself for the drive core incident, but Marcus told him that neither he nor the rest of the raid blamed him for that.

Against his normal habit Marcus used an automatic car to drive directly to the gates of the city. It was after nightfall when he stepped out of the car and sent it back to its home station. He walked towards the gate and soon Azaa rushed through the light of the nearby glow stones and embraced him with a bright smile. She looked gorgeous in her long, white traditional ginghi dress and for some reason she seemed to be even more energetic than usual. On top of that, she also wore makeup and the silver amulet proudly decorated her cleavage. "Marcus, you have returned to me," Azaa whispered, after they had kissed. He wanted to say something profound in reply, but kissing was a much better answer anyway. Marcus offered her the flowers, and if possible her smile brightened even further.

Azaa took Marcus' hand and dragged him behind her, as she moved with fast steps through the city. Marcus' heartbeat rose with every step, as he anticipated what would happen once they were at her home. A few streets later he realized they weren't going home at all. Instead their path led them to the palace. Marcus wasn't very keen on meeting Shen right now, or being part of some kind of official event. Still, he couldn't protest, if it was Azaa's wish. As they moved he tried to hide his disappointment. Somewhat disheartened he realized that the streets were littered with flower petals and that the ginghi they met looked like they were celebrating. He tried to find out what was going on, but Azaa stayed silent and just smiled.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Marcus' mind started to put the puzzle pieces together and the result was… Shen's birthday? It would explain the flowers and the celebration. They entered the palace and moved through hallways covered in flowers and other decoration. Marcus felt assured that it was Shen's birthday. The only thing that was weird was Azaa's silence and the bright smile she wore while she pulled him along. They stopped in front of a large double door, and Marcus vaguely remembered being here before. She quickly looked him over, plucked at his clothes and straightened his hair. What was going on here? Marcus felt a sudden spike of doubt and worry.

Azaa opened the door and nearly pushed Marcus into the large, well lit room. It was the same room, in which he once before had breakfast with Shen. Like that time, the table was filled with all manner of food and large, warm candles illuminated the room. Only a few people were present, but Marcus saw only one. The woman.

Right next to the giant Shen stood a woman, who could have been Uela's twin sister. She was a head shorter than Uela and her skin was of a much darker green, but she possessed the same perfect beauty. No, she was so much more radiant. Her whole being was breathtaking. The way she stood, her powerful eyes, the perfect dress and the jewelry that so naturally complimented her appearance. Marcus hadn't moved or breathed for ten seconds, but the soft pressure of Azaa's hand brought him back to reality.

Slowly, they entered the room and now Marcus saw that Uela was also here. Nobody needed to tell him who the woman was, it was obvious. He had always wondered what woman would be able to stand proudly next to Shen, and now he got his answer. Azaa's mother had finally returned.

She, who could only be compared to a goddess, stepped forward and spoke with a melodious voice. Azaa translated and Marcus was thankful for the help. "Welcome Marcus. I am so glad to finally get to meet you. I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay," she said, and Marcus had trouble concentrating on the content of her words. Marcus bowed slightly and answered, "I am pleased to meet you, but I don't think I have earned such gratitude."

"Of course you have. When I returned from my long journey I was heartbroken, because I hadn't been able to find a cure for my beloved Shenadarra. My mind was filled with dark thoughts, until I saw our city, and saw that it had changed greatly in such a short amount of time. I found my bond fully recovered, my sweet Azaa healed from her chronic melancholy, and even an Artificer is now our guest. And it is all thanks to you Marcus," Azaa's mother said, and stepped right in front of him. It was technically true, but… "I am Ruuq [long u and q is pronounced like a k]," she said, and offered Marcus a hand. He gently shook the warm hand and looked into her eyes.

"I have to say my daughter got herself a fine man," Ruuq said, and offered a bewitching smile. Marcus' ears got red and Ruuq laughed, "Truly, humans are amazing! What an interesting display of coloring." Azaa used the opportunity to join the conversation. The two women spoke, but so fast Marcus couldn't keep up with it.

Freed from Ruuq's spell, Marcus looked around and finally got a good look at Shen. The man had changed, he wore fine attire, his beard and hair was well groomed. He smiled and Marcus could see the love in the eyes of the man, when he looked at Ruuq. "Shenadarra?" Marcus whispered, as he retraced the last conversation. "Oh yes, you don't know our father's full name, yet. Don't you Marcus?" Uela suddenly said, from the sidelines. Her smile had something from a fox.

"Is that true my love? Why would you keep your wonderful name secret from the man who gave his blood to heal you? The man who is our daughter's happiness?" Ruuq said, and Marcus got the feeling that there was a lot to Ruuq beyond her radiating beauty. She turned and gave Azaa a look. "My father's name is Shenadarra, which means 'Dream Flower'," Azaa quickly explained and Marcus could see Shen getting a bit awkward. Dream… Flower? Marcus was perplexed, but this at least explained the flowers he had always seen around the palace. He tried to stay 100% serious and just nodded. Ruuq spoke again with a light tone, "My full name is Aruq'ker'urs, which can be translated to 'The Moon-Eating Wolf'."

Marcus felt something cold running down his spine upon her words. Ruuq smiled and showed her sharp incisors, and her eyes glowed in the light of the candles. Those eyes..., now Marcus realized where he had seen them before. They were Azaa's eyes, brimming with intelligence. He nodded and used the moment to take a deep breath. "Enough mother, don't try to intimidate my Marcus," Azaa said, in ginghi nama and Ruuq laughed again. "Very well. How could I resist the request of my Azaa, who has bloomed so much since I last saw her," Ruuq said, and gently stroked Azaa's hair.

Shen spoke up for the first time, "We should sit down and eat some more. Marcus must be hungry from his travel and there is still more than enough left. I am also interested to hear the tale of Marcus' adventure. It seems you have grown once again, Marcus." Marcus was thankful to the gentle giant. He sat down next to Azaa and they held hands under the table. Azaa leaned over and whispered into his ear, "You don't need to worry, my mother loves you dearly. She likes to play with people to measure their value, that is all." Marcus nodded softly, but didn't really feel reassured. Ruuq smiled at him and for some reason he was really worried what thoughts were hidden behind that beautiful smile.