Age of Heroes

RAGRAN

THE SLUMS

The smell was horrid, the surrounding was littered by garbage and the humidity did not help. The sea wind only accentuates the smells.

From a distance someone can be seen entering the slums, her step is swift and there is some powerful aura surrounding her. 

There are not many new faces in the slums and usually someone who is new who came to the slums would be at least probed by the hoodlums and the bandits that made their base here. 

After all, they don't want new people trying to disturb their operations. 

Sometimes there are people from the Adventurer guild or some wandering person with justice in their heart trying to meddle in the business of the slums.

Sometimes it is an assassin from another bandit faction. 

So the people of the slums are very wary of newcomers especially if the newcomer doesn't show their face which is what the woman is doing. 

Wearing a veil, not showing her identities, of course people will be suspicious. 

But the woman also understands that in Novus Gaia, the only rules that matter is strength.

Some of them try to feel out this newcomer by sending scouts to see and evaluates this newcomer intention.

The scouts could feel that offending the newcomer would be courting death. 

Even from afar the scouts could feel like the newcomer is a blade in a sheath and if disturb, the blade would be unsheathed and their lives would be forfeited. 

The oppressive aura around the newcomer dispels any notion of trying to make troubles for the newcomer. 

They all retreated and wait for further development. 

The woman sighed. She employs her killing aura to fend off the bandits at the slums and she has enough strength to kill all of them if they have to face them. 

She will not be here for long anyway.

Titania is wearing a robe and a veil that covers most of her face. She is meeting someone in the slums today. 

Her friend. Her old friend who she is very grateful towards.

She walk and walk, she did not join the people. She only walked fast and she reached the tavern. 

The Bearded Whore. 

A strange name to name a tavern. From what Titania remembers it was taken from the name Rana, the famous whore.

He was not a pleasure lady or a prostitute at some brothel, or the courtesans of the west with famed technique in loving.

He was simply a boy whore who likes fucking.

It is said there was a prostitute named Rana who was not a girl but a boy, but dressed like a girl. 

Some people with sick fetish would pay an exorbitant amount to sleep or play with him. A man who sleeps with a boy is viewed as smearing mud to one honour. 

Though Asteros have that tendency, hiring male courtesan in their continents. But in Novus Gaia, doing so would smear mud to a man tribes.

Titania once met a few boy courtesans on her journey when she was on mission in Asteros.

However the story of Rana has a happy ending. 

Story goes that he in his later years used all of his money to open a tavern and from that the name of the tavern becomes the Bearded Whore.

It is a depiction of the smooth Rana who has lost his beauty and become an old bearded man. Though, he still likes to fuck even in the later years of his life. 

Though this time he likes to fuck virgin girls. At least, that is how the stories go. Who knows?

She enters and quickly she sits at the farthest area in the tavern. The friends she wants to meet will know where she is seated.

This is not the first time she meet this old friend of hers. But it will be the last. Titania is preparing a plan for her dear old sister and her.

Then a man came to her asking her orders.

'Ale' she said and she slid a few silver coins. 

The man looks at her weirdly but said nothing and just nodded. A few moments the ale came to her desk.

The tavern is rowdy today. 

Adventurers from the Adventurer guild are here, maybe they are here releasing some of their pent up desires.

It has been a long time since she returns to Novus Gaia. The Adventurers Guild is still strong, commissioning work to the Thirteen Tribes, creating their own secluded kingdoms in the vast lands of the Novus Gaia.

The Council still hides the knowledge of these kingdoms from the populace of Ragora. Live inside the wall, die inside the wall.

A recipe for disaster if she ever saw one. 

They think they are better than the rest of the Thirteen Tribes with their belief in their chosen race, claiming that one day they will be given passage to their Holy land which is the Temple of Terra which is also the Holy Place for the Thirteen Tribes.

The Thirteen Tribes have traded with the Western Seas countries, dealing secretly with the Leagues in Asteros, providing them with powerful mercenaries every few years.

Some are arguing about some trivial stuff and throwing some glass to one another. The tavern keeper yelled.

'You have to pay for that! Break all you want but you'll pay for it!' His scream is responded by the adventurer.

'I'll pay for it' and the adventurer keep throwing glasses. 

Some were laughing while drinking ale while enjoying the fight that is happening right in the middle of the tavern. 

Some chairs are thrown; some tables were broken, while the tavern keeper just sighs. Still Titania did not interfere. This is a normal occurrence in the tavern, especially in the slums.

And she waits. 

A few moments later the woman she wanted to meet finally arrived. 

The moment she enters all the male in the tavern shift their attention from either their drinks or arguments, even those adventurer who were trading blows just a moment ago is stopping their fight, and look at the woman that is entering. 

The Pleasure Woman of the House of Bliss and the most expensive of the bunch, Zara. Which adventurer did not dream of bedding the ultimate beauty of the city?

Beside her left and right were two men with muscly arms and emitting a very ferocious energy. 

No one dares to touch the highest paid pleasure lady of House of Bliss if they didn't have the money. 

The owner of House of Bliss very much is fond of his children and is very upset and angry if someone tries to cheat him out of business.

The woman also scanned the shrouding and she spotted the veiled woman. She whisper to one of her guards and her guard nodded.

The guard then walks to Titania and give the letter. 

In it a message. 

Go to the third floor. I'll be waiting for you there. Then Zara speak with the tavern keeper and the tavern keeper nodded.

First Zara go to the third floor, walking slowly and seductively to the second floor followed by the lecherous gaze of the adventurers.

A few minutes later Titania follows. 

She looks and checks and sure of the door Zara went into. 

'May I come in?' Titania said as she knocks the door. 

'Come in old friend.'