The following day, I quietly made my way out of the bedroom. To my surprise, Antharian was a heavy sleeper and didn’t appear to notice I had crawled out of bed and walked out of the room. With the start of today, I wanted to inspect the papers more to see if I could get a better idea of what Gabriel was working on, as the number of warriors that had been recruited and lost appeared to be in the millions. Whatever faction the Holy Order has been at war with, they appeared to be slaughtering us.

  As I quietly made my way downstairs, I bumped into Anatasia on the staircase. She looked at me, smiling. She didn’t say anything, and we continued making our way to our respective destinations. Once I reached my floor, I walked into the library and sat down, the papers still neatly in order from before. Looking at the different colored papers, I had determined that the green papers were status reports with the various types of soldiers and their loss counts. The Yellow were supplies that had been requested, while the Red were mission reports and orders that were being carried out.

  The first green one showed:

  “An unknown large force has attacked a top-secret facility of the Orders. Multiple standard teams were dispatched to investigate, but none were returned. After a few different teams had failed to return to report in, a small Elite team was sent to investigate, and from afar they observed a mixture of Dark Elven species mixed with Demons and other small entities to be lurking around the area. The team also reported coming into contact with these said beings before eventually falling back as they quickly became overwhelmed and managed to escape.

  Under normal circumstances, this would have constituted an execution for all those involved. Still, given the circumstances and the information they had brought back, they were praised for their good work. They were set to go back out but in a more significant force. Out of the thousand sent, only [REDACTED] came back still alive, while [REDACTED] came back with severe injuries.

  This information is not to be seen by those under the ranking of Right-hand and should remain within Gabriel’s hands as he will be able to fix the situation should the need for him arise.”

  I was surprised by this because, to my knowledge, we were one of the most potent factions out there. Whatever hostile faction that was causing this number of deaths for the Order must have been a powerful foe. I placed that one at the bottom of the pile, choosing to look at the most recent one, and was surprised by what I read.

  “An emergency request has been put out to request the assistance from Gabriel and his right hand as the situation has gotten out of control. Due to the assets being taken despite the effort to repel the attackers and recapture our equipment, a high-level emergency order has been issued. In addition, we’re also struggling to maintain the number of soldiers being brought in versus the amount that are dying. The Order has considered sending in those higher than the Archs to engage, but we believe that by doing so, it may put the Holy Order’s inner security at risk from outsiders.

  In the event that Gabriel, or his right hand, requests emergency usage of the Cherubim’s assistance, an emergency session will be held to determine their deployment to the front lines.”

  It occurred to me that whatever was going on out there, the Order had considered sending one of our most powerful and elite Angelic guards out. But it also occurred to me that had this threat been severe, the Cherub Guard would’ve been sent out. So, the danger may have been high to lower-leveled angels but not high enough to warrant the dispatching of our elite warriors.

  As I continued reading, Selyse entered the room quietly and made her way to my side. She tapped at my side.

  “Master, may I sit on your lap? I’d like to see what you are doing.” She said softly.

  I looked down at her.

  “Now’s not a good time. I’m currently working on organizing these.” I said, looking around the room for something to place the status reports in.

  “What are you looking for, Master?”

  “I am looking for… something to help me organize these reports in.”

  She hopped down, ran over to a cabinet that was hidden behind the door, and opened it.

  “Here, master, there are plenty of empty things that could hold papers.” She shouted in excitement before bringing me several.

  “Oh, thanks, Selyse,” I said, taking them from her and placing them on the table.

  She smiled. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “No. Well, actually, yes. Get dressed, grab a badge and see if you can get access to Gabriel’s office and find any similar folders like these.” I said, wondering if it would work.

  She looked skeptical of my idea but eventually nodded and ran off.

  I resorted to the green pile, surprised by the fact that whatever was going on, I was able to remain safely within the Kingdom surrounded by Antharian and several other females who all seemed to enjoy my presence. But it also seemed strange to me that he was more focused on ensuring I kept Antharian safe than assisting in retrieving in-order assets. But I was not going to complain to anyone about it.

  I shifted my focus to the yellow sheets, seeing what supplies had been requested. There were quite a few requests for a specific mineral from an occupied area I had never heard of, and it was in large quantities. I found a spare blank paper and wrote the area's name on it, thinking I’d check that out later to see what secrets this place held.

  I lost track of how long it had been as I continued to look through all the documents before me intensely, trying to figure out what was going on. I was so focused on them that I did not hear the door open or the sound of heavy armor walking towards me. It wasn't until I was tapped on the shoulder that I realized I had lost touch with what was happening around me.

  “Huh?” I said, turning around, slightly startled.

  “Hello, Master Angel, Thadeus. I have returned with your servant and the information you requested her to retrieve. In addition, we found something in his desk with your name on it as well.”

  He handed me a small shoulder bag.

  I opened it, seeing several packed folders within it, as well as a couple bottles of wine.

  “Great. Thank you, Guard. Where is my servant?”

  “Your servant is downstairs per the agreement we made. Once I leave, she’ll be able to walk around freely. Due to her not exactly knowing her place and making demands that were not meant for a typical servant, I requested that she remain downstairs. In the future, please have her seek out a guard first before just showing up at Gabriel’s castle and letting herself in. Due to the circumstances, though, I have to overlook it.” He stated, bowing.

  “My apologies; I’ll be sure to do something about that.”

  I removed everything from the bag, placing the folders on the pile of books and the wines on the ground next to me. The guard continued to look at me as if he was waiting for something.

  “Is there something else?” I asked.

  “Yes, my bag, please.” He said, holding his hand out.

  “What if I need this bag?”

  He looked at me, unsure what to make of the question.

  “Do you require one?”

  “I do not,” I said, handing him the bag back.

  “Very well, Master Angel, do you require anything else?”

  “Nope, you may leave. Thank you for assisting my servant.”

  “It’s always an honor to serve, m’lord.” He said before vanishing out the door.

  In reality, I was interested in the bag he had as it was smaller, but I also didn’t want any unexpected visitors randomly showing up. It had been stressful in the past knowing Gabriel could randomly show, but with this… war… going on, it could potentially be a while before he’d show up. But had that guard come in at the wrong time and seen something he should not have, I would, without a doubt, have to kill him and make up some sort of excuse like he was attempting to violate her or something.

  A few moments later, Selyse came back into the room.

  “What’d you do, Selyse?” I asked, concerned.

  “Oh, well, I took the badge and placed it over my chest so it’d be easily readable. Then I entered, went up all the way to the top, and started to rummage around in his office, which caught the attention of a guard who then thought I was trying something. Then he started questioning me and accused me of being a liar and thought I stole the badge before I told him that if he harmed me, my Master would hurt him. Then he asked about who my Master was, and when I said I was there on behalf of Master Thadeus, he quickly changed his attitude. After that, he became super nice and knew what I was talking about and even found those two things of wine in the desk that had your name on it.” she said, possibly without breathing.

  I tried to absorb everything she said but brushed it aside as she got what I needed.

  “Good job Selyse. I don’t have anything else for you, so feel free to take your clothes off if you wish.”

  She wasted no time and instantly stripped, with her smile going from ear to ear.

  “Thank you, Master. Uhhm… would you like to touch them?” she asked, pointing at her breasts.

  “Maybe later, Sel. I’m trying to work through some stuff right now.”

  Her facial expression switched from a huge smile to a pouting face. She slowly turned around, strolling out the door. I turned my attention to the bottles of wine. The last time I allowed everyone to drink, Anatasia and Selyse got so drunk that they ended up having a brief encounter, while Selyse and I had a full-on encounter. While it was entertaining drinking with everyone, the wine appeared to hit them all much more complex than it did myself, but it made sense as the servants were generally prohibited from consuming goods such as wine.

  I opened up a random drawer attached to the desk, placed the wine in there for now, and turned my attention to the new reports, which were well old but new to me. There were several folders labeled “Order Asset Recovery” followed by a corresponding color. It looks like a ton of supplies were requested throughout this, as it had the greatest number of folders that were packed to the brim with papers. Five of the six folders had been tied tightly to keep the folder from exploding.

  There were several Green papers, but nowhere near as many as the Yellows, while reds appeared to have been minimal. After thinking about it, I realized that the mission was still ongoing, so it would have very little in comparison to Status Reports and Supply Requests. I felt myself hesitating to look through it all as the sheer amount intimidated me.

  “Master.” a voice softly behind me said.

  I turned around and saw Antharian in the doorway.

  “Oh, Hello.”

  “Everything okay? You look worried, m’lord.” She said, walking closer to me.

  “I’m about to tell you something that you should not probably know, but the Order appears to be fighting a large-scale battle somewhere, and it’s not looking too great,” I said quietly.

  She placed her hands on my shoulders, leaning in.

  “What is all this?”

  “A mixture of status & mission reports as well as supplies requested and orders carried out. I think Gabriel is leading the attack, which is why we haven’t seen him in a while. We’ll probably not see or hear from him for quite a while.”

  I could hear her slightly gasp.

  “Does… that mean…”

  “He didn’t die. But if you’re talking about something between you and me, in secret, then we could give it a try, I suppose.” I said, sounding a bit too confident.

  She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me from behind. I could see a smile from the corner of my eyes.

  “I’d like that. Feel free to continue doing as you please with the others, too. Don’t let me stop you from having a good time; you deserve all of us, m’lord.”

  I chuckled at her comment, knowing that I’d eventually end up possibly having a night with the others as well. But they had no obligation to do so. However, if Gabriel succeeded in whatever it was he was doing and came back; then I wouldn’t know how to explain how, or why, his mate had been sullied, and no execution happened. It’s not like I could make up an excuse such as “I wasn’t around her 24/7,” as then I’d be executed.

  “Antharian, who else knows about your human form?”

  “Well… other than you and the girls? Nobody. Why?”

  “I might see about getting you a cloak or something so that we can explore these secretive areas without you being recognized. If we can keep you disguised as a normal human servant, then we’d probably be okay because I doubt they’ll allow you to enter these areas as… well… your normal self,” I said.

  I unwrapped her arms from me, standing up and grabbing the piece of paper.

  “Where is Selyse? She may have a cloak for you to use.”

  Antharian looked around the room.

  “Wait, now?”

  “Now,” I said, nodding.

  Antharian stood partially in the doorframe, shouting.

  “Selyse!”

  Her voice echoed throughout the tower so loudly that I thought for sure some nearby guards could have heard her yell. To my surprise, nobody came rushing in from outside, but I could listen to Selyse running down the stairs at such an astonishing pace that I wondered if she’d fall down at some point. Upon reaching Antharian, she kneeled in front of her.

  “M’lady, how may I help?” she said

  Antharian laughed. “Stand up silly. I have a question.”

  Selyse stood up, looking at Antharian curiously.

  “Young lady, do you have a cloak I could borrow?”

  Selyse stood there, thinking for a moment, before running off. She returned holding a small, human-sized cloak. She looked at Antharian, confused, as she took it from her and held it up to herself.

  “Thank you, Selyse, this is perfect.”

  “M’lady, how do you expect to wear that? You’re twice my size in every way.”

  Antharian giggled, changing into a human form, slightly matching Selyse in terms of height and width.

  “OH, I forgot you could change into a human!” Selyse exclaimed.

  Antharian put the cloak over her, and while she was slightly too tall, the hood covered her face perfectly, which was all that we really needed. While I think only the others and I knew what her human looked like, I still didn’t want to risk it.

  “Wait a minute, Antharian, who knows about your human form?” I asked, wanting to ensure this wouldn’t backfire on us.

  “Oh, my mother knows, as she taught me. My father figure didn’t know about it, but in the event something went wrong, and I had to blend in, I could hide amongst humans in an emergency, " she said as if I should know this.

  “Hmm. That’s interesting. You feel safe telling me that?”

  “Master, you trust me far too easily, and if I didn’t feel safe, I’d have killed you in your sleep already. I’ve had plenty of chances, and I have a blade on me at all times that I keep hidden,” she said as she pulled out what appeared to be long hair broach.

  I watched as she twisted it, slowly revealing a 6-inch blade that she pulled out of this broach.

  “Oh… I see.” I said nervously.

  She giggled, placing the blade back into the broach. She covered her head with the cloak, slightly angling her head down. Due to her size as a human, it would have been difficult for anyone to recognize her.

  “Hmm. Okay, this is perfect, Antharian. How long are you able to hold this form?”

  “About a few days at a time, right now. I’m hoping one day to be able to do it for maybe a couple of years at a time.” She said, sounding confident in her ability.

  I looked around the room for the badge Selyse had brought back to me earlier. While searching for it, Antharian had found a clipboard along with something to write with, pairing them with a blank piece of parchment. When I had finally found the badge, I looked at her, surprised by how well she was looking the part she needed to play.

  “Perfect. Let me fetch my armor, and we’ll go investigate this secretive place. I’m curious as to what is being made there.”

  I made my way back to my room to retrieve my armor, as I wanted to be better prepared in the event that something happened while on an outing again. Antharian followed closely, assisting me with my armor. Once geared and ready to go, we made our way towards the portal master via a portal.

  As we exited, the portal master bowed upon seeing us.

  “Ah, Lord Master Thadeus. What brings you here?” he said, sounding excited.

  “Portal-master, I have somewhere to be and want no questions asked,” I said, handing him the paper with the coordinates.

  He took the paper, looking briefly at the paper before returning it to me.

  “Oh. I see. Official right-hand business. I understand. One moment, m’lord.”

  He walked away from us, signaling everyone to stay away.

  “Attention, everyone. You will have to use Portal System C, as these portals are now closed. Guards, please close off the area.” he yelled as he shut down the portals.

  One of the young angelic warriors approached us.

  “Master Angel, please forgive me, but I would like to know if your servant is free tonight,” he asked, kneeling.

  I turned around in disbelief that he had even asked that. I pulled my sword out, placing it at the tip of his chin.

  “Could you repeat that question?” I asked.

  He remained silent, slightly shaking in place. The portal master, some guards, and others in the distance watched on in shock. I tapped at his chin with the tip of my blade, expecting a response, only to be met with more silence. After a few moments, Antharian took it upon herself to act. She kicked him in the face before talking in a slightly higher-pitched voice.

  “Answer my master!” she squeakily said.

  “Master Angel, I do apologize. I shall leave now.” He said, blood lightly dripping from his nose.

  “Guards, take this one to the Healer and figure out his deal,” I shouted.

  “Master Thadeus, sorry that I acted inappropriately. I do hope that won’t cause any problems,” Antharian said via telepathy.

  As we watched the guards come over to remove him from us, he stood up and drew his sword. He slashed about in the air towards them before turning his attention to Antharian and attempting to slash at her. I placed my arm out, allowing my armor to absorb the blow, but his low-quality sword sent a vibration back throughout his body. Due to the frequency being incredibly high, it caused him to drop the sword before falling to the ground.

  “You dare attack a servant of the Right hand of Gabriel? Your life is now forfeit.” I said, kneeling next to his head.

  I stood back up, placing my foot over his back before pushing down with all my might, instantly severing the bones in his back. He screamed loudly out in pain as the guards continued to watch. To my surprise, nobody had yet stepped forward to do anything about him. There was even a Captain to the Holy Order watching this.

  After a few more screams, the captain finally regained himself.

  “Oh, right… End that one's suffering already,” he ordered the regular guards.

  The guards looked at him, nodding, and slowly approached the angel before one raised his sword, slashing at his neck. The screaming ended, and the body went motionless as his head departed. One of the guards grabbed his head while the others started to drag the body away. I turned my attention back to the portal master.

  “Well?” I asked.

  He looked at me. “Oh right, right. Let’s get you out of here before something else happens.”

  He turned around, adjusting the stones on the outside of a portal. Once he was finished, all three portals changed to brown with black swirls.

  “Master Angel, you will have to go through the middle portal. Once you are through, I’ll close it, as you can use your own personal portal, " he said, bowing.

  I nodded.

  “C’mon, servant,” I said, walking towards the middle portal. “You first”.

  Antharian slowly stepped through the portal, and I followed her closely. Upon entering the other side, the air was dusty and carried a metallic smell. Once all the way through, the portal closed.

  “Ugh, m’lord, this place smells horrible. I’d rather be smelling Selyse and Anatasia after they spent hours running around for several days without bathing than smell this.” she communicated via telepathy.

  I tapped on her shoulder, acknowledging her.

  As we walked forward, a guard came running up to us. His armor was coated with what looked like a thick layer of dust. The insignia on his armor was a brown crescent with a shovel behind it. He wore a mask of sorts around his face.

  “Lord Master Thadeus, of Gabriel and the Holy Order. Had we known you were coming, we would have prepared better. I have a face covering for you if you’d like it. My name is D’lae; I oversee the operations here.” He said, bowing.

  He held out his hand, offering the mask. I took his hand, moving it to Antharian’s level.

  “Wear this servant,” I said.

  Antharian took the face covering, pulled it through a sleeve, and placed it over her face. The guard looked surprised but seemed to understand why I did that. In her human form, she was several feet smaller than this guard and me and, therefore, closer to the ground, which is where a lot of the dust and other particles appeared to be.

  “Do you have any other masks?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I do, yes, they are at the guard station just up ahead. You’re actually not the first one to place one on your servant. The air here is not that great for us, and it’s even worse for the pointy-eared bastards and humans. It’s a shame how quickly we go through them here.”

  We started walking along on what felt like a brick path but looked like dirt. Looking around, it appeared that there was a deep hole with multiple different races working with shovels, buckets, and some sort of advanced machinery. The more I looked around, the less I started to understand. I could see that Antharian was drawing pictures of what she was seeing.

  Once we reached the guard station, D’lae disappeared for a moment before returning with another facial covering.

  “Here you are, Master Angel. Feel free to keep these in the event you return.” He said, handing it off to me.

  “Thank you, D’Lae. Tell me about what you guys are doing here. Are there any complications you’re facing?” I said, trying to sound as if I was here for an inspection while placing the covering on.

  He started walking towards the pit.

  “Well, Master Angel, the biggest issues we face right now are a lack of manpower and not enough guards to truly ensure that we are meeting the quotas of minerals mined for the projects that the Holy Order has instilled upon us. If we had about, ohhh, I’d say about 100 more diggers… we could probably fulfill the quota and meet expectations.”

  We heard a commotion from the pit, sounds of tools dropping, and people yelling.

  “Oh, dear, another one appears to have dropped.” He said while shaking his head in his hands.

  I ran over to the edge of the pit, seeing a human being laid on his side and CPR being performed on him. I jumped down, landing just behind the crowd of people trying to help him. I slowly made my way through a gaggle of bystanders.

  “Those of you not helping, back up. Those of you helping, how may I help?”

  The group observing backed for a while while someone helping looked at me.

  “Don’t expect us to bow to you, Angel. We’re busy saving our friend's life. But to answer your question, unless you’re a doctor, you can’t help,” one of them shouted.

  I leaned in closer, placing my hand on the injured man's side. I could feel that something was wrong with his heart.

  “His heart seems to be in poor shape,” I stated.

  “Oh, you are a doctor then, Master Angel?”

  “Not exactly. I’m here for other reasons. Give me a couple of minutes, and he’ll be good as new.”

  I started to heal the human slowly. The color on his face began to come back, and his breathing slowly returned to normal. Once I was done, the man lay there for a few moments before he eventually sat up, patting himself in disbelief that he was okay. He looked up at me, arms still patting himself.

  “Oh great, a Master leveled Angel healing me. What is it that you’re going to request of me? That’s all your kind wants. A favor for a favor.” He said, sounding skeptical.

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  “I want nothing in return,” I said, standing up and making my way out of the crowd.

  I flew out of the pit, returning to the side of Antharian and D’lae.

  “Master Angel… that was kind of you to do that for a human.” He said.

  I shrugged. “So, are your workers just dying left and right from being overworked?” I asked.

  He looked back down in the pit, watching as everyone walked back to their tools and got back to work.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  I took the clipboard from Antharian and wrote down a brief note about what I saw and a brief description of what was said. I was unsure why I came to this place anymore, but I knew I had to act the part.“So, about operations here. What do you know about the material being dug out and what it’s used for?”

  “From my understanding, Master Angel, the material is being smelted into beams and other various objects to be used for a top-secret project that Gabriel is overseeing. I know you probably already know this, but I’m glad to see you are here, helping me understand just how important this is to the Holy Order. I was starting to think nobody would show up to see how bad things are firsthand.” He said, sounding a bit relieved.

  “So, is it just this pit, the guard house, and the small portal?” I asked.

  “No, there’s also a place where the workers can sleep. Off in the distance, we have a few guard towers. There’s also a barrier over this place to keep out unwanted visitors, but it also holds in all the dust you see floating around. When you get back to the Kingdom, you’ll want to immediately wash your armor and clothes, as they’ll sour the air you breathe.”

  I started to wonder if maybe coming here was a mistake, as my original intention was to snoop around. I should have known things weren’t going as I had intended the moment I had to execute an expendable soldier.

  “So, tell me then, D’lae. About how much, with your current manpower, minerals are you able to get out?”

  He walked over to a small wooden structure, pulling out a clipboard.

  “So, the Order wants about 50lbs minimum every hour. We’re doing about 50 lbs daily at the rate we're going. As you can see, that’s quite a ways from the amount.” He said, sounding disappointed.

  I still had no clue what exactly was being made from this material, and it only left me with more questions than I had hoped. I looked down at Antharian, wondering if she had anything she thought I should have asked, but she was focused on drawing pictures of the hole and occasionally writing things down sloppily so as not to blow her disguise.

  “Hmm. I have all the information I need. I’ll return to the Order now and make a report. Hopefully, get you the help you need.”

  He kneeled again. “Thank you, Master Angel.”

  “C’mon, let’s go,” I said, tapping Antharian’s head.

  With how the air was, I didn’t want to open a portal directly outside the front door to the tower or within the tower itself. I opened the portal, which took us a few yards away from it as a whole. Upon exiting the portal, I looked around for any potentially unwanted eyes and couldn’t see anyone in sight. I leaned down, allowing Antharian to unstrap my armor from my body.

  We walked over to the front door and placed it just outside. Antharian went in, cloak still on before she removed it and handed it to me, which I placed within the armor. We also put our masks with the pile, as neither of us wanted to bring that in. Thankfully, the parchment and clipboard weren’t nearly as bad as the armor and cloak.

  After the door closed, she switched back to her standard form.

  “Ugh. That place is disgusting. I cannot believe you took me there.” She complained.

  “I didn’t know what to expect. Sorry about that. But now I’m faced with the dilemma of trying to get more resources provided in that place or allowing the existing resources to be overworked. It’s not exactly a win/win situation for anyone.” I said, trying not to dwell on the choice I was about to make.

  As we talked, Anatasia came down the stairs slowly.

  “Oh, Hello, Master, Hello, m’lady. I was looking for you earlier.” She said.

  “Yeah, we had to run an errand. But we’re back now. Say, Anatasia, could you do something for us?”

  She looked at me, waiting to hear the request.

  “Could you properly clean the cloak, the face coverings, and my armor? But outside? We were somewhere where the air wasn’t the best and were advised to keep it out of the living areas. They’re outside the door.”

  “Of course. I’ll start right now. Let me put some clothes on, at least, before I go outside.”

  Antharian and I made our way back to the library to drop off the clipboard. While I’m sure we were both on the same page, I started making my way back down to the fourth floor to take a bath. I was thankful that of all the places I could have been stationed at, I was semi-stuck in the tower with Antharian and the others. I checked behind me to see if Antharian was in tow, and she was.

  “Master, where are you going?” she asked.

  “I need a bath after all that.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. You’re going to scrub me.” She said, making it clear she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

  “Is that a request?”

  “No, it’s a demand.” She said, giggling.

  As we reached the door, I slowly opened it, allowing her to enter first. When I looked in, I noticed a couple of the other servants already in there talking amongst themselves. Upon them noticing us, they waved at us.

  “Hello, Master Thadeus. Hello, Lady Antharian. May we be of service?” they happily asked.

  “You two are free to stay, but Thadeus is mine to wash and vice versa,” Antharian told them.

  One of them hopped out, headed into the closet, and returned with two buckets of supplies.

  “Here you are. Enjoy yourselves”

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” I said, surprised.

  She curtseyed before returning to where she was before and went back to her original position in the corner.

  Antharian sat along the edge, with her feet dangling in the water, lightly splashing.

  “Master, allow me to wash you first. Then you’ll wash me, then we’ll go from there.” She said, stretching her arms into the air.

  I stepped into the water next to her; it was surprisingly warmer than I had expected.

  “Oh, Master Thadeus, Lady Antharian. We have made the water a few degrees warmer than normal, as it was somewhat on the cooler side. If you’d like, we can lower the temperature.”

  I looked up at the other servants.

  “No, it’s fine. It feels great.” I said.

  They smiled before returning to their conversation again, taking turns washing each other’s arms.

  Antharian got up, moving behind me, placing her legs over my shoulders.

  “Oh no, a weak little human female has trapped you in place with her legs.” She joked as she gently smooshed her thighs around my head a couple of times, giggling.

  She gently tilted my head back into her crotch, and my view went from the other end of the pool-like bath to her breasts. She leaned over slightly, giving me a face full.

  “I hope you enjoy your bath, Master.” She said as I felt her arm move.

  She dipped the brush into the water, gently scrubbing my chest, and then used her other hand to rub my head gently.

  “I’ve never realized how nice our feathers feel with human hands. Your feathers are soft, and from a human’s perspective, they tickle. These are things I never realized I could experience.” She said, sounding happy.

  “Mhmm,” I replied, face still covered by her breasts.

  “Can you breathe okay? I know my tits are kind of large, but I do hope you’re not choosing my tits over your well-being.” She joked.

  I sat there, enjoying the moment. After a somewhat stressful impromptu mission, it was nice to sit back and be able to enjoy the touch of someone who I knew cared about me. Most of my time here in the Kingdom was primarily spent with others who only cared about me because of a title, not as an actual being. While I was zoning out, I saw Antharian move her breasts aside with her hands, and I could see her face as she looked down at me, smiling.

  “Master, please lean forward.”

  She removed her legs from my shoulders, allowing me to move freely. I inched myself forward until she tapped my back, indicating I was good in this newly acquired spot. She hummed happily as I felt her rub the soap against my upper shoulders, followed by using the scrub brush. My head quickly fell silent from the sensations of the brush against my back.

  “Ohh, you were a little tense.”

  “Yeah, I suppose so.”

  Antharian, still in a human form, jumped next to me. She positioned herself in my lap, continuing to brush my back with a gaze that felt as if I was frozen into them.

  “Careful, Master… you might get lost,” she giggled, realizing I was just staring into them.

  “I wouldn’t mind,” I said, trying to look away.

  She grabbed my face, causing the brush to slide down her arm. She learned to approach me slowly, resting her nose against mine before slowly pressing her soft lifts against mine. Our lips locked for what felt like hours before she moved her head back.

  “I love you, Thadeus… and I hope he never returns because I want you.” She said softly.

  “We’ll have to see Antharian, we’ll have to see…”

  Her mood slightly changed but returned after a moment. She slightly sat up, putting her chest in her face again and wrapping her arms around me. Her skin was soft, warm, and pale in her human form. I placed my arms around her, kissing her chest. She leaned back, positioning herself back to normal, but remained on my lap. After she finished cleaning me, she handed me the ball and the brush. I started by rubbing her back lightly, occasionally feeling her tender skin against my fingertips. She leaned forward, leaning against me. I scrubbed at her back a bit before she leaned back, her hands against my knees. She grabbed the hand, holding the ball, bringing it up against her chest, and slowly using my hand to make a light wiping motion.

  Once her chest was incredibly bubbly, she lifted her right arm off of my knee and tossed the ball-like object into the bucket. When she returned back to the position, I placed my hands over her breasts, lightly massaging them. She turned her head slightly, letting out a soft moan and her cheeks slightly becoming rosy in color. This went on for another few moments before Elise came running in, looking slightly panicked.

  “MY LORD, YOU HAVE TO PLACE ANTHARIAN ELSEWHERE, A MEMBER OF THE ORDER IS HERE!” she whispered loudly.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, confused, letting go of Antharian.

  “Selyse is delaying him, but he insists on speaking to you. He’s coming up the stairs quickly,” she said, looking out the door.

  Antharian quickly swam over to the other servants who were still in the corner. Once she joined them in their corner, they managed to hide her, which wasn’t too tricky as, typically, women of my species were a bit wider than humans. They were quickly able to hide her.

  As I took a deep breath, a man wearing a white robe with a single stripe on each arm came in.

  “Lord Master Thadeus, I am here at the request of the Holy Order and those above me.” He shouted.

  “Okay, how may I be of assistance?” I asked

  “Well, you see, the Order has received intel that you entered a mining facility and made direct contact with the staff of Mining Facility 039. Is this correct?”

  “Yes. I did.”

  “What was the purpose of your visit? You aren’t exactly authorized to be in that area unless you had explicit permission from Gabriel.”

  “Well, with Gabriel gone and the other one being on the front lines, the duty to inspect these places falls onto me. In addition, I’ve gathered some notes from my experience and planned to report to the Order about my findings after I was done here.” I said, pointing over to the corner.

  He looked up, not realizing I was alone, possibly interrupted something.

  “Oh, I see Lord Master. Okay. I shall leave you and your servants then. The Order will want that report done as fast as possible.” He said, shaking a finger at me.

  “Of course, of course. I’ll have it ready to turn in before I sleep tonight.”

  He bowed, making his way out. Elise stood at the door, watching him as he walked away. Once he was out of sight, she nodded at me before exiting the room herself and shutting the door behind her. I looked over at the corner, the two servants making their way slowly over to me with Antharian hidden behind them. When they finally made their way to me, they parted to let Antharian stand between my legs while they sat on my knees.

  They were all smiling at me. I did not know what to make of this.

  “What?” I asked

  “Nothing. We figured you’d love to have three highly attractive females in your face.” Antharian said.

  I chuckled.

  “Thanks, Antharian, but I guess I have to get to writing that report for the Order. They want that done tonight.” I said, sighing.

  I slightly lifted my legs, indicating to the other two that they needed to get off. They both slid off, allowing me to lift myself out of the bath. As I exited, I could hear giggles and splashing. Hearing the servants' laughter made me feel as though I had done something amazing for them, and I took great joy in knowing that they weren’t afraid to approach me.

  I made my way back to the library, and the findings of that mining facility were still fresh in my mind. I had considered leaving out the part where I healed a human but determined that if they knew I was there, then they more than likely knew what transpired, but I wanted to see if I’d tell everything. I sat down at the desk, opened the drawer where I had placed the wine, and took out a bottle.

  I removed the cork, slowly taking a small sip from the bottle. I retrieved an empty parchment from the desk and a wooden quill. While I went there out of curiosity and to see what they were doing, there was no way I could blatantly say I went there for my own curiosity. However, I was going to gamble on Gabriel approving my reasoning for investigating it as if I was trying to figure out why supplies were so slow to get out.

  I spent the next several minutes writing a brief report that included critical key details. After I had finished, I reviewed it again to determine whether it was acceptable.

  “For the Orders Eyes.

  Thadeus A. Right hand to Gabriel.

  To determine why the campaign against an unknown enemy is taking us so long, I decided to head on over to Mining Facility 039 to ensure that the materials needed by the Order were being mined at an appropriate rate. The Operation’s Manager was cooperative and provided valuable insight.

  During the tour, there was a commotion from the pit, and upon investigation, it was discovered that a human had fainted. Due to the lack of help to ensure that resources were mined at an appropriate pace, I jumped in to assist with medical, where it was found that the human was suffering from a heart issue. I applied my healing ability to the human, who quickly made a quick recovery, and everyone returned to work.

  It is the Right-hand of Gabriel’s opinion that despite the campaign going on around us, it would greatly benefit to send further hands of our species to quickly and efficiently mine the material as the human help continues to be sickened by the conditions of the air. In addition, it is suggested to cycle the safety barrier every few hours to improve air quality as it could potentially cause Angels of the Order to suffer similar issues.”

  I looked it over, trying to figure out if this was going to be sufficient. While it was a brief outing, there was not much to report, so hopefully, this would suffice and assist the Order in understanding what was happening at that outpost. I sighed, knowing I should take this right away. I went out into the hallway, note in hand, and opened up a portal to the front gate of the Holy Order’s council chamber.

  Upon exiting the portal, I was met by Cherub, who had his spear pointed at me.

  “HALT- Oh, Lord Master Thadeus of Gabriel. You may enter.” He said, lowering his spear.

  He turned around, opening the door. I quickly walked in, as I wanted to get this report to the Order quickly. I had hoped they wouldn’t question me, but a guard motioned for me to enter the center and stand at the podium as I entered. I sighed and complied with the request.

  As I stepped into the center, I noticed the human from before sitting off to the side. As he noticed me, he stood up and kneeled.

  “It’s a pleasure to be in your presence.” He said.

  “You may stand normal, human. Thank you for your respect.” I said.

  I wanted to talk with him, but the lights went out around us. I looked to the front of the room, expecting to see a light come on over the speaker. However, to my surprise, no lights came on.

  “Lord Master Thadeus, please approach the podium.”

  I stepped forward to the podium, placing my report neatly atop of it. I looked forward, expecting to see someone appear.

  “Lord Master Thadeus,” the voice said, deeper than I expected.

  “That is I.”

  “Lord Master Thadeus, you have been summoned for a couple of reasons, but one will be discussed once the human departs. In the meantime, since Gabriel is not here, you will suffice. Do you remember this man?”

  I looked over at the human.

  “Yes, I remember. How may I assist the Order?”

  A deafening silence suddenly hit me. I could see a barrier was placed over me.

  “Master Angel, you do know why this human is important to us, right?” the voice, now thunderous, said.

  The truth is that the idea of sending a human back to Earth with the ability to spread this diluted concept of influence amongst its people scared me, and I did not like the concept. Life was grand for me, but only because I was a male and I managed to survive for so long. Had I been brought into this life as a female, I would’ve struggled heavily and possibly been a slave/servant—or worse, in Antharian’s shoes.

  “I do, yes. By spreading his influence over the Earth, we will be able to have more people to pray to us, and we can manipulate their lives slightly to bring them good as they are serving us and the Order as a whole.” I said, unsure if that was correct.

  “Hmm. So you are at least aware of the basics. But, there’s more to it, which we will let you know in a moment.”

  Suddenly, I could hear the sound of everything else around me again.

  “Lord Master Thadeus, please bring forward your report and send the man back up to the podium.”

  I picked up the report, stepped around the podium, and made my way to the wooden wall surrounding this portion of the room. I placed it gently on the edge as if a pure golden sleeve had retrieved it from the darkness. I bowed at the figure and made my way back to the podium.

  “Have a seat, Master Thadeus.” The voice said.

  I opted to sit on the opposite side of the man. He still donned a white robe, white pants, and sandals. His skin looked a bit darker now that I was this close to him versus how things were before during the last time I saw him. Judging by the fact I could smell him, I do not think he has bathed since he had been here once. However, I wasn’t going to say anything.

  “Human, come to the podium.”

  He stood up and made his way to the podium, which, upon reaching it, was adjusted to his height.

  “Please tell us your name, human, for the record.”

  “My friends call me Joshua.”

  I continued glancing over, wondering if the light would appear over the one speaking. It seemed odd to me that the one talking would remain in the dark. While I could question the Order for its actions, I chose not to as the two made small talk. After a bit more of small back-and-forth discussions, they called upon me.

  “Lord Master Thadeus.”

  I stood up. “Yes?”

  “Stand behind the human and place your hand on his shoulder.”

  I did as requested and placed my hand on his shoulder. His robe felt similar to the leather from the days I donned the armor. It struck me as somewhat odd that I had never been told about a major human settlement called “Earth” before. The humans of Earth and the Humans in nearby controlled cities appeared to have similar clothes but were different in color.

  “Now, Thadeus, I am going to ask a series of questions, and I’d like for you to let me know what you feel from him in terms of emotion. Can you do that?”

  I nodded.

  “Very good. Joshua, are you positive you wish to be used to spread our influence? This may be a difficult task that will bring about the Holy Order’s way of life to your planet, potentially changing it.”

  I could feel as he thought intensely about his response.

  “I wish to spread the influence of a pure, intelligent, and strong being upon my people. I have seen the miracles of this world. I will inform the people of Earth upon the blessings I have received, as you call them, to my people. Anything your kind provides me, I will spread the word of the All Mighty One and change the way the people live.”

  I locked into his emotions momentarily. He felt as though his intentions were pure, but he wasn’t aware of the actual outcome his actions would cause for the people of Earth and how it’d potentially set them up for failure as a world. However, I didn’t have the time to stand here, failing to give an answer to whoever was lurking in the shadows, asking questions.

  “Pure response,” I said.

  “Hmmm… so human, your loyalty to us appears to be quite strong. I can feel it; Lord Master Thadeus behind you can feel it. It is your destiny to spread the word of the Mighty One and to ensure that our influence helps change the Earth for the better. The women of your planet are all sinners, and you must warn your people that if they sin, they will all go to a place where they will spend an eternity suffering. We want to save the Humans of Earth.”

  The feeling of sadness and anger momentarily went through Joshua.

  “I wish to speak to Master Lord Thadeus if I may, sir.” He said.

  “Oh? For what reason do you think it would be appropriate to discuss with him?”

  He glanced over his shoulder, looking at me out through the corner of his right.

  “I do believe that this loyal servant of Gabriel…” he started before being interrupted.

  “You shall not address Lord Master Thadeus as a servant. He is one of the top lower Archangel’s of our Order, and you shall address him as such.” The man in the gold cloak shouted.

  I removed my hand from his shoulder in disbelief that he referred to me as a servant. While he wasn’t exactly wrong, as that’s basically what I was to Gabriel, but having a human call me that shocked me.

  “It’s fine, M’lord. It was a simple mistake that I think we should overlook.” I stated.

  Joshua turned around, bowing to me.

  “Thank you, Master Thadeus; I greatly appreciate your kindness.”

  “Lord Master Thadeus has chosen to forgive you. In the future, show more respect to those who could potentially have an impact on your future for Earth and here. While we have been talking, I was informed that the Mighty One does wish to proceed and will grant you a way to prove that you are a god’s Chosen One. He will provide you with commands to issue to the people of Earth. The more people you rally, the stronger you will become. I also have a request for Thadeus.”

  “For me?” I said, confused.

  “Yes, you. The Mighty One has specifically requested that you take this one to your tower that you watch over for now and brief him about what the Holy Order & Kingdom are like. We feel that you would be the best compared to Michael and the others. Once you have done that, bring him back here, and we shall decide what to do with him from there.

  “Of course, not a problem,” I said, bowing.

  I wasn’t quite sure of the extent of my telepathy, but I decided to give it a try.

  “Antharian, are you able to hear me?”

  “Yes, Master. What is it? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned.

  “No. We’re having a Human from Earth that I’ll be showing up with here shortly. I need you to ensure the girls are in full servant mode and Anatasia & Selyse are dressed appropriately. Make them aware of what is going on, too. This human is potentially a spy of the Order, too.”

  “Oh my, okay, m’lord. I’ll get started instantly.” She said, sounding concerned.

  “Master Thadeus, well?” said the voice in the dark.

  “My mistake. It’s been a long day, but I live to serve the Order.”

  I tapped on Joshua’s shoulder, motioning for him to follow me.

  “Oh, Thadeus, one more thing. We have read your report and agree with what you have said. We’ll send you something later this evening or tomorrow morning to thank you for your hard work.”

  “Thank you for your generosity,” I said.

  I turned around, slowly making my way to the door with Joshua right behind me. I was hoping that by the time I got back to the castle, the girls would be playing the part of servants and not messing around. I was unsure as to why they chose me, considering Michael and the other two could have taken charge. But then it sort of just dawned on me: Are they also involved in whatever it is that Gabriel is involved in?

  Once we made our way outside, I drew my sword.

  “Human, since you are considered such a valuable asset to the Holy Order, you will remain close to me at all times and not talk to anyone but myself.”

  I felt him grab at my sheath, holding it tightly.

  “Of course, Lord Master Thadeus.” He said quietly.

  As we passed under the Cherub guard outside, he nodded. A few other guards were just outside, but they remained with the Cherub.

  “M’lord, everyone is ready to play their parts.”

  “Perfect, thank you, Antharian. I’ll be there in a few seconds.”

  Learning to speak telepathically had to have been one of the best skills we could have learned, as it allowed us to communicate from afar. Knowing that we could do it from one end of the Kingdom to the center of it was incredibly beneficial, as it allowed us to warn each other ahead of time in the event something came up.

  “Okay, Joshua, I’m going to open a portal. It will take us directly outside of the tower. I have several female servants of my own. Along with them, there is a specific female that you may not make eye contact with as she is Gabriel’s future bride. If you need anything, request it from a servant, and they’ll get it for you,” I said.

  “Of course, Lord Master Thadeus.”

  I hesitantly opened a portal to the outside of the tower. I wasn’t comfortable with allowing a human who unknowingly wanted to see his people enslaved by the Order into the tower. The fact that I had to play the part of Gabriel in this situation also made my stomach churn, and I was thankful that Antharian and them knew where I stood regarding my beliefs. Once the portal fully opened, I motioned for him to enter first. Once he was through, I entered it myself, hoping that I didn’t open it somewhere dumb because I was nervous. When I exited, the portal led us into a corner on the outside, but we had plenty of room to step to the side without being set back through to the Order.

  “My mistake, Joshua. Sometimes, the portal doesn’t go exactly where I’d like it to. Here, I’ll close this. Okay, follow me,” I said, sheathing my sword.

  Just as we approached the door, Elise came out slowly, took a knee, and placed her head down.

  “Welcome back, Master,” she said.

  “Servant, we have a very important guest. Please find this human something to eat and drink.”

  She stood up, bowed, and retreated back into the tower, making her way up the stairs. Joshua walked in with me close in tow. As I came in, I saw Selyse standing next to the door. She bowed before closing the door.

  “Very good. Thank you.” I said to her.

  “As for you, Joshua, please take a seat if you wish.”

  As he sat down, Elise returned with a large platter with various food and a large cup of what appeared to be water.

  “Here you are, m’lord,” she said as she placed the tray beside him.

  “Thank you, young lady.”

  She bowed before standing next to the stairs.

  “Please help yourself with the assortment of food she has brought you. If you have questions, feel free to ask.” I said, trying to sound welcoming. He grabbed bits of what appeared to be a carrot chopped into bite-sized pieces.

  “Master Thadeus, if I may. What do you do around here?”

  “Well, as of right now, I mostly ensure the safety of Gabriel’s future bride. She is considered to be very important, and my Master trusts me to ensure her safety. Other than that, I do various other tasks such as checking up on order-controlled areas and reporting back any issues I find.”

  “Are there other humans here? Or nearby?” he asked, sounding excited.

  “There are. They are different than you are, though.” I said, lightly poking at his arm. “Their skin is pale in comparison.”

  He looked at his arm. “Wait, really?”

  “You there!” I said, pointing at Selyse. “Come over here and show our guest what I’m talking about.”

  She quickly hurried over and stood in front of him. I rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pale-white skin tone. He touched her arm, looking surprised.

  “Oh, interesting. I wonder if there are people like this on Earth, too. I guess I’ll find out.” He said softly.

  I let him poke at Selyse’s arm for a bit longer before I excused her back to her post. Which I was not sure why she was on door duty. I half expected her to be the one running back and forth in the event our lovely guest needed something. He took a drink of the water, and after setting the cup back down, he asked another question.

  “So, Master Thadeus, do you think spreading the word of the Mighty One and of the Order would be good for my people?” he asked, staring off into the fire.

  Yet again, I was faced with another moral dilemma. The influence that he wanted to spread, if successful, would’ve set humanity into a similar setup within the Order, where females wouldn’t have any say in anything and be either servants or slaves for the rest of their lives where they wouldn’t be able to make any decisions for themselves. Where the lower class of Angels have to prove they are worthy, fighting in battles until they die, or they get noticed by a high-ranking Archangel such as Gabriel, Michael, and others. But only if they genuinely stood out. So, while I didn’t think that would be an ideal outcome, I also had to say otherwise to play my part.

  “I think the people of Earth could greatly benefit from the Order itself. As things are right now, everyone is happy, and we coexist with the Humans of this world, as well as the other races out there. The Order ensures that everyone remains peaceful and everyone has a duty to do. My servant that you just interacted with? She does her duties faithfully, and look at how happy she is doing it.” I looked up at Selyse, who gave me a fake smile.

  “See? She is happy with her duty to me.” I said.

  Joshua stood up, walking over to Elise, who was still standing at the bottom of the stairs.

  “So, this one looks like you. Is she also a servant?” he asked, curious.

  “Yes, that one is a servant. She also has her own separate responsibilities. Each of the females you see here, except for Gabriel’s future wife, are mine, and I’m responsible for their actions. If they do something, I am talked to about it. But thankfully, my servants are well-behaved and typically stay in their dwelling. However, it is my opinion you should do what you think is right. If you think this lifestyle will help keep peace and order amongst your people, do what you have to do.” I said, trying to sound as if I believed this myself.

  I heard Selyse force a cough, indicating that not even she believed me.

  “The way you make it sound, it sounds pretty great, and I think it’d be the right step for humanity to believe in the Mighty One as he could bless us with many gifts and ideals. Thank you, Master Thadeus.”

  As I started to think about what I had just encouraged upon the people of Earth, there was a knock at the door. Selyse slowly opened it, revealing several Holy Order guards and someone from the Order itself.

  “Master Lord Thadeus, we are here to retrieve our disciple per the Mighty One’s request.”

  Joshua thanked me for my time as he left with the heavily guarded party. As he left, I had wondered if they had been right outside of my door, listening to what we were talking about. Had I said something completely different, would I have been exposed? There was another knock at the door as I continued to be lost in self-reflection.

  I walked over to the door and opened it. In front of me was a Holy Order Special Forces member with a large chest behind him.

  “Master Lord. The Order would like for me to thank you for the answer you gave him. Earth is critical to us. In exchange, the Order has decided to give you a crate full of random goods for you and your slaves. Silk bedwares for all, finest wines, and other various things that would normally be reserved for those of the actual title of Archangel.” He said, sounding excited for me.

  “It’s my honor to serve the Order,” I said, bowing.

  As he walked off, I went out to retrieve the chest, placing it next to the door. Upon opening it, I saw various bottles of wine lying atop the silk bedding and a few other small things. As I shuffled through everything, I heard Antharian in my head.

  “Master, they are all gone.” She said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, M’lord. I counted 20 of them, and 20 left.”

  “Perfect,” I said out loud.

  Selyse and Elise looked at me, confused.

  “Selyse, you may return to your… natural state,” I said.

  Selyse wasted no time removing her clothing, tossing it at Elise, who was also removing her clothing, causing her to yelp. Once she got her clothes off, she tossed hers at Selyse. They ran up to each other, hugging one another and giggling. By this time, it was just about dark.

  I couldn’t believe how long of a day this day had been, nor how it was so late already. It felt as though all that happened was at least a few days long. But then it occurred to me that I should ask.

  “Hey girls, calm down for a second. How many days have I been gone for?” I asked, curious.

  “Oh, well, uhh… when you brought back Antharian, it was in the morning yesterday. Then you guys came back when the day was half over. Then, by the time you wrote up that report and took it to the Order yourself, it was dark out. Then you probably spent the entire night and half the day there doing whatever you were doing. Then you came back here with that human who stinks and had a conversation, so probably about one of a half days sun cycles.” Elise said.

  I stared into space for a moment before responding.

  “I’m going to my quarters. You can see if Antharian would like to stay with me, or one of you can,” I said as I started making my way up the stairs. I could finally relax now that I had the place back to myself. However, due to being up for nearly two days, I had decided sleeping was the better option.

  I noticed my door was open, and upon peeking in, I saw Antharian lying on her side with a smile on her face.

  “What’s got you so smiley?” I asked, confused.

  “Despite your answers to that disgusting human, I am happy to see you’re back, and we’ll be alone. Come here, Thadeus, allow me to make your night better…”

  I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Whatever she planned to do would have to wait, as I wanted to sleep. Dealing with the mining facility, the order, and being spied on by the order over a two-day period was tiring.

  “Antharian, not tonight. Why don’t we just cuddle up and sleep?”

  She nodded. “Of course, m’lord.”

  As I lay on the bed, she snuggled up to me, placing her head against my chest.

  “Good night, m’lord,” she said softly.

  I held her tightly, feeling a wave of happiness washing over me.