Chapter#02

The aroma of french toast filled the air, and Mike smiled, carrying his coffee to the dining hall. The large table in the middle of the room had been rebuilt, and Reggie, the Rat King, sat in a wooden high chair that had been modified to look like a throne at the far end of the table. Beth sat next to him and was teaching him to do a Sudoku puzzle.

"How are you feeling?" Mike sat next to Beth and went to pour what was left of his coffee into the empty cup in front of him. A pitiful dribble came out and he frowned.

"Feeling fine actually." She looked up from the puzzle and smiled. "According to my last check with Naia, the shard is still sitting there, completely inert."

"I see." A couple of months ago, they had discovered that a powerful demon named Oliver had stuck part of his soul to Beth's with the intent of controlling her. With Yuki's help, Mike had destroyed Oliver's world, and presumably Oliver with it. Not taking any chances, they actively monitored the soul shard, making sure it didn't start giving orders once more.

"Actually, I do have some news. Ratu thinks she may be able to extract it." A broad grin spread across Beth's face. "If she can pull it out, then I won't have to worry."

"Hey, that's great news!" Mike squeezed her hand, then yanked it back. Though they had lived together for a couple of months now, the relationship he had with Beth was very different from what he shared with the others. It also didn't help that he still found her as attractive as the first day they met, and he still felt slightly awkward around her on occasion. "When are they going to try?"

"Tomorrow, maybe. But Ratu needs Tink's goggles to do it."

"I think I can arrange that." He opened his mouth to say something else, but a large figure blocked the door, carrying a serving platter in her hands.

"Breakfast is ready." The cyclops Sofia, standing seven feet tall, walked around the table and set down multiple plates of food. French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, and a fruit salad were set before him, and he took the napkin off his plate and set it in his lap.

"Where is Tink?" asked Sofia, turning her purple eye on Mike.

"Um, I don't know. She didn't come to bed last night." He tried to grab his fork, but Sofia swatted his hand.

"She doesn't eat, you don't eat. Gods know she works herself to the bone, you may as well keep her fed."

"Alright, alright, geez." Though Sofia cast a baleful look his way, he knew it was largely an act. Still, she was right in that the little goblin worked altogether too hard. "I'll bring her, but could you make sure I have a fresh cup of coffee?"

"I'm not your fucking slave, Caretaker." She walked out of the room back toward the kitchen, and Mike stood and walked back to the living room.

He hadn't seen Tink out front, so the number of places she could be was limited. He ran up to his bedroom first, just to make sure that she hadn't wandered in after the sun came up. Seeing that she wasn't there, he went into his bathroom and knocked on the edge of the enormous tub.

"Hey Naia?" he asked, his voice echoing in the bathroom. The faucet turned itself on, and the tub filled within seconds, pressurized by the hot spring below the house. The surface of the water rippled and rose, and a human form made of water appeared before him. The transparent liquid solidified into the body of a voluptuous woman with green and blue hair.

"Morning, lover." The nymph leaned forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. Her tongue was hot in his mouth, and he felt a sudden surge of blood to his nether region. "What can I do for you?"

"Um, hey, I uh... oh! I was looking for Tink. Have you seen her?"

Naia pouted, fluttering her long lashes. "Really? That's all you wanted?"

"Well, actually, I wanted breakfast, but Sofia won't let me eat until I bring Tink with me." He smiled at the nymph and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. "I can make time for you later, but I'm starving right now."

She stuck out her tongue and laughed. "She's out in the garage with Dana. Those two are thick as thieves nowadays."

He chuckled. "I thought the two of them had a falling out last week?"

"I believe Dana phrased it as creative differences, but that was last week. There's a new project that the two of them spent all night working on. Might not be a bad idea to see what they are up to."

"Okay then, I'm off." He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Keep the water warm for me?"

"Maybe." She winked and her whole body turned to water and fell back into the tub. He walked down the hallway and then down the stairs until he was on the first floor again. Walking past the bathroom, he was at the back door of the house.

Stepping outside, he marveled at the large plot of land that sat before him. When he had first moved in, his backyard had been large enough for a moderately sized dinner party. Now, he could easily host a couple of weddings, maybe even an amusement park if he was so inclined.

There was now a large, stone patio that wrapped around the rear of the house. Naia's fountain was at the bottom of a small set of stairs, surrounded by large flower pots. To the left of the fountain was the door to the garage, which had been modified to accommodate a centaur, but Zel had moved out several weeks back to live with her tribe.