The dragon's harem

Aella inspected the bow, smiling. "It's amazing," She pulled the string, and a spectral arrow of compressed wind emerged, whistling like the howling winds of the elvish forest.

"It might not reach the same raw power of your steel bow, but it more than makes it in elemental damage and range. You have Zephyr. You'll never run of wind for arrows." Alcott smiled and looked at the door, "I know you're there. Come here before I stand to rip your head off,"

Click! Arad's main door opened.

Vasilissa stared at him, standing at the entrance. "I hate those with a sharp sense,"

"And I hate those hard to track," Alcott stood, and Arad beside him. Both rested their fists on their hips, creating a wall between Vasilissa and the girls.

"Is she a problem? She only helped," Arad said, tilting his head.

"Don't know. All I know is that she's a dragon in hiding at least, probably something else, at least not human." Alcott replied, "Strong and hiding her presence to look human," He tilted his head like Arad, only in the opposite direction.

"It's only your guts, don't forget that." Vasilissa, "Don't go around accusing people."

Alcott giggled, his eyes turned white as a strange magic crackled through his bones. The muscles on his frame expanded a bit, causing his shirt to tear a bit.

Vasilissa took a step back, "You're scaring me,"

"I'm not," Alcott smiled, pointing at the girls in the back. Their faces had paled, and their mana started flickering, their subconsciousness telling them to run away from Alcott.

Arad looked at Alcott from the side. ^What's this?^

^[HAHAHA!]^ Doma laughed her ass off in Arad's head. ^[All of the curses and tribulations he went through are sparking inside his body and soul in harmony. After a decade of decay due to the contradiction of the vampiric, lycanthropic, the undead, and countless shifts his body went through, they are finally starting to coexist.]^

Vasilissa stared at Alcott, holding her smile. ^He's power is coming back, and he might even surpass his peak. He's a human, but he went far beyond the limits. A creature, soon he might become the strongest creature that isn't a magic dragon or an outer being.^

Thud! Alcott dropped on the couch, putting one leg on another and taking a sighting, "I bet she's a steel dragon. Those bastards are good at hiding as humans. If you're here to watch over Arad, tell the metallic queen that I still didn't need to visit her palace. She'll love to keep it like that."

Vasilissa walked into the living room and sat facing Alcott, putting one leg on the other, "Let's keep it at this. This conversation better not continue. Unless we want to trash Arad's house." She stared at him, ^Dominance, He means every word. He never had trouble with either the chromatic or metallic queens, but if someone is crazy enough to pull up on them, it's him.^ She remembered how he dragged Scarlett[Ginger] out of her castle even though she turned him into a vampire.

"You're right," Alcott glared at her.

Arad, stood in silence, his eyes jumping from one to another. ^I've a feeling that I shouldn't anger any of them. Brother, where are you? I might need help here.^

"Let's keep this under wrap for now," Alcott reached to his bag of holding, pulling a necklace, "This is for Mira,"

A blue crystal tied with a steel chain. Someone might even say it looks bad. Like made by the worst craftsman ever.

"What's that?" Arad looked at it, "My Kobolds makes far better gear,"

Zephyr flew like the wind, latching to Alcott's face and glaring at his eyes, "Where did you get that? Did you steal it?" She screamed.

Alcott laughed, "No, I asked nicely. But those pixies were sweating when I pulled on them bathing in the spring of youth."

"What's this?" Arad asked, and Doma answered in his head. ^[Fatal necklace. If the wearer dies, it'll shatter and revive them. This one has a curse on it that will teleport both the wearer and the one who killed them away. Right now, it'll take them to Alcott.]^

"You paid them? Right? Only one can be made a century!" Zephyr growled, "Those little ones need the money to survive!"

"Didn't have the money on me, but I showed them where they could find an underground magic crystal mine that I found years ago in their forest, that should cover their costs," Alcott threw the necklace toward Mira, and she caught it.

"If a mine there, it's theirs! Mostly the crystallization of the spring's water." Zephyr kept glaring at his eye, more annoyed than enraged.

"Finders keeps, I found it, so it was my property. I simply exchanged it for the necklace." He pulled Zephyr by the wings and sat her on the couch, "Calm down,"

He turned toward Arad, "You sit as well. My bag is full." Pulling a tsuba-less and handle-less katana riddled with rust that's that's three times as long as a regular one. "Merida, this one for you," He threw it toward her, and she barely managed to catch it.

"This is just a long blade," She growled, "And rusty,"

As she grabbed the blade, fungal veins grew from her wrist, melding the blade into her palm and expanding to the edge. They pulsed like a heart, casing their blade to seem alive.

"The living blade. It's a fungus-based demonic blade that lives off the user's blood and in exchange never loses its sharpness or break, and it also gets naturally sharper as the wielder's blood gets more saturated with mana, meaning as they level up." Alcott smiled, "You dealt with that fungus. I'm sure you can handle this one and don't worry about your hand. It can be removed with a mere thought."

Merida closed her eyes, and the blade released from her wrist, not leaving a single mark.

"Where do you keep finding those things?" Arad looked at him, with a suspicious glare. He knew Alcott was strong and went through a lot, probably knowing more about the secrets of the world than anyone he had met, but seeing him pulling one thing after the other, didn't seem right.

"In my past, I acted like a dog. Taking what I needed and burying every item that I didn't need around the world so I could dig them later." He smiled, "I just made a detour to dig some of them up, probably why that thing is rusted."

Resting on the couch with her eyes closed, she switched her legs and leaned forth, resting her chin on her fist. "Don't go around burying powerful weapons like a squirrel hiding his acorns. Learn to organize your stuff,"

"You remind me of a woman I was with," Alcott looked away, poking his ear, "Always nagging about me leaving my clothes everywhere,"

"Probably why she left you,"

"I'm sure it's something else," Alcott looked forward, his face changing, "I would've dragged her out of nine hells if I could, but she just disappeared, and even I couldn't track her down."

"She might be dead," Vasilissa giggled, shaking her head.

"She's alive," Alcott's eyes flashed gold, "I can still catch a faint whiff of her smell at night and see traces of her face in the stars."

^Humans are persistent hunters. They chase their prey until they beg for death. Now give that human enchanted power and senses from countless curses and transformations, and you'll have a killer that can't be shaken away.^ Vasilissa smiled. ^Going back might not be a bad idea.^

Alcott swung his fist in the air, "First thing, I'll give her a good beating for running away without a word. At least say something,"

"Please don't," Arad sighed at his side.

"If she can evade me, I bet she's at least can fight." Alcott smiled, "Well, she was a mage, but nowhere close to Merlin,"

"If you think Merlin was better," Vasilissa stared at him, "Why didn't you marry her instead?"

"She turned me into a woman for a month," Alcott replied, "And I prefer women who aren't shaken by my strength, or at least the ones willing to try killing me,"

"Me too," Arad smiled, nodding.

"A hard life," Vasilissa looked down, "The weak always dies around you, and you don't want that farewell to be with someone close. You two are really alike,"

"You think so?" Alcott reached toward his back, "Isdis," He shouted, "I got something for you. I bet even Baltos can't match it."

Alcott pulled a black and gold laced flute. The moment Vasilissa saw it, she lunged forward, swinging her hand to smack it from Alcott's hand.

Alcott moved his hand, dodging her palm, and jumped toward the door, "Look, you're fast, aren't you."

Zephyr flew toward him, "Damn you, Alcott! That thing is supposed to be destroyed. Why are you still keeping it around?"

Alcott laughed, opening the door and rushing outside, "Catch me if you can,"

"I'll keep an eye on him!" Vasilissa rushed after him, and Zephyr stared at Arad, "You better break that damned flute. It's akin to your nipple knife, a true damage weapon that targets the mind,"

^[If Isdis had that flute, she could control the kingdom's people like the rats in the Pied Piper. It had driven every user to madness and drenched them in the lust for control.]^

^Does it even have rules, or is it mind control?^

^[I did put some rules when I made it. I might be able to dispel the negative effects.]^