It was already mid-evening when Cassian returned to Katherine's room, and she showed up just an hour later. Last night, they hadn't exactly been engaging in deep conversation—mostly focused on the rather practical task of getting each other out of their clothes.
Now, as she entered, Cassian immediately went about undressing her again—but this time, it was for a massage. He figured a little relaxation might be just what she needed before he dropped whatever he was about to say next.
He began, circling around the topic like a diplomat before finally getting to the point. "My lady, do you remember when I was sent away to handle some matters of the Valtross Academy, particularly at their training grounds?"
Katherine let out a soft chuckle and said, "More like a cloning camp, if you ask me. But yeah, what about it?" Meanwhile, Ravees looked intrigued by the conversation, holding an oil bottle just like last time. Cassian was now massaging Katherine's breasts, and although she had hesitated to watch at first. But after seeing them sway in different positions last night, watching them being massaged now no longer embarrassed her.
Cassian continued massaging her, his hands working expertly as he spoke. "Well, my colleague who came to save me there—Cassandra..."
Katherine interrupted, her curiosity piqued. "That sixth-circle warrior, right?"
Cassian nodded. "Yeah, that one. Well, as we were heading back, we made a bit of a detour to explore the old world ruins."
Both Ravees and Katherine looked surprised. Katherine frowned and spoke with concern, "That's dangerous, Cassian. I won't reprimand you because a sixth-circle warrior was with you, but don't go to places like that on your own at your current power."
Ravees nodded, agreeing with her, though Cassian wanted to point out he'd been in more danger than that. Instead, he refrained, feeling a touch of warmth that she cared about him. He continued, "I won't, but... when we went there, as you both know, to find some treasures..." He paused dramatically, widening his smile as both Katherine and Ravees looked at him expectantly. "And we found it..."
"Really?" Katherine asked, a surprised smile spreading across her face. She sat up, Cassian pulling his hands away from her breasts. "What'd you find?" Ravees looked surprised too, raising an eyebrow. As a circle warrior, she'd heard stories of ancient, well-crafted weapons hidden in those ruins, made for warriors like her long ago.
"I'll show you," Cassian said, "but first, my lady, can you cast a spell to keep this room private?" Ravees smirked, finding it funny. Cassian didn't care about privacy last night when he and Katherine were going at it, but now, for some treasure, he want privacy.
"Don't worry, I already handled it when I got here," Katherine said, catching Cassian and Ravees off guard. "I put up spells around the room, added a Concealment Array, and even used a high-end cloaking and magical device." As circle warriors, they thought they'd have picked up on something—Cassian, maybe not, being a lower circle warrior, but Ravees should've felt a hint. Katherine kept going, "Even an 8th circle warrior would have to try hard to notice them." She tugged the bedsheets over herself, a little shy about being bare.
Cassian glanced around, and so did Ravees, but neither could sense a thing. Cassian nodded and said, "Miss Ravees, this thing's got a dangerous vibe. I'm warning you first so you don't go all battle-ready, alright?" Ravees gave a quick nod.
Then, with a flick of instinct, Cassian summoned the war armor into the middle of the room. Its killing aura hit hard, making the air tough to breathe. Despite Cassian's warning, Ravees tensed, her instincts kicking in. Katherine muttered a spell to shield herself from the armor's menacing aura, both women staring in shock.
Cassian, sporting a proud, excited grin, eyed the armor's red surface. It wasn't pretty or fancy—just plain terrifying, like a blood-soaked rope coiled around a body, more like a hellish creature meant to bathe in blood than actual armor.
"That's a war armor…" Ravees said, her voice stunned as she stared at the armor. Its killing aura was so intense it warped reality, the air around it turning dark red, the room growing dimmer.
"Yeah, it's a war armor, and it's mine," Cassian said, smirking at Katherine, who looked completely shocked. He pulled out a red sword, surprising her even more. "This came with it," he added.
"Where'd you get them?" Katherine asked, her tone full of shock. "How'd you get them?" Ravees chimed in. Cassian hesitated, not wanting to spill about the guardian or dig into details about the armor. That'd just spark more questions, like whether Cassandra got one too, and he wasn't sure if she'd want to reveal her own war armor or not.
"Sorry, my lady, but I can't say more about them for some reason. There aren't any more of these there, anymore though," Cassian said. The armor and sword vanished, turning into marks near his circle warrior tattoos.
Ravees looked a bit disappointed. Any circle warrior would be—she'd only caught a glimpse of something that could make her way stronger, and now it was gone. Katherine stared at Cassian for a moment, then sighed and nodded. "Alright, I won't push for details. Just don't use it unless you really have to." She paused, her face darkening. "It gave me some weird chills, but that murderous aura fits your domain perfectly."
With a smirk, she added, "Is that why you chose this one?"
Cassian nodded, smiling, as Katherine went on. "So, there was more than one, since you chose?" Both Ravees and Cassian looked shocked—Cassian at how easily she hinted at another armor, Ravees at the idea of multiple in one place. Katherine pressed, "Did that girl took the other one?"
Cassian's face fell, a hint of a pout in his voice. "My lady, I said I can't tell you more…" Katherine chuckled at his whining, nodding. "Fine, I won't push. But is there anything else you've been keeping from me?"