John wasn’t quite sure why he got swept up in the chain of events that led to him and Aclysia sitting alone by the lakeside in a Natural Barrier. Chronologically, it was all rather clear. They had been hanging out on top of the tower. John had continuously praised his love-crazy maid, as was natural. Eventually John had to oblige the call of his bladder, due to the limitations of (even super) human biology. After he left the bathroom, he was informed that a Natural Barrier had formed on the east side of the lake. He had decided to take care of it. The Natural Barrier had turned out to be filled with fish. Level 5 to 20 fish, some of which could threaten the average Abyssal, but fish nevertheless. John and Aclysia had dedicated themselves to cleaning out the barrier. Then the maid suggested she prepare some of the fish. John had joked they would need all night to eat all of them. Aclysia returned that all night sounded nice and suddenly John had committed to sleeping outdoors tonight.

Not that he was complaining about it. The Natural Barrier had spawned between two small settlements on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain. That effectively isolated them from civilization, but neither mundane houses nor Servitude Island were far enough away to say they were having a proper night in the woods. They also had several modern-day commodities. The boat that had brought them there, sitting a couple metres out in the water, was the most obvious. A sleeping bag, numerous outdoor cooking utensils, and a tent were the usual luxuries. A single sleeping bag, of course, nothing more would be needed. All of that had been moved over through Jack’s inventory.

The same Jack, who John had used to explain the situation to the girls. None of them seemed annoyed with the fact that he would spend his night with a specific one of them. His women knew that they had to allow each other their special moments with their man. Really, the fact that they wouldn’t have access to Aclysia’s cooking for three meals seemed more of a concern among everyone. Practically, they all still got to spend time with him, given his double’s status as a flawless extension of himself.

“And you’re sure you only need the salt you brought? Nothing from the kitchen?” John asked while watching Aclysia prepare their meal. It was, in line with their excuse to spend a camp night alone, only the fish and the minimum of herbs they could scout out in the environment. Because this was a Natural Barrier, some of the mundane plants had spontaneously ‘ascended’ into magical bushes. That was not universally a good thing, but Observe was a reliable way to tell what was poisonous or not.

“It is the appeal of a night spent in nature to only use the usual natural ingredients,” Aclysia responded while gutting the fish. Despite its magical status, it was only the size of John’s forearm. After all of the inedible parts were removed, the remains would have fit into a particularly large supermarket package. With the quantity of fresh ingredients accessible and them being novel to the cook, Aclysia cut away more than was perhaps necessary. To no real loss, all things considered.

The weaponized maid was using Salver and a particularly smooth stone to prepare the strips of fish. She then sprinkled the meat with salt and finely chopped herbs. Every other one, she rubbed with a paste of squashed berries they had found. It was messier than her usual kitchen work, but that was part of the charm.

John, for his part, had gone through a number of side tasks. Number one, put up the tent. Harder than one would think in the forest, but he found a space big enough between some trees that he could clear. Yes, they were superhumans, but sleeping on pebbles would still not be pleasant. Number two, get a fire going. John made it a point of principle to do this only with the things nature provided. Extreme Agility diminished the accomplishment of starting a fire with two sticks and friction, but he still liked that he got it done. Number three, sharpen some sticks. He splintered a rock and used that as an improvised knife. Another unnecessary, but nice exercise.

Aclysia took the sticks and skewered the fish on them. It was rarely a clean process. Crudely sharpened wood was a less reliable penetration tool than metal or other kitchen appliances. The filets sometimes fell apart, despite the maid’s best attempts.

Even if John had cared, he would have been too distracted by the way Aclysia looked. The weaponized maid had changed into an outfit better fit for outdoor camping in this season. A jacket, a shirt, and thick yoga pants with hotpants on top, all in her usual black and white colour scheme. Strictly speaking, those clothes were less appealing to John than her maid uniform, but they were on theme and cute in their own right. John himself had also changed into casual clothes, just a shirt, pullover and a thin jacket on top, with jeans for the leg covering. Wearing unenchanted gear felt almost nostalgic.

Soon a ring of skewers surrounded the ring of stones John had laid around the campfire. They sat more than a dozen metres away from their tent and a respectable distance from the water. Where they were, between rocky beach and trees, the ground was damp and as cold as the rest of the day. The temperature was just below the freezing point, but the sun was present enough to keep any frost from actually setting in. They used John’s jacket to separate them from the ground.

The two of them sat down by the fire, their backs towards the water, and gazed into the forest. Were it not for the fish guts scattered across the shore, they would have looked out over the vast lake instead. The leafless forest was its own tranquil sight, however, especially with the flame flickering so nicely before them.

The fish only cooked slowly, exuding a terribly enticing smell that grew more intense as they heated up. Not as enticing as Aclysia’s hair. The white-haired maid was leaning against John’s chest and happily hummed a little song. “What tune is that?” John asked, finding the melody familiar.

“I don’t know,” Aclysia responded honestly. “I picked it up when I helped Undine with a recording session. It was an improvised song to test the equipment.”

“Ever the musical one, our Undine,” the Gamer hummed.

“Ever working towards your prosperity, John,” Aclysia added. “As most of us are.”

“Fusion’s prosperity,” he corrected softly. One of the pieces of wood in the campfire cracked and collapsed into a swarm of rising embers.

“Do you truly believe that all of us girls would work for the good of this nation if it wasn’t yours?” Aclysia asked, one her eyebrows raised and her emerald gaze meeting his.

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t,” John conceded the point hastily. “You, Beatrice, the elementals, Jane, Eliza, Metra… I don’t believe any of you care particularly in what country you live. Well, Metra probably was attached to Akkad, but the sands swallowed that empire aeons ago. Scarlett cares for Fusion, at least as a market. Nia likes the values of the federation.” He chuckled softly, “Lydia probably cares about maintaining a strong ally across the pond.”

“She cares about protecting you,” Aclysia said and closed her eyes. Her head leaned against the side of his neck. Continuing with a whisper, she said, “Fusion is your project and I admire it. It is a good place to be. It is you carving your values into the fabric of society. It is your mark on the planet itself. As your first maid, I will certainly do my best to maintain and expand the power an extension of you possesses.” Her hand lovingly brushed over his leg. “Were you to declare it lost, however, I would not hesitate to cut it down. I’m certain the other girls feel similar.”

“Probably.” The Gamer bowed down and kissed her exposed neck. Even her skin tasted of chocolate and the hint of smoke in the air added to the experience. “With this much power connected to me, I cannot ever truly be a democratic representative though.”

“No, you cannot, and I fail to see the issue,” Aclysia told him. “They should be happy to have you as their ruler. President, king, dictator, those are titles signalling your value. The reality does not change that you are their benevolent overlord.”

“The ruler tyrannizing his people for their own good is the worst of all,” John quoted something that resonated deeply with him. “The robber baron’s desire for wealth and blood can be sated, if only temporarily. Those who will oppress people for their own good will never stop, because their mission is never completed.”

“It is because you know that you have these flaws that you can be the ultimate ruler,” Aclysia responded.

“I know it until I don’t, Aclysia.” John shook his head. “You are usually blind to your worst mistakes until you make them. This isn’t about me abstaining from spirits as a former alcoholic, but about me being convinced that I do the right thing – only for thousands to perish at the ease of a few sentences.”

“Reality is cruel,” Aclysia agreed.

“Indeed.” He gave her a kiss on the lips. “Perhaps I can do it if I just live up to your expectations.”

“You can do everything you set your mind to. That is what makes you my John,” she swooned with a large, happy smile on her lips. Nostrils widening, she sniffed a couple of times. Then she opened her eyes. “The first fish are adequately cooked for consumption.”

“You can just smell that?” the Gamer wondered. To him, the aroma of herbs, fish and smoke had been gradually intensifying, but there was nothing notable about this particular moment.

“A good housewi- maid has a feeling for the preparedness of all dishes, no matter the type.” Aclysia moved out of her master’s embrace and got on all fours. While her hand reached for one of the nearby sticks, her big bubble butt pressed against John’s abdomen. In the harem, her ass was one of the fattest, juiciest around. John was tempted to eat it instead of some skewered fish.

Hunger made him withstand that emotion. He still paid more attention to the way it, clearly deliberately, grinded against him with all of its round softness than the process of pulling the sticks out of the ground. “You almost said housewife, didn’t you?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“I was hasty in my formulation and let slip what I will be, rather than-“

“What you wish to be,” John interjected teasingly.

“-what I am,” Aclysia finished her sentence unabated, only to immediately turn her head and answer him. “Are you insinuating that I am not allowed to be your wife, John?!” Her tone almost became shrill, anger and panic surging in it.

“Just a simple joke,” he was quick to assure her, seeing the crazy in her eyes.

“This is not a subject to joke about,” she pouted, calming down as quickly as she had become worked up. Turning around, handing him the stick she had retrieved, she voiced a miserable confession. “Our marriage will be the happiest day of our life. If I were denied the opportunity… I do not know what I would do.”

John was certain she meant that literally and took her by the chin. “You will be my wife,” he stated, his voice carrying enough authority to command the world itself. “Aclysia Newman, that will be your name and you will give me beautiful children.”

“Yes,” Aclysia responded ecstatically, almost tearing up at the suggestion. He couldn’t imagine how beautiful she would be on the day he made that promise come true. “A thousand times yes.” She nuzzled back between his arms and looked up as he took his first bite of her fish. An explosion of flavour filled his mouth. The richness, similar to cooked salmon, combined with smoke, salt, and numerous faint forest herbs. “Does it please you?” the weaponized maid asked.

“Always,” the Gamer responded, wolfing down the delicious fish. By the time he was finished, Aclysia had already brought him a second, then a third skewer. Only by the eighth did he start to slow down. The eleventh was the last he managed to get down. The entire time, the two of them chatted about this and that.

The food hit the spot. John thought her usual cooking to be better, but there was something nice and simple about fresh and only lightly seasoned food. Especially some he had caught and killed himself. The connection with nature made things more delicious. It satisfied the primal instincts he had.

“Maybe I should get into the habit of hunting our food,” he thought out loud. “I’m sure there was a Building that introduced game to the Guild Hall… or maybe there’ll be a special ‘hunt for food’ barrier in the Housekeeper Perks?”

“Investing in that class, at this time, would be a waste,” Aclysia said, while they watched the fire dwindle.

“Definitely… maybe I can pick up fishing though,” John hummed. “That Building already exists and it’d be nice to have a few hours every week just sitting around and looking at the environment... maybe Max or Magnus can tag along sometime.”

“I’ll gladly cook whatever you bring me,” the weaponized maid commented on his idea. “If you think it will be beneficial to your mental health, I recommend this course of action. If it wouldn’t, I’m going to dissuade you from that course.” The last flame flickered, leaving only glowing wood. “Time you spend at work is time at which I can visit you.”

“The purpose of those visits is also very important for de-stressing.” John grinned and looked up to the sky. The fading light of the campfire left them to the stars above. Although no cities and no towns blotted out the universe’s illumination with their artificial light, it wasn’t nearly enough to transform this early winter night. John could still see fine, thanks to his supernatural vision, but even he noticed the stark difference between the night in civilization and the night in the wilderness. It was dark. Incredibly dark. ‘No wonder ancient humans were afraid of the night. Anything could lurk in these vast shadows.’

“Should I warm you, my John?” Aclysia asked.

He wasn’t cold, but he nodded anyway, and the two of them got up and walked towards their tent. It was a small thing, barely wide enough for two people, and completely mundane to boot. It was one of the kind that was ready the second it was thrown into the landscape. Inside was a simple camping mattress made of foam and a single sleeping bag.

The two of them undressed – the manual way. John just felt like it and Aclysia was, for once, wearing actual clothing. She had come to do this more frequently for things she didn’t expect to fight in. As for the why, the answer was simple: because John loved tearing the clothes off his women.

Naked they slipped into the sleeping bag. They were ready to get intimate. Sharing a sleeping bag with a woman as attractive and willing as she was basically forced his hand. Before they went beyond kissing and blindly groping each other, however, their eyes once more fell on the stars.

Somehow, they had ended up with their head towards the open entrance and were now looking upwards. Between the dark treetops, most of them leafless, shined the silver stars. The branches almost looked like cracks in the firmament, only a few basked in enough moonlight to reveal their wooden texture. The true sky stretched above them.

“Everything has a trade-off,” the words left his lips on their own. “Humanity exchanged the beauty of the night sky for the light in their cities. Even the most worthwhile of decisions has a drawback.”

“What would you take in exchange for me?” Aclysia wondered, the light joking intent swinging in her voice.

“Hmmm, one of you… for two perfect copies,” John responded with equal humour and got three little chuckles from her. Her laugh was like the purifying sound of a bell.

They sat up together, a bundle of closely connected love, and pushed back the desires of their flesh a little bit. With only their heads visible, the hood of the sleeping bag covering most of their hair, they sat in the entrance of the tent and just gazed outwards together. They whispered sweet little things into each other’s ear. They touched each other in innocent and not so innocent ways. They kissed.