The Rise of the Black Plain

A few days later...

After battling around the Black Plain several times over the past few days, Minos had returned to Dry City to rest and cultivate.

After spending time with Abby and reestablishing his physical and mental state, he returned to his residence to eat and relax before his next 'walk' around the battlefield.

The war was still as cruel as ever, with hundreds of wounded arriving in Dry City every day.

On the other hand, some of the war dead did not even have the opportunity to have their bodies brought back to their families.

Some simply went into eternal sleep around the battlefields, where they were cremated or destroyed by the remaining attacks in the surrounding area or even forgotten by their own allies.

There was not always the possibility of returning for bodies. After all, the priority was the living!

So, no soldier or ally of Minos was allowed to risk their own life for the fallen bodies.

That was sad for the family of war sacrifices, but such a thing was for the sake of peace.

There were not many on the Dry City side, and the growth rate regarding their numbers was not as good as that of the enemies, who numbered millions in their respective states.

Hence, several people killed in the war were simply left on the battlefields, where they were either destroyed by enemies or, worse, devoured by beasts!

In any case, this was the cruel reality of the war going on around the Black Plain, something that affected everyone involved in this conflict.

It ranged from the warriors at the front, nervous, tired, anxious about their uncertain fate, to the relatives of such people in Dry City.

That was not enough to end the good mood of the city. Still, there was a certain pessimism in part of the population, saddened by the tragic end of so many people.

Since the beginning of the war of independence, more than 50,000 people from Dry City or allied forces had already perished!

That was less than 20% of the total losses on the enemy side, but this did not lessen the pain that many people in this city felt!

...

After some time, Minos finally arrived at his residence, where it did not take long for him to get something tasty to eat.

Next, he put the worries of war aside for a moment and found his friend Brooke, who had advanced a level since the last time he had seen her.

At the moment, she was sitting on a white sofa in the recreation area of Minos' residence, where he usually received guests to talk to.

Stopping behind the couch, Minos smiled at Brooke.

He then carefully observed this woman with tanned skin and brown hair, feeling the energetic fluctuations of this woman who liked to wear relatively short clothes while at this residence. 

'Is that normal for her? Or does she like to tease me?' Minos wondered as he saw how healthy Brooke was.

But young Stuart did not waste much time and soon greeted this woman he had not seen in days. "How are you, Brooke? You seem to be getting stronger and stronger..."

"Hehehe, I had a breakthrough while you were fighting for the Black Plain." She replied right after turning to him and nodding in his direction, indicating for him to sit next to her.

Seeing this, Minos did not hesitate. Since he had some time before his next appointment, he soon sat down next to that beautiful woman to talk with her.

"Unfortunately, I could be a lot better off..." She began to talk about her problems as she moved closer to Minos until she rested her head on his right shoulder.

"I feel like I'm carrying an invisible weight, you know? Ah, sometimes I get very irritated by it..." She said as she looked up, focusing intently on Minos' brown eyes.

"Really? That's annoying..."

"I wonder if I can help you in any way?"

Her eyes sparkled after that was said. "Maybe you can..."

"But are you willing?"

"Of course, Brooke!"

"I would do almost anything for you! You are my friend, after all!" He said confidently, smiling at her.

"Almost anything?" Brooke then turned to him, sitting face to face with Minos. She smiled and then bit her lower lips. "What would you do to me to ease my irritation?"

Upon hearing Brooke's question and observing how she acted, Minos' eyes narrowed, and he decided to follow this woman's game. "Whatever you want..." 

"I'm just afraid of how far you would let me go to help you. Maybe you ask for something that is more than you can handle..."

"Oh?"

"I don't have much experience asking other people for help. But I feel that even if it's hard at first, I'll end up truly enjoying the moment."

"I'm sure you won't maltreat your friend..." She made a silly expression as she said that.

"It seems that you trust me too much, Brooke..."

"But what if I tell you that I am not a good person? When I help others, I do it only for my own good..."

"Would you accept this from someone so selfish?" He asked as he looked at Brooke's red lips.

"I don't believe that!"

"In any way, I trust you, Minos!" She said confidently.

"Oh? So, what do you want me to do for you?"

"I don't have much with me, but I'll try my best."

"You won't need anything but yourself..." She said as she approached young Stuart, almost climbing into his lap as she looked at his lips.

She then touched the tip of her right index finger to Minos' lower lip, leaving her mouth slightly open to the point where her sweet, pleasant breath reached Minos' nose.

After this, Minos looked at her, feeling a sudden pressure in his underwear because of Brooke's provocative manner. 

He then moved closer to Brooke until one of his hands hugged her waist, bringing her even closer to him.

"Are you sure about this?" He made sure of asking that when his lips were only two centimeters from hers.

But Minos heard nothing from Brooke. Instead, he saw only how her eyes were following his, just before she slowly closed them and moved forward against him.

Gulp!

'Ah, I held on for quite a while...' He thought about this as he felt he could no longer keep his 'hands off' Brooke for much longer.

What could he do? Simply keep pushing away the beautiful woman who wanted to be with him? Give up on an adventure when she had clearly improved her condition and was aware of the risks?

Hell, Minos was only 23!

He could abstain from such things, but he saw no sense in not enjoying life the way he liked it. 

If others did not agree, that was not his problem!

Let those who disagreed with him, who preferred to follow different paths, be happy. But he, he would do that which brought happiness to his life.

And one of those things that put a smile on young Stuart's face was to have relationships with beautiful women!

So, he was ready to 'help' his dear friend Brooke!

Pa!

However, when Minos and Brooke's lips had touched, but their tongues were still far away from each other, the entrance door of that residence was closed after someone walked by.

"Minos? I heard you were here, so I just walked in..." A female voice resounded through the entrance hallway of that residence, quickly getting in the way of those two.

Minos and Brooke then parted their lips, with her face blushing while he had a quiet expression.

And then, seeing the face of Vivian, who had just arrived at his residence, Minos watched her for a moment, feeling a little irritated. 'What a fucking...' 

"Tsk!"

'Not only has she repeatedly refused me, but she still gets in the way of my moments with other women.'

But while he was thinking about how 'cruel' that woman was to him, someone else appeared behind Vivian, someone who made young Stuart put his less important thoughts aside.

"Oh?"

'These people truly like me... It's one after another coming to visit me!'

...