Two stalkers

'I have no choice, If I want to escape from this place, I need to be in my perfect condition'

Oliver thought as his pick axe suddenly broke a huge chunk of essence stones, which fell on the ground with a huge noise. Despite his body being engrossed in mining, his mind wandered, preoccupied with thoughts of obtaining a resonance from a girl.

'Should I go with Gwendolyn or Morgana? Who is the most powerful one? It looked like both of them were equally powerful but then the question is am I willing to take the risk of seducing both of them at the same time and taking their resonance'

Oliver knew his resonance was limited, but still, it wasn't a big deal for him to have two resonances inside his body, which can be quite comfortable if things didn't go wrong.

"I guess trying it won't be harmful," Lost in his thought, Oliver muttered to himself, but then he suddenly heard a voice so close to his ear which caused him to jump back in sudden shock.

"Trying what? What are you up to?" Morgana's voice rang out, her tone a mix of curiosity and suspicion. She had appeared seemingly out of thin air, standing just inches away from Oliver. Her intense gaze was fixed on him, waiting for an explanation.

Caught off guard, Oliver stumbled over his words for a moment before regaining his composure. "Oh! You startled me," he exclaimed, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. He quickly glanced at her, then at the pickaxe in her hand before motioning to the mine around them. "I was just thinking about... well, you know, about these mines,"

"Ohhh, yeah sure, they are interesting so what do you want to know about them? I'm feeling generous so I might answer some questions," Morgana said with a little chuckle and throwing her pick axe showing she wasn't working here instead her whole purpose of coming here was to meet Oliver.

"Aren't you shameless coming here to meet me after all the things you did yesterday," Oliver asked in a little teasing tone, which earned a laugh from Morgana.

"Come on, boy, both of us know you are not the type to remember those things, I can see it in your eyes, something that other males even females don't have," Morgana said sending her hands around Oliver's shoulder. "A fire, you have a great fire that ignites your desire to conquer, just like me,"

"I'm not like you, we are totally different," Oliver just shrugged her hands off his shoulder while answering her. "But if you insist-"

Suddenly Morgana felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she felt a dangerous kick on it, which almost caused her to throw up. She had a slight grin on her face despite the pain of seeing the power of the attack. "So child of the war demoness is also a demon, no wonder you didn't even look bothered when I punched you,"

She quickly created some distance, aware that another punch could lead to an embarrassing situation of her bladder emptying.

"Why don't you use your resonance and show me what you're capable of, surely, you can beat me with something like that," Oliver taunted her but she just nodded her head showing that wasn't an option.

"Look, there are guards everywhere, it is true I have some power inside this place, but I can't use resonance, especially since I don't have a resonance weapon, I would like to taunt my powers but not right now,"

Recognizing that launching a haphazard attack on her would ultimately work against him, Oliver composed himself and decided to exploit the present circumstances.

"Then at least tell me, what is this place and why are you getting special treatment? Why is this place a secret to the empire people?"

Morgana carefully listened to his question and answered right away, showing that she was keeping her promise. This made Oliver think about joining her group, but he was unsure if she was telling the truth or if she was trying to see how he would react.

"This is indeed not just a normal prison, this is a secret mining place of the government which uses prisoners with a life sentence as workers," Morgana started her sentence, but Oliver already knew about it so he wanted to know something new.

"Both Behemothia Empire and Tetsukyojin Dynasty have formed a special contract that one of the two will get to mine this place once a year, It's not that we are moving away, but you see how distance the mining place from our normal prison, we will lose all our rights if we don't win the right to mine here,"

Oliver was a little confused since it was news to him that there were two prisons in Havoc Bay which belonged to two different countries and all this new information was sometimes too overwhelming for him.

'I don't quite understand, how are we going to win the right to mine here, are we going to fight or something?" Oliver obviously knew about the Tetsukyojin Dynasty since it is one of the main powerhouses in this world.

A great colossus continent is a huge place that has two queendoms and one dyantasy with several beautiful landscapes. In the heart of it all stood the magnificent Tetsukyojin Dynasty close to the sea and Behemothia Empire, a symbol of power and beauty that had captivated the world for centuries.

The Dynasty was renowned not only for its unparalleled strength but also for its intricate blend of tradition and innovation. It stood as a testament to the prowess and artistry of its rulers, who had crafted a legacy that transcended time.

Oliver's knowledge and information he got from merchants made up an image of the Tetsukyojin Castle, a majestic structure that stood as the heart of the Dynasty's power. Its graceful architecture, inspired by the elegance of oriental design, showcased intricate wooden carvings and soaring roofs that seemed to touch the heavens. The castle's exterior was adorned with vibrant gardens, where cherry blossoms painted the air with delicate hues, and koi fish(carps) glided serenely through tranquil ponds.

But it wasn't just the external grandeur that made the Tetsukyojin Dynasty a force to be reckoned with. Oliver recalled stories of the Dynasty's legendary warriors, the Tetsu no Senshi, who were as skilled in the art of combat as they were in the mastery of diplomacy. These warriors, clad in ornate armour that bore the emblem of the Dynasty, were known to forge alliances as gracefully as they wielded their weapons.

Behemothia and Tetsukyojin had successfully navigated the treacherous waters of politics, maintaining dominance in a world where power was a delicate matter, but never in his dream, Oliver would have thought that they were fighting for something so important without anyone knowing.

'So this is what Mother always hid from me'

Oliver was thinking as he questioned Morgana, but his thoughts were suddenly disturbed as she answered his question.

"You will know. Soon enough, we will be fighting in a tournament to decide who will get the chance to fight in this tournament, before I hope you join my faction because we are going to win no matter what," She said with a prideful look on her face, as if she was try to boast about her power.

"Why? Why do you fight for the sake of empire? Aren't you a prisoner? What's in it for you? I'm not a fool, so tell me what do you get from fighting on behalf of the empire," Oliver asked confused.

"Heh~ what else, as long as we can win, the empress will let five prisoners leave this place and enter their normal lives, after all, I'm the only one that has the right to stay this freely in this place, even my most trusted sub-ordinate will have to work at least six hours a day as miners,"

Oliver instantly knew the empress was using the carrot and stick method for these girls, but he didn't dislike it because this event opened him up more chances to find a suitable resonance for his own power and a chance to go back to the empire.

"The tournament will be in two weeks, so before that make a decision, whether you will be the looser and join Gwendolyn or do the right thing, the choice is yours, but no matter what at the end of the day you will become my toy,"

Morgana said in a seductive tone and lightly bit Oliver's ear and she turned gracefully, her light brown hair trailing behind her as she moved towards the entrance of the dimly lit chamber with he exposed ass jiggling every time she took a single step. The flickering torches cast dancing shadows on the walls, enhancing the air of mystery that surrounded her. With each step, her presence seemed to fade, like a wisp of smoke dissipating into the night.

"What a bold woman! She looks interesting,"

Oliver stood there as he muttered those words to himself, still processing the weight of her proposition. He knew he was being manipulated, enticed by the promise of power and a return to the revenge he longed for but he didn't dislike it. He had made up his mind to barter his soul with a demon, if necessary, to achieve his revenge.

As he pondered his options, all of a sudden a strange sensation prickled at the back of his neck. He felt eyes on him, an intense gaze that seemed to penetrate his very soul. With a quick turn, he scanned the mine's wide expanse, but there was no one to be found. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the distant echoes of dripping water.

"Ohhh~ things are really getting interesting, it looks like all the invincible forces decided to act upon my presence in this place,"

Oliver muttered with a smile, but he quickly went back to his mining as he had so many things he wanted to do before coming to a major decision.