We rocketed past Floor 3 in a heart-wrenching blur. This was the best of them all, a Goddamn island paradise.
Here was an endless tropical island wrapped the Hotel like a lover's embrace, its crystal turquoise lagoons glittering like diamonds under an eternal sun, white-sand beaches fringed with swaying palm trees heavy with coconuts, overwater bungalows with thatched roofs and private infinity pools.
Here were bronzed goddesses in tiny bikinis that hugged perfect tits and asses begging to be grabbed, frolicking mid-splash, water droplets frozen on their sun-kissed curves.
There on the bungalows were open-air beds draped in mosquito netting where voluptuous beauties could be found tangled with each other. One ebony-skinned vixen arched back, massive breasts swinging as a thick-cocked stud froze balls-deep in her dripping pussy. Another pair of lithe blondes sixty-nined on silk sheets, tongues buried in shaved folds glistening with arousal, moans captured mid-gasp.
The best part was the balcony. Whereas on other floors I could never technically reach the bottom without changing the nature of the Hotel and its surrounding environs itself—which meant I only ever stayed on the outside or, at best, within just one of the rooms—this floor had a large balcony that served as an additional party area with tiki bars and half-naked bartenders pouring glowing cocktails.
With the towel rope—which I could briefly see piled up near the wall on the balcony—I could have rested and spent at least a few moments of my time there. I convinced myself that nobody would mind if I saw them all in their naked glory. After all, nudity was apparently acceptable here. Much later, when I reflected on this day, I was glad to have had the temptation taken away from me. But now was not then, and in vain I reached out for the balcony.
"Please!" I shouted. "Just a little bit longer?"
"We're on a mission, dear Teddy," Princess said.
"If you want a detour, you're going to have to make me orgasm this time," he said.
"I'll pass," I said, disappointedly catching the last glimpses of paradise.
We slammed hard into a linoleum floor.
Pain rippled through my body but was quickly salved by Bridgid's boon from their time together. Princess had disappeared. It occurred to me that the prison floor was probably the only place she felt she could be safe in, and I wondered if that had something to do with her cousin being another daemon.
I had taken the brunt of the hit because I was in front, but he still hadn't gotten up from the floor where he landed in a heap.
I took a look around my surroundings. We were in a large, spotless laboratory. It must have been big as an air hangar. I suspected laboratory and not strictly a clinic because while everyone around were wearing white coats, some were wearing safety goggles and some of these machines, which were all variations of computers next to monitoring equipment, didn't look like they were for anything like people. Then again, if this is supposed to be Dr. Ryebald's private clinic, then he might be doing some specialized research. This is probably where the object that Princess sent us down here for was developed in the first place.
"Princess?"
"Yes, Teddy?"
"What do I do about your cousin?"
"Leave him," she said. "He's safe with Dr. Ryebald's people. And he's safe inside."
"Why are we inside?"
"Because there is no outside on this floor."
"Right."
"Well, I suppose there are simulated outsides, and there is no accounting for domains, and—"
"Thank you, Princess, but I'm still trying to get over the first thing you said."
"Sure," she said, seemingly not bothered, "we'll talk over drinks later. Right now you need to walk to Dr. Ryebald's clinic."
"You mean this isn't Dr. Ryebald's clinic?"
"This whole place? Are you serious?"
I shrugged.
"No," she continued. "Several specialists have offices on the second floor of the Hotel. Much of what is discovered here has been instrumental in our success. And by 'our' I mean the success of the former Sugar Patriarch and the Hotel he established."
Interesting, I thought. This time she referred to him as the former Sugar Patriarch, and without a hint of sadness.
The lab techs around me were frozen mid-motion with their pipettes, some hunched over holographic displays flickering with what looked like Mana readings. None of them noticed me, trapped as they were in the molasses of normal time.
"Head to the hallway on the far side wall. Dr. Ryebald's office will be on the left. His name will be on the door."
I nodded, stepping carefully around a tech whose hand hovered over a vial of swirling blue essence. The air hummed with low-level magic, a faint sweetness that tickled my nose. Sugar residue, maybe? Spice? Some other Mana type I'm not aware of? My own reserves pulsed in response, a warm thrum in my veins reminding me of the power I'd barely tapped.
As I walked, the lab opened up into specialized sections. One area had glass enclosures where ghostly women with flowing hair and luminous skin floated in containment fields themselves marked with glowing runes. Another section featured massive tanks bubbling with viscous fluid, inside which half-formed bodies twitched, muscles knitting together under artificial Mana flows. Regeneration experiments, perhaps? I could not avoid shuddering. It felt forbidden. Wasn't it? Shouldn't it? I tried to tell myself I didn't know everything that went on in this place nor the context around it.
My cock stirred unbidden at the sight of one enclosure: a curvaceous, raven-haired woman floating naked in a tank of some kind of liquid. Her eyes were closed in what looked like ecstasy, lips parted in a silent moan.
"Focus, Teddy," Princess chided, her tone amused. "You're leaking Sugar. If you orgasm here, we could bring down the whole Hotel."
"Sorry," I muttered, adjusting myself. But damn, after Bridgid and Princess, my body craved more. The Sugar Daddy life was calling, and I was ready to answer.
Finally, I was near the end of the hallway and found Dr. Ryebald's office door inconspicuously among the rest. The door was unlocked.
The room was a stark contrast to the lab. It was cozy, almost old-fashioned, with wooden paneling, leather chairs, and shelves lined with ancient tomes alongside high-tech scanners.
"Princess, where's this artifact?"
"It's, uh... it's somewhere in this room."
"You mean you can't see it?"
"The old Sugar Patriarch, and Dr. Ryebald himself for that matter, were very protective of their secrets. All I can tell is that there is something here. The details are obscured by whatever magical protections that took place."
"It should be easy enough to crack, shouldn't it?"
"Well," Princess said, uncharacteristically sounding unsure of herself. "If it was commissioned or meant for the Sugar Patriarch, it might have been warded by his own power. If so, then even you might have a hard time busting it."
Busting it, I repeated in my head. Busting it....
I snapped my fingers. "I know what to do."
"Oh?"
"Just one question. If I did orgasm here, would it help us find the hidden object?"
"The ward would likely be affected by the Mana released. Possibly in a way we would notice, or at least that I would notice."
"And after we find it?"
"It depends. How do you stack up against the old Sugar Patriarch?"
"I've got a plan for how to find out."
For the next few minutes, I outlined the plan.
"Now you're thinking like a Sugar Daddy," she said. I could hear, even if I couldn't see, her smile.