The event went on peacefully, and Khan never ended up conversing about serious topics with Chief Alu. The two went on speaking about the Aduns, and the Niqols even revealed some tricks on how to handle those creatures.
Two recruits led by two young Niqols approached Khan and Chief Alu's couches before the duo could grow bored of those superficial talks. George and Natalie performed polite bows, and Chief Alu didn't hesitate to stand up while giving voice to a gentle laugh.
"I'll stop boring you now," Chief Alu announced while bowing toward Khan. "This has been nice. Let's go for a flight together at some point."
Khan stood up and bowed while the four sat on the couches. The Niqols immediately started talking about the hunt and compliment Khan's ability, and a light-hearted conversation began.
It was clear that the two aliens had compelled George and Natalie to drink a bit. Natalie's eyes appeared heavy, and her usual cold expression had disappeared to leave room for a broad smile. She even laughed often whenever George or the Niqols cracked a joke.
George's cheeks were slightly red, and he swayed left and right whenever his back left the couch. However, his words were still clear, and he never risked revealing classified information during the conversation.
Khan limited himself to interact only when the Niqols directly talked with him, but he made sure never to appear distracted. Still, he didn't fail to notice how the aliens often asked him to drink.
Khan had to accept a few times, but he didn't hesitate to refuse once the pink liquid started to make him feel lightheaded. It was easy in his situation to justify his rejection. He only needed to mention the Aduns to make the aliens give up on the matter.
'Do they want to get us drunk to see if we reveal something classified?' Khan wondered while he kept his two companions in check without ignoring the two aliens.
Drinking on Earth was legal from the age of sixteen, but that practice wasn't popular among young recruits. It was even hard for them to find booze in the camp.
Instead, the Niqols appeared relatively unaffected. Khan couldn't understand if their species had a higher resistance to the liquid or if they had grown used to it over time. However, it was clear that the human group would have to leave soon before some recruits made the army lose face.
Captain Erbair seemed to agree with Khan's conclusions, and she soon stood up to announce her need to leave. Yeza didn't try to convince her to stay, so the two exchanged polite bows while the Lieutenant gathered all the recruits.
"You don't need to lead the path," Captain Erbair announced after the group performed a formal salute and approached the elevators. "The Ugu remember the road."
Khan could only nod at those words take a separate path after he recovered his uniform. The Niqols had cleaned it and folded it inside a backpack, so he didn't need to change clothes before using the elevator that led to the roof.
The decision to leave the celebration had been rather sudden, so Khan didn't find Snow waiting for him when he reached the roof. Instead, he found a few young Niqols in the corner of the area encircled by a short metal fence.
The Niqols seemed to panic when they heard the trapdoor opening, but they slightly relaxed when they noticed Khan coming out of it. Those aliens had been inside the event hall just a few minutes ago, but it seemed that their role had ended after the human group left.
A trail of smoke was coming out from behind them, and a strange smell even filled the area. Still, Khan didn't say anything as he went into the opposite corner of the roof. It was rather early since the celebration had lasted less than two hours, so noises still came out of the streets below.
"You killed the monster, right?" One of the Niqols eventually asked while Khan was busy looking at the distant streets.
"I did," Khan revealed while turning toward the group, "But I didn't kill it on my own."
The alien group had a boy and three girls. The male had been the one to speak before, and he wore a complicated expression when he moved his eyes between the trail of smoke and Khan.
"I won't say anything," Khan quickly announced, and the four revealed a smile at those words.
"[He's actually cute]," One of the girls said before her friends exploded into a laugh.
"[You should hit on him]," A girl replied while suppressing a giggle. "[You might get a reward if you are the first Niqols to have sex with a human]!"
The four laughed loudly, but the boy soon justified himself when he saw Khan studying their behavior. "We were talking about your technique. It was quite amazing."
Khan revealed a fake smile. He didn't know enough about the Niqols' language to understand what they said, but he could sense that their words didn't involve his martial art.
"Hey, your planet has daylight, right?" The male Niqols eventually asked as the girls continued to speak among themselves.
"It does," Khan replied.
"Is it good?" The Niqols continued.
"It's quite good," Khan smiled as his eyes went on the dark sky. "It's hard to describe it."
"You don't need to," The Niqols laughed. "Nitis will experience its first daylight after two thousand years soon. I can't wait!"
"How soon?" Khan asked as his eyebrows arched.
That sounded like something classified. Khan didn't even know if his superiors were aware of that event.
"It should be a matter of mont-," The Niqols revealed before one of the girls pulled his arm and shot an admonishing gaze at him.
"Don't mind my words," The boy quickly added when he realized that he had said too much. "I had too much to drink, and…."
The Niqols glanced at the trails of smoke coming out behind the girls before exploring into a laugh. Khan revealed a fake smile, but his eyes recorded everything. He noted in his mind that he had to learn more about that imminent event.
An awkward atmosphere fell on the roof, but Snow soon arrived and saved Khan from those Niqols. The eagle wanted to go directly toward the mountains, but Khan made sure to make it fly toward the camp until the city was far away before changing direction.
The faint effects that the pink liquid had started to cause on his body had vanished while he was on the roof. Khan felt in complete control of his senses while Snow shot through the sky and enjoyed itself. He only had to secure the backpack containing his uniform to his back before letting his eagle have as much fun as it wanted.
Snow dropped Khan on the familiar flat spot. The area was empty, so Khan didn't hesitate to sit on the ground and start the eleventh mental exercise.
It didn't take him much to fail. He still needed a while to complete one of the last steps before the Wave spell, but he didn't feel dejected. Khan improved every day, and it seemed that no one had caught up with him for now.
A dark figure eventually flew through the sky and encircled the mountain before dropping Liiza on the flat area. She was still wearing her dress, and a blush appeared on her face when she saw Khan standing up to stare at her.
"You look good too," Liiza commented as a faint smile appeared on her face. "I'm glad they let you keep the robe."
Khan didn't speak. He took slow steps toward Liiza without moving his gaze away from her. Liiza gave voice to a cute laugh, but her expression soon turned serious when she understood Khan's mood.
"We should avoid today," Liiza whispered when Khan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "We both drank. It's not smart."
Liiza refused Khan with her words, but her hands went on his hair soon as their bodies touched. She even started kissing him and pushing him toward the rocky wall.
Khan's back eventually hit the wall, and the two slowly sat as their hands made their clothes grow loose. Liiza left his face at some point, and the words she said made him almost go crazy.
"It's your job to stop me tonight," Liiza whispered while breathing roughly. "I know I won't. Can I trust you?"
Everything inside Khan begged him to find a way out of that conversation, but Liiza's appeared really worried about her condition. She seemed scared about what she could do.
"I'll stop you," Khan promised, and Liiza dived on him again.
Keeping the clothes on in that situation was impossible, but Khan mustered the entirety of his resolve to stop Liiza before she went too far. The process was basically torture for him since she appeared ready to go all the way. Yet, he didn't forget his promise, and Liiza slowly calmed down as the effects of the pink liquid waned.
"I've died a few times tonight," Khan sighed after the frenzy ended and Liiza opted for cuddles.
Liiza had placed Khan's robe over her while she sat between his legs. The situation didn't help his arousal since they were both naked, but it was easier to endure that feeling since she wasn't fighting his self-restraint now.
"You did incredibly good," Liiza announced while kissing his chest and snuggling closer.
"I've disappointed all the men in the world," Khan continued while wrapping his arms on Liiza's naked waist. "I can see my ancestors shaking their heads."
Liiza couldn't help but explode into a laugh when she heard Khan's disheartened voice. He was staring at the dark sky, but his mind kept playing the incredible scenes he had just experienced.
"You know," Liiza timidly said after suppressing her laugh. "Two weeks aren't nearly enough, and our different species makes everything worse. Yet, you have proven that I can trust you completely."
Khan lowered his gaze and saw Liiza staring at him while her hand remained clawed to his chest. The robe had stopped covering part of her body, but he seemed unable to stop looking at her eyes.
"Can we restart slowly?" Liiza asked while her hand slowly ran down his naked torso, but a frown suddenly appeared on her face.
Liiza stopped her actions and placed her back on Khan's chest as she pulled her other arm out of the robe. An azure symbol had appeared near her wrist, and its faint glow shone on the couple's faces.
"Dress up," Liiza quickly ordered while turning and kissing Khan. "We have to go."
Khan remained in a daze when he saw Liiza leaving the cover of his robe and wearing her dress right in front of him. The girl blushed when she noticed his attentive gaze, but she forced herself not to stare too much between his legs when she explained what was happening.
"My nanny has called," Liiza explained. "We must go now."
Khan's eyes lit up. He quickly called Snow as he straightened his position and wore his robe.
The two soon found themselves standing near the edges of the flat area. Liiza was in Khan's arms, and the couple didn't speak as they stared at the dark environment.
The arrival of the Aduns forced the two to separate. Liiza led Khan deeper into the mountain chain, into areas that he had never seen. The flight even lasted a few hours, and she descended only when a small forest appeared under them.
Liiza seemed to have committed the environment to memory. The Aduns left the two on the ground, and she led Khan across the dark trees without ever questioning her steps. The couple sprinted through the forest and stopped only when they reached a large tree with a narrow cavity in its trunk.
"Come," Liiza ordered while taking Khan's hand and nearing the cavity.
Khan struggled to enter that hole, but the path enlarged as a tunnel that led underground unfolded. A few burning torches even appeared as the two walked through the passage, and a large underground area appeared after a while.
Khan could barely believe his eyes when he inspected the underground area. The rocky walls featured strange symbols that released a red light. The corpses of a few Tainted animals hung upside down from the ceiling. A huge cauldron even occupied a corner of the cave, and a Niqols with long red hair slept next to it.
