Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

Ether · November 29, 2020

While the vulnerary had left the job unfinished, the forgemaster had brought them a more potent elixir, and Ayane had applied that as well. It did the trick, no doubt, but the oni had ran off before anyone could stop her... not that she was much surprised. Ayane was a fiery one, and being betrayed like that must have stung her pride as badly as it had stung her throat. Still, Jade had arrived, and both she and the forgemaster wanted answers, understandably so.

"There was an agent of the Church within the walls. She took Ayane hostage, demanding information about Marina... when things didn't go her way, she slit Ayane's throat and ran. Luckily I was able to close the wound before it caused any lasting damage, but when I lobbed a spell at her, it reflected back at me. I'm not quite sure what sort of magic she employed to manage that, but while the others could evade, I ended up taking the attack directly... had I not, either Ayane would have been struck and killed, or I would have been forced away from her long enough for her wound to become severe. Everyone else chased after her." Nessraya replied, shaking her head a bit. If she had been intending to flee all along...

"If she chose to pull this stunt at this moment, she probably had backup either inside or nearby the walls. I was going to say we weren't under attack yet, but we just might be, on consideration."

Nanami Touko · November 29, 2020

Ariana couldn't help the grin as her escape was given permission, eyes still focused on the two with her sword drawn. "You won't be putting me anywhere with that defective sword, Tundyssa Adozosi. Perhaps it would've worked back in its prime, but as it is right now, it wouldn't be able to get through my armor with your strongest thrust." The fallen, on the other hand, had managed to hurt her pretty badly. Even if he'd taken a crashing of his own in rebuttal, blocking a dive like that was making her arms shake. Her healer was going to give her a lecture on fighting without her shield...

"Till we meet on the battlefield, then!" One final glance with her sword drawn, she began to run-- hobble, really-- towards the gate where her men had gathered, collecting herself within them and leaving from where they'd come.

Most of them, anyway. One final cry from the area surrounding the main gate resounded, as one of the white armored men collapsed on the ground, Amera huffing over the fresh corpse. With an angry blast of lightning she fried him for posterity, making sure he wasn't getting back up. "Stay the fuck out of my city!" It wasn't enough to assuage her anger, but it was cathartic, in a way. "Ugh, dammit..." She had to get back to Nessraya. This needed to be discussed, thoroughly, and Tepel's guards were going to be on high alert going into the night.

"Xalrei!" Slipping out of one of the nearby shadows, Laselia approached the dragon, vulnerary in hand, looking her over for any fresh wounds. "That was reckless," she chided, finding nothing except a cut lip. Perhaps a broken bone underneath her skin, getting punched by a gauntlet couldn't have been comfortable... "Apply this... And you, Fallen. Come here. We have something important to discuss because of things you have heard." Hopefully this would go smoothly. The last thing Laselia needed was to have to follow Ralsvelgr's orders against someone in their own party...

It seemed as though her hands would be full with more than that, an oni coming into view just moments after her words to Bladen. "Hmm..." Better to let Xalrei address this, than to but into the group's affairs beyond what she had to.

"Nessraya! Ayane-- hey, wait!" The oni had already run off, trying to catch up to the situation, leaving the beastwoman sighing. It seemed Veronica had at least dealt with the general's wounds accordingly. "Veronica, go back inside. Things are gonna be a bit tight for the rest of the day, I need to make sure that no one else suspicious is walking around. We got too relaxed; we thought the only threat we'd be dealing with was Ithraxl. Damn humans..."

At least it seemed as though Nessraya would be fine, which brought on a lot of relief, and if Ayane was running off as she was it meant the general had properly taken care of her wound. "Nessraya, meet me atop the fort walls. We need a secluded area to discuss things... I'm guessing you two are apart of the general's group?" She pointed a finger towards Jade and Gabriela. "Go about your business. I'll inform my soldiers of what's happened, and discuss what went on with your group later in the evening. Got too much to sort out right now..." With a shaking of her head and a withheld sigh, Amera chased after Ayane. She'd have to collect the oni as well; she was a prime witness to any proper information they could get about this girl.

"More about your world?" Could the fortune teller produce that? Things about Marina's world? Surely there would be some blockade of information as the connection between worlds couldn't possibly still be open... I'll admit that I don't exactly know how this magic works. Perhaps, then? Hmm. It would be a curious thing to look into. Was it worth the gold? That was for Marina to decide. "I suppose we can, yes. Shall we, then?"

It had taken a hefty moment of her time, but Amera had managed to collect Ayane from the commotion. The oni had been beyond upset that she had not only been betrayed, but used as an object for negotiations, and calming her down enough to talk had taken the last spec of Amera's patience. At the very least, she had managed to bring her atop the fort's walls, to one of the ballista arrays. Nessraya would be there in moments, hopefully, giving them prime opportunity to discuss the situation.

"Alright, Ayane... Just... In as much detail as you can, please, explain to me everything you can recall about this woman. Speech, strength, how she looked, anything. I need to update my guards, and set more on alert, to make sure she can't make it back in without setting off some alarm. What a mess..."

The group had finished their shopping, and, led by Agni, were heading back towards the center of town to try and find Marina. Lo and behold, Lavinia and Marina had finished their stop in with Erephis and were heading back in that direction. It didn't take long before Taliyah had spotted them, smiling and waving towards the little hero and her entourage.

"M-Marina! Heyyyy!" She jumped away from Agni and Bridgit, almost tripping on her way over, swaying back and forth in place as she fished out Marina's gift. "Ah, h-here! I, uhm... I just, w-well, er..." Now, of course, she had to explain why she was giving Marina a gift... "Well... Y-You've been trying really hard, and stuff! I, and, y-you said we were friends, so... I just w-wanted to get you something." The rings and necklace were bagged up, hopefully that wasn't a problem.

"And hello to you too, Taliyah, Agni, Bridgit..." The other two were a small bit away, but Lavinia waved all the same, giving her younger sister a wide smile under her hood. "Gifts, you say? Nothing wrong with that. Marina, Astraea and I were headed towards-- Well, I suppose that would do for addressing matters. Before I go further, Astraea, you should introduce yourself to the group." Not everyone had been at that meeting, after all.

Erephis had gone about dragging Seilan and Taiyute up on top of the fort's walls... Unfortunately, not that far away from where Amera and Ayane were currently talking. She paid them no mind beyond a passing glance, staring at Seilan as they arrived and got comfortable. "A-Alright... Sshow me, how this magic workss." Oh. "A-Actually, w, wait a sssmall, moment." Erephis had realized that casting magic outside the fort's walls would probably cause a bit of panic. "A-Amera!"

The cat had been surprised to hear someone calling after her, turning her head to see Erephis and the only human she could tolerate right now. "Ugh, what!?"

"Ssseilan is going to be sh-shhowing me sssome magic! Iss that fine?"

"Fine, whatever! Just don't hit any trees!" She could explain this any guards that got worried, at least.

"Ah! There... O-Okay, Ssseilan! Go ahead." Erephis' curiosity had been piqued, it wouldn't be satisfied until she saw just how exactly this rewritten magic of his worked.

"Alright. Now, you..." The situation with the oni had been cleaned up, leaving Laselia alone with Xalrei and Bladen. "I'm not going to pretend that you didn't hear that woman call her Tundyssa. I don't know when, or how, the church managed to get this information... But since you heard it, and I'd rather not have to kill you, here is the situation. Xalrei... Is the sister of Thesephine, the demon king. You don't need the rest, but keep that in mind. If anyone approaches you and asks for the name Tundyssa, or if you know anything, you are not to speak a word. Understood? This stays between the three of us until Ithraxl is put down, and Xalrei can speak properly with Thesephine. What a mess..."

The girl had seemed harmless until she pulled that knife. I should've been paying more attention... If she'd been in a state to actually harm Xalrei, I would've jumped in front of her. I'll have to pass my thanks on to Nessraya for weakening her so heavily with her magic. "If you have anything to add, Xalrei, Bladen, now would be the time. I'll be keeping an eye on the both of you now." Laselia looked between the both of them and slithered off towards the nearest alleyway, disappearing as soon as she hit the shadows.

Edited November 29, 2020 by SnakeMomMelissa

scorri · November 30, 2020

Bladen had followed, gingerly and rather confused, after the naga that had somehow appeared out of nowhere. He'd originally thought that the woman had yelled some name at Xal to try and stop her, maybe her mother's name? But when she had instead seemed to be calling Xal that name, Tundyssa Adozosi, he had moved to assuming that she simply had a case of wrong identity. After all, Xal wasn't related to the royal family. She was a dragon, not a medusa, like the current King was. However... "Wait, she's the King's sister? I didn't know she had a sister... I just... thought that Ariana or whatever her name was had the wrong person."

His cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed at how silly that sounded now that he'd said it out loud. She had seemed to know a lot about their group, had snuck into this city, tricked Aya into viewing her as a friend... She wasn't going to be stupid enough to not know who was in their party. They had some way of knowing what was happening in their group, there had to be some way she knew who Xal really was. "Uhm, well, I don't plan on telling anything. I promise that. Xal's secret is safe with me, I wouldn't do anything to reveal her secret. It's not my place to say to anyone here and I'm not going to bring her enemies on her. I wouldn't want to bring danger onto a friend." A friend. She really was that. One of the few people he thought he could call that here in this group...

"A teller of fortunes... This is interesting to me, yes. How does she do this? Is it like the power of the stars to dream?" Astraea didn't especially expect to get an answer, more just musing, content to consider this idea while following after Marina and Lavinia. The power of dreams to see far away, the power of fortunes to tell of Marina's world, these were interesting ideas, perhaps related. Maybe this fortune teller could show something of her family...

Her thoughts were interrupted by their running into another group of people who seemed to know her new friends. This was confirmed when Lavinia asked her to introduce herself to these new people. "Ah, yes, hello. You may call me Astraea. I am what your people call a fallen star. I come from above, where my people live and dream. Thou can see the lights that show where we live at night. I have found myself here after my light died out and I fell down here. Thine group has welcomed me here, to try and help me find others of my kind who may have fallen down here like I did."

Ether · November 30, 2020

"Well, it seems I arrived just in time... wouldn't want to miss any of this, now would I?" Nessraya interjected, floating up to the section of the town wall that Amera and Ayane were occupying. No more merriment than that, it was a serious topic afterall. Did the church have more agents inside the walls that had remained hidden? What a mess...

________

She had seen enough, at this point. Whoever these travelers were that had been allowed into the city... their movements were most curious. They had been brought into the barracks, several of their members had been spending good amounts of coin about town... and based on the commotion that had just passed, they were a decent fighting lot as well.

'It's a good thing I hadn't picked a side yet... the battle that will decide this place is coming up, and up to yesterday I would have pegged Ithraxl as the victor... with these guys in play though... I'm feeling lucky.' Nisha smiled as she stepped out of the alleyway, her physical form appearing to melt into existence, though it wasn't terribly likely that anyone would have noticed. Approaching the vampire that, as best she could tell, was as close to the band's steward as anyone, Nisha took a moment to announce her arrival by clearing her throat.

"Excuse me. A word, if you wouldn't mind?"

GoldsbroTSG · November 30, 2020

And they were off. Marina pondered a bit when she brought up her thoughts on seeing her past again. In reality, she knew she'd be in Xensat for a long time, and she really just hoped she could see her old life again. After everything, she wanted to go home so desperately, but duty called. Oh, did duty call...

Her thoughts were stopped when suddenly a shouting Taliyah ran towards the trio, followed by Agni and... Bridgit. Marina sprung into action as she saw Taliyah almost trip, easing up when she gained her balance. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Then, Marina tensed a bit at her words. A gift for her? Taiyute's Rabbit's Foot was more than enough, she didn't... A sigh again, with a smile,

"T-Thank you, Taliyah," the girl lightly answer as she opened the package she had given her. When fully opened it revealed a... a necklace, and two rings. Carefully holding the two rings, she opened the small locket on the necklace, revealing the jewel inside as well. It was too much. This was too special, too pretty of something to gift to someone like her. Marina's fingers trembled, she sniffed. "I-It's... beautiful..." the hero choked out, quickly hooking it around her neck, giving it a glance over, before looking over to Taliyah again. Holding the rings in her off hand tightly, she approached Taliyah, and wrapped her arms around the lizardgirl. She tried not to cry, but it was very apparent what was happening. Small crying sounds escaped when she'd make small chokes trying to breath, but she didn't have any words to give.

Taiyute quietly watched as Erephis continued on with trying to see Seilan at work. In her hands was the new spellbook she just got. She was calmly invested until Seilan did his thing, doing her best to read away as she felt the breeze from the walls of the castle.

sweet podado · November 30, 2020

As she nears the group with the other two and finally sees Lavinia, Bridgit can't help the bright smile in return to her dear sister's grin once she got nearer. Under other circumstances she wouldn't hesitate to go and hug the other, but seeing as it was still day out and didn't want to jostle Lavinia's coverings Bridgit simply fluttered around in not so subtle glee. "Hopefully the meeting went accordingly?" she asks, keeping her focus away from the hero as she's shown the gifts Taliyah got her.

When their attention is brought to the new addition to the group though, Bridgit can't help her curiosity as she idly floats over to Astraea. As she introduces herself the Pureblood can't help the poorly concealed excitement at meeting someone not of this earth. "Well! This is certainly an interesting addition to our little entourage," she calls out, landing briefly to offer the other a proper curtsy and introduction. "Pleasure to meet you Astraea. Bridgit Vasilia is our name, but Bridgit will do just fine-"

At the sound of a new voice, she tenses and looks away from the fallen star to see who else joins their group.

Oh?

"So you've seen someone like me before this...interesting," he hums in thought, thrumming his fingers against the bar as Ren mulls over his options. It'd be so easy to say the other simply saw his cousin and call it a day, but as far as he knew he had left her behind. True, she could've made a small stop here while he was out doing his errands, but the times simply didn't add up.

"Tell me, how did she look like? Ah, that's fine honestly," he waves a hand at the question about the lunch. "So long as it's medium rare...but, on the topic of the other oni, I'm also curious as to what she said," and he can't help looking at his pet while leaning against his arm he had propped up on the bar. "What say you Ukogi, someone we know?" he asks the bird, who simply chirps and preens one of his feathers.

"There's not much to talk about actually. I'm simply here helping out a group of travelers and making sure my dear cousin stays out of trouble." Not really a lie, but not the complete truth either. "Knowing that there's another oni out here aside from the two of us is quite interesting indeed..."

Edited November 30, 2020 by sweet podado

TheRoon · December 2, 2020

Amera was quite talented indeed to get the molten core of anger that is Ayane to simmer down enough to follow along. She was absolutely ready to hunt down "Ari" and put her to the sword for what she did to her, but it appeared the trail went cold before she could catch up. Much to her unyielding rage. Still, she took a moment to take a breath to mentally prepare herself for the questioning. She looked out for a moment. "...this woman wore a blue mask, I couldn't see her face. But from what little I saw of her skin it was tanned. White armor, a decorated sword. Though it was sheathed, so I couldn't see exactly how..." She folded her arms and clenched her arm, trying to bite back the fury. "...she seemed to be a good fighter as well from our practice match, very experienced. Went by the name "Ari", now I know it's Ariana."

Ursali · December 3, 2020

"Then I'll just use a different weapon, you defective 'Hero'! And don't act like it did nothing, I heard a few of your worthless ribs break!" Xalrei spat back at the retreating Ariana, eyes still alit with her magic. She so desperately wanted to stone this pretender, but the thought of having her own magic turned back against her was enough to stay her eyes. Nearly as soon as Ariana hobbled off with her tail between her legs Laselia slithered up from the shadows, immediately hitting her with (deserved) criticism. "I'm fine, really..." She huffed as Laselia fretted over her, but all the same took the vulnerary and rubbed it along her lips and nose, the minor pain receding into oblivion. Ayane arrived no sooner than she'd done that, the dragon in no mood to try and calm the rightfully furious oni, so she was the tiniest bit thankful Amera showed up and managed to calm her. Now all that was left was the elephant in the alleyway...

Bladen had followed without any further questions, which Xalrei was thankful for. Bladen was the one person in the group she would earnestly call a friend so, while she knew Laselia was just protecting her, having her only friend be on the receiving end of the naga's threats wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world. He was surprisingly understanding about it, and even managed to dispel some of the tension by being his usual dorky self. It was also... Nice, to have him earnestly swear to keep her secret, it showed that he really cared. Laselia had been pleased enough with his answer to slither off and make sure they weren't being watched, or at least that was how Xalrei interpreted it, so that was a held breath finally exhaled.

"Thank you, Bladen." That was a good start, right? "And I guess I should explain things a little more, while it's 'private'." A sigh followed, and Xalrei couldn't resist the urge to cross her arms. "You don't know Thesephine had a sister because my grandfather decided I'd be safer as Ralsvelgr's daughter, Xalrei Idreis, instead of as who I really am, Tundyssa Adozosi. I didn't know myself until recently..." Better to gloss over just exactly how she'd learned, he and the fox were pretty close. "If you wanted to ask anything, about me, now's the time I guess..."

scorri · December 3, 2020

Bladen shrugged, somewhat uncomfortably, and shook his head in response. "No, I mean, that's not really fair to you, is it? You've already been forced to share one secret that you clearly didn't want to. It's not like you're choosing to share this information. Seems cheap for me to demand more now..."

So she'd never even known the rest of her family... And it wasn't like her grandfather had been wrong. Given the Hero and everything, she was likely only alive because of that decision. But that didn't make things easier. If she had been around when her father died... His people would have failed her just as much as they had failed him.

It was a strange thought, one that came somewhat out of nowhere. But it was true. The reason he was here at all was because his people had come to repay that debt. To try and make up some small amount of what they owed for not being there to protect the old King. And he was all that was left of that force. Perhaps... No, no perhaps. He would take up that debt. "All I can say is that... My people owe your family a debt. We did not come to fight against the last Hero and it was our shame. It is why we came this time, and why I... Why I am here. So all I ask is that you let me do what I can to try and atone for that debt by doing my best to help protect you."

Michelaar · December 3, 2020

As the Siren and Zombie rushed over, it appears that most of what took place had already finished. Of course Ayane looked just terrible, and was clearly was in a lot of pain , and the others also looked notably shaken up. The news was quite shocking. ''An agent of the church was here?! But how?'' Gabriela looked notably confused and surprised. It appeared that the agent had hoped to struck a deal with Ayane's life as the bargain. Luckily, Nessraya knows what to do in situations like this, and the agent didn't get her way. However, it nearly took Ayane's life. It's good that Ren wasn't here when it happened. He would be absolutely fuming.

It appeared the church's magic was a lot more advanced than what was previously imagined. Spells reflecting back? That has to be some intense counterspell that was put on herself or her clothing. Would it be some light magic? In all her studies Gabriela never found such a spell. One thing was clear: The church is dangerous, and now that countless of her clan was on their side, they would be even more dangerous. This information had to be in the hands of Lavinia and Nessraya right away.

But before she could inform them, some woman the siren had never seen before came and gave her and Jade orders to move along and do their business. Normally Gabby would protest, but it appeared that the woman wasn't in the best of moods, and everyone was a bit busy, so just this once, she closed her mouth and took Jade to, as the woman said, 'do their business.' First, they were heading towards the forge, so that's where they were going. ''Come on Jade, let's inform Lavinia and Nessraya later of what we just learned. Perhaps they have information for us, too. But first, I believe we were heading towards the forge?'' Gabriela began walking on ahead, beckoning Jade to follow her.

Balcerzak · December 5, 2020

The general collected herself quickly, and succinctly explained the situation. Coteon was becoming a third party to the rebellion quashing that has been the group's original mission. That was the sort of risk that would raise the hackles of any merchant considering an investment. But for Jade...

Suppose a worst case scenario... well, no, worst case is losing to Ithraxl without any outside interference, but I've already considered that not a likely enough occurrence to deter me from my course of action. There's the possibility now though that either we succeed, and then the humans come in and finish us off while we're in a weakened state, or that this force intervenes from the start, and prevents a victory in the first place. Though... from the sounds of things, the focus was entirely on Marina? Could we still complete the mission without her?

The zombie ground her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. She was upset with her mind for even wandering that direction. Traveling with, working with your clients really was dangerous. You get to know them, and then, whoosh, there goes any hope of remaining detached and rational. But that was for the best, no? She may be a monster, but she wasn't a monster.

The beastwoman from earlier, who'd met though outside of town, returned around the time Jade was internally chastising herself, and took charge of the situation. A part of the fort, doing proper chain of command, and issuing orders. A comforting sense of order and regularity after an outburst of chaos. There was no need to get upset about not being remembered either. Who expects anyone to pay attention to who's driving the coach, especially when a favorite general have come to call? Not this zombie. "Carry on with business, understood." A bit of a huff of a laugh, but the cat was already on the move, unlikely to hear. Gabriela appeared to be of like mind on this, to just go with the flow, rather than to break into a panic.

A nod of agreement, and the two of them followed after, presumably, Veronica, stepping inside the forge for a look about, and ultimately, a consultation.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Balcerzak

Ursali · December 5, 2020

"It's less that I didn't want to, and more so that Laselia told me I shouldn't..." Xalrei shrugged and huffed, surprised Bladen hadn't asked for more. She'd already made her peace with retelling recent events if what she'd told Taiyute was any indication, so it wasn't like Bladen would be spearheading new ground. "If you don't want to ask that's fine, I guess. Just figured you'd be curious."

It seemed that was going to be the end of this, then. Bladen had nothing to ask, and had agreed to keep her secret, so it was time to go back to, whatever they were doing. Or that was what the dragon had thought. Somehow, Bladen had worked it into his head that he now had a duty to protect her, because of some decision made before he was born, probably. Xalrei didn't actually know how old he was. "Look, Bladen. I... Appreciate the gesture. But, you don't owe me anything. What happened to my parents," despite her calm expression, Xalrei's claws clenched into fists, "wasn't something you could've stopped. And, I already have Laselia and Dorian watching over me. Constantly. I'd rather just have you keep being my friend, than another guard."

scorri · December 5, 2020

"I'm not asking to be a bodyguard like those two. Not really. I know I can't do anything like they do. But my clan... We failed your family. We didn't show up to fight in the last war. My parents told me of the failure, it's why such a large group of my people came to the fight this time. To try and atone for it. But so many of my clan died but I'm still here." He started pacing, trying to explain his thoughts, convince her to let him have this. "It's easy to say I don't owe you anything. And I suppose on a personal level I don't. But..." He stopped, turning to face her. "Please. At least let me be your shield in battle. Your bodyguards aren't always there then. The honor we've lost can never be recovered, I know that. But perhaps I can earn us some honor back by helping you in battle and keeping you alive. Our fights are only going to get harder from here on out. Would it really be so bad to have a friend helping to look out for you?"

Xinnidy · December 6, 2020

With Bridgit tagging in (Agni figured she'd lean either way on that one), the group headed towards the town's busier market section, and just like Taliyah had suspected, they met Marina amidst their walk --and Lavinia too, whose wave Agni reciprocated--. Whether coincidence or good intuition... well, it didn't really matter. What mattered was the heartwarming reaction to Taliyah's gift.

"We all planned it, but Taliyah was the on set on getting those gifts for you, Marina." Agni approached the embracing duo, the scene stealing a smile from even himself. "They're well deserved, as I see it."

Agni couldn't simply ignore the introductions given to that new person following along Lavinia and Marina. "A fallen star?" Another humanoid he'd never heard of. She did have a... celestial air to her, it lend some credence to her claims, even if flimsy. "So, there's more like you in the sky... and perhaps here. It sounds like you'll have your work cut out for you." The world was bigger than Xensat, after all, and how long it'd take to search the continent itself would take years. "This is rather unfortunate timing. Were the kingdoms at a... state of relations other than war. You'd have an easier time traveling."

It took him a moment to realize he'd skipped on introducing himself.

"The name's Agni. Human."

Nanami Touko · December 6, 2020

Yggdrassil's Plan

Sollowy bade her escort goodbye with nary a wave or even a smile, just the last of her gold. They said something about how to contact them is she wanted to hire them again as they left, but she just tuned it out. She wouldn't see them again if she could help it. They were nice, arguably pleasant to be around, but far too nosy for her tastes. If she hadn't been assaulted further south she wouldn't have bothered to hire an escort in the first place. Unnecessary contact like that was to be avoided, it would just invite future pain. On a higher note, getting into the Demon King's castle wasn't a pain at all.

All she had to do was explain the general reason for her visit and she was let in without any hassle. She was told she had to wait before she could meet the King, but, while it was annoying, that was expected. Thankfully, the wait wasn't terribly long and she was let in to meet with the King. However, what she hadn't expected to see was a small medusa sitting on a throne much too big for her. The thing nearly dwarfed her by comparison. Was that seriously the Demon King? She was more a girl than a woman...

For some reason, Sollowy was already regretting her decision to ask this girl for any sort of help.

"Hmmm?" Thesephine had been informed that she would be receiving a guest, but... What the hell? She's kinda cute... Wait, she's a Gathlain? What's a Gathlain doing all the way up here? Thesephine stood from her throne, jumping down the stairs, and placed herself right in front of the fairy... She couldn't help a cocky grin, as for once in her life of ruling, she was looking down on someone.

"Alright, little fairy, explain why you're here, and I'll see what I can do about it. If you were let in, it must be serious." Truthfully, her guards had already informed her why the Gathlain was here. In search of grand magical power, it seemed. Not why, but she'd been sent as an envoy of the World Tree. Not even Thesephine would be foolish enough to deny an audience with someone like that, even in these times. The only problem is, aside from the royal family's relics, or perhaps a great tree... I'm the biggest source of magic in Vaia. Biggest source of the kind I think she needs, anyway...

Sollowy wasn't sure which she disliked more: how close the medusa had gotten to her in an instant, or the stupid grin on her face. She didn't know what the latter was for, but if she had to hazard a guess it would've been something to do with the fact the short girl was taller than her shorter self. Give me a few decades to settle and we'll see who's shorter then, dumb snake...

"It's Sollowy, not 'little fairy'." She corrected with a grumble. Barely resisting the urge to call Thesephine a 'little snake' back, Sollowy began to explain the details of her mission. "My task from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, is to gather as much magical power as I can, as quick as I can. I would have come sooner, but the war was a strong deterrent. Now that I am here, I would ask that you direct me to the nearest source of great magic power."

"Oh, I see. Alright." Thesephine smiled wide, eyes closed, and said nothing. Of course, this wouldn't tell the fairy anything, but she wanted her moment. "You're looking at her. Now, what do you need from me, little fairy?" An eye cracked open, because Thesephine was about to love the look on this Gathlain's face.

What the Hel is she doing? Sollowy gave Thesephine a quizzical look, not that she could see it, which slowly changed to surprised, just plain confused, and, finally, to downright annoyed, a tiny glare forming. She didn't have time for this; this wasn't some sort of game, even though the supposed Demon King was treating it as such. Whatever, she wasn't going to play along.

"Fine. I need you to direct me to the second, or maybe even third, source of great magic and let me take it."

"Wow, ungrateful much... The second would be Vaia's relics. They belong to me. The third and last would be one of the great trees that's sprung up around here... But, good luck getting to them yourself. I'll wait until you ask for my help. Go on." This was fun, definitely. Someone shorter than her that she could take out all these repressed feelings of annoyance out on. Even if she didn't deserve any of it, Thessy was tired of being the only short one around here. Barely any of the politicians had taken her seriously until she made statues out of the worst ones.

I guess this is what they must've felt like. Feels good.

"I'll sooner take my chances by myself than ask for your help." This girl was, literally and figuratively, looking down on her! Compared to the nosy mercenaries, Thesephine was bordering on insufferable. Sollowy didn't want to owe her any favors; who knew what she might demand of her? And even if that wasn't a factor, she wouldn't take her help on principle at this point. She crossed her arms and turned to leave, grumbling to herself.

"Hmph. Should've just flown over the castle, wouldn't have wasted time talking to a self-important child that way."

Ah, a child comment. Normally it would have bothered her, but she was having just enough fun to let it slide. "Sure thing. Enjoy the bandits and wildlife Vaia has to offer... I'm sure you'll be running back in little over a day, if you've still got wings to run back with. Give Yggdrasil my regards, I'm sure she'll be fine with you letting the biggest source of ancient magic slip right between your fingers~" This was as far as she'd take it, she just wanted to be truly childish for once, and relish a moment of smugness she'd never otherwise get.

"Maybe I will. Or maybe I'll just move on to Khach; there's plenty of magic there too, without any bratty snakes. And I'll be sure to let her know that the source is spoiled, no longer worth using." That said, now would be a good time to leave; however, Thesephine's comments about the dangers of the road were enough to give her a monetary pause. She'd been jumped on the main road before and hadn't been able to handle simple bandits by herself. Who was to say that next time she might not be lucky enough to get away?

"Ah, how unfortunate~ I'm sure my grandfather will love to hear about how you spurned me... But have fun in Khach! Toodles~" Now it was time to see how stubborn this fairy really was.

Who could she possibly be related to in Khach? With an attitude like that? No one important, that was for sure. "I'll be sure to issue a complaint about your behavior to him, then. It would only fall on deaf ears otherwise." This wasn't the smart choice, almost assuredly not the correct choice, but Yggdrasil help her if she was going to turn around and ask for help after all of that.

"How stupid of me to think you'd take this seriously. Goodbye." She turned to look back at Thesephine before leaving, just long enough to give her a venomous glare.

Wow, she was actually going to leave. Thesephine sighed, turned towards the throne, hopped back up, and reached behind her oversized chair. A rather impressive spear was what she was fetching, jumping back down and following after the Gathlain. "I didn't think you'd actually be that stubborn. Geez! Come on, Sollowy, let's get you to your tree." Without so much as a second thought, she'd snatched the girl's arm and started dragging her towards the door, whether she liked it or not. "As much as I was having fun finally being taller than someone, if it's going to get you killed, then I'll stow it. As well... I don't think the great dragon Ralsvelgr would care much for the complaints of one fairy. So let's do this, hmm?"

"What makes you think I even want your help, huh? Go sit back down on your oversized throne and wait for someone else!" She was running entirely on pointless, stubborn bravado, speaking well before thinking. It was her turn to act the child now, but she was still too worked up to care.

"Don't touch me, you brute! Let me go!" No sooner than she'd been grabbed she was already trying to snatch her arm back; however, unfortunately for Sollowy, Thesephine was much stronger than the forest fairy took her to be. What the Hel, why is she so strong!? Without Thesephine letting her go, she was forced to try to keep pace with her, stumbling after her.

"Ralsvelgr? If he knew what I was he'd care the most! Not that I believe you could be related to him."

"You leave Ralsy out of this, and listen to me. Yes, I had a moment. I've been tormented by my size for the last seventy years, and I had to get it out of my system." She huffed and stopped, staring the fairy down. "I just didn't expect you to be so stubborn that you'd rather risk death than swallow some pride and ask for my help... You're getting it anyway. What sort of leader would I be if I actually let another monster walk out of here without a chance to her name?"

She didn't let go of her grip though, only stopping to stare at Sollowy. "If I let go of you, are you going to run off? If you are, then this brute isn't letting go of anything." She snarled out the word, clearly not appreciating being called it. "If you won't, though, then I'll let you go, and we can deal with this reasonably. What's it gonna be, Solly?"

Sollowy glared back up at Thesephine, still mad, but losing some of her fire. "A-And why should I have? I came to ask for help, not be made a mockery of! You were acting like you didn't care about me, or my task, just that you could lord over me. Who would want help from someone like that?" She huffed and would've crossed her arms if not for Thesephine's firm grip on her.

She shrunk at the snarl, her bravado nearly exhausted with that, and averted her gaze; she was not happy about being the decidedly weaker person in this situation. "Fine... I won't run off by myself, okay? You'd just have your guards capture me or something if I did..." As stubborn, and prideful, as she was, further resistance would just be an even bigger waste of time.

Thesephine let her go and huffed, shaking her head. "... Because as much as I'm supposed to be ruling this place, I'm still a child... A-And I make, stupid choices, sometimes... So... I'm sss... S-Sorr... N, Never mind, let's just, go already. I'll have the guards prepare me a wagon. I can't fly... Yet. You'll have to bear with me slowing you down, somewhat." Hopefully that was enough, as she made for front gates.

"I... got heated too. D-Don't worry about it..." Could this girl not even apologize properly? Sollowy hoped the nearest tree wasn't too far... She didn't think she could handle this girl for an extended period of time. "Wait, why are you the one guiding me? Don't you have a country to run? Just send a few guards and a captain or something."

Thesephine stopped and huffed again, squinting down at Sollowy. "My knight captain and Vaia's general are out aiding in the insurrection led by my other, former knight captain. The only people around here are castle guards or politicians... The guards need to remain on watch, and unless you want some busybody who can't swing a sword around to come with you, you're stuck with me... Sorry for being so disappointing." She stuck a forked tongue out at the fairy, turning back towards the front gates.

Sollowy was getting tired of her height disadvantage, finding it annoying to have to look up at Thesephine. She began to fly, just high enough to be eye level with the Demon King. Wait a minute, that sounds uncomfortably close to a group I run into down south... Was it just a coincidence? "Your general wouldn't happen to be a succubus, would they?"

"Hmph. I didn't mean it like that. I just thought the Demon King would be busier." She returned the childish gesture once Thesephine's back was turned, only floating after her once she was done.

"Yes, she is... If you ran into them, that must mean they're still doing well. Good... Th-Thank you." She'd been meaning to get an update on the status of the hero's party. so this worked.

"I've been plenty busy. You showed up during my break, and these stuck up nobles can kiss my ass! I'm tired of hearing them whine and complain about something I've already got people working on, I can't make them go any faster! I'm taking you to the tree and I'm taking some days off. They can yell at me after i work on some steam." She spun the spear in her other hand swiftly, as the front gates pushed open, and she turned towards the stables, down past the entrance to the castle.

"You'd better be ready, Sollowy. I'm almost hoping we run into something..."

"You're welcome? I guess?" It felt weird to be thanked after so long, and not just because it was Thesephine; though, that did amplify the feeling. The feeling was at the same time appreciated and entirely unwanted. It left Sollowy in a weird state of flux as she followed after Thesephine. Whereas she would usually tune out any sort of complaint from another person, she found herself uncharacteristically listening to Thesephine's rant. She didn't comment on it, but the whole thing was bizarre to her.

"Yeah, well, I'm hoping we don't! My mission is already difficult as is; I don't need any complications slowing me down." My time's already limited enough...

"Anything we run into won't be a problem," Thesephine boasted, as they approached the stables. "Nothing's going to slow me down... I've got stress to work through." With that said and cemented, she led herself to her own horse, gently running her claws along his skin. She was feather light with her touch, she didn't want to hurt the animal. "Let's go, Seoril. You're helping me today." She led the horse away from his stable towards a small wagon, enough for them and some weaponry. "Are you ready, Sollowy?"

"Isn't there a saying about that? 'Pride cometh before the fall' or something like that?" At this point, Thesephine was just begging for trouble with her boastfulness. Sollowy didn't want any part of that. If there was something that could give the Demon King trouble, it could probably swat her like a fly.

Sollowy eyed up the small wagon as they approached it. Hopefully, the size of it wouldn't paint them as an easy target... "I don't know why I wouldn't be. Let's get this show on the road."

"Good." Thesephine didn't say anything else, hitching up Seoril to their wagon, and starting them off towards the closest great tree to Vaia's grand castle.

Thesephine had stayed surprisingly quiet during their trip. No complaints, no whining, no boasting or even really talking. She was staying attentive, listening for anything to come up, o some group to try and sneak up on their wagon. Either they were lucky, or or they weren't enough of a target.

"We're almost there, Sollowy. Hey... Just wondering, can you fight?"

Sollowy had set herself down atop the wagon to preserve her personal space and to watch the road from a better vantage point; absolutely not so she could be the one looking down on Thesephine. She enjoyed the, admittedly unexpected, silence as they traveled --Thesephine couldn't pry if she didn't speak, after all-- though as they approached the tree it unsettled her. The magic here was... off, and the silence was only adding to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"...H-Huh? Yeah, I can fight. I'm made of magic just like you are, and I know how to use a bow. Why are you asking so suddenly?"

"Because we're not alone out here. I'm sure you can feel it, miss made of magic..." Thesephine gently slowed their wagon to a crawl, eventually getting Seoril to halt completely, and stepped off. Spear in hand, she stared over towards the entrance to a nearly completely sealed grove, the source of their magical disruptions very clearly emanating from there.

"Someone got to your tree first, Sollowy... Someone who shouldn't be here... You said you needed magic, was there more to your story? At all?" Maybe there was, considering what was happening, but she'd get her answers sooner or later.

Sollowy pushed herself off the wagon and hovered down to Thesephine's height, almost hiding behind the much stronger monster. She unslung her bow from her back, the one made from Yggdrasil's wood, and held it firmly in hand. "...There's more to it, but you don't need to know what it is to help."

She scrunched her face up in confusion as source of the disruption became clear. "What I don't get is why someone would be here. There's no reason to..." She trailed off into a quiet mumble, running various ideas through her head as she approached the entrance.

"You'll tell me later whether you want to or not... If people are messing with my country, I need answers. You understand?" If she didn't, Thesephine would spell it out as best as she could when they were done here... For now, it was time to meet their mystery 'friends'.

A moment of stepping through the brush, following the makeshift path... Brought the two of them to a disturbing sight. A gathering of mages... Horned mages? Thesephine didn't recognize what sort of monster they were supposed to be, but she could tell what they were doing. Siphoning the magic from not only the great tree, but from the nearby woods. Several dead trees already stood rotting, the medusa snarling, attracting their attention.

"Oh, my!" One of the hooded members stepped forward, horns holding the hood just above their face, obscuring it enough. "The 'King', of Vaia, what brings you to our wonderful gathering?"

"You've got less than a minute to explain who you are, and what you're doing, else this is going to get ugly!" Despite her short stature, the nearly six foot monsters didn't scare her, spear out and ready to cause bloodshed.

"How... Unfortunate... I was hoping to have been able to speak to you, but, I suppose talks are out of the question. Even if this power could save Vaia, and ruin Coteon--"

"Time's up! Prepare to die!"

The sight before Sollowy both appalled her and sparked her rage not only as Yggdrasil's envoy, but also as a Gathlain. These scum were not only stealing magic that belonged to Yggdrasil, but from the forest as a whole. If they were left alone the whole forest would be nothing but a desolate wasteland! Nothing would grow, nothing would be able to live... The land itself would die!

"The only thing you're going to be doing with that 'power' is giving it back to me!" She roared as she surged past Thesephine and shot off a blast of magic at the speaker.

"To the death it is!" The monster swiftly dodged Sollowy's magic, her associates readying their weapons...

Player Phase/Turn 1!

"Grrrhhh... Sollowy! Stay behind me!"

Stats!

That was a lot of them, whatever they were. Thesephine was strong, but could she handle them all? Sollowy hoped so, otherwise, they were in a lot of trouble.

"I know some healing magic, so if you get hurt I can help."

"Good... Help what you can!"

Thesephine to 4,3!

Enemy Phase/Turn 1!

Cultist #3 goes in for Thessy's head!
43,82
A miss!
12,83
47
A hefty smash back, for 22 damage!
Thessy gains +7 EXP!

Cultist #4 thinks he has what it takes!
97,2
He doesn't!
60,94
47
53,17
63
Two swings end him quickly!
"For... For the high, priestess...!"
Thessy gains another +25 EXP!

Player Phase/Turn 2!

Stats!

Sollowy 3,3 Iron Bow Cultist #3

Sollowy goes in to finish him off!
32,37
Down he goes!
Sollowy gains +44 EXP, +2 WEXP!

"DIE!" Thessy wasn't wasting any time, venting her anger on whoever these things were!
to 7,4, stab Cultist #5!
61,35
95
One in!
23,27
"Grrgh! I said DIE!"
53,45
1
He's down, Sol heals her wounds!
+25 EXP for Thessy!

Enemy Phase/Turn 2!

"My, my, you're so angry... If you'd come with us, we could've granted you the most powerful bliss~!"

The other cultists move in, #2 tries her hand against the Medusa!
88,83
Her swing is wide!
"Get out of my country!
63,8
28
Totalled!
+25 EXP to Thessy!

Player Phase/Turn 3!

Stats!

"Thesephine cover me, please!"

1,4

"Wha-- I-I said to stay behind me!"

Thesephine rushes for 2,4 to cover the fool!

Enemy Phase/Turn 3!

"Bleed for me, 'King' of Vaia! Give me more energy to fuel the high priestess!"
Mitsui strikes at Thesephine!
1,84!
9 damage!
"BLEED!"
"What is wrong with you freaks!?"
44,36
56
21 to the odd monster!

The last cultist tries her luck!
74,57
Another miss!
3,61
28
22 damage
Another!
22,53
99
Down she goes!
+25 EXP for Thessy!
Level up!
+Mag/Skl/Lck

Player Phase/Turn 4!

Stats!

"So even the 'King' bleeds! You will be no match for us when our priestess--"

"SHUT UP!" A brilliant skull suddenly appeared above Thesephine, snakes crawling out of all its sockets! One flash from it put the monster on her knees, gasping for breath. "Sollowy, kill her. We'll bring her corpse back for inspection at the castle, and YOU are telling me every Hel damned thing you know!"

Thessy to 2,3, Medusa on Mitsui!
14,1
Reduced to 1HP!
Thessy gains +7 EXP!

"A-Ah, right!" She looked down at the mysterious woman on the ground, cold fury in her eyes as she drew her bow back. "This is what you get for messing with Yggdrasil!"

Iron Bow the sister

45,45!
"Kahhh... Ouka... I, serve, you...!"
+87 EXP, +2 bow WEXP!
Level up!
+Mag/Spd!

Map over!

"Tch... What the Hel is going on?" Thesephine huffed, staring at the bodies of these... She still didn't know what they were. And, Ouka? High priestess? What was happening? Why did they want Yggdrasil's energy!? What was going on!? Frustration welled inside her, as she swiftly turned and grabbed Sollowy by the neck of her shirt, pulling the girl right into her face. "Talk. Now!"

Sollowy slung her bow back on her back, thankful that this was over. If Thesephine hadn't forced herself along, those mysterious monsters probably would've made quick work of her, ending her mission right there. Maybe she'd misjudged the Demon King? Nope, absolutely not.

"Tha-ack!" She had turned to the medusa to properly express her gratitude, only for Thesephine to hoist her up by her collar! "Put me down! I don't know anything thing about them!"

Thesephine put her feet on the ground, but wasn't letting go of her, growling now. "I'm not talking about them. Why are you here? Why are they taking the tree's energy? What is going on, Sollowy? You're in my country and this has something to do with Yggdrasil! If you don't answer me, I'm putting you in jail, and we can make this a lot tougher..."

Sollowy quickly averted her gaze from Thesephine's, finding what was left of the forest much more interesting. Should she tell her everything? She'd taken it upon herself to keep the whole situation as under wraps as she could to try to minimize panic. It was her mission anyway, she should've been able to handle it. But if this group was behind it, she wasn't sure she could. At least, not alone...

"Yggdrasil is... dying." She finally said after her silent deliberation, eyes now glued to the damaged great tree. "She sent me out to gather magical energy so I could... stop that. She didn't know why. She thought it was just her time, and so did I. I don't know anything about this group, honest! If I did I wouldn't have been so stubborn back at the castle!"

"Hrrrgh..." Thesephine let her go and stared back at the bodies, at least having an idea of what to do, now. "I know that. I'm not accusing you of helping them, you're a Gathlain, that'd be suicide... But you should've told me why you needed the magic! I... Grahhh!" She drove her lance into the nearest deceased monster, venting a bit more anger. "... Thank, you... For telling me now, at least. Dying... I guess this is why." Reaching an angry claw down and grasping the corpse, Thesephine began dragging it back towards the exit of the grove. "Come on. We're leaving. I'll put a barrier up around this place... They didn't do enough damage to kill the tree. Given time, it should heal... And I need to setup squadrons for the others. Dammit all, Nessraya had to be away during this..."

That would mean she'd need to rely on the other families in Vaia. Nessraya's own could probably spare a somewhat capable commander, but this also meant begging Ithraxl's for help in their territory. "Dammit all!" She was beyond frustrated at this point, trying her best to reign it in, lest her powers go berserk again. "Thank you... F-For, your help, Sollowy." Something to ground her, at least.

Sollowy stumbled back a little as she was let go, quickly balancing herself with a flap of her wings. She couldn't help but be depressed about the state the forest was going to be left in. They hadn't even learned anything about the strange monsters other than the name of a supposed leader... It took a moment for her to find her voice, Thesephine was giving her quite the fright. "I didn't want anyone to know what was going on! Imagine the panic if Hwein or, Yggdrasil forbid it, the other Gathlains found out! I couldn't risk everyone finding out."

Thesephine was ready to leave, but Sollowy wasn't. "Thesephine wait! C, can I..." Nervous, she hesitated, not wanting to set off the Demon King any more than she already was. "Can I ask you for a big favor?"

Oh, joy... "What?" Thesephine turned her scowl towards the Gathlain, wondering just what exactly she could want.

Sollowy recoiled at the snarl but managed to stand her ground. "I... I want to try to heal this great tree. Yggdrasil can't afford to lose more magic, it's already hard enough for her to sustain herself and all the other Gathlains. But I could jumpstart this tree's healing if I gave it my magic. Then it would be able to help Yggdrasil sooner... I, I'd just need some of yours to sustain myself until I recovered..."

"Oh..." That was all? That was fine. Thesephine had plenty, and this would be good for the surrounding area as well. "Sure... That's fine. Go ahead. I'll be waiting at the wagon... Scream if something happens, and I'll come running." Hopefully nothing would, this seemed to be all, the magical disruption had ceased as well. Just need to take care of the other three trees, apparently...

"Okay. I won't take long." That had bolstered her mood a bit, managing a smile as she approached the great tree. She placed her hands on the great tree, closed her eyes, and focused on the well of life magic inside her. The very same magic that gave her life, Yggdrasil's. She gathered as much as she thought she could spare and gave it to the tree all at once. The effect wouldn't be immediate with how comparatively little she'd given, but it would give the tree a head start and hopefully buy some more time for Yggdrasil.

Her deed done she returned to the wagon, Thesephine already up front. Rather than perch above her like before, she sat next to the imposing Demon King. "Th-Thank you for your help, Thesephine. And sorry... for being so stubborn before. If you hadn't come along I'd..." She trailed off at the end, Thesephine surely knew what she was going to say.

Thesephine glanced at her and grunted. "Be dead. You'd be dead..." Thesephine sighed, sitting up a bit. She'd gotten a bit of a gash, from one of the monsters, and took a quick look. "Mmm... Can you do any healing magic? If you have anything left, then... Close that up. Pl... Please..." Another grumble left her, Thesephine did her best to get Seoril moving. "You can take whatever magic you need after that. I already setup a safety net around the tree." She could only hope it would be enough. These monsters had some peculiar magic.

"You didn't have to say it, you know..." Sollowy grumbled, letting out a sigh of her own. "I should be able to, but I'll need your magic right away. I didn't leave myself much more than I needed..." She brought a hand up to the wound and channeling her magic into it, closing it with little trouble. At the same time, she placed her other hand on the scruff of Thesephine's neck and began to channel the Demon King's magic into herself, taking from her until she didn't feel like she was about to collapse.

"Are we heading back to the castle or to the next tree? I don't want to be too late..."

"Hyah!" Thesephine flinched suddenly at the hand on her neck, almost lashing out with a claw at the fairy, catching herself mere moments before slashing at her. "W-Warn me if you're going to g, grab my neck!" She didn't bother to shake her off now, the girl needed her magic, but still...

"Ugh... We're heading back to the castle. The next tree is all the way in the Kamita territory, and that's... Ithraxl's. Even if I am King, his border guards will kick up trouble and halt our travel. That, and we're not geared up enough for travel that long. Nothing to feed Seoril, either... You were lucky that this tree sprouted so close to the castle." With that said, they began to move swiftly, back to Attisio.

"I need to contact people. Get my court mages working on this body. Get answers... Ithraxl's people can handle more of these monsters, and so long as I don't go stepping my foot into their lands, they shouldn't be bothered with a task like this. They rely on their tree, as well... And the last one." This one, Thesephine was less bothered by. "It's in Tryxyss territory. Thetford. Nessraya's family will be more than capable of handling keeping it safe... You. You, little Gathlain, are going to stay with me in Attisio."

There was a reason for this, several, actually. "You need my magic, and me expending it fighting, that isn't going to help you any. This was a unique situation, so I took up arms, but normally I'd send people out, like you were demanding... That, and I'm going to contact the world tree. Get Yggdrasil to explain this situation, and learn everything. As for things in Hwein... I... Can't do anything about that, until the hero's party deals with Ithraxl."

Thesephine sighed. All these things to do, all this weight to handle... "I'll contact my grandfather and he'll handle Khach. Even if this aids Asphodel... It's not something I can ignore. Is that enough? Will this help?" Hopefully the fairy was thankful. Why she'd been given such a huge task to figure out, Thesephine would get her answers from that damned tree.

"Where else am I supposed to touch you? The neck's a good place for transferring magic, so you should've expected it." The fact that this girl was so quick to violence was honestly starting to be a bit concerning. Who knew how long it would be before she took it too far? If that happened Sollowy would only be able to slow her down...

She was more or less completely confused by all of Thesephine's political talk. The most she knew about the Vaia was that it had recently been at war, and that it was now facing a civil war; however, the inner workings of the country eluded her. She didn't get why Thesephine had such blatant disgust for one family and beaming praise for another; though, that seemed to fit with what Sollowy had seen of her personality so far.

"What? Why do I have to twiddle my thumbs with you?" Her protests were near immediate. "If the other trees have guards then I should be able to visit them just fine, even if some people wouldn't let you in. And Yggdrasil should be able to ask for some help, at least from the church." After the events of today, her task had gotten much more urgent than it already was. Sitting around, anywhere, only seemed like a waste of time.

"Yes, this will help, a lot." Complaints aside, she really was thankful. "...Thank you, Thesephine. I, I'm... glad. That you're willing to go that far to help me. Even if you're kind of scary sometimes."

"You're welcome, I guess... You need to stick around because you need my magic, do you not? You said you needed the best magic source in Vaia... And until my general and head knight return, I can't exactly go anywhere. If that's not enough for you... Then go ahead, and go with the task forces I can setup. I don't, exactly have a reason to stop you..." Scary... She'd gotten that a few times. Unhinged, troubling, on the edge, fragile. She was a few of those things... Scary... I'm just a kid with a country on my shoulders, how could I not be scary? Now I've got cultists trying to steal magic, and noble families breathing down my neck...

"Sorry..." She really was a brute, wasn't she? "I haven't... It doesn't, e-excuse anything, but... I... Haven't had a great, life. I don't... D-Do good, with being touched, or... Dealing, with people. But I'm the last of the Adozosi family, so I have to... To learn how to deal with, ruling. Wish dad..." She sniffled and shook her head. "No... I can't wish for things. I'll just have to figure it out. I... S-Sorry. Sollowy... I won't hurt you."

"Are you really okay with giving me so much of your magic? You'd have to be a stand-in for all of the great trees. That's why I was going to them, so I could take their spare magic and... give it to Yggdrasil." She wasn't much different than the other group, in that regard. "But if you can handle that, maybe I'll just stick with you. It's probably a lot safer for me, too."

Why did the vulnerable girl beside her stir her conscience? She'd hurt people before, pushed them away, and didn't even bat an eye. No matter how much they said they cared about her or how much they'd helped her. It was all to prevent much worse pain down the line, when it was time for her to complete her duty and say goodbye. Was she just tired of being alone, was it the parallels to herself she was starting to see, or was it something else?

"I... It's, okay, Thesephine. I believe you." Her hand hovered over the medusa's back, only nervous hesitation stopping her from reaching out. "I'm... not the best, with other people, either. I shouldn't have... called you scary." Slowly, she lowered her hand onto Thesephine's back. "S-Sorry, about that."

Despite her words, she still shivered at the sudden touch on her back, but didn't lash out again, managing to restrain herself. "It's... It's, fine. I am scary. I know I am. Not very intimidating, but... An angry little medusa that can't fully control her magic, what isn't scary about that? Turn you to stone if I snap, even if I'm getting better, it's still, just..." She's started reliving some terrible memories, nobles barking about her coronation, no one thought she was the right choice to attempt to lead the country. She was old enough, around thirty at the time, smart enough to know the amount of trouble she was going to get herself into. No one wanted a child, on the throne. No one wanted an unstable Medusa, on the throne.

"Hic..." A heavier sniffle this time, Thesephine leaned against Sollowy, trying to swallow her feelings. She'd cried enough. She couldn't keep getting upset over her parents deaths, her situation, all the people who hated her. If she did, she'd break down. She'd just prove them all right... "Sorry..."

Sollowy hadn't even known about the issues with her magic. She'd really opened an old wound with her thoughtless comment, hadn't she? "I..." Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to say something, anything, but nothing came. She didn't know what to say. How could she? All she'd ever done since she'd left the world tree was push people away. She hadn't been all that close with the other Gathlains either. She could just take the easy way out and push the girl on the verge of tears away, but that was too cruel an option to take. How did those adventures do it? Think, Sollowy!

She began to rub Thesephine's back in an awkward attempt to try and console the girl as she finally found her words. "It must be hard to be the Demon King. All that responsibility hanging over your head. All the expectations everyone wants you to live up to..." Sollowy slid her hand to Thesephine's side and gave her a tug, an even more awkward attempt at consoling her in the form of a one-armed hug. "I... know what that feels like."

It didn't seem to be a mistake, leaning into the fairy, hoping for some consolation... Lavinia was gone, she didn't have anything she could run to and hug, or cry on, so having someone she'd just met, even remotely act like they cared... She was taking it. "Th-Thanks... It's, it's fine. I need to... To learn how to handle, all of that. I'll just get torn apart otherwise. I can't afford to be weak, so..." She tried to act tough, but she wasn't moving away from the hug. "Just... Th-Thanks, uhm... S-Sollowy." She really was cute, wasn't she...

She was just talking about herself, but it seemed to be working. "It's not easy. Especially alone... You worry about being weak, or failing, and at the end of the day... All you have is yourself." The fact she hadn't misstepped again was a bit of a surprise, and not because of Thesephine's temperament either. It was, oddly satisfying, to have Thesephine lean on her and accept the hug. "Yo-You're, uh, welcome... Thesephine." A bit flustering, too.

"Mmm..." And now... An awkward silence had fallen over them. Thesephine wasn't sure what to say. Was there anything to say? She'd agreed, and... She couldn't add much. A glance towards the fairy left her gawking for a moment. She certainly had a charm to her... It had been months since she'd spent time with someone outside the scope of her political sphere. Even Nessraya and Lavinia were a part of the system, all things considered. "Mm... You're cute." So long as she was away from her duties, she wanted to be a bit childish. Take back that youth she'd had stolen away by fate.

The fresh spring air, the medusa at her side, the silence save the noise of the wagon... It was nice. It was a shame it wasn't going to last. This moment where the two of them were free from the shackles of duty and responsibility. I... might as well enjoy it while I can. What she hadn't expected was for Thesephine to break the silence between them. On top of that, she wasn't prepared in the slightest for the words she used to break that silence. "Wh-Wha... What?"

"Nothing," Thesephine sighed, sitting up properly, but she couldn't hide the faint redness on her cheeks. "Let's go Seoril! This wagon isn't going to pull itself!" Properly taking up the reins, Thesephine started to speed up their trip, glad she was able to have a small piece of relaxation like this.

Sollowy grumbled as she sat herself up straighter. Honestly, this girl... She could have at least let the mood continue if she wasn't going to follow up. That called for some payback. Nothing major, but a small little prank would do for the equally small Demon King. "You're cute too. For the Demon King, anyway."

Thesephine turned redder, but her composure remained. "Hmph! Of course I am! I'm adorable. I'm glad you've finally noticed!" She'd given Sollowy her moment of vulnerability, and now it was back to business.

"Hmph. Maybe I have." There was no fun if she wasn't going to squirm back. She'd have to shelve her plans for whenever Thesephine wasn't expecting it. In the meantime, it was probably best if she resumed her usual seriousness as well.

Ursali · December 6, 2020

Changes

It had been a week since Thesephine had aided the Gathlain in finding out what was wrong with the great trees in Vaia. Since, Thesephine had been sending messengers to the major families in Vaia, the Holst, Tryxyss and Athileris houses, to make sure their regions were properly checked. It was up to them, now. Worried as she was over Ithraxl's parents, Begruz would never allow some foreign monsters to defile his soil and tarnish his name. He would handle things himself, if it came to that. Nessraya's family she could more than trust, and nothing would stand against their magical might... The Athileris house, though... There was a chance that it would have to contact grandpa Rals, to make sure went smoothly. He would probably oblige given that it was her asking for this, but it would still mean more time. Time that they didn't seem to have... The hero's party would be returning soon, at least. She'd get a proper report, and this could maybe, just maybe, get resolved.

For now... Her council meeting had been adjourned and she was tired. Painfully tired... She didn't really understand why, either. She hadn't exactly been doing anything more than normal. She'd rested plenty after the excursion to the west of the castle... It didn't add up.

"Mmrrh..." Grunting as she walked along the halls, she spotted... The fairy? Had she come looking for her? Perhaps for more questions, askings to leave, or updates on the situation? Something like that... Something... "Hahh..." A heavy breath, Thesephine's body moved on its own... By the time she was paying attention again, the fairy was underneath her, against the wall, pinned there by both of Thesephine's claws!

"Wha-- Ah..." Immediately letting her go, she stumbled back a few steps, trying to remember what just happened... She couldn't. Wh-What's, going on? "Uh... S-Sollowy... S, Sorry, I... Just, f-forget, I..." Stumbling away from the fairy, Thessy made it three steps... Before collapsing against the stone floor.

After her visit with Thesephine to the great tree near Attisio, Sollowy had opted to stay as guest of the aforementioned Demon King in her castle. One painfully long week later, she was beginning to question if that was the right choice. While she trusted Thesephine when she said her people would be able to handle protecting the trees, waiting around while her time was so limited didn't sit well with her. There wasn't anything for her to do either, or at least nothing important enough to satisfy her. All she could do was pester Thesephine for updates when she wasn't otherwise occupied with her Kingly duties.

She was on her way to do just that, and maybe complain once more about nothing to do while she was at it, when she saw her target coming her way down the hall. "There you are!" She'd begun, rant already prepared well before hand, but paused once the girl got closer. Was she alright? Before she could ask if something was wrong, Sollowy was shoved against the wall, an angry(?) Thesephine with eyes alight staring down at her.

Before she could shake her fear to sling an insult at the Demon King for suddenly shoving her up against the wall, to do Hel knows what, the medusa had retreated and immediately apologized. Something was definitely wrong. However, as if keeping with a trend, before she could do anything Thesephine collapsed in front of her.

"H-Hey! What the Hel is wrong with you!? You don't get to do what you just did and follow up with that!" Anger masking her concern, she moved to the medusa's side, rolled her onto her back, and placed a hand on her forehead. She was hot. Really hot. "Not good... Can you hear me, Thessy?"

"Hahh... Hahh...!" Her breathing was heavy and ragged, eyes shut, trying to stay conscious. "M... M-Mom... Dad, dy... It, it hurts...!" Whatever was going on was clearly too much to handle, a claw desperately grabbing at Sollowy's hand and holding tight. "H-Help...!"

This... Whatever this was, it wasn't good. She wasn't prepared for this! Should she leave the near crying medusa to go get help? Would she be alright? Could she even leave with Thesephine latching onto her? Could she leave even if she wasn't? Her thoughts raced through her head, far too quickly to actually help guide her hand. "I-It'll... Be alright. I, I'm here..." Impromptu words in place of extending her silence. "Alright, Thessy?"

At loss for what else to do, Sollowy channeled some of magic into the pained medusa. Her magic, Yggdrasil's, was potent and tied to life and healing. Maybe it would somehow give a modicum of relief to Thesephine while she organized her racing thoughts.

Sollowy's call had been the right one, Thesephine slowly opening her eyes and her breathing slowing down, to a less worrying pace. "Wh... What, happened... S-Sollowy?" Eyes barely open, she glanced at the fairy, trying to pick herself up. "Wh-Why, am I... On the floor, I... Back, h-hurts..."

"I'll tell you what happened!" Sollowy replied with a huff, managing to work herself up enough to hide her concern for the moment. "You shoved me into a wall with your eyes all glowy and angry, like you were gonna make me a statue! What's the deal with that, huh?" The fairy asked pointedly, hoping it'd be enough to keep herself riled up.

Unfortunately for her, she couldn't rightfully be upset about how Thesephine had acted immediately after, aside from the fright she'd given her. Though, to admit that, no matter how angrily, would be no different than admitting she cared somewhat about the medusa. Her facade breaking and concern leaking back into her voice, she continued. "Then... You pushed yourself off, apologized, took three steps and collapsed. I didn't know what to do, so I gave you some of my magic... Are you going to be alright? Can you stand?"

"I... I, did that...?" She didn't have any memory of it... She was tired, shaking, her back seriously hurt. Trying to push herself up, Thesephine managed to get to standing, leaning hard against the wall, crawling along it back towards her master bedroom. "G... Gotta, lay, down... S-Sorry, Sollow, y..." If she'd really done all that, then she owed the fairy a real apology once this had passed... Whatever this was.

Was she really going to be alright by herself? Sollowy watched Thesephine walk a few more steps before grumbling and heading after her, easily catching her. It struck a nerve, watching this girl push herself so hard, not even asking her for help. "Ugh. Just lean on me. I'll help you to your room..." Honestly, this girl. She couldn't even walk by herself. What would happen when she ran out of wall, or had another fainting episode?

"Wh-Wha...? You... I..." Thesephine was at a loss for words, blushing, embarrassed by her sudden weakness. If someone were to attack them, now... "Th... Th-Thank, you..." Being next to the fairy was making the pain easier to deal with. Maybe it was because she housed some of Yggdrasil's powers? They were renowned for their healing abilities, that must've been it.

Instead of trying to fight her off, Thesephine let Sollowy drag her along to her room, up to the edge of her bed... Before crashing into it, and dragging the fairy with her, into a soft hug. "Hhhghh... H-Hurts... S-So, much...!"

"Don't worry about it..." Sollowy mumbled, brushing off Thesephine's thanks. "You'd probably do the same. Except you'd actually be able to carry me..." Despite the similarities they shared, strength was not one of them, nor was it something Sollowy would find it in herself to cease complaining about anytime soon.

As she approached Thesephine's bed, she shifted her position to better deposit the girl onto her bed. She wasn't expecting the medusa to suddenly fall onto it, pulling her down with her and wrapping her into a hug. It was her turn to be embarrassed, face tinging with pink at the sudden closeness. "H-Hey! I'm not your stuffed animal!'

Thesephine's groans of pain were enough to stop her pointless protesting, whatever was ailing the young medusa was more important. "...Where does it hurt?"

"Hahh, hahh... B-Back! My back!" Her voice picked up all of a sudden, hugging Sollowy tighter, panting and gasping, trying her best not to sink her claws into the poor fairy. "I... It, hurts, s-so much...!" She'd started crying at this point, eyes shut tight, tears still flowing out of them... "I... M-Make, it stop... I, c-can't...!"

"C-Calm down, will you? I can't help if you crush me!" While perhaps an exaggeration, it was still true at its core. She couldn't help if she was incapacitated by the medusa. Best to work quickly before that happened. Now with a target, Sollowy placed a hand on the pained girl's back and began to channel her magic into her. "H-How's that...?" It seemed to have worked before, in the hallway. Hopefully it would work again.

"It... Hahhn... B-Bet, terrr..." Thesephine began to calm down again, shuddering and clinging tighter to Sollowy... Perhaps to the fairy's surprised, the Medusa suddenly fell asleep, still shivering, but breathing much more calmly. Whether her body had simply given into the sudden calm, or Sollowy's magic had helped her to sleep, it didn't matter; she was out like a light.

"Excuse me," came a voice at the door, knocking gently. "Your Majesty, I have brought lunch." One of the castle maids, Sheria. An elf that tended to Thesephine's meals, the girl either too busy or too unskilled to cook them herself. "Hello?" Unfortunately, there would be no Demon King to answer the door, right now.

"I'm not your pillow either..." Sollowy complained half-heartedly. She didn't want to wake the sleeping girl, which was unfortunate for her because, even while asleep, Thesephine was still stronger than the fairy. No matter how she squirmed she couldn't get free, giving up shortly after she began. "Ah, whatever!" At least Thesephine was feeling better enough to sleep, whatever the hell that was going on resolved for the moment, and she had finally had something to do. Staying here for a little bit wouldn't hurt. Or so she thought.

The knock on the door and the accompanying voice sounded like a death knell to the Gathlain. If she didn't answer she was sure the maid would eventually come in and see her and Thessy essentially cuddling together. Neither she nor Thesephine needed the gossip that would assuredly follow. However, if she did answer that would still raise questions and result in the same sort of gossip getting spread around. She was damned if she did and damned if she didn't.

"Hey, wake up!" She demanded in a harsh whisper. No effect. Desperate, she prodded the sleeping Medusa, Thesephine stirring in response. Maybe there was still hope. She prodded her harder, shaking her some. "You need to wake up, Thesephine!"

"Mmmnnhh...?" Thesephine opened her eyes for a moment, but then quickly closed them after, hugging Sollowy tighter and slowly crawling on top of her to properly use her as a pillow. "Sleepy... Comfy..." She was waking up, but not enough for the poor fairy.

"Well..." Sheria couldn't exactly wait, she knew Thesephine would get annoyed if her food was late. Gently opening the door-- "O... O-Oh..." A faint red came over her face, spotting the girls, as she wheeled the cart inside. "My apologies." With a small smile and a 'knowing' stare, she dipped out of the room and closed the door quite quietly.

"Enough of that! You need to wake up!" Sollowy urged, barely maintaining her whisper. She was actively trying to pry the sleeping princess King off of her now to little effect. Thesephine, in her sleep fueled stupor, had just taken a much more... Embarrassing, position atop her; being seen like this would be even worse. Unfortunately, the Medusa's grip was even tighter than before. There was no way she was getting out of this. As if sensing her resignation, the door began to creak open...

"I... We... This isn't..." A tremendous blush adorned her face as she stared down the maid, mouth opening and closing, unable to muster any coherent defense for this situation. Only once the door was closing was she able to yell a simple denial. "It's not like that!" She glared up at the girl on top of her, prodding her again. "Look at what you've done. What a mess..."

Thesephine remained sleeping... Seemingly, at least. For a moment. "Hhhghk..!" Eyes still shut, a sudden pain hit her once more, one that being near Sollowy wasn't diminishing. "Ahh... Hahh...!" The fairy was getting squeezed again, Thesephine shaking and squirming on top of her. "M... Make, it st, stop, I... I can't... The, pain...!" She was definitely awake now... And it was going to be clear as to why.

In a sudden twitch of her body, her back began to arch, until finally... "GAHHH!" Her suit tore, her skin ripped, and two dull yellow, almost golden wings slowly curled out. "Hhgh... Hhh..." Energy expended, she collapsed against Sollowy again, eyes open, breath heavy. "Th...The, pain's... G-Gone..."

"Ghhhh...! Stop squeezing me so hard! You're hurting me!" While her pain was probably incomparable to Thesephine's, Sollowy was quickly getting fed up with this situation, thus fueling her need to vent through complaints. Her frustration was mostly stemming from her lack of control over whatever this was. Her magic had helped, had been enough, but now it suddenly wasn't! What the Hel was going on!?

The answer to her question came quicker than expected, wings forcing themselves out of Thesephine's back. Wait, wings? Wasn't this girl a Medusa? Another glare up at the exhausted girl. "Care to explain why you're growing wings on top of me?" She didn't miss the blood trickling down her sides, wrenching an arm free of Thesephine's grip and bringing it up to her back, beginning to heal her with a sigh. "Even if it is, you're still bleeding..."

"W-Wings...?" Thesephine realized her compromising position, slowly sitting up now that she had better control over her body. A twinge at her back, she glanced behind herself to see... "Wha... I... W-Wow..." Gently pulling herself away from Sollowy, she tried to concentrate, and flap them slowly, finding them responsive. "I... Uhm. W-Well, first, so, sorry." A hefty gulp, Thesephine wasn't exactly sure what had passed over the last half hour. She'd gotten out of her meeting... Started making her way towards her room, but... The rest was a blank. Now she was here, on her bed, Sollowy under her, wings on her back.

"Okay... W-Well, my... My mother was a dragon." Hopefully that wasn't too much of a surprise. "I... I'm, uhm, I've been alive for, over seventy years n-now, so... S-So I, I figured my scales were all I'd get." The golden, gauntlet like scales that lined her forearms and hands, and the slightly amount gathered at the base of her tail. "I... I don't, really know what else to say. This is a surprise to me, too... Th-Thank you. For helping me through it..."

Sollowy stared up at Thesephine, still underneath her, as the Demon King got her bearings. She was waiting for her to demand an explanation, one she was prepared to give and demand an apology over. Instead, she got her apology immediately. Caught off guard, she grumbled up at the Medusa. "Do you even know what you did? Pushing me up against a wall, collapsing on me, making me carry you to your room, using my ch, chest as a pillow, letting your maid..." As she'd approached the end of her mental list the Gathlain had grown flustered, a blush beginning to form on her face and her eyes drifting to the side. "F-Forget it! You can figure that one out yourself!"

As Thesephine explained her heritage, Sollowy took the time to calm down. Even still, she was unable to hide her surprise. "Wait, you're over seventy and your still so..." She forced herself to trail off, not wanting to anger the Medusa; though, with how much she'd already said it was probably already too late for that. "A-Anyway, you're welcome, I guess. Don't pull something like that again, you hear me...?"

"I... Wh-Whatever I did while I was, under that pain, just... F-Forget about it, okay?" Thesephine huffed, shaking her head. "A-At least your chest is, nice..." she further mumbled, glancing down, before looking away. "A-Anyway! What's so weird about me being that age? I just told you, my mother was a dragon. If, both my parents had been my race, I'd be more than an adult already, but... Dragons age a lot slower, for a good century. It's a dominant trait for their children, so..." She gently crawled off the bed to give Sollowy more space, grumbling.

"Sorry for, b-being immature. I'm... I'm trying. I'll... I'll try, not to. I don't have anything else... I think." Her wings gently flapped again, trying to get used to the feeling.

Though she knew she probably shouldn't do what she was about to do, Sollowy couldn't resist such a prime teasing opportunity. "You say to forget it, but then you say something like that... Makes a girl wonder~" Naturally, such a relationship with Thesephine was off the table for now, maybe forever, for both their sakes. All this was was some harmless teasing...

She hadn't missed Thesephine's glance at her own chest, no matter brief it was. "Anyway, what's wrong with your chest?" She asked, teasing tone replaced with genuine curiosity. "Y, You're not, jealous are you?" The thought was too much for the Gathlain. The big bad Demon King fretting over her chest size? It was too silly, especially since she just said she was still growing. A goofy grin began to unintentionally take shape on her face as the Medusa gave her some space.

Thesephine's furthered apology wasn't something Sollowy had been expecting, enough to snap her back to reality. "You're... Forgiven, I guess." A silence settled over the pair, Thesephine getting accustomed to her wings and Sollowy awkwardly staring at her, a question on her lips. Eventually the fairy get over herself enough to ask her burning question. "D-Do you want me to give you flying lessons...? I have nothing better to do, is all..."

"Wh, jealous? M-Me!? Who, who would want those, stupid meat sacks! I'm not jealous!" Thesephine huffed and blushed at the claim, grumbling and lookkng away, arms crossed. "Geez! Here I am, trying to be nice, and you... You, just... Mrrrgh..." Why did she have to go and say that?

"F-Fine... Flying, lessons would be nice. I... I need to get used to these eventually. I suppose... Someone who already knows how, would work. Even if it's, you..."

And there went Thesephine's honesty, right out the door. Honestly, it was so easy to see right through her. Why the Demon King of all people cared so much about her chest size honestly baffled Sollowy, but it was clear to see she'd upset her, regardless of her intentions. That, was probably worth an apology. With a sigh she repositioned herself into Thesephine's view, placing her hands on her shoulders so she couldn't turn away again. "I didn't mean to mock you... Sorry, if you took it that way. But why do you care so much? You're fine as you are."

"What's that supposed to mean!? 'Even if it's you'? I'm trying to be nice to you too, and you say that? Do you want me to teach you or not?"

"I..." Well that was a lot... And Sollowy was holding her still. She could break away, of course, but... With such an earnest attempt... "Y-You're fine. That's, fine... And... I, look like a child, okay? I guess... Technically I am... But that's part of why so many people don't take me seriously as a leader. I know, I know... M-My attitude and anger are the rest, but, I can learn my way around those. I... Can't, grow any faster..."

That... Wasn't the sort of answer Sollowy had been expecting. "Thessy..." She couldn't tell Thesephine that anything she'd just said wasn't true. Not without blatantly lying to her face; the girl clearly knew what faults others found in her, even ones she couldn't truly control, like her age or her heritage. Sollowy wasn't excluded from that either, the sharp pang of guilt evidence that she had prematurely written off her concern as childish. At a loss of words --What could she hope to say to her-- Sollowy slid her arms down to the Medusa's back and pulled her into a hug, hoping that would somehow help Thesephine.

"H-Hey! What are you... Mmnhrrr... Geez..." She didn't want this fairy's pity! Just... But it, felt nice for her concerns to be taken seriously. A lot of people laughed at them... Lavinia coddled her. This was different, somewhat. "... Thanks..." she managed to mumble, resting against Sollowy.

Thesephine hadn't pushed her away, or protested at all really, so this must've been the right call. "You're welcome, Thessy." Similar to the brief moment they'd shared on the wagon ride that felt so long ago, it felt nice, having the Medusa lean on her. Content for the moment, Sollowy let herself fall back on the bed, pulling Thesephine down with her. She had nothing better to do and Thesephine was probably finished with her duties if she'd been heading back to her room. They could... Stay like this for a little while, right?

"Mmm... Hwah!?" Thesephine couldn't help the yelp as she was pulled down onto the bed, blushing harshly. "Wh-What are you doing!?" The fairy wasn't letting her go... Or doing anything else, though, so... Maybe, she just wanted to rest? It was embarrassing. Especially after what Sollowy had said that she'd done while groggy over her pain, but... "Geez... Jerk, m-making me all, embarrassed..." Grumbling quietly, Thesephine finally brought herself to hug her back, calming down somewhat. "You... Y-You really are cute..."

Sollowy had to stop herself from laughing at Thesephine's embarrassed panic as she was pulled down. Even if she wanted to do whatever the Medusa's wild imagination had envisioned, the Gathlain was starting to feel tired herself. Whether it was just the missing magic she'd given Thesephine or the comfiness of her current situation, who could say?

"You don't have a right to that word, after what you did. What did you think I was going to do to you anyway, huh? Don't tell me you were expecting something... Pervert." Revenge gotten, she let herself relax into the hug, staring at the girl next to her and blushing some. "You're, really cute... T-Too..."

As she continued to lay there, Sollowy could feel her eyelids getting heavy, drowsiness sneaking up on her. "Mmn. Tired... Maybe I should use you as a pillow, like you did to me."

Thesephine couldn't get redder. "Sh-Shut up... Just..." Burying her face against Sollowy, she didn't respond to the girl's question about using her as a pillow. She was too embarrassed, and too content, to make any more complaint. Her words would betray her and she'd end up upsetting the fairy again... If she wanted a pillow, then she could have one.

Thesephine hadn't outright refused her request, instead snuggling further into her. For the sleepy, and comfy, fairy that was as good as accepting her request. Repositioning herself in their cuddle, she rested her head against the bigger girl and held her tight. "Good night... Thessy..." She mumbled out before she began to drift off to sleep.

mcd900 · December 7, 2020

Returning once more to the fort's walls - he'd lost count of how many times it'd been this week - it was hard not to notice another new face discussing something with Amera, though he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. It was apparent, though, that Amera was far from in a good mood, and as Erephis explained what exactly their little magical study group would be doing, he mused that perhaps it was a conversation that wouldn't do well to be punctuated by cracks of thunder.

Well... too late to not follow through, I suppose.. now, how would be best to demonstrate this?

It took only a moment of thought before Seilan became acutely aware of the lamia's expectant stare, and half of another before he decided to figure it out as he went along and not keep her waiting any longer. He retrieved the newly purchased tome from a pouch at his side, and stepped close to the parapets. "If you'll observe that tree over there... yes, that one will do. This is a standard Elthunder spell - it flies from the caster to the target, not too far, and the recipient is on the wrong end of a bolt of lightning. This is just as any other spell you're likely to find at a vendor of magical goods, and most anima mages ought to be familiar with its use."

Pulling his older tome from a pocket on the other side, he gestured towards a different cluster of trees, perhaps about three times as far from the walls as the first. "However, this is different than the concept of lightning and thunder of a person who is not a mage. To them, lightning comes from the skies above..." He paused, focusing on the tome to cast, and after a brief moment, a bolt thundered down from above the distant trees. "...like so. As I was mentioning earlier, this use may actually be closer to the original concepts of anima magic - the control of latent natural phenomena and power through magic, rather than the reimagining present in most tomes today. That isn't to say reimagining isn't useful, of course - there's another way of using thunder magic that I can still show you."

He turned towards Taiyute. "Oh, and... well... I'm not exactly sure how much of that made sense to you, but it might help to think of it like this. For wind magic, one might cast more of... a tornado, or somesuch, rather than a blade of wind, like most wind tomes are... at least, I think they are. Possibly."

Nanami Touko · December 8, 2020

"So... Basically, we don't know much about her other than her appearance, her name, and that she knows how to swing a sword. Dammit..." Amera sighed, arms folded, pacing in place, left and right. "L-Look... Ugh, there has to be something! Did you feel anything in this practice match? At least I know you did that, I can go to the barracks after, see if anyone else saw anything... Guhhh..." This was very frustrating, how did someone so weird sneak into Tepel? "Her magic felt... Really off. That's all I could get. You're somewhat magical, right? Cuz you're an oni? I don't know how your race works..." Amera sighed again, looking at Nessraya. "What about you, general? Did you feel anything from her? How did she hurt you that much?"

"Wow, look at the birdy~ He wants to play bodyguard." A very familiar voice met the two, from above. Asami peaked over the edge of the roof from the house they were standing next to, before flipping over it and landing next to Xalrei and Bladen. "How cute. How are you two, then? Bladen, trying to play royal guard. Xalrei, princess and sister to the current head of the country... What an unusual pair." Asami giggled, heading just a small bit away from them. "That was a fun conversation to listen in on... Don't suppose you want to learn more, Bladen? They do have a fortune teller around here... I know plenty about the young princess, but I don't know everything. I know even less about you, my darling little bird... How does it sound?"

Lavinia let the group converse, touched by the hug between Marina and Taliyah. It seemed the two of them had become good friends, it was nice that someone so pure could befriend Marina. Her attention was only displaced by the sudden arrival of... A wraith, it seemed? "Curious to see a wraith around... Wait, you're not fully undead, are you...?" Lavinia only became further surprised as she realized that the girl was missing just a few concrete touches to be quite a complete wraith. It wasn't a problem for her; she had no prejudices towards demi-monsters, but... Why had she approached them?

"A word, then. What can I do for you, miss...?"

Taliyah, meanwhile, was overwhelmed being hugged by Marina and getting all the smiles from the group. "Hawawaaahhh, I, whuhuhh..." A cautious hug was given in return, patting Marina on the back. "I-It's okay... I just, think you deserve stuff. That's all... I, I hope you appreciate them." It was enough to get the lizard girl sniffling herself, a little smile sneaking onto her face.

Vanessa had already returned to the counter of her forge, continuing a sketch when Jade and Gabriela entered. She hadn't expected that part of the group had come to see her, but she wouldn't turn down further customers. "Mmm. Hello. You two... From outside, before. How, can I help?" She didn't look at them for long, glancing back down at her schematic, and adding a bit to it.

Seilan's magical display... Made no sense. It had certainly happened, yes. Erephis had seen it with her eyes, very clearly, especially behind these glasses. Aside from controlling her memories and inner personality, they also provided her with very adept vision. Still, despite seeing a regular spell reach as far as one would expect anima magic to reach, and then watching him, with a regular tome perform a spell that shouldn't have been possible without a tome as thick and heavy as a Bolting...

"H-How... But... I-It, it can't be that easssy, assss to jussst... Rewrite the formula... I, I can't..." She couldn't put it together in her mind. Was it really that simple? Change the formula to be more coherent with your own magic, have the description form a more natural version of the spell as it would exist in nature, and presto! Long range thunder magic! "I... I, I can't..." It was real, as much as she tried to deny it. She slumped onto her tail, glancing at Seilan, then Taiyute, then Seilan again. "I... I guessss, y-you really can, do sssomething like thiss... Thissss... Thiss issss, crazy, I hope you r-realize. You're going to throw the entire magic world upssside down with sssomething like thisss..." She was talking so fast she didn't even care that she was slipping over her tongue so much.

"Goddesssss Hessss, grant me sstrength... I can't believe it wass... Thissss sssimple..."

"What'd she look like... Ahhh, black hair. Horns smaller'n yours. Pale skin... Real fancy getup, didn't stay for long. Just wanted to ask if any of yer kind had been 'round here... Said no, cuz, well, till you got here today, she's the first I'd seen." Braksen rubbed his chin, fishing a steak out of his cooler to medium rare up for Ren. "Didn't think much of it... See yer odd monster 'round these parts every once and a while. This is the middle of the country after all. She someone special?" Braksen paused for a moment, scrunching up his face. "Well... One big thing, remembered it. She had nice, big, red eyes. Didn't seem undead, so that really stuck out to me. Hmmm..."

Edited December 9, 2020 by SnakeMomMelissa

Ursali · December 9, 2020

Xalrei held her tongue as Bladen talked about his clan, about their honor, their shame, the losses they'd taken, the duty he had somehow decided was his to shoulder. All in the name of protecting her family, her sister, and now her. She didn't want to accept his conclusion, but for once had the sense to keep her mouth shut before she said something terrible. She couldn't tell Bladen to his face that she'd rather his clan hadn't come at all, given that Marina was apparently going to surrender anyway. Not after they were already dead. A huff tumbled out of her lips, her tail swaying behind her, agitated. "You, you really don't have to do this, Bladen. You shouldn't have to worry about honor, or anything like that. Not for an absentee princess like me." It hurt to call herself that, but it was probably how the population would view her. Or so she had convinced herself anyway.

She didn't like how he was wording his plea, either. Making it sound like it was purely rooted in their friendship, and not at all tied to the name attached to her. A reluctant sigh met him, Xalrei's arms firmly crossed. "If, you really insist, I can't stop you. But that doesn't mean I want you taking risks for me. I can handle myself." If he was going out of his way to pitch it like that, he was probably bordering on her level of stubborn. And there wasn't really anything she could do about that, now was there?

The appearance of Asami couldn't have come at a more unwelcome time, Xalrei still conflicted about her feelings on the fox. It seemed like she was here for Bladen more than herself, anyway. Xalrei was fine with regarding the fox with a grunt and letting Bladen handle her, content to complain at her where she couldn't be heard. If you knew so much you should've just told in the first place when I asked, not turned it into a fight...

scorri · December 9, 2020

It wasn't the response he wanted. She clearly still had no interest in him protecting her. But he supposed it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, whatever response he would have had was interrupted. He took a small step back to put a slight amount of distance between him and Asami and glared at her. "You know, it's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. Now, somehow I'm not at all surprised by the fact that you already know her secret, given your habit of listening in where you weren't invited but..." Hmph. She was going to tease him about this endlessly, wasn't she? "Why are we such an odd pair? I've no interest in being an official royal guard, as you put it. I simply aim to protect someone I care about." And owe a debt to. Whether she accepts that or not, I am the one able to pay that debt. No matter what it takes.

She started in again, prodding about Xal's secrets, offering a fortune teller as a way to learn more. Normally that wouldn't interest him, but the memory of those green eyes, terrifying and alien in the face of the Hero entered into his brain. If this teller could speak of the past, she certainly could speak to the future too... Right? "As I said before, I have no interest in pushing for more of Xal's secrets. Her right to privacy is something that I do not intend to shatter. Nor should it interest you, you know. I worry about you sometimes. If you stick your nose into too many places, one of these days it's going to get bitten off. And I quite like your nose the way it is, you see. However... There are things I might like to know. Not about the past, but... More about what lies ahead. We don't have easy days in front of us. Maybe some light on the trials we face could help make them easier to combat."

What a lovely person she was meeting. A smile and a curtsy in return, or an imitation of one given the pants she was wearing, Astraea greeted the small one. "Greetings, Bridgit. Thou art a member of Lavinia and Marina's group then? A pleasure as well. I am happy to meet friends of the people who have welcomed me. I am hoping that we will be friends, yes? I am not sure how much of a help I will be to this group, but I will try to help if possible."

And then another introduction, mentioning her being a fallen star and the task that stood before her. "Yes, it is... Unfortunate. I must try to do what I can here to find my siblings. The one who is called Erephis, she said that she might be able to find more information, and so I stay with your people. I am pleased to meet you, Agni. Perhaps this world will reach peace, and it will help me further my goals. I can only hope..."

GoldsbroTSG · December 11, 2020

It took a minute or so, Marina calmed down a bit, giving a cough, before pulling her head away, gently pulling her hands away from Taliyah, "S-Sorry, I... mm..." She set the rings in her pouch. "Thank you Taliyah, I do appreciate them." She got a smile, through the tears and sniffles that ended up escaping from the girl's face, reaching over and ruffling Taliyah's head, "You're awesome, I hope you know that."

It seemed someone else had approached them, Marina hadn't noticed prior. Mostly due to her little episode she had on Taliyah's shoulder. She gave off a similar vibe to that wraith they fought before. That was Marina's guess, at the least.

Taiyute's focus shifted once Seilan began speaking. Learning of another magic, even if only understanding basic points of it, had been interesting. Then a tad of too much excitement as she saw the bolt strike the tree from afar. That was amazing, Taiyute had never seen anything like that. Turning back as she noticed Seilan speaking to her, she nodded along to the point of a tornado.

"Yes, I have an aware of the tornado spells, yes. My mother was... a master, yes." She nodded along. On the other hand, she had issues understanding Erephis, but it didn't bother her. Whether it was panic or excitement, it was endearing, and even a bit cute.

Balcerzak · December 13, 2020

A small nod and a grunt from the zombie was returned to the smith's curt greeting. "I recently stumbled upon a bit of a curiosity. I was hoping to reconstruct it, as something of a personal project, but I certainly need a little advice." Leaving out mention of the fortune teller, as it wouldn't be relevant to the master of the forge, Jade fished out the broken pistol and laid it on the counter. "I do have a general idea of gun construction and maintenance, but at the moment its current state is a bit beyond my capabilities."

mcd900 · December 13, 2020

The magical display had more of an effect on Erephis than he'd anticipated; even if he acknowledged his magic wasn't exactly commonplace, surely such a reaction was a bit much. "Throwing the entire magic world upside down... well, this magic is useful, but I'm not sure if that's enough to warrant such a turn. The existing systems of magic are... deeply rooted, to say the least, and again, this magic is somewhat niche in its applications, after all. Well - there are more applications I've yet to show you, though."

Taiyute's response set him somewhat at ease that what he remembered of wind magic was correct. Her mention of her mother's mastery of tornadoes lent credence to the idea that wind magic could be repurposed in such a manner; her magic had a different feeling than most mages', after all. It was something worth looking into further.

It had been enough sharing from his end without having his own curiosity sated, however. "Erephis... that staff you purchased. How exactly were you planning on studying it further? I don't think I'm quite capable of harnessing the magic within it, as I am now, at least - but I don't think I've seen any staves among what you're carrying. For how much it cost you, you must be quite interested."

Ether · December 14, 2020

"Her magic was... odd. I couldn't quite place it, but I don't know why a non-human would be working for the Church... as for how... I don't know what enchantment she had that allowed this, but she reflected my own spell back at me, when it hit her. it didn't appear to negate the damage, it just... redirected it afterwards. Perhaps Erephis would know of such an enchantment... without access to the royal library to research, she would be our best bet to look for a clue, unless a local source happens to produce fruit." Nessraya replied, shaking her head a bit. This Ariana certainly had an odd magic to her, but that spell was of the same magnitude as the one she had lobbed at the agent... Ariana's magic had felt too raw, too untamed to properly produce a spell like that.

_______

Well, that was a good sign. The vampire had immediately discerned that she wasn't full-blooded... a higher-class monster like her known for smelling out blood should have been an easy pick to figure something like that out, after all... but her disposition hadn't appeared to change. If she wasn't recoiling in disgust, then she could still get somewhere.

"I'll cut straight to the point, then. I'm a mercenary. You've got a big battle coming up here... and to be frank, city garrisons don't like to cut folk like me a fair deal... in either sense. You though... well you haven't spit at me yet or drawn a blade, so I'm already preferring your little group to the alternative."

TheRoon · December 14, 2020

Ayane simply went quiet after the general put out her input about inquiring Erephis. She simply looked aside with a scowl on her face. 'I may be an Oni...but I wasn't born like this. I have no clue how my 'magic' works, if you could even call it that...' The practice match...Ayane couldn't remember sensing anything specific about Ari. It was very frustrating, maybe if it were Yukari she'd sense it out instantly since she was born an Oni. Ayane's flames seem to only ignite when she's truly angry, she had no direct control over it while she is neutral. Still, it is very easy for Ayane to get angry. She's furious right now just talking about Ari. "...I want retribution for her actions, let me hunt her down." She stated after a few minutes of silence. "I can't track out magic easily, I was not born an Oni. But I've been told I'm tenacious at seeking out a single target, so please..." She took a bow at Amera and Nessraya. While she seemed sincere it was hard to hide the fire in her eyes.

Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

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