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

[Michelaar]

It's a shame that Xalrei didn't feel like tagging along. Truth to be told she wasn't all that surprised, but it was a worth a shot to ask, I suppose. Hopefully, Xalrei was alright...

While she was pondering though, Marina ran off for their clothes hunt. That's what the siren gets for being lost in thought. She could easily catch up with Marina though, so no problem.. that is, until Bladen came forward with a little query. ''For you, I always have a minute, Bladen. What's up?'' it's when the question about the shield was asked that she noticed that she still had it. It had been there for a while after all, and Gabriela began finally getting used to it's weight, but also that carrying heavy stuff wasn't something sirens would probably be great at. ''Oh, this? Yeah, you can have that, no problem. Do be careful not to get too hurt in there, those wings look too nice to get damaged. I'll be going clothes shopping now, if you don't mind..

Gabriela heads over to 5-8 and hands the Iron Shield to Bladen

''Now, let's enter the clothing shop. Rina sure seems excited to get some beautiful clothes for her... date.''

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina enters the Vendor

"Good morning," Marina walked in with a greeting, hoping her being a human wouldn't stir any ire.

Walking towards the front desk, she was taken aback by her four eyes. Arachnea, if she remembers correctly. Spiders weren't one of Marina's favorite things, but... this was a person. She shook away her anxiety and walked over with a smile. 

"I had a few questions ma'am, I was wondering if you could help me."

[Nanami Touko]

"We'll be waiting, Bladen~" Asami was rather surprised that Bladen wanted to participate in the arena this time, but she was far from against it. Just the kind of bloodsport she needed to get her adrenaline running~ "Mmmn, that was a rather dangerous thought... You don't suppose ol' T is getting stronger, do you?"

Yui had heard her thoughts, shaking her head. "No, I don't think it's that. I just think you love the sight of a pretty man getting beaten down a bit. You are a bit of an S, you know?"

"Oh, I know~"

Asami heads to 11,4
Yui moves to 13,3

---

"Still, wagon first. We'll need more than Jade's poor single one for the rest of this journey."

Thesephine moves to 4,5, enters the inn

Sollowy floats along with her to 4,4

"Seilan, Lucille," she greeted with a small wave, heading up to the front desk rather than stopping for any idle chat. "Ah, good sir. A moment?"

The tired looking vampire running the place almost didn't notice Thesephine, so short behind the counter, but when he did, he shot straight up, saluted, and cleared his throat. "M-My, my liege, hello!? What, what brings you to... You, must be here for travel requirements, yes, what else would you be here, for... Haha."

Thesephine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes... Two sturdy wagons and able bodied horses to pull them, and enough supplies for forty people to cross the wastes. That should more than cover our group." Thesephine began rifling through her gold pouch, finding two rather large coins to place on the desk. "This should do for payment, yes?"

"Imperial... Gold plates, I, y-yes! Of course! I'll have them ready within a half hour, just outside. I'll make sure the stable boy knows exactly who to wait for. Er... Shall I provide extra coverage, for any vampires you may be traveling with...?"

"How thoughtful! Yes, enough for two~ I'd assumed they could cover themselves, but I'm sure the gesture will be appreciated. I'll be back for them, then." She turned to leave, business sorted rather swiftly.

"Of course, my liege!"

Thesephine gave a small wave to Lucille and Seilan again, stopping to talk with them this time. "Might I ask what the two of you are doing here, then? Not planning to rent your own ride and skip town on us, are you?" She cracked a smile, though it was a slight worry in the back of her mind. They were human, after all, even if only one of them was from Coteon.

---

While Tenna had simply given the woman that had passed a worried look, still waiting for Xalrei's suggestions on what to do, Verah couldn't ignore her plight, especially with all that magic escaping her.

Verah to 7,7!

"Excuse me... Miss... Uhm. Okay. I'm going to be frank... I can tell you're a succubus, I can tell you're having an issue with your magic coming out, and you don't look very well. Is there anything that I can do to help...? I'm with the Demon King! The group in town~ So you can trust me to be reliable." Verah smirked and stuck her nose up a bit, confident that her talks with Nessraya had gone well enough; they were always in need of another mage, even one so specifically trained. "I can't say I'm very versed in how succubi magic functions, so I'm not sure I can assist you with that leaking, but if you need a shoulder to rest on to get somewhere to sit to help with that nauseated look on your face, I'm more than happy to oblige!"

Amera to 6,8, Suki to 7,8

"What's going on here?" Amera had been taking Suki to the arena to await Nessraya, but an all too familiar magic hit her along the way, stopping to see their new pickup, Verah, trying to help what could only have been an ailing Succubus. "Verah, is she alright? Her magic's pouring out like crazy... I should probably fetch Nessraya; in the mean time, can you give her some of yours to try and help?"

"Heh?" Vera looked at Amera with utter confusion, unsure how one was supposed to 'give' a succubus their magic without... Certain actions.

"Just, cut a finger and let her have some blood or something, you don't need to get frisky in the middle of the road! Ugh... Nessraya!" Hopefully the general was in earshot.

"O-Oh... Er, miss, is that fine?" It hadn't dawned on Verah that her blood would work, even if she knew it contained her magic.

Suki looked on with a worried whine, unsure of what to do. "Y-You, in pain? How help...?"

---

The arachnea at the desk shivered a moment as Marina entered, shrinking some behind the desk, though not because she was a human. "H... Hello. Questions... Wh, What, questions? I can, I can try to help... If it's something I know how to answer..." Hopefully it had to do with clothing... The spider wasn't familiar with much else.

Edited November 13, 2021 by SnakeMomMelissa

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Oh um, well..." She seemed nervous. Was it because of her? "I heard that, you make clothing here. I was wondering if..." Gabi was gonna help her with something for Yukari, but maybe,

"It's starting to get hot, I was hoping um..." She starts to take of her jacket, "If you had any warm weather clothes you think would... compliment me, I suppose?" It was hard figuring this out, she was no good at clothes business.

[JakezuGD]

As if the condition of her body wasn't problematic enough, Nashwa now had a bunch of people parading around her, all beastkin from what brief glance around she could manage. Sure, she was obviously distressed, but with what she knew of how this particular kind of distress would end... She didn't want any of them near her. "I-I'll, be fine... just, please let me be..." She tried so very hard not to look at any of them, afraid her unwelcome thoughts would come back and accelerate the issue.

The succubus wasn't listening to them particularly well, either. Giving her some magic? How was that supposed to work? Blood? She wasn't a vampire, dammit! But even amidst her deepening confusion, she couldn't have missed one of them call for the General. "I guess that solves one problem. Not the impression I wanted to make, though..."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

Lucille thought a moment, for magic at least she was covered, she had her natural magic and plenty of tomes to still make use of when she didn't exactly want to burn herself out. Magic without a tome was much more exhausting. The only thing she could really think she might have needed was clothing; it was already pretty hot here, and the wastes were supposedly even worse. She was never one for the heat, and wearing an outfit that clung to her nicely wouldn't be good once she started sweating, for a number of a reasons. At least a cover or something should suffice. But Lucille's thoughts were interrupted by her... She called herself king, so was she to refer to her as her or his majesty? Either way, the king appeared with a fairy even smaller than she was. They quickly moved past, and spoke to the person at the desk, whom Lucille had completely missed when she looked around. Overhearing, the king had mentioned wagons. Lucille turned to Seilan, "Didn't you say this was an inn? Unless I'm missing something, wagons usually aren't something a hotel would concern themselves with." 

That line of questioning was quickly cut off when her-- the king returned to the pair and inquired as to why they were here. "Aha, W-we kind of thought this was an inn at first." Deep breaths, remain calm. She's not going to kill you anymore. "W-w-we spoke with a mercenary not too long ago that was here. Right, right, before you walked in actuall--" Lucille visibly stiffened as Thesephine's gentle prod hit her ears. Lucille realized that it was a light hearted joke, she knew it was, but that didn't stop it from lighting her, admittedly, very short fuse. She took a deep breath, trying not to have her magic flare, "...I, know that was meant to be a joke, your highness. But, please don't joke about that. Not when my family is still at stake." Her stutter had completely vanished, replaced by a calm, but unmistakably not amused tone. "I already said I would do everything I could to help. I promised. But where exactly am I supposed to skip town to, anyway? Yours is the first outfit of monsters who hasn't wanted to kill me on sight, and with Hwein under control of Coteon, going there with just Seilan and I, is just asking us to get killed. So, what? Do I go back to Coteon?" Lucille paused, there had been a couple words in her next sentence that almost certainly would have gotten her in trouble, if her current ones already hadn't. "...There's nowhere else for me to go. Not to mention that I wouldn't take Seilan with me if I was going to run. I'm not going to take him away from his home, or his mission. He's worked so hard to secure this." Her mood had almost completely soured, she knew Thesephine meant nothing by it, or at least her first impression of her hoped she didn't.

Edited November 13, 2021 by Mercenary on the Winds

[Ether]

"Well, I intend on heading over to the armoury, Taiyute. You're free to tag along if you want." Nisha noted... she wasn't entirely sure why the genasi seemed so drawn to her, but it wasn't a bad thing in any way. She started towards the building at any rate, the invitation having been given to Taiyute if she wished. It seemed a few folk were there already... it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but Nisha managed to slip inside the building regardless.

"Hey Renald, what've you got on special this time around? I've got more coin to my name than last time."

Nisha to 10,8, enter the ol' armoury

________

Nessraya had been about to go on her way, but it didn't take long for her name to be called by Amera. What could have come up so quickly? Floating her way over, it quickly became apparent what was wrong. The leaking magic was... incredibly apparent. As was the source, at a mere glance. Moving up to the commotion, Nessraya looked over the succubus with a scrutinous gaze.

"What is going on here? How did you manage to get yourself into such a state? And extruding magic like this..." Clearly she needed some help, no matter what her answer happened to be, but... how did things manage to get this far?

Nessraya to 8,7 

[JakezuGD]

And here was the General, as she had heard, now inspecting Nashwa. The intervening moments had had the mercenary recover her bearings just enough to stand up properly, if still supported by an arm against the wall, at this point driven by sheer will to appear normal in spite of her poor state, and to present herself... at least somewhat acceptably. "I, well... It's been, about a month since I left Hwein. And I haven't had any jobs since, or for some time before then." Unwilling as she had been to talk to the others, Nessraya was who she was after in the first place.

Then there was the comment about her leaking magic. "About that... I was told, you might be able to help me with that problem. Because it's not like I want to be doing that." Though she wanted to finally get some resolution on that, Nashwa was still keeping relatively quiet. This was a lot of people around for her, she didn't know how much she could trust them, and she absolutely didn't want to come off as being weak, futile as that may have been in her condition.

[Michelaar]

Gabriela entered the shop, where Marina was already speaking with the shopkeeper, who appeared to be an Arachnea. She seemed a bit nervous, and was for some reason, taking off her jacket, so it was time for an interjection. 

''Hello madam. I hope you can help my friend here find something very stylish and special. What would you like, Rina? Some cute clothes for that.. special someone of yours?'' Gabriela gave her a subtle wink, hoping the shopkeeper didn't notice it. Embarrassing Marina wasn't the intention.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Shizuka listened intently to all of the information being passed around. She was new to this sorta thing, used to cleaning a castle, not exploring a whole new place. Thankfully, she had Ren and the vampire lady to assist her. "A-Ahh!" She nodded along as she took in everything. "Thank you! I appreciate it."

Turning to the duo, she gave a smile to Ren, then turned to Bridgit in particular, "A cloak? Do you get sick when you're in the sun? We gotta find you some then," She added to the suggestion of cloaking up, completely unaware of what the truth was.

Shizuka moves to 7,11, hoping she's going in the right direction

---

"Of course, let us go onto the armory, then," She replied, happily rolling along with the half-wraith. She made a quick turn to the guardsman before leaving, "Have care, sir," And she was off along with Nisha.

Taiyute moves to 10,9, enters the armory

Squeezing through into the armory, Taiyute began to surf around, taking a gander at the wares.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Silver Gallade

[Ether]

"But surely you didn't come alone through the wastes. When was the last time you ate?" Nessraya quizzed the odd succubus who, apparently, had hoped that Nessraya herself could help with her magic going haywire.

"Well, I suppose I could try to diagnose the issue. How long has the magic leak been occurring, when did you lose control of it?" She wanted to add how in Hess' hell did she manage to go hungry while spreading her pheromones around in such a brazen manner, but she supposed this wasn't really the time or place for that line of questioning.

[TheRoon]

"Ah, Taliyah..." She responded back a little surprised. "Y-yes, I am...yes..." 'I'd have thought she would have hated me for screaming at her father's body...' Ayane still felt terrible for what had happened to Ithraxl, not so much for the man himself but because Taliyah wanted a different outcome. Ayane had also wished things could be different. She wasn't sure what else to say for the moment as she tried to occupy herself by looking at the equipment in the shop. She simply waited for Agni to finish his business so she could speak to the shopkeeper.

Ayane Enters the Armory

Edited November 15, 2021 by TheRoon

[JakezuGD]

Things just kept getting more confusing for Nashwa, seeing as the phrasing wasn't doing her any favors in actually understanding what was going on. "Ate? ...I, uh, ate breakfast a couple hours ago, but food doesn't really do much?" she answered, just scratching behind one of her horns, not getting what Nessraya was asking. To the follow-up on her own inquiry, she had a very simple reply, although one that would... probably not be received very well. At least it would drive home how big the issue actually was. "And, um... 40 years, give or take."

As much as she was keeping her attention on the General, she was sure that one would elicit some pointed wondering from the others surrounding her too...

[Ursali]

Even as stuck inside her own head as she was, Xalrei was not oblivious to the crowd steadily forming around the woman that had emerged from the nearby building. Whatever the situation was, it was probably well under control between Amera and Nessraya and one of the newcomers. Slowly drifting away from that crowd, assuming that Tenna would continue to follow her, Xalrei continued to stew on an answer for the persistent human.

She didn't know what she wanted to do, that how Tenna had managed to drag her along with Marina in the first place. Without something concrete to drive her forward Xalrei was quickly discovering that she was terrible at spending her idle time. Even as directionless as she felt it was easy to live in the moment if there was something to do, like scouting ahead, or fighting off their enemies, or mending her armor. Stuff to do like that. Stuff that really had no need to be done while they were within Border's walls.

She didn't want to go shopping, at least not in any form of a group. She did want to look into a replacement for her armor. After all this time it was still a generic suit from Khach that didn't even fit her the best. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask Dorian or Laselia to retrieve her custom suit from back home now that her identity, including her secret one, was thoroughly exposed. In the meantime she could hopeful get her current suit adjusted here in town, she'd completely forgotten when they were in Aensbrook with everything that happened. Though, looking back, it really was small time compared to everything that came after it. Speaking of, wasn't there an arena in Border too?

"I guess I want to participate in the arena here, and get my armor fitted properly. I've been wearing this oversized suit for so long I almost don't here the clanking when I walk anymore."

---

"Mmm. I'm sure we can find you at least something cute, Thessy. Wings and tails aren't that uncommon for monsters to have if our group is anything to go by." It felt like almost half of them had wings or a tail, both in more than a few cases. But alas, work always came before pleasure, Sollowy floating in cape formation even as Thesephine entered the inn and approached the counter.

Business was concluded swiftly enough, Thesephine clearly in her element. It was nice to witness it without about fifteen nobles all trying to belittle her and push her around over things that, it felt like at least half the time, were out of the young Demon King's direct control. At least the commoners had respect for their ruler. Though, even out here, Thesephine still kept her penchant landing herself in hot water. Sollowy didn't know why her joke had set off the human, but it was clear as day it had. Hopefully Lucille's short fuse wouldn't in turn ignite Thesephine's. If she was quick on her feet she could maybe diffuse the situation, or at least defend Thesephine.

"I'll admit I don't know what your circumstances are, Lucille, aside from your being native to Coteon, but Thesephine wasn't seriously accusing you. If she was, I wouldn't be perched on her back, for one. It's fine to request she not joke further, but to continue on to defend yourself as though it was serious, after acknowledging it as a joke made in poor taste... Well, it certainly does you no favors." Sollowy paused, unsure of her next words. She couldn't understand why such a small jest had provoked such a strong response from the human. It made trying act pre-emptively almost pointless, more likely to spread the fire than put it out.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Ursali

[Xinnidy]

It was nice to see Taliyah cheering up a bit, all things considered. The smith wasn't the most friendly of sorts... but Agni had a few good deals to manage.

"Hello. I have some items I've been interested in pawning off." He approached the man, giving a turn to glance at Taliyah, "And don't worry, Taliyah, in fact, I've been meaning to get you a nice weapon, to help things along.

"How about this one? The making is quite different."

Agni sells the two red gems, gets a Swordreaver for Taliyah.

---

"...I'll be fine moving on my own, Mae. Worry not."

"Ah, hello. I am Taiyou of the kingdom of Sado." Taiyou addressed the young boy first, bowing briefly. "...It's a very far place, but I am essentially with the group that arrived, yes." It was still a weird concept, that natives here would have no idea of where Nanbu or Sado are.

"I was simply looking for places to go. I don't know the town at all... it's certainly been difficult to navigate. Where does your father work?"

---

"I'm on it, Lady Meridrya!" This Fyl, one of the faefolk, followed right after the elven lady, hovering quite smoothly above ground as his fae wings barely flapped --just a bit of magic expenditure was fine for this altitude, especially with fairies being fairly short and lightweight. "They made it quite far for a group of their size. Still, the wastelands are no safe place for anyone unfamiliar with the borders, they really should've waited for me." 

At last flapping his wings, Fyl ascended, watching the town from a vantage point before his strength faded and the winds took him back down. "Hah... your sister seems to be on the other end of town. Not only her, I think I saw the Demon King as well." He whistled, "Quite a busy crowd."

Edited November 15, 2021 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh... Yes, of course. Clothes. Do you, do you need something custom made...?" The spider settled down a bit as Gabriela walked in, overhearing the comments about a special someone. "If, it's something custom, I can have it done in a little bit. I'd just need to take your measurements... Otherwise... We have plenty of summer clothes on the racks. Shorts, skirts, sleeveless tunics... I-I made them all myself. They're very soft... I hope that isn't an issue. Some people have found an issue with my clothing being too soft..."

---

Suki continued to stare dumbfounded at the situation, even Verah having backed up, gawking at this succubus, though for entirely different reasons. The goat finally spoke up between the three beast girls, shaking her head while she talked. "H-How, how are you still sane!?" She couldn't help her surprise, even shocking Suki a bit with her volume, the wolf jumping slightly. "Y-You ARE a succubus, right? I, I know that you don't necessarily have to have sex to survive; you just need mana, but, you're telling us that you've been living for forty years with this kind of magical leakage, AND without... Without 'eating', properly?" Verah was dumbfounded. She genuinely had no idea what to suggest to this woman. Hopefully the general could get her sorted.

"Uhm." Amera was similarly taken aback, but a crowd and random questions probably wouldn't help her much. "N-Nessraya, we should bring her back to the inn and get this sorted, without spectacle. I can help; I know enough about how succubi take their energy." It was personal experience for Amera, but there were plenty of ways to get the magic into her without getting intimate. "Is that alright, miss... Can you share your name? I'm Amera. This is Suki, and Verah," she gestured towards the wolf and the goat in order, before Nessraya, "and this is the general of Vaia's armies and succubus extraordinaire, Nessraya Tryxyss. If anyone can help you with this issue, it's her... I, uh, just have some experience with succubi, and plenty of magic to spare, so I don't mind sharing some."

---

"Then, I hope you find what you're looking for, AyaNE!?" Taliyah jumped when offered the sudden impressive looking axe, taking it with extreme apprehension. "I, wha, A-Agni, you can't just... Just, g-give something like this to me..."

Renald hadn't missed a beat when Agni approached with his gems, having the gold out in seconds, pocketing the stones. He'd use them on a few magical weapon experiments, or fashion them into jewelry for the spider to work with. He did raise an eye at Nisha, though, giving her a surprised glance. "Huh... Figured you'd die. Check the bow on the rack, right side of the armory." Renald wasn't one to mince words, and Nisha had looked far worse the last time she came through Border. "Something I cooked up after seeing how quickly you tear through weapons... Figure it'd be better than how you handle yourself normally. Got the idea from those guns rolling in from Hwein... Still. Surprised you made it back... Why, are you back, if I can ask...?"

The repeater bow he had set on the shelf was an odd contraption. It was like a crossbow on its side... With a 'clip' of arrows attached to it. One would pull back the string, lock an arrow, and let it go, and the clip and its mechanism would then load another arrow, allowing the wielder to pull the string back again to fire another arrow, instead of having to nock one. Rapid fire.

---

"The arenn, nn, na... Mmn... I'm nn, not one for bloodsport, but, if you nnn... Want, an audience member, cheering you on, I can do my best. You're really strong, Xalrei, so I'm sure you could handle yourself." Tenna nodded along, sure that it was something safe enough for the dragon to enjoy. Her armor did seem a bit big for her, but Tenna didn't know much about dragons, so she'd assumed this was the norm. "Oh... Do you want to do that first? Or... Well... The armory looks pretty busy." A chunk of their groups had all gone inside a moment ago, Tenna noticing them while she'd been looking around after glancing after that troubled woman.

"I'm okay with whatever you want to do, Xalrei~"

---

Thesephine's smirk faded... But she didn't get angry. "It's okay, Sollowy. I can handle this." There was something behind Lucille's anger, a quiet fear. This was too much anger for the smallest quip, and especially the mention of Coteon, and not wanting to hurt Seilan; it was like she was protecting rather than being outraged. "I see... It was a joke, but I can see it was made in poor taste. I don't think you're going to run off anywhere, Lucille... Especially not with Seilan in tow. Okay?" It was hard for the demon king to not see parts of herself in Lucille's moment, the clarity of it hitting her like a brick, especially after her heated discussion with Nessraya.

"You fought with us for our goals, against humans of Coteon, ones you'd been fighting alongside not a day earlier. If I had any reason left to distrust you, it could only be pettiness... A lot of recent events have made me start looking inwards, and given me pause to think about things more... Critically. Snap less. Quiet my anger... So... It's okay. I won't make cracks like that anymore. Promise." A gentle smile, Thesephine had managed to bury her frustrations, this time. "Let me know if you two need anything, okay? I don't know if humans have any needs outside the norm for the rest of us. Haven't really spoken with many since... Ever. Heh. Don't be afraid to ask." Thesephine gave them a wave and left-- slowly, just in case either had something to say, or Seilan had his own words to chime in with.

---

"Mmm, if you say so, Taiyou~" The oni wasn't going anywhere either way, wanting to be glued to her side.

"My dad works at the armory!" the child replied, grinning ear to ear, his tail wagging fiercely. "He makes the best weapons and armors! He's pretty rude, though, so don't take what he says to heart... Doesn't like to hide his thoughts or stuff. You should go and buy stuff from him! You won't regret it, and, and the selection's huge. Way big!" He stretched his arms out wide, giving his best impression of a wide store.

"Mmh, hmhm, hehehe~ Aren't you adorable... What do you think, princess~? Shall we become patrons of this child's father?"

---

"Oh, you can drop the lady. At least all the way out here. I don't want to make a scene, or anything... Has she gotten herself into trouble? I hope not. I should probably check on her... Gently." She sighed, slowly heading into town.

Meridrya heads to 8,10!

There was Nessraya, dealing with... Something. It wouldn't do to speak up and spook her sister, simply folding her arms and resting, smiling as she watched them all talk. "It's good to know you're doing well, at least, dear sister~" she mumbled to herself, giggling a little.

Edited November 15, 2021 by SnakeMomMelissa

[JakezuGD]

Nashwa wasn't a jumpy person, so even Verah's quite aggressive questioning didn't really faze her. No, it was the content of said questioning that did, making her back up against the wall, as she realized exactly what Nessraya had meant before with 'eating'. But just being told so like that, her mind wasn't going to accept it that easily. Not when she'd spent most of her life denying it. "I-I, w-what do you mean, sex!?" Just the thought was getting her visibly panicked, feeling extra threatened just by how the crowd was essentially facing her down with no easy direction to escape in. Even if she stood the tallest of them.

Her exhaustion, frustration and sudden panic were quickly turning into harsh anxiety, making her more or less ignore Amera asking for her name, starting to believe for no logical reason that they were after her chastity, despite knowing that her leaking magic didn't affect monsters like that. "You, you're just, trying to get under my skirt, j-just like everyone else! Don't, come any closer!" She was frantically looking between the women surrounding her, trying to find gaps in the crowd she could slip through... though her physical condition meant she wasn't going to be running anywhere.

Edited November 15, 2021 by JakezuGD

[Nanami Touko]

Amera frowned. What had this woman gone through to react like this? How Helish had her last forty years been...? She sighed, walking closer, keeping her hands to herself for the moment. "Hey. Hey, eyes right here." She stared Nashwa down, hoping she'd listen. "I don't know what you've been dealing with, but none of us are looking to get with you like that, okay? None of us. We just met you. We don't know you. We're seeing a succubus in pain and we're trying to help... Do you want us to help you, or not? Your clothes will stay on. No one's going to touch you without your say. Nothing intimate is going to happen... Are you listening?" Hopefully some of this was sinking in. It was incredibly weird for Amera to be treating a succubus like this, but a woman in distress was a woman in distress, sexual race or not.

"Verah, take Suki to the arena, would you? We shouldn't crowd her this much.

Verah nodded, holding back her own sigh. "Y-Yeah, sure. Suki, come on."

The wolf heard arena and perked up quickly, heading off with the goat even if she was still worried.

[JakezuGD]

At Amera's drawing near, Nashwa began reaching for her gun, but thanks to her panicked and drained state, her coordination wasn't anywhere near her standard. That was for the best right now, all things considered. Fumbling stopped by the demand to pay attention, her gaze locked to the cat, the short-of-breath succubus trying her best to collect herself while she was reassured that nothing out of her consent was going to happen. A quick nod to confirm that she had indeed listened, as she slowly pushed herself away from the wall and stood up straight again. "Sorry... I-I'm... not, okay."

Wresting control back to her reason, Nashwa knew that after showing that much, she couldn't just shrug it off as usual, looking quite down and grasping at her own arms. "My name, is Nashwa... And I can explain what that was about. Just... not here." Acting tough wasn't going to help her at this point.

[mcd900]

He'd been quiet during Lucille and the monsters' short back-and-forth, a little stunned both by Lucille's sudden outburst, and Thesephine's surprisingly measured response. Certainly he was aware that the barb, innocent though it seemed, was a matter of particular concern for her, though he hadn't expected her to deliver so thorough a retort. To some extent, it had felt as if she'd been defending him, moreso than herself; she'd mentioned something about... how hard he'd worked, to which he decided was less important as a matter of focus for now. His mind was spinning trying to figure out how to keep things civil; though before he'd come up with something, Thesephine made the situation clear. She was... fairly understanding, for not delivering an apology, though for one of her station he hardly expected that to have been an outcome in the first place.

He glanced at Lucille with a look of concern, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze, before turning back to the Demon King. "Ah, no... nothing in particular, we're fine. I think. We'll be certain to let someone know if... something comes up." He idly pondered what kind of request they could possibly have that would warrant asking Thesephine directly, but came up short. "...Thanks." For what it was worth, he found himself relieved that the Demon King had done some introspection; the thought of dealing with her, upset, was a sour one. 

He let them leave, waiting until they'd gotten a decent distance away before he spoke again, getting a little closer to her. "Angeli-... hmm, no." Not right now. "Lucille... that was inconsiderate of her. At least she didn't mean anything ill by it... I think." Taking her hand gently, he spoke quietly, just enough for her to hear. "Do you need a moment...?"

Nashwa seemed to have wandered off; she seemed well enough attended. Which was good; he was rather preoccupied to be helping her, now.

[Ether]

That was... thoroughly unexpected. She thought eating meant consuming food in a traditional sense? She had been leaking magic for fourty years? The shocked reactions of the others mostly mirrored Nessraya's own thoughts, although she had kept herself quiet and reserved while Nashwa had her outburst and Amera had calmed her down, and luckily enough things hadn't escalated to violence during the succubus' panic. 

"Nashwa... if I'm to help you, I'm going to need to hear how things came to be this way. Out of public is fine... would you return to the inn with us, or have another spot in mind? There is... a lot to unpack here, I can already tell." Looking Nashwa over, and with a bit more context... she had definitely survived this long taking mana in battle. The signs of the malnourishment that caused weren't especially hard to pick out once you knew to look for them, and the tone of her hair made a telltale clue.

"I have some idea as to how you've made it this far in your current state, but I'll need a fuller picture."

_______

"Good to see you're as blunt as ever. As for why I'm back... these guys that I joined up with were coming back this way, after Tepel and Mixoco." Nisha replied, having expected that sort of remark from the cat. What he lacked in tact, he made up for in ingenuity and talent at least, and the bow that he had pointed out was no exception. With a mechanism like that, she wouldn't need to stress the bow so much putting power into her draw... a second arrow would make up the difference.

"What a neat little thing you've come up with here. How much?"

[JakezuGD]

"Yeah... An inn is, probably the most privacy we can find. Or the small clearing I made for my tent, in the woods right beside the town." Even though Nashwa hadn't said all that much yet, it seemed as if Nessraya was already on the ball as far as her condition was concerned. That, at least, gave her some assurance that things would be fine sooner than later. Oh, how she wished that would be the case. A solution still didn't feel like something realistic, something that was within her means to find, but with the Vaian General, a succubus herself, she had to get one... No matter how hard she'd have to fight her own mind for it.

She pulled her head up, relaxing just a little. If nothing else happened, she'd be able to resist her need for a while longer, enough that they could get things settled. "You take your pick, but... Just, bear with me, okay? I'm not the most fleet of foot right now..."

[Mercenary on the Winds]

As clarity started to return, now that Lucille had exhausted her words, she started to realize just how upset she'd been just now, and still kind of was. Making the joke about her was one thing, and she still would have been fairly upset. But about both her and Seilan, that was a bit too much for Lucille to abide by, especially with what he'd given to even be here. Neither of those things really mattered as much as realizing that she'd been that upset with Thesephine who probably could snap her in two, and was her only chance for her to ever see her family again. Lucille didn't like how the fairy chimed in, but she was also completely correct. Oh god. What did I just do? What did I just... Please no, please don't... Thesephine's smile faded, and Lucille had no choice but to brace for the worst. But the Demon King remained perfectly calm, almost eerily so, given their first meeting and then, she apologized for the jab. Lucille sort of noticed that it wasn't just Thesephine fulfilling her role as Demon King. It felt more like that Thesephine knew what it was like; knew why the jab had made Lucille so upset. 

She felt Seilan's hand on her shoulder, and he carried on the conversation where the Demon King had left it. Lucille was suddenly afraid to open her mouth. Thesephine had remained calm this time, but who knew if saying anything more would step over that line. It was only after the Demon King had just about disappeared that Lucille managed a barely audible, "I'm sorry." 

Lucille had been transfixed on the door that Thesephine had left through, so Seilan turning his attention and words to her caught her by surprise, "Oh... No, it, it was a joke. I knew it was and still..." Her anger had since dissipated into disappointment, and embarrassment. She had been saved, again, only by Thesephine's good graces. Mad at her herself for almost throwing away her only chance to help her family, or anyone really. "I'll, I'll be alright in a bit... ." Lucille squeezed Seilan's hand, and sighed. At the very least, she could rely on Seilan a little. "Did, did you have somewhere you still needed to go? It would probably be better to make use of our time wisely. The... only thing I can think of that I might need are clothes since these aren't the best to travel here, much less the wastes." Lucille really just wanted to do anything but think about what had just transpired. She knew she'd be doing that enough tonight anyway. 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Mercenary on the Winds

[GoldsbroTSG]

"Actually... something custom, and soft sounds really nice. I may look around too, just for some extra clothes, but I need a little something better for... er, combat I guess." Gabi's comment on her special someone made Marina lightly blush. She wasn't the best at that part either. "I'm... Well, Gabi, maybe you could help me figure out something also... nice. For them." And she had a smile.

Turning back to the owner, her smile turned more sheepish, "I'm actually, not the best at clothing. My friend is helping me make sure I don't make a fool out of myself," and she followed with a nervous laugh.

[Ursali]

Xalrei paused with Tenna's words, staring at the human and questioning whether she'd heard her correctly. "I... You really think so? I don't really feel all that strong. More like I have lot of help..." First it was Requiem, and now it was her father's former ring that sat on her claw whilst providing her strength at every hour of the day. Though the strength was technically hers, as the ring would let none other claim its power, it did nothing to assuage the damage that years of being called a runt had done to her self-confidence. "I probably should at least get it looked at. Doesn't really make sense to not get it fixed before running a gauntlet of fights. Even if it's crowded."

Xal moves to 12,7 and enters the armory.

True to Tenna's word the place was just about packed full of members of their group, the one at the counter being someone the dragon wasn't all that familiar with. She seemed to be talking business so all the dragon could do was wait.

---

Sollowy sat on her perch quietly as Thesephine handled the matter with maturity that the Gathlain didn't in the least expect. It had only been a week since she'd come screaming onto the battlefield after all. Perhaps she'd been unfair to Thesephine by jumping to an undesirable outcome before she even had a chance to react. Floating along as they left Sollowy gave the Medusa a tight squeeze, smiling down at her once they were out of earshot of the humans. "I'm really proud of you, Thessy. Sorry for butting in ahead of you, especially since I didn't really help matters."

Edited November 17, 2021 by Ursali