Free Web NovelIt went about as well as Kanae expected. The second she brought up Marwin Fransk, Claudia and Hilde just stormed off. Not Alicia though. The sister that remained patted Kanae on the back with one hand while cradling Dawn in the other.
"What did you expect them to say? 'Oh, yes. We wouldn't mind meeting with the genocider!' That isn't a past that's easily forgiven," Alicia explained.
"I know, I know. I just thought I'd give it a try. Master Marwin does sound regretful though." Kanae sighed.
"Regretful or not, war or not, they witnessed an untold number of deaths during that time. I was both fortunate and unfortunate enough to not have been there. I could meet the man in their place and relay his sentiments to them. Just know that I do this for you and not for him. I'll also talk to my sisters," she offered.
"If you can, thanks. Don't think of it as forgiving a mass killer, but like an old man that's on his deathbed."
Alicia smiled. She gently relinquished Dawn into Kanae's arms, kissed her baby on the forehead, and took flight for Marwin's tower. The girl reached up to grab a lock of hair to try and eat.
"Looks like you're with me today, Dawn." Kanae smiled.
Mikki and Aisha's special job still bothered her. It had to be the blood of Satine that they were working on. Kanae unfurled her wings and flew for the Illuminant Repository. Aidenhall's grand library had few visitors. The usual scribes organized a trove of unsorted books. Flight-capable librarians ascended the multi-story tall bookcases to put tomes away or pull them off shelves. Spellcasters used magic to levitate books instead.
But it wasn't the library's vast knowledge Kanae had come for. She strolled to the back of the Illuminant Repository, where a long corridor led to the laboratories of Aidenhall. Magic hummed from the walls. They tickled her skin. Even Dawn felt their latent energies, both hands grasping at the air for the intangible.
Saint Priests Delayn and Vestrid stood guard in front of an archway, looking bored out of their minds. They were proof enough that Archbishop Patirce was here, despite pretending to be in a coma. Only the drakeling perked up seeing Kanae. The human woman turned the other cheek.
"Amethyst! And this must be Dawn, who I hear about. Hello there, little one." Vestrid wagged a finger in front of the baby. "Haven't slowed down in producing offspring, I see."
"Hard not to when all my children are so cute. So, you two didn't get a chance to watch the tournament today?" Kanae asked.
"We're stuck here guarding our supposed comatose Archbishop. As if our presence doesn't give it away." Delayn rolled her eyes.
"Guarding our ward is what we signed up for. More importantly, Amethyst, how did the tournament go? Bocchiri faced that foreign mage, yes?" The drakeling's eyes glinted with interest.
Kanae regaled them of today's match between Bocchiri and Archmage Donnu. Neither Vestrid nor Delayn sounded surprised that their colleague won, but that didn't stop the sense of pride welling within them.
"How come you didn't join, Vestrid? I figured you would love for a chance to fight. Drakeling blood and all that," Kanae said.
"I would have, but Archbishop Patrice is the one who chose the contestants. As much as I wanted to do battle, Bocchiri and Camilla are fine choices. Possibly two of the best. Bocchiri for magic, and Camilla for raw martial prowess," Vestrid explained.
"I'm actually facing Bocchiri in the quarter finals. Any advice?" she asked eagerly but prepared for them to keep their secrets.
Vestrid and Delayn exchanged uneasy glances.
"You're going to want something hard hitting. Hard," Vestrid emphasized more strongly.
"Anyway, Archbishop Patrice is inside if you were looking for her." Delayn thumbed behind herself.
Kanae had hoped to learn more, but it seemed like the match would have to be a surprise. Something hard, huh? Like… Cockcalibur?
Inside, the same hissing steam from Elizabeth Bedlam's tower started Kanae. She didn't expect to hear it here. Their pipes ran along the walls, ceiling, and floor. Alchemists darted from table to table, adjusting dials on beakers and complex glass apparatuses. Bubbling cauldrons turned the place into a humid sauna, especially with no windows to open for fresh air.
A faint almost inaudible whisper brushed the back of Kanae's mind, so quiet that she couldn't make out any words. Farther in, Aisha and Mikki inspected an alchemical glass instrument that contained the barest amount of a strange liquid. The blood of Satine.
"Mom?" Mikki turned around and gasped. "Oh, Dawn!"
"I had a feeling you two would be in the Illuminant Repository labs. Did Archbishop Patrice drag you both into this?" Kanae asked.
"I did. Despite how young Mikki is, her talent for alchemy should be nurtured. As for Aisha, her being a crowned Witch Doctor has proven invaluable in preventing disaster," Archbishop Patrice explained.
"As a Witch Doctor, I have something of a sixth sense when something is about to go terribly wrong. It helps that working with that idiot Rosaline has tempered my instincts," Aisha groaned.
It was probably best that Rosaline wasn't here. Kanae didn't want to imagine what might happen if the lamia licked this particular reagent.
"So, have you uncovered anything about it yet?" Kanae asked.
"We did!" Mikki beckoned her closer to the blood in the glass container. "This isn't blood in the traditional sense. Normal blood coagulates when exposed to air. But this doesn't. It has the consistency of watery honey. There is a constant outflow of mana from it, too, like some ultra densely packed crystallized mana. We're looking for ways to capture that energy."
"Your discoveries and suggestions." Archbishop Patrice flashed a smile.
"Hehe!" The girl blushed.
"Hmm. I only came to make sure Mikki's safe. This better not endanger my daughter," She shot a glare to the archbishop.
"We have taken the necessary precautions, Amethyst. The glasses are enchanted with durability. I possess a spell scroll on my person to eliminate external influences that might seize hold of Mikki. Two Saint Priests stand guard outside in case of attacks from Supreme One knows where. I wouldn't dare risk the life of one of Aidenhall's most promising students," the high elf explained.
Kanae sighed. Dawn did, too. Maybe it was her succubus blood recognizing that her sister Mikki had been put in harm's way.
"I'll be fine, Mom!" Mikki grabbed Kanae's hand and squeezed. "Trust me. Archbishop Patrice didn't drag me into this either. She offered me a chance to work with her and seasoned alchemists. I'm the one who accepted."
"Alright. But on the off-chance that it happens, you're running at the first sign of trouble. Leave the danger to the adults to handle," Kanae said.
She pouted. "I'm practically an adult! But fine."
Dawn started wriggling. The baby girl reached in the direction of Satine's blood, but Kanae took a step back.
"That's not a plaything," Kanae scolded gently.
"Hauu…" Dawn deflated.
"I think Dawn could use some toys. Do you want mommy to buy you something to play with?" Mikki dangled her own tail in front of the baby.
"I better go before Dawn gets any funny ideas, or maybe if the blood has unintended effects on baby succubi." She bid goodbye to everyone and left the Illuminant Repository.
For the rest of the quiet afternoon, Kanae spent it playing with Dawn. She took Mikki's suggestion and bought some toys for the girl. At her age, however, she wasn't sure what Dawn could actually play with. So she sent Quartermaster Meidina on a quick run into the city to buy some things. The elven half-succubus returned with a grocery list of toys.
"What do you think, Dawn?" Meidina shook a rattler full of sand and beads.
Dawn grabbed the rattler and threw it.
"Oh." Meidina hung her head. She reached into the bag to pull out a doll of a generic human princess. "How about this?"
The baby picked up the doll, much to Meidina's relief— then shoved it into her mouth.
"Dawn, no! Let go!" Kanae tried to take it from her daughter's hands, but the baby's grip on things was somehow incredibly strong.
With Meidina helping, they managed to take it from Dawn. Now that her hands were empty, however, the baby began to choke up and cry. Because of how large the main hall was, her wailing echoed loudly.
"Awww, don't cry!" Kanae bounced her up and down. "Meidina, do you have anything else?"
"Uhhh… Oh!" Meidina brought out a carousel typically hung above a baby's crib for them to look at. It had small sculptures of a dog, pig, cat, and other common animals. When she lifted the carousel above Dawn, it magically beamed down illusory projections at their feet.
Dawn stopped crying. She stared at the projections with great interest and even started reaching down for them. Kanae put her baby on the floor, and she swatted at them. The illusions vanished, only to return a moment later.
Kanae and Meidina breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew. I'm glad I bought this. It was a little expensive, but the clerk said that infants adore this hanging over their cribs! Now I know why." Meidina giggled.
"Thank goodness. I still remember when Teana, Pan, Revah, and Mikki were babies. They didn't like most toys. Especially Pan and Revah. Those girls weren't satisfied with anything that wasn't jumping into mud or harassing wild animals. All the poor squirrels and rabbits they caught… I miss my girls." Kanae sulked.
"You raised them well, and they have gone into the world as their own. I think it's a wonderful thing!" She smiled.
Mikki was making her own decisions, too, following her dream in becoming a renowned alchemist. When Teana and Nelly inevitably finished school, they were undoubtedly going to leave Radevic to become adventurers.
After them, Kanade, Suvee, and Feraline—
"Mistress, look! Snap out of it!" Meidina shook Kanae's shoulders.
"What?" Kanae asked, only to realize a second later.
Dawn was standing. On her own two feet, small little wings flapping. The baby walked unsteadily to stomp on the illusory animals.
"You're walking!" Kanae whisked her giggling daughter up. "Not even a year old, and you're walking? Alicia's going to be so so proud of you. I kind of feel bad being the first to see this and not her."
"Well, then. Looks like you will also have to give it your all in tomorrow's match." Meidina teased.
"It was a happy moment, Meidina. You just ruined it." She groaned.
Maybe these occasions made everything worth the effort, even if Dawn would eventually leave the nest one day, too. Kanae kissed her daughter's chubby cheek and smiled.
The quarter finals kicked off with fanfare. Trumpets bellowed across the arena. Elizabeth Bedlam remained as the tournament proctor. Kanae's heart was beating a thousand times per minute. Even though she had promised to do her best today, facing a Saint Priest made her deserving of some slack. A part of her would rather fight Petyr instead.
Kanae and Bocchiri faced each other in the center of the arena. The audience uttered their names in shouts. She could distinctly hear many of her friends and families yelling from the VIP booth.
"Fight well, and begin!" Eliza shouted.
The second the round started, Bocchiri fired spear-sized icicles in Kanae's direction. She barely ducked in time, and the projectile whistled over her head. The Saint Priest performed something like martial arts with his staff while standing in place, conjuring countless more icicles.
Kanae casted Heightened Haste and increased her DEX attribute from B to A. With her signature whip Lust, she was able to strike down much of the volley. She easily dodged the few that got through. Their stalemate continued for minutes.
Strange. Normally, a spellcasting class wanted to conserve their mana. Bocchiri let loose spells like he had no shortage of it.
"How long are you going to keep casting for?!" Kanae panted.
"As long as it takes to tire you out." Bocchiri smiled visibly behind that face mask of his.
And it was working. Kanae broke out in sweat even though shattering the icicles showered her in frost. Bocchiri didn't look like he was letting up either. Using her tail, she picked up the wand at her waist.
"Turn Horny!" Kanae flicked her signature spell.
An ice wall erected in front of Bocchiri.
"Nice try, but after studying your spell, it seems Turn Horny— unseen as it is— functions like a physical projectile that must land on a target. Merely putting a barrier around myself is enough to defend against it," the Saint Priest explained.
Kanae cursed under her breath. She spread her wings and flew along the surface, the extra speed allowing her to better evade the icicles. However, Bocchiri raised an icy barrier between them no matter where she went. Straight ahead then. Kanae put Lust away and armed herself with Cockcalibur, transforming it from a modest dildo to a troll's cock.
Gasps erupted across the arena. Parents covered their children's eyes. The more prudish recoiled in disgust. Kanae advanced on Bocchiri. A chill touched her bones. The ground had frozen over. Spikes shot up as she flew for him.
"Titanic Blow!" Kanae pummeled the barrier of ice with Cockcalibur.
Bocchiri's defensive spell cracked and crumbled. As chunks of ice fell apart, their eyes met. Kanae fired another Turn Horny at him. The dark elf winced. It landed!
"Blizzard!" Bocchiri summoned forth hail and storm, including a powerful gale.
Kanae cursed under her breath. Both of her wings had folded from the winds. She could hardly see past the hail and rain. Icicles came flying through the fog. Kanae listened for the whistling, but everything was too chaotic and cacophonous to zero in on a single noise. An icicle slammed into Kanae from behind. She went tumbling across the freezing ground as spikes burst from below.
"Alright, screw it. Last resort it is!" While dodging icicles from above and spikes from below, Kanae slipped the Cock Ring of Hardening onto Cockcalibur. She willed the dildo to transform into the largest dick possible— the ancient dragon Maelstrom's.
Cockcalibur exploded in size and girth. It would be unwieldy for anyone else, but the nature of the magic weapon made it feel like it weighed as much as a longsword. Kanae swung the gargantuan two-pronged cock in a circle. Icicles and spikes shattered all around her. The blizzard subsided, and she spotted Bocchiri having ducked low to the ground.
"Where did you even pull that out from?" Bocchiri gasped.
"My pussy. Where else?" Kanae smirked.
Bocchiri chuckled. This was the first time Kanae heard his laughter. The dark elven Saint Priest had always been stone cold unlike the rest of his vibrant colleagues. He calmly rolled the sleeve up on his left arm, revealing tattoos and bodily runic engravings much like Master Marwin's.
"Arcane Mastery: Wall of Ice!" Bocchiri incanted.
The chilly atmosphere turned frigid cold. Kanae jumped back as a massive hundred-foot ice wall separated her from Bocchiri, wrapping around in a ring. Her aching wings refused to flap. The blizzard had done a number on them. She wasn't getting over this.
"I don't have a very diverse set of spells, Amethyst. What few I do have, however, they are very potent as you can see. Do you suppose you can get through my Wall of Ice? I will yield if you can," Bocchiri offered.
"That's pretty bold of you. Alright, then. Let's see your Wall of Ice hold against the double cocks of an ancient dragon. Bestial Strength!" Kanae buffed herself with a spell gained through Sisterhood many years ago, increasing her STR attribute from D to C.
It wasn't a huge difference, but with a skill like Titan Blow that scaled off STR, any bit of empowerment was better than nothing. Kanae swung Cockcalibur with all her might, infusing Titanic Blow to the attack.
The impact shook frost off that showered her and the ground. Kanae gaped in disbelief. Cockcalibur, empowered with the Cock Ring of Hardening, and taking the shape of Maelstrom's monstrous double dragon genitals, didn't so much as budge Bocchiri's spell. Fissures snaked up the surface. That was about all the damage she had done.
"As you know, Amethyst, a Saint Priest's duty is to protect the triumvirate. I am intended to be the final and impassable obstacle between them and danger. If it shattered too easily, I wouldn't be doing my job," Bocchiri explained proudly.
"You've got to be kidding me. This is probably harder than adamantine!" Kanae rapped her knuckles on the ice.
Bocchiri walked up to the Wall of Ice between them. He pointed to the sky. Kanae followed his gaze to find giant icicles coalescing above her.
"Shit—"
It was as if the entire world started crashing down. Kanae swung Cockcalibur in an overhead arc, but there were too many to try and deflect. The icicles' impacts made craters in the earth. Dirt flew all over the place. When the spell had ended, she was lying flat on her back and staring up at an icicle between her eyes.
"I… I surrender." Kanae lifted both hands.
The ice melted away. Bocchiri appeared over Kanae and extended a hand. He pulled her up as soon as she clasped it.
"Victor," Elizabeth Bedlam began after landing beside them, "Saint Priest Bocchiri Ruu!"
Cheers roared in favor of the Saint Priest. Meanwhile, Kanae was beyond glad to be knocked out of the tournament.
