Chapter 141: Scrying Imps and Spider Legs
As sunlight dapples down from the canopy above her, sending streaks of violet-gold light dancing across the forest floor, Vuvela Blackthorn leans against a tree, emptying her stomach into the leaf-litter at her feet while her glimmercat purrs beside her, looking deeply and genuinely worried for a predator built entirely of light and menace.
"There is something wrong with this cat!" Vuvi yells, wiping her mouth as she step out from behind a tree.
"That’s just Jerry." Sha’Rona chuckles. "He’s a little unhinged. Even I can’t stomach riding him."
Vuvi gasps, making a sound of pure, wounded betrayal as she twists around, mouth open in an attempt to deal Sha’Rona a scolding. But she immediately turns back to throw up again instead.
Jerry meows beside her worriedly and nudges her backside gently with his nose.
An hour later, a visibly green Vuvi and snickering Sha’Rona walk back through the village. As they round the corner toward the pleasure house, Vuvi’s whole face falls and she rolls her eyes as if by reflex.
A halo spins lazily above an angel’s head ahead of her, and beside her stood a tall, elegant, eight-limbed arachna-kin woman Vuvi’s never laid eyes on before.
"Ugh..." she groans, "There’s more of them now."
Bilorial and Raenly wave warmly from a bench off to the side, both hunched over some half-disassembled contraption between them.
Vuvi plasters on the fakest expression in her considerable arsenal of sarcastic responses and greets them with an icy smile.
"Who are these people?" Sha’Rona whispers, looking at the two demon generals and their angelic companion with visible concern.
"Stalkers," Vuvi says, nose twisted with vague loathing, "...who refuse to leave us alone."
She marches over to Veena who was still at her desk, reviewing her ledger. "What are they doing here?"
"Watching and protecting you diligently... from the shadows." Bilorial says, entirely pleased with himself.
"For two weeks straight." Raenly adds, not looking up from their contraption. "We’d earned a little time in the sun, thank you very much."
"It’s genuinely hard work," Bilorial adds, straightening his cuffs. "You wouldn’t believe how many scrying imps we’ve had to swat out of the sky this week alone."
"Scrying imps?" Vuvi squints.
"Little winged monsters," Veena explains, "They relay images over long distances. Syraleth’s had eyes on us for weeks apparently."
Vuvi groans. "What’s the latest on her, then?"
"She’s planning something," Bilorial says. "Something big. She’s built an army, and our sources say she’s preparing to move. She may come for your construct. Soon."
Vuvi’s eyes go wide. "And what, exactly, are we doing about that?"
"Queen Vexena will handle it," Bilorial assures her. "She won’t let Syraleth anywhere near her daughter, or her daughter’s friends."
"Forgive me if being protected by the Demon Queen doesn’t fill me with confidence," Vuvi mutters. "She’s supposed to be the whole point of our six-point plan."
"Don’t," Veena warns, "start with the six-point plan again. Which is five-points now, by the way."
"Your mother is still the source of the curse, Vee. If we’re lifting it, she’s involved, whether either of us likes it or not." Vuvi says with a shrug.
Veena groans. "We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Right now we need to decide what’s next."
"Already handled," Vuvi grins. "I’ve secured passage into the Dwarven Kingdom. Dwarves are sending an escort tomorrow."
"And the whole sabotage mission?"
"We had lunch with them instead." Sha’Rona groans into both hands.
"As expected of this team. Nice work, Blackthorn." Sera, still guarding the door, snorts.
Vuvi smirks proudly and gives an exaggerated bow but then quickly shoots up, brow arched as a distinctly feline moan drifts out from inside the pleasure house. She recognizes it instantly and drags a hand slowly down her own face.
"MYSA!" she shouts through cupped hands, "GO EASY ON MY CONSTRUCT!"
"TOO LATE!" Mysa yells back from inside. "HIS HIPS ARE CLICKING!"
Vuvi sighs, shaking her head. "Make sure Pip and Lula give Pip a full oiling session the moment he’s done." Vuvi says to Veena, who acknowledges her with a tip of her hat, "I’ll need to run maintenance on him tonight," Vuvi says, "Big day tomorrow."
Pip lets out an appreciative whistle from inside, quickly followed by Mysa’s muffled voice snapping at him to focus, then a rising series of beeps that climb in pitch and urgency like a kettle working up the nerve to scream, then Mysa muttering, "A little... more... left...".
She shudders, moaning breathlessly before releasing a full-throated cry for the Great Mother that rattles the rafters.
"He really doesn’t do anything halfway, does he," Sha’Rona murmurs, faintly awed.
"Never has." Sera says, without looking up from her post at the door.
Off to the side, Xenara leans in toward Mika, voice low. "Do you think she’d let me have a turn?"
"Probably." Mika scoffs, "She complains constantly. About everything. And says no to everyone... and yet, somehow always ends up saying yes anyway. Go for it."
Xenara drifts over to Vuvi, who’s mid-rant to Veena about the sheer, criminal quality of dwarven pastries, and taps her on the shoulder.
Vuvi turns, startled at the sheer height and limb-count looming over her, and finds an impossibly coy, impossibly innocent smile pointing down at her.
"...what do you want?" Vuvi sighs, already bracing for whatever came next.
"Hi... I’m Xenara," the woman says, gaze sliding sideways. "One of Vexena’s generals. I work with Mika and Bilorial... helping them keep you all safe."
"Riiiight." Vuvi smiles through gritted teeth, "Thank you. Wonderful. Good job!"
Xenara’s eyes drift toward the pleasure house door just as Pip steps out, carrying a thoroughly wrecked Mysa on his back. "I was... wondering... if it’s all right with you, of course... whether, perhaps... I might get a few minutes... with the Prince?"
"He’s never had an arachna before," Veena murmurs behind Vuvi.
Vuvi looks Xenara up and down, studying her impossible height, the eight limbs, the broad, curvaceous abdomen. Something in the red-head brightens with the unmistakable glint of professional and scientific curiosity.
"I’m sure he’d be delighted." she beams, already flipping open her notebook and uncapping her quill. "would you mind asking some... medical questions before we begin?"
Xenara beams from ear to ear, all eight limbs practically vibrating with delight, already drifting toward the Pip like a woman who’s just been handed the single best piece of news of her very long, very wearisome, thoroughly under-satisfied life.