Chapter 325
We made arrangements to travel to Elza together. Kairi and Casey were willing to look after the cats for us. Since we were headed to another world, none of us really packed anything. If our electronics ran out of battery, we wouldn't be near an electrical outlet to charge them. I didn't want to introduce litter to Elza by bringing snacks wrapped in plastic. We agreed to just buy anything we needed in the other world instead.
The doorbell rang. Mio raced to answer it, and our old college roommates were on the other side.
"What's good, Mio!" Casey gave her a hug.
"Thanks for looking after Shadow and Snowball for us!" Mio hugged Casey back and dragged Kairi into it.
"Casey's been wanting to get a taste of the big city life in Tokyo. So this works out while we're on vacation." Kairi smiled.
I waved to them from inside the living room.
Mio stepped aside to let our friends in. The first thing Casey noticed was the demon child Nyra, who I had told them about. She leaned down and flashed a big grin.
"You must be Nyra! Aren't you a cutie?" Casey reached out to pat her head.
"Wait!" I warned too late.
Nyra grabbed Casey's hand and squeezed.
"Oh, wow. That's some incredible grip strength you've got! Er… It's getting tighter?!" Casey panicked.
"Nyra," I said in a stern tone.
Nyra let go.
"Dang. You should enter her into some kind of strength contest or something." Casey stepped away blowing on her hand.
"Saeko, is it true you guys are going to another world? Like in fantasy books? Can… Can we go one day?" Kairi lowered her voice.
"It's not somewhere I can just bring you on a whim. It's really dangerous there! But… maybe one day." I winked.
Both of them pumped their fists.
Shayle emerged from Elendir's bedroom with her queen in tow. They held the artifact mirror in hand. Ever since we got it repaired, both of them had been diligently caring for its integrity. The last thing we needed was for our mode of inter-world transportation to break again.
"Is everyone ready?" Shayle asked.
Mio, Kana, and Elendir nodded. Shayle turned to me and Nyra. The girl was holding both the taiyaki and cat plushies.
"Hmm. I think it's better if you leave them here. We'll be back," I said.
Nyra shook her head.
"At least leave one behind. That's a lot to carry, don't you think?" I offered a soft smile.
I thought for sure Nyra was going to keep the stuffed taiyaki. She put it down instead and held the cat plush to her chest.
Shayle activated the mirror artifact, and a portal into Elza carved open in the middle of the living room. Casey and Kairi were glossy-eyed looking through it, since the manor was on the other side.
"Bye! Have a safe trip!" Casey bid us farewell as we entered the portal.
All of us emerged into a sunny day in Elza. Mio, Erma, and Elendir looked right at home coming back to this world. For Kana, it was like coming back to his favorite fantasy game. Last time we came together, last time he came with us, we had enthralled some dark elven pirates and made sex slaves out of them. For me, I had met Princess Amira for the first time and convinced Erma to come to Earth.
One among us, however, it must seem to be a much stranger feeling coming back. Nyra scanned the manor and its surrounding terrain with a nostalgic gleam in her eyes. She studied the building as if trying to recall where she had seen it before.
"Queen Elendir! Queen Saeko!"
A couple of succubi and dark elves rushed out of the manor to welcome us. None of them appeared to realize who Nyra was. Some did give her odd stares, but that was it.
"Please, you need not concern yourselves with us. We have come to Elza for leisure. At ease, ladies." Elendir dismissed them, and they returned to their usual duties.
"Where are we starting our adventure anyway? Are there quests to take on? Monsters to fight? Damsels to save?" Kana asked excitedly.
"Damsels?" I raised a brow and folded my arms.
"J-Just to save! I know I already have you and Mio! I also said 'monsters to fight', you know?" He hastily defended himself.
"Kahaha! Hey, I don't mind. If we save a hot chick, it's only right she lets us bang her. Where are we headed anyway?" Mio asked.
After dismissing Shayle, Elendir beckoned us to follow. She led us around to the back of the manor. It had a stable I didn't realize existed back here until today. Some dark elves were tending to the horses, riding them around the fenced-in field.
"Your Majesties, Queen Saeko and Queen Elendir!" One elven rider galloped up to us and saluted.
"Will you kindly roll out a carriage— not the royal one— and hitch three of our sturdiest horses?" Elendir requested of her.
"Right away, my queen!" She rode away to fulfill Elendir's orders.
Stablehands brought out a large stagecoach pulled by three horses built like mountains of muscle.
"We," Elendir began as she turned to us, "will be headed to the cozy town of Oakfall. During the war, it is where we sent those too gravely injured to fight and rehabilitate. Many of our physically disabled reside there now, living out a peaceful life. There, we shall find common quests from people in need, like in those fantasy comics your humankind enjoys reading."
"Oooh!" Kana applauded.
"Are we sure I will be a welcome sight? Many of these people are physically maimed from war, yes? Surely, they will hold a grudge against me…" Erma explained nervously.
"Surely, you can handle yourself." The elven queen patted her light elven counterpart on the shoulder before climbing into the cabin.
We all climbed into the stagecoach. The interior was fairly spacious, but it wasn't as though we could all lie down like on the last train ride we took. Seats were made from fine fabric and comfy cushions pressed against our backs. A couple of storage closets underneath the seats offered plenty of room to store things.
If this wasn't the royal carriage, I was interested in seeing how that looked. As soon as everyone settled in, it was off we went. To my surprise, Shayle was riding outside on the coach's seat, hands on the reins and directing the horses.
"Wait, you're coming along, too?" I gasped.
"I could leave if you like. I'm only accompanying you to make sure you get to your destination and mind the stagecoach. Besides, if you want a quick trip back home, you need only ask!" Shayle winked.
Really, Shayle was probably just worried about letting her queen wander off without protection.
The journey to Oakfall was a peaceful one. I expected conflict like when we traversed the Fiora Plains and sailed the seas. Everyone was doing their own thing during the ride. Erma had multiple volumes of Baki to read, and Kana was content staring at the terrain of a world not of his own. Exotic animals trotted alongside us before taking off in another direction. A gargantuan bird passed overhead, each beat of its wings rocking the carriage with the force of gales.
Like Kana, Nyra had her face planted to the window. I could only guess what she was thinking about. Maybe memories of the Demon King were resurfacing. Mio suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
"Wanna go fly around for a bit and stretch our wings?" Mio asked.
"Sure! Nyra, stay here and be a good girl." I patted her on the head.
"Mm!" Nyra nodded.
Elendir noticed us getting up and opened the door in the back to let us out. Mio and I soared above the carriage. It only rolled at a gentle pace. Shayle waved to us from the coach's seat.
"So, I was thinking about Nyra…" Mio started.
"I should've figured you didn't just want to stretch your wings. I'm not going to like this am I?" I sighed.
"Hey, hold your horses. I ain't even done yet! As I was trying to say, we're succubi. We can dive into anyone's minds. Even former Demon Kings. I say we poke around. See if the kid is playing us for fools," she suggested.
"You're still on about her being no good…"
"I'm looking out for all of us! If Nyra is still Nyrath, the Demon King, then we can find out or put to rest that she ain't. Don't you want to know, too? I like this life. I love you, Elly, Kana, and everyone back home. But if that kid turns out to be the Demon King… Well, I could care less about some brat we met a week ago. You should feel the same."
I thought for a moment. I thought longer and harder than I expected to while flying alongside Mio. Cool winds coursed through my hair and wings, but they did little in helping me reach the answer.
"Fine," I finally answered. "We'll take a peek. Later though, when we get to Oakfall."
"No prob! I'm not in a hurry. Once we get to Oakfall, let's find a brothel and fuck some prostitutes. Leave our marks on the village, ya know?" Mio winked.
"We're supposed to be here to have fun together. All of us, Nyra included." I rolled my eyes.
"Booo~" She stuck her tongue out.
We fooled around in the sky playing tag before tiring out and returning to the carriage. Nyra had fallen asleep in Elendir's lap. The dark elf seemed more than content in her position, holding a manga in one hand and stroking Nyra's hair with the other.
Shayle stopped as the sun was beginning to set. We set up a campfire outside the carriage. Erma went to pick up extra kindling, Elendir and Kana stayed behind to mind the fire, and the rest of us set out into the grassland wilderness to hunt for something to eat. But what we found wasn't going down without a race.
"Mio, Saeko! It's up to you two… I can't keep up…" Shayle keeled over and laid flat on the grass.
"Why the heck is this thing so fast?" I groaned.
Mio and I, with Nyra on my back, flew after a red-plumed cockatrice. Its powerful legs and long strides covered massive distances in a short time, so Shayle had explained. The red-plumed cockatrice was also 'tasty as fuck', as Mio had put it.
To that end, we pursued this unlucky cockatrice for dinner.
"Saeko, go hard left! I'll chase the big birdie into you!" Mio exclaimed.
"You got it!" I did as she instructed and veered left.
Mio, in a burst of speed, overtook the cockatrice. Since I was no longer on the other side, the beast turned to escape her. As I spun back, we were now on a collision course.
"Me, me!" Nyra tugged on my hair.
"Huh? You want to take it down? I know you can throw a mean punch, but that thing can eat you whole!" I warned.
Nyra pouted and continued pointing to herself.
"It's getting closer! Get ready to nab the fucker!" Mio shouted.
"Ahhh, alright then! Nyra, whether or not we eat tonight is on you. Mio, change of plans! Nyra's gonna capture it!" I yelled.
"She's gonna— WHAT?" She stared bug-eyed at me.
We closed in on the cockatrice, and it realized what our plan was. The fearsome creature bared sharp fangs that lined its beak. Nyra shifted from my back to the front of me. I held her by the arms as she dangled beneath me. As we were about to make contact, I barrel rolled to gain momentum and flung the girl right at it.
Everything happened so fast. Nyra zipped past the cockatrice. My ears twitched to the distinct sound of meat being cut.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mio caught Nyra as the momentum carried the girl forward into her arms.
The cockatrice, however, stumbled a few steps and collapsed on the ground. Its severed head rolled to a stop.
"Th… That wasn't what I had in mind… So much for capturing it." I grimaced at the gruesome sight.
"You did it! Kahaha! That was sick!" Mio tossed Nyra up and down, and she was giggling uncontrollably.
I wish I had my phone to capture the moment, but we agreed to leave our electronics behind.
"Well, Mio? You coming around to Nyra?" I grinned.
Mio realized how it looked, stopped tossing Nyra, and cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Kid's alright. Props to a clean kill though." Mio put her down and gave a thumbs up.
"Did you get it?" Shayle pushed through the underbrush and gaped at the dead cockatrice. "I am not carrying that back."
Mio and I were strong enough to lift the cockatrice ourselves while Shayle gave Nyra a piggyback ride. With the help of Erma's field expertise, she easily plucked, skinned, and carved all the edible meat from the beast. We roasted them over the fire for a warm and juicy meal, flavorful even without seasoning.
When everyone had fallen asleep, Nyra passed out and cuddled up to my chest. Mio's words about diving into her dreams echoed in my mind. Was I prepared to see inside it? Or ready to do what must be done if Mio's worst fears proved right? No. I was thinking too far ahead.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up early to finish the last leg of the journey. We reached Oakfall sometime around noon. It was an entire town of dark elves. Of course, the town didn't hold a handle to the light elves' City of Everlight. Buildings were constructed from lumber and stone with thatched roofs. They drove past market squares every few blocks on roads on stone cobbled roads.
According to Elendir, it numbered in the thousands during the war and had likely swelled to 10,000 inhabitants by now. Few beastkin lived amongst them, but they were mostly merchants coming to provide goods and merchandise not normally available to the dark elves.
After the rustic sights, the next thing I noticed was all the women! Lesbians everywhere, too, since their dark elven male-born had yet to take off yet. Ever since Goddess Everlight lifted the infertility curse, they had been getting busy. Many elven couples were pregnant. Both, at the same time. Lovers walked hand in hand, their free hand stroking their bulging bellies. The dick potion Elendir had concocted was certainly being put to use.
When I peeled back from the window, I noticed Elendir was throwing on a headscarf. She meticulously covered the lower half of her face and tugged the cowl to shroud the upper half.
"Are you trying to stay hidden from your own people?" I asked.
"I figured we wouldn't want attention. It can get pretty troublesome otherwise," Elendir explained.
"Should I disguise myself?"
The dark elf shrugged.
"You haven't been in Elza long enough, after all," Elendir assured me.
Shayle pulled up to a three-story inn called Oak Hearth. A sign hanging on a creaking iron rod depicted a flourishing tree. Even from out here, I could hear the bustle and commotion of life inside.
"Aww. I was hoping we'd bunk at a guild hall for adventurers or something." Kana sulked.
"We have no such thing." Elendir giggled into her hand. "Oakfall does have quest boards tacked full of notices from people in need of assistance all over town. We'll check some after getting a room."
"You all go in first. I'll head around back to check the carriage and horses in at the stables, then make myself scarce until you need me," Shayle said.
Mio jumped out of the carriage and took a deep breath.
"Ahh~ I love the smell of hot dark elven women." Mio sighed with delight.
When I descended with Nyra, someone shrieked so loud, my heart nearly jumped from my chest. A dark elf ahead of us had fallen backwards to the ground and stared in horror, her hand pointed directly at Nyra. The terror in her eyes was so palpable it looked like she saw death itself.
"The D-Demon King… He's back… He's back!" the elf cried.
Nyra hid behind my legs.
"I'm sorry, miss. You must be mistaken. This is just a little girl," I tried to explain.
"No, no, no. I'd recognize him anywhere!" She covered her face.
"My apologies!" Another elf, possibly family since they shared similar appearances, raced over to hold the terrified woman. "My sister faced the Demon King's wrath once for failing to meet his expectations… She sometimes has night terrors of him coming to mete out punishment."
I apologized, too, then ushered Nyra away in a hurry. Only one person seemed to recognize her, but everyone else didn't. There was no telling if others might though.
"Nyra… bad?" Nyra glanced up at me and asked.
"No! No. You're… You're a good girl." I kneeled down and pinched her rosy cheeks, but that cloudy look of hers noticed my hesitation.
"Come now. Let's go inside." Elendir ushered all of us in.
We entered the tavern floor of the inn lit dimly by stone lanterns and a giant raging hearth to one side. On the other, a wall of wooden casks were open season for dark elves to pour themselves a drink. Tables were all occupied, some people turned our way and spared the briefest moment of acknowledgement. A couple of stares lingered particularly longer on Erma.
Elendir led the way to the counter. So far, no one had noticed her identity. It wasn't until we reached the front that a dark elf with a long red ponytail turned around and did. Her one eye went wide in surprise. The other was covered by an eyepatch, which radiated a gnarly horizontal scar long healed. She wore a black bandana over her forehead and another on her wrist. The tunic had been ripped at the sleeves, revealing toned muscles and definition. A couple of daggers were sheathed in belts wrapped around her tight leather pants. Multiple pairs of magical disembodied hands floated around her, wiping and cleaning glass steins.
"Well, well, well. I thought you went into hiding after the war. What can I do for ya, our absent queen?" The woman sneered.
"Elendir, I don't think the cloak is working…" I whispered.
"I never expected to stay hidden from her to begin with. Everyone, this is Tirnicia Farrows, my most trusted general of my army in the war… and a dear friend I let down," Elendir explained.