Chapter 14

“Wh-why are you looking at me like that?” Ember asked. Like Olivia, she had no idea what the succubus was planning, nor could possibly know the true purpose of the two small objects Beatrice had summoned.

“Are you really going to pretend that you have no idea?” Beatrice asked her bodyguard, that by now should know quite well for what purpose most of the perverted succubus’s Skills are used. And Beatrice had a feeling her bodyguard did already know what was coming.

But Beatrice wanted to nudge Olivia a little into the desired direction. So she turned to the ninja girl and asked, “Olivia, how did Ember’s comments make you feel?”

“T-they ... They hurt, obviously!” Olivia said.

“Then, she should be punished!” Beatrice instantly delivered her predetermined judgment.

“I...” Olivia hesitated, obviously worried about what Ember would do to her later if she acted against her now.

“Why are you hesitating again?” Beatrice asked. “I thought we already had gotten through this.”

Olivia clenched her fist. Was she really scared of Ember? But what would have happened had Tabitha not betrayed her? Could she have won? Or would she end up burned alive like Bob and Garry? Olivia would have liked to tell herself that she stood a chance, but deep down she knew that Ember had toyed with Olivia’s entire group.

“So, Ember shouldn’t be punished?” Beatrice asked. “You’re fine with being shamed and humiliated just for giving in to your urges for once in your life?”

“Of course not!” Olivia snapped back.

“Oh? And what will you do about it?” Beatrice asked.

“Humiliate her!”

“ ... Good,” Beatrice smiled, satisfied that she got through to Olivia.

“But I don’t want to hurt her,” Olivia said as she looked closer at the pink egg-shaped object and turned it in her fingers, trying to figure out what kind of magic made it vibrate before.

“Don’t worry—it won’t hurt her,” Beatrice said. “Quite the opposite in fact.”

“What do I do with this?” Olivia asked.

“It’s quite simple. Take the vibrator, go to Ember, and put it between her legs.”

“What!?” Ember and Beatrice both asked in tandem.

“Absolutely not!” Ember protested and started rising from the ground. “I will not have this little—”

“Sit down!” Beatrice ordered.

Ember fell back on her bum, flabbergasted by Beatrice’s commanding demeanor.

“Good,” Beatrice said. “You said it yourself, remember? Besides your duties as my guard, you are also here to help me test out my growing abilities and skills. You’re the one who encouraged me not to hold back.”

Ember swallowed.

“And I have no intention of holding back ever again. Olivia?” Beatrice called the ninja’s name, reminding her that she was given a task. “I’d say whenever you’re ready, but that little toy is on a timer, so ... Don’t keep us waiting too much longer.”

“R-right,” Olivia stuttered and walked toward Ember.

The redhead shifted back a little and kept her legs closed.

“I’ve made a promise to you, lady Beatrice,” Ember said. “‘Help the Savior in any and every way that is required.’ That is the task given to me by the High Priest Lucarad. But he said nothing about letting some no-name gutter trash lay hands on me!”

Beatrice sighed.

“G-gutter trash!?” Olivia repeated through grit teeth. “Beatrice, I have a better idea! How about I take this egg and shove it deep up her arrogant little ass!”

“Oh?” Ember jumped up. “Try it! I’ll send you to Samuel well done and ready to serve. On a fucking kabob!”

“Enough!” Beatrice shouted before it got any worse.

Beatrice rubbed her forehead in frustration. She took a deep breath through the nose and exhaled. Another inhale, repeating a breathing exercise she used on many occasions in her past life to deal with stressful situations.

What am I going to do with these two? Beatrice wondered. Her plan for some light sexual teasing culminating in a sensual orgasm almost turned into a bloody fight to the death.

“Just ... Just forget it!” Beatrice said and put an end to this. Needless to say, the moment for erotic play was not only gone—it had packed its things, got on a ship, and was already halfway across the ocean to Argentina. Only this fantasy world probably had no Argentina.

“Let’s go back,” Beatrice said. “And you two will be sleeping in separate rooms tonight.”

“Considering that we’re staying at my brother’s house, I could just have her thrown outside like a d—”

“No!” Beatrice said flatly and put her hand on Olivia’s forearm before the ninja drew one of her kunai.

“Fine,” Ember sighed. She then got her robes in order, rekindled the dying flame in her hand, and with a smile said, “After you.”

Beatrice made sure to stay between the two girls while they walked back through the woods to Samuel’s house.

Although Beatrice was sure that her little “demonstration” for Olivia did not take more than an hour, the night had fully set in by now. And the stars that were dim and barely noticeable when they approached the wall of the city last time, were now bright and many. Even through the dense trees, Beatrice caught glimpses of just how many stars there were in the sky. Beatrice actually looked forward to exiting the forest just to marvel at the sky that hasn’t been polluted by her previous, modern world.

The trio swiftly navigated the forest thanks to the light provided by Ember. And as they approached Samuel’s house, and Beatrice saw a light coming from the familiar window, she suddenly stopped when she saw more lights approaching the two buildings. Torches. She concluded, judging by the uneven movement and flickering lights. Nearly identical as those many lights that moved far above them, atop the eighty feet wall that surrounded this city.

Olivia also noticed the lights and reached for her kunai.

“Were we expecting company that I wasn’t aware of?” the ninja girl asked.

The only one who did not seem to give a damn about the lights was Ember.

“I think I know who came to Samuel for a visit,” she said.

And just like last time, she lit up and quenched the fire in her hand. Again, and again—four times—she gave her signal and proceeded to move ahead, to the abrupt edge of the Shadow Woods.

As the trio moved closer, it became obvious Beatrice’s keen sight did not fail her—those were indeed torches she saw. Four men with torches to be exact, next to the stone and mortar fifteen-foot-high building that was connected to Samuel’s house.

Only two buildings stood here, beneath the wall. And with enough open space in three directions from the buildings to see any intruders long in advance, it was clear that whatever was going on here, it was under the watchful eye of those atop the walls. Beatrice also guessed that there had to be some hidden door or passage that led from the walls, to swiftly deal with any unwelcome company, though she could not see one now.

“Who goes there?” A deep, animalistic growl formed human words, coming from the direction of the group of dark figures.

“It’s just me,” Ember replied as she exited the woods and confidently approached the unknown group. Beatrice remained just a step behind her bodyguard. Olivia—another step behind Beatrice and always opposite of Ember, as Beatrice was determined to keep the two at a distance for the time being.

It turned out, that instead of four people, there were in fact seven. One figure did not hold a torch and instead seemed to be commanding the operation. Two more dark silhouettes exited the stone building, which Beatrice had assumed before was some kind of cold storage. The two men left with empty hands from the building, went up to a large, but simple wooden wagon, and lifted off some kind of large bag.

Beatrice recognized one of the silhouettes—the well-fed Samuel. Whatever he and his partner were unloading and carrying into the stone building was heavy enough that it required two people. And while Samuel gave many impressions, weak was not among them.

Something shady was going on under the cover of the night, in this remote, secluded area. That much was painfully obvious to Beatrice. She made sure not to let the four figures out of her sight. And as the trio approached, it grew apparent that all five were men, beastkin to be exact (in Beatrice’s old world they’d be simply referred to as ‘furries’), and all were armed to the teeth. In fact, for most of them, their teeth were also their weapons.

The largest, most imposing figure among them was a bipedal beast with the head of a lion. Like a lion, he had a prominent, even royal, golden mane. And unlike Samuel, his large figure resembled a turned-over triangle—a dream shape of any bodybuilder.

A steel breastplate on his chest and a giant claymore on his back. And among everyone present, this lionkin looked like the only one who could even lift such a weapon. A commanding presence.

Two other beastkin resembled hyenas. And they acted like it too—jittery, with dumb smiles on their faces, garbed in poorly sewn-together leather armor. Beatrice wondered if it was even safe to trust with the torches, and half-expected that at any moment one of them would set the other on fire. However, they also had at least ten blades between them and seemed like the first that would cause trouble at the slightest provocation.

Two more men were wolfkin. The entire time they had stood like statues near the wagon. But when they saw the approaching girls, they walked forward and took position just behind the lionkin. Their swords looked like toothpicks compared to the giant claymore. And the wolfkin themselves looked like boys in presence of a man, but that was a misleading play on the eyes due to the lionkin’s figure. Beatrice even wondered if that was on purpose—the wolfkin get underestimated to their advantage, while the lionkin looks like an unassailable mountain by comparison.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” the lionkin growled and took a step toward Ember. “You manipulative, double-crossing, pyromaniac! You’ve got a lot of nerves showing your face here after what you’ve pulled!”

“Oh?” Ember raised an eyebrow. “Look who’s grown a pair since we’ve last met.”

The wolfkin growled put their paws on the hilts of their swords.

Another fight already? Beatrice thought as she looked at the lionkin’s threatening grimace. Use [Daze] on one wolf, and have Olivia take care of the other one, she strategized and got ready to toggle on her [Sharp Claws]. Maybe it’s time to put some Skill Points into Combat Craft.

The hyena’s kept jittering back and forth between the wagon and the wolfkin, clearly unable to come to a decision whether their job is to continue protecting the wagon or join their boss against the new opponent.

Wouldn’t the boss expect them to be the first to act? But what if it’s a test of whether they’d keep to their original task or abandon their post? But it’s their job to hack and slash intruders! But it’s also their job to follow their boss’s orders without question!

The hyenas got nowhere in their closed logic loop and continued running a ten-foot little spring back and forth, having already trampled a narrow path for the two of them.

Samuel and his giraffekin partner didn’t even bother to stop to look at all the commotion and simply continued hauling the bags.

The lionkin suddenly started laughing in full force, his voice echoing against the massive walls behind them. Even his laughter was menacing though. A jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth, each longer and thicker than Beatrice’s index finger. It also flashed through Beatrice’s mind that there wasn’t a single person present whose entire head wouldn’t fit inside this brute’s gaping maw.

The lionkin smiled from ear to ear and screamed, “I’ve missed you, you little devil!”

He then ran up to Ember with a gleeful smile and with arms spread wide. But no matter how cheerful the lion may have seemed, the half-open jaw of a predator still made it look like the lionkin was running in for a quick snack. Beatrice dashed aside quickly and not a moment too soon as the giant, muscular lionkin would have probably swiped her away without even noticing.

“It’s been a while Bernard—UF!” all the air got squeezed out of Ember’s lungs in one, powerful hug. “Bh-Bernard? Hu—BERNARD!”

“Yes? Oh! My bad, my bad!” Bernard laughed and let Ember go. “I keep forgetting how fragile the frame of our most seasoned killer is.”

“Right,” Ember said and dusted herself off from all the hair that already stuck to her robe.