Chapter 51
Aloe growled in annoyance as she batted the locusts away and pulled off a few that latched on to her. However, before she could move, the insects suddenly disappeared with a buzz. As the cloud cleared up, she noticed that Nislak was missing.
"Thank you, Botan," she heard Lamy call out. Did she take out the high priest?
Mentally shrugging, she joined Nene and Polka in taking out the wolves. All but one fell, that one almost snapping its jaws on her arm as it lunged at her. Then, they heard Lamy shriek. They turned and found her getting electrocuted by the high priest, who blocked the cleric's mace with a bare hand. They wanted to go up to help but the high priest suddenly ran towards them in a buzz of electricity. The bard narrowly avoided the spear that was thrust at her stomach.
"You will be trouble," Nislak stated as she set her sights on the succubus. She pointed at her, chanting, "I cast you back to the Nine Hells."
"Your god won't help you this day!" shouted Nene, countering the banishment.
"You dare!" she shouted furiously, her spell disrupted. She ran around the bard and tied stabbing her in the back, around the same time the remaining spectral storm wolf howled and unleashed a wave of electricity.
Aloe grit her teeth as she, Polka, and Nene got electrocuted. She glanced at the monk, who fell over unconscious.
"Guh, this is starting to suck real bad," she muttered under her breath as the lore bard got shocked again when she healed the cleric as she finished off the last wolf. The succubus then ran up to the distracted high priest and raked her claws over her face.
Nislak shot her a heated glare as she raised her spear skyward and chanted, "Feel the power of Talos."
Slamming the butt of the spear on the ground, a loud thunderclap rang in her ears as she was buffeted by a blast of sound. She instinctively braced herself against this; Nene wasn't so lucky and she was thrown back from the high priest.
Laughing in satisfaction, she charged at the bard and stabbed her in the shoulder, shouting, "Surrender, you fools! Join us and help us bring change to this weak land." The succubus tried to scratch the high priest as she moved but her claws only raked the plate armor.
"Keeping the peace is not a sign of weakness!" the lore bard shouted in reply as she was able to stab her arm but her body shook as the electricity shocked her body.
"Hah! Talos protects those who are worthy!" she declared as the succubus tried attacking from behind, discharging another electric field around her. She then stabbed the bard in the other shoulder; and then raised her hand into the air and shouted, unleashing the same field two more times, shocking the both of them.
Aloe staggered back, her body shuddering and jerking a bit too much for her to bear. As she glanced up, her eyes went wide as she saw the bard get tripped and stabbed in the back.
"No… need Lamy. Lamy," murmured the succubus frantically as she staggered away, running up the stairs and going past the spectral weapons.
Cradling the half-snow elf's head, she pulled a healing potion from her belt and poured the healing liquid shakily down her throat. A bit spilled out but most of it went in. Her eyes still remained closed. Thankfully, she was still breathing but she wasn't stirring.
"No, no, no, wake up please," she muttered anxiously. Hearing a roar, she looked up. The angry lion girl archer was busy trading blows with Nislak.
Then, she had a wild idea. Something so crazy, so desperate, it might work. If it did, she might be able to distract the high priest long enough for backup to arrive. She ran and jumped off the side of the stairs, using her wings to hover through the air to land. She made sure to stay out of sight from Nislak before she transformed into Adrina.
"Such a pity," muttered Nislak after she chanted the words for her Spare the Dying spell and stabilizing the lion girl, "So much promise. Wasted on protecting the weaklings."
She got up to her full height. Her armor still remained firm though it was now decorated with a few holes and a few arrows that stuck out of her back. The holy robe she wore underneath was stained with her blood. The blade of her spear was stained with theirs. She then turned around and was surprised at the presence of Adrina.
"Apprentice? What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion, "Have you seen a succubus here?"
"I'm afraid I have not. Perhaps the fiend became a coward and ran away," the apprentice suggested.
"I can certainly see that happening," she agreed after some thought, "She was very ineffective."
"Also, high priest, we are under attack by the royal guard," she stated as she bowed her head, "But we are fighting back and so far, are evenly matched."
"Good. It would be a good time to separate the wheat from the shaft," stated the former with a wry smile, "Come, apprentice. We must go and judge some weaklings."
"...High priest, may I confide in something?" the latter asked hesitantly.
"Speak, but be quick. There is a fight to win," allowed the high priest.
"May I have a kiss?"
She blinked in surprise. Not once had she ever had a request from Adrina. And now she is asking for a kiss? Strange. Is it normal for youth to ask of these things?
"Explain."
"I… have lived here under you for some time now," she explained as she blushed, "My admiration for your strength has grown much in the past few months. And… I have been having misgivings as this feeling grew. Is it just admiration or… something more… like infatuation? That is why… I want to kiss you, my high priest. Just to figure out my feelings."
She chuckled, thinking that this was merely something a youth would go through. Then, she said in a motherly tone, "Young apprentice, a normal person would be flattered by such a thing, but we serve Talos, Mighty Lord of the Tempest, not some goddess of love and fertility..."
"Then, please let me have this kiss?" Adrina pleaded, "If only to show that what I feel is merely simple admiration rather than weak infatuation."
"Hmm, what you say, oddly, makes some sense, even if it sounds a little far-fetched," Nislak mused. With a sigh, she said, "Very well. I shall give you a kiss. Approach."
The apprentice came near shyly, the distance between them slowly decreased. They closed their eyes as the former leaned forward and touched lips with the latter. The apprentice then snaked her arms around suddenly to pull the former closer for a deeper kiss.
"Strange, why..." the high priest thought as her injuries suddenly flared up.
A third red flag appeared when she suddenly felt her body getting weaker but she still didn't move to break the kiss. She opened her eyes and they widened when she saw not her apprentice, but the succubus, on her lips. She struggled weakly, clawing at the fiend's arms and her head but to no avail. She then flared up what magic she could muster in her body in spite of the heaviness of her eyelids. She could feel her strength failing as the lightning field manifested and bathed the succubus in its shocking embrace. Slowly, her eyelids closed for the last time.
Aloe let go of the gaunt body and screamed loudly, falling to her knees in pain. Her whole body felt like it was being torn apart. As if someone or something was pouring pure holiness into her. As she collapsed to her side, she could hear heavy footfalls coming in her direction as well as a lot of shouting. Soon, Sergeant Karin's face filled her vision.
"What… here?" she asked, presumably, but her ears still felt fried and it rang loudly as well.
"Nislak," she muttered softly as she pointed at the drained body.
"He-er! Get… healer!" the guard sergeant looked up to shout.
The succubus wheezed a little before closing her eyes, her breathing steadying, tired by all the commotion. She hoped everyone was alright.
Lamy opened her eyes to find herself in an open area surrounded by forest. It was a beautiful glade with a multitude of flowers dotting the place. She felt herself on her back and her head on a lap. She looked up and found herself eye to eye with a perfect beauty.
"Milady?" she asked, partly in shyness but also in awe, "I thought..."
"You may not be in love currently," she stated with her silvery, soothing voice as she stroked her hair, "But your love for your friends is no less important." With a smile, she continued, "I saw everything. Did you know the fiend tried to save you, even if she didn't know much?"
The shocked half-snow elf mulled about this fact. She hadn't been the most welcoming to Aloe due to what she was and she was slow to warm up to her. But after her actions right now? Maybe… she could treat her better.
Her goddess smiled and nodded approvingly, "Love will always find a way to heal others. Let your heart guide you, my dear. Now sit back and rest. You need it."
Taking her advice to heart, Lamy relaxed and enjoyed the calming presence.
Nene woke up with a start. Looking around, she found herself in her dorm room in Silicasa. Strange. The last thing she remembered was fighting Nislak… she was trying to get to Lamy when she was struck down. Calming down her breathing, she got out of her bed. Her belongings were still here. A sigh of relief later, she went downstairs, dressed in her day clothes. Downstairs, she found Isaac seated at the dining table, reading some papers.
"Hello, had a good sleep?" he greeted her, "I was quite surprised when the guards showed up here with you lot over their shoulders, demanding to know where your rooms are. After some explanation from Miss Reine, I gave them all the help they needed."
"Oh… so how long was… were we sleeping?" she asked, a little scared of what the answer would be.
"Well, they brought you in yesterday, so I guess one day," he summed up.
"Oh..." she trailed off, falling silent in contemplation. If everyone made it out alive, that means they won? But how?
"Ahh, that reminds me," spoke up the fox-folk, drawing her attention again, "From what that sergeant told me yesterday, you five need to meet up with the captain when you wake up. So, best go and check up on your friends, yeah?"
"Sure, I can do that," stated the lore bard with a smile.
The first room she stopped by was Lamy's. Her room… how is it raining flower petals in here? After shaking her awake, the rain disappeared. After telling her the news, she went to Botan's next. Thankfully, nothing odd was happening in the room when she woke the archer. Then, she went to Polka's room. Same as before. The last room was Aloe's. Nothing strange in her room either, thankfully. However, she didn't seem to want to wake up. She was also shuddering a little.
"Hey, are you alright?" Nene asked softly as she shook the succubus.
"Ah, hi," the latter whispered in reply as she stirred away, "Hey, Nene. Oof, I feel tingly all over."
"What is going on here?" asked Lamy as she stepped inside, already prepared to go out. She then got a look of confusion on her face and came closer to the bed to ask, "What happened to you, Aloe? It feels like...you have been touched by the divine."
"Well… after she took out Botan, I disguised myself as Adrina," said Aloe hesitantly, "And then… I convinced her to kiss me willingly. And I used my kiss to kill her." She sighed and continued, "It was… painful. I think she used the last bit of magic she had to zap me. And now that I think of it, my head is full of stuff right now. I think I know a lot more spells than I used to."
"...I think this is the first time I ever heard of this," muttered the bard with a frown.
The cleric sighed as well, muttering, "This was not what I expected either. But… if you did absorb some sense of her power during your kiss, then… I guess I can try and help you figure out what you took."
"That will have to wait," stated Nene, "We have to go and meet the captain, so get ready to go out, Aloe."
Half an hour later, they were in his office standing in front of his desk. He was seated there and standing next to the desk was Sergeant Karin. Seated off to the side was the illusionist that helped them.
"I read through the sergeant's report," he stated, gesturing to a sheath of papers in front of him, "Now, I wish to hear your account of what happened in the cultist base."
After they gave their explanations on what happened, he stood up and walked around the desk, saying, "After Sergeant Karin found you and evacuated you outside, she found the room you sealed the cultists in. Most of them surrendered. A few of them tried fighting their way out and were knocked unconscious with extreme prejudice."
Standing before them, he stated sternly, "On behalf of the guard, we are grateful for helping us solve this particular problem. I'm afraid I do not have a suitable reward for you at the moment, but should you ask for help, we will do everything in our power to help."
"Well, I guess that is good enough, sir," Nene spoke up, "We aren't exactly hurting for money… yet, so this is fine."
He nodded and went back around his desk to sit. He then gestured to the wizard and stated, "He awaits his payment."
"Ah, right."
The illusionist left the office three hundred gold pieces richer. The party left the office in high spirits with an assurance of help from the royal guard. Not much monetary value in it but it may help with manpower or any investigations they might need to do. They returned to the guild office and faced Reine. The moment she saw them, she ran around the counter and gave each of them a hug.
"Gods above, I was so worried when Sergeant Karin turned up and told me what happened," she said in a motherly tone as she hugged them, "Are you feeling better now?"
"Well… we are all fine now that we had some rest," stated the lore bard with a sheepish smile, "But… Aloe came out with something extra."
"Ah, yeah. For some reason, I got some knowledge of some spells from the dead cult leader," stated the succubus as she avoided the branch leader's eyes, "I don't know how that happened but it was very painful."
"Hmm… I suppose you wish to figure out what you got?" mused the peacock princess.
"I shall be helping her," spoke up Lamy, getting a nod from her.
"While she is helping her, maybe we can go around and look for an enchanter to buy stuff from," suggested Botan, "Or maybe get Pekora to enchant our stuff."
"Umm, do you think we can visit my village?" asked Polka, "After we settle everything here?"
"Sure we could!" exclaimed Nene, "I mean, we went to Botan's, so why not?"
"Yahoo!" cheered the fennec fox girl as she cartwheeled all over the place, drawing much laughter from the others.
"Well, I am glad all is well with you and your friends," stated Reine with a smile.
AN: Hello again, readers. Welcome back.
Nislak pretty much trashed them. And I expected that. With the addition of the Legendary Actions, she is higher than CR9. But, I did this on purpose. the high priest performed as expected and her health was low enough to give Aloe a chance to power up.
Why?
As of now, I have yet to give Aloe any adventuring levels despite having enough for a level 8 Bard with the Tough feat. She has no Bardic Inspirations. No spells learned except Identify, and technically Disguise Self and Charm (succubus mechanics). So, with the Draining Kiss taking in parts of Nislak's soul, I can give her more spells to use(make use of the bard spell slots). She will get Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, Shatter, Dispel Magic, and Freedom of Movement. Of course, there will be some things that will be easy and difficult for her. Lamy will help her understand what spells she got and how to cast them. However, spells that need components would mean that somehow, she either needs to find a suitable spell focus or a component bag to carry reagents. Learning pains.
Next chapter, Holo5 will get some R&R and maybe jump into the next arc. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.