Chapter 127: Chapter 110 – The Captain’s Gamble

After an intense day of training to prepare for the aptitude test, Kanae eagerly returned to the tower with her master to rest and unwind. Marwin had summoned and taken control of a roper, giving Kanae a nostalgic trip of ecstasy from her first encounter with one years back.

"Master, I'm cumming again— guuh… aaahhh!" Kanae's eyes rolled to the back of her head. She climaxed intensely to tentacles fucking in her ass and pussy. More appendages had bound her wrists and ankles tightly. They squeezed her breasts and caressed her sensitive, post-coitus body with tenderness.

However, in spite of all this pleasure, it had been one-sided from the beginning. They were doing it in Marwin's bedchamber on the seventh floor, a spacious room with shelves that contained magical trinkets and baubles, a spinning astrolabe with multiple rotating spheres, and a multi-tiered desk he was more preoccupied with than a naked succubus in the room.

Marwin held multiple pieces of paper in each tentacle. In another, he scribbled furiously into a tome.

"It hurts my pride as a succubus if you're paying more attention to those papers than me." Kanae pouted, wrenching herself free from the tentacles to fly over to him.

As a roper, Marwin retracted two tentacles closer to his body and shrugged, then pressed them together like hands to make an apologetic gesture.

Since ropers had no forms of speech, Kanae had to make guesswork of what he meant. She glanced down at the papers on his desk but none of it made any sense. They were all runic sigils like the etchings on his body and around the summoning circle.

The wizard suddenly separated from the roper and returned to his own form.

"Alright, you. Go unsummon yourself." Marwin shooed the roper away.

As the monster passed by Kanae, a tentacle caressed her chin and raised its upper eyelid repeatedly in a flirtatious manner.

"Did that roper just… Never mind. What are you working on anyway?" Kanae asked.

"I'm sorry, my pupil. Tuning a dungeon core is important work that requires my full attention. As much as I would like to partake in the pleasures of your flesh again, this takes precedence. A minor mistake might send you four into the deepest pits of the three hells!" Marwin explained as a matter of factly.

She gulped. "That… definitely doesn't sound like a good time."

"How about you take the rest of the afternoon off? I permit it! Just remember to be back by the evening for your night studies," he said.

It would be a good chance to check out the city. Kanae acquiesced and went to get changed before going in search of Esta. In order to leave Aidenhall, she needed an escort. Better start looking now before it got too late.

As soon as Kanae opened the door, Esta was already there and kneeling.

"I am at your beck and call, Master. How may I serve?" Esta asked.

Kanae flinched so hard, she leapt into the air in flight. "What the… How did you know I was going to go out?"

"A servant's intuition." The drakeling knight lifted her head and smiled. "I came as fast as my legs could carry. Did you wish to leave Aidenhall?"

"I do. I want to go somewhere nice to eat," she said.

Laid out on the table was a menagerie of gourmet food that made Kanae's mouth water more than a willing sex slave. Roasted quail, lamb chops, baked sweet potatoes, a hearty herbal stew, and more. Kanae sipped leisurely on the wine and sighed blissfully.

The feast had been made more appetizing because of the dirty glares other patrons were giving her. That they had to dine alongside a demon of all things.

"Is there anything else, my lady?" a human waitress asked as sweat beaded on his face.

"No, thank you. This is more than enough," Kanae said.

"Master, I'd like to reiterate that eating out in public might not be safe. At least at the academy's cafeteria, no cook would dare try and poison you," Esta explained worriedly.

"I know you're worried, but no one is going to try anything with you around. They also know I'm in-training to become Knight of Amethyst." She gulped down the stew and shuddered in pleasure.

Coming out into the city was a prime opportunity to get a lay of how people lived. Suffice to say, Arenade would love it here. Edina… would also love it here but for very different reasons as Kanae noted how citizens flaunted their wealth.

People here wore jewelry over their clothings for all to see. The streets were clean and spotless. Not a sign of dirt on them. Although knights and students of the Academy were a common sight, they paled in comparison to the upturned noses and stifling arrogance of Radevic's upper class. However, this was only true of the area immediately outside of Aidenhall. It was a different story the farther they traveled away from the palace.

"Don't let me eat alone, Esta. I bought all this food so we can eat together." Kanae scooped a helping of stew from the pot and offered it to the drakeling.

"You were thinking of me?" Esta asked, seemingly genuinely surprised by it.

"Of course, I was. Come to think of it, you always went hunting during your time at the Commonwealth and came back later. Do you just not want to eat with me?"

"It's not that! My mother always taught me to be self-reliant and self-sustaining. If things are simply handed to me, it breeds complacency—"

Kanae placed a hand on top of Esta's and slid the bowl closer. Her nostrils flared as the scent wafted up. 

"That only matters when you're alone. We're together right now, aren't we? Master, servant. Friends. Colleagues. It's fine to rely on someone," Kanae insisted.

It was never meant to be profound, but it looked like those simple words moved Esta. She sighed and lifted a spoonful of stew to her mouth, then flashed a smile as warm as the meal before them.

"Thank you, Master. It is indeed delicious. May I… May I have a quail?" Esta timidly asked.

"You don't even have to ask. Help yourself!" Kanae beamed, pushing the plate toward her. "In the meantime, I want you to tell me about the trial. You went through one, too, right?"

The drakeling nodded while gnawing into the poultry. "I have. I assume you wish to better prepare for it? I'm sure Master Marwin has already told you, it is an artificial Rift created to test you to your limits. Our mentors will tune it in a way that is specific to you and your companions' strengths and weaknesses. A powerful monster awaits at the very end and defeating it is your objective."

"My weakness, huh? That means they will definitely make us fight something I can't just drain…"

"Obviously," someone who wasn't Esta said. Behind them, Runald was being led to an open table. "That means your succubus magic won't do us any good in there. Still, you better pull your weight. I don't want to flunk out of the academy because a demon sabotaged my chances. Hopefully, your presence doesn't sour my lunch."

"Insolent—" Esta rose in Kanae's defense, but she waved her drakeling servant back down.

As soon as Runald was seated, Kanae pulled a chair up to sit next to him.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Runald tried to scoot away, but Kanae wrapped her tail around the leg of his chair to hold it still. She threw one arm around his shoulder and ran two fingers up his inner thigh with her free hand. He stiffened like a rock.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. We're supposed to be a team. Wouldn't it be more fun if we got along more nicely and intimately?" Kanae whispered into his ear.

The boy was shaking. He was scared. 

"T-Try it… if you use your succubus magic on me, the academy will know and expel you right away," Runald stammered and blushed like a tomato.

"I don't need to use succubus magic to make you want to fuck me." Kanae licked his ear, causing the high elf boy to jump out of his seat and run for the door.

"It will never happen! Un… Unlike you sex demon whores, I cherish my virginity and intend to save it for someone I love!" he declared aloud.

The tension in the restaurant vanished, and patrons began laughing behind their hands and napkins. Realizing that he had made a fool of himself, Runald went beet red and ran off.

"Hahh… I want to fuck him so badly." Kanae panted in heat, squeezing her thighs shut and licking her fingers for Runald's lingering taste.

Something glistened on the seat where Runald was just sitting. A small vial. Pink in color. He must have dropped this when scrambling to leave. Kanae pocketed the potion, eager to use it as an excuse to talk to him again later.

For the rest of the afternoon, Kanae and Esta took a stroll through Brighton, an aesthetically scenic part of the upper city wards. The walkways sported overhangs, interwoven with vines hanging down and within reach. Raised garden beds were full of flowers in full bloom. Many stores complimented the streets with their own beautiful plants to lure customers.

One store in particular caught Kanae's attention.

Rown Shipping.

"Hold on, Esta. I want to check that out," Kanae said.

They entered the building to find an elderly beastman woman, jotting something down on a notebook. Behind her, workers were loading boxed goods into larger crates and carting them somewhere out into the back.

"What are we doing here?" Esta asked.

"To meet an old friend," Kanae answered, then rang the bell on the counter to get the beastman's attention. "Excuse me, my name is Kanae Toyomi. Do you know where I can find Renya? We're friends."

All at once, the workers in the back stopped working. A hundred pairs of eyes turned to Kanae and Esta. The woman at the counter raised a suspicious gaze to them, too.

"Lady Renya? Why don't you come into the office, and we can have a chat there?" she suggested.

"I don't like where this is going," Esta said, hand preemptively moving to her sword.

"Neither do I." Kanae leaned closer and quietly charmed the woman under her control. "Tell your workers everything is fine, and I'm just here to ask about an order."

She looked over her shoulders and bared her fangs. "False alarm, people! These two just wanted to know about a lost shipment, so get back to work. Rown doesn't pay you to gawk."

Just as quickly as they stopped, the gears started up again as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Tell me why the mention of Renya had you and everyone staring daggers at us," Kanae demanded.

"Liradell's painted a target on Renya's back. A hundred million alive and ten if dead. Now the entire company and any bounty hunter worth their while is out looking for Renya. Her days are numbered. If you really are her friend, tell her to get the three hells outta here," the woman said.

Kanae and Esta traded glances.

"What is a shipping and transportation company doing that their executives want to kill each other?" Esta asked.

"Guess they don't tell you everything in that ditsy-pritsy order of yours, madam knight. Anyway, big man didn't say anything else. Didn't need to. Money is money and a lotta people want her dead," she said.

"My order?" 

"Esta, we're starting to draw attention. We should go," Kanae urged.

When they returned to the streets, the sun was beginning to set. It had already fallen behind Radevic's cityscape, and only the orange glow of its passing remained. Better get back to the tower—

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"Master, we're being followed," Esta said.

"What? How do you know?" Kanae asked, searching every corner and alley they passed.

It was getting dark and harder to see even with all the streetlights around.

"Don't look around. Follow me. No harm will come to you so long as I'm here." Esta grabbed Kanae by the hand and pulled her down a side street. Instead of running down it, she pinned Kanae against the wall behind some crates and wooden planks.

Now Kanae was turning red underneath Esta's shadow.

Someone on the other side turned into the street. As they passed by, Esta snatched the pursuer by the throat and slammed them against the wall.

"Why are you following us?" Esta snarled.

"Wait!" The hood fell back to reveal a scarred, dark elven man. "I recognized you from afar. The succubus, right? I'm with Renya, I swear! Look…"

He rolled out his tongue which was tattooed with the tri-dagger mark of Renya's crew.

"How do I know you haven't betrayed Renya for the bounty?" Kanae asked.

"We would never! Our loyalty is first and foremost to Captain Renya. I was staking out the place you two went into. I'm sure Renya would be glad to see you," he said.

Kanae nodded to Esta to let the man go. She released him, leaving behind a bruise on his neck.

"Then you know where Renya is? What's going on in Rown, and why is there such a huge bounty on her?" Kanae asked.

"Yes, please follow me and stay inconspicuous!"

They followed the man to the lower wards of Radevic. Trash and dirt piled up against the buildings here. Rats scurried from trash to trash in search of food. Magic crystals within street lamps long depleted and ignored left this part of the city in mostly pitch darkness. Thankfully, Kanae and Esta's vision adjusted easily to the dark due to their race.

The dark elven man led them to a row of decrepit houses along a rank canal, collecting debris in the waters.

"Something's wrong," he said, pausing to squint at one of the lit houses further down.

A series of blasts rang out. Someone fell from the third story balcony and into the canal. Another person poked their head out. A female dark elf. She turned their way and waved.

"Renya?" Kanae called out in surprise.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend! Hello— shit!" Renya fired back into the room, but the recoil caused her to lose her footing. She let go of her two flintlocks and caught the railings.

"Hold on, Captain! We're coming to get you—"

Powerful magic bindings held Kanae and the dark elven man in place. They fell flat to the ground. Esta whipped around with her sword drawn. Someone was casting magic from afar.

"Don't worry about me! Go help… Renya!" Kanae exclaimed as Esta moved to help her up.

"May I… refuse, Master?" Esta asked, wincing from what appeared to be mental anguish. "If you order me to save her, I will. I just won't like it."

"Yes, I order you to save Renya!"

The drakeling rushed to help Renya. Meanwhile, Kanae scanned the backstreet for any signs of who cast this spell on them. Since both arms were bound tightly, she drew the magic wand from her waist using her tail, the same one Marwin had given her the other day, and cast Dispel to destroy the magical bindings.

Kanae flew up in search of the spellcaster, but they were already gone. The binding on the dark elven man had worn off. Looked like they bolted at the first sign of trouble. When she landed back down, Esta was just now returning with Renya in her arms.

"Oh, my knightly hero!" Renya exclaimed patronizingly. "You know, this reminds me of a book I've read. It's a spicy romance story between a dark elven woman and drakeling stud—"

Esta let Renya fall to the ground. The dark elven pirate lord picked herself up and brushed the dirt from her trousers. She wasn't dressed as flashy anymore. The coat and hat were gone. Instead, her white blouse and black pants were smeared with filth. 

"Looks like you found yourself in a lot of trouble," Kanae jokingly remarked.

"Quite right." Renya grinned. "We don't have much time. They know the location of this hideout now. Time to move onto the next one."

Renya and her crewman picked up the unconscious man from the ground. Together, they visited an old tavern that could be trusted. The elven barkeep closed the floor and placed a closed sign on the front door. Some of the tables had papers underneath to make them level. While everyone took a seat, Esta decided to remain standing behind Kanae out of caution. She was sure part of the reason was because any one of these chairs would break under her weight.

"This place reeks of lawlessness." Esta glared across the table at their host.

"Oh, that's just me. Haven't showered in days, as you can see." Renya thanked the barkeep as he came by with a large stein of beer.

"What was all that about earlier? I also heard from a Rown Company store that there's a bounty on you," Kanae said.

Renya raised a finger, asking for a minute while she chugged down the entire drink. Streaks of alcoholic nectar dribbled down her chin. She expelled a heavy sigh after gulping it all down.

"You heard right. Those men you saw out there. The one we brought? They were Outriders," Renya said.

"What?" Kanae gasped. "Didn't they disband without Bardell around?"

She shook her head. "Afraid not. When Bardell was thrown into the slammer, the Outriders didn't simply disappear. An opportunistic vulture whose name I don't know leads them now, and since their lucrative operations have scaled back, they have debased themselves to being mercenaries. My dearest brother, Liradell Rown, has hired them, and he has a lot of money to spare. It may not be apparent on the surface, but the Rown Company is currently undergoing a civil war, and I'm enemy number one."

"I knew there was something suspicious in all of this. I refuse to let you rope my master into your schemes." Esta rose angrily, but Kanae grabbed her hand.

"Please. Renya is a good friend who helped me a lot in the past. I owe her. You don't have to trust her. Just trust me, okay?"

Esta swallowed her protests and sat back down.

"Good puppy." Renya grinned, then turned around to whistle sharply.

The barkeep and two other members of Renya's crew dragged the tied-up human man up to the table. They threw him to the ground.

"Tell us what we want to know or get the boot, you washed up cutthroat!" Renya stomped on the head of the Outriders henchman.

"Kuh… Fuck you and your succubus whore, Renya! I ain't selling the Outriders out, so stomp on me all you want, I'm into that shit!" The henchman smirked.

"I don't think violence is going to work on him," Kanae said.

"Oh, joy. All the sane ones hightailed it five years ago and left behind degenerates. This is why I need you, Kanae. You promised to help me, didn't you?" she asked, raising the pitch of her voice and fluttering her eyelids.

A promise was a promise.

Kanae kneeled down in front of the man and placed him under a charm. He eased up right away.

"You're up, Renya. It's your questions that need answering," Kanae said.

"Let's see… Rown Company's been operating on thin margins for a few years now. Where is my brother getting all his money lately to hire so many mercs?" Renya asked.

The man shrugged. "Dunno. I'm just a grunt. But you're wrong if you think he's only hiring us to hunt you down. We're helping him move cargo to Port Kandis."

"Why there? The only place it could be delivered to is Ortesia. What kind of cargo is it?" She pressed further.

"The kind that pays well enough for us not to ask questions. But one of my boys who's a runner said a crate fell during transport. Some kind of pink liquid was spilling out of it."

Pink liquid…

"Pink? You mean like this?" Kanae brought out the vial from earlier.

"Where did you get that?" He gasped.

"Runald. He's a knight initiate and on my team for the aptitude test. I picked it up after he accidentally dropped it, " she answered.

"Strange," Renya muttered. "I've heard nothing about Rown Company dipping into the alchemy business. Even so, why would a trainee have an illicit potion manufactured by them?"

That was all the man knew. Renya intended to look into it and sent a message to her crew out at sea to seize the potions. With nothing left to learn, Renya promised to meet them again once things cooled down.

Kanae and Esta returned to Aidenhall, mulling over what the potion was for. The only true way to find out was to drink it, but there was no telling what the effects were. It was too much of a risk.

"Thanks for coming out with me," Kanae said as they stopped in front of Marwin's tower. "Things got a little out of hand, but you're among the handful of people I trust with my life here."

"Your life is my life, Master. You have given me purpose and have shown me nothing but warmth. It is I who should be thanking you. Even if you go along with that fox's schemes, I shall give you my all regardless." Esta kneeled down.

After dismissing the knight, Kanae returned to the tower and made her way upstairs. She ruminated on whether or not to bring the potion up to Marwin. A master wizard would surely uncover—

"Pupil!" Marwin boomed from the top of the stairs.

Kanae froze up.

"It's midnight!" he shouted. "You're hours late for your lessons. This is your candidacy we're talking about. You cannot simply play hookie like juvenile school children."

"Sorry, Master! I-I completely forgot! I was out with Esta the whole time so… Can I… make it up to you with a boobjob you like so much?" Kanae asked.

Marwin gestured for Kanae to come upstairs. They stopped at the summoning room. An entire zoo of exotic monsters and beasts awaited them, separated behind magical barriers. One was an ent with a phallus-like growth on its trunk, leaking some kind of white nectar. Another was a flying red boar with a corkscrew penis. Contained in the barrier closest to Kanae was a giant worm. It launched itself against the barrier, showing off a cluster of wriggling and writhing dicks seemingly with minds of their own.

"We'll move tonight's lessons to tomorrow night then. As for your punishment, I'd like to study the extent of your succubus skill. The one named 'Versatile Womb'. Are you prepared, pupil?" Marwin asked.

"Yes… I am," Kanae answered, breathing excitement into each word.

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