Chapter 64: Chapter 50 – Lograin, the City of Sin and Piety

Kanae awakened to the pricking of hay poking uncomfortably into his back and the cool chill of morning. Someone was grunting, breathing heavily in irregular gasps that brushed against his face. When Kanae opened his eyes, however, he came face to face to a human stablehand with disheveled orange hair and freckles thrusting into him. As they locked eyes, the young man froze.

"You got some nerve raping me first thing in the morning." Kanae glared.

"Sorry, I—" As the stablehand frantically tried to get up, Kanae grabbed him by the leather tunic and flipped their positions.

Kanae offered a lewd smile now that he was on top and straddling the other man's waist. "But since we're already like this, you might as well finish."

After riding the stablehand to climax, Kanae got dressed and exited the stables to stretch under the warm sunlight on his skin. Every single one of his holes were leaking with cum, dried and fresh. Glancing back into the stables, he noticed the distinct absence of languisteeds inside. Fearing that his party might have left without him, Kanae panicked and ran to where the wagons were parked. He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Jarvy hitching the languisteeds to the carriage by the side of the road.

"Morning to ya. We'll be departing soon," Jarvy said, then raised a brow having seen Kanae emerge from the back. "Wait a sec. What were you doing over at the stables?"

"I was…" Kanae choked down his answer.

Last night, Thedia tricked him into the stables to have sex with the languisteeds and other beasts of burden that were inside. There was no way he was going to tell Jarvy that.

"Just, uh… sight-seeing," he answered.

One of the languisteeds not yet hitched sidled past Jarvy and nuzzled its snout against Kanae's chest. The large beast licked his cheek with a hot and thick tongue, causing memories of last night's romp in the stable to resurface.

"Ho, look at that. Languisteeds aren't normally the affectionate type. I think that one likes you," Jarvy remarked with wonder.

"Hehe… I think so, too." Kanae stroked the fuzzy black mane, shivering with pleasure as he thought back to being railed by a large languisteed cock.

Edina, Thedia, and Arenade were just coming out of the inn, packed and ready to go.

"Where the hells did you go last night, Kanae?" the necromancer asked.

"Oh, you know… out and about," Kanae said, throwing a glance at Thedia who returned the look with a wink.

As they climbed onto the carriage to begin their journey once more, Arenade and Kanae were the last to get on. Kanae grabbed the priest's hand before she set foot on the steps.

"Can we talk? I don't want it to stay awkward between us. Lograin is supposed to be a new start for us, but it feels like we're going in with a whole lot more baggage than our equipment." Kanae let Arenade go, and she quietly closed the carriage door so the others couldn't eavesdrop.

"I need some time." Arenade sighed. "Obviously, I want to stay in a party with you. We're supposed to defeat my brother together after all. Just give me some space to sort out my thoughts, and you can go back to using me as usual."

"Is there at least something… anything I can do to make it up to you in the meantime?" he asked.

She pinched the seams of her ivory robes and looked the other way. "I'm not the one you need to think about making it up to, but… I have more to be blamed for anyway."

With those final words, Arenade climbed into the carriage.

Their journey to Lograin took several more days on the Imperial Span until the uneven forest terrain cleared up to flat plains and jagged, green mountains which loomed overhead, like beast claws jutting out from the earth. Windmills were raised by the dozens along the fields here to take advantage of the strong winds from the geographical phenomenon.

Although Kanae was shivering from being chilled to the bones under the blanket of night, he didn't want to take his eyes off the sight and shut the window.

"How does something like that form?" Kanae asked, pointing eagerly out the window to the claw-like mountains.

"I hear it's from a cataclysmic battle between the gods thousands of years ago," Edina said.

Arenade sharply expelled a breath through her nose. "Psh. That's hearsay. What really happened was powerful mages, tasked by the then Arch-Bishop Garellia from the Church of One, terraformed the side of the countryside for farmland. They screwed up and blew holes into the mountains, as you can see by their unnatural structures."

"What? That's crazy talk," the necromancer retorted.

Great, Kanae thought, since he knew full well that Arenade was a more reliable source given her background. Super strong mages throwing magic around powerful enough to shape the earth wasn't scary at all.

A knock came to the front of the carriage, and Thedia opened the wooden slat to reveal their coachman peeking in.

"We're finally here. Welcome to Lograin, ladies!" Jarvy exclaimed.

Arenade popped open the hatch on the roof of their carriage. Kanae and Edina joined her in the view as they rode towards the opened iron-bound gates of Lograin, framed by two giant statues of knights carved into the stone walls which extended farther than they could see.

Kanae beheld a magnificent city that took his breath away. The carriage came to a snail's pace upon entering Lograin. Other carriages and animals clopped away at main thoroughfare, traveling up and down the road.

On the sides of the busy street were granite statues of gods, and at their feet were smaller shacks and wagons that had set up shop, hollering at passing pedestrians in hopes of selling their goods. The iron lampposts with magical lanterns were almost unnecessary by all the light pouring into the streets from looming buildings.

"Fresh meat buns for sale! Get 'em while they're hot—"

"Extra, extra! Get the latest scoop on the demon invasion that was repelled in Orturic!"

"I got trinkets of all kinds! Want something fancy? Look no further!"

"Lograin's mayoral elections are coming up! Cast your vote in the name of piety, Bishop Rudo will guide the city back to the holy path!"

Unlike the quiet streets of Orturic at night, Lograin was many times more alive. 

The many cathedrals and temples came in all sorts of sizes and aesthetics. Many were gothic in architecture, with their steep and sharply-pointed towers. Others were simple, made of wood and less grandiose. They were all dedicated to the worship of the very gods on the streets, standing as testament to the wealth and devotees dedicated to them. Many residents wore religious garbs and habits, greeting one another with kind smiles.

"Wow. This place is amazing—"

"Wow. This place is trashy—"

Kanae and Arenade stared at each other, baffled that the other could say such a thing. It was then the two realized, glancing past their shoulders, that they had only been looking at one half of the bipolar city.

Because on the other side was a sprawling red light district, and Kanae was shocked by how… not seedy it looked. Finely-dressed men sauntered about trying to proposition the many loitering courtesans and prostitutes. The fancy establishments were as extravagant and streets as clean as their more pious counterparts. They even had their own statues, but of butt-naked women and men with exaggerated assets, as if in sinful contention with the gods across.

"Harlots!"

The party snapped right, in the direction of the religious side of the city.

"Flaunt your tushes elsewhere. You're distracting my parishioners!" A priest and his fellow clergymen stormed up to their edge of the street to yell at a group of prostitutes a mere stone's throw away.

"Ara~ Dear, Father. You haven't come by in over a week. I was beginning to miss you! Have you gotten your erectile dysfunction fixed yet?" An elven courtesan, dressed in a blue gown and smoking from a pipe, blew them a kiss which tested the clergymen's faith.

"Th-That… I have no idea what you're talking about!" The head priest flustered and returned to the chapel, red up to his ears under giggling ridicule of prostitutes.

Jarvy hollered to a young, dolled up human woman leaning out the window of a brothel from her room, presumably another prostitute. "Hehe! Sherice, baby! Daddy's back for another round!"

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"Hi, Jarvy~ Can't wait to see you later tonight!" She waved back.

The trio shut the hatch and dropped back into their seats to process what they saw.

"Lograin is, uh… quite the city…" Kanae said, purposefully leaving his opinion vague. "Does this place have an adventurer's hall just like in Orturic?"

Thedia nodded. "It does. The one here is managed by members of the Church of One. Or you may take your chances with one of the many taverns of your choice to lodge in."

When Kanae turned to Arenade expecting to hear her opinion, the demigoddess had opened the window to the religious side of the city. She appeared at peace, divine even from the glow of nightlights outside.

"This place sure has changed a lot since then…" Arenade whispered.

"What's changed?" Kanae asked.

"Huh?" She snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, nothing! Just hoping we can get some shut-eye in a boisterous city like this."

Their carriage grinded to a halt, and they exited onto a less crowded avenue, but just as illuminated, alongside many other parked vehicles under the shadow of densely packed townhouses. Even from here several blocks away, they could still hear the hustle and bustle of Lograin.

Kanae snuck away from the others and walked up to Jarvy, who was preparing to leave.

"By the way… If I wanted to check out some of the brothels… Where would you suggest?" he asked.

"Oh, an enthusiast yourself, eh? I don't blame ya. Try a nice place called The Hole in the Wall. Won't disappoint, I assure you." Jarvy winked, then steered the carriage towards the more exciting side of the city.

Religious folks, traders and craftsmen, the affluent, and adventurers of all levels populated the city, a melting pot dissected by two conflicting forces.

"This is the City of Sin and Piety," Thedia remarked with wonder. "Quite the alluring place, don't you think?"

Arenade wrinkled her nose. "If by alluring you mean reeking with the smell of alcohol dripping, overused cunts, then I'll have to disagree. Or maybe that's just Kanae I smell?"

"I-I don't smell!" Kanae cried, then sniffed himself to make sure and caught the heavy scent of languisteeds still on him. "Uu… I need a bath…"

So far, so good. No one in the city detected that Kanae was a succubus or saw through this Human Form skill. Even the patrolling guards paid them no mind, passing them off as mere travelers to a new place. Kanae might be in a new city with a fresh start, but he still had to be careful.

"Alright. Everyone decided where we're hunkering down?" Kanae asked. "I was thinking—"

When Arenade and Edina pointed towards the religious side of Lograin, a wave of disappointment washed over him. He withheld his opinion and stopped short of pointing to the opposite side.

Thedia curtsied to them. "This is where I take my leave. If you have time to spare, I must insist you visit the Red Harpy, a casino in the Carnal District. It is where Lady Renya has made her stay."

They bid farewell to the maid, and headed down the road past the townhouses to a quaint park.. At the center of the square was a large water fountain of an angel pouring water out from a jug. Beyond it was the adventurer's hall, enormous enough for Kanae to have mistaken it for another cathedral like the ones around them.

According to Jarvy, it served a little under a thousand people, but not every adventurer lived there. Many were in the middle of questing or scattered about the city, likely sampling what the brothels had to offer or have taken residence in other taverns.

Since it was operated by the clergy, effigies of the Supreme One were a common sight in the building. Their shoes clacked upon the polished granite floor and crystal chandeliers chimed a tune from the ceiling. Right through the entrance at the foyer, Adventurers perused multiple notice boards organized and grouped by levels.

The adventurer's hall was cross-shaped. They entered from the southern cross, and at the center awaited a circular reception area, inside of which receptionists were helping adventurers get a move on. To the right wing was an open smithy, alchemist shop, and enchanting parlor. On the left was a tavern floor, packed full of adventurers drinking after a long day of quests. Finally, the north end sported two sets of stairs that led to the upper floors, presumably where the rooms were.

"Next!" A bespectacled centaur woman, clothed in a religious white and orange robes, a large ribbon above her chest, and draped in walnut-brown hair signaled for Kanae and his party to come forward. "Names, please?"

"Kanae, Arenade, and Edina. We came from Orturic," Kanae said.

"Oh, Supreme One, bless you! The three of you must be the heroes of Orturic!" she exclaimed, drawing the attention of other receptionists and adventurers.

"The ones who defeated the demons?"

"Idiot, they defeated the Lady Dahlia!"

"Does that mean the Streaking Dragonslayer is here, too?"

"Oh, no…" Kanae buried his face into his hands. "So much for low profile…"

Whispers from other adventurers were evidenced that Kanae's renown wasn't only just known in Orturic. Word traveled fast, it seemed.

The centaur woman reached across the counter to shake Kanae's hands. "My name is Sellica. It's a pleasure to meet you! I've activated your account at this hall, so you now have access to your funds from Orturic and may begin questing at your leisure. Will you be staying at the adventurer's hall?"

"Give us the biggest room you got! One that befits heroes such as ourselves!" Arenade said, pushing to the front.

"The largest room would be the master chambers. It will run you 10,000 gold a month," the centaur explained.

The three of them choked on the steep price tag.

"W-What's a step down from that?" Edina asked.

The centaur lady slid a wooden placard across the counter to them which listed rooms in ascending order of cost. The master chamber was at the very top. Seven tiers were available to them.

"What's the fifth tier offer?" Kanae took note of the price tag at only 4,000 gold a month.

"Tier five is the nobility chambers. Four master-sized bedrooms, one private bath suite, a balcony overlooking the Celestial Promenade, and a living room and kitchenette. Essentially an entire home for you to live in," Sellica explained.

The party agreed to take that one. Costs of their living arrangements would be taken from their bank accounts, and they fortunately had two-million to spare, with some passive income being earned from Sexy Slime Goods. 

"By the way, do we need to show you our character sheets?" Kanae asked, preparing to charm Sellica if it came to that.

"Oh, no. We already have your information from the previous guild hall. Unless you wish to update anything, like a class change, there is no need for you to us," she said, handing them each their own iron key.

They went directly to their room and were treated to a much more spacious residence than in Orturic. The modest common room had a couch laid with an animal pelt in front of a fireplace, which doubled as a cooking station. Four doors led into individual rooms, furnished with thick woolen bedsheets and mammoth-sized fur pelts on the floor that were easy on their bare feet. A fifth door was a bathroom with a large, granite tub that could fit everyone if they really wanted to try.

"I call first dibs on the bath!" Edina shouted, racing into the bathroom.

Arenade claimed a room and tossed her stuff inside, then returned to head for the exit.

"Are you heading out?" Kanae asked.

"If we aren't doing anything tonight, I'm going to visit the Church of One to give Supreme Asshole a piece of my mind," Arenade said, leaving to explore Lograin.

She honestly had the right idea. As Kanae claimed a room of his own and pushed open the window to see the streets below, his eyes were drawn to a group of rowdy adventurers making their way towards the Carnal District. Kanae figured he would go do the same.

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