Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Not so Darling

Too many smells, it was disorienting for Cassie as she tried to navigate through the crowd. A short lean woman was sprawled out on the central stage, her tassels swishing with her hip movements. An elaborate tattoo glowed along the entire left side of her torso, cupping the soft curve of her breast. 

Cassie skimmed through the mass of packed bodies. She pitied the humans, for they had such a terrible sense of smell, and lacked the skill to hear that well. It was so easy to sneak by, without them even hearing her footsteps. Even still, all the sweat in the air, mixed with perfume and cologne, made her feel completely disoriented. It was started to give her a headache, and she regretted her master deciding to hold his private meetup here.

It was steamy, with so many packed bodies in the brothel. It made the air stifling. Already Cassie could feel herself starting to sweat. A thick droplet strolled down her cheek, another rolling in between her cleavage. 

A lean figure was on her knees, pulling her spandex suite off to expose voluptuous breasts to a smaller crowd, and Cassie had to skirt away, lest the crowd think she was to be included in the performance. For some reason, there were fewer bouncers on guard, to keep everyone in line. Whoever was the cause to such a security oversight, Cassie would’ve sought them out to teach them a lesson, if she only knew who they were.

Finding her masters guests was easy enough, all of which seemed to be sitting at the bar, except for one who the Lamia girl was searching for. She hadn’t joined the rest of the group downstairs, and so Cassie decided to help her out. 

When she heard it was a Redever she was seeking, Cassie had mixed feelings about that. Before she could ponder on it, though, an outburst immediately caught her attention.

Apparently someone else had already found her first.

                                  

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Despite common belief, Succubi weren’t overtly sexual creatures. That being said, their pleasure receptors were far more sensitive than the average human. Their sweat laced pheromones could be refined into a ridiculously strong aphrodisiac as well, which was often the primary tool for bonding slaves, but even when Redevers enjoyed their time amongst sexual partners, they enjoyed their privacy. 

Romance wasn’t meant to be shared, especially in such an… open setting, with others. Brothels were rare in Redever society, and often seen as decedent. Only the seedy underbelly of Redever society entertained them. Even as an outcast, Lorelei understood the type of woman who would subject herself, willingly, to such debauchery wasn’t one to be respected. 

It was why, when Lorelei walked into the Darling Blossom, every fiber of her being felt… wrong. This made her feel even more of a low born miscreant than the military made her out to be, while conscripted. 

So many women casually exposing their sweaty bodies disturbed her. Lorelei knew the Darling Blossom wasn’t the only brothel in Voxsturm, but it was one of the higher end ones this side of town. She had never ventured inside, preferring a regular bar or lounge to such a… obscene environment. 

Why would Theo even come here? She wondered. 

Lorelei didn’t want to think less of him, but it seemed wildly out of character for him. After following his every move, she had grown intimate with his daily schedule, his routine, and understood many of his tastes.

He didn’t like to drink, and when he did, he enjoyed it sparingly. He preferred smoking tobacco, the cigar kind that was harder, and rarer to come by. He also liked swimming on weekends, and played intramural baseball. His most treasured hobbies involved reading, video games, and playing strategic wargames with a small group of people who, for some reason, felt they needed to play their games in secret. 

Going to a strip club, seemed completely out of character for him.

When she saw Theo, Lorelei’s anxiety took over, and she couldn’t bare sitting next to him, even with Marci’s coaching. So instead, she snuck away, except her presence was easily noticed by the general crowd.

Some looked toward her in curiosity, others with a cruel sneer on their face. She felt like the crowd was dragging her toward one of the larger groups. Or at least, it felt like the crowds were all trying to move toward one of the larger stage platforms, and she was caught in it. 

On the platform, a sultry courtesan was standing, bent over, with a handsome looking stranger impaling her from behind. Her gasps were sloppy, spit and sweat seemed to drizzle on the stage floor, as her breasts swung back and forth with each thrust. The man behind her was no simple customer, but a seasoned veteran in the sexual arts, giving everyone a show, rather than creating the start of a greater orgy. The crowds seemed to enjoy the ravishment, chuckling at the beautiful woman's chocking cries of pleasure, as the man behind her continued to explore the depths of her sex.

Some of the things she was saying, about how she would never be the same again, her body would be forever shaped for his manhood, made Lorelei recoil in sensual horror. It caused her cheeks to warm, and her heart to race. 

Lorelei tried to back away, only for a hand to grab her by the shoulder, and throw her forward. As she landed on the wooden floor, her knees skidding on the oiled surface, Lorelei jerked in pain. 

“Its a Succubi!” One of the onlookers yelled out.

“Let’s see if she’s a screamer…,” another voice, far more gravely and hostile, spoke out.

What in the actual? A pit formed in her stomach.

Lorelei rolled over, nearly hitting the woman on stage, and tried to jolt away. Her feet slid on the slick surface, and now her uniform was covered in glossy liquids.

Just as a grown man reached out to grab her leg, someone made the customer scream.

Lorelei looked back to see a dark haired vixen jamming a bayonet through the assaulters hand, her foot slamming onto the hilt to keep it grounded.

“Back off worm,” she growled. 

“Get them!” Suddenly the entire brothel erupted into violence.

                                                                                 

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“Ruddsturm, that’s what we’re after,” Konrad’s voices was completely serious, almost cold.

Everyone had heard of the ghost city, few believed it actually existed. Theo enjoyed a long puff of his cigar, while leaning back in his chair. The basement of the Darling Blossom was completely different than the ground floor. For one, the servers wore more respectable attire, and the brandy offered to them was actually decent.

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“Your forming an expedition to search for a legend?” Theo sighed.

“One hundred years ago, the scientists at Ruddsturm had made a discovery, one that could change the course of the war waging at that time. Something that could potentially control the storms,” Konrad exuded an aura around him, one that put Theo on edge. It felt like he was sitting across from a viper, one that could lash out at any second.

Konrad continued, “the city was sacked before the device was finished, and the storms had flattened the area, except for one part.” He looked up, his piercing eyes gazed directly at Theo. “Enjoying your cigar?” He asked.

Theo nearly coughed up a lung, from the unexpected shift in tension. He felt that this Konrad was a noble, he definitely acted like the world was merely his stage. There was an intensity about him that caught him off guard.

“Yes,” Theo answered. 

“Good, then may I continue without interruption?” Konrad spoke cordially, yet somehow even that felt like a knife was being pressed against Theo’s throat.

Theo nodded, all the color draining from his face. 

“During the last war,” Konrad picked up his glass, while looking at the others in the room. Mike kept calm under pressure, but Theo could tell he was absolutely terrified. “The Redevers attempted to occupy the remains of Ruddsturm, building their trench networks in, and around the old city perimeter.”

“And what happened?” Victor seemed to be the only one who could ask Konrad a question without receiving a death glare.

“They stopped,” Konrad paused, letting that sink in. “And never got close to it again.”

Theo froze. He wished he spent more time studying the last war.

“Doesn’t the make you curious?” Konrad asked Theo. 

Theo looked down at the map on the table, the supposed location of Ruddsturm was perfectly situated to flank the Voxsturm defenses, and yet, the Redevers never even tried to make any real progress in taking it. Even the humans avoided it.

“I suppose you know why?” Theo tried to sound as polite as possible.

Konrad took a long sip of brandy, before returning a curt smile. “I am putting together an expedition to get close enough to find out. As always, there will be a plethora of old tech in the cities remains, all of which has been modestly undisturbed. Your welcome to any you find. I’m only interested in researching just how close those old scientists came to finishing their weapon.”

“And if we don’t find anything?” Theo cursed to himself, hoping his potential employer wouldn’t get angry at his interruption. 

“Then I’ve wasted a lot of money for nothing,” the older man sighed. “Either way, you’ll be reimbursed, and able to make a lot of extra on the side.”

“What kind of obstacles should we expect?” Victor chimed in, hoping to take some of the heat off of Theo.

“Other than the weather?” Konrad arched a brow.

“You know what I mean.”

There was a long pause while Konrad finished the brandy in his glass. Once empty, he placed it on the table, and cleared his throat. “I believe you’ll find that the dead of the old world sometimes refuse to stay dead. Old weapons and technology, mixed with forbidden magic, has its costs. These storms for instance, do you really believe Stormfall was a natural phenomenon?” His eyes seemed to glow brighter. “I believe the answer to all of it might be hinted there, in this old broken city.”

“How do we even know its still there? I mean without any wards, wouldn’t the storms had flattened it by now?” Theo asked, still a little intimidated.

“Absolutely, you are correct. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for this city still remaining. But it does. Its central infrastructure remains sound, its paremeter still largely untarnished, and the hollowed bones of its spires continue to stand.”

“How?” Theo was lost in bewilderment. Without protective wards, nothing would survive the turbulent weather. 

Konrad arched forward. “Aren’t you curious? Those answers likely remain there.” It was a good question, one that clawed at Theo’s mind. “If some old wards remain in affect, without maintenance, then they must surely be powerful. Perhaps recovering those wards, or the process to making them, would set you up for life. But it’s possible there are other things at work here, sciences long forgotten.”

“And I suppose no one has thought of going there before?” Victor suddenly sounded a lot more serious.

For the very first time the nameless mercenary sitting opposite of Victor spoke. Theo had almost forgotten about the scantily clad woman, her bulk, and bare skin, should’ve made that impossible. Theo was surprised to find her voice had a strong accent, one that was common among the gutter rats. “They don’t call it the ghost city for nothing. Multiple expeditions were sent before the last war, few returned, and those few came back empty handed. I should know, I was in one of em. And like I mentioned before, even the Redevers stayed clear of it.”

“Monica is the only mercenary still alive in Voxsturm that has seen the spires of Ruddsturm with her own eyes. Its due to her eye witness testimony, that I decided to entertain the legends of the ghost city, in the first place.” With a flick of his finger, a server girl approached to hand Konrad a cigar.

“So how do we get there?” Theo asked.

“The old Redever trench network. That’ll get us close, so it’s a start,” the mercenary shrugged her shoulders. “I should warn you, the trenches would only get us close, but sooner-or-later, we’ll have to risk open ground. Unless, you know someone with older Redever access codes that might be able to get us into the underground trench network.”

“So we need a Redever who’s had some experience with those trenches, and understands how to bypass the codes to access its underground network?” Theo puffed on his cigar while thinking.

Before they could consider anything further, a large crash disturbed their private conversation, as the ceiling gave way. A large chandelier fell through, causing everyone to jump back out of their seats. The sounds of chaos filled the basement, as gunshots, and magical sigils igniting overcame the voices of screaming patrons.

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