Kiki led to the mansion's drawing room. It was a little more furnished now. Not by a lot, but at least it had more than the bare minimum. Soone added a few potted plants as well as a couple of landscape paintings, which added a touch of color to the room.
I found Lord Sandstrike standing by one of the drawing room's windows, looking out towards the gardens beyond. He seed different from when I last saw him. On the surface he appeared the sa. However, I noticed an air of brittleness to him. Once wrong touch, and he'd shatter.
As Kiki and I entered, Lord Sandstrike turned to face . There were dark circles underneath his eyes and lines of exhaustion etched his face. He frowned when he noticed my appearance.
"Greetings, Lord Gabriel," Lord Sandstrike said, bowing to . "It is a pleasure to et you." He stood up straight. "Though, this isn't our first ti seeing each other, is it?"
I gave him a wry grin.
"If it's all the sa to you, I'd prefer if we never talked about that particular episode of my life ever again," I said.
While a part of found it funny, the rest of wanted to forget that I ever dressed like a woman in order to lure a succubus. Gods willing, I would never have to go through sothing like that again.
Unless Anna wanted to spice things up in the bedroom once more.
"Very well," Lord Sandstrike said. "If that is what you wish."
I nodded.
"Shall I fetch so tea for you two?" Kiki asked, speaking in a formal and deferential tone.
"Yes, please," I said.
Lord Sandstrike shook his head.
"No, I'm not in the mood for tea," he said.
Kiki nodded, before leaving the room. After she left, I gestured for Lord Sandstrike to take a seat. The two of us sat down, facing one another.
"So, what did you wish to speak with about, Lord Sandstrike?" I asked.
"First, I would like to thank you for rescuing my son," Lord Sandstrike said, bowing his head. "I feel like a heavy burden has been lifted from my shoulders."
I shook my head.
"I'm not the only one who deserves your thanks," I said. "My companions helped as well. Not only that, but it was Lord César's idea in the first place. Without him, my companions and I wouldn't have known to rescue Lord Benicio in the first place."
Lord Sandstrike nodded.
"Yes, I heard the story from César himself," he said. "It seems I underestimated my youngest. I never expected this from him." He shook his head. "Regardless, you played an important part in rescuing my son. For that, you have my gratitude."
I grimaced.
"I don't know how much gratitude I deserve considering Lord Benicio's… current state."
Lord Sandstrike's expression darkened. Not with anger, but with pain and sorrow. A little bit of light left his eyes.
"I don't bla you for that," he said. "It's not your fault. I bla the monster who tortured him. The woman I once considered my mother. No longer. She's committed too many sins for that."
Kiki returned at that mont, carrying a tea tray in her hands, and Lord Sandstrike stopped speaking. Kiki placed the tea tray on a nearby table, before preparing a cup of tea for .
"Are you sure you don't want a cup?" I asked as Kiki worked.
Lord Sandstrike shook his head. I shrugged. When Kiki finished, she placed the cup of tea in front of , before stepping off to the side. I picked the tea cup up and took a sip.
Hmm, delicious.
"Lord Sandstrike," I said. "There's sothing I'm curious about, if you don't mind asking."
Lord Sandstrike gave a questioning look.
"Why did you usurp leadership of House Sandstrike?" I asked. "I have a feeling it's related to everything that's going on now."
Lord Sandstrike sighed before clasping his heads together.
"I suppose there's no reason in keeping it a secret now," he said. "Not after everything that happened." He paused. "That woman has always been cruel. She frequently gave the servants harsh punishnts, always stopping just before she crossed the line. For most of my life, I never gave it much thought. I thought she was just strict. However, a little over ten years ago, I realized just how depraved she truly was."
Lord Sandstrike paused. I took a sip of my tea and waited for him to continue.
"César told you about the brothel?" he asked. "The one that we had problems getting rid of?"
I nodded.
"That woman owns it," Lord Sandstrike said. "This is why we always had trouble getting rid of it. She always warned them ahead of ti, ensuring that they remained one step ahead of us." He shook his head. "This continued, even after I took leadership of the House. Despite my best efforts, that woman maintained a certain level of influence." He let out a bitter chuckle. "The worst part is that she never needed to do it for money. We already had plenty of wealth. No, she did it because she enjoyed destroying lives by catering to people's worst impulses."
I stared at Lord Sandstrike, wide-eyed. That explained a lot. If this got out, House Sandstrike's reputation would be ruined. It might even affect Eastwatch's tourism industry.
This also explained why Lady Isabel beca infuriated when she learned about the succubi's hideout. It was because they stole her property.
"That wasn't even the worst of it," Lord Sandstrike continued. "Eastwatch used to have a problem with slavers kidnapping people within the city. It turned out that that woman was behind that as well. She sold most of the people she kidnapped, and kept the rest for herself." He gave a grim look. "You've seen her handiwork. You can imagine what she did to the people she kept."
I stared Lord Sandstrike. So, becoming an infernophage hadn't turned Lady Isabel into a monster. Rather, she beca an infernophage because she was already a monster.
Fucking hell. We needed to kill that woman. The world would be a better place without her in it.
"So, you decided to depose Lady Isabel?" I asked.
Lord Sandstrike nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I may not be the most moral and upright person, but I still have my principles. As a House scion, it is my duty to lead and protect my people. When I found out what that woman had done, I couldn't stand by and do nothing. So, I gathered evidence and presented it before House Sandstrike's collateral and vassal families. From there, we proceeded to oust that woman from power." He sighed. "I should have just killed her. If I had, none of our current problems would've happened. But…"
Lord Sandstrike stopped speaking, but that was okay. I understood what he ant anyway.
"Matricide isn't easy," I said. "Rather, it shouldn't be."
Lord Sandstrike nodded.
"Please, stop that woman," he said. "I failed to realize the threat she represented, and now we're paying the price of my foolishness. It's shaless of to ask this of you, but please."
I held up a hand to stop him.
"My companions and I were already going to do that, so there's no need for you to plead," I said. "However, I would appreciate whatever support you can provide."
Lord Sandstrike hardened. For a brief mont, the fragility and exhaustion disappeared. Before , I saw the head of a House, one secure in his power.
"You will have the full support of House Sandstrike," Lord Sandstrike said. "At least the parts that haven't been corrupted by that woman. I will also take to the field, to help get rid of the parasites infesting my city."
I gave him a nod.
"Thank you, Lord Sandstrike," I said. "Your help is much appreciated."
Lord Sandstrike snorted.
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"This was my responsibility in the first place," he said. "It should've never co to this point." He sighed. "However, that woman took hold of my weakness and used it against ." He shook his head. "It's clear that I don't deserve to be the head of House Sandstrike."
Lord Sandstrike's words caught off guard. Both the words themselves, as well as the fact that he was sharing them with an outsider like .
"Are you sure this is sothing you should be telling , Lord Sandstrike?" I asked.
Lord Sandstrike shrugged.
"I don't see why not," he said. "You would've found out sooner or later. I plan on stepping down after we deal with that woman and the succubi."
"And who will succeed you?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.
"César," Lord Sandstrike said, as expected. "He's already proven himself capable enough. With ti and experience, he'll beco a good lord. I'm sure of it."
I paused for a mont.
"What about Lord Benicio?" I asked.
Lord Sandstrike shook his head.
"Benicio needs ti to heal and recover from his ordeal," he said. "Afterwards, he told he plans on joining the Church of the Sun."
Fair enough. A lot of people turned to faith after enduring a painful ordeal like Lord Benicio had. I hoped it worked out for him.
Afterwards, Lord Sandstrike and I talked so more. We needed to bring everyone together, so we could finalize our plans and ensure we destroyed both Lady Isabel and the succubi. Lord Sandstrike and I worked out the details of this upcoming eting, before he left.
"Hmm, perhaps there is hope for House Sandstrike after all," Kiki muttered to herself.
I shrugged, before I left the drawing room as well. I needed to get so proper rest. Sooner or later, Lady Isabel would make her move. Things were coming to a close. I felt it in my bones. When that happened, I needed to be at peak condition.
One way or another, this would all be over soon.
After getting so rest, my companions and I spent the rest of the day getting ready for the upcoming battle. In my case, I spent most of the ti coordinating between our various forces. With House Sandstrike on our side, at least the parts that hadn't been suborned by Lady Isabel, we stood a much better chance at winning. However, I dared not grow complacent.
Our foes were powerful and dangerous. All of the succubi were Tier Four demons, while their leader, Ash, was almost a Tier Five demon. Yes, succubi excelled at manipulation rather than fighting, but they were still tricky opponents to face. And that wasn't taking into account whatever thralls they might have.
anwhile, Lady Isabel was a powerful wizard/infernophage. I didn't know exactly how powerful she was, but she was at least a Fourth Circle wizard. That alone made her a dangerous opponent to face. Of course, there were also her thralls to consider.
Lord Sandstrike and the rest of House Sandstrike evened out the odds, but nothing was guaranteed. Maybe it would've been smarter to wait until after reinforcents from the Church of the Sun arrived. However, waiting would've cost dozens of innocent people their lives. That wasn't a price I was willing to pay.
Once we made all the preparations we could, including arming ourselves and several of our allies with elental bolters, we positioned ourselves near the succubi's hideout.
We split ourselves into two major groups. My companions and I led a small army of magical constructs created by Lord Dominic, while Lord Sandstrike and Lord César led a group consisting of House Sandstrike retainers and Lord César's personal forces.
To minimize the casualties, we evacuated the area. We tried to be as circumspect about it as we could, but I was sure the succubi noticed our movents regardless.
To my surprise, and dismay, they showed no reaction. We knew they were still at the brothel, since Lord César maintained a constant watch over the place and none of them had fled. Despite this, the succubi remained holed up in their hideout. I suspected that they had so trick up their sleeve, which left uneasy.
Afterwards, waited for Lady Isabel to make her move.
She didn't disappoint.
To warn ourselves ahead of ti, we positioned several sentries throughout Eastwatch to keep track of Lady Isabel's movents. About an hour after nightfall, we received word that Lady Isabel's forces had left Sandstrike Castle and were on the move. Most of them were her thralls, but a few were vassals and retainers of House Sandstrike that joined her side for one reason or another.
I assud Lady Isabel didn't have that many invisibility bracelets, since she made no attempt to hide her forces' movents. Or maybe she wanted the succubi to know that she was coming.
While we waited for Lady Isabel's forces to arrive, I studied the area around us once more. My companions and I were atop a nearby building, one that gave us a great view of the surrounding neighborhood. It was dark out. A layer of clouds blanketed the sky, blotting out the moon and the stars. However, there were enough glowstone street lamps around to make up for this.
The succubi's hideout was located in one of the "quieter" parts of Eastwatch, areas with less tourists and more locals. Even though we evacuated the surrounding area, the sll of spiced food and the sound of music still lingered in the air.
The neighborhood wasn't a slum, but neither was it an area that minor nobles and House scions liked to frequent. Rather, it was in between the two. Average. Talk about hiding in plain sight. I would've never expected a brothel to exist in a place like this.
The hideout itself looked like nothing special. It was a three-story tall building made of white stone. According to Lord César, the first floor consisted of shops. However, these were a smokescreen to hide the building's true purpose. The brothel took up the upper two floors, where all kinds of depraved acts took place.
We knew Lady Isabel's forces had arrived when a giant runic circle appeared in the sky above the brothel. It looked far more intricate than any runic circle I had ever seen before. Monts later, a giant do made of red light erged from the runic circle and encompassed the area, cutting off the entire neighbor.
An impressive display of large scale magic. I looked around and let out a sigh of relief when I realized that the do stayed within the area we had evacuated. Good. Whatever happened here tonight, at least we wouldn't have to worry about innocent bystanders getting caught up in it.
And yet, the succubi continued to show no response.
"So, that's how Lady Isabel decided to keep the succubi from fleeing," Cally said, looking up at the runic circle in the sky. "This do is designed to contain demons, while allowing humans to move freely through it. Rather ingenious."
I nodded. One of the reasons why succubi were tricky to deal with was their ability to fly. It was difficult to prevent them from fleeing. However, it appeared that Lady Isabel already took that into account.
"How did she manage to create a runic circle of this scale?" Leroy asked, awed. "I thought they had to be drawn or carved."
Cally pointed down. It took a mont to understand her aning.
"She carved it underground, didn't she?" I asked.
Cally nodded. I clicked my tongue in disappointnt. I should've expected this. Lady Isabel was an Earth wizard. Of course she'd carve a runic circle underground. Where else would she put it? This was an oversight on my part. I should've asked Lord Sandstrike and Lord César to post so sentries underground.
Several monts later, my companions and I watched as Lady Isabel's forces drew closer to the succubi's hideout. They marched through the streets, making no attempt to hide themselves. I put on the Eyes of Truth and looked around, just in case Lady Isabel had so people sneaking about, but saw no one.
While a few of Lady Isabel's people moved and acted like regular people, her thralls moved in complete unison. It was eerie. They reminded of automatons, dull and lifeless. Hell, even Lord Dominic's thralls showed more liveliness than this.
Lady Isabel herself brought up the rear. She rode atop, and I'm not making this up, an elaborate and luxurious palanquin. It was large enough that it required eight people to carry it. Not only that, but it looked like it cost the equivalent of a month's expenses for a small House. As a Sturm, which favored simple elegance, I found all this tasteless and excessive.
I tried to catch a glimpse of Lady Isabel herself. However, silk curtains hid her figure from sight. I was a little disappointed. Despite being such a central figure to everything going on here in Eastwatch, I had never even seen her once.
Ash disguised themself as Lady Isabel, and I heard her voice when I eavesdropped on her conversation with one of her servants, but I never saw the woman herself.
A part of wondered if Lady Isabel was even in that palanquin, or if it was so kind of trick.
My companions and I watched as Lady Isabel's forces sward around the succubi's hideout, surrounding it. Despite this, the succubi still showed no reaction. At this point, I realized that there was sothing seriously wrong with this situation. This was beginning to look more and more like a trap, one designed to catch both us and Lady Isabel.
"Sothing's wrong," I told my companions. "The succubi are being too passive. I think this is a trap."
The others nodded. From the expressions on their faces, they must've realized it as well. Anna held up an invisibility bracelet.
"I'll go warn Lord Sandstrike and his people," she said.
I nodded. With that, Anna put on the bracelet and disappeared from sight. anwhile, the rest of us prepared to deal with whatever ca our way.
A part of wanted to leave right away, and avoid whatever trick the succubi had up their sleeves. However, we couldn't do that.
If we didn't finish this tonight, there was a chance that either Lady Isabel or the succubi would escape. If that happened, they'd beco a greater threat in the future. We needed to deal with them here and now.
Lady Isabel's palanquin drew near the succubi's hideout, before coming to a stop.
"Ash!" Lady Isabel's voice rang out. "I know you're there! Co out here! It's ti we finished this!"
A heavy silence fell over the area as everyone waited for Ash's response. Several seconds passed by without a response from the succubus. However, just when I thought Ash wouldn't respond at all, a winged figure erged from the brothel and flew into the air.
It was Ash, wearing Lady Isabel's face. They hovered in the air, looking down on everything. Blood covered their body, both human red and demon black.
"My dear Isabel," Ash said in a saccharine tone. "It's been so long. Oh, how I've missed you."
"You foul creature!" Lady Isabel said, her fury evident. "How dare you take on my face?! I'll kill you for that!"
Ash let out a mocking chuckle.
"I think not, Isabel," they said, a wide smile on their face. "However, you're right. It's ti to end this. I don't want to waste any more ti on a hag like you. I'll retake the power you stole, before playing with my new toy."
When Ash said the word "toy", they looked right in my direction. Their smile widened even further, until it seed like their face would split in half.
Uh oh.
"Die!"
The area around us shook, and a tearing sound filled the air, as Lady Isabel used her magic to rip off chunks of the surrounding buildings. This included the one my companions and I were atop of. We managed to get to safety in ti, but we lost two of the magical constructs.
Lady Isabel ford a giant claw out of the debris, before swiping at Ash. The succubi hovered in place, acting without a care in the world. When the claw drew near enough, they made a casual gesture and destroyed it. Chunks of debris flew through the air, hitting buildings and even crushing so of Lady Isabel's forces.
None of the debris ca close to hitting or my companions. I didn't know if this was deliberate on Ash's part or not.
Silence filled the air after the last chunk fell. A cloud of dust filled the air.
"How?" Lady Isabel cried out, her voice filled with shock.
Her shock mirrored my own. I knew Ash was powerful. However, there was no way a Tier Four demon could casually brush off an attack from a Fourth Circle. At the very least, it should've strained the succubus.
"Oh, it's simple," Ash said.
With that, the presence of a Tier Five demon spread from the succubus.
Oh fuck.
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