Ch234: Heading to the Council Meeting

“Hnnngh...” A soft, breathy moan of a sigh slips through Krvavy’s slightly parted lips, that strong Drakling so thoroughly stretching where she stands. Her thick tail goes taut, hips rolling forward as she bends back, arms reaching so high that the very tips of her fingers touch the ceiling above...

Click.

That sharp, subtle sound is the only warning that Krvavy is given before the door to this guest room is unlocked and opened, the Countess stepping inside soon after.

“Oh, good.” Rina quietly exhales. “You are already awake.” Those vibrant cheeks of hers grow just a little more lively as she takes in this shameless sight, amethyst eyes lingering on her barbaric bodyguard’s big and bare breasts. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah,” Krvavy casually replies, completely unbothered by that half-Elf’s appreciative gaze. “The bed was a bit short, but... nnh... Not by that much.”

“I apologize for not sharing my own bed last night.” The Countess sadly states, the hem of her almost sheer negligee swishing atop her plush and pink-skinned thighs as she steps closer, clasping onto one of Krvavy’s hands with both of her own. “It would have been far more comfortable for you.”

Try as she might, Krvavy can’t stop her morning wood from growing just a bit stiffer. “Nah, it’s alright, really.” She quickly reassures, trying to ignore the fact that her colossal cockhead is so nearly touching the Countess’ lewd sleepwear, a seductive silhouette visible through that silken fabric... “You needed to be nice and well-rested for today, and if all that paperwork was anything to go by... It was best that I wasn’t there to bother you.”

A delicate finger slowly trails over the black scales that cover the Drakling’s hand, tracing from knuckle to wrist. “Krvavy, dear, you were a welcome distraction. Yes, your presence meant that I took a bit longer to deal with all of those letters than I otherwise would have, but you also made that whole job far more enjoyable.” The drastic difference in height between this Drakling and half-Elf hardly even noticed, amethyst eyes peering deep into an emerald pair... as if Rina were the one looking down, not up. “If only I could have properly rewarded you for all of your hard work~. My, your jaw must have been so sore by the end of the night~.”

“I –”

“Shh~...” That soft, shushing sound whispers through the air. “There is no need to be humble~...” The Countess softly coos, pulling this barbarian’s big and buff arm even closer, all but slipping beneath it. “Truly, you deserve a reward~... To be repaid for blessing me with such unending bliss~... And I~...” Her dense, dark eyelashes flutter, pearly teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. “I know just what sort of gift to give you~...”

Krvavy’s brow shoots up in surprise, an intense crimson colour sweeping across her previously pale cheeks as her palm... as her palm comes to cup this enticing Moon Elf’s beautiful butt. Without thinking, she gives that alluring ass a nice squeeze, fingers digging into yielding flesh and delving into the narrow valley between those cushioned mounds.

Tink.

The Drakling freezes as one of her nails taps into something solid. Something crystalline, by the sound of it.

Rina’s lips, painted such a deep shade of purple as to appear black, curl up into a wide and brazen grin. “Have you found a hint as to what your reward may be~...?” Her whispered voice is beyond sensual, each seductive syllable sending a shiver down Krvavy’s spine. “You may be surprised by how flexible and elastic ones body can become with the proper potions and preparation~...”

Krvavy’s cock twitches and throbs, that slowly softening shaft reversing course in an instant.

“But,” the Countess abruptly steps back, pulling free from her bodyguard’s embrace. “That will have to wait until tonight, until after this first and most draining day is done.” She plainly states, not a hint of arousal in her composed and dignified tone... though a ghost of a smile still remains on her face, amethyst eyes glimmering with amusement. “So do bear with me: the next dozen.. and a half... hours will be boring, excruciating, and agonizing. Yet it will all be worth it, for what will come after~.”

The Drakling takes a long and deep breath. “You... are far too much of a tease...” She grumbles, trying not to sound too frustrated. Krvavy teases her own girls all the time, so it is only fair that she gets a taste of her own medicine every now and then...

“I know~.” Rina breezily returns, already turning back to the door. For just the briefest of moments... a gleaming light catches on the amethyst gem nestled so snugly between her pleasantly plush cheeks, that buttplug soon hidden once more as the hem of her nearly sheer nightie falls back into place. “Now proceed with your morning routine and get dressed. We will have a quick breakfast before our long and boring day begins.”

That casually spoken order almost falls on deaf ears, this Drakling snapping from her daze only after those swaying hips have left her sight. As if she could possibly make the seconds, minutes, and hours pass on by even faster... Krvavy immediately does as the Countess had said.

Even though she only just woke up, Krvavy can hardly wait until it is time to head back to bed~.

Clip clop clip clop clip clop.

The sound of hooves striking into paved stone fills the air.

Krvavy shuffles slightly in her seat. The stagecoach that she is sitting in is... quite small. Barely big enough for four people. Four Humans. Which means that Krvavy, being as big as she is, has very little room in here. The fact that her tail takes up the other half of the cushioned bench that she is sitting on definitely doesn’t help either...

Said tail just barely taps against a certain maid’s simple black shoe. A shoe that not so subtly shoves that armoured appendage back across the floor.

Again, Krvavy shifts her weight around, unable to stay still for long. If this seat were just a bit taller... If the backrest just wasn’t so steep... If the roof and windows just weren’t so low... Trying not to focus on those many sources of discomfort, the Drakling lets her gaze wander away from her lap.

Which, naturally, means that her emerald eyes soon find themselves drawn towards the Countess.

Rina is wearing almost exactly the same outfit as she was yesterday, when they arrived in this city. Her dress is a little fancier, with purple patterns woven between the frilly and lacy layers. More silver chains, strings of pearls, and onyx beads decorate her body. But most noticeable of all is the tiara that sits atop her head, silver metal covered almost completely with small diamonds and the occasional aesthetically placed amethyst.

And from that tiara hangs a black silken veil. Also a different one from yesterday. One which only really covers the Countess’ face and which sags in the center, revealing the polished purple gemstone that always seems to rest in the middle of her forehead.

“Mh...!” Krvavy can’t help but twitch.

“Oh, did that hurt?” A tinge of concern underlines the Countess’ tone, her delicate fingers going completely still... holding the very tip of the Drakling’s tail between them. “I am sorry.”

A rather rich crimson colour creeps onto Krvavy’s cheeks, that bright blush visible even with her mask-like helmet covering a fair bit of her face. “No, I’m... I’m fine.” She reassures, doing her best to ignore the rather hostile glare directed her way, difficult as that is. “It’s just... The tip can be a bit... sensitive at times.”

Rina tilts her head ever so slightly to the side, unintentionally bringing attention to the beauty mark that rests below and beside her black, painted lips. “Do you like tails, Krvavy~?” While her tone is a little teasing... the Countess still sounds genuinely curious. “On your girls, I mean~.”

“I, well...” Krvavy idly gnaws on the inside of her cheek. The more she thinks about it, the more obvious the answer is. “Yeah...”

A delicate thumb trails along the border between black scales and white skin, as if unsure whether it should touch the firmer top or slightly softer underside. “Do you prefer them thick, like your own, or thin, like that of a Halfling?”

That... is actually a good question. None of Krvavy’s girls have a thick, meaty tail like hers. Though if any of them did... It would definitely be fun to hug and hold... Especially during sex~... But it’d also make cuddling a bit more complicated... She wouldn’t be able to embrace her girls from behind quite as easily... And it would be even more difficult to slip between their thighs while cuddling like that... Plus, big and meaty tails would obscure her view of their asses... So...

“Thin...” Krvavy nods her head, quickly growing more confident in her answer. “Yeah, thin.”

The Countess idly caresses her Draconic bodyguard’s tail. A subtle smile plays at her painted lips, the rest of her no doubt amused expression hidden behind that veil. “My, it looks like you gave that question quite the consideration~. Would you mind elucidating your thoughts to me~?”

“Thicker tails are nice, but... they’re a lot more inconvenient.” The barbarian pointedly looks at her own tail, that fat thing forcing her to sit slightly crooked as it takes up an entire seat on its own. “Plus, the thinner ones are... kind of cute. They’re fun to touch and stroke, and don’t get in the way when cuddling.”

That exotic noblewoman’s smile only seems to grow wider, more teasing. “Interesting~. I –”

Do do doo!

Rina grimaces, a heavy sigh pushing its way past her pursed lips. “We... have arrived.” The stagecoach subtly and almost imperceptibly shakes as the horses pulling it along slow down and then stop. “I hope that you enjoyed this conversation, brief as it was, for nearly every minute from here on out will be far more boring.”

Without a word, the albino maid rises to her feet, pushing against Krvavy’s armoured legs as she opens the door. Her cold pink gaze expectantly and impatiently turns towards the Drakling, stepping back to give that bodyguard enough room to exit this coach.

Which is exactly what Krvavy does, hopping to the ground before turning around to help the resentful maid down as well. Unlike the mobile home of a carriage that they spent the last week travelling in, this much smaller stagecoach doesn’t have a staircase it can deploy. Just a couple steps hanging from its underbelly. Which really aren’t the best suited for a woman in a long dress.

A somber expression fills what can be seen of the Countess’ face, her delicate hands clutching at her long and layered skirts... lifting them up just enough to scandalously reveal her ankles. She gives Krvavy an appreciative nod as that barbaric bodyguard gently grabs her elbow and guides her down to the ground.

Krvavy picks her axe up and off the floor of that small stagecoach, before finally turning to look at what looms ahead.

Further along the beautifully cobbled road stands a castle. A proper and actual casual. Though... not the most impressive one. It is bulky and short, topped with crenellated battlements. The whole thing is painted with plaster in various different shades of grey and white, clearly meant to emulate the stone bricks laying beneath it. But that just makes the building look a bit... plasticky.

For the first genuine castle that Krvavy has seen in this world... It is a disappointment. It looks boringly realistic. Practical. And early medieval. It isn’t particularly fancy or ornate. There are no tall fantasy spires, no –

“Stand up straight.” Vera’s cold, whispered voice stabs into the Drakling’s ear like a sharp knife. That maid glares through her glasses as she takes her place at the Countess’ left side, standing a step and a half behind the noblewoman who she so eagerly serves.

Krvavy stifles a sigh and does as the antagonistic maid demands, stepping forward to take her place at Rina’s right. As much as she may be loathe to admit it, that bratty albino has a point. Krvavy does have a habit of slouching. That just comes naturally to her, thanks to the thick and meaty tail that drags her center of balance backwards simply by existing.

Oh, and she also just never had a good posture to begin with. But the weight of that tail is really more to blame in this current moment.

Heavy footfalls echo through the air, a handful of knights coming to flank the Countess and her two companions as they walk the final distance along this road. The drawbridge has already been lowered, inviting them in.

While this castle may look stern and practical on the outside, the inside is anything but. Curated gardens fills the courtyard, interspersed with fountains, statues, and ornate lampposts. It may just be Krvavy’s bias, but this whole place feels... gaudy. A bit too bright and colourful. A bit too busy. Everything in here would no doubt look good on its own, but together... It is really just way too much. It is honestly a mess, a –

“Ah! My Lady!” An eager, excited voice carries across this cluttered courtyard, the Countess’ knights doing nothing to stop its owner from stepping straight past them. “Punctual, as always!” That polite praise comes from an older gentleman, a big and wiry moustache set between a bulbous nose and a wide, genuine grin. “May I have a word before those more important than I take up your time?”

“Of course, Mirek.” The faintest bit of warmth can be heard in Rina’s words, making it quite clear that – unlike the Duke of Vratsa – she doesn’t detest this man. “Come, let us step off the thoroughfare.”

That older gentleman nods in agreement, leading the Countess and her manageably sized entourage down an offshoot path deeper into the courtyard. “Do we have privacy?” He asks, the slightest bit of concern filling his thin and weathered face. “From prying eyes and ears?”

Wisps of darkness dance across the paved pathway, rustling through the bushes and flowers. Everything beyond the Countess’ immediate surroundings shimmer like a mirage.

“Yes.” Rina replies, her tone far more casual now. “I take it that you have news of the excavation?”

“Indeed, indeed!” This older gentleman, Mirek, can hardly contain his excitement now that he doesn’t need to worry about others listening in. Wasting not a moment more, he quickly pats down his worn beige tunic, searching for something specific in one of his pockets. “We have uncovered an intact section of the ruins! Aha! Here!”

Rina tilts her head to the side, her obscured eyes clearly gazing down at the folded piece of paper that had just been pushed into her hands. It crinkles and crackles like delicate parchment as she carefully opens it up... revealing a rather detailed drawing of a door set into a wall.

“That is my granddaughter’s work! Wonderful artist, she is...” The older, elderly man trails off, quickly clearing his throat. “Ahem. See the engravings on and around the door? It is warded!” A bright, excited light dances across his eyes, so lively despite his obviously advanced age. “We are already making great progress on understanding those wards, so it is only a matter of time until we can safely reveal whatever secrets and knowledge may be hiding within! Imagine, the mysteries of Nordmak finally being unravelled!”

Krvavy finds herself leaning forward, curiously looking down at that inked image. It... looks vaguely familiar. Not those engravings, but...

“Have you any thoughts, Krvavy?”

The Drakling jumps slightly as she is directly addressed by the Countess. “Oh, uh, yeah. I’ve seen ruins like that before. A bit cruder and more run down, but the stonework looked the same.”

“Is that so!?” That older gentleman’s wiry white moustache twitches... into an abrupt frown. “Pardon me, where are my manners? I am Sir Mirek Norbert, Historian and Archaeologist! Oh, and a minor noble whose property lies near the border of Raseyne and Vratsa, though unfortunately on the wrong side.” He almost dismissively adds, brushing that last bit aside to focus on a much more important topic. “Now... Where did you see similar ruins to this?!”

Krvavy resists the urge to step back from that overly excited, but seemingly harmless, old man. Who she absolutely towers over. “On the other side of Raseyne, in the hills much further to the east. It was pretty deep underground, beneath another ruin and... either a cave or an old tunnel.” Her armour clinks slightly as she shrugs. “It is also completely infested with slimes.”

“A subterranean ruin?! One which is accessible to the surface?!” The fact that said subterranean ruin is swarming with living puddles seems to fly right by this enthusiastic archaeologist. “How sprawling is its complex?!”

“Well, the place is big but... I wouldn’t exactly call it sprawling. More vertical than anything, going down thirteen floors from the top. And each floor is a big circular ring around a pit. Which has a tower in its very center.” Krvavy briefly glances towards the Countess. “Beryl called it a panopticon, which is probably right. There isn’t much down there beyond rusted cells. And slimes.”

“How interesting! Have you explored that ruin in its entirety?” Mirek eagerly asks, scribbling something down into a small notebook.

Krvavy wobbles her left hand around in a ‘so-so’ gesture. “Kind of? I wasn’t too thorough, and some parts of it are pretty collapsed, but... I did make it all the way to the bottom and climbed all the way back up on the central tower.”

That older archaeologist keeps his gaze locked onto the tip of his pen, ready to record any and every little detail that this Drakling can share. “Did you find anything of note? Engravings? Inscriptions? Relics, even?”

The barbarian lightly bites the inside of her cheek. “Not... exactly. The place is pretty barren. And grim. A lot of the cells contain large chunks of quartz that might have once been corpses that have crystallized, and... At the very bottom there was a crystal golem, of some sort. It was very dangerous, very violent, and very destructive. So do be careful that your ruin isn’t hiding something like that.”

“Noted...” Mirek quite literally notes that down, before glancing up at the Drakling. Or more specifically, at the Drakling’s Soulbound weapon. “Would I be correct in assuming you found that crystal in this ruin? Perhaps as remains of the golem?”

The Drakling nods. “Yeah, I found it down there.” She states, not telling the entire truth but not lying either. “It wasn’t shaped exactly like this though. Nowhere near as sharp, and more of a prism.”

“Krvavy here has a close relationship with a Dwarven Runesmith.” Rina helpfully explains, her painted lips curling into an affectionate smile. “My adventurous bodyguard has quite the eclectic collection of companions. Including a Wood Elf. The ‘Beryl’ that she mentioned. Quite the lovely woman. Very free and adventurous herself.”

“My Lady, you have quite the habit of finding the most unique amongst us.” The old and weathered historian politely smiles, subtly and briefly glancing towards Vera. Who simply just glares at him. With a gentle shake of his head, Mirek soon turns back to the barbarian, countless questions gleaming in his eyes. “Is that ruin in any danger of being discovered or pilfered by others?”

“I... don’t think so.” Krvavy slowly answers. “It’s pretty remote and very well hidden. And the slimes will keep any animals out as well.”

“Good, good... I would like to send an expedition there, if that is alright?” A wide smile, partially hidden by his white and wiry moustache, spreads across this archaeologist’s face. “Splendid! Though with autumn on the horizon, and winter following soon after, such an expedition may need to wait until next year... We will see how the planning goes. And for that, I would almost certainly need more support from you, my Lady.”

“Of course, our agreement stands. Your findings thus far have kept me quite intrigued. The secrets of the past will not hide long while you are in pursuit, Sir Mirek.” The Countess’ professional tone drops into a sigh as the wispy mirage that she is maintaining around them faintly, but noticeably, flickers. She delicately folds the detailed drawing back up, before holding it out to the gentleman who gave it to her. “Now, as much as I may wish to hear more, our time is coming to an end. I would not want the more spiteful of my peers to turn their ire towards you for ‘hogging’ my time.”

“My thanks, Lady Alexandrina.” The wizened historian nods, taking that paper back and slipping it into his pocket. “I will undoubtedly have more to show when next we meet, and I will take your companion’s caution to heart. Have as good a day as possible while within this city of vultures.”

The magical mirage hanging in the air fades away as Mirek gives one last bow, disappearing completely as he turns to head off.

“I take it that pretty much no one else is going to be as friendly as he was?” Krvavy idly asks, smiling a little wryly as Vera of all people confirms that with a nod.

“Almost certainly not.” Rina sighs in response. “Most of those who will be attending this Council are... far more focused on their positions and the power they are afforded than good Sir Norbert is.” The painted lips of this gothic half-Elf curl down into a frown as her pointed ears suddenly twitch, those moon-like pearl earrings of hers jingling so very softly. “Which you will soon see.”

The sound of heels clicking and clacking across stone can be heard just a few seconds later, growing louder with each passing moment.

“Alexandrina! Dear! There you are!” A rather matronly woman rounds the corner, barrelling along the garden path with a number of unremarkable but fairly well-dressed servants hurrying on after her. “I had heard that you arrived, but could not find you inside!”

“I felt like taking a look at Veselin’s gardens.” Rina warmly replies, her tone friendly and playful... in an almost sickeningly sweet way. “They are as gaudy as ever~.”

Vera’s expression darkens, pale pink eyes narrowing behind her glasses. Hate and contempt fill the albino maid’s face as she glares openly at the noblewoman. Who completely and utterly ignores her presence.

Loud, boisterous laughter echoes through these gardens. “Oh, of course~!” This really quite voluptuous noblewoman easily agrees, brushing a few loose locks of her curly brown hair over a bare shoulder. The dress that she is wearing is far more eye-catching and lavish than what Rina has on... And it does nothing to hide her absolutely massive tits, that vast valley of cleavage lifted up and put on display. “The old cad hardly has the same elevated tastes as you or I! He only has the biggest, brightest, and most expensive of flowers grown! No subtlety.”

Krvavy’s brow finds itself furrowing together. There is just something about Vera’s glare that doesn’t seem right... The albino maid isn’t looking at this older woman in the same way that she looks at Krvavy, at her competition for the Countess’ attention. Vera’s face is filled with far more... disgust. Those pale, pinkish eyes gleaming with pure and utter loathing.

“Speaking of a lack of subtlety...” Rina smiles and tilts her head towards Krvavy. “Have you seen my bodyguard for this trip~?”

This vaguely middle aged, matronly noblewoman spares Krvavy only a brief glance. “My... quite the mighty woman you have employed~.” A hint of patronizing, condescending disdain underlines her otherwise friendly tone, faint and almost unnoticeable. Almost. “Making a statement about your trade with those barbarians beyond your lands?”

Rina dismissively waves her hand, brushing aside that incorrect assumption. “Her presence is more to lean into my ‘exotic’ nature than that.”

If Krvavy hadn’t spent nearly the entirety of the last week hanging around the Countess, then she might think that both of these noblewomen were friends. Or at least on fairly friendly terms. But there is something undeniably fake about how they’re speaking to each other. As if they are both just putting up an act.

“Come now, let us head inside. Those bores are surely waiting on us.” Without waiting for the Countess’ agreement, this foxy noblewoman – and her silent entourage – turn to head off.

Rina stifles a sigh, given no choice but to follow. They are heading in the same direction, after all.