Chapter 589 – Upstream to Moroi

"Aaaaaand done," Talar said.

Kanae and Vestrid had come back the next day to check on the jeweler's progress. He was nearly done when they arrived. Talar presented to them two simple silver-banded rings each set with a piece of manathine. While beautiful, they lacked the luster of rubies and were quite dull in its crimson color.

"Fine craftsmanship, is what I would like to say. But this is my first time seeing something made of manathine, so I've got nothing to compare it to." Vestrid lifted one ring up to her eyes.

"I assure you, this is as perfect as one such as myself can make. Manathine looks like a crystal at first glance, but it is as metal as copper, iron, and steel are. However, it has a much higher melting point and must be treated carefully due to its brittle properties," Talar explained enthusiastically.

"And also due to its properties, we should be able to transmit mana to and from these rings. How can we gauge that though?" Kanae slipped the other onto her pinky finger.

"I'm a jeweler, not a mage." He shrugged.

Kanae pulled Isabella out. When the living grimoire levitated after being let go, Talar yelped in surprise and stepped back.

"Ooooh. What are you fucking today? That old man? I'm not so sure his hips can take the way you pound it, Mistress!" Isabella giggled.

"I'm not going to fuck him!" Kanae groaned into her hand.

"I-I-I'd be happy to take sex as payment! Especially with a succubus!" he exclaimed.

"You stay out of this. I already paid you in gold! Isabella, I know you're able to sense latent mana. I want you to stay next to Vestrid and tell me if her manathine ring fills with mana," she explained.

Isabella saluted using the ribbon bookmark. Kanae and Vestrid walked to opposite ends of the boutique. She channeled Restore Mana into the manathine ring. Like filling an empty glass with water, Kanae felt the transfer of one thing into another. However, none of them were sure how this worked

"Is it working?" Vestrid asked.

"No, not feeling a thing," Isabella said.

"Come on. Work, you!" Kanae twisted the ring, only to notice the color had brightened somewhat. She had a hunch and pointed the manathine setting directly at Vestrid, who caught on to do the exact same thing.

"Oh, oh! I'm sensing the flow of mana from Mistress' ring to Vestrid's!" the living grimoire exclaimed.

It worked!

"Okay. Alright. We're getting somewhere. Mana is capable of flowing from one manathine to another even at a distance. That's pretty nifty." Kanae held the ring up to the light and grinned.

"We know the cultists are searching for their temple somewhere in Tau'we. From your reports, they need a substantial amount of magic to power the thing. Maybe this is how they do it," Vestrid suggested.

"There's no 'maybe' about it. That has to be what they're trying to do. Let's check back in with Gretchen. With any luck, she and the incubi might have found a succubus cultist. Thanks for the help, Talar." She smiled.

"Does this mean no sex?" The old elven man sulked.

Kanae resisted the growing urge and turned to leave. They met back up with the others at the taproom floor of their inn. Petyr and Qoro were the only ones not back, but only because the two had gone to charter ships for the passage to Moroi. Everyone was already packed and ready to leave after a meal.

"How did the manathine go?" Hilde asked as Kanae sat down beside her.

"The jeweler made two rings out of it. They do in fact transfer mana as you expect." Kanae put her hand on the table for everyone to lean in and look.

"Speaking of which, I don't need this. None of my skills use mana. Anyone want it?" Vestrid tugged her ring her off.

"I do!" Gretchen and Hilde rose to their feet.

They glared at each other.

"A Seductress is a spellcasting class. I will make better use of it," Hilde said.

"As a crowned Priest, my spells can better serve us as a whole," Gretchen reasoned.

"Why don't you guys ask Kanae who should wear it?" Motta suggested.

"Wha—" Kanae panicked when both of their gazes snapped to her. "No, no, no. Don't bring me into this!"

"Who should wear the ring?!" they shouted in her face.

Across the table, Vestrid laughed while chowing down on a smoked grouper.

"H-How about you two take turns wearing it?" Kanae answered anxiously.

Gretchen and Hilde eyed each other until the latter backed off first.

"Very well. Go right ahead, Gretchen." Hilde sat back down, seething in silence.

"So, uh… Gretchen, Motta, and Vesh. You three find anything?" Kanae gulped.

They stopped eating. Motta and Vesh turned to Gretchen.

"We did not find any succubi hidden in Kazhai. The cult is being thorough about avoiding capture. We did, however, uncover that some of the locals were charmed. After freeing them, they explained that the succubi were here roughly two weeks ago," Gretchen explained.

"Which means Jhene might not have come through, and it's just Labelle and one other. They've probably split up to hit different islands of Nu-hauta," Kanae murmured.

"Sorry, Kanae. I talked a big game about finding cultist succubi, but we only came up empty-handed." Vesh sulked.

"Don't be sorry. It's better that none of us ran into the succubi. Them not being here is a cause for celebration, honestly." She sighed.

After breakfast, they made their way east out of Kazhai, entering what appeared to be another port. Four branching rivers poured out into the coast, with each leg boasting a developed dock that received ships sailing in and out of the island. Most, however, were fishermen drifting out to sea hoping for a day of bountiful catches. The mangroves here were sparser and less dense, allowing travel.

Down below on the western-most dock, Petyr and Qoro beckoned to them.

"They say large ships can't traverse the Kazhai Delta. Rowboats are the only way. Qoro and I have chartered two to take us to Moroi," Petyr explained.

"Why, praytell, are we not flying? All this traveling by water has been miserable." Hilde groaned.

"Because your big black dragon paints a big black target on us. By boat, we're able to mostly blend in with other travelers," Kanae said.

"Fair point." She folded her arms.

Two modest-length rowboats, each manned by four elves with long oars, drifted up to the dock. The visage of a sea serpent had been carved into the bow of the boat. Their vessels were a lot more hefty than a typical fishing boat. They even had a grill and fire going to roast fresh fish, oysters, and crabs.

"Welcome aboard! If yer hungry, feel free to grab something to eat. Else, sit back and enjoy the journey. Moroi is a three day sail up the delta. Two if we're lucky. Name's Aric. These here are my ships and crew." The beefcake of an elven man flashed a jovial smile.

"I call front!" Vesh flew up and landed at the bowmost seat.

Motta, Qoro, and Petyr descended into the same ship. Meanwhile, Kanae, Vestrid, Hilde, and Gretchen climbed into the other.

They sailed into the wetlands around Kazhai. Aric's crew effortlessly rowed upstream despite the current. All eight of them were very strong, and it showed. The men and women boasted exceptionally defined arms. The tattoos served as a clearer sign of their age than anything else about them.

One of the rowers on Kanae's boat was a young elven woman with jet black ink on both arms and upper neck. They were like murals on her skin, depicting the seas and the monsters that lurk under the surface.

"I'm not done inking myself, if that's what you're wondering." The elven woman smiled.

"What's the significance of your tattoos? I figured you have enough of the ocean around to remind you of it anyway," Kanae said.

"Don't tell Aric." She glanced at the man himself, who was rowing on the other boat and trying to make conversation with an uninterested Petyr. "I know Nu-hauta's sinking. King Toro has this crazy plan to save the archipelago, but I don't buy it. He's no god. I plan to leave for the mainland in a few years. I want to immortalize the sea and home on my body before then."

Kanae quietly thanked the Supreme One that there were reasonable inhabitants in Nu-hauta.

"Well, if you find yourself in the Commonwealth, be sure to look for me." Kanae winked.

The elven woman chewed on her lower lip and smiled with simmering interest.

"My name is Peyope. A pleasure." Peyope extended a hand, and Kanae gladly grabbed ahold of her.

To the side, Hilde cleared her throat. They quickly let go, and Peyope returned to rowing quietly.

The sun grew hotter as the day went by. Kanae dipped her hands into the river to splash her face. Hilde had fallen asleep. Gretchen inspected the new manathine ring. One of the rowers was giving Vestrid a lesson in spear fishing at the stern. They plunged multi-pronged spears into the water and pulled a skewered fish back up.

When Kanae faced forward, she spotted Qoro sitting at the stern of his ship a little bit ahead and glancing back at her. He waved.

"Tell me about Moroi." Kanae waved back.

Qoro beamed, appearing happy to share. "Moroi is the oldest city in Nu-hauta. I probably need a refresher in my history lessons, but from what I understand, the first elves came from the mainland. They were escaped servants and slaves of the high elves, and only ended up on Azor Island after a storm washed them ashore. The city of Moroi has the most beautiful temples built with the mountainside, worshipping the demigods Regallis, Glentir, and Arenade. To this day, we credit them with our people's survival."

"Moroi sits between a split in the island," Peyope chimed in. "The bridges connecting both mountain faces are quite the sight. Oh, and you're going to love the faces of our gods carved into the stone that welcomes our arrival."

Aric whistled sharply enough to wake Hilde up.

"Flash flood! Tether up!" Aric shouted.

"Flash flood?" Kanae looked to Peyope for answers.

"It's the snowmelt from Azor Island's tallest mountain, Sharai. Ever since that volcano erupted next to the archipelago, the heat's been melting all the snow faster than usual," Peyope explained.

The rowers steered themselves closer to the riverbank. They tied ropes around the cleats of their ships to the nearest mangrove trees. Immediately, Kanae felt the boat lurch and groan. A wave passed by, lifting both crafts up almost two feet.

"Help!" Heeelp!" someone cried.

A couple of heads bobbed up and down the surface of the water. The current carried them quickly downstream.

"Shit!" Aric was about to jump in to help until Petyr grabbed his shoulder.

"Gretchen, Hilde!" Kanae shouted.

They didn't wait for the order. Kanae and both of her subordinates flew off the boat. The three positioned themselves to catch their targets. Waves pulled an older elven man under. Kanae sucked in a deep breath and dove in— and regretted it right away. Turbulent currents dragged her downstream. Using her tail, she grabbed hold of the thick mangrove roots which blanketed the riverbed and caught the man with both hands. She swam back up to find that they were almost a hundred feet from where the rowboats had stopped.

"Come on!" Kanae hoisted the man out of the water, wings flapping with all their might until they lifted into the air. By the time she reached the rowboat, all her stamina had been spent. She dropped the man before collapsing to the ground herself. "I… I need to do some cardio… I haven't swam that much in… ever."

"I-I might need some… mouth to mouth resuscitation." The man panted, sticking his tongue out.

Kanae clamped her tail on him and drained his stamina until she could stand again. A quick look around, and Gretchen and Hilde had rescued their unfortunate swimmer, too.

When flash food subsided, they rowed upstream to reunite the three who had fallen overboard with their vessels. Apparently, the waves had knocked them off before they had a chance to brace for impact.

They were fortunate enough not to encounter another flash flood over the next few days. Kanae had a chance to get intimately acquainted with Peyope late in the nights. The young elven woman was a passionate lover, who especially liked having her pussy eaten. Both of them had to leave the rowboats and wander into the wilderness just to avoid waking the others up.

On the morning of the third day, Kanae awoke Hilde, shaking her awake.

"Kanae, we've arrived!" Hilde exclaimed.

Kanae yawned into her hand and gulped down crisp fresh air untainted by the smoldering humidity. It actually felt somewhat cooler here. They had sailed into a narrow gorge which grew noticeably wider the deeper they went. It was hard to miss the three statues carved into the side of the looming valley. The vague visages of an elven woman and wolf beastman towered from the left, while a minotaur with one broken horn stood on the right. They were undoubtedly made in honor of Arenade, Regallis, and Glentir.

As they sailed past the statues, the gorge gave way into a much wider split. Peyope was right. It looked like this section of the island had been parted open. Countless stone temples with orange-pointed rooftops had been erected surrounded by tropical trees and plants. The surface of the gorge was an entire city itself, too, with homes and buildings stretching along the riverside. There were rowboats to each house, bobbing up and down to the whims of the river.

They were about to cross underneath a large stone bridge which connected the west and east valley together. But two figures sitting up on the edge caught Kanae's attention. The gentle strumming of a lute perked her ears and tail up. Everyone else heard it, too. Hilde stood up and glowered. Sitting beside the lute player was Charlotte, who stared down at them with spite burning in her eyes. The music stopped, and the succubus holding the lute waved enthusiastically at them.

"Yo! How about a temporary truce?" Labelle smirked.