Chapter 590 – Moroi, the City of Temples

Gretchen wasted no time and casted Penances at both of them. Hilde summoned forth five wyverns to attack. Her sisters jumped back, narrowly avoiding the priest's binding spells. They soared into the sky to do battle.

"Stay here!" Kanae told the others, then tossed Petyr the bag containing Isabella. "If they come for the living grimoire, do everything you can to keep it from them."

Petyr nodded.

With a heavy beat of her wings, Kanae lifted into the air. Gretchen had donned a suit of armor using Holy Armament. She pursued Charlotte, the Mistress of Excess, down the length of the bridge. Terrified citizens of Moroi ducked, hid behind stalls, and underneath carts which furnished the span like a bazaar.

Kanae, Hilde, and five wyverns bore down on Labelle, who weaved underneath the bridge. They dove after her just as she strummed the lute. Powerful vibrations knocked the wyverns into the river.

"I don't think so!" Kanae unwound Lust and whipped the lute out of Labelle's hands.

The instrument plummeted. When Labelle tried to fly down to catch it, Hilde intercepted her.

"We're putting an end to your schemes in Nu-hauta today, sister!" Hilde growled.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh, Hilde. My cute naive little sister. I wouldn't be so sure." Labelle pointed above them.

An old elven woman stepped off the ledge of the bridge.

"H-Help!" she cried.

Kanae burst forward and caught her. However, another local stepped up to the ledge. Two more. Ten. Twenty. Labelle was no doubt charming them. Kanae exerted her own Mass Charm, but she wouldn't be able to save them all.

"What's the matter, Kanae? My performance made you speechless?" Labelle cackled.

"Hilde!" Kanae pulled Cockcalibur out of her pussy, transformed it into a troll's massive cock, and threw it.

"Oh, my!" The old woman gasped.

They reached for the dildo, but Hilde caught it first being closer. She whirled around and smashed the side of Labelle's face, knocking her into a bridge column. The succubus hit the water where Petyr's rowboat was nearing.

All of the charmed citizens backed away from the ledge, overcome with relief. Kanae lifted the woman back onto the bridge and returned to Hilde.

"You have no idea how satisfying that was." Hilde smiled, handing Cockcalibur back.

"I had a feeling you'd like that." Kanae tucked the magical dildo back into her pussy.

Hilde yanked Kanae in for a deep and sensual kiss. They embraced tightly, tails coiling, and arms all over the other.

"Ahem." Gretchen descended next to them and held a Penance-caught Charlotte by her wings.

"Ugh. Throw me in the river and drown me already." Charlotte looked away.

The two parted from each other and recomposed themselves. They descended to the river surface. Both rowboats had stopped next to the column. A pair of rowers, one of them being Peyope, were missing. Both resurfaced suddenly, hauling an unconscious Labelle into the boat.

"Sis!" Charlotte gasped. "Is she… If anything happens to her, I'll plague every last grain and fruit on this island!"

"I'll resuscitate her." Petyr cracked her knuckles.

"Everyone, please stand back and give me room." Peyope shooed them away and began performing rhythmic chest compressions over Labelle's chest.

The Mistress of Debauchery snapped awake, coughing up water. Charlotte's relief lasted all but a split second. Labelle tried to sit up, only for Gretchen to cast Penance and Petyr to press a foot to her chest.

"Heh. Hiya. For some of you, it's been a 'long time, no see' moment." Labelle licked her lips.

"If it were up to me, I would have liked to keep the 'no see' streak. What are you doing here in Moroi? What do you mean by temporary truce?" Kanae sat down next to her head and asked.

"I'll talk if you let me sit upright and fetch my lute," she said.

"Making demands in your position is bold." Vestrid chuckled.

Kanae sighed. She nodded to Aric, and he dove into the river himself. The elf resurfaced a few times to catch his breath, and only the third time coming up had found the lute. He handed it to Kanae, who gave it to Petyr, only to break it in half in front of the succubus.

"Aw, you bitch. That was just petty, and you know it! I can make any instrument into a weapon, so it ain't like you destroying my lute makes a difference," Labelle said.

"Start talking. Or I do the same to you." Petyr took her foot off and lifted Labelle into a sitting position.

"We're all in a little conundrum, right? And we share a mutual party pooper putting a damper on our two-band show," she explained.

"King Toro." Kanae folded her arms.

Labelle flashed a toothy smile.

"The stage is small, so three's a crowd. All I'm suggesting is we kick a piece off the board before going back to each other's throats. Whaddya say?" Labelle asked.

"I-I feel like we shouldn't be here for this conversation," Aric said.

The other elves, including Peyope, looked extremely uncomfortable.

"We didn't come here to overthrow King Toro," Kanae assured them, then looked down at Labelle. "You and Charlotte made a gamble. You lost."

"I told you this was a waste of time. We were better off plaguing the place and luring the king out. You'll regret this, Kanae. It isn't always a bad idea to ally with an enemy." Charlotte sneered.

"You tried to kill mine and Alicia's baby." She glared at Charlotte.

"And you imprisoned me as an elemental lord's pet. So, no hard feelings?" The Mistress of Excess shrugged.

Kanae socked Charlotte in the stomach and shoved her off the boat as she doubled over.

"Please, pull her out. It looks like Moroi's authority is coming," Kanae said.

A dozen rowboats and three longer vessels approached them from all sides. Every single one manned by armed elven warriors and spellcasters ready to fight. After fishing Charlotte out of the river, Aric and Peyope explained who the real instigators were. They promptly placed Labelle and Charlotte under arrest.

"You will want to be careful with them. They won't hesitate to charm you," Hilde warned.

One of the guards signalled something to the others. Two very tattooed elves wrapped a cloth around the succubi's mouth. Inscriptions on the fabric glowed, revealing strange hieroglyphs that hummed with magic. Both of them looked surprised by it.

"Not with these seals they won't. Welcome to Moroi. Behave yourselves, mainlanders, or we will apprehend you next," the captain said.

"Wait! Before you leave, do you know of any way to gain an audience with King Toro?" Kanae asked.

"King Toro is not accepting an audience at this time. Good day."

As they sailed away, Petyr spat in the water.

"We should have killed them. You know they will find a way to escape eventually," Petyr said.

"I'm keeping our options open," Kanae explained.

"You could've told them I was Prince Qoro. That might give my father cause to grant you an audience," Qoro offered.

"No." She shook her head. "Remember what Bocchiri told us in Flotsam? You being here in Moroi will immediately mark us as enemies. It's best if you stay low for now."

"Hold on… P-Prince Qoro?" Aric stammered.

"So much for laying low." Gretchen palmed her face.

"You have our thanks for bringing us to Moroi. We would also like to thank you for your discretion." Hilde rested a fraternizing hand on Aric and Peyope's shoulders.

"Yes, ma'am!" they exclaimed.

Both boats sailed into port. The guards had already dispersed and taken away the Mistresses of Excess and Debauchery by the time they docked. Kanae touched down on solid ground at last. All this time spent under the sun had roasted her tan. It left a very distinct tan line where the Matron's Regalia covered certain parts.

"I'm relieved you turned them down, Amethyst. For a second there, I thought you were going to accept," Vestrid climbed onto the dock and said.

"If we're trying to evacuate citizens from Nu-hauta, fighting its people and king is the last thing we want to do. Besides, they betrayed my alliance before. They'll do it again," Kanae explained.

"We have our work cut out for us in Moroi if King Toro isn't taking visitors," she added.

Petyr got up and shoved the satchel containing Isabella into Kanae's arms. She opened and found the living grimoire shaking inside.

"Are they gone, Mistress? I haven't felt Satine's presence this strongly in centuries! That succubus? Labelle, was it? She's a chosen of the devil of lust. Be careful around her!" Isabella whispered.

"Oh, I know. I've experienced her Power Word: Climax before," Kanae said.

Charlotte might not be as strong, but Labelle certainly held back during their fight. She could have put many of them out of commission and didn't.

They thanked Aric and his crew. Kanae winked at Peyope, who was more than eager to meet up again. The party waded into the grand city of Moroi. Temples in every direction. Canals that snaked along the streets. Smaller boats filled with goods drifted into the narrow channels like carriages on a busy road.

Statues of the demigods Arenade, Glentir, and Regallis were a common sight. Although, the ones of Arenade definitely needed a significantly larger bust size. Flowers and fruits were laid plentifully at their feet. Custodian monks in simple orange robes took care of the rotting and withered tributes.

It seemed they had arrived during a small celebration. Beautiful elven women danced in the streets, wearing sparse feather and floral attire. Men playing drums and bongos followed the procession. A few of the women broke off and came over to adorn Kanae's group with flowery garlands. One elf threw a piece around Kanae and eyed her up and down.

"What's the occasion?" Kanae asked, giving the elf the same look-over treatment.

"King Toro's return! He's going to save Nu-hauta!" she explained jovially before rejoining the dancers.

They peeled away from the celebration on the streets. Kanae wondered if this was how it felt to live in Venice. Rowboats passed by in the canals. Petals showered them from above. Her party escaped the festivities entering a tavern with a creaky signboard of a stein hanging outside.

The seats were all on the floor. Patrons sat crosslegged or lounged on cushions around knee-high tables. A middle-aged elven lady behind the taproom counter looked up.

"Welcome, mainlanders. Here for a pint or room?" the bartender asked.

"Both," Kanae said, planting a bulging sack of coins onto the counter.

"Shall I begin my inquisitorial duties?" Gretchen leaned in and whispered.

"If they weren't in Kazhai, they are definitely here in Moroi. Take Motta and Vesh with you. Be careful," she implored.

Gretchen bowed.