We left a handful of Silver Cross insurgents and Principality of Ors soldiers behind in case something were to happen. All in all their numbers totalled to a little under 7,000 strong, with another 1,000 lying in wait within the walls of Semiramis. I certainly hoped for more, but this was expected. Ors was a small nation, and the Silver Cross had to operate within a kingdom ruled by a paranoid manic. Our numbers could swell by another good 1,000 if I could convince the demi-humans within Semiramis to throw off their shackles.
Because of the powerful walls of Juna's capital, a true siege would not turn out in our favor. It could take months, and with thousands of mouths to feed, we would be on the disadvantaged side and Juna's innocent subjects would be first to suffer.
I wasn't versed in military stratagem. Fortunately, Quinny and Ors military officers offered a plan of their own to incorporate me.
"The plan's to force old Uldrin to surrender. He values his life more than anything being the coward he is. Problem is the witch serving him. We will position our armies at the southwestern and southeastern gates, and signal our people inside to occupy the northern guardhouse. Should stunt their response. Meanwhile, you will go in and neck this witch for us. With any luck, no one should have to perish." Everyone nodded following Quinny's rundown of our plans after hours of discussion.
One officer, grisiled from years of service and should be considering retirement instead of leading, expressed concern over marching their armies through the wetlands.
"Slogging through that would take us an entire day. If someone were to see us and report to Semiramis, we would lose the element of surprise," he said.
"Not to worry. You let me take care of that. In the meantime, have your people hammer small nails into your boots sticking out." I grinned.
Thelia sighed as she followed me into a private room upstairs in the tavern. "Humans always have so much to say. It took three hours to come up with a plan that was discussed at the start? This is why they need a singular ruler, one to—"
Tentacles emerged from my robes and hovered around the erinyes, silencing her of what she wanted to say next.
"The battle at Lotherain took a lot more out of me than I thought. I need to replenish my magic well with you," I said.
"Wait— Right now? Here— aah!" Her wrists and ankles were quickly bound, and the obsidian armor ripped away from her body. The erinyes squirmed with anticipation, her normally sadistic appearance made more submissive in the privacy of the bedroom.
Thelia's red skin became a shade darker as I lowered my head between her legs. She writhed and struggled against the restraints when I licked her clit. The low current coursing through my tongue electrified her senses, giving her a pleasure only Mira and I knew how to give using this technique.
"I'm cumming already— aaagghh!" The demon's eyes rolled to the back of her head, feet curled, and chest heaving from the climax.
"We're not done yet, Thelia. I still need a little bit more juice." I climbed on top of the bed and kissed her, allowing the demon to suck on my tongue like an infant searching for food. Two more tentacles sprouted from my robes and, in their insatiable hunger, penetrated both of her holes.
"I need you to listen carefully. You're an integral part of this plan to take Semiramis. If you do well, there will be more of this to come," I said, licking her sweat-stained cheek and pulling out a potion for her to drink.
Thelia could barely form coherent speech once I was done with her. She never looked more attractive laying there like the twitching mess she was, murmuring quietly about wanting more. Thanks to her, I was able to collect enough magic using Vessyra's gift to empower myself. Hopefully, it would be enough.
We returned to the human army which had just finished their preparation and were in marching formation just outside of the town. Just beyond was a short expanse of marsh-like terrain and shy of that was Juna's capital, Semiramis.
"So, what're the plans to get us there?" Quinny asked from below, at the vanguard of her army.
I winked, and flew higher in the sky with Rio by my side. Summoning the incredible stores of magic inside me, the living robes once again transformed into Vessyra's vestments. People gasped in witnessing my visage that was beautiful, savage, and… rather erotic. But now wasn't the time for feeling embarrassed.
"Vanis sleuth!" My words echoed far and wide, and along the vibration of sound that expanded outwards, caused the wetlands to freeze over in a layer of ice.
"One surprise after another with ya." Quinny smirked and gave me a thumb's up. She then turned to address her people, booming as she spoke. "Onwards! Let's each of us shove a knife up old Uldrin's sorry ass!"
The march began in the early morning. We arrived at the walls of Semiramis by afternoon just as the sun finally peeked over the western mountain range. Straggling demons dared not face an army of thousands. They mostly left us alone, but the few unlucky enough to be caught by Thelia were forcibly coaxed into joining us.
Unsurprisingly, Quinny's army wasn't met with resistance right out of the gate. Hundreds of Juna soldiers gathered at the battlements above. They watched with a guise of bravery that belied terror, a taste which Thelia reveled in.
"You think they'd start firing arrows with us being so close, yeah?" Quinny remarked as she dismounted from her horse.
"The fools are in disarray and without leadership. It would be a simple matter to blow open the doors for you," Thelia said.
"Leave the rest to me." I flew up the wall, startling the guards at the edge. One even loosed a crossbow bolt that had a better chance of hitting the broad side of a barn. "Call your witch. I'd like to have a word with her—"
"Farrowghast, you look well. The new look suits you." A wizened and disjointed voice had spoken seemingly out of nowhere. I detected no magical signature other than mine and Rio's in the immediate vicinity. Her voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my tongue on who it was. The slow cadence of her voice told me she was much older, possibly an instructor. Or…
A rip in space unzipped before me. It opened like an eye, awakening from a long slumber. From it, emerged an ivory-haired witch dressed in robes made of raven feathers from the shoulders down. She bore the symbol of a four-pointed star with an eye in the center— the mark of the Elder Board.
Rio hissed. That was when I realized I detected three signatures inside this witch's body. She had also consumed soul stones. In terms of practical experience, she had me beat. But now was no time to be afraid.
"Come now. You must remember me, don't you? Or was I and my classes far too boring to remember?" she asked.
"You're Rochelle Winnegan, the instructor for advanced spells and incantations. Well, Instructor, I don't suppose you'd be willing to step aside and hand over Semiramis?" I asked in return.
My former instructor grimaced. "My, how you have grown. Unfortunately, King Uldrin is an important pawn to Edith's plans. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave."
The way she regarded Edith so casually was evidence enough of the Elder Board's involvement. I suspected resolving this peacefully was a longshot. However, we came here with a mission. I would see it through no matter what.
"In that case… I'm sorry I have to do this, Instructor." I empowered my staff into its radiant and bladed form, but it didn't faze Rochelle any less than my robes.
"An army of thousands and a handful of demons isn't enough. You should have brought more." She responded in kind by raising her staff into the air, conjuring a massive fireball in the same scale of Belle's meteors.
My heart raced. For a spell that powerful, Rochelle must have consumed a soul of wrath. I'd be safe, but she could incinerate the entire army behind me and then some.
"Any last words?" she asked.
"Just one— now!" I shouted. Rio and I entangled her staff with our tentacles, immobilizing her from throwing the spell. Thelia lassoed her whip around Rochelle's body. The spell fizzled out as the magic-nullifying whip cut her off from her own pool of magic.
"What the hell?!" Rochelle squirmed and screamed, now as powerless as a normal human in our grasp. She glared at Thelia, whose signature neither of us could sense after drinking Eileen's new potion. "H-How? I should have known you were hiding!"
"We happen to have a rather potent young alchemist in our midst. This is your loss, Instructor Winnegan." I fired a small fireball across the city, serving as a flare to signal our victory. All at once, Quinny's men who had infiltrated the city beforehand opened the gates, allowing the army outside to flood in.
