As evening drew near, the older denizens of the edirashem began to retire to the smaller wagons and the large one in the back. They laid out cots and slept in the open. Others cozied up inside their carts. Many of the vendors, who had set up shop at the forewagon, didn't even put away their stock. Braziers ignited in anticipation of the frigid desert night. Children exhausted of their energy huddled together under large blankets near the fires.

 Men and women continued their thankless labor. Throughout the day, one group of workers climbed the netting to adjust the heavy ropes, shifting the canopy of each wagon to oppose the sun. Another group donned harnesses and rappelled down to the giant wheels, where they used specialized feather brushes to oil up creaking joints. All the while, ronoa riders patrolled the length of the edirashem to ward off would-be monster attacks.

It took Edina some convincing not to sneak up on the necromancer and steal their Necronomicon. They didn't know the extent of their strength, and neither did Kanae want to risk being thrown off the edirashem so soon after boarding.

"Maybe I can win it off him in a game of cards? I wager Pillar of the Damned and Scythe of Soul Reaping, and there's no way he says no," Edina said while munching on some peanuts purchased at the forewagon.

"Yeah, that's going to fly over well with him. Riben Crow was the name you paid Riley for, right? If he managed to find and tame the Necronomicon, then I don't think we should underestimate him. We're traveling on the same caravan. Give it some time and see what we can learn about the guy," Kanae suggested.

"Ugh. I want it now! Imagine how much stronger I'll be! Imagine the secrets inside it!" she exclaimed.

On the way back to their two-carriage refuge, they noticed a familiar harpy woman standing in front of the door. It was Miras, whose role on the dirashem was Forewagon Conductor. Two dark elven male servants accompanied her, both of them topless and in a light skirt. They carried bedsheets and food gifts.

"Ah!" Miras spun around and smiled. "I was beginning to think no one was here. The gracious edirashok extends his hospitality with tributes. I hope they will please your mother. We ask only that you not drain them to death, as they are his lordship's personal servants."

"The servants are also tributes?! Y-You can leave the sheets and food, but the servants don't have to stay!" Kanae insisted.

The elves' shoulders slackened in disappointment.

"If you're sure… Anyway, I must return to my post. Should you have any more concerns, you may find me near the ramp where you first boarded." Miras and the servants bowed before turning to leave.

"Wait! Is Edirashok Zayn willing to meet. There's… er… things I— my mom would like to talk to him about," Kanae said.

She kneeled down and pinched Kanae's cheek. "How mature for your age to speak on your mother's behalf. Between you and me, Edirashok Zayn is actually terrified of succubi. That's a secret, okay? Tell your mother to seek me out. I'll make sure word reaches him."

Kanae sighed as they left. Her gaze snapped to Edina, who was snickering under her breath.

"How does it feel being infantilized?" Edina smirked.

"It sucks! How long is the berinath's magic supposed to last? Am I stuck like this forever?" Kanae cried.

They brought the edirashok's gift inside the carriage. The sheets were made of fine silk and material from an animal. A few glass bottles of clear alcohol, spiny desert fruits, and jerky were among the many gifted foods.

Edina drank herself to a stupor. Kanae decided against partaking, since this smaller form would probably become drunk a lot faster. She also didn't have the squirreling's years of tolerance. The others seemed to be staying out a lot longer than usual. Even Kris was nowhere to be seen. When Kanae peered out the window, the sun was only just now setting behind the sand dunes of western Savir.

Now might be the best time to go collecting information, at least before the edirashem reached Maraag's Crossing and Vanuis. Kanae went as far as putting her hand on the door. A succubus would stick out like a sore thumb, and she didn't want to be noticed. Fortunately, she possessed just the skill to blend in. It had been a long time since she made use of Human Form.

Kanae wreathed her body in magic and took a look into the standing mirror. Her horns, wings, and tail vanished. She heaved a sigh. Still the same child-like body, just human rather than succubus.

The way back to the forewagon was easy. No one bothered Kanae. A little girl shrouded in a heavy cloak wasn't worth sparing even a glance at. She blended into the crowds, hid underneath the shadow of the building and canopy, and pretended to browse the bazaar like everyone else.

Cheers erupted from the east section of the forewagon. Kanae pushed through the jungle of people's legs to the source of the commotion. A hundred bodies formed an arena, inside of which Claudia brawled against bruised up beastmen several times larger than her. Alicia watched from the sidelines with a disinterested look.

"Is that all you got?" Claudia bellowed, spanking a centaur man in the rear. "You can scream louder than that!"

Whack!

"Ahhh! Please… more, my mistress!" the centaur cried.

The crowds cheered even louder.

"Gods… Sister, how much longer must you toy with them? Let's go already," Alicia said impatiently.

"But I'm having so much fun! Look at them! These Avanessi know how to have fun. Everyone wants a turn getting spanked, and I don't plan on leaving a single ass unbeaten. Who's next?" Claudia asked the spectators, causing them to go wild.

Kanae put a hand to her face and groaned, then left them to their fun. She snuck to the back of the edirashok's manor, where Zayn was screaming out of the balcony from earlier. From here, she could see the gwarmceroses restless trek across the desert. Who knew how many of them had died and been raised back to life.

It was quiet now. The necromancer was nowhere to be seen. Kanae waited until the ronoa riders patrolled past the front. Six of them rode by. They scanned deserts in the immediate vicinity, and one of them had an inkling to shoot a glance at the edirashok's home.

Kanae ducked below the railing. The riders eventually dipped to the western side of the caravan, their footfalls growing fainter by the second. With the coast clear, she flew up the side of the manor and landed on the balcony. A chair had been pulled out from the table, upon which an half-empty glass of liquor sat unfinished.

That meant Zayn must have been around not too long ago. Damn. Kanae had hoped to question the edirashok right away. She pushed past the beaded drapes and entered a lavish bedchamber. The large bed and sheets with gold accents were clearly of Ortesian make. He had a long cabinet stocked full of wine and whiskey bottles, and… powder? She squinted to get a better look. Spices, maybe.

"Is it just me, or do you hear something inside?" A guard on the other side of the door turned the knob and poked his head in. He and Kanae locked eyes.

"Oh, shit." Kanae cursed under her breath.

Two guards rushed in and apprehended Kanae. She was about to cast Charm until a voice barked from the hallway.

"What's going on in there?" someone asked.

"An urchin snuck in, Edirashok!" the guard holding Kanae shouted.

A pot-bellied human in his middle ages entered the room with a frightened expression. That fear subsided when he laid eyes on Kanae. The edirashok, Zayn, was a hefty man of light tan complexion from a life of lounging in the shade. Rings adorned his index and pinky fingers up to the nails. His comb over barely masked the balding head. A fresh and crisp smell wafted from his steaming body, indicating that he must have somehow taken a bath— a luxury not afforded to the rest of the edirashem.

"Why, she's just a child!" Zayn exclaimed innocently. "Probably starving and fearing the coming desert night. Leave us, and have the chamberlain fetch some sweets for us."

The edirashok's guards exchanged confused glances. Zayn shooed them off, and they let Kanae go before leaving the room.

"What is your name, little one?" Zayn asked now that they were alone.

"Eh? Oh, it's Kanae…" Kanae answered without thinking.

Fortunately, Zayn didn't recognize her or her name. Right. Rasheena had never given their names to the edirashem. She only asked Zayn's caravan to delay their departure so Kanae and her companions could board.

The chamberlain, a finely dressed elven man, brought bite-sized cookies and candy. For Kanae, these were huge. Zayn, on the other hand, tossed them into his mouth by the handfuls. He fetched two glasses and a carafe of orange juice.

"Do you want to see something incredible, child?" Zayn lifted a box onto a table and opened the lid. Cold air rose. When Kanae got up on the chair to get a better look, she gasped at the sight of ice. "An enchanted box. It keeps things cooled. Ice is a luxury here in Savir." He used a pair of tongs to drop a few cubes into her cup, then poured her a glass of orange juice.

Zayn's hospitality almost made Kanae forget what she was doing here.

"Thanks, mister. I thought I was going to starve out there!" Kanae sighed, feigning the role of a lost and hungry girl. "Do you really own all this?"

"By this, you mean the edirashem?" Zayn threw his hands out in a grandiose show of pride. "Why, yes! I am Zayn Yfreeti, and edirashok— caravan leader of an edirashem. There are others like me, ferrying people and goods across western Savir. We are the lifeblood of the Avanessi. And as such, I have visited many a places and met many a people. But you are a stranger to these lands. You do not have our accents. Your skin is bright and untouched by the sun's merciless glare. Where are you from, and where are your parents?"

"North! I don't have parents. I've been living with adventurers, helping them out for a living. Hey, hey. I heard there are succubi here. Is that true?" she asked in a low voice.

He smiled, revealing a few golden teeth. "What a brave girl, you are! It is true, and you should keep well away from them. Our Sultan Cerberus believes they will help unite the three kingdoms of Savir under his rule. That remains to be seen. It seems war is all that we see over the horizon. Oh, but worry you not. My edirashem is well-defended!"

Defended… by the necromancer Riben Crow?

Kanae started feeling a little warm. Her body shuddered with a strange urge, and Zayn eyed her intently.

"What's the matter?" Zayn leaned in and asked.

"It's just a little hot." Kanae tugged on her cloak.

Zayn strolled up behind Kanae. She felt his shadow engulf her own. Large hands rested on her shoulders and undid the knot around the cloak. Kanae's mouth salivated more than usual. Her body heated up and sought something to quench its thirst. He must have put something in the orange juice.

"Yes, that happens in the desert. Don't worry. Soon, the sun will have set. The night will cool the desert down. For now, let's get this off you, yes?" Zayn unburdened Kanae's cloak from her, and his gaze widened. "My, my. What naughty attire you have donned!" he exclaimed, referring to the shrunken Matron's Regalia which fit snug in her new and smaller body.

The man turned Kanae around to face him and shuddered under his gaze. Zayn's lecherous eyes molested her body just by looking. He licked his grinning lips, then pressed a finger to her upper abdomen.

"What is this? A tattoo? 'Edirashok's little slut' it says. Did you belong to another edirashem?" Zayn asked.

That damn enchanted ink again!

"No matter. You're mine now. But you must earn your stay. Starting with this." He dropped his trousers, and an obscenely large cock sprung up to her face.

It probably wasn't that large. At least it wouldn't have been if it wasn't for the berinath.

The aphrodisiac Zayn slipped into Kanae's drink worked its way into her system. She couldn't resist. The sight of his dick made the mouth between her legs water. Kanae gripped the base of his member with two hands and began to lick the tip.

Zayn stroked her head with his large hand. Kanae enveloped the tip of his dick with her lips. She couldn't get the whole thing in but that didn't stop her from trying. The edirashok trembled all over.

"Howsh thish? Shllrrp… mmm… Am I doing a… good job?" Kanae asked with a mouthful of his rod.

"Yes, you are. I'm about to climax… now make sure you drink it all!" Zayn exclaimed.

Kanae eased her throat, but the amount that shot out took her by surprise. She gulped each spurt down anyway. Some dripped down her chin and onto her chest. Zayn pulled his dick away and hooked a thumb on her lips to get a good look.

"Get on the bed and lay on your back, Kanae! I can't wait another second!" Zayn's eyes were misty with bestial lust.

Panting, and with the nectar-like taste of cum in her mouth, Kanae did just that. She climbed into bed and spread her legs open. Her pussy was dripping wet. Gushing, even.

A moment of clarity came to Zayn. He walked up to the edge of the bed and laid his cock on top of Kanae's belly. It was huge and throbbing for another release. Kanae squirmed underneath the weight of his member, confused as to why he hadn't put it in her yet.

"What are you waiting for, mister? I want it now~" Kanae pleaded.

"Such an impatient minx. I want you to beg for it. And don't call me mister. When we're alone together, you will refer to me as daddy. Now beg for what you want," Zayn demanded.

"I want daddy's cock in my slutty pussy!" she cried desperately.

Zayn obliged. He pulled his hips back and pressed the tip of his cock against the entrance of Kanae's pussy. The sensation knocked her breath away. She sucked in a deep breath just as quickly. When the tip plunged in, she jolted in pain.

"I'm barely in, and you're so tight!" Zayn continued to guide his dick in little by little.

"Slower! You're going to split me open… I'm going to break… I'm going to… nnnghh… aahhhh!" Kanae arched her back and switched on Masochist.

Soon, Zayn's thick member had gone as far as it was possible into Kanae's pussy. She twitched uncontrollably, fingers tightly clenched the bedsheets, and eyes snapped open. Someone knocked on the door, and Zayn yelled at them to leave. He focused on her instead, hips bucking slowly at first to test the waters.

Kanae tossed and turned. She moaned after every centimeter that pushed in and pulled out. Her eyes watered, but her body screamed in pleasure.

"It's so good, daddy! Your cock is stirring me up so much, I'm going to cum!" Kanae cried.

"Hehe. We're going to enjoy ourselves to the fullest from now on, my sweet!" Zayn ripped her sparse regalia off and gasped. "Nipple piercings? Truly, what kind of whore are you?" He pinched her right nipple and tugged on the piercing.

"No, stop! It hurts! IT HURTS! I'M CUUUUMMMINNNNG!" she howled.

"You're shaking so much, it's going to make me— ooouughh!" He let loose a thick load that inflated her womb up like a balloon.

Kanae saw white and climaxed so hard, she briefly lost consciousness. The door kicked open. An intruder in a dark cloak, whose features were covered by a face cowl, stormed in with a floating book behind him that emanated foul magic.

"Zayn— Good gods, I didn't need to see this." The necromancer raised a hand to cover his eyes. "You Avanessi degenerates are just as bad as the Ortesians. The succubi made you worse."

"Can't you see that I'm busy, Crow? What do you want?" Zayn asked, not missing a beat as he continued to mating press Kanae.

"Necronomicon sensed a necromancer other than myself on board. I demand that you conduct a search and locate whoever they are," Riben said.

Shit, Kanae thought. Riben Crow knew Edina was on board, and it didn't sound like he wanted to find her just to have some tea. However, she couldn't do a thing while having a dick repeatedly plunging into her. She was getting close to orgasming again, too…

"Crowned Necromancers are exceedingly rare. You're sure that book of yours isn't mistaken?" Zayn groaned.

"I cannot be mistaken!" a ghastly voice erupted from the living grimoire, and from the darkness beyond the door came tendrils that creeped into the room."I can sense a necromancer's urge to wield me. There is another on board your edirashem. If you will not help us find this necromancer, we will make you a more willing thrall to do so."

"T-Tomorrow, alright? It's too late to go searching now!" he exclaimed, going soft inside Kanae.

Riben didn't appear entirely pleased, but he whispered something to Necronomicon that caused the advancing tendrils to withdraw. The two departed and slammed the door on the way out.

Not good. Kanae needed to warn Edina before—

"Eek!" A shock ran up Kanae's spine as Zayn got hard again.

"Dealing with that necromancer isn't so bad with you around. Let's go all night, my dear! I'm going to fuck you until my worries have washed away!" Zayn revved up his hips again and thrusted with wild abandon.

The edirashok held his word. Due to their drastic size difference, he used her like a pocket pussy and fucked her for the rest of the night. They stopped only because he excused himself to use the bathroom.

Kanae laid in bed a twitching mess as Zayn got dressed. A steady stream of cum leaked from her pussy. She was covered in fresh spunk. Her hair was completely disheveled. Her nipples were sore from having the piercings pulled on, but they pulsed with pleasure instead of pain.

"Uu… nnh… guuh… hahh… We're… done?" Kanae murmured.

"I'll be right back, and we can continue where we left off." Zayn smiled.

"But I'm so full of daddy's cum…" She tried to push herself up by the elbows, only to drop back down.

Zayn left, and as soon as the door closed shut, Kanae returned to her senses. Crap. She was supposed to come here to question the man, not fuck him! She crawled to the edge of bed and stumbled off. Her knees weren't working, so she had to fly instead.

Leaving now would look suspicious. Kanae had to commit. But fate had other plans. The forewagon grinded to a gentle stop. She flew over to the balcony. Spots of torchlight from ronoa riders raced ahead past the gwarmceroses. Another group of riders approached from the opposite direction, and a fight broke out right away.

A crossbow bolt plunged into the wall next to Kanae's head. She dove back into the room as a volley of bolts struck the side of the manor.

"Kanae, my sweet! I'm back to give you—"

"DUCK!" Kanae yelled.

A bolt struck Zayn square between the eyes and wiped the smile from his face. He fell face first to the ground. Kanae hurried over and ripped the bolt from his forehead. A spurt of blood shot out of him like a geyser. She casted Flash Heal, sealing the wound as though he hadn't been hurt in the first place.

"Well, this went from bad to what the fuck real fast." Kanae got dressed and flew out from the balcony to investigate the fighting.

Distant shouts came from all directions. Ronoa riders of the edirashem rushed over from the flank to reinforce the front. A figure swooped down and picked a man off his mount, then disappeared back into the night beyond light's reach. It happened in an instant. More and more were pulled off their ronoas.

"What's going on? How can I help?" Kanae shouted.

"Huh?" One rider looked down and squinted. "What the fuck is a kid going to do? Get back on the caravan or—"

A harpy knocked the guy from his ronoa, grabbed his shoulders with her giant talons, and lifted off into the sky screaming. Damn it. Too many things were happening at once, too fast for her to react. Only one way to stop this.

Kanae's eyes flashed as bright as the sun. She casted Mass Charm in the widest area she could muster. It caught the edirashem guards. It also stopped the harpies swooping in to grab them, too. A few of them had their talons primed to snatch some of them off the ronoas. Momentum sent them crashing all over the place.

"Kanae? Kanae, is that you?" Claudia shouted from above.

"Claudia!" Kanae followed the voice to the sky near the forewagon's canopy. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack from all sides. Harpies, a whole lot of them! That big harpy bitch named Praijya's leading them," she warned.

Kanae clicked her tongue. So, the Harpy King was messing around in Avanesse, too.