Something creaked repeatedly. Kanae felt a pressure on her chest. She awoke to an older human man knelt above her, hands pressing her breasts together and frantically bucking his hips. The small head of his penis poked through again and again as he helped himself to a boobjob.

"Can I help you?" Kanae offered.

"Eh?!" The man panicked and ejaculated all over her face. "S-Sorry! I'll go grab the others… The succubus is awake!" he shouted on the way out.

Kanae grimaced. Great. Now she had to lay here with fresh cum on her face. It was a little room she had found herself in. Judging by the familiar gray stonework, this must be the cathedral of The Many.

A bucket of fresh water sat on the bottom of the bedside with a damp towel hanging on the lip. The man just now must have been cleaning her body before getting another idea. Kanae glanced over to the desk that was a foot away, where her bag and belongings rested. She stretched an arm out to try and grab her wand, but it was just out of reach.

Although nothing hurt, Kanae had never been more tired in her life. She wanted to fall back asleep and let that man do as he pleased. Her fingers could barely close into a fist. It was a chore to open and close her eyelids. How long had she been lying here? Actually… just what exactly was the Saviran desert that rendered her so debilitated?

"Kanae!" Alicia appeared at the doorway out of breath and awash with relief. She rushed up to the bed intending to embrace Kanae but stopped short of touching her. "Is that what I think it is on your face?"

"Wipe it off for me, please… The jizz is starting to get cold and uncomfortable." Kanae shuddered.

Alicia giggled and obliged. She picked up the wet towel to gently clean Kanae's face. The succubus was meticulous about it. Her tender touch and gaze made Kanae blush, but in their position, turning away wasn't exactly an option here.

"You were out for an entire day. How are you feeling?" Alicia asked.

"Aside from some sand in my cooch? Terrible. What about the others?" Kanae looked up worriedly.

"Everyone is just as resilient." She smiled reassuringly. "Kris and Renya are already up and blathering non-stop, even their attending physicians are sick of them. Edina recovered the quickest. As a half-undead, her constitution is incredibly high. Petyr is also awake, but she refuses to speak to or have anyone tend to her. Any priests that have tried to help were met with threats of having their heads bashed open. So, she has locked herself in a room."

Not surprising, given that her best friend had been stringing them along. Riley turned out to be a real snake. She couldn't be trusted after all. They fell for and believed her lies.

Rasheena wasn't going to be happy about this. The cargo of magical and enchanted equipment was long gone now, way too far to even catch up to if they left now. The Harpy King had won this one. However, the resistance leader had mistakenly believed the shipments were intended for Avanesse. It should be a silver lining that those equipment wasn't going to her direct enemies, the cult.

"I should go check on the others. Thanks for saving us out there, Alicia. I seriously owe you one," Kanae said.

"Actually, Knight-Commander, it was neither I nor Claudia who rescued you. The two of us were here the entire time. We had no idea you even needed rescuing," Alicia explained.

"What? Then who did?"

Alicia furrowed her brows and shifted her gaze to the door. The necromancer, Riben Crow, and his Necronomicon entered the room. Both of them looked rather pleased with themselves.

"Saving a naked succubus and her friends from being roasted wasn't on my list of things to do. But here we are," Riben said.

"If your squirreling companion was half the necromancer Riben was, we needn't have lifted a hand," Necronomicon added in a gloating manner.

"Listen, I'm grateful, but why did you help us? You didn't come out to defend the edirashem anyway. You might as well also get rid of a thorn on your side. This isn't going to stop Edina from chasing after the living grimoire," Kanae reasoned.

"Zayn is wholly a coward. When he received news of the attack on his edirashem, he thought it was an attack on his life and ordered me to protect him here. Well, I think we all know love is a powerful thing, because he told me to go make sure you were safe. Consider this the last time I save you though— and keep that squirreling off my back!" he exclaimed before leaving.

Kanae pressed her fingers together. She might seriously start liking Zayn. The wedding turned out to be a bust. He must be devastated, for several reasons. Kanae wasn't who he thought she was, a second attack on his edirashem ended with him losing a large wagon, and his supposed 'tribute' to Sultan Cerberus had fallen into the Harpy King's hands instead.

With Alicia's help, Kanae got out of bed and into her clothes. It felt like ages since she had Matron's Regalia on again. First things first. Petyr. Kanae asked Alicia to guide her to the high elf's room. Alicia tried to dissuade her, but she wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Anything go on at Duststorm Tabernacle while I was out cold?" Kanae asked on the way down the temple's long corridor.

"No. It's the strangest thing. Claudia and I went to investigate after you left. They have barricaded themselves inside. There's no one even standing guard in the courtyard. Whatever Jhene is doing in there, I don't like it. We should act soon to make sure Rasheena's people are safe," Alicia suggested.

"Act soon, because you care about the resistance members? Or because you want to give Jhene a peace of your mind?"

"I think you know the answer." She flashed a coy smile, then stopped in front of a wooden door like any other in the hallway. "Until then, here is Petyr's room. Good luck. I'll be farther down the hall checking on Kris and Renya, who won't threaten to kill me for simply visiting."

Suddenly, Kanae had lost the urge to drop in on Petyr. She swallowed her fear and knocked on the door anyway. No one answered. She knocked a second time, and the door swung open.

Petyr stood under the underway drenched in sweat. Her hair had been tied to a ponytail, and she was dressed in only a light sleeveless tunic. Bandages wrapped the entirety of both forearms, cotton padded over a swollen right eye, and her left leg had been placed in a wooden splint.

"What?" Petyr huffed.

"Y-You look a lot worse than I expected," Kanae stammered.

"I'm out of mana, so I can't heal myself. Already used up Lay on Hands during my fight against Nasiri and Riley. None of the priests here are actually crowned Priests. Oh, and we're out of potions. I have to wait until I regenerate my mana before I can heal again. Great city, Vanuis." She returned to her room and left the door open, which Kanae took as an invitation to enter.

It smelled heavily of sweat inside. Kanae found out why when Petyr dropped to the floor to do push-ups in spite of her injuries. The elf grunted from every little motion. Her pain-wracked expression showed no signs of stopping.

Kanae pulled up a chair, still feeling a little woozy after getting up a few moments ago. Neither she nor Petyr spoke a word to each other. Defeat lingered over their conscience. Worse, Riley's betrayal added salt to the wounds.

Eventually, Petyr struggled to complete her hundredth push-up. Her arms trembled. Sweat dripped from the tip of her nose down to a small pool on the floorboards. Kanae quietly and secretly cheered for her to finish. The elf gritted her teeth and pushed through in perfect form— only to collapse on the ground a second later.

"I'm sorry about Riley," Kanae said at last.

"Don't be. Riley made her choice. I've made mine. The next time I see her, I won't have an apology prepared. I'm going to beat it into her instead. It goes without saying, but she's off-limits to you. You fuck her like you did Praijya, I'm going to shove my warhammer up your ass," Petyr warned.

"Loud and clear." She grinned.

It seemed to Kanae that Petyr was going to be alright and left the high elf to recover at her own pace. She headed down to catch up with Alicia when the half-harpy, half-succubus Quinncera bumped into her coming around the corner.

"High Priestess, you're up! Ahhh~ You're so beautiful— er, I mean… I was coming to check on you! The captive, Praijya, has been very difficult. Claudia can be persuasive, but even she's having trouble getting her to talk," Quinncera explained.

"Show me to her," Kanae demanded.

They entered a separate corridor leading towards the back of the cathedral. This place didn't have a dungeon like the Duststorm Tabernacle. Downstairs was just a large catacomb and mortuary for the deceased. According to Quinncera, the clergy suggested putting Praijya in a chamber intended for meditation.

Quinncera opened the door just as Claudia smacked Praijya in the ass with her paddle. The Left Talon of the Harpy King let out a squawk. She had been stripped naked and placed in a pillory. Her ankles were shackled with chains and a heavy metal ball. Both ass cheeks had been spanked red and swollen.

"How the mighty has fallen," Kanae taunted.

"When I get out of this, I'm going to claw out your eyes and leave you to the carrions— aaahhh!" Another harsh spank cut Praijya's threats short.

"I gotta hand it to this bitch, Kanae. She's loyal and won't talk. I kinda like that though. Makes inflicting pain a lot more fun!" Claudia drew circles on Praijya's red butt with with a finger, causing her to writhe and twitch.

"Congratulations, Praijya. I'm in the market of acquiring new sex slaves, and you're a top candidate." She cupped the harpy's face and smirked.

That made Praijya struggle even harder against the restraints. Kanae kissed Praijya, only to have her tongue bitten down on. The pain was short-lived. She clamped her tail over Praijya's pussy, draining her to heal the injuries as they made out and swapped spit.

When Kanae peeled back, the Cursemark of Horniness seared onto Praijya just above the groin. Claudia and Quinncera kneeled down to inspect the mark, both clearly fascinated by its magic specific to a crowned Seductress.

"What's… going on… My body is so hot…" Praijya muttered, squeezing her thighs shut.

The nature of Kanae's Cursemark spell made anyone cursed with it to desire her sexually. Right now, Praijya was experiencing an insatiable urge to fulfill that. Because of such an effect, it met Bond's rule of someone to be willing.

Kanae casted Bond on Praijya, intensifying her libido. Now, the conditions of Enthrall have been met— to be affected by Bond and the Cursemark of Horniness. She uttered the spell aloud, causing every ounce of magic to expel to the ground. That same energy drew a magic circle that surrounded her and Praijya. The other two stepped back with a start, naively fearful of being caught in the spell.

Tendrils sprouted from the circle and attached themselves onto Praijya's body. She struggled so hard, one side of the pillory that was bolted to the floor came loose. But it was too late. The magic had entered her body, and Praijya no longer served the Harpy King.

"Open the pillory," Kanae said.

"Are you sure?" Claudia hesitated for a second, but went to do so anyway.

Quinncera backed up all the way to the door, ready to escape at any moment. But that wasn't necessary. As soon as Claudia freed Praijya from the pillory and restraints, she obediently stayed put.

"Praijya, get down on your knees and act like a dog for me," Kanae ordered.

"Woof, woof!" Praijya barked from the ground.

"Now, we're talking! Reminds me of when Mother takes a liking to someone. Should we be worried because she's a crowned Spellbreaker though?" Claudia asked.

"I'm almost 100% sure she can break out of this with Spell Nullification. Praijya, you are not to, under any circumstances, ever use that spell on yourself. Is that understood?" she asked.

Praijya nodded. Kanae motioned for her new thrall to follow her.

But before they reached the door, Claudia asked, "What? You're not gonna question her? I wanna hear what she has to say about the Harpy King."

"Praijya isn't going anywhere. We can interrogate her later. For now, I think we've kept Jhene waiting long enough at Duststorm Tabernacle. Alicia's also been getting impatient," Kanae said.

"Heh. That makes three of us. Guess us sisters aren't known for our patience. Alright! Time to see if Jhene lives up to her new title!" The former Mistress of Pain picked up her signature weapons and caught up.