Chapter 126

I tightened the last of the straps to my new armor into place. I was getting used to my new gear, it wasn't something I would be able to throw on quickly yet. Today Mimi was going to attempt to go with us into the castle. I wasn't sure how many other people or soldiers would accompany us inside but it felt a bit risky. Mimi was adamant that she had her transformation better under control now so she would be able to blend it better. She knew better than I how well she could transform and from what she's said her racial bonus is focused on shapeshifting more easily and comfortably.

I was still worried but I figured I should trust her on this. It didn't feel right having her hide all the time. There were already times when some of us forgot she was there, I have been guilty of this myself from time to time, so integrating her into our group sooner rather than later was for the best. I just hope she will be okay. Then again, I can be worried all I like but she's the one who has saved my life several times now, not the other way around.

I sighed. I should check my notifications and status.

[Vaginal virginity (receiving) was taken through consensual sex][Racial trait Orgasm Control created][+20 Karmic Energy][Level increases by 2][Sexual Appetite has increased to level 7]

[Orgasm Control - Racial trait]Your desire to pleasure your partners occasionally outweighs your desire for your own pleasure. This trait will allow you to hold back your orgasm for as long as you desire.

A bit basic but something that would have been useful last night. It feels a bit underwhelming compared to a lot of the other abilities I've gained but I suppose beggars can't be choosers. The two extra levels I gained from my time with Morrigan are much appreciated and I also got credit for [Sexual Appetite] even if I don't feel like I did all that much with Raya and Nadia... yet.

Before I looked over my entire status holistically I decided to first allocate my free stats evenly into Strength and Magic Control, since it made sense to keep them relatively similar to Magic Force before bonuses.

[Status]Name: Lilith BaphometRace: Succubus [Race Hidden - Displayed as Beastkin (Sheep)]Gender: FemaleClass: [Novice Magic Swordsman] Lv. 9Level: 41

Stat Spread:Strength: 80Vitality: 100Charisma: 10 (286)Luck: 20 (296)Finesse: 50Magic Control: 80Magic Force: 80 (125)Speed: 60 (80)Endurance: 10

Karmic Energy: 2764

Unallocated Stat points: 0

Skills:Haggling Lv. 15Swordsmanship Lv. 38Illusion Magic Lv. 4Light Magic Lv. 9Light Manipulation Lv. 9Uuna Riding Lv. 13Linguistics Lv. 10Ritual Magic Lv. 10Drawing Lv. 12Mana Sense Lv. 4Luck Magic Lv. 1Enhancement Magic lv. 1

Class AbilitiesMerchant Skill - CalculationsProstitute Passive - Resist DiseaseProstitute Passive - Magic Fingers

Special Passives:Special drop rate upSightspeakDouble Down

Innate Abilities:Karmic BalanceKarma AwarenessKarmic ResonanceKarmic RetributionDominating AuthorityKarmic HypnotismBonded Communication Lv. 6Induce Arousal

Racial Traits:Infernal Heat ResistanceInfernal Cold ResistanceDarksightSexual Appetite Lv. 7Succubus BondSuccubus ShiftingSoulbound CompanionsLubricating SalivaPleasure Sense

Titles:[World Traveler - Hidden Title][Origin of Succubi - Hidden Title][Dungeon Destroyer][First Explorer][Early Intervention][Demon Hunter][Follower of Sorsette]

Spells:

Light Magic:[Light Orb][Fireflies][Light Beam][Light Signal][Light Scribing][Light Burst]

Illusion Magic:[Zone of Silence]

Luck Magic:[Melee Hex][Coin Flip][Die Nudge][Blackjack]

Enchantment Magic:[Flame Imbue][Blade Waltz][Focused Perception]

Arcane Magic:[Arcane Variant Zone of Truth (Boon)]

Not a whole lot of changes this time. I gained a few levels in soultouched connection, I have more karma than the last time I checked, and I see my new last name listed in my status now. The biggest change is the new [Follower of Sorsette] title and the [Arcane Variant Zone of Truth (Boon)] ability I gained last night.

[Follower of Sorsette - Common Title]The bearer of this title has been noticed by The Goddess Sorsette, domain of Knowledge and Innovation, and has been granted this title as one of her followers. The title bearer through their actions has shown that their ethics align with the Creed of Sorsette and will hold this title as long as that is true. Upon receipt of this title, the title bearer will be granted a boon by their Goddess as long as they hold this title.

Mmm, I was aware that I had been granted that ability as a boon but this confirms that it can be taken away from me as well. I also wasn't sure exactly how I felt about being considered a follower even though I hadn't formally made any kind of choice about that. I suppose swearing on her name all the time had consequences. From what I've heard about this particular goddess I wasn't too upset about it though. As far as I can tell I don't have any obligations related to being a follower but it might be a good idea to have a conversation about it soon. Perhaps Nathaniel, the priest of Morkinnen I'm assisting today can help me with that.

I pulled the buckles of my breastplate nice and tight, making sure it wouldn't move at all when I fought. I glanced at the blue brigandine one of the caravan merchants had dyed for me. I haven't worn it since I received it and I've already replaced it now. The brigandine wasn't bad or anything but with my added strength and the kind of trouble I got into on a regular basis, I thought something stronger would be in order. I didn't trust the brigandine to hold up any better than my old breastplate had to something like the featherjack or one of the stronger things I would probably fight soon. The brigandine would be good for Mimi though. She didn't exactly need it but it will help her blend in more.

"Mimi come here." I waved her over.

She enthusiastically came over. "What's up?"

She was covered in golden blond and white two-tone fur again. Now that her eyes had shifted to look more like ours and she had a coat of fur, she looked much more like a beastfolk. It was a bit hard to nail down what her species was though, last time we spoke about it we agreed on calling her a Mimadora. I nodded, this would be fine. No one will know her species but I doubt people would assume she was a shapeshifter as long as no one saw her shift forms in front of them.

"Since you're going to be going out with us today you'd better put on some armor. Even if it's less useful to you with your hard skin it'll help you blend in. Do you need help putting it on?" I asked.

She smiled. "Sure! Is it hard?"

"Nope, just pull this over your head and I'll help you adjust the straps." I helped her put it on and then helped her with the large hooded cloak I bought from the equipment merchant we found yesterday. It was surprisingly well stocked for a shop in the middle of a city in crisis. The shopkeep was a bit of a scary guy though so maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. He was plenty nice to us when he found out we were actually customers... not so much before that. I fastened on her sword belt with the spare sword we bought around her waist. She didn't strictly need it but if she was going to blend in, turning her arms into giant knives wouldn't be a good idea.

I looked over at Bella who was fixing her pink dress. "Are you going to be okay today? You didn't get any sleep last night." I glanced over at Raya and Nadia who were comfortably sleeping cuddled in our bed. Morrigan was the only one of us who actually slept but she was already up again, getting herself ready to leave on the other side of the room.

Bella smoothed out her skirt before turning over to me. "Yeah I feel completely rested, after all the... after last night I feel quite energized."

I grinned at her. "After how enthusiastic you were with our friends over there you're still embarrassed talking about sex?"

Her ears flushed pink a little. "It's different when I'm in the heat of it... but talking about it is embarrassing." She turned away from me to hide her expression.

I laughed and shook my head.

Morrigan came over and sat down on the couch, apparently finished with her preparations. I kissed her on the cheek. "How about you? Did you get enough sleep? We were up late."

She grinned, "I could have used a bit more sleep but honestly I'm used to getting by on very little. It's another part of my training. Even with as busy as we've been I've gotten way more sleep since joining your party actually. Besides, last night was so worth it."

The door opened, Torien and Silva walked through the door and sat on the couch across from us. Both of them looked normal, I wonder if they had been up as late as we had. Doubtful, I hadn't slept at all and they looked too normal to have been up all night.

"How was your night?" I asked them.

Torien blushed a little. Silva answered with a smirk, "Fine. We were up a bit late but we stopped before you guys from the noises we heard."

I looked around. "Is everyone ready then?" I got a round of nods so we quietly left the room and let the two new Succubi get some sleep.

It was rather early so we found Grace at the counter again. "Good morning Lilith, girls."

"Good morning," I said with a smile. "Raya and Nadia are resting, we had a long night, best let them rest a while."

"Of course, they were working last night and no one needs the room so they can sleep there till the afternoon. Do you know when you'll be back today?" she asked.

"Not entirely sure, we're helping some of the guards clear and retake the castle. We're not sure if there are still demons around but I wouldn't be surprised based on what we found yesterday."

Grace frowned. "Be careful out there, should I be worried if you don't come back tonight?"

I tapped my fingers on the counter, thinking. "No, I wouldn't worry unless we don't come back by tomorrow evening. If something comes up and I can, I'll send a letter."

"Do you think that is wise? Sending a letter to a brothel while working with the town guard?"

"What would the problem be?" I asked.

"...While our trade isn't illegal, many of the people in the guard find our work to be unsavory. They still help us with violent customers but they ignore any complaints for anything less serious than that."

I shrugged. "If they have a problem with it I don't really care. I'm doing them a favor in the first place. The only reason they asked us to help is because most of us have the demon hunter title."

Her eyebrows rose in response. "Oh, I see. I hadn't known that about all of you. Your party must be more skilled than I had expected."

I laughed. "Well, in this case, it was more that we were in the right place at the right time. There's bound to be a lot more adventurer demon hunters around soon, a good hundred or so adventurers, including us, helped contain a demon-dungeon break before we traveled here."

Grace's brow furrowed. "So the rumors about demons to the east are true then?"

"I'm not sure which rumors you've heard but there are definitely demons in the east. And there are still demons in this city right now. Our group killed some just yesterday. Luckily they seem to be mostly contained to the areas people are already avoiding but you should be careful about being out alone and at night right now. The city isn't safe from crime or demons right now."

She nodded. "Thanks for the advice. ...I was already considering bringing my brother here, perhaps I should do so sooner."

"Maybe. This place seems safer than most. I'm really glad Raya brought us here."

Grace smiled. "I'm sure many of the girls here feel the same. Be safe Lilith."

I nodded. "You too Grace."

Our party left the Ruby Vixen early in the morning. The sun was only just coming up, leaving the city in twilight and partial shadow. The morning was refreshing, it was pretty chilly out and the air smelled nice. Because of cleaning magic, this city's sewer system, and the lack of pollution I associated with city life, the place was much cleaner than it had any right to be. There was still garbage and litter here and there but it wasn't nearly as bad as you would expect a quasi-medieval town to be.

A brisk walk later and we were by the city gates. A line had already started to form in front of the closed gates and there were a lot of carriages and caravans headed towards Traehall. A bit surprising with all of the rumors of demons. Looks like these people have chosen to risk traveling that direction, understandable with the state this city is in right now.

There was a group of guards forming near the gatehouse and I spotted Nathaniel chatting with a fancy-looking guard, probably the guard captain or something. Most of the guards here were humans though I noticed a few with animal ears poking through some of their helmets. I'm not sure what to make of that but it seems a bit low relative to the proportion of beastfolk I've seen walking the streets. I couldn't jump to any conclusions, I could just be in a part of town with more beastfolk but it was something to keep in mind.

When our group approached Nathaniel the guard nodded towards us and the priest turned to greet us. "Ah Lilith, great timing. Please meet guard captain Jasper. He'll be in charge of the operation today."

"Good morning Lilith and party." He said with a nod as he looked over our group. "I'm surprised to see that your entire party is made up of women, is that by design?"

I shook my head. "Coincidence mostly. It just happened to work out that way. We don't have any problem working with men if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare suggest that." Despite his response, I could tell my words reassured him. "Which of you have the [Demon Hunter] title?" he asked looking at each of us.

"All of us except for these two," I said before pointing out Silva and Mimi.

The priest studied Mimi. "I don't believe I met this one before, is she trustworthy?" the priest asked.

I put my hand on Mimi's shoulder. "She's saved my life at least twice and we've been together for a while now. I trust her with my life."

"Good enough for me." The guard captain smiled.

I was glad that none of them seemed to be focused on her looks. I wasn't sure if people would say anything when they saw Mimi clearly with her hood removed but I was happy none of them seemed to be calling for it. It would go a long way to show she wasn't aligned with demons if they saw her fighting them before they got a clear look at her. I hoped I was just being overly paranoid and didn't need to worry.

Guard captain Jasper turned away from us and signaled back at someone who caught his attention. "Looks like everyone's just about here and ready to get moving. Would it be alright if I split your party up a little? If each of you can see demon miasma it would be better to get as much coverage as possible."

I looked at my team. I didn't love the idea of splitting up but I could understand his logic.

"We only have two frontline fighters, two groups of three is as low as I'd like to go. You don't have any issue with two servants and a crime slave acting independently of me do you?" I asked.

He quickly scanned my group before shaking his head. "I have no issue if you vouch for them. I'm not concerned with things like that, especially right now when I have much bigger problems than the etiquette around slaves."

I nodded. "Good. Silva, you're with the twins, Torien, you're in charge. Mimi and Bella, you're with me."

Time to go explore a castle.