Chapter 258

Bella, Morrigan, and I sat at one of the dining tables. We were waiting for Oceane to send someone to collect us for our meeting across the street at the new mercenary headquarters. Bella had hardly spoken since she had transformed back into her normal form, and the playful nudges and winks she got from the other succubi only made it worse for her. Her doe ears were bright red and she was having trouble making eye contact with us. It seems the reduced inhibitions and subtle changes to my personality while in my 'true form' were even stronger for Bella. Now that she was her regular self again, she felt incredibly embarrassed by her actions.

Morrigan scooted a bit closer to Bella and intertwined her fingers with hers. "Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You got caught up in the heat of the moment and let loose a little. You didn't do anything that we didn't enjoy."

The catgirl's placating seemed to have the opposite effect though, and Bella clammed up even more. The tight hold Bella held on the bond was an indicator in itself that she was still really embarrassed by what happened. I wasn't sure what exactly she was ashamed about. Bella hadn't entirely been acting like herself, but it wasn't as if she did anything too crazy. By our standards at least.

I reached across the table and held her other hand, which only made her stare down at her lap even harder. "I know how... different it can feel when you're in that form. I've felt similarly when I was like that... but perhaps not quite as strongly. Like Morrigan said though, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I... I need some time alone, I think. Would it be alright if I went back to the room for a while?" Bella asked.

"Of course, Bella. I can fill you in later. Is there anything you need before you head up?"

She shook her head. "N-no. Will you send Mimi up when she gets back?"

"Sure. I'll make sure someone knows to send her up to you," I said with a nod.

Bella gave the two of us a timid glance, blushed, and quickly hurried up the stairs.

Once she had gotten out of earshot, Morrigan looked over at me curiously. "What happened?"

I sighed. "When I've transformed into my 'true form' in the past, I did feel a bit different. Possessive, domineering, and quite a bit more confident. For me, the changes felt subtle though. I didn't feel like I was all that different. Just that some of my traits felt more... forceful. I dunno. She was acting a lot more brazen than usual. Maybe that was part of it?"

Eira popped into the room and scanned it until her eyes fell on us. "Lilith! Morrigan!" The bundle of energy dashed across the room and plopped herself next to me. "Oceane is ready for you now. I know it seems like she's been putting you off, but she's super busy. She canceled her last three appointments for the day to make sure she could give you her undivided attention. Hey, where's Bella? I thought she was coming with." Eira looked around the room, searching for her.

"Bella... is feeling a bit out of sorts right now. She's going to skip the meeting. I'll fill her in later. Can you tell someone to send Mimi up to Bella when she gets back?"

"Aww, alright. I'll go talk to Lia, she should be working the brothel desk tonight. Come with me then, Oceane might be even more impatient than she was before! Best not to dilly-dally." Eira hopped up and nearly rushed out of the room to talk with Lia, Grace's sister, at the desk. Lia looked like she had been adjusting well and always seemed happy whenever I saw her. I had been worried about her after she transformed from a guy to a succubus, but I didn't get any indication she hadn't adjusted to it well. She seemed to be doing fine.

"Alright! I told Lia, let's get going before Oceane chews me out again," Eira said with a giggle. She led us out of the brothel and over to the building across the street. The building looked pretty unassuming and I didn't think it had been occupied while we were here last. At least, I don't recall anyone entering or exiting the building. Despite the building being filled with familiar and friendly faces, the atmosphere was a lot more serious as people talked about their tasks and the logistics of their assignments. Even Eira calmed down and matched the atmosphere while we walked through.

Several of the women gave me nods and smiles as I followed Eira up the stairs to the second-floor office. She gently knocked on the door twice.

"Come in," Oceane called through the door.

The younger looking Oceane smiled at me as she gestured for us to come in. She leaned back in her chair. The large black wings she had gained from her transformation were hidden at the moment. The thought made me wonder what would happen if she eventually became a greater succubus as well. She had told me that she was a lesser succubus after her initial transformation despite the wings. That was a while ago now, but the catalyst for moving from lesser to normal to greater was still unknown to us.

"It's great to see you again so soon, Lilith. I had honestly expected you to stay in the capital quite a bit longer. I was hoping I would have more time to build up our girls' confidence as mercenaries before sending some of them along with you back to Traehall," she said while gesturing for us to sit.

The three of us, including Eira, sat down on the comfortable couches across from her. They seemed new, just like most of the other stuff in the office. A quick glance at her desk did make her look quite busy from the stacks of paper she had there. One document looked like a half filled out form that was set to the side for now.

"I wasn't aware that there was a plan to send people with us when we returned to Traehall," I replied.

Oceane nodded. "It was something I had been considering for a while now. While there is plenty of work to do here in Goldenhearth right now, some of our girls would benefit a lot more from doing some work in a frontier city. I knew you were planning on returning to Traehall once you finished up your cartography license, but I expected all of it to take longer. Did something happen?"

I laughed. "I not only passed the test for the license the adventurer's guild intended me to get. I was also promoted to a journeyman in cartography after I developed some new ritual magic for accurate measurements."

Oceane chuckled in return. "You have always been full of surprises. It seems that not even the capital bureaucracy can hold you down for long."

"I suppose so."

Oceane's expression turned serious and her eyes glanced over Morrigan's bare neck. "I've heard rumors that the King of Torlimal is dead. Unless you've found another way to free your lover, I take it that the rumors are true. Were you involved?"

I pursed my lips before nodding. "Yes, it turns out Silva is an assassin for The Order of Lilith. They're a group that I was investigating since they shared my name. I had taken Silva along with me as a bodyguard and she took the opportunity to kill the young king when he met us with a minimal guard. I was caught by surprise, having not known that at the time, but we were able to escape the situation without being discovered."

The quiet pause between us was filled with the tapping of her nails on the desk. "Considering she is still with you and has since transformed into a succubus, I take it that you have worked things out?"

I sighed. "More or less. There are still some issues of trust to sort out, but I still consider her my friend. She's saved my life several times now, and it's not like I didn't think her cause was just. She freed my lovers and the young king stood in the way of the abolition of slavery."

Oceane nodded. "I'll trust your judgment here, though I still urge you to be careful with the people you surround yourself with. If she had been an assassin with a group more hostile to us succubi, things could have been different."

"I know... I've given it a lot of thought, and I'll probably give it even more." I shook my head. "Anyway, tell me more about this mercenary company. What brought all of this on?" I asked.

She grinned. "I'm filling a need. This city is still quite underarmed for the position it's in, and after our transformation, many of our girls need a new outlet to get stronger. Everyone enjoys their work at the brothel a lot more after the change, but with the powerful karma abilities everyone has gained, many of them have suddenly found a newfound call for adventure they either hadn't had before or couldn't have acted on until now. I don't believe you realize just how much power you've given to all of us at the Ruby Vixen."

Eira popped up. "There are a lot of girls, including me, that never felt like they would be able to be adventurers. But with the bond and the karma stuff, we can fight with coordination that not even all aged veterans have. When there are four or five of us on a team, it's like we can see in all directions and can wordlessly communicate faster than we would be able to speak." She shook her head. "It's probably silly to explain this to you, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

Morrigan cleared her throat. "Actually, our group has never been all succubi, so we've had to work more like a traditional adventuring party when it comes to coordination. My sister and I aren't succubi and Silva only became a succubus recently."

Oceane nodded. "There are unique advantages to having groups of succubi work as a team, but those benefits don't completely replace regular coordination. Still, it has made the succubi much more effective and a lot safer than they would usually be. Not all of the succubi are interested in joining the mercenary side of course, but enough have that creating a company of them made a lot of sense."

"It seems like a play to increase your influence in this town even further as well," I added.

She laughed and gave me a shrug. "We both know that I'm ambitious. And with my returned youth, I have a lot more time and energy to work out my plans for the future and our family. Sorry to change the subject, but on that last note, I'd like to ask about the notification the other succubi and I gained today regarding a blessing of Velenthel."

"Sure, this morning I went along with one of the new succubi we brought with us from the capital to see about becoming a priest of Velenthel. I had my own questions for the goddess and she appeared to us in person."

"Truly?" Oceane said with shock.

I nodded. "After a conversation with her about a few different things, Bella asked her for a blessing. The ability to become pregnant despite her normal form having a penis rather than a vagina. The goddess granted Bella, and our entire race by proxy, the ability to bear or sire children when we are shifted. In exchange for... having four of my children," I finished with a slight heat on my face.

Oceane chuckled. "If only I had waited."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Oceane leaned back and rubbed her lower abdomen. "Well... I have always wanted to have children but until you returned the ability to me, I had been barren. After a... an accident, let's say."

"The previous scars on your abdomen?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded. "Yes. After you returned my youth and made me a succubus, I was able to confirm with a priest of Morkinnen that I was fertile again. I was elated. As I said, I've always wanted children, so I was quick to look for a suitor. Someone I could trust. Had I waited a while... I would have loved to bear Grace's child. Instead I settled for Lia's." She laughed and shook her head. "It's not a huge loss. Lia is still a wonderful woman, and I love her like family... nearly as much as I love Grace. Perhaps the next one..."

"Does this mean you and Grace are together? Like Lilith and I are?" Morrigan asked curiously.

"Well... It's a bit complicated. We've been friends for a really long time now and we've enjoyed each other physically... over the years. I don't know that we can call ourselves lovers in the traditional sense... but perhaps I would like to... We haven't had that conversation though. She had been too focused on helping her brother. I didn't want to get in the way of that."

"But now things have changed," I commented.

"Indeed they have..." Oceane wistfully agreed as her eyes unfocused. Coming back to the present, she cleared her throat. "Setting that aside for now, why don't you tell me everything that happened since you left? I'd like to hear a full account. Perhaps there's something I can do to help you, especially once you leave for Traehall."

Sensing that she had chosen to move on from the topic, I obliged. "Sure, let me tell you what happened with Cecilia on the way to the capital first..."