Chapter 27 – Aftermath

After clearing out the rest of the mansion, there ended up being about ten deaths, all cultists, and forty arrests, also all cultists. Most of them weren’t nearly as dumb as the others, so we were able to take them in easily. Rochelle talks to us for a bit after everything,

“Alright, I’ll get a few guards to help me clear the rest of the place. Most of the cultists we captured haven’t had a history of messing with the locals, so they’ll probably just be exiled. I’ll ensure that they’re labeled as a terrorist org, so they’ll be forbidden from entering the city legally. After all, we don’t negotiate with terrorists. Once again, I’m sorry that you folks were involved with them, and I’m especially sorry to you Miss Drakea. Nobody in my town should have to go through what you did. I give you my deepest apologies.”

Me, Lulu, and Mina all nod our heads, happy with her apologies, but Alice shakes her head,

“I’ll be honest with you, with the amount of physical and mental anguish that’s been wrought on our group, I believe that we deserve compensation. I came here to make a deal that will benefit your city massively, but I was attacked by monsters on my way into the city, and then attacked by cultists when I was INSIDE the city. At this point, I’m not sure if my family should go through with their deal. If there’s a chance of their caravans being attacked not just outside, but INSIDE the city, we’ll just be on the losing end no matter what.”

I look at Alice a bit surprised. I hadn’t expected her to be so assertive, especially to someone as monstrously strong as Rochelle. I see what she’s doing now, though. She’s trying to get compensation for us. Lulu looks like she’s about to say something, but I stop her. I wanna let Alice do whatever she needs to feel better.

Rochelle nods her head and reaches into her back pocket, taking out a cigar and sticking it in her mouth. With her size, that thumb-sized cigar looks like nothing more than a cigarette. She lights it up with a match and takes a puff before saying,

“I hear ya loud and clear. You want compensation, right? Alright. Come by the mayor’s house tomorrow morning. With the status of your family, that incompetent fool will have no choice but to agree.”

Alice shakes her head. As she continues speaking, her voice shakes slightly, giving me a clear indication that she needs some rest after this. I shift closer to her and interlock our fingers, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze,

“I don’t just want compensation. I want assurance that my family’s business will be safe in the future while inside your walls. I can’t willing go through with a deal that may end with my family going bankrupt.”

Rochelle nods her head and puts out her cigar with her fingers before kneeling in front of Alice. She then puts her hand over her heart before saying,

“I, Rochelle Steelfist, Captain of the guard of Rauterdale, give you, Alice Drakea, my word: Drakea’s caravans shall remain safe from harm inside Rauterdale’s walls, and shall receive escort from the guards when they arrive. Does this suffice, Miss Drakea?”

Alice’s expression turns much more positive as a tired smile shows on her face. She nods her head and leans into me, wrapping an arm around my waist as she says,

“Yes… That will do…”

I smile down at her and decide to take the lead from here, seeing how tired she is. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her close before asking,

“So, what time should we come to the mayor’s house tomorrow? We plan to head to Gulfhaven after that.”

She thinks for a second before saying,

“Well, if y’all are planning on leaving tomorrow, I’d say probably around ten A.M. at the earliest. The mayor tends to take a while to get going. Not an early riser, that’s for sure. Anyways, I better get going so I can send these creeps to the dungeon. I’ll see you all tomorrow, alright?”

We nod and make our way out of the mansion, passing by a few bodies and a lot of sick people from my [Affliction] spell. I take both Alice and Lulu’s hands, while Mina scoots up to Alice. After a while of walking, and getting out of the mansion, Alice speaks up to us,

“Thank you guys. Really. This meant a lot to me. I was… Honestly, when I climbed the fence to your hotel room, I fully expected you to just… Not be there… And for me to bleed out in a bush pathetically… I was so unbelievably terrified. When… You revealed to me that you two were demons, I felt fear… But more than that, I felt warm inside… Happy. I felt happy that you trusted me enough to tell me that. I felt even happier after learning that you changed me, Lily. You let me be one of you… Brought me into your family…”

Alice looks up at me, then to Lulu, then to Mina, and then back to me. She leans up and kisses me on the cheek before saying,

“I love you. Lily… I love you so much.”

I look over at Lulu who looks back up at me with a smile, nodding her head. I turn back to Alice and lean down, kissing her on the lips before answering her,

“I love you too Alice. Even if we had to face a demon lord, we would do it for you. I know it’s late, but I have to say something to you. Well, we have to say something to you.”

I look at Lulu and give her a smile. She returns it with a knowing nod, standing beside me and holding onto my arm. We both reach out our hands to Alice and say, in sync;

““Welcome to the family!””

Alice stands in shock for a few seconds before tearing up and jumping into our arms, hugging the both of us tightly as she sobs tears of joy. She kisses Lulu before moving to kiss me as well. We stay there for a few seconds, enjoying the warmth of the hug as I look up and see Mina standing back, looking awkward and alone. I break from the hug with Alice and reach out to Mina,

“That goes for you too, Mina. We’re here for you. We’d go through Hero’s End and back for you. You’re part of our family too.”

Mina looks at me and immediately big, wet tears stream down her face. She runs over to us and joins in on the group hug. Lulu and I laugh at this and hold the two crying girls with love and care. I lean down and kiss the two of them, followed by a quick, hidden kiss to Lulu before saying,

“Well, let’s get back to the room so we can consummate our relationships!”

Alice looks up at me deadpanned and says,

“We’ve done that… Multiple times already…”