Chapter 548: Encounters in Glanum

With the Leviathan in the air and on its way to the capital, Jadis threw herself into the various tasks she had planned out for herself. Not only because there was so much to do, but because she really didn’t want to let her anxiety over the safety of her four lovers take over her mind. She needed them to be safe, and she knew they would be considering all their power and preparations, but still. Her concern wasn’t something that could be easily quelled.

First on her list of things to do was speak with Cobbler and the rest of the unhatched Demons. In truth, Alex was the one to do all of the talking, but Jadis was there for at least the first hour to offer her support. In an attempt to make communication easier, Jadis summoned her Succubi wings to use them as appendages that Demons would likely better understand instead of arms or fingers. The results were mixed. Jadis’ control over her spectral plasma tentacles was getting better with practice, but far from precise. Alex ended up spending most of the hour coaching her on how to move her tentacles via demonstration and sometimes confusing verbal guidance. On the bright side, Cobbler joined in on the lessons, showing an interest in something other than shoes for the first time, as did several of the yet unhatched Demons. There were still some who were openly hostile, but the others seemed to become more receptive to Alex and what she had to say thanks to the patient and comprehensive lessons.

While demonic daycare was going on, Jadis was doing other things as well. She could never do just one thing at a time, though the number of things was diminished thanks to her reduction in body count. Aside from a few maintenances and preparations for coming days type of chores, she also helped Sorcha further her wand experiments. A decently sized container filled with Nephilim seed had been acquired via various means during the night, which meant the witch could proceed with a few lewd ideas she had. Aside from the Nephilim seed, there was also the goblin’s own contribution, as well as a jar that Alex had generously donated. There was also the seed that had been collected from Vinea, though Sorcha was less inclined to use those samples in combination with the rest. She had different ideas for that particular glowing component.

Sabina was also devising plans for how to potentially use the huge store of Demon cum that had been harvested from the Demon Prince, though before she could even begin to work on those ideas, she had to rig up a means of keeping the substance from rotting. As it turned out, there was some kind of magic seal around each sack which kept the contents from spoiling, though the moment the organic membrane was broken, the seal of freshness went with it. To help with the storage and containment process, Sabina set up a series of modified wine casks that were large enough to contain the sacks that were also cushioned so that the membranes wouldn’t be accidentally damaged during transport.

While Sabina was busying herself with her overflowing enchantment ideas, Jadis was able to convince the half-elf’s father to craft several small metal wands made of various materials. Jadis intended them for Sorcha’s crafting use, since there was nothing that said that the wands had to be made from wood or bone or other organic materials. Gallo promised that he would craft more and send them to Sorcha as time permitted. However, as he was quick to tell Jadis between beats of his hammer, his focus was more on getting her armor back into working condition. Jadis greatly appreciated that Sabina’s father was so dedicated to repairing what had been so thoroughly destroyed, so she didn’t argue with him about priorities. She did need her armor back as soon as possible, after all.

As the morning wore on, Jadis divided her efforts between coordinating with Magistrate Lodovico and General Voss, and doing what Eir would have called her duty as an Avatar of Lyssandria. Namely, speaking to the people. Aside from the large contingent of soldiers who were stationed in Glanum, there were hundreds of support personnel, citizens who had not been evacuated, priests, and caravan workers who manned the supply convoys that traveled between cities. Just seeing Jadis, the Nephilim who had slain the Demon Prince, did wonders for morale, or so others insisted. As such, in an effort to be helpful in more ways than just battle, Jadis made sure that she was publicly seen and took the time to talk with various groups of people.

“Is it true that you have a Demon with you?” a young woman wearing an apron stained with dried soup and powdered with flour asked. “Is it not dangerous?”

“She’s no more dangerous than any other powerful paladin,” Jay responded truthfully. “Alex does not follow Samleos, so she has no interest in harming anyone.”

“I wouldn’t have believed it, except that you’re the one speaking the words, my lady,” an older woman with a yellow kerchief over her hair said. “You would know better than us cooks.”

“How do you keep your skin so smooth and clear?” another young woman with a large splash of freckles across her face asked. “Is it magic? Do you have magic or advice that maybe someone like us could use?”

“I don’t have any magic I can use to help you with something like skin care,” Jay grinned down at the woman. “All I can advise is what I’m sure you already know about cleanliness. I mean, from what I can see of all of you, there must be something in the water. You’re all glowing with beauty.”

As the gathering of women giggled at the overly forward compliment, Jay winked at the freckled woman.

“Besides, freckles are cute.”

While Jay was busy making the cooking staff of the local army barracks melt in their dresses, her Dys self was talking with the off-duty soldiers in the yard outside.

“I can’t swing this,” the burly man said as he hefted Dys’ axe. “I can lift it, sure, but I’ll fall right over if I try to swing it at something.”

“Let me try,” a taller man with wide shoulders called out. “Oof, aye, this is a weight and a half. Where’s that training dummy?”

Dys kept half an eye on the young soldiers who were basically playing with her axe while the rest of her attention was on the commander talking with her on the other side of the training yard.

“I am truly sorry I was not able to provide better protection,” the blue-skinned elf repeated himself. “Commander Odilia outranks me, so there was not much I could—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dys brushed the man’s apology off. “Really. What Odilia did wasn’t your fault. I’m just glad you were willing to step up like that. That was good of you.”

“How could I not? Your arrival was a godsend, and that goes for your companions, too. Even one so… exotic as Alex.”

Commander Damasos was the elf who had been in charge of the gatehouse Jadis had passed through when she had first arrived in Glanum during the battle. He had been the one to send soldiers with her, as well as the one who had objected to the bitchy Valbjorn’s behavior towards Alex. Now that she was talking to him outside of active combat, she found that she liked the man. He was the solid, pragmatic sort of soldier who tried to do the right thing for his men, rather than blindly follow orders to the detriment of all. Jadis hoped that he would rise high in the ranks of the imperial military. Any army would benefit from a leader like him, in her opinion. So much so that she felt no hesitation about making an offer.

“You know, if you ever feel like a slight change in career, Fortune’s Favored is an expanding operation,” Dys idly commented. “Not trying to steal you away, or anything. But you should know that people like you are always welcome in my company.”

“Thank you,” the elf said with surprise on his face. “That is kind of you to say. I don’t believe I could ever find it in my heart to leave the military, but I appreciate the offer.”

Dys smiled warmly at the man before turning her attention to the sound of a training dummy being splintered to pieces by an oversized battleaxe.

Outside of the training yard, Syd was chatting with the various soldiers and support workers who were moving to and from the major areas of reconstruction in the city. Most were too humble or shy to do more than wave a greeting at her, but a few would stop to talk. Mostly they just wanted to express their thanks for the aid Jadis and Fortune’s Favored had rendered during the attack, but questions about her nature or Alex or other related topics would come up. At least five different soldiers expressed interest in knowing more about the beautiful women that surrounded Jadis, which required a few kind words to let them down gently.

The one encounter Jadis was halfway hoping for was a run in with Kerr’s clan. The city barracks were located on the east side of Glanum, within the first tier. Not far at all from where Timur had said his group were camped. Jadis wanted to talk to them sooner rather than later, but at the same time, a chance encounter in the street felt like asking too much of her luck. Besides, she guessed that when they did finally have a chat, it would be a serious one requiring some degree of privacy.

Syd’s musings were interrupted by the sight of a familiar face crossing her vision. She wasn’t immediately certain she knew where she had seen the man before, but as she watched his nervous fidgeting, she figured that he was working up his courage to talk to her. Another man stood next to him, completely unrecognizable, but it looked like he was trying to encourage his friend. Giving the man the time he needed, Syd greeted a few more people who passed by on the road. Doing so, her eyes were drawn to the west, where the Torre Sacra loomed in the sky. The sight of the huge tower triggered the missing memory she had been searching for, causing Syd to snap her fingers and exclaim her realization.

“Fabio! Isn’t that your name?”

The fidgeting soldier practically jumped out of his skin at the sound of her voice directed towards him. Blinking rapidly, he gave her an awkward salute without coming any closer.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, his voice cracking slightly and forcing him to cough. “I, ah, ahem. I mean, good day to you, Lady Jadis.”

With that, the soldier hurried down the street, leaving both Syd, and the companion who had been standing with him, behind.

“I’m sorry about him,” Fabio’s abandoned comrade said with a wry smile after crossing the distance between them. “He can be a bit much at times. Fabio was just trying to apologize to you, for the trouble in the tower the other night.”

“He doesn’t have to worry about that,” Syd chuckled. “It was a stressful and surprising situation for everyone. I can’t blame him for doing what he thought was in the best interest of the city.”

“Well, he won’t feel that way,” the soldier shook his head. “Fabio will have things his way, even when he’s trying to say he’s sorry. My name is Rufus, by the way.”

The man politely took off his helmet before bowing, revealing a shock of copper hair and a bushy mustache that could have done a good job of cleaning chimneys, if it had been attached to a skinnier body. Rufus had a kind smile, which he directed at Syd with the full force of sincere gratitude.

“Thank you for defeating that bastard Demon Prince. I haven’t ever seen the Hero in action, but if he’s half as strong as you are, I don’t see how we haven’t won the war yet.”

“Thanks,” Syd answered the praise with a grin and a small bow of her own. “Just doing what I can to help. I’m about to head out in a minute, but if you don’t mind, please tell Fabio that there are no hard feelings.”

“I’ll tell him,” Rufus said as he donned his helmet. “Just don’t expect him to listen until he’s said his piece himself.”

Not long after Rufus went jogging down the street after Fabio, Jadis wrapped up her business at the barracks and headed for the western city gates. It was there that she met up with Thea, Bridget, Meli, the whole of Tegwyn’s team, and Violetta.

Violetta had not yet unlocked her primary class, but according to the young half-elf, she would be getting her notification a few hours before midnight that night. Apparently, the unlocking went by the hour, not just the day, of birth. Since it was the young woman’s birthday, Jadis had wanted to give her some kind of party, though her offer was rejected by the work-oriented woman. Violetta had already celebrated her birthday with her family before departing for Glanum, so she didn’t see any need to waste time on another one. That didn’t stop Jadis from asking Thais if she could have her cooks make a special treat for the birthday girl later that night, not that Violetta needed to know that.

Even though she still had half a day to go before her primary class was unlocked and the power leveling could commence, Jadis still wanted Violetta to join her and her companions on their exploratory scouting mission into the north side of the Haliax River. Jadis didn’t expect that they would see too much fighting that day, but she wanted the half-elf with them so that she could get used to the battlefield. Having instructions on what she should and shouldn’t do to stay safe was one thing. Direct experience in the field was another thing entirely.

“Ugh, what a mess,” Sabina’s apprentice made a gagging noise as her boot went deeper than expected into a wet patch of mud. “No offense to Miss Alex, but Demons really know how to ruin a place, don’t they?”

“Yeah, this is pretty bad,” Dys murmured as she kept her eyes open for movement. “

The northern shore of the Haliax was a lot less pleasant up-close than it had looked from a distance, and it didn’t look much good to begin with. Much of the trees and scrub brush that covered the rocky hills on the south shore were torn to pieces, leaving little that was green and growing. The ground had been churned up by thousands of demonic feet, leaving large swathes of half-dried mud. The look and smell of the place was not enhanced by the multitude of Demon corpses that littered the ground, many of which showed the tell-tale signs of being burnt to a crisp. The artillery fireball spells that the Glanum mages had been casting had done their job well, though the craters still filled with drying Demon blood were an unpleasant side effect of their efficiency.

“I’ll be in front, middle, and rear,” Jay called out to the group at large. “Violetta, stay in the middle next to Cora and my Dys self. If I run off to deal with shit, just remember to stay next to Cora, no matter what.”

The purple-skinned half-elf nodded seriously in response to Jay’s instructions.

“Meli, scout ahead. We’re heading for that hill there to start. Terrance, I want you making wide sweeps behind us, just to make sure we aren’t being stalked. Villum, take point. Everyone else, fan out to no more than thirty feet on either side of our middle. Understood?”

There were more calls of acknowledgment before the group started forward on their first real foray together into Demon-infested territory. For Jadis, Thea, and Bridget, they had the experience of Weigrun. For everyone else, it was time to learn.

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