<~> Chapter 331Thirty minutes after the council meeting ended, I was standing near the city gate with my friends. With everything that's happened since the system went away, we haven't really left the city as a group in a while. There's just been so much to do in Traehall that there hasn't been much opportunity to go adventuring or dungeon delving. A few adventuring groups have checked out that dungeon we 'saved' since system's end, but leaving Traehall has been much more dangerous for most people after the death of the system. There were some people who weren't very reliant on system spells or skills, but they were in the minority. Most of the people who could function simirly before system's end were the people with physical fighting csses, but even they usually benefited a lot from the skills they gained through system css levels.

  I was back in my normal beastkin form with my wings and tail hidden, since this would be a delicate situation. I had gotten used to having them out all the time, so it felt a bit odd.

  "Is this everyone?" Morrigan asked.

  I nodded and looked at my group. Right now, it was just me, Morrigan, Torien, Lori, Mimi, Nelly, and Kal'daeryn. Everyone else was busy or working on other things. I could probably collect more people from Eira's group if I needed them, but this was good for now.

  "Lilith!" a voice called out.

  When I turned, I saw Cecilia headed over. I waved and smiled at her. "Cecilia! I didn't know you were back in town yet."

  She nodded. "I've been back a few days. Hey, I ran into Raksha'va earlier, and she asked me to support you guys with the uunas. I heard about the group of people coming."

  I gnced back at my group standing behind me. "The eight of us wouldn't be able to ride your two uunas, and I don't think it's a good idea to take a carriage," I said with a ugh.

  She smiled. "They wouldn't be for riding, they would be for backup if something went wrong. They can follow quietly from a distance and pull someone out of danger or attack if needed."

  I hesitated, but nodded a moment after. "Alright. I really don't think things will go that way, but having the two of them behind us will help if anything happens."

  "Alright, I'll go call them from the stable then," Cecilia said before running off.

  Not long ter, Cecilia returned with her two horse-sized big cats with six limbs each. Nikka nearly bolted at me to nuzzle against my body with her giant head. It would have been a scary sight if I wasn't used to the affectionate uuna. I haven't seen much of her in the st few months since these three have been responsible for much of our mail and goods deliveries. I ughed and patted Nikka on the head a few times before she retreated, and let me pat Landa a few times as well. The male uuna was never as affectionate with me as Nikka was, but the cute chuffing noises he made at me were a clear sign of affection from the big guy as well. The two of them were harnessed up with saddles just in case, but their harnesses were lighter than usual since they would be running loose with us.

  Lori signaled, and the gates began to open for our group of eight, or ten if you counted the two uunas. It wasn't long before we were on our way through the forest that surrounded the town toward Norta.

  "Did the mayor brief you on what we're walking into?" I asked.

  Cecilia nodded. "A bit. I heard that a rge group of likely ex-Tamin church priests and padins were headed this way with Bel's mother among them. Have you told her about it yet?"

  I grimaced and shook my head. "She might be mad, but if I told her, she might insist on coming with despite how close she is to giving birth right now. She can't even shift out of her true form anymore."

  Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "That can happen?"

  "Apparently," I said with a sigh. "It was a surprise for us as well. She's been stuck in her true form for the st month and a half. Once her baby grew to a certain point, she couldn't shift back anymore."

  "Is Bel okay with that?" Cecilia asked with concern.

  "Thankfully, the shift in emotions from the greater succubus form mellows out after a while. Shifting to that form doesn't bother her as much anymore, and the only reason being locked in that form annoys her now is from the frustration of moving through the house while being taller and wider," I said with a ugh.

  "Has anyone else developed into a greater succubus since I've been gone?" Cecilia asked.

  "No one new since the twins. We're still not sure what triggers the transformation, but I'm starting to suspect the system may have been helping somehow," I replied.

  "Not just fighting?"

  "It's not just fighting and it's not just sex. If it were fighting, Lori or Silva would have likely developed into one with all the demon hunting they've been doing. If it were just sex... well, there's been plenty of that among the succubi and especially among my lovers," I said with a nervous chuckle.

  Cecilia snorted. "You guys are making me a little jealous."

  "You know you're welcome to join us," I said with a smile.

  "I know. It's been nice bonding with Fellia though. I know she would agree in a heartbeat if you invited us both," Cecilia replied.

  "Has she mellowed out at all? She seemed overly intense with me the st time we talked," I said apprehensively.

  Cecilia nodded. "She has. We've talked about it a lot, actually. She's a bit like Nelly and Kal'daeryn. Eager to thank you for saving her, but she doesn't do as good a job going about things. It would make me happy if you gave her another chance."

  I sighed. "Maybe. I do feel a bit bad about how things turned out the st time. Assuming whatever we're walking into doesn't turn out to be too complicated, we can talk about it some more ter tonight. Will the three of you join us for dinner?"

  "Do you have a room away from all of the noise for Maddy?" Cecilia asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Of course," I scoffed. "I wouldn't invite you to bring her to dinner otherwise. I'm better than that."

  Cecilia chuckled. "Okay, okay. I don't want to promise anything on short notice, but maybe soon... I've grown to love that kid, you know."

  "I'm gd. A little raccoonkin girl, a human, and an elf make for an odd family," I said with a smile.

  "I just kind of fell into it," Cecilia said with a shrug.

  "She was scared of you at first, you know. Didn't trust humans," I told her.

  Cecilia ughed. "I know... you've told me a few times. Why do you keep bringing that up?"

  "I just think it's funny because she basically hangs off of you like a scarf anytime I see the two of you together now." That got a ugh out of both of us.

  The eight of us continued to chat like that for a while to fight off the nerves before we walked into this dangerous situation. As much as I told myself that Corrine wouldn't just attack us unprovoked, walking into a rge group of Tamin priests and padins was still scary, even if they were ex-Tamin now.

  ("Not long now, five minutes out. I think their scouts have spotted you guys too. Some of them look on edge, but Corrine is preparing herself to meet with you near the front,") Lori told us through the bond.

  I acknowledged the message and pulsed an order for everyone to prepare themselves through the bond. After having it for so long, talking in emotions and nudges has felt more and more natural. At times it felt like we were almost a hivemind with enough other succubi around. It didn't completely repce speaking with words, but we could transmit emotions and feelings much more easily.

  ("Try not to look hostile or draw your weapons if you don't need to. Cecilia, go ahead and let the uunas slip into the trees, but don't have them circle around the group unless things go bad. That could be interpreted negatively. Morrigan, start with defensive magic only. Mimi protect Morrigan,") I said.

  I got pulses of acknowledgement and we continued forward at a rexed pace. Our intention wasn't to get into a fight and we weren't trying to hide. This would be a negotiation first and foremost. I rolled my shoulders and scratched the itchy spot at the base of my horn. I was nervous, but I also felt more confident in my fighting ability than I ever had. These st six months have been good for my confidence with a bde.

  A look of surprise came over Corrine's features when she first id eyes on me. She had been ready to speak with whoever had come out to meet her, but she apparently hadn't thought that it would be me who would be the one coming over. She turned to the side and whispered a few words to one of the people nearby before taking a few steps forward.

  "Lilith? Is that you?" she called out. There were a few looks of shock and confusion from the people nearby as they heard my name called aloud.

  I took a few steps ahead of my friends. "Corrine. I hope you've come here on friendly terms."

  A few of the nearby padins started a hushed argument near her, but Corrine waved the conversation away. "Would it be alright if I approached alone? I'd like to speak with you directly, if that would be okay," she called across the distance.

  "Do you think this is wise?" Torien asked.

  I reinforced my magical armor with a fresh dose of magic. "I'll be alright. Meeting one on one with Corrine was always the pn."

  "That's fine. Let's talk, just the two of us," I called back.

  Walking forward, I made a point to keep my arms away from the sword on my hip. I didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. My past experiences with Corrine had never exactly been positive, but after our st meeting, she was probably closer to a friend than an enemy. I tried to put on a friendly smile, but it wasn't entirely genuine.

  Soon, the two of us were face to face. She looked much more tired than the st time I saw her. She looked rough, her armor was well-worn, and the cloth parts of her modified uniform were torn in pces. She looked completely different from the buttoned up and perfect priest she once was. The most telling thing though, was that she looked better than most of the others behind her. Now that we were closer, it was obvious that everyone in this group looked exhausted.

  "Lilith. It's good to see you again. You survived the turmoil that's been happening across the country. The demon presence has been high in this area. Is Traehall still standing?" she asked.

  "Traehall is standing fine. Things have been tough there for a while, but everyone is adapting okay after system's end. There have only been a few casualties to demons since it happened," I replied evenly. The more I looked at them from this distance, the less I thought they would be too much of a threat if they were hostile. Several of them looked like they were starving.

  Corrine's voice dropped down to a whisper. "And my... daughter. Did she survive everything since system's end?"

  Something about the way she asked the question made my shoulders rex. The vulnerability of the question? The way she acknowledged Bel as her daughter? I couldn't tell exactly, but it humanized her a bit.

  "Bel is doing well. If you don't remember, she was recently pregnant when you st saw her. Her pregnancy has advanced a lot, much faster than normal, but the baby seems healthy so far."

  "Ah... yes. I remember her words clearly. That's... good," the woman said awkwardly.

  I looked at her robes and noticed the spot where the Tamin church crest had been torn off. None of the former priests or padins were wearing them, and the fgs had been marked to denote they were no longer affiliated with the church. That did beg the question of why they were still running around as a group.

  "Why are you and your former priests and padins here, Corrine?" I finally asked.

  Corrine pursed her lips as she met my eyes. "We are looking for sanctuary. After system's end, we've been run out of every town we've attempted to enter. We left Norta without a fight, but that was probably a mistake because we've been wandering ever since. Some pces tolerated us for a while, but once we killed a majority of the nearby demons, they forced us to leave. We need somewhere to go on a more permanent basis, so we've been trying to find a frontier town that would take us in. Traehall is among our first choices, if they would accept us."

  I gnced at one of the defaced banners. "Why not get rid of the banners and the iconography if you no longer belong to the Tamin church?"

  Corrine sighed. "It's not that simple. Most of us don't have any other armor or clothes. Even if we didn't carry the banners, we would be easily identified. We hoped that people might give us more of a chance if we showed them we don't belong to that church anymore. We wouldn't be able to hide it if we tried."

  I gnced at the people behind her. "Our mayor is a tigerkin beastfolk. I'm well known to have several female lovers, including your daughter. While I'm sure some people in Traehall may agree with your beliefs, the majority reject the Tamin church. If you come to Traehall, all of you would have to set your prejudices aside. Is that something your group is capable of?"

  Corrine's face hardened and her aura of defeat faded. "Before system's end, I had been gathering members of the church that didn't agree with their prejudiced beliefs in Norta, and we've already expelled anyone who didn't share that sentiment. I'm sure everyone here would be able to fit in, no matter the beastfolk popution there." She had been clear to emphasize that she was using the word beastfolk rather than beastkin. It was a not-so-subtle indication that she was trying to be serious about it. She gave off a much different impression than when she called me an animal.

  I frowned. "Do you really expect me to believe that you coincidentally happen to be a group of unprejudiced ex-members of the Tamin church?"

  She shook her head as her determination faltered. "Believe what you want. I gathered the people behind me because they were the kind-hearted ones who wanted to help people and protect them from demons, rather than harass strangers for differences in culture. Now, we're merely looking for a pce that will take us in. All of us felt betrayed once it was revealed that it was our gods that wanted to start the second war of the gods. No matter how we're dressed, not a single one of us is a follower of the Tamin church any longer."

  I sighed and scratched the base of my horn. "Alright. Why don't you make camp nearby? I'll go talk with the city's leadership and see what they want to do. If nothing else, I can promise that no one from the city will attack you while we work something out."

  Corrine smiled. "That will give us a small measure of hope."

  Saine

  Hello! We're reintroduced to Corrine! Looks like the these ex-members of the Tamin church weren't too happy with the aftermath of system's end! Surely Bel's mother showing up won't be dramatic at all, right?

  Unfortunately, I have some stuff coming up IRL and won't be able to write anything for next week, so I'm going to be taking a short break until the eleventh. Nothing to worry about, but I won't have any time to get any writing done. Umbral Feast will also be on break until the ninth. Sorry about that! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading!

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