Crusader King, Chapter 14

I spent the next few hours with the princesses to help them calm down. Well, Princess Prim at least as she was rather helpless. Princess Alicia was at least a warrior and thus able to defend herself to some extent.

But still, it was honestly almost cute with how Princess Prim and I sat next to each other at a table and the pink-haired doe-eyed princess held my hand under the table.

All the while putting on a brave face for her elder 'sister' who was rather contrite at being unable to help Prim when she was almost dragged down by the penis tipped eldritch tentacle monster.

"Haaaa. I fear we may need to drain the lake as many commoners even come to this lake during the summer after the spring monster purges." Alicia said with some clear exasperation, which earned a wry smile from me.

"And how do you plan on draining the lake actually?" I asked curiously.

Alicia sighed and said with clear annoyance. "How else... We will create a large ditch that will lead downhill and then make the ditch meet the lake so it will drain outwards. Not only is the lake used for fun, but we have also been considering stocking it wih fish as well. Just leaving it to stagnate would be a total loss."

Then Alicia raised an eyebrow before saying with a smile. "Actually, with your magic. How would you instead drain the lake?"

I hummed and I felt Prim squeeze my hand as she looked at me with hope which made me take it more seriously anyway. Finally I said thoughtfully.

"Well, I see a couple of options. First, I freeze a tunnel into the hole leading into that underground river to deal with the monster or make a seal. Or, I can drain the lake by enchanting a container to contain massive amounts of water."

Then Prim asked quietly. "How would you seal the entrance? Mundane or magical means?" 

I shrugged and said honestly. "Both? A magical seal along with a solid metal cage that would lay over the bottom of the lake so it couldn't as easily make another hole into the depths."

As it didn't take long for me to realize and research the monster to be sure it was a true abyssal monster. Which was fatally weak to the sun's rays and even a full moon could give it a 'sun' burn equivalent. 

So it's main body HAD to remain in the tunnel while its non-tangible tendrils could only be out in the sunlight for a short time as well.

Still this wasn't something I was invested in as the abyssal monster at best could be used for some alchemy and enchanting some cursed objects that could drive people to madness. Obviously, something not too useful for me.

And the princesses both knew that throwing me at the problem right now was a bad idea... As there was the issue of the inevitable bullshit that would be coming tonight anyway.

"So Alicia, traps have been set up in the forest line right?" I asked curiously to switch the topic.

To which Alicia blinked and nodded before saying casually. "Indeed, so if something comes tonight. We should hear it without any issue."

'Yeah that 'if' bit is what bugs me you stupid fuck meat. Of course we are going to be attacked.' I thought with some annoyance as it was closing in on winter. Monsters were literally everywhere!

Still, I put on a calm smile as Prim let go of my hand only to cut me a slice of cake. And as I began eating the cake, I looked outwards as Prim 'sneakily' took my other hand back into her own.

I saw that Prim and Alicia's hentai knights were eating much more coarse rations while I was eating fresh game and eating cake that had been brought here in an ice box with the ice being taken fresh today from the western mountains.

'Let them eat cake indeed.' I mused to myself as I wondered if I should set myself to use my magic to enhance the local farming operations as I did learn some rituals and charms I could use to do so.

Though I wasn't exactly hyped at the thought of awakening a dryad in a tree that overlooked said farm by having thirty men's worth of semen drip-fed into the tree's roots. 

'Oh wait! I have a cult that has several twinks and fem-boys! They can do the weird shit for me!' I thought before my face twitched as I realized I actually considered those things good to have.

Then I was dragged out of my thoughts as Alicia asked Artoria who was standing guard nearby about the orc tribes in the local area.

-

-

"There they are. The Apostle of the Truth has delivered us unto salvation! We found the conduit to the false goddess!" A cultist reported with glee.

Castorice without the insane glee of the cultist slowly nodded before saying coldly. "The caravan. How do they number, and any defenses?"

The three reporting cultists shared a look before one explained that the convoy was rather large seeing as they were transporting close to four dozen elves both dark and normal to be sold into sexual slavery.

Which meant that not only did the convoy need alot of guards, but they had to have a supply line to feed and water their 'cargo'.

And not only did they have a decent number of guards. But they also supposedly had three dark elf mages that served to keep the slaves in line with dark magic.

"We will attack their caravan members now as night fades... Have our members replace the inn, fill it up to capacity, and I will use some enchanted tools our lord left to replace the inn's workers and owner. Get the knights ready with their long knives." 

With that, Castorice left the 'church' within the underground and headed down into the cult's treasury where she first collected those enchanted tools that would temporarily put people into a stupor.

Then, with some effort, she unsealed a room that was blocked off for a good reason. And as the door opened, the scent of overwhelming arousal hit her nose and she looked within the room, only to see in the middle of the room where a large bed was.

Was Albedo with her gleaming and beautiful black wings spread out as she lethargically played with her womanhood that had created a large wet spot on her bed and was the clear source of the scent.

"Master?" Albedo whispered with hazy eye's as she looked over at Castorice before she scowled and said coldly as she pulled up a blanket that clung to her almost too ample frame. "What do you want, mongrel of a mortal?" 

Castorice didn't rage at Albedo's disrespectful speech. Instead she said blandly. "We located the Darkness Goddess conduit along with the convoy that has arrived here in Ur. You are to come aid in your master's mission to break the conduit into setting roots within his Garden."

Albedo paused before sitting up fully and saying quickly. "Master has a mission for me? Why didn't you start with that?!" 

"You are to use your talents to assist me in putting the guards and chattel of the caravan into a deep sleep."

The still technically virgin Succubus elegantly got out of her bed with Castorice despite being well broken by Jake still couldn't deny that the succubus's full frame pulled her eye's even as she pulled on a slip of a dress that clung to her frame.

Then, without a word Castorice turned on her heel knowing that the succubus would be following without fail, and as she made her way up to the surface with more members of the cult joining.

She idly noticed the elves that Jake rescued from that slaver camp that were going to be sold to those goblins as breeding fodder. And of the three specifically, she focused on Aerin Lucullus, who was related to Celestine, the goddess of Light conduit.

'Hmm, she can also be used to get ahold of. Or at least make contact with Celestine possibly.' Castorice thought as she knew that should her lord, her master, and true god were able to break both goddesses of the world's conduit to his will. This world would be his!

The group covered in shadows soon reached the surface of the city, and they melded with the city of Ur's shadows as they soon reached their target as they had left the sewers as close to the target as possible.

"Albedo, Aerin, You both are with me. Make sure the guards are put to sleep or knocked out with the tools you have. I will deal with the dark elf mages myself." Castorice said as she used her particular talent to sense magical energy to pick out the dark elves who had their own rooms.

Then while the other members of Shadow Garden moved in the shadows of the criminal-filled side of city of Ur, to get to the line of cages and deal with the few guards standing next to the carts. The three made their way into the inn.

And as they entered the inn, Castorice activated her first tool in a poisoned stick of incense that would quickly put people who smelled its smoke to a deep sleep that would last for at least eight hours.

She just dropped the smoking stick of incense next to the front of the bar where the door leading to the kitchen being opened constantly would spread the smoke through the rest of the inn's main room quickly enough.

Then, without a word she headed upwards onto the second floor to where people were sleeping, sin's were being committed. And her secondary targets lied.

Although getting the Darkness Goddesses conduit was very much her main mission. She knew that several of the slaves would be stamped with cursed seals that these three dark elves could track so they needed to be 'dealt' with.

'The cult could use three magic users... I just have to break them into our way of thinking.' Castorice thought blandly as she kneeled next to the door that did have a magical seal that was probably a standard magical trip alarm.

She then took a small forging bellows out that was engraved with enlayed silver that gleamed in the darkness of the seedy inn and then she began using the billows to send purple air through a crack in the door for a couple of minutes.

As she worked to fill the room with a curse of lethargy and amnesia which the bellows were enchanted to cause. The door next to the one they were at opened. 

And then before the man who came out could react to the kneeling figure, who was clearly up to no good. Aerin stepped forward, and a gagging noise rang out as he choked on a scream as the elf punched him in the throat.

Then as the man hunched over due to his collapsed throat Aerin grabbed the man by the jaw and the back of his head by his hair and a long double crack noise rang out as she snapped his neck harshly to the left and right before letting his twitching corpse to quietly collapse to the floor before she closed the door.

"You shouldn't have killed him. You could have just knocked him out." Castorice said without judgment but still with a level of admonishment.

Aerin only replied quietly. "Being next door to these dark elves. He was almost certainly the leader of the caravan itself."

To which Castorice nodded, and then she said calmly. "These three should be asleep now. Even still, I will cut them with a poisoned blade for transport. Aerin, you go give the signal to the rest of the team outside to act."

The blond elf nodded, though with the enchanted hood that filtered out poisons and harmful gases in the air that all Shadow Garden wore while doing 'work'. Castorice couldn't see her reaction but she saw the elf didn't hesitate to follow the order thankfully.

"She isn't nearly as... Enthusiastic as the rest of your little cult." Albedo noted with an amused smile as the elf headed downstairs.

Castorice finally stood up and quietly opened door. And managed to not react as a loud snap rang out as the magical alarm went off. Still, as she took in the three forms in their beds, she said calmly.

"Her cousin and guardian, however, have fit very well within Shadow Garden. She has nothing else in this life anyway, and that loss of purpose may be stronger than the pleasure, rapture, and mental training the rest have."

Albedo didn't see any point in replying to the half-elf who clearly had her own thoughts. Instead, her hands filled with fel purple magic before she grabbed the heads of the silver and black haired, dark elves to magically reinforce their slumber... As well as fill their dreams with horror and pleasures mortals weren't supposed to taste.

"They will not awaken for at least a day... If their minds allow them to awaken from the sweet dreams I bestowed upon them ufufu." Albedo cruelly laughed before soft cries and yells rang out as the Shadow Garden members outside fell upon the few guards who were watching.

Castorice gave a grunt of agreement before she said calmly. "I will carry two, you carry that one. Master will enjoy having three new dark elves in his cult. Either he will enjoy breaking them himself, or we will break them before hand so he may use them in another ritual."

As Albedo casually threw one of the dark elves over her shoulder, her nose pinched before she sniffed. "None of them are pure. All three of born of sin, lived in sin, and would be used for the fire's of Hell when they die. Their best use is to be used as a sacrifice for a greater demon or something aligning with the darkest of magic."

Castorice's face didn't change as she responded calmly. "Whether Jake slit's their throat to use their blood to take a bath in it. Or makes them into a nun of purity and redemption, that is not our preview. He will decide their fate, though it's likely that with his disdain for slavers, he will likely break, or kill them." 

The two then headed out of the inn with their three captives and as they came out. Castorice wore a small smile at seeing Shadow Garden having likewise used the incence smoke to knock out the dark and normal elf slaves who were to be sold into to the nobles of the next kingdom over in Geofu.

So the captives didn't cause any issues as they were being transported, and as they approached and moved to bring everyone into the sewers. Castorice heard Albedo whisper. "She is so close... I can feel her depraved divinity stroking my demonic energy." 

To which Castorice only said calmly. "When we get them moved into the vaults, you will pick her out of the captives... Our master will want to personally meet with her before she is broken."

"No... Our master will break her mortal mind, and flood her womb with demi god children!" Albedo hissed with euphoria at the thought of the scene.

-

I was awoken by the sounds of war drums that ruined my god damn sweet dreams. My eye's snapped open and I instantly groaned. "Fucking orcs!"

The sound of Artoria stirring in the next tent also rang out as she slipped into her battle leotard meanwhile I threw on my own clothes while I also turned my body into pure steel.

As a simple orc arrow wouldn't hurt me while I had a body of steel unless I was shot directly in the eye or something.

I ran tore out of my tent as the hentai knights began shooting arrows from the watch posts while Artoria's Knights of the Rose order took up large halberds at Artoria's orders.

"Jake! You and Princess Alicia should find the warboss!" Artoria yelled out over the sounds of the charging giant orcs making their way toward us.

In response, I cupped my hand in a semi-closed position, then I projected some magnesium into the cupped hand before with my other hand I created a bolt of lightning plasma that ignited the magnesium before I shot the burning mass of magnesium towards the orcs who quickly covered their eye's at the blinding white mass of burning metal.

"Don't look at the metal! Just shoot the orcs!" I yelled out as I realized all too quickly that this wasn't just some raiding party... This was a whole raiding army!

But my last almost month of magical research wasn't for naught as I held up my hands with a large blue magical glyph forming, and I groaned as I felt my magical reserves quickly emptying.

For good reason as with my will I drew a great amount of water from the giant lake to create a violent stream of water that smashed into the invading line of orcs that were rushing for us.

Then feeling the massive drain on my magical resources as this world was not one that ran off of flashy magic. I spent the last chunks of purely magical energy to freeze the massive tendril of water that had smashed into the orc army into an ice wall that was eight feet fall and five feet thick.

The orcs, however, were still close to seven feet tall at the very least so they could and did climb over the wall... But it heavily, very heavily slowed them down, especially when the top of the ice wall was covered in razor-sharp blades.

A loud roar of "Fuck meat ahead!" Rang out like an pissed off bull elephant in rut and as I laid my eye's on the 'Warboss' Calling him a bull elephant in rut... Wasn't an exaggeration!

He, who it very much was a he, was seven meters tall clearly several tons in weight and he ran straight THROUGH the five-foot-thick fucking wall of ice only tripping as his giant legs got caught on the ice.

'Whelp... I am fucked.' I thought as I watched Alicia flare with her life force and with a shout, she shot forward with her great sword to duel with the giant of an orc that was closer to a troll if anything.

"Fuck it. I am going to finger bang Prim on the way back if I survive this bullshit." I cursed as I realized that I almost certainly wouldn't survive trying to make my way back to the kingdom of Ur if we were overran.

It was still pitch dark, and god knows what horrors filled the forest at night, which would attack me. As I had to walk most of the way back to Ur. It's not like I could fly for long without it exhausting me.

I ran in towards the Warboss knowing all to well that the orcs leadership needed it's head removed to put the actual fear into these damned monsters.

I summoned a spinning blade of metal that screamed as it cut through the air and then I launched it at the warboss, who slammed Alicia aside with it's literal tree it was using as a club.

And then I heard it boom with laughter as it caught the spinning blade on the end of his tree and he cheered. "Haha! You made it into an axe!"

But then I held up a hand and the blade that was embedded in the tree bloomed red, making him pause before I closed my hand and the blade exploded, making him scream as metal shrapnel hit him in the chest and face as I flash froze the super heated metal.

"Dirty mage! I am going to use your hips for a ring!" He roared and I noticed that the metal I blew up on him with all the force of a hand grenade if not more... Just didn't do shit honestly. The metal was visibly embedded in his skin, but he wasn't even bleeding as he was an Orc bred for war and pillaging.

The massive orc ran directly for me and thankfully, the other orc's seeing the warboss rushing me didn't get themselves involved so I went for my tried and true method.

I dug deep into my elemental powers, and I controlled the earth to create a ditch that made the giant orc stagger, but as I went to slam shut the ditch in the bastard he just roared and smashed his way through the dirt and continued rushing towards me.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" I cursed as I backpedalled and as he smashed down at me I realized I couldn't stop the blow at all... And I had a strong feeling that even if my body was metal, that if I was beaten into the shape of a smashed pop can would most definitely cause my death.

So I collapsed into a puddle of water that sank into the ground that was smashed by the massive tree of a club.

And as he smashed into the water puddle that made my form, I did feel an ache as my 'body' was separated into different pieces with the force of the impact. But I knew that so long as I put myself back together or just got more water I would be fine.

Then it hit me. I just needed more water, and there was a whole lake to provide me with all the water I could need.

"Alicia, the lake!" I yelled out with a hollow voice as I shot forward in a liquid form and shot a high-pressure wave of water into the orc that made it snarl in frustration that turned into a pained roar as Alicia slid past a leg with her great sword carving into it's flesh and making it bleed, actually.

My watery form shot towards the lake, with the orc slapping Alicia away as it thundered towards me with a hateful roar. "I will make you watch as all the gobbo's will play with these damned whores!"

I shot into the lake and used it to shoot more powerful jets of water into the orc but I also turned my upper body into my human form so that he roared with glee at thinking he could actually hit me now as he charged into the lake.

But as he ran into the lake. I turned back into a liquid state... Liquid nitrogen in particular and along with my ability to control the surrounding mass of water and earth. The slippery stone floor of the lake soon dragged him deeper in.

And as I 'swam' closer, my super cooled form quickly froze the water around me into a slurry as I moved at high speed so that he couldn't actually use the frozen ice as leverage to get out.

No he just got instant hypothermia as his body couldn't take the swirling freezing water that stole all his body heat, and drowned him at the same time.

The most important fact was that he was very much a living being. And monster or not. All living beings would panic while drowning unless they had a lot of swimming practice and training for such a situation.

As the Orc Warboss became still, underwater. I embedded his feet and limbs to the bottom of the lake in case he was faking it, and then I shot back to the surface. As there were still more orcs to deal with at the surface.