670 Slow Change
Chad woke up in his room after a long nap, finding Ariel and Evelyn beside him. Aster stood on the balcony looking down at the city, “How long was I asleep?”
Aster looked toward him with a smile, “About three hours. You slept like a baby.” She replied.
Chad stood scratching his head, he didn’t feel tired or sleepy, but he felt refreshed. “I should go take a walk.”
“Wait for me. I will go with you. It’s probably better if we took a shower as well.” She said smiling, “The maids came looking for us earlier for that reason.”
“Is that so? How about them?” He looked at Evelyn and Ariel.
“Let them sleep. They must be tired.” Aster replied.
Chad and Aster walked out of the room, quickly spotting a maid cleaning the walls. “Excuse me, can we have a moment?” Aster called her.
“Of course, My lady. Is there anything I can help you with?” The maid stopped working and bowed to them.
Aster shook her head, “No need for formalities. I’m also but a humble servant and a cook.” She smiled, “Some maids came earlier saying the bath was ready. Can we still use it?”
The maid looked worried, “Sorry, but it has been about an hour since they came to you. It must have cooled down. But I’m sure the single bath is ready.”
“The single bath?” Chad looked at her.
“There is a large double bath divided into a men’s and women’s section. The single bath is a regular one.” The maid explained, “You mean we have to get in together? That’s fine by me,” Chad replied with a smile.
The two women stared at Chad. “What?” He looked at them, “I don’t mind using the women’s bath,”
Aster stared at him for a while, remembering he fought the dragon king, “Fine, will use that.” She replied with a smile.
“The bath is downstairs to the left. There should be plenty of maids there ready to direct and answer your orders.” The maid replied with a smile, “Her majesty was right about you. Said you’re different.”
Chad stared at her, glaring down at her face, “Different, in what aspect?”
“The way you talk and act. It isn’t like any other human.” She smiled, “I guess the man who defeated the dragon king has to be different.”
Chad shook his head, “I still don’t get it, but I will take that as a compliment.” He smiled, walking away with Aster.
***
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! Sylph walked toward her office with two maids carrying all of her papers, and on her way, she saw Chad and Aster heading toward the bath.
“You’re awake?” She asked with a smile.
Chad looked toward her, “What with all the papers?” He asked with a puzzled face.
“Someone has beaten the dragon king, and now I have to allocate the funds back to the city. We don’t need to stay on guard as we were before.” she smiled, looking at the paper, “Having to worry less about the military is a problem I love to have.”
“But don’t drop your guard. Remember that the bastard escaped.” Chad replied with a serious face.
“The king alone isn’t the problem. What we fear is the other dragon ravaging the city while we deal with him.” She smiled, “The dragons aren’t good at coordinating together without a force leading them.”
Chad looked at her for a moment and then remembered something. “The king’s daughter is with Cain. Can’t you get her to rule them?”
Aster stared at me with a surprised face, “Lola? Are you talking about Princess Lola? Is she still alive?”
Chad nodded, “Yeah, she’s one of my son’s wives.”
Aster looked relieved for a moment, “You don’t know how much the dragons mourned her death. She was kind of an idol to us.” she relaxed, “But won’t that make your son the new king? No, he is a human, right?”
Chad thought about it, “He has black dragon blood in him. The one named Morena, to be exact.”
Aster took a step back, “Morena, you aren’t talking about the necromancer. Daughter of the purgatory dragon?”
“Her name is Morena Shadowend. He also married her sister Zaleria.” Chad added.
Aster looked around, finding a chair to sit on. “Are you saying your son has Morena’s blood and married the inferno Zaleria?”
“More or less, he ate Morena after she became a dracolich,” Chad explained.
Sylph smiled, staring at Aster, “You might not know this, but his son has also married a girl named Sofia. She is Tiamat. The chromatic dragon goddess.”
“Stop joking.”
“I’m not joking. His son is a different breed of a monster than anything you saw in your life. He also married Lilia, by the way, that laughing tornado.” Sylph said with a grin.
Aster stared at her for a moment. Thud! She fell unconscious. Her head couldn’t process what she has gotten herself into.
Chad walked into the dragon kingdom and beat the king, and Sylph now is telling that his son is an even bigger problem. Dragons might have never had a chance from the start.
“Ah! Sylph!” Lilia flew in, sitting in her staff. “Is she alive?” She looked at the unconscious Aster.
“She is,” Sylph replied, and Lilia snapped her finger, waking Aster immediately.
“Hey, are you awake?” As Lilia knocked her head with the staff, Aster slowly woke up shaking.
“Who? The tornado!” she rushed back, terrified.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you. As long as you’re by Chad’s side.” Lilia replied with an evil grin.
“Do you know how many dragons died at your hands?” Aster said, growling.
“A lot, around a hundred thousand one is how much I remember.” Lilia smiled. “Do you have a problem?” she stared at her with a passive face.
Sylph looked at Chad, “Lilia once headed to the dragon kingdom alone and walked in their street, picking those who she like to take for her experiments. No one dared to stop her.”
Lilia stared at her, “You make me look bad. I used magic to decide who deserved to be taken with how many people they killed.” She pouted.
“If you just knew how much dragons hated you.” Aster stared at her.
“Come on. I know that. I’m not trying to hide it. A lot of people either hate or fear me.” She smiled, “Go take a bath before it’s too late,”
Sylph looked toward her maids, “We should get to work as well,”
Chad looked toward Aster, “This conversation will lead nowhere, let’s get in the bath,”
Aster looked at Lilia and then nodded, “Yeah, better that I get myself killed.” She sighed, opening the bath door and getting in with Chad.
Lilia flew out of the castle on her staff, flying to the sky and closing her eyes, “Now, where was I?” She smiled, “Yeah, northwest,” She unleased a wave of magic, scrying the land bit by bit, looking for the dragon king.
“I won’t rest until I have you in a vial. Come out, little lizard.” She smiled.
***
Lolth’s highest priestess sat under a marble fountain, pouring cold water on her naked body with her eyes closed. All with tens of Cain poking her from every side.
Lolth ruled them by fear, but Cain is about to drive them mad. Only those with a strong belief will still hold against his nagging.
The true Cain, sitting inside the cocoon after training looked across the world toward the church, “She is holding well. Probably just annoying her won’t work.”
Lolth appeared by his side, “I did tell her to submit. This isn’t my fault.”
“It is your fault. She thinks this a trail made by you.” Cain replied, “Do you have a good idea to break her will?”
Lolth thought about it, “Beating is the only method I can think of. Otherwise, it will be quicker to kill her and get someone else in her place.”
Cain smiled, “Yochlol!” With his words, ten yochlol appeared in the drow form, bowing before him.
“See this priestess? I want you to convince her with something better,” Cain said, looking at them.
“Belief is something only she can change. We cannot force her into it.” One of them replied.
Cain nodded, “You’re right.” He then closed his eyes, lifting his palm. “I will take more extreme measures,”
As the priestess poured water over her head, all the Cains around her disappeared. She smiled, thinking she won.
CLACK! The room turned black, and hundreds of slimy tentacles sprouted from the wall and engulfed her.
The priestess screamed. Those were real. “Let go of me!” She cried.
One of the sisters opened the door and saw her entangled.
The tentacles immediately rushed at her, but she bowed down. “Lord Cthulhu, can you please release our priestess?” She asked, and the tentacles stopped. A mouth appeared on one of them.
“I’m offering her two choices, to leave, or to join us,” The mouth said, dragging both of them to the cocoon, facing Cain.