The Conquerors bloodline

Chapter 86: Fireside

"How is she?" Najenda asked Sheele who was slowly approaching the group alongside Mine after they went to check on Chelsea.

Mine shook her head, "still asleep, when I went to check her temperature she felt like she'd just been dunked into a fire headfirst. She's also really fidgety and is making a lot of weird noises" Mine's eye twitched thinking to another strange thing she'd discovered. "she's also really sensitive. Like, I poke her shoulder and she moans type of sensitive."

"Is this Bolic's drugs at work?" Najenda asked the two, looking to Akame and Leone who were standing to the side tending to the flame and the roasting danger beast they caught.

Mine shrugged and shook her head, "I don't know. She sighed. It could be, but without her awake I can't say for certain."

Najenda locked her fingers together, bringing her hands against her lips, "and Susanoo? Is he still with her?"

"No. We didn't really feel uh, comfortable leaving a man with her in her current state," Mine mumbled.

"He wouldn't do anything if that's what your worried about. I doubt he even knows much about 'that.' But I don't blame you. Where's he now?"

"He said he saw some plants in the forest he could make into some type of medicine," Mine walked up towards the fire reaching her hands out to it to warm them up, Sheele doing the same except crouching down closer to it, bringing her knee's up to her chest.

"Good," Najenda said turning to look down the road leading into the ruined village they'd taken shelter in for any signs of their last unaccounted for member, Lubbock. "Akame, Leone! I'm going to begin a short debriefing. Get over here!" she called to the two girls getting them to nod and make their way over.

When they arrived she said, "I'd wait for Lubbock. But it looks like he's run into issues if its taking him this long to get back. So I'll just start now. Leone, what did you find?"

"I ran into some guys who thought I was a harlot at the 'Paradise' brothel nearby Bolics mansion. Curious, I did some digging, turns out this brothel is owned by Bolic himself and is used as either storage for the girls he drugs or where he tosses them when he gets bored of them. Didn't look very well defended and all the girls I saw looked high out of their minds."

"Does it look like we can use it during the assassination? Does Bolic ever visit it?"

"Dunno, I asked around for a bit, cracked a few balls, all just say that Bolic sends an envoy to pick up and new girls they recruit so he can give them his 'baptism.' So no, I don't think he ever visits, he's to busy in his fancy shmancy mansion."

Najenda mumbled something to herself before focusing on Mine and Sheele, "what did you two find? You two did some mapping right? You notice anything?"

"It a regular city," Mine just shrugged, "they've got patrols running down the main streets every now and then. Otherwise this place is amazing, I didn't see a single child get dragged into the alleyways or hear some woman screaming. It's like this place actually has morals," she snorted derisively, not at Kyoroch, but at the Empire for obvious reasons.

"Just goes to prove how necessary the Path of Peace's insurrection will be to getting the Empire on the right track. Anything else?"

"Mmm," Sheele bobbed her head deciding it was her turn to speak, "we ran into the Lord he seemed kind" it was short, to the point and explained nothing.

"Right. Mine, you want to keep that ball rolling," Najenda asked the sprite.

"We were taking a break in some ruins on the eastern part of the city when the Lord and some of his guards appeared. He apparently goes out to inspect the outskirts every few days. We talked for a bit and he told us something about 'being reunited with the one we love' soon." Mine's mumbled, lowering her gaze to the fire as if to see the form of Parc within it. "And that our reunion prelude a grand event. Whatever that means."

Najenda pressed her hand against her lips in contemplation, "the Lord is believed to have prophetic visions, so it likely has something to so with that." She replied, "is that all?"

"Yeah, we came back right after and learnt about what happened with Chelsea."

Najenda remained silent for a moment, "then I'll get onto mine and Akame's debriefing. While meeting with some spies at the graveyard, Akame encountered Run of Nightraid and fought him for a bit before he escaped, returning to the city. Right after that she was attacked by Ibara of the four Rakshasa's and was able to kill him with only minor wounds before returning." She tilted her head Akame's direction, getting a small nod from the girl "Turns out there's likely to be some underground tunnel leading to the mansion from there, but now with Run knowing she was there and that being where Akame killed one of the demons security is likely to ramp up around that part of the city. From now on the graveyard is a no go zone. Don't risk getting spotted around there."

"Got it." They for the most part all responded.

"Onto me," she grumbled raising a hand to her still bare stump, missing her arm quite a lot now. "I was keeping watch over Stylish when Chelsea wandered into the village in her disguise looking like she was under the influence of something. I confronted her, she attacked. Begging me to 'help' her and that 'it hurt.' She looked like she was going insane from whatever was is, affecting her." Najenda hummed puffing out a plume of ashen air, "After that she was able to pin me down for reason's I'm not going to explain, before Akame arrived and knocked her out. The rest is history."

Mine chewed on her thumb; she may dislike Chelsea a lot but whatever was happening to her certainly didn't sound enjoyable. "do we know if Bolic knows who she is?" Leone asked from the side.

"No. But judging by how she's here and not locked up in some dungeon, I can say we should be okay for now. But until whatever it is affecting her wears off I don't want anyone getting near that manor." Just as the others gave their confirmation she saw a shadow growing closer in the distance, a familiar one, a dishevelled one. Clad in a long green coat with light, spikey green hair atop his head and a goofy smile on his lipstick stained face.

Seeing Najenda's frown marred face, the others turned to see what she was staring at, Leone smirking to Lubbock as he arrived by the fire, "someone finally got some! Welcome to the land of the adults Lubbo! Congrats!" Leone threw her head back into raucous laughter ifnoring the stern silence of the others around her and the goofed blush on Lubbocks face.

"Really?" Mine spoke up, "of all the times you could find a whore it's on the job?"

"Well, to be fair, Marnie's not a whore-"

"Marnie, one of the spies?" Najenda plucked her cigarette from her lip and rose a brow, feeling a bit of happiness for Lubbock in some deep part of her heart.

Lubbock chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "it it's a bit of a story." He said.

"Ohhh," Leone whistled, "why don't you tell us then? I'ts sure to be," she clicked her tongue, "spicy."

"Leone," Mine groaned, "I don't want to hear about Lubbock's sex life. Can we not. Or, at least you two can chat about it in private."

"Yes, do keep it to yourself for now. Lubbock, did you find anything before going to frolick in the fields or was that all you did tonight?" Najenda asked.

Lubbock chuckled awkwardly, how he would have loved to have spent the whole night with Marnie, but no. They both had jobs to do, "I ran into some big muscly guy and we got into a fight. He could do some weird stuff with his body, extend his nails, turn his beard into spears, that type of thing."

"Sten." Akame added, "he's one of the four Rakshasa's."

"Yeah, him. He had lured in Marnie thinking she was a lost child or something and said something about eating her. And me, as my honourable self couldn't stand for that so we fought and I ended up killing him. After that, well, that's something for me to keep to myself."

Najenda's cheek twitched before she let out a sigh, "at least you actually did something. Girls, your dismissed, get some grub then head to bed. I'll catch Lubbock up on what's happened then he's taking night shift the entire, night shift."

"Eh?" Lubbock jolted while Leone snorted and Mine gave him 'you get what you deserve' smug smile.

"You were late. This is your punishment. If you don't like it. Don't go around spreading little Lubbock's around."

"I wasn't- she's not-"

"Shhh," Leone pressed her finger against Lubbock's lips, silencing him, "none of us are going to listen to you. So don't argue. Now sit down and listen as Najenda regales you in the tale of the actual work we did today."

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Thanks to Adam Bruce for the Donation! Mah Man!