My Servant System

Standing atop the sturdy walls that now sliced through the city of Nogart, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out towards the plains, which were bathed in rays of glittering gold as the sun reached its zenith, signaling the remaining hours we had before the Cultists made their showing.

Perhaps they would be coming at dusk, perhaps they wouldn't show until midnight; perhaps they wouldn't show at all, since the Cultists that were stationed here might have sent a message back to Amioux or wherever else they were stationed, telling them to steer clear of Nogart no matter what.

We just had no guarantee that any of those suspicions had more merit than the other, since they could be coming for revenge, could need this area for an important ritual or just desperately need a new base of operations outside the Empire and away from the Confederation, or maybe they just had no idea that the Cultists here were dead.

There just was no way to tell, and I couldn't help but sigh at that, drawing the attention of the red skinned woman beside me as we overlooked the plains, awaiting the arrival of either the Cultists or our reinforcements.

"Even after such an... eventful night, you still feel the need to sigh? My, what a privileged life you've lived, Scion of Asmodia~!"

Satanya smirked at me as she slowly clapped her hands together, the woman not hiding her slight disdain for me at all as her scarlet eyes traced over my body, her general demeanor still one of superiority despite having been put in her place recently.

Raising a brow, I met her gaze and stared at her silently, looking down at the woman and making sure to exaggerate the fact that I was taller than her, meaning that despite her need to feel better than me, I was ALWAYS going to be looking down at her.

It seemed to work wonders as her lip curled upwards, a sneer replacing the smirk as she glared at me, her barbed words and haughty attitude not drawing the response from me that she wanted.

"Indeed. Even after such wonderful bliss last night with my future WIFE, I can still focus on the task at hand; the upcoming attack that we'll have to weather with or without the aid of the Demon Clans, depending on the arrival time of these damn Cultists."

Her sneer deepened as I empathized that Leone was to be my wife, her scarlet eyes flaring with anger before she reined it in, turning the flames into embers that threatened to erupt once more.

Clicking her tongue, Satanya sat down at the edge of the wall and kicked her feet back and forth, letting her boots tap against the wall as she said "The letter said they'd be here at midnight on the night of the full moon, not after or before that period of time. Though, admittedly, they could arrive earlier if they were warned, or avoid appearing altogether... Either way, we learned that they have a base in Amioux, which is bountiful enough. Knowing of one of their bases of operations is invaluable. And now that we have a better understanding of the Cult itself, albeit at a surface level..."

The woman switched from personal to professional in mere moments, reminding me of the masks that Kat was able to don and shed at a moments notice, sending a shiver down my spine as I imagined dealing with someone like that every hour of each day...

As if sensing that, Satanya smirked back at me, licking her lips as she coyly asked "When you were courting the Princess, what was the first thing that drew your attention~? Her voluptuous curves, her gentle and kind nature, or her frighteningly sharp mind~? Or was it her status and the thrill of conquering such a valuable woman~?"

Her lips curled up this time in amusement as she grinned at me, enjoying the way I just silently stared at her, before her features stiffened as I asked my own question in response to hers.

"When someone courts you, what's the first thing that they say when they decline to court you again? Your bitchy attitude, your horrendous personality, or your constant need to jibe with them?"

Smirking at her, I looked away from her hardened expression and instead focused on the plains, leaving her to smolder in her anger silently before pointing towards the grassy expanse, saying "Seems like Ronove made haste alright. That's rather fast."

Satanya just snorted as she slid off the wall, dropping to the ground silently and storming away from me, making me grin as I watched her leave, before dropping down behind her and making my way towards the real walls of Nogart.

Ronove was at the head of a dozen riders, the Beliali man leading eight other Beliali warriors and four Cimeriesa mages towards Nogart, each of them equipped with impressive gear and the confident, subdued arrogance that seemed innate to Demon blood.

Stepping out to meet them with the irritated Young Miss of the Beliali Clan, I nodded at the various red and yellow skinned Demons, each of them dismounting from their horses and saluting both Satanya and I.

"C'mon. We'll brief you on what we know and show you around before midnight. Did the Madam say anything? Lord Belian or Lady Hathor?"

Satanya beckoned for everyone to follow as she marched back into the city, her leather coat and braided hair billowing out behind her as the winds swept over the mountain and down its slope, carrying a slight chill.

"Nothing of import, Young Miss. Just to be careful and anticipate the unexpected. These Cultists are considered a threat now too, though Lord Belian and Lady Hathor agreed that they were a manageable one for our forces."

She nodded at Ronove's words, ignoring me again but not saying anything as I said "They're individually not the most impressive fighters or mages, but... Some of them use incantations instead of runic spells, and they do have access to some older magics as well. Additionally, they are able to potentially summon a Fiend to their side, which is problematic but... manageable. Especially with a Banshee here and the amount of Demons we now have. Be careful though; Cultists are fanatics, and as such they can be... unpredictable. Who knows what they want to do..."

Everyone behind me gave me a curt nod, the dozen Demons not treating me any different than they did Satanya, though I had no doubt in my mind that they would follow her orders over mine - as they should, but it was nice to see that only the red skinned Young Miss was being problematic...