Oh god… Janus, why?! WHY?! I just wanted to sleep a little while longer… But Wilson, of all people… Is currently howling to wake me. Okay… So, the Band wants their new song choices. We've got exactly one night left to prepare the playlist for our upcoming festival… Two, if we include tonight. It's high time that we begin the REAL preparations, huh?~ Alright…

"Relax… There's plenty of time for you all to break under the pressure of these next songs~" [Nero] yawned while returning to his larger Human form.

"Thank goodness sake, he's finally awake! HURRY! Someone, get the Fish!" [Wendel] beckoned to several lesser Scarecrows currently carrying Fish Kebabs in the distance.

"Coming, Mistress Wendel!" [Scarecrow #1] screamed with a voice depicting sheer terror as he and the other four Scarecrows lined up in orderly fashion before a particular Lich.

"Ah-Ah-AHHH~ What's this I see here…? Is that… A strand of STRAW that I see, poking out of the Fish...?" [Molag Dregora] asked with a sadistic expression as he halted the Scarecrow and inspected the food.

"...Y-Yes Sir…" [Scarecrow #1] muttered with a dejected expression.

"TRY AGAIN!" [Molag Dregora] roared ferociously as flames spewed out of his mouth, causing the innocent Scarecrow to begin fleeing back toward the Wailing Keep before giddily gesturing for his next victim to step forward.

Ah jeez… Molag and Wendel are tormenting the Scarecrows again… Honestly… I think the worst part about this entire ordeal, is that Christina's been casually standing next to the line of Scarecrows… Plucking their straws from behind their backs, and sticking them directly into the Fish Kebabs… Penny's also off in the distance, collecting each of the 'damaged goods' from the distraught Scarecrows… And this has probably been going on for quite some time. This is all some sort of underhanded coup to secretly steal perfectly good Fish Kebabs from Mary without actually needing to face her wrath. Throw a few sobbing Scarecrow monsters into the mix, and she'll be left with no choice but to keep cooking Kebabs… It's rather ingenious. This is carefully designed architecture. All four of them are in on it. These poor, innocent Scarecrows… I doubt that they're even getting filled in on the spoils…

"Enough of this madness! Fetch me my Fish at once!" [Nero] spat while pointing a finger toward Christina as she was very blatantly debating the idea of placing a fresh strand into the newest Kebab as the Scarecrow continued giving her an incredibly dirty look.

"Agh~ You caught me… Here~" [Christina] sighed before handing the undamaged Kebab to the Halloween Cat.

Ahhh… What a delightful treat~ Christina and the others are meow off calculating their haul down the street… They have no shame. I suppose that it doesn't matter so much… The food doesn't… But the Scarecrows do. Those guys don't deserve to be messed with nearly as much as they are~ I really hope that we can find a way to help them get stronger after I Prestige… But let's get real. Those guys… For about as long as I can remember, they've essentially been cannon fodder. Not strong. Not even slightly sturdy. In the Mummy Mansion, we literally used them as one-time-use throwable objects every single time that we opened a door in the endless Hallways. It didn't really matter what monster lay waiting on the other side of the door, that Scarecrow at the front of the line? Dead on the immediate arrival of the door's creaking sound effect.

I'm worried about the Scarecrows. I don't really know how we're going to find a way to safely train them… I can't think of a single battle in which they are guaranteed to walk out of alive. It's honestly so bad, that I might need to rely on Luna to take each Scarecrow out one at a time… Protecting them, from something as weak as Slimes. There's one problem. The Slime population is constantly at war with the Rifa. The Rifa have shown in the past, that they're actually becoming the alphas of the Forsaken Isles. They don't take enough casualties from the Slimes as the other races do from their natural enemies. That's why, two Rifale were able to rise from their ranks in the blink of an eye after our latest culling. I wouldn't be surprised if it's gotten to a point that most of the Rifa were Tier 2 or even 3 meow… The Forsaken Isles… They're probably a little bit smaller than the Lost Kingdom. It's not unlikely to say that the constant safari-like atmosphere has only gotten worse since our emigration. We should increase our scouting of the Forsaken Isles populace. Conrad, I'll leave it to you.

Still… That doesn't solve the Scarecrow dilemma. They're too weak to train. Candy Land is nice in theory… But it just might turn out to be stupidly difficult. You never know with these Dungeons~ Perhaps… The Snow Slime Lake or the Rabbit's Hole would be the most optimal choices. Yesh… One of the two. Both of them happen to be up north, the Rabbit's Hole being west of Nidallia near the Town of Bernston… While the Snow Slime Lake is laying in wait somewhere within the Tundra of the Savage Lands. Simply based on locale… It's safe to say that the Rabbit's Hole is probably the most optimal choice. Rabbits. Maybe Rustle would be the best guide for keeping the Scarecrows out of harm's way? I'd feel somewhat bad to ask him to face rabid rabbits, though… Then again, the Skeletons totally needed to face Skeledogs AND Mummies. We're probably fine. Just don't think about it, as long as their eyes are beat red. Red eyes are evil. Orange eyes are fine. Green eyes are strange, so you should definitely call upon a second opinion. Yesh… When in doubt, Liches out!~

"If you want my professional opinion… The Pyramid of Pleasure didn't sound too dangerous." [Molag Dregora] remarked while seeming WAY too cavalier as he effortlessly devoured a Fish Kebab.

"I don't know… Something about it… Just doesn't seem right. Those Scarecrows are too young to be faced with such things, wouldn't you agree?" [Nero] shot back while side-eyeing a few nearby Scarecrows innocently playing with Robert in a friendly game of Basebat.

"Yeah… You might be right. They aren't ready." [Molag Dregora] grumbled as smoke began to slowly emit from his clenched jaw where the twig rested.

"There's always the Maiden's Meadow… At least with that one, they'd only need to deal with one Maiden at a time… But on the flip side, only one of them can challenge her at once~" [Roah] muttered while finally deciding to grace us with his presence as he woke.

"We're talking about the same Scarecrows, right…? They wouldn't stand a chance in hell against THAT one…" [Nero] groaned before hoisting himself up onto his Broom and yawning once more.

"Meh… Cosmicali's been showing promise lately among the Tier 2 Scarecrows~" [Roah] enlightened the Halloween Cat with a smug expression.

"Nope. My bets are on Wadwaa. No other Tier 2 Scarecrows can shine quite as bright as he does when it comes to giving a good old fashioned thrashin'..." [Conrad] remarked after appearing through the fire and flames of a particular Lantern.

"You two are so hung up on the star Tier 2 Scarecrows that you haven't even given a second thought to the Tier 3~ I'll have you know, it's the smart call to place your eyes on those who are already in the lead… Roy's going to be the next best, if not Mescarga~" [Penny] explained her own perspective with an overexcited expression.

"...Why Mescarga and not Miscare? They're both Tier 5… So where does Roy come into the picture?!" [Nero] shot back with a baffled expression.

"Hmph! Miscare's too busy being a father figure to have time to spend properly getting stronger… Mescarga's never been one to allow herself to be trifled with such matters, so she's got less obstacles to face in her quest for absolute power." [Christina] chimed in while crossing her arms as she glanced off into the distance.

...Huh. Miscare… Actually cares? I suppose all is NOT lost~ Mr Scarecrow still has feelings! YOSH! Christina confirmed it, and she's the most shrewd of all my Clanswomen~ I doubt that ANYTHING slips past her… What, with her constantly listening to Penny's ramblings~ Well, I suppose that solves it then. Mescarga is likely to become the Queen of Scarecrows, if not… We'll have Roy as the man who steals the show from Miscare. Yep. Regardless of his being my very first Clansman ever, Miscare apparently won't become the Scarecrow King. He doesn't have it in him. The edge factor that every King needs? Miscare simply doesn't possess it… But, he's still got a killer voice… So we'll see~

"So… Nero, are you going to bless us with a new set of songs any time soon?" [Wendel] asked with a sadistic smile as she held another Fish Kebab slightly out of reach… Yet still close enough for the Fish Mongerer to get a good whiff of the added seasoning.

"Yes, yes… I understand. It's time." [Nero] declared with a solemn expression as he began to fly with his Broom, before obtaining the second Kebab and continuing on his merry way off through the skies.

It's delicious. I think there's cheese melted along the inside… But it's difficult to say. It could just be some stupid fantasy world knock-off of melted cheese. I think that the Mummy Mansion messed with my mind a little bit. I've got trust issues or something meow… I'm all for Halloween, but Halloween Chefs? No, thank you. My stomach can't handle another betrayal in the Kitchen. Honestly? I wouldn't even be thinking about this right now if Lianix didn't pull a nasty prank on me last night. It was all rude comments, and somewhat creepy yet oddly seductive behavior in a post-apocalyptic setting; just like all of my other encounters with her… But this time, we were in a small coffee shop. They served donuts, and the entire place was a run-down derelict nightmare for sanitation; but the food looked almost appetizing for a split moment… Before it exploded into literal maggots on impact with my mouth… And then they consumed me, and my entire being… For my entire night; as I continued to be abused by Lianix's constant voice. It sent me straight back to the Mummy Mansion, and reminded me just exactly who I was dealing with. According to Lianix, it was all some elaborate plot designed to explain just how she felt every single time that I left her to sleep on the literal ground of that wretched Beach. Everything was all fine and dandy, until I put her down and let go of her… Only to place her in that rancid pile of dust VERY recently trampled on by a plethora of slimy Water type monsters. To her, it was like eating a donut that turned out to be a pile of maggots… But then winding up needing to soak in the maggots indefinitely. Every night. Yeah. So… Yeah. I haven't been having the very best sleep as of late; but we're working on it. We'll definitely get a Legendary Cursed Lantern for Lianix to date soon. Right, Conrad?! FIND IT!

I was thinking such things as I devoured my Kebab and arrived to Halloween before I began making my way to the Arcade. On the way there, I also happened to notice that there were some decorations adorning the Town Circle. It wasn't anything too fancy, they were streamers… But I'm pretty sure that it was just really long and thick threads of orange and purple fabric tied to varying window frames. Hanging from the fabric threads were miniature lanterns, but they were few and far in-between. Probably around 40 lanterns in total, which is honestly quite impressive given the budget and already somewhat lofty demands. I think that the coolest part is that depending on the time… Some of these threads seem invisible. They match perfectly with the sky~

Opening the doors to the Arcade, I was met with a small group of Clans(wo)men slacking off. It was the Crimson Slayers. Paying them no mind, I began to scour the list of songs on our valiant Scaraoke machine monster. This one's the MVP~ We've already gotten an incredible list of songs going for the festivals, so there shouldn't be too much of a need to go crazy… But we ALWAYS need at least a FEW new beats!~

To kick things off, I decided to choose a song for Vana and Conrad. It's 'E.*'. I think that they'll do splendid for it, as Vana's already got a weird auto-tune type of voice… And Conrad's simply a badass~ He's going to need an incredible song, outlining just how attractive a candidate he is for becoming one of our heroes… As the new Crow King. Having the Flutterfairy Queen vouch for him in show, acting as if she were simply infatuated by the ideal of his arrival into the fold… It will be everything. His make or break moment on the way to fame. We'll need a song like this for Luna as well… I believe that 'Glory And G*re' will suit her perfectly. She'll definitely need a Banshee or two to support her, though. The next song, is either for Cetilla or Orianna. I can't decide who's the better choice for it, but the thing is… If Cetilla gives this one to Orianna, then Cetilla gets an entirely different song to make up for it... Or vice versa. I'm going to make them choose between 'Look What You M*de Me Do' and 'You Don't Own M*'. Both of them will need backup singers regardless, so they might even be able to do both together~ Nyah~ Wendel, please inform the two of their options. Next up, is a song for Rei and Milton… Or Rei and Steve. The thing is, I believe Steve is the better fit for this song… But because it's a duet about love, I'd understand if Milton wanted to support Rei through it. It's 'Bring M* To Life'. If Milton passes up on it, I'll give him a different song to make up for it~ I can't wait to see how Rei's ghostly voice affects the song~ For the alternate song, we have 'F*lse Alarm'... Which I would prefer it if Milton took, because I think it's perfect for him… But I suppose that Steve could handle it~ I'm offering a lot of options for different song choices… But I kind of like it. The next song was intended for Wolrietta, but I think that she'll want to have a few Scarecrows to support her as backup. It's called 'Heaven Kn*ws'~ For 'Sick L*ke Me'... I'd suggest Christina or Serena… But frankly, I think that Serena will enjoy the alternate choice of performing alongside Minny on 'Blo*d'. A Scarecrow might also be necessary for some backup~ The next song… Will be 'Carry *n' performed by Molag Dregora, Betty, and Penny. I think that the Banshees will be an excellent choice for '(B*o-Hoo)'... And that the Arachne can make her appearance with 'Make A M*ve'. So as not to neglect our incredibly talented male Bandsmen… I'd better choose some good ones~ 'I'm Not A V*mpire' goes directly to Ritchie and George. 'I Write S*ns Not Tragedies' can be for Jon, Lucius, Mick, and Andy. Four guys to figure out that incredible song sounds like plenty~ I can't wait to see how they pull it off! For Andy and Wilson… I'm thinking that they can duo 'Hel*na'. Finally, for my biggest pal; Roah… I want to choose 'The Dev*l Went Down to Georgia'. Molag Dregora can do it with him… Of course, I can't forget Wendel. She's definitely one of the fan favorites around here… Sometimes, I notice her dancing around the streets singing with crowds gathering everywhere she roams. I'll give her 'L*vely', and she can probably duet it with Hugo. He's got an incredible voice as well, but we never really ask him to do much with it. It'd definitely be unexpected for him to hop on a major track being carried by her excellence. I doubt she'd need it, but I suppose she could ask a Banshee or a Pixie for some backup if necessary. And last but not least… My own song. The one to announce my reign, and carry my memory all throughout my upcoming disappearance from the public eye. No other song would suffice… It simply must be 'Cent*ries'. Yesh… It's decided. These are our new songs.

They're excited. Before I could even leave the Scaraoke machine monster… I was already surrounded. They're all going into practice jam mode. I'm going to leave the arcade for a bit, and practice without the music. I know my song already, I don't need a refresher… Though I've never really attempted to sing it like this before, so it's not as though I expect to be good. I'm going to need help. This is practically going to be a group song… Because I need people to literally be helping chant, it's going to be no small feat. Penny's going to be at my side for a very particular part, I'll also need Wilson to snarl. At least ten scarecrows, just to get things started with the chanting thing. I genuinely do need to try for this… I never in my life expected to be attempting to perform such an egotistical song… But I need to do it. This festival isn't a festival. It's a show. A performance. We need to put off a big smile, and flex our massive muscles so that none could possibly forget our greatness. They need to be whispering about us as one of our weakest lackeys walks down the street. THAT'S the level of importance we need to pull off from this event. I want aerial maneuvers planned to go in accordance with our songs. Wraiths, you'll be a pinnacle of our success. You need to be flying with complete control, to a masterful degree.

Okay… After gathering the necessary minimum number of backup singers, I explained to them their parts. Just to help carry a beat, I have the scarecrows thrashing their stalks… And a few additional Skeletons beating their bones. I'm currently stomping my left foot for the Scarecrows to match my beat… While I snap my right finger for the Skeletons. When I slash my left arm through the air, Penny's going to come in. When I raise both of my eyebrows, Wilson's going to snarl, but when I only raise one… He's going to be clapping his hands. If I raise both arms, then they're all supposed to just feel the beat and do whatever they find is best. It's all set up. One hell of a makeshift band practice… But let's do it.

"Da-da-da-duh-duh… Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh...Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh…" [Penny] muttered while swirling around Nero as Wilson began to snarl off to the side.

"Some legends are told… Some turn to dust or to gold… But you will remember me!~ Remember me, for centuries!~" [Nero] began to sing as the Skeletons slowly began to slam their arms into the ribcages in total harmony.

"...And just one mistake… Is all it will take…" [Nero] sang with a low tone of voice as he lowered his raised his eyebrows, initiating Wilson's clapping…

"We'll go down in history!~ Remember me for centuries~" [Nero] screamed before slashing his left arm through the air and beginning to stomp his left foot. To which, Penny chimed in as the Scarecrows began thrashing.

"Heeeyy… Yeah~ Oh hey~ Heeeyy… Yeah~" [Penny] sang with a smile before leaping back onto Nero's shoulder.

"Remember me... For centuries!" [Nero] screamed before raising both of his arms.

"...Mummified my teenage dreams! No, it's nothing wrong with me! The kids are all wrong, the stories are off, heavy metal broke my…" [Nero] screamed before turning to Penny with a grin.

"HEART!" [Penny] roared with a sadistic expression.

"Come on, come on and let me in… The bruises on your thighs are my fingerprints, and this is supposed to match… The darkness that you felt… I never meant for you to fix YOURSELF!~" [Nero] screamed before roaring as he slashed down his left arm to signal Penny.

"Da-da-da-duh-duh… Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh...Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh…" [Penny] muttered while swirling around Nero as he continued roaring until his and all other sounds were finally drowned out for a split moment before he continued…

"Some legends are told… Some turn to dust or to gold… But you will remember me!~ Remember me, for centuries!~" [Nero] began to sing as the Skeletons slowly began to slam their arms into the ribcages in total harmony once more.

"...And just one mistake… Is all it will take…" [Nero] sang with a low tone of voice as he lowered his raised his eyebrows, initiating Wilson's clapping…

"We'll go down in history!~ Remember me for centuries~" [Nero] screamed before slashing his left arm through the air and beginning to stomp his left foot. To which, Penny chimed in as the Scarecrows began thrashing.

"Heeeyy… Yeah~ Oh hey~ Heeeyy… Yeah~" [Penny] sang with a smile while banging her head back and forth as she remained perched atop of Nero's shoulder.

"Remember me... For centuries!" [Nero] screamed before raising both of his arms.

"And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name… 'Cause I was only born inside my dreams… Until you die for me, as long as there's a light; my shadow's over you 'cause I-I am the opp-o-site of am-nesiuuUHHHH…" [Nero] screamed before taking a quick inhale as he raised both of his arms.

"And you're a cherry blossom! You're about to bloom! You look so pretty but you're gone so SOON!~" [Nero] sang before raising his left arm as he lowered his other.

"Da-da-da-duh-duh… Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh...Da-da-da-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh…" [Penny] muttered while swirling around Nero as he raised both of his eyebrows, causing Wilson to begin snarling before he continued…

"Some legends are told… Some turn to dust or to gold… But you will remember me!~ Remember me, for centuries!~" [Nero] began to sing as the Skeletons slowly began to slam their arms into the ribcages in total harmony.

"...And just one mistake… Is all it will take…" [Nero] sang with a low tone of voice as he lowered his raised eyebrows, initiating Wilson's clapping…

"We'll go down in history!~ Remember me for centuries~" [Nero] screamed before slashing his left arm through the air and beginning to stomp his left foot. To which, Penny chimed in as the Scarecrows began thrashing.

"Heeeyy… Yeah~ Oh hey~ Heeeyy… Yeah~" [Penny] sang with a smile before leaping back onto Nero's shoulder.

"Remember me... For centuries!" [Nero] screamed before raising both of his arms.

"We've been here forever!~ And here's... The frozen proof~ I could scream forever!~ We are… The poisoned youth~" [Nero] sang while gesturing around to the nearby houses adorning the Town before finally taking a bow.

And that's… Pretty much it. There's an additional chorus, but we really don't need to cover it until the actual gig… I suppose I'll just take it from the top a few dozen more times, and then call it even. I should also make sure to practice my other solo, from the last festival… And probably 'This is H*lloween'... But nah~ I'm lazy, what can I say? My part in the song is so minimal… I'm basically just showing up for the finale either way. It can't be helped. The entire premise of our current routine for that song is that it's leading up to my arrival. The entire song is literally announcing my impending grand entrance. For the festival, we should have 'This is H*lloween' as our opening, second only to the original opening… Yesh… 'I've Put a Sp*ll On You'. It's a great song, we can have it performed on the outside of the Wailing Keep, or in the Throne Room; right before Cetilla leads everyone into Halloween. By the end of 'This is H*lloween', I'll pop out… And take things away with 'Fr*ak', before leaving the stage while acting as though I've got nothing else in store... So that I can continue with the rest of my nightly endeavors in bliss. Saving the best for last…? Exactly. 'Cent*ries' will be our final song of the night, leading right into morning. We'll still have songs rolling out afterwards, but we'll basically be in night mode. I'll be honest… I don't really care what comes between 'Fr*ak' and 'Cent*ries'... But I'd like it if the final songs leading up to 'Cent*ries' were the new ones chosen for Conrad and Luna. 'E.*' alongside 'Glory and G*re'. It's important that we heighten the relevance of song placement for those two in particular, as they'll be the faces of Halloween over the foreseeable future. If I gave them weird timeslots, people would start second guessing the legitimacy of the wordplay placed within the songs. You want to know why Wendel's such an icon around here? It's because she has over 10 parts in different songs ranging across literally all of our genres! She's the major lead character in this band, okay?! Mr and Mrs Scarecrow come close… They actually have more parts, but they simply aren't memorable enough. Not among the Beastkin, anyways~ The Goblins and Harpies all actually seem to really like it when they get on stage, but the Beastkin probably just have feelings of remorse for their past treatment toward Scarecrows. It certainly doesn't help that most of the Scarecrow's parts in the songs are related to screamo or just generally heavy metal. I get it... Scarecrows can be scary.

I was thinking such things as I practiced my songs repeatedly with the small squad of loyal Clans(wo)men at my side. We were honestly getting pretty good. It got to the point that I was heavily debating on not even using the Scaraoke machine monster for our performance… But then I remembered that we literally needed to nail it, and not seem like a bunch of losers. We have speakers for a reason, mmkay? Yeah. Let's use them. For the final practice round, we wound up using the genuine instrumentals alongside our makeshift version… And it was amazing. I don't mean to brag or boast… But we crushed it~ The Scarecrows were surprised by how the original strumming sounded, but they picked up in a heartbeat. Wilson realized that he desperately needed help with the clapping, because he was but one creature possessing only two hands… Wolrietta, Christina, and the Arachne got roped into helping him out. The Arachne's seeming a lot better now. She's returned to a modicum of sanity, and she seems to be adjusting to life within Halloween well. She's friends with Wolrietta and Christina. Her voice is quite smooth. I'm glad that I picked a song for her. I wound up sticking around to see her practice it, and nyah. It was okay. She's still a rookie, but she'll get there. I have faith. Wendel, please help train her.

After a little while of me just hanging out and watching the Clans(wo)men practice their songs… Cetilla, Orianna, Rosa, Edgar, Jon, Lucius, and Roah decided to arrive. It's a whole damn squad. I'm frightened. This Arcade needs an upgrade. Dragging them all outside, I decided to divide and conquer. We can't fit more than 50 creatures in that shack of an Arcade, and we were already WELL over the safety regulations. We NEED practice, and we NEED safety. NYAH!~

"What is it?!" [Nero] spat hysterically.

"I want a song too." [Rosa] declared with a determined expression as flames began to radiate from her paws.

"...I would also prefer a song if at all possible." [Edgar] chimed in while seeming somewhat… Flustered?!

Ah… Uhm… Hahhh~

"Manageable. Take 'UGLY B*Y. You can make it a duet." [Nero] beckoned with a sadistic grin.

"Thank you so much!~ I'm SO excited, let's go practice it right now!" [Rosa] screamed with a bright and innocent smile as Cetilla and Nero both began to stifle a laugh.

"...What's going on?" [Roah] begged the question while raising an eyebrow.

"...Let's leave. The Arcade is absolutely packed right now, I suggest practicing tomorrow instead." [Nero] sighed while beginning to shuffle the creatures away from the Arcade.

"Whaaa? Why did they get to join though?!" [Jon] shot back with a baffled expression.

"Seriously… Nero! I take these festivals seriously... The Clans(wo)men make everything look easy, and now they'll have ALL day to practice tomorrow, the day after that… AND Tonight?!" [Cetilla] remarked with a hysterical expression.

"You're right… It's not fair. Choose to try and compete with them in there right meow, or come back literally any other time… They'll always outnumber you… But right now, there's something else in the land of the living that you might be interested in~" [Nero] mocked with a wry smile.

"...Eh? You've got something planned? REI!" [Cetilla] let out before abruptly screaming to summon the Banshee.

"I swear… He didn't even think about anything until now~" [Rei] enlightened the ignorant Catkin.

"...Spur of the moment thing?" [Cetilla] muttered with eyes wide as she slowly sized Nero up from boots to cap.

"Spur of the moment… Heh." [Nero] shot back with a smile before letting out a slight laugh.

"W-What are we doing?" [Cetilla] mumbled as sweat very clearly began to slide down her forehead.

"S-Should I be afraid?" [Orianna] let out as she glared into Cetilla's very soul.

"The last time that we did something spur of the moment… I'm pretty sure that half of our nation was killed off… Or we killed off half of another nation… Or we woke up completely stranded in different places of the continent…" [Cetilla] muttered while continuing to glare at Nero with sheer terror.

"Oh, so it's serious~" [Orianna] nervously laughed.

"I'm going to hide." [Lucius] declared while raising a hand to salute before immediately breaking into a mad dash toward the Hallowed Gate.

"AH-AH-Ahhhh… One mustn't avoid a good night~" [Nero] beckoned with a sadistic expression as he effortlessly caught up to the fleeing Mousekin before snatching him by the cusp of his shirt and dragging him directly back to the group.

"So… Gluttatosk's going to miss something good, huh?" [Roah] remarked while raising an eyebrow.

"I'm honestly just surprised that I was even here for this…" [Jon] muttered while glancing down at his hands with eyes wide.

"Why… Don't be silly~ You're the one who caused this!" [Nero] laughed before throwing an arm around the Cat Crewman's shoulders.

"W-Was I?!" [Jon] let out with a confused expression.

"Of course~ We all know what YOU'RE into~" [Nero] laughed with a wry smile as he raised an eyebrow toward the Catkin. To which, he audibly gulped before turning to face the future.

And so… With the help of a few dozen Crowliphistae, I was able to capture the surrounding creatures and bring them all on a journey of good; innocent… Fun. Yesh. All on Roah's dime, might I add… We're going for a night of pleasure in a very particular Brothel. It can't be helped. I'm not about to Prestige without gettin' some DAMN good head first. I must experience it… Pre-Prestige head. Each of us currently has a barrel of cheap booze from Nidallia being poured into our mouths as we fly. Crowliphistae are incredibly versatile. If I must say, they'll be the new MVP Clansmen VERY soon if this keeps up. Seriously commendable work. We're getting our Pre-Prestige-Party drinks on right meow, and we're doing it in style while moving at stupid speeds enroute to a Brothel. I really don't know how much better of a night this could be turning out to be… If I could change anything, I would probably uninvite Cetilla and Orianna… Right before replacing them with Gluttatosk and Edgar… Or Conrad… I don't know. Conrad can always show up, and so can Milton… In fact; he's highly likely to, considering that Cetilla is here… Henceforth, Rei will probably make an appearance or ten. We're kind of bringing a crowd… Is it really cool for us to barge in like this?

Oh well… It can't be helped. It was a spur of the moment thing… Which is apparently a doom flag, but I must have clued out on that at some point because god DAMN that list was ominous!~ Do we REALLY have death flags whenever I leave alongside a decent squad of strong people?! Is it THAT bad?! Why am I so out of the loop?! After arriving to the Forest of Witches, I decided that it was time for us to fill the passengers in on our little destination. Crowliphistae!~ Return them to flying right-side up, and then allow them to stop drinking as I explain!~

"GwAHAWUHAHHCHHA" [Numerous Creatures Coughing]

"Meow… I suppose that you're all wondering why I've been avidly attempting to get you plastered as we travel?" [Nero] begged the question with a wry smile.

"...I'm still alive…" [Jon] coughed while spitting up alcohol.

"T-This… Is… Unacceptable… Beha-" [Orianna] began to mutter before projectile vomiting directly into the open air, making quite the mess beneath us.

"Right! We're going to a small Town within the Savage Lands!" [Nero] declared with a smile while ignoring the incredibly pissed off Witches beneath him.

"Why…" [Cetilla] grumbled while rolling her eyes.

"Sex…" [Roah] enlightened the Catkin with a dazed expression before taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for the resuming torment of being flown by Crowliphistae.

Yep… We're fleeing the scene. Don't know who those two Witches were, but they picked the wrong night to go flying beneath randoms. I can't take responsibility for their wardrobes… Who KNOWS what kind of silk that was?! Fat chance that I'm paying for it~ My hands are tied. I literally have no Coins on me, I left them all to my Clans(wo)men… Which… Thinking back on it now, seems somewhat irresponsible. Literally… None of my Clans(wo)men have ever shown that they could be trusted with money, so I don't know what I was even thinking. Was I simply too tired? No, that's not it. They were REALLY adamant about it. Yeah. They left me little to no choice. I keep trying to imagine them with money… But none of them came into my care while possessing any. At all, as far as I know. Rei might have had a little bit… But she was addicted to gambling, and was pretty much losing it all either way before I met her. Other than that, none of them really even seemed to have ever partook in an economy before... It's done. It's a failed investment. I doubt that I'll see any of it return. Whatever… Let's just pray that there's profits from the food and booze~

It's been decided. The Crowliphistae have a better sense of direction than I do. When the skies became clouded by the rapidly falling snow in blizzard-like conditions… I got confused. I'll admit it. I was confused, and cold; one might even say shaken. Be that as it may, one can certainly leave it to a flock of Crowliphistae to light the way, and warm one's frozen heart long enough to steel their resolve to keep flying towards their promised land. After we arrived at my favorite Brothel, we happily indulged in the warmth of the atmosphere. Happiness was aplenty, and drinks were being chugged at every edge of the establishment as cheerfully jolly music filled the room. It would appear that the establishment has entered a festive season. There are Christmas colors. Red, green, white… It's Christmas. These people are fans of the big ol' dude… But it's expected. I get it. It's fine. Honestly, whatever. It's not as though Halloween just waltzed through the door or anything… Like, where is the guy; if he's such a champ, you know? It's fine.

Taking a seat at one of the tables, we continued chugging out of our barrels as we all got ready for what was to come. There was something strange going on… But I couldn't quite put my claw on it. It was baffling… We were sitting there, by the fire… Drinking our cheapest liquor… And I just couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until they showed up, when it finally clicked.

"Hey there, everyone~ Seems like quite the little party we've got goin' on over here… You just come and let us know if there's anything we can do ye for~" [Hulkin Dude in Red and Green Striped Spandex Elf Costume With Overalls] called out while holding a tray of huge mugs in a flirtatious manner.

Oh no… Oh… No… It's-

"Reverse night, huh?" [Jon] groaned while rolling his eyes.

Looking around… No girls. No girls! No girls! None. There are none... We brought the only ones here along in with us...

"Nero… I never would've imagined that you'd bring us along to a place like this with you… Though I guess I appreciate the offer above all else~ Guess it just goes to show how close we really are~" [Cetilla] laughed with a wry smile.

God… Why?

"The fact that I was invited too… Nero must REALLY be trying to go out of his way, making us feel welcome~" [Orianna] muttered with a wry smile.

"...I had no idea." [Nero] grumbled while side-eyeing Roah.

Roah seems… He's conflicted.

"It's really fine… I don't care if we decide to turn back and go someplace else." [Roah] offered while shrugging his shoulders.

...Lucius also seems conflicted. Don't tell me… He's into men, as well?

"I… Nero, why are you staring at me like that?!" [Lucius] let out with a flustered expression.

"Well, I say that we stay. Stick it out, and see what happens~ Who knows, maybe they can outdrink ya~" [Cetilla] chimed in with a smile before taking another swig of her barrel.

[A/N: This Novel is hosted 100% for free on both WebNovel and RoyalRoad. All of the Chapters are free, and will forever be made free. If you are not reading on either of the aforementioned platforms, then you are supporting a scraper that saw fit to steal free work. Please stop, and support the original author with your views and comments. Thank you for any support that you lend]

"Now that's a thought…" [Roah] muttered.

"In my experience, nothing bad can ever come from a Brothel." [Jon] sighed before pulling out a deck of Safari Cards and a handful of Dice.

"Yeah, I'm down for some Dice~" [Lucius] exclaimed with an optimistic expression.

"Well, I'm down for some fun. See ya later~" [Cetilla] called as she walked away with a giggling Orianna.

"I'll join in on the game of Dice... I need practice for the tournament." [Crowliphista] declared with a solemn expression.

"What about you, Roah?" [Nero] asked with a wry smile.

"I'm going to get some proper food. You want to join me?" [Roah] asked while gesturing for the bar.

"Nyah, sure. Let's go~" [Nero] replied with a smile.

And so, Roah and I sat around at the bar; getting some higher end beer… And food. They served a mean soup. It was apparently made from Mammoth; which made me feel inexplicably bad… But I couldn't resist. It tasted amazing, alright? Hate me later! The bartender, incredibly gay and straightforward as he may have been… Was actually somewhat pleasant to be around. I expected him to spend most of his time coming onto us, but that was not the case. He spilled a whole lot of dousing hot tea on half of the people in this joint… But there WERE two different people who he had a whole damn lot of love for… Check it! There are two incredibly cute Snow Elves around 30 years old, who just joined the business tonight. Literally tonight, is their duo debut as prostitutes in this Brothel… And GET THIS! They've still not yet been challenged. They've got a moderate price on their backs, which has been steering a lot of the guys away… BUT there's a high chance that by the end of the night, someone's going to be drunk enough to splurge for the two of them. Someone THAT drunk, with the right amount of cash; usually doesn't treat their playthings correctly. It's dire straits and stuff.

We're goin' in. Yep. We're going to go pop two young Snow Elves' cherries. We paid the fee. It was 200 Gold Coins, by the way. It included both of them… So, we're doing both of them. In the same room. I feel incredibly bad for one of them, but that's not the one who I'll be boning. Roah's got a thing for cute things. Small Snow Elf who's never been touched? Done deal for him. Roah's massive at this point. I'm honestly terrified to stand in the same room as him while nude. It's going to be weird… But this is a necessary step for us to take. If we're ever to… Take our relationship to that level, we should probably also take it to this level. We need to know what we're getting into. He needs to know about my wicked, yet strangely spontaneous sex-drive… And I need to know just how massive he truly is. It's happening! NYAH!

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[A/N: WARNING! R18+ CONTENT IS BELOW THIS POINT IN THE CHAPTER! IF YOU WISH TO SKIP IT, SCROLL DOWN AND SEARCH FOR ANOTHER RED LINE OF FONT]

I was thinking such things as I threw off my clothes after entering the room with two incredibly nervous Snow Elves currently sprawled out across a huge bed. The bed is shaped like a heart. Each side of the heart possesses a Snow Elf… Tame, and obedient… Yet terrified. I'm currently standing in front of it, absolutely nude as I decide which side that I'd like to take… Or, as Roah decides; I suppose. Whoever comes to a decision first!~ On our right, we have a white haired boy with blue eyes. Very blue. Deep like the sea itself, reminding me of Mexico. On our left, we have a light blond haired boy, also with blue eyes… But nowhere near as deep. Almost grey. Both of them are incredibly small. It actually makes me feel kind of gross… But they're not… Small in their nether regions. It's strange. The proportions are all off. They have pretty standardized packages, not as large as mine… But if they were my size, then I could see their junk also being my size. It's like we share the exact same proportions, but they lack muscles all over their bodies. They're very smooth, and their fingers are thin. They've never worked a field, but who could blame them? It's a tundra… So it's fine? Really, though… Why are these boys selling themselves? I don't understand it. They just seem like two kids that accidentally got way in over their heads… They aren't even really being seductive, just timid. Is this worth 200 Gold Coins…?

"I literally have no preference. Do you?" [Nero] asked with a flat voice.

"...I've already paid. I'm going to fuck one of them… At the very least." [Roah] replied with a casual expression while shrugging his shoulders.

...Huh. Okay~ Woah. They're WAY more terrified meow… I really feel bad.

"Do you both know each other outside of this?" [Nero] asked the two boys while leaning down closer to face them.

"...We're brothers." [White Haired Boy] explained with eyes wide.

"...Why are you both here?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"...Our mother is sick. We need medicine to pay for it, and this will help us do that." [White Haired Boy] explained with a defeated expression.

"Tell you what… I'll try to save your mother, and I'll even give you a home to call your own if you help me… But you've still got to pay Roah here back." [Nero] replied with a smile.

"...That won't work. The house takes a cut, so even with this deal… We're still set to do a few more so that we can fully pay him back." [Blond Haired Boy] chimed in with a tired expression.

"Okay… So, uhm… Pay Roah whatever the house pays you… And then still allow us to ravage your bodies. We'll call it even." [Nero] replied while tilting his head to the side.

"Ah! Uh-Uhm… You're fine. He's not." [Blond Haired Boy] shot back while gesturing toward Roah's massive, twitching green rod.

"Well that's not fair… It's my Coins that we're talking about~" [Roah] chimed in with a soft voice and a wide grin.

"S-Sorry!" [Blond Haired Boy] screamed before bowing next to Roah as he began to give him a massage.

"You know… There's one pretty big flaw in our plan…" [Nero] muttered as he slowly began to lean down onto the bed, crawling closer to the White Haired boy.

"What's the problem?" [White Haired Boy] whispered as his brother began to lick Roah.

"I might lack the ability to fully heal her… She may wind up as a Vampire, or a Zombie… She could lose a portion of herself, but she'd also lose the ability to die." [Nero] explained as he began to spread the Elf's legs apart before sticking his own fingers into his mouth.

"...A Vampire?" [White Haired Boy] muttered with eyes wide.

"Yes… She'd require Blood as sustenance and would fear the very sun itself, but my… She'd be a force of nature; that's to be sure. Unstoppable to many, I'd imagine… And if she chose to stay by my side, she'd never need any Blood at all…" [Nero] confessed before finally sticking a wet finger into the boy's hole… Breaking it open as he began to writhe in pain, grasping for help from the sheets of the bed.

As I prodded inside the boy, searching for his breaking point… I began to enjoy myself, watching his face turn from pain to pleasure. He's never experienced this, and frankly… Neither have I. I've never been in his position, nor have I ever truly wanted to. It's frightening to think that I too, might find myself in his place if I'm not careful. This world can be a terrifying place, I should remain vigilant. I shan't become close personal friends with too many more hunks. No, thank you. It's really not my fault… Roah just… Kept Evolving. Every time, he got slightly more hunky… And now, it's just baffling! I'm currently watching him face-fuck the Blond, and it's gruesome. It's honestly gruesome. I can see tears, and spit; flying all over the place. He's barely even using the tip. It's impressive. And Gruesome. Meanwhile, I'm finger-fucking this little one to sheer ecstasy. Two very different things are going on in this bed, that's for sure~

After a few minutes of watching him begin to go numb, I decided to stick my own into his mouth as well. Gently letting him get the feel for it, I began to ride his mouth faster and faster until his lips had enveloped around a third of my dick… It felt weird to have his entire mouth spread out across my dick perfectly, as if it were a glove intended for the very same use… But it was even weirder that I never really had the problem of teeth. I felt a slight touch a few times every minute, but it wasn't a big deal by any means. After I felt as though I were getting pretty wet, I pulled my finger and dicker right out of his holes, before sliding right into his twitching hole.

He was already quite numb, but the moans that came of my arrival were quite attractive. I was beginning to get into this, and so I didn't hold too much back. He lay there on his back, getting drilled by me at the side of the bed for what must have been half an hour… As I did this, Roah also tried to screw the other boy, but only found success using his fingers. He was able to fit three of them in at one point, but just barely. He wasn't having as much fun as I was, so he eventually asked if we could switch. I told him that it probably still wouldn't work… But lo-and-behold, it actually did… I felt terrible for the boy, who suddenly went from having the time of his life; to being absolutely impaled… But Roah's taking things slowly. I made him promise to be gentle.

Meanwhile, I've now begun work on the Blond. Rather than going back to square one, I'm having him suck me off. He's much happier to be on team Nero than we was on team Roah, and is eager to serve. He's currently on all fours as he sucks me off, while I lay back and enjoy the comfortable bedding. Gotta say… This room is even better than the last one. There are also Christmas decorations in here, which we could do away with… But it's fine. After he finished sucking me off, he began riding me and learned the joys that his brother already felt. He also began saying something under his breath… And I think it was… 'Hot…'? Oh. He's referring to my cock. It's hot. Yeah. I'm a warm critter. So is Roah, but I might be warmer. It's been confirmed a few times actually~ I'm also quite fluffy… Hence, I'm the official Camping Pillow AND Blanket.

"Mister… What... Do... We call you?" [Blond Haired Boy] asked as he happily rode Nero while stifling a moan.

"I am Nero… The One True Allwe Halloween Cat." [Nero] explained with a smile as he gracefully accepted the passenger and began to cusp his ass with his hands.

"If we… Serve you… You'll keep us alive… Forever?" [Blond Haired Boy] asked while continuing to moan in pleasure.

"Until the end of time~" [Nero] sighed before raising his hand to the back of the boy's head and pulling it in closer for them to kiss as he finally came.

It's coming out… All in a burst of pleasure, this boy just had to go and spout such stupid things… In a time like this… To think, that he'd be willing to sell his body for eternity if it meant an eternity… Such a stupid boy… He made me cum inside of him, and it's going to be a pain trying to get it all out. Holding him close as I continued to kiss him, I threw him back down onto the bed where my legs rested only moments ago. Beginning to get up, I carried him off to the shower. On second thought… This might be the exact same room, but with decorations and a new bed… Huh. Yep. It's the same one, I remember it better from the shower. Carrying him, our lips still touching; I turned the water on and began to rinse him of our filth. All this sweat, I must apologize. I'm simply too hot~

This guy's way too cute to be in this realm… Also, too stupid. Vampiracy in exchange for a life of prostitution? Be it serving a great man or not, it's not a good deal. I really should protect him, and his brother. They're in way over their heads. Am I down to still bone him every once in awhile…? Yeah, I guess. It honestly doesn't matter to me. If he wants to, and I'm horny… It very well might happen. I'm not that difficult to catch, truly… Find me when I'm wasted, and horny… Say something provocative, jack me off, don't be an actual granny, I don't know… It's whatever. Sealina could've kept hitting me up after she got her safe travel to Reygid, but she didn't. This boy will probably be the same way.

"Do you have a name?" [Nero] whispered as he rustled a hand through his Blond hair.

"...Renjuoko." [Renjuoko] explained with a soft voice.

"Renjuoko… You can have an eternity if you join me, but you don't need to serve me in this way forever. You can serve me however you wish to serve me." [Nero] explained before leaning down to kiss the boy one last time.

It was just a peck… Or, it was supposed to be. He doesn't seem ready to give me up just yet… But I'll give him a chance to change his mind. Well, Roah will… Because Roah's just about done with his brother… And he's glancing in this direction with a particularly bright orange glare in his eyes. Carrying him over, I resolved my mental state… And relinquished all potential futures that I may have had with this boy… As I passed him off, I received a glance depicting how utterly betrayed the poor Renjuoko felt. In exchange, I was left with the seemingly perished other brother… Who I then carried off to the shower, and lent my aide in a similar fashion. He seemed appreciative, at least. By the time that we finished in the shower, Roah was still probably only halfway through with Renjuoko… And I felt bad. Placing the White Haired boy down onto the bed, I began to hold him as I layed next to him. I'm meow spooning him very closely. He's moaning very quietly… But I can hear it. He must be in quite the fair deal of pain. This is what I can expect for myself if I go down that road. Laying in a bed, in absolute pain. Being coddled by someone who knows practically nothing related to how to solve the problem… While living in a world where healing magic is the go-to medicine… And for most cases, it seems to just… Not really do anything except grant momentary relief? Yeah. Vana and Hugo's healing… That's what it seems like. Momentary relief. Luna can genuinely heal others. I've witnessed it, via watching the statuses directly. I'm not so sure about Vana and Hugo. I think it might be a massive resistance buff, that dispels all problems temporarily so long as the ability continues to be cast. Problem with Luna, is that she only works for Halloween. Same. It sucks.

All routes lead to Vampirism… But do these boys really need Vampirism? At their age? They're Snow Elves. They're already going to outlive a whole ton of us… And are apparently like 30. Why do they even care about immortality? Is it because they witnessed their mother, who should also live a long life come down with an unexpected illness capable of killing her? They wish to avoid all other potential, unforeseeable tragedies which could forsake them? It'll never work… There's always going to be SOME form of unforeseeable tragedy coming around the corner in Melchiodore. The Dungeons took care of that~ If you ask me… It doesn't make a damn bit of sense how this world hasn't already been consumed by the Dungeons… We should be neck deep in some real end of the world shit right about meow… But it's just not really happening~ We're incredibly lucky.

Nope~ Instead, Roah and I are currently stealing the virginity of two young Snow Elves, Cetilla and Orianna are both having their way with a few dudes who are probably named 'Mike, or Ricky'... And Conrad slew a Balloon Dragon. Things are pretty damn peachy. If only this other boy would wake up from his deep sleep so that I could ask for his name… I should've asked Renjuoko… But he's probably out of his depths right about meow as well. Damn. I just realized… If we're to take these two with us, then we need to do so without allowing anyone else to know. We can't just steal two prostitutes and expect it to go unnoticed if we waltz through the front door… But we're currently separated into three parties, and we don't even know where the mother is. Damn it… If they both pass out, we're done. They need to collect their pay, at the very least. We can't do it on their behalf. It would look beyond sketchy.

"ROAH! STOP!" [Nero] beckoned with a frantic expression as he finally got up and out of bed.

"...Eh?" [Roah] let out as he slowly continued to bone the already delirious Snow Elf.

"Roah… Stop. Stop… Stop… STOP! STOP RAMMING THROUGH HIM! GET OUT OF HIM!" [Nero] spat, losing more sanity by the second as he continued to watch Roah's madness before he finally pulled the reluctant (Hob)Goblin King away from the boy.

"Nero… If you're going to stop me before I'm done… You need to be ready to face the consequences…" [Roah] muttered with a terrifyingly low voice.

"Roah… We need him conscious if he's to collect his pay for serving you. Also, I'm not about to get impaled by you." [Nero] shot back with a a hysterical look in his eyes as he began to guard the two boys from the lustful (Hob)Goblin King.

"...Impaled? Nero… I would never do something so brutal as to ravage your body…" [Roah] muttered while very obviously struggling to contain his drool as he slowly inched closer to Nero.

"...Good? Then stop coming closer to me with that look on your face…" [Nero] shot back while squinting his eyes.

"What look on my face?" [Roah] asked as the expression only intensified into a horrific smile.

"That one! You've had enough!" [Nero] spat back before swiping Roah with his [Mana Claws] repeatedly after pouncing from the bed.

Assuming battle positions, with the stage of Reverse Night Snow Brothel VIP Suite... On our left; we have the Nude One True Allwe Halloween Cat, Nero versus the Drunk and Disorderly Nude (Hob)Goblin King, Roah… Fight! First move, I lean in for a [Flame Paws]... But he ducks out of the way, and makes a move for the already ravaged spectators. I use a fast jump, up onto the bed; and he counters it with a [Hallowed Hammer] being slammed down as if it were from the very skies themselves… Next move, I decided to slam a [Pumpkin Bomb] for 50 MP right into his mouth. Critical hit. Exploded instantly, Pumpkin guts everywhere. Strain of Pumpkin Bomb? Pumpkimplosion Bomb. Surprisingly effective when used at impeccably close range. Roah fell over… 3… 2… 1… Winner. Nero takes the Crown, rightfully so.

"There are only a few moments… A few moments, that make a Hero…" [Nero] muttered while glaring down into the flames swelling up from his fists as he stood before the fainted monster.

Nailed it. Renjuoko was in awe at my brilliant show of strength~ I'm meow getting dressed with him, and helping him dress his brother. The clothes that they brought… They're wearing green spandex full-body suits… But the ass is cut out, and the penis is… It's got a Stocking… Tied nice and orderly, right by the balls. Wonderful. The designer has a thing or two to be proud of… Perverted old bastard, I'm sure~ Overtop of the spandex, when they go outside… They wear red mini overalls, which don't do much to hide their legs or arms… But they exist. They have cute little black leather boots, with white fur around the ankles. They both have little green elf hats, with bells attached to the tips. They also have little collars, with bells. They're placed right where the spandex at the neck ends. One can easily pull the collars, or even strap them with leashes so that they can pull a sleigh. It's wondrous. The Brothel is even selling a sleigh, perfectly adorned for their apparel. At 300 Gold Coins. Wonderful. Roah's actually getting it. Cetilla's helping him… But only because she wants this for her arrival to the Winter Ball. She wants Gluttatosk to carry the sleigh, so that she arrives in a style unlike any other. It's a grand entrance. I'm impressed. The boys managed to get back 150 Gold Coins out of the 200 which Roah paid for them… Which is actually somewhat better than I had expected from the Tavern, but it makes me wonder how much the sleigh actually cost them to produce.

[A/N: WARNING! R18+ CONTENT IS ABOVE THIS POINT IN THE CHAPTER! IF YOU WISHED TO SKIP IT, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE POINT TO CONTINUE READING AT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WEBNOVEL AND ROYALROAD ARE THE ONLY TWO PLATFORMS OFFICIALLY HOSTING THIS ABSOLUTELY FREE NOVEL]

Either way, we walked out of there with a sleigh and two incredibly woozy Snow Elves. They led us to their mother, who was incredibly ill. She was bedridden, so we took the bed. We flew it all the way back to the Wailing Keep's Throne Room, before asking Conrad to find Luna, Vana, Molag, and Mary for us. Mary needed to make some sort of soup to help her, obviously… But Luna and Molag Dregora appeared instantaneously. Luna confirmed that she believed she could turn her into a Vampire… So we began waiting for Vana. After a few minutes, she was right there with us… Explaining that she wasn't sure if she had the power to cure something of such strength. We asked what it was, but the answers received were incredibly vague. Even Roah couldn't really make sense of it, claiming that it displayed as something he couldn't read. Vana said it was a power too great for her understanding, and that it was related to a deep cold. The answers to this ailment don't lie here, they lie in the north. Perhaps, paying for the treatment up there would've actually been the right call? We wound up asking Vana to try treating the boys instead… Which she found to be a far simpler task.

"You know what we need to do, right?" [Nero] asked with a solemn expression.

"...Yeah. I'll turn her." [Luna] declared with a tired expression as she glanced down at the sickly maiden.

"If it makes you feel any better, your methods are far more reliable than mine… My subjects can rarely ever seem to retain their former strength~" [Molag Dregora] remarked while shrugging his shoulders as he glanced over at Luna's work.

Turning around to face the boys, Vana gave me a reassuring glance. They'll be fine. Turning back to face Luna… She's done. The woman has awoken. Her eyes are as red as any other Vampire… And her skin, is as pale as ice itself. She's immortal.

"Hello, I am Nero Miki; the One True Allwe Halloween Cat. This, is Luna Pratz… Molag Dregora, Cetilla Vellisroi, Orianna Reygid, and Roah; the (Hob)Goblin King. We're offering you our protection for eternity, or until the day that I perish and our long night finally comes to an end… Under the service of your willing sons, we ask of you… Do you desire our protection? Know that now, you are healthy… Though if you seek to decline my aid, you will require Blood as sustenance. Either way, you will fear the sun… What is it that you seek?" [Nero] begged the question with eyes wide as he slowly approached the Snow Elf.

"By nature, we Snow Elves feared the sun. It's that very warmth that kills our hum… Have you heard us, by chance?" [Snow Elf Woman] asked with a delirious expression.

"...Heard you?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"Why yes… Our songs flow quietly through the coldest of nights… It is said, that if you hear a Snow Elf's hum at the whistle of dawn… Then run for a blood winter has come." [Snow Elf Woman] explained with a solemn expression as she walked around the room, admiring the make of the audaciously large Throne Room.

"...The Winter Solstice?" [Nero] let out while tilting his head to the side. To which, the Snow Elf Woman let out a slight laugh before explaining...

"No, not something as simple as that… But the timings may prove nearly identical; I suppose… It all depends, really… But what I'm getting at is something much more dangerous than that…" [Snow Elf Woman] replied with a wry smile.

"M-M-Mother…" [Renjuoko] muttered while reaching out for his mother.

"Oh… My precious Ren… You did it, sweetie… You've saved me. You've even led me to a wonderful little ensemble. You've done good work… Get some rest." [Snow Elf Woman] whispered while patting the boy's head.

"I love you…" [Renjuoko] whispered before turning to go back to sleep on the mother's bed.

"Listen, Nero… Hugo's in Halloween practicing, but I'm here healing these two… If you could fetch a Crowliphista to bring him back to the Beach… It might help a ton." [Vana] chimed in with a serious expression.

"Got it. Conrad?" [Nero] beckoned with a smile.

"If you live… We get an eternity?" [Snow Elf Woman] begged the question while raising an eyebrow.

"Uhm… Yeah, that's pretty much how it works. Only problem is that you can't really protect me during the day." [Nero] explained while shrugging his shoulders.

"...And so as long as we keep you alive, nothing else really matters?" [Snow Elf Woman] asked with a wry smile.

"Eh… I wouldn't say NOTHING… We need to save face. We're leading two different Kingdoms, and representing countless races. A lot of people are looking to us for protection, and our actual war forces only number up to around 200, and that's pushing it. We're training those forces, or at least a decent portion of them every night… But we've still got to start doing that during the day." [Nero] explained.

"200 willing to fight is good. That's more than most Kingdoms can convince… Everyone knows the sheer danger of what we're all facing. Many a men have fallen to that pressure and resolved to live a quieter life, silently praying that it all ends peacefully." [Snow Elf Woman] muttered with a frustrated expression.

"I take it you're not the one to back down?" [Cetilla] begged the question.

"Nope… Not me… I've been fighting my whole life, there's never been any other way for a Snow Elf… Not one of the Eva Clan." [Snow Elf Woman] shot back while puffing out her chest.

"What's your name?" [Nero] asked.

"I'm Renjulia. A proud Eva Wrestler." [Renjulia] introduced herself before flexing her muscles.

"Glad to know that there's capable help up north in the Eva Clan. If you could convince more of the Eva Clan to rally with us against the Tides of Trajedy during the upcoming Winter Solstice, we'd be honored." [Nero] asked before bowing his head.

"Now listen here, Cat… Nothing in this world comes for free, and we've got a lot on our hands up there. If we all come down here, who's going to hold things back up there? You see what I'm saying? You've gotta be careful about who you're asking for help from." [Renjulia] shot back with a very serious expression.

"Okay… That's a very good point. The thing about Dungeons in general, is that a great many of them seem to have a very positive impact on the economy of this continent. Take Candy Land or the Mummy Mansion for example. Both of them yield very different rewards, in which adventurers may gain wealth from focusing their efforts on those given Dungeons. On the offhand, we have Dungeons like the Tides of Trajedy… Which have no means of generating a profit, and serve only to divide our forces and consume our time in simply keeping up with the chore of killing them off repeatedly. See, I'm in a predicament. I can't really launch attacks against water, because a lot of my followers specialize in Fire. I'm thinking that Ice attacks might actually work… But I'm still not really sure. What do you think? Could my Fire be what you need to stop your less… Lucrative of Dungeons?" [Nero] explained with a wry smile.

"...You'd propose a switch." [Renjulia] muttered while raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" [Nero] shot back.

"You'd leave your Kingdom in the hands of a band of Snow Elven savages… In the prospects of gaining an ally while losing an enemy." [Renjulia] muttered with eyes wide.

"I'd do damn near anything if it meant a victory for the people relying on me…" [Nero] promised with a weak smile.

"Then it seems that we've got a deal. I'll try to convince the Eva, but I'm only one. I might not be able to do it." [Renjulia] promised with a solemn expression.

"I appreciate it. By the way, what was the cause of your illness?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"There was a Frost Cyclops Giant roaming in the north. Carried one wicked flurry along with him wherever he went, so I stood to face him. He took one look at me, and cursed me with an ability called Mammon's Permafrost. I became so cold, that I couldn't take another step. I froze right on up, the boys came and found me a few days later… And no matter how warm they made me, I was stuck like that… Still feeling cold, even now… I'm still cold, but it's somewhat more bearable." [Renjulia] confessed with a distant expression.

"Suppose you don't want another fight with that one?" [Nero] asked with a light laugh.

"Reckon he's froze me enough now that he can't do much more to me. I've got a night's worth of time to track him, and kill him. I'll sleep under a thick patch of snow if I need to." [Renjulia] explained with a bold look in her eyes.

"Please… Stay the day with us, at the very least. We're throwing a party in two nights~" [Nero] offered with a wry smile.

"All this talk about stopping Dungeons and you're throwing a party?" [Renjulia] shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"They're a wonderful method of gaining income peacefully from the hands of all those unwilling to join in wars~" [Nero] sighed. To which, Cetilla nodded along.

"Nero? Soup?" [Mary] chimed in while carrying a bowl.

"Thanks." [Nero] gracefully accepted the soup and began to happily drink it.

Fish… And tons of vegetables. I think it's like a tomato soup, but also there's just a ton of additional vegetables thrown in. And Fish. Salmonetti. My new favorite. Thanks Mary. Sorry, Renjulia… You gave up food before I had the chance to feed you any. It was a mishap on all accounts. One that we simply could not see coming. A shame~

"Well, I should thank you for your generosity… You've spared my life." [Renjulia] exclaimed before bowing her head.

"You won't stay and rest?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"I can't… I've been bedridden for weeks already. The cold waits on no Snow Elf. Keep my children safe while they recover, I'll come back for them when things have calmed down." [Renjulia] declared with a bold expression before turning to leave.

"Y-You're going to walk from Reygid to the Savage Lands? You sure that you don't want an escort to take you there?" [Nero] begged the question with a nervous expression.

"I'll manage. What are a few Witches to an Eva?" [Renjulia] laughed as she continued on her way.

...Should I be worried? Just who are the Eva?! Turning to Cetilla, she seems tense. Her hair isn't moving at all. Roah's also worried. He won't stop moving his hands. Orianna's fur seems wet. Lucius and Jon are the only ones who seem as out of the loop as I am… Which is expected. We're all foreigners to these lands.

"What's going on?" [Nero] whispered with eyes wide.

"I… I couldn't view all of her details before you ressurected her. She's far too strong to be a bloodthirsty nomad roaming the Forest of Witches." [Roah] explained with a quiet voice and a serious expression.

"They'll stop her. There's absolutely no way that she's going to make it to the Savage Lands without an encounter or two." [Cetilla] remarked before stifling a small laugh.

"The Eva have been known as the greatest card in the north for centuries. They don't deal with Coins, usually preferring to barter goods. It's strange that we encountered two of their youth at a Brothel in the first place, because they're said to be immensely prideful. They often live as nomads, not choosing to partake in society at all unless by chance of fate; encountering those who they trade with in the wilderness." [Orianna] enlightened the ensemble while glancing toward the exit of the Throne Room.

"So… If we make friendlies with them, it might actually work to our benefit?" [Nero] muttered with an excited expression.

"Hard to say… They're not exactly an organized Tribe. Gaining one friend doesn't necessarily mean gaining all of their support." [Orianna] shot back with a tired look in her eyes.

"But are they trustworthy once you've gained their support?" [Roah] asked while glancing down at the two sleeping boys.

"That's something I can't speak on… Reygid hasn't witnessed an alliance with the Eva in well over a millennia… Nothing from that time was very well documented to begin with." [Orianna] explained with a shrug.

"Well… We've got no records meow, so all we can do is try our best~" [Nero] remarked with a nervous laugh.

"Thanks. This has been fun, but I'm going to spend the rest of my night with Rosa." [Orianna] shot back with an exhausted expression before turning toward the Hallowed Gate.

"See ya~" [Cetilla] exclaimed with a wry smile as she waved off the Lionkin Queen.

"So, does this mean that our fun little night has come to an end?" [Lucius] begged the question with eyes wide.

"...Eh? Never." [Nero] shot back with a baffled expression.

"Actually, if now's a good time… My Mother's been begging me to come and see her lately. Fancy a trip to the Vellisroi Estate?" [Cetilla] begged the question while shrugging her shoulders.

"...Huh. Yeah, sure." [Nero] sighed.

"I'm… Going to meet Cetilla's parents?" [Lucius] muttered with a terrified expression.

"They're not too bad, actually… Cetilla's the worst." [Roah] enlightened the Mousekin with a reassuring smile.

"No comment." [Cetilla] shot back while beginning to lift the Mousekin from the ground.

"They're also incredibly wealthy, so make sure to drink your fill." [Jon] remarked with a knowing nod.

"Eh… Vana, take care of the children." [Nero] beckoned.

"Yeah… That's not happening. Bring the bed, and me along with you. If I'm healing these barely wounded boys all night… I'm doing it over fine Wine." [Vana] shot back with a wide grin.

"...Agreeable. Let us be on our way!~" [Nero] accepted the deal with a smile.

And so… That is how we came to be at the Vellisroi Estate. It's been awhile since I sat down and talked the talk with these two nobles… I haven't been avoiding them, I actually kind of enjoy our little get togethers… But Veronica totally assaulted me the last time I saw her. This might get weird. To get here, we wound up placing the bed directly on my back. I needed to assume my largest form. It was incredible to go through the doors of the Wailing Keep… Literally everyone on my back got to experience being shrunken down to size at the same time. Bedding and all. Dazzling magic, I must say. Shame that the actual streets of Reygid don't work the same way. I can only use the widest roads, and it's not enjoyable needing to navigate a safe method through them. Carriages need to be pulled to the sides of the streets. People need to enter buildings. Crowds need to find different roads. It's a genuine hassle, and it happens way too often. We need a better means of moving large creatures like myself… But, oh wait… We have one. It's the [Hallowed Gate]. Shame that I can't conjure it over large radiuses~ I think the furthest that I can really summon one is around 50 feet away. Not too shabby, but not really game breaking; either.

On arrival to the Vellisroi Estate, we were met with Celine. She cut her hair. Yeah. It's shorter meow… But frankly, it was already somewhat short. Probably just a trim… But I like it. It's like a full on bob-cut meow. Very cute~ After she thanked me for noticing her new style, we were led to the Study. Roy was in the Study, filling out paperwork… But he very quickly threw it all to the side, right off the table; before leading us to Veronica. I honestly… Why are Roy and Veronica such eccentric people?! He chucked 50 pages into the air, practically flipping his table simply because he was excited to be done with his work and get into drinking. He had a drawer, okay? He had a desk drawer. He could've used it, but nah… He chose to make a ridiculous mess, and I doubt that he's even going to clean it. It's going to be on Celine. I can tell... I saw her face the moment it happened. This isn't something that he's going to trouble himself with.

Veronica wound up completely plastered next to an indoor pool, talking to a few of her housekeepers… And-what...? Since when? Since WHEN was there an indoor pool?! GLASS roof?! Tanning beds?! We're going into winter, and this is the lifestyle that we're going with? Okay... I'm game.

"Such a pleasant surprise to see you all… And oh? Who's this?" [Veronica] exclaimed while shoo-ing away her previous company.

"...I'm Lucius. Hailing from Monastazia, I'm one of the Monster Knights." [Lucius] introduced himself while taking a bow.

"Monastazia… Quite the long way from home~ How are things for you with those Monster Knights my daughter's become so fond of?" [Veronica] asked with a wry smile as she swirled a cherry around her glass with a claw.

"G-Good… She-The Monster Knights, and Nero… Have given me a wonderful home to call my own, and have even given me a means of returning home when I choose." [Lucius] nervously confessed.

"Oh, yes… I hear they bestow a rather nice slew of benefits to all of those they entangle in their precarious quests… I wonder if you'll live long enough to see your mad King perish~" [Veronica] sighed with a particularly seductive expression before finally stabbing the cherry and delicately inserting it into her mouth.

"Ahhahh… Yeah, I hope so~" [Lucius] nervously laughed as Veronica began to work her cherry.

"...Cetilla? Can you stop her?" [Nero] chimed in while side-eyeing the Dutchess of Doom.

"U-Uh… That's Ice Maiden's Tear that she's drinking… There's honestly not much that can be done~" [Cetilla] sighed before raising a glass of her own and beginning to watch in awe at her own mother's excellence.

She just… Keeps working the cherry. It's highly seductive, and effective. One thing I can promise you, is that all the eyes in this room… Are directly on her lips, which are glossed over in a blue shade; might I add. Navy blue. It's sleek. I'd say that it's pigmented, but there's absolutely no way… It can't be... Right? It seems glittery, though… Her eyeliner's also on point. Perfect wings. Hair thicker than a Meglacommon, and JUST as smooth... Why is Veronica so ageless?! Roy! How much have you been funding her beauty?! She's ALWAYS dripped out in the most ridiculous dresses imaginable… But right meow, she's showing skin; and honey… I didn't think she had this type of thing going… This is silly. It certainly doesn't help that Wendel, Christina, and Penny made a choice appearance simply to slow time and sing 'B*d Guy' as she did it... Ah… There it goes. She finally popped it out. The cherry's twig… It's-WHAT?! This Lady… This absolute Lady, just pulled the entire cherry; completely unscathed... Back out of her mouth… But it was tied using the twig, two times over… As if the cherry were gift wrapped, specifically for Lucius… Lucky son of a bitch.

"You see, there are a lot of places with adequate food and bedding… Some of them won't even demand that you lay your life on the line… I've got plenty of food and space to spare, so if you ever find yourself tired… Why not come and spend some time with me?" [Veronica] suggested with a smile before winking as she handed the cherry back to Lucius, then turned and took a stand before walking away to get more Wine.

"...Yet somehow, she's better than me." [Cetilla] muttered while tilting her head to the side.

"Roy… You did a fine job marrying into this family." [Jon] commended Roy with a grin as he began nodding his head.

"...Yeah." [Roy] agreed while squinting as he watched his beloved walk away.

"Nero… She's very attractive… But I think she might devour me." [Lucius] chimed in with a nervous expression.

"...Eh? Yeah, no. Don't go near her alone. No Mousekin would ever stand a chance surviving that encounter." [Cetilla] remarked while seeming absolutely at ease with her glass.

"R-Right…" [Lucius] muttered while seeming utterly defeated.

"Did you guys always have an indoor pool?" [Nero] begged the question as he began to strip down into just his yellow swim trunks.

"This was a recent renovation made just last week, actually. This used to be the old second dining room, right?" [Cetilla] explained before turning to face her father.

"You're correct. Your mother wanted something new and fun to show off to the other Women's Club members… So here we are, 2 Diamond Coins later; but the ceiling's nice." [Roy] muttered with a tired expression.

...Damn. There's a Women's Club. Probably the highest of society only, and the older ladies at that.

"And the new Housekeepers?" [Nero] chimed in with a wry smile.

"...All male, but none of them are paid as much as Celine~" [Roy] sighed while rolling his eyes.

"...Do they at least get to live here?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head.

"Yeah, we feed them; too… I personally still don't fully understand what the point is in paying them if we clothe and care for them in every way imaginable… But I assure you, we are following your regulations." [Roy] shot back before taking a swig of his glass.

"Wonderful. Any idea how the rest of high society is faring?" [Nero] asked before diving into the pool as Veronica rejoined the group and began chatting with Cetilla.

"As far as nobility… The Bernardi's have had a poor stroke of luck. During the Dragon's attack, a large portion of their land was set ablaze. A lot of farmland was actually damaged during the attack… But I'm well aware that the damage in the residential districts were far worse, so if you're opting to support the less wealthy through this crisis… It's understandable." [Roy] explained with a tired expression.

...Yikes. I haven't been supplying ANY financial support through the rebuilding of the attack. No one's really asked me to, and it's not as though I tax anyone… So is it even expected of me to pay for this kind of thing? I'm not an insurance company… I throw parties, sell clothing, and lead an army. Is this genuinely my business?! Ugh...

"...What of the other families?" [Nero] shot back while side-eyeing the Duke.

"The Greyjoys have been quiet these past few weeks, but I rarely hear of those two; you'd be better off asking Veronica… What I do know, is that Victor Lellion's been seen frequenting the Casino. He's probably stressed out and searching for a quick get-rich scheme to help off-set paying wages to all of his subjects." [Roy] explained with a nonchalant expression.

"So… The Bernardi line will need assistance with earning Coins through the winter, and the Lellion's are pissing their wealth away in a mad gamble?" [Nero] grumbled before swimming closer to the side of the pool and grabbing a glass being offered by Celine.

"That would seem to be the case. I wouldn't worry too much about Victor, he's always had a way with surprising the people. He just may find a way to come out on top of this~" [Roy] sighed.

"Laying off the Casino would help~ I don't know how they're staying in business, it seems that only adventurers and the wealthy can afford to lose anything…" [Nero] muttered before tasting his Wine.

...Tastes sweet. Like strawberries and sugar.

"That old place? They'll never go under. Humans and Witches come here for it all the time. Even if they can't suckle as much out of the Beastkin, they'll find other avenues through tourism." [Roy] explained with a wry smile.

"Interesting…" [Nero] muttered.

If we can get someone incredibly lucky to enter the Casino, maybe we can wrangle some extra Coins from Nidallia… It's a thought. Only the luckiest of Monster Knights would do…

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" [Roy] begged the question while raising an eyebrow.

"...What's going on tomorrow?" [Nero] shot back while squinting.

"Tomorrow's Monday~ Right before midnight… We just might see some of the most famous adventuring parties in all of Reygid exiting the Mummy Mansion." [Roy] explained with a grin.

"...They're finally coming out?" [Nero] asked with eyes wide.

"It hasn't been confirmed… But, yeah… It's likely that we'll be seeing them soon. None of those parties have been in Reygid since, well… Longer than you've been running the place… And since the Winter Solstice is on the way; we can expect several to return in the coming weeks. It's high time for a pitstop, they'll need somewhere to spend all of the Coins that they've been earning on supplies and a damned good time." [Roy] explained while repeatedly raising his eyebrows.

"Ah… You think I can get a ton out of them if they happen to arrive the day before my festival~" [Nero] laughed.

"When those parties come to Town… It's a guaranteed boom in commerce. Everyone in this City will be looking to sell them something, so you'd best be quick to the punch." [Roy] explained before raising a glass.

"Got it… And how do you figure they'll take to the new leadership around here?" [Nero] asked while tilting his head to the side.

"Well, Dawn Raiders might very well try to stop you and return the Throne to Orianna. Never Rest probably won't care, their main concern is the Dungeon and they'll return to it as quickly as possible. The thing about it, is that when Dawn Raiders return… They return and make a big old show of it. When Never Rest comes back, they only send a few people to leave the Mansion and get new supplies… Before returning to it the following week. Either way, we probably won't be seeing either of those parties. They stay in there for too long for anyone to properly estimate their return. For tomorrow, we might be seeing the Lunar Llamas… The Darkhorse Liaison… Or even Braveheart. Lunar Llamas consists of 5 Llamakin. They're pretty tough, but they don't stay in the Dungeon longer than a few months at a time. The Darkhorse Liaison consists of 9 members, and are much stronger… But they work closely with the Dark Guilds, so you might not see them partaking in too many of the more common storefronts. Braveheart has 14 members, and they love to spend their downtime at the Adventurer's Guild and Casino. They generally only stay in the Dungeon for a few months at a time, but it seems like they've been gone for over 5 months now. I doubt they could hold out much longer than this, so we'll see them soon." [Roy] explained with a wry smile.

"Interesting… On all accounts, Braveheart seems like the ideal party to entangle in our festival. I hope they make it on time, but I'd settle for the Llamas." [Nero] sighed before taking another drink of his Wine.

"Yeah, they're the optimal coin purse to look at… But they're also very noble. One of the Greyjoy's vassal families, Greyjir… Actually has two brothers in their party. So, please be on your best behavior with them… You wouldn't want to make it appear as though you have no regard for the vassal families~" [Roy] remarked with a nervous laugh.

"...How many vassal families do I even need to worry about?" [Nero] groaned while rolling his eyes.

"Ahaha… Too many to actually try, it's honestly the head of each house's responsibility to take care of their vassals; but to make matters easier for you… You should at least try to be acquainted with their family names. The Reygids are responsible for the Reylis, Reygredt, Rennesci, and Reygeld families. We're responsible for the Velle, Vellisrea, Velliscynth, and Verriloi families. The Bernardi's are responsible for the Barnsteads, Bernussi, Berlichtenstein, and Bernacht families. The Firemanes are responsible for the Firkin, Firali, Firamane, and Firilest families. The Greyjoy's are responsible for the Greyjir, Greymane, Greltson, and Grelmiud families. The Lellions are responsible for the Lelei, Lelkston, Lorllion, and Lellscen families." [Roy] explained while sipping on his glass.

...God. Four vassal families for each of the 6 noble families… Makes 30 last names that I must be acquainted with if I hope to get a handle on Reygid… And that doesn't even scratch the surface, considering that there are people like Rudou; whom hold absolutely no noble titles yet are also substantially influential. Wonderful. I feel bad for Orianna and Rosa, though… Those two are single handedly responsible for 4 different families each, and neither of them have any source of income right meow. Well… If Rosa got her land back, she might be earning something off of that… But still, I can't help but wonder how she's faring~

On another note, if there's seriously this many members of high society within Reygid… A Ball's starting to sound like a good idea. We need to get introductions under way, stat. If I'm not taking taxes from these people, the least that they could do is help each other through trying financial times. Obviously, the head family to each bloodline is responsible for the remainder… But if the head family's failing, Orianna can't be expected to solve everything. She has her own vassals to care for, so it's a failing system. Each of the vassal families should also be held accountable at some point, and each family's situation should really be analyzed… Who knows? A vassal family may have outranked their head decades ago in terms of finances, and we'd never even know better.

Since a Ball would need to wait until after I've Prestiged, I should go ahead and just get things started during my opening speech. All of Halloween, and most if not all of the Monster Knights already know that Luna and Conrad will be taking over for me as the faces of Halloween soon… But the rest of the Kingdom does not. If I hold a Ball, and still don't show up… It's going to look strange. In addition, if I only really acknowledge two of my Clans(wo)men… It also looks strange. So, to make things simpler… I'll choose five. Conrad is obviously in charge of all the Crows, Luna can manage all of the Vampires, Molag Dregora can take care of every other Undead creature, Miscare and Mescarga can take care of the Scarecrows… Which leaves Wendel, Penny, Christina, Wolrietta, Benji, Vivian, Edward, and Robert. I guess… Yeah, Benji. Benji can manage the stragglers. My 5 designated Clans(wo)men, though… Six, if you don't count Miscare and Mescarga as a package deal. I do.

It feels strange to choose five leaders among them while only promising power to two… But no one's perfect. I probably can't afford to give 6 creatures a ton of power, but I really would like to. If I can afford it… Maybe. We'll see. Conrad, Luna Pratz, Molag Dregora, Miscare/Miscarga, and Benji… My five fingers. We'll work wonders with this hand~ My other hand has Roah, Cetilla, Gluttatosk, Ben, and Rita. Yosh... 10 influential creatures that one mustn't cross if they hope to fit in at the Wailing Keep. There are others, but these 10… They hold the most fighting power. It's excessively clear. If we wanted to get into just generalized power… I'd probably need to swap Ben out with Mary. Mary's too strong. Piss Mary off, and you'll be eating raw Fish. It's fine… Unless you've already tasted Mary's power with your own tongue. Rita's practically the guardian deity of all the children… So you can't really mess with her without earning a whole LOT of scowls at the dinner table. Ben's just… Strong. He's a strong guy, and he's got a short temper. It's a simple analysis, but it's gotten to a point that I rarely witness anyone actually speaking to him anymore. He seems pleased with himself about it, too.

After giving the others time to finish catching up as I basked in the sweet tastes of my Wine… Day arrived, and I conjured a new bucket of Candy. Feeling as though I'd need to be in tip top shape for tomorrow, I chose to get an early night's rest. Cetilla chose to stay with her parents a little while longer, as did Jon and Roah. Lucius chose to return to the Wailing Keep with me though, and I wasn't about to ditch the two Snow Elves on a bed in the middle of the Vellisroi Estate… So I brought Vana and the bed along with me as well. As we travelled, she innocently deigned to question just how the two youthful Elves were wounded in the first place… And in my tipsy state, I was daft enough to enlighten her. It was brilliant~ I'd never witnessed the Flutterfairy seem so utterly dismayed. She wasted half of her night healing two shredded rectums because Roah and I couldn't contain our impulses… And I couldn't be happier to have been called a worthless Leader.

"Good night, Vana and Lucius~" [Nero] called out after entering the Foyer.

"Don't call me until the festival!" [Vana] screamed before rapidly flying toward the Dining Hall.

"I-I had a good time, and am glad to have made it back to the Keep. G-Goodnight~" [Lucius] drunkenly mumbled before stumbling into the Dining Hall.

How sweet… Lucius is such a nice little Mousekin. I'm glad that Vana's healing magic finally seems to have found a feasible use, though. Non life threatening injures that still require healing… Are Vana's specialty. Confirmed. Now… What to do with these Snow Elves? I could try finding them a room downstairs, or I could just ditch their bed in the Throne Room… I know that I don't want to use the stairs, and I also don't really feel comfortable leaving them in the Treasure Room… No offense, I obviously adore these two… But I can't trust them near all of my Candy. It's too dangerous. That Candy needs to be locked away in all honestly. It's literally our greatest national treasure… Right up there next to Lianix, and Cetilla's marbles. I could try asking a Monster Knight to find them a space… But that means I'll need to go to the Beach, and then carry these two back here… Right before returning to the Beach again. Nah. Too much effort. I require sleep. I'll just bring them to the Beach, and leave their bed beside me. Nyah. Sounds good.

I should start leaving Candy in Halloween, rather than the Treasure Room. It'd be easier to defend it during the day if it were being guarded by the Clans(wo)men. I'll definitely move it after the festival. Yep! Okay… After carrying the bed back to the Beach, I dismissed all of the nearby Monster Knights and thanked them for their work. They seemed tired, too. Gillie was complaining about how the Tides were getting stronger, so that sucks~ Not much I can do about that, short of conquering a Dungeon somewhere off in the middle of the sea... Good morning!