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"I'm not sure if I should be glad or disappointed that you're leading us away from the Dawi-Zharr," Zhao-Ming commented. The Iron Dragon was leading a group of elite warriors to help in the rescue, and to keep an eye on Seraphiel’s group.
“Of the choices presented, the Chaos Dwarfs are not the worst when it comes to the treatment of prisoners.” Teclis nodded along. “Slavery isn’t the best, but at least they usually only put their slaves to work. There are worse alternatives.”
“We’re getting close.” Seraphiel suddenly said. She pointed towards the south, to an island chain. “The southernmost island.”
They could all see the undeniable corruption of the land. Mutated and twisted flora and fauna were everywhere. Mushrooms grew on every tree, and the animals were filled with weeping sores and pustules. There was a sickeningly sweet scent in the air, wafting from the islands. “Nurgle corruption.” Seraphiel recognized immediately.
Zhao-Ming frowned. “What would the god of diseases want with Shen-Zoo?”
An idea came to Seraphiel immediately. “She’s a Dragon of Light, is she not? I’m going to assume resisting and maybe curing diseases is within her powers?”
Zhao-Ming nodded. “Yes. She’s the bringer of light and hope. That is exactly what she’s great at. Unlike the rest of us, she’s not much of a fighter, but when there’s a plague, there’s no one better to deal with the situation.”
“Then it makes perfect sense. In another universe, Nurgle captured the Aeldari Goddess Isha, who he used to test all his most potent diseases against since the Goddess naturally resisted them all and could heal herself. Anything virulent and powerful enough to affect Isha would be supremely effective against mortals. And I wouldn’t put it past any servant of Nurgle to emulate their god in such a way. Maybe attempt to create a disease to strike at the rulers of Cathay?” Seraphiel speculated, referring to the Dragons.
“You’re sure she’s there?” Zhao-Ming looked at the rotten islands with a speculative look. “Of course you are. Bringing troops on the island would be problematic. Most would succumb to plagues well before facing any enemy.”
“A stealthy approach with a small group then?” Seraphiel grimaced a bit. “My abilities will protect me and a few others, but if there’s a Great Unclean one on those islands, I’m not certain my powers are enough for full protection against too many. The level difference would be too harsh, even if my abilities are a direct counter.”
“I can create a magical protection that will hold the worst at bay for a while," Teclis suggested. "It's not the first time I've dealt with Nurgle Demons, even if we've mostly had to deal with Slaanesh. I won’t be perfect, but it’ll do. We’ll have to have a plan for our exfiltration though, we don’t want to bring out any plagues.”
"I can use my powers to hide us for a short time," Kaede promised. "Though when I say short, I do mean it. A couple of hours at maximum."
“We may have to separate rescuing Shin-Zoo and punishing those responsible.” Zhao-Ming finally admitted. “My sister is our priority. It is almost certain that a Great Unclean One is present. If we can kill it, great. But if we run into them, we should focus on delaying them. Luckily Nurgle isn’t known for speed, so reinforcements will take a while to arrive.”
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The stench and almost oppressive pressure of wrongness grew as their small boat approached the furthest island under the cover of night and the shadows created by Kaede. Worryingly Seraphiel was already getting almost constant increases to her [Bastion of Purity] and [Fount of Purity] Skills. She was also getting the occasional increase to her [Greater Aura of Sanctity] implying that the diseases were magical and being somewhat suppressed by her aura’s magic resistance component. And that was despite the protective magics woven by Teclis, which were clearly not enough.
Without another word, she blessed everyone in their party with increased Vitality, hoping they could hold out long enough. "This will have to be quick," Zhao-Ming grunted, clearly being at least a little affected already. A disease that could affect a Dragon, even in humanoid form, had to be potent indeed.
"I've always thought Nurgle was the most dangerous of the four Chaos Gods, even if the danger he represents is more subtle," Seraphiel revealed. Khorne was more direct in his pure violence approach, while Tzeentch might create plots that lasted thousands of years. The appeal of Slaanesh was quite obvious. But plagues in this current universe were very binary in their danger. You either had the healers capable of cleansing it, or you didn’t. If you did, the plague’s effect was largely dulled, even if there would be casualties. If you didn’t, you were fucked. And a plague only needed one carrier, not an army.
Swarms of insects buzzed around, almost covering the entire island like a thick living blanket. As their little boat hit the beach closest to where Seraphiel sensed Shen-Zoo, they saw several Demons patrolling the area, ranging from enormous Rot-Flies to the slow and ponderous Plaguebearers, the foot soldiers of Nurgle. Knowing they had to move with haste and decisiveness to not succumb to the constant plagues around them, the group slashed their way through to Nurglite camp instead of trying to work their way around guards. Countless insects fell, burnt to death by Teclis and Zhao-Ming, while Seraphiel and Wrex sent waves of psionic power to crush any opposition in an attempt to silence any guards before they could raise the alarm. Kaede and Tatsumiya took down any runners, while Yoruichi took down any significant Demons that wouldn’t go down with one shot.
Their group moved quickly and efficiently and soon came upon what seemed like a large, corrupted temple. Judging by the architecture it had been built by the Lizardmen at some point in the long past, but it had been completely overgrown with plant life that was utterly diseased and corrupted. They could hear demented laughter coming from the inside, along with the sounds of someone choking on their own blood and bile. Painfully by the sound of it.
They burst through the stone doors of the temple, the stone not offering any resistance to the battering ram in the form of an angry Krogan. Without wasting any time, Wrex biotically charged the largest target within the temple, a huge green Demon filled with pustules and had a huge, fanged mouth on its belly, filled with maggots and intestines. The Demon was hunched over a cauldron, while tiny little Nurglings fed the concoction to the withered beings in the cages.
As Wrex charged in, the Great Unclean One used a ladle to slap the Krogan away mid-charge without missing a beat. Teclis and Zhao-Ming filled the room with as much fire as they could, burning away any corruption they could reach without hitting the beings in the cages, while the rest moved in to take out the other Demons.
The prisoners seemed to have been gathered from all the surrounding races, Humans, Naga, Dawi-Zharr, even a few Zombies, and what looked like a Vampire. All of them were only shadows of what they used to be, their bodies withered and diseased likely beyond any recovery. Except for one. A gorgeous dark-haired Human looking woman sat in one of the cages, looking pristine in both body and clothing, and it didn't take a lot to realize this was Shen-Zoo in her humanoid form.
Zhao-Ming shouted her sister's name while rushing towards her, the captured Dragon looking up with sudden hope and relief. The Iron Dragon was interrupted as the Great Unclean One grabbed the cauldron and tossed it at him, while almost entirely ignoring the flames licking at its turbid body, and only barely acknowledging the attacks launched at it by everyone. This was the power of the Greater Demons of Nurgle. They were not fast, nor were they magically the most gifted. They weren't the smartest, nor were they physically the strongest. What they did excel at was sheer staying power. They just lived and survived, allowing their plagues and minions to wear down the enemy. And while they were not the most gifted in those other areas, assuming them weak or magically inept would be a mistake. They were slow though, which mostly allowed everyone here to avoid any attacks it sent as retaliation.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Zhao-Ming deftly dodged the cauldron while allowing the draconic flames that he was conjuring to burn anything that spilled out from the inside, before dashing to the cage, breaking it and pulling his sister out. "Ignore the Demon. Pull out now!" He called out the order, everyone clustering around Seraphiel, who for the first time used her [Reality Control] to tear a hole in space for everyone to jump through, making a hasty exit. As soon as everyone had managed to exit, she allowed the hole in space to collapse, grunting at the exertion of holding the portal open. She'd only managed it because she'd capped the [Psionic Efficiency] skill, making all her psionic abilities cost only 1/16th of their original cost.
As soon as they were through, they were all bathed in flames that destroyed almost everything they were wearing, while several of the best healers Zhao-Ming had brought along bathed them in magic to remove any lingering possibility of disease or plague. The team had known that anything they were wearing would be destroyed to stop any plagues from getting out, so they hadn’t been using or wearing anything they couldn’t afford to lose. Despite the sudden bout of nudity, not a single thought was sacrificed to anything indecent, as they all knew what was at stake and why this was being done. After the magical solutions, they all stepped through the decontamination process of Seraphiel’s ship, where new clothing and equipment waited for them.
Even so, Shen-Zoo proved her ability as a Dragon of Light and cleansed them all over again with her powers, as soon as they were through the decontamination. “You can never be too careful with the twisted gifts of Nurgle.” She said simply, nodding in slight approval at Seraphiel’s own Skills cleansing herself. Combined with her huge effective Vitality, the plagues hadn’t had much of a chance to grab a hold of her.
Wrex was a Krogan and could suffer through a nuclear winter if he had to, but the others were in less great condition even after all the cleansing. Kaede and Teclis especially would spend several days dealing with the aftereffects, feeling sick and weak. Just because a magical plague was gone, that didn't mean it hadn't left a mark on your body.
After the initial rush of healing and cleansing was done, Zhao-Ming hugged his sister with obvious relief and ardent familial love. “We were so worried for you, little one.” He murmured, only audible to others because their hearing was boosted by stats.
“I knew someone would come eventually big brother.” Shen-Zoo returned the show of affection. “How did you find me?” Her voice was filled with as much relief and hope as her brother’s.
Zhao-Ming turned to point at Seraphiel. “The Angel has an artifact that can be used to find things and people. They came to offer their help, in return for our help in pushing back the Demons to the northern and southern wastes.”
“The Wu Xing Compass.” Shen-Zoo realized right away. Smart girl.
"Correct," Teclis added. "With the work of our mages and your Astromancers, I believe we can force the demons away. As we just witnessed, we really can’t allow them to roam as free as they have.” He quickly explained his plan.
“It’s going to take a lot to convince father, even if it is a good idea.” Shen-Zoo pointed out. “Which is why they helped save me.” She realized right away. “They’ve thought this through.” She stated to Zhao-Ming with a nod.
“They also get a more unified Cathay to stand against the Chaos incursions that are currently ravaging our land. Not a bad plan and benefits us as much as it does them. The only issue is that father will not like the idea coming from outsiders.” Zhao-Ming nodded.
"Sounds like your father is about as receptive to new ideas as mine," Seraphiel commented ruefully.
“Father has…had a problem with everyone ever since this world was created as it is now. The Dragons ruled this world back then, but when the Old Ones terraformed the world to be more suitable for other life, many of the old Dragons went into hibernation or left. Father has never forgotten that all the problems that came after could’ve been avoided without the Old One’s meddling.” Shen-Zoo explained.
"That's a long time to hold a grudge," Teclis commented. "Even if not entirely without merit."
“Well, the rest is all about diplomacy, and I’ve been told I should stay out of it.” Seraphiel chuckled. “So good luck with that.”
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After picking up the soldiers Zhao-Ming had brought along, their ship flew back to Shang-Yang and was allowed to land within the city. Teclis went with the Dragons to deal with the diplomacy, while Wrex walked off, muttering something about finding a drink. Kaede and Tatsumiya both decided to spend some time in the sickbay, recovering from the aftereffects of the plagues under Chachamaru’s discerning gaze. That left Seraphiel and Yoruichi to find their own entertainment.
As soon as they walked into the city, Seraphiel could sense someone observing them magically. This wasn’t some random person scrying for their location either. She could tell it was someone or something extremely powerful observing them through a powerful magical artifact. There was no way to tell who or what, but she got a definite feel that whoever it was could see more and deeper than most. She was considering how to deal with the problem when Yoruichi interrupted her thoughts.
“I could really use a good palate cleanser after all the shit we saw on the island. Something really fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Seraphiel. “Wanna do what we used to do in the Soul Society back then?”
That was a rather wicked idea considering they were currently being watched. Definitely something Lucifer would do. She quite liked it. “I could be persuaded.”
Yoruichi laughed raucously. “You don’t need any persuasion. You were always ready for our little games.”
The two walked a ways away from their ship and found a random bar where they ordered drinks as another form of palate cleanser, before sitting down at a booth by the side. A quick glance around the place told them that this was a bar frequented mostly by lower classes and merchants. They could see farmers and physical laborers, mixed in with a couple of guards for both the city and the caravans.
Yoruichi drained a good part of her drink before giving a relieved sigh. "You always did get mixed up in the most messed up things, even back then."
“In my defense, I usually didn’t go looking for trouble back then. I was simply the one to take care of it when the trouble came. Now we’re specifically looking for problems to solve. How have things been for you really?” She asked.
Yoruichi frowned a bit. “I have to say, most of the fun went out when you disappeared. We tried to keep up some of the adventures with Rangiku, but it just wasn’t the same without you. The Soul Society is getting by, but it's been a slow downward spiral. The systems you instituted are slowly being eroded. But! We're not here for such negative topics!" She took another long swing of her drink. "I can't have been the only one to notice during the decontamination how well-equipped that Krogan friend of yours is." She winked at Seraphiel suggestively.
“I wouldn’t know.” She replied prudely. “My mind was elsewhere.”
“What? You obviously spent time in their universe. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t try! I know you Sephy!” Yoruichi pointed an accusing finger at her.
“Truthfully, I spent only a handful of years in that universe. And almost that entire time I was in a committed relationship. You met Shepard.” She pointed out.
“I know you. A relationship wouldn’t stop you. That’s something you made clear from the very beginning. You’re not a one-person woman. You’re literally unable to do that. And trying out something weird like a Krogan is right up your alley.” Yoruichi pressed on, not without a cause. Monogamy really wasn’t Seraphiel’s style, and she made sure that anyone she got involved with knew that.
“Ah, but you’re forgetting the influence of my partner. No one is foolish enough to annoy Shepard when trapped in the close confines of a relatively small spaceship. I might be alluring, but if the price is picking a fight with Shepard…” She pointed out with a wry grin. “Besides, ours wasn’t a completely monogamous relationship. There was this Asari called Liara…”
“Hah! I knew it sounded too much unlike you! Still, I’m a little disappointed you didn’t explore any of the wilder options when presented with the opportunity.” Yoruichi’s expression was both vindicated and slightly disappointed.
Her relationship with Yoruichi had always been a little weird one. They cared for each other deeply, one could even say loved each other, but neither of them was interested in a purely sapphic relationship. They were also both quite adventurous, which had led them into developing some rather uncommon ways of showing and sharing their love. Ways that usually included other parties.
“Hey, if you want to take a swing at that batter’s box yourself, I’m not going to stop you.” Seraphiel waved her friend and previous lover down. A simple gesture had the bartender bring them new drinks, not that the alcohol in them could really affect them unless they specifically allowed it.
“Hmm, perhaps another time.” Yoruichi hummed. “Well, if I can’t get that vicarious experience through you, I want another. I know you’re up to almost anything. What’s the kinkiest thing you’ve done? The one you’d be least likely to share with others?”
Seraphiel considered for a moment. "Hmm, I think I know my answer, but this requires a bit of setting up. This was one of those lives where I wasn't in my own body. I was in the body of a recently turned Vampire. The Vampires of that world have what's called a predator type, a specific way they prefer to drink the blood of others. They often also have some specific requirements that make the experience even better. It could be anything from feeding on criminals in back alleys, all the way to the color of the target's eyes. The preferences can be very finicky, though in many cases not exclusive. They simply make the experience better."
She continued. “Now, these preferences are often influenced by the life before being turned, the process of being turned, as well as the first few weeks after. I was shoved into the body of a recently turned courtesan, who’d been turned as a part of an experiment. Anyway, unsurprisingly, her feeding habits transferred over, and I found myself in the body of a Siren, a Vampire that liked to feed during sex.”
“Oh dear.” Yoruichi, leaning forward now more interested.
“Anyway, thanks to the experiments, she also tended to have a thing for…shall we say dubious consent and being dominated. So, to satisfy those urges, I’d do what I called ‘fishing trips’. I’d dress immodestly and go walking around in a bad neighborhood. Pretty girls can’t go too far in places like those without consequences. Pretty soon I’d catch fish, and satisfy those urges, while feeding during the act, usually at the moment of orgasm. Depending on how hard they rang my bell, I’d either kill them after or leave them alive and later return for second's.” She grinned while telling the story.
“Wow. That’s…exciting.” Yoruichi admitted. “Not something I’d try, but you’ve certainly gotten me going now.”
Mindful that they were being observed, and wanting to stick it to the peeper, she brought up their purpose here. “So, what did you have planned for today? Just a pair of someone completely random? Would be a perfect opportunity for it, considering there isn’t anyone we know here, nor are we likely to ever return.”
“Pair? At least. I really need something to get that island off my mind. I can deal with a lot of things, but that? Not my thing.” Yoruichi stated eagerly. The hunt was on.