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Newly Summoned Demoness: A Plague of Feathers (Side Story Two - Part One)
🕑 Added 2023-12-06 10:50:04 +0000 UTC
In the cavernous heart of Neftasu, where the demonic is as common as it is shunned, Elania, a newly ascendant demoness fresh from her recent trials, is called upon to rectify the chaos sown from an artificer’s end.
Newly Summoned Demoness: A Plague of Feathers is a tale woven from the threads of unintended consequences, where Elania and her friend and contractor, the master artificer Yolani Aetherhart, must face a feathery menace of their own making.
With the city’s balance threatened by the squawks and arcane bursts from power-infused chickens, our heroines confront the legacy left behind by the late Ranolf. His demise at their hands has unleashed a horde of demonic poultry—something not appreciated by the populace at large.
A Plague of Feathers invites you to join in the skirmish. Will Elania and Yolani restore order to the city-state still reeling from the, or will Neftasu fall under the siege of the demon chicken uprising?
Newly Summoned Demoness: Side Story Two (Part One)
The first light from the city’s light stones filtered through the modest window of the inn’s room, casting a soft glow that seemed hesitant to disturb the stillness within. Elania laid there, eyes closed, half-submerged in the lingering heat of Yolani’s side of the bed. Her mind lingered in the tranquil space between sleep and wakefulness, troubled only by the absence of warmth that she’d grown accustomed to.
The inn’s walls were thin, and the muted sounds of the city’s early risers began to seep through, a gentle reminder that life in Neftasu never truly halted, not even for the night.
Especially not for the night. The other patrons were often very vocal in their nightly activities, enough to have been incredibly embarrassing to her at first. After two weeks of it, it was just annoying. The inn’s waitresses certainly had no problem serving extra services to the patrons for the cool gleam of coin.
And they weren’t even staying in the Merc’ District, it was a reputable inn nestled in the Artisan District near Artificer’s Row. Even if she was getting used to the peculiar set of morals that governed the underground city, they were still quite a shock for a poor American girl summoned to a fantasy world and turned into a demoness.
Elania cracked an eye open. Yolani’s silhouette was highlighted by the dim light of a candle, the other girl sitting on a stool while brushing her hair in front of the small, mirrored bench they shared. Elania watched for a while, appreciating the simplicity of the moment, before finally letting out a soft groan.
With a stretch that pulled at all the muscles in her back, Elania sat up, casting a groggy glance at Yolani. “Morning.”
Yolani looked back at her, and a smile crossed her lips. “Morning, sleepyhead. I thought you were going to sleep all day again.”
“What time is it? Isn’t it still morning?” Elania’s ears twitched, her [Darkwalker] affinity poking its head out to augment her senses. Sure enough, the telltale cling and clatter on the floor below hinted that breakfast was in full swing.
“Still morning,” Yolani confirmed, turning back to continue brushing.
Elania swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet. A second series of stretches for her arms and then neck resulted in a satisfying pop of joints as she moved to the small bathroom to take care of her morning needs. It was a small mercy the inn rooms had working plumbing, because if she had been forced to deal with an actual medieval style chamber pot or something like that, she would have never adjusted.
Yolani was done brushing her hair when she came out and adjusting the small hanger wardrobe they had in the corner. It barely fit in the cramped inn room, which barely had enough space for the both of them. It was honestly claustrophobic, but they’d decided on a single small room to save money for the funds needed to rebuild the shop.
Even with the Magisters providing extra funding and nearly free equipment, the value of things needed to put together a fully functional Artificer Shop was… out of reach of the normal citizen’s budget. A lot of the things they needed had been salvageable from the wreckage, but there were many that were not. Especially the rare and expensive things.
The City Watch had used an actual cannon to blast through Yolani’s wards, which was why the shop front had been blown inward. That hadn’t helped either. Before they could begin to fill the shop with the very expensive tools and items, they needed to get the wards back into service. Until then, things were being kept in a secure vault in the Guard’s headquarters for them.
“Guess it’s time to get some breakfast?” Elania asked.
Yolani turned and stared at her. The expression on the other girl’s face became uncomfortable and Elania fidgeted until finally Yolani walked over and grabbed her arm, bending her down to look in the mirror.
A very ruffled Elania stared back in the glass. A red mop of hair that looked like someone had applied a liberal amount of static electricity.
“Not until that’s dealt with,” Yolani said.
Elania grunted and sat down. She took the brush and started trying to tame her hair, but Yolani’s hand came down and captured it.
“I’ll do it,” Yolani said softly.
Little tingles ran up and down Elania’s neck as the other girl’s hands went to work with a steady rhythm. Soft fingers sometimes brushed her skin, and it was the best she could do to remain still. Eventually the touches turned calming and Elania closed her eyes and relaxed.
She was almost asleep when Yolani tapped the top of her head with the back of the brush. “Eladu to Elania, hello? Anyone still in there? Did you fall back asleep?”
Elania opened her eyes. “Maybe.”
The mirror revealed the effort Yolani had put into it, her hair perfectly tamed and neatened. Almost like magic. “Thank you.”
Yolani smiled. “You’re welcome. Let’s go get breakfast.”
Elania nodded and grabbed her green cloak.
Downstairs, they found the scene that Elania had expected. The usual patrons had claimed their corners while the more transient guests sat at several long tables, all talking and being served their breakfasts. Part of the room service included two meals a day, and the serving maids were floating about refilling morning tankards of weak ale or [Ralfot] milk.
That had been something to wrap her head around. Water wasn’t often served, instead the light alcohol ale was ubiquitous. If you wanted something else, like Frujuice or water, it was at least a large silver extra.
Yolani led her to their usual table in the corner. One of the serving maids inquired if they wanted food, and they both nodded. A bowl of thick porridge arrived, with a side of meat and an egg. It wasn’t the most palatable meal, but Elania enjoyed it anyway. It was one of the things that kept her human.
By the time they were finishing their meal, the front door opened. The heavy footfalls of armed City Watchmen drew the attention of everyone inside. Not everyone appreciated the Guard’s presence. Elania offered a little wave as Henri homed in on their table while the two guards with him went to the bar and ordered a drink.
“Henri, isn’t it a bit early for your check-in?” Yolani asked.
“Something is up. Magister Bannon has requested your presence,” Henri said, his gaze swapping between them. “Both of you.”
Elania and Yolani shared a look. They had several meetings with Magister Bannon already. He was the one that seemed most interested in ‘dealing’ with them after the climactic events at the Magistry and had ensured that Elania’s specifications for helping with the shop had been followed.
“Well, I guess we can’t refuse,” Elania replied.
Yolani nodded. “Maybe he had some luck with getting the nobles to cough up some of the rarer warding reagents.” She looked at Henri expectantly, raising a questioning eyebrow.
“Uh. Sorry. I do not know. It was the first thing that came up this morning. I didn’t even make it to HQ before I got the call,” Henri admitted.
They finished up breakfast, then headed out with their escort. A carriage was sitting outside.
“Seriously, a carriage?” Yolani asked, looking at Henri.
“High-priority,” Henri replied flatly. He jumped up with the driver while the two guards accompanying him took seats on the rear, outside the cabin. It left Elania and Yolani with the private interior, which granted them a safe view of the city streets and morning bustle.
Merchants were setting up stalls, and the clatter of artisans beginning their day’s work echoed across the streets. Lines at the bread bakeries were forming, and the pulse of the city felt energetic. Work crews were spotted everywhere. They had appeared after the Magistry incident, doing their best to improve the city infrastructure and buildings.
As they passed a corner, a recently demolished building reminded them that not everyone had benefited from the new reforms. Some of the older buildings had been declared unsafe and had to be torn down, much to the dismay of the inhabitants who had lived in them with their families for… centuries.
Even if the building was to be rebuilt, that left the Inns in the city cramped and overworked. And more expensive. Even if there were subsidies available for the displaced.
A half hour later they arrived to the City Watch Headquarters, the structure imposing as ever. The stone facades of the thick wall surrounding it were decorated by ornate stone statues and other decorations. The outer gate guards passed the carriage through as soon as Henri waved at them, and they made their way through the darkened tunnel.
Traffic was light and as they pulled to a stop at the front door of the building, Henri jumped off and opened the carriage door for them.
“Thanks,” Elania mumbled as she got out first. Somehow, the building felt even bigger once she was standing out on the cobblestone.
Having an escort was nice because it got them through the screening without having to go through the entire procedure, and they headed straight for the primary lift that would take them up to the Magister’s offices.
They were much higher up than Henri’s uncle Gaston’s office.
A secretary wave them on, and the ornate looking doors opened to reveal an invitingly warm office. Magister Bannon sat behind his large wooden desk—a luxury in a city where hardwood was worth its weight in gold.
“Come in,” the man’s voice called, authoritative and steady.
Henri stopped at the threshold, and the man glanced at him. “You too, Henri. Close the door behind you.”
The door clicked softly, sealing the three of them inside with the man. His blue robes were immaculate, the golden lines on them standing out. But it was the golden tattoo on the man’s forehead that drew Elania’s attention. It was the visible symbol of what had happened at the Magistry.
Two seats were available, and Bannon gestured for her and Yolani to sit. Henri took up a polite at ease position between and slightly behind them.
The Magister set down a piece of paper on his desk. “Thank you for coming at such an early hour,” he began. “I’ll get straight to the point. Ranolf’s shop is to be converted into a public mana shard charging station, run for the city. We’ll be stockpiling mana shards, crystals, and the needed materials for ensuring another disastrous shortage cannot occur again.”
Yolani grunted. “That’s an ambitious project.”
Elania eyed the other girl, then focused back on Bannon. How many shards would it take to power the city for any length of time? From what she knew from the events during the shortage, just a few weeks of the Dungeon run by the Syndicate going dry had nearly collapsed the efforts of the City Works to maintain the critical infrastructure.
Bannon grunted. “More than you know. Ranolf’s death has released the demons he kept in the shop’s basement from their contracts,” he explained. “In the chaos of recent events, no one descended into his kennels to check on them, and well… things have become quite a problem.”
From what she had learned, Yolani’s jokes about using chickens to generate [Power] had not been a joke. She’d only been to Ranolf’s shop once before the… unfortunate battle on the Row that had ended up with the man’s death and their fleeing from the scene. But she remembered the wagon full of birds that had been there for delivery.
A spark of humor ignited in Elania’s chest as she imagined a horde of demon chickens running amok in the basement, but she quickly stifled it, maintaining her neutral expression.
Yolani remained still. “Chickens?”
Bannon nodded. “They are demon chickens, to be precise. They’ve consumed copious amounts of chickens thanks to Ranolf’s [Power] selling scheme. There is a risk that they could get loose from the basement, and we need them contained… or dealt with.”
“Why did you call us?” Elania asked bluntly.
“Although you two have been exonerated for any and all crimes during earlier events, that does not absolve you from the fact that this results from your actions. I believe you two possess the skills necessary to deal with this issue,” Bannon replied.
Elania grunted and looked at Yolani; they shared a nod. Elania looked back to Bannon. “We made the issue, so we should fix it. Before it causes harm to anyone else.”
Yolani leaned back in her chair, her lips twitching into a smirk. “Demon chickens,” she repeated, the words tinged with incredulity. “Well, that’s not something you hear every day.”
“We’ll handle it,” Elania said firmly.
Magister Bannon nodded, before looking at Henri, who had remained a silent statue. “Henri will assist you, as well as a few other guardsmen, to help monitor the situation. I would also recommend hiring some of the Ironfist Mercenaries. If things go out of control and the demons somehow make it up through the elevator shaft… it would not be a good look.”
The meeting concluded quickly, and Henri led them back down and out of the headquarters.
“I’ll be getting a squad together. We’ll meet you at the shop in a few hours?” Henri asked.
Yolani nodded. “We’ll need a bit of time to do some planning and get our things ready.”
***
Yes, another side story. It should be about the same length as Antlers of the Hornar!
So 3-4 posts. I was a bit inspired by some of the comments on Royal Road and I want to write this real quick before continuing on Book 2. It's set between Book 1 and 2 like the other side story. Timeline is: Ending Book 1 - A Plague of Feathers - Antlers of the Hornar - Book 2.
I think this should be a fun little side adventure to explore. Hope you all enjoy it!
Comments
Ken Ridley
Chicken salad anyone... Maybe Red-hot chicken wing, Ya!
M. Lampi
I was wondering about the fate of those charging demons...
