Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 826: A Much-Needed Reprieve

As everyone settled inside Helga’s house, the attention once again turned to the guests. Garcia and Ditsy both seemed to be in minds of their own. The elf wore her caution on her face while the vampiress appeared more carefree than ever. As for Helga and the rest, a moment’s calm was more than enough for them to enjoy the moment.

However, eventually, once everyone was served tea by a hired demi-human servant, the chatter finally began.

"Here," grabbing the cup out of Ditsy’s hand, Helga put it in her dimensional pocket and instead brought out a pitcher full of dragon’s blood wine. Regalia sneered at the mere scent, and although it irked the valkyrie quite a bit, she simply poured the guest a glass. "I only have a few more bottles left. But what better company to share a blood drink than a vampire?"

"Dragon’s blood?" Staring at the glass in her hand with amusement, Ditsy could still feel its warmth as though the bloody wine had been extracted from a warm body just now. "How did you get your hands on this exactly?"

"Well..." Aimlessly looking around, Helga heaved a sigh. "Doesn’t really matter now, does it?"

Clicking her glass with Ditsy’s, she avoided another stroll through the past. Thankfully, the rich and sweet taste of the wine was more than enough to distract the vampiress–even make her smile. And while she was busy offering the same drink to her companion elf, the others began to converse.

"Where’s Seraphim and Riyanzah? I haven’t seen them in a while," Raven asked, glancing at Regalia.

The wolf shrugged and spoke her best guess.

"Athenia with their sister, probably. The prince and Elana haven’t moved an inch from that place since you guys left." Taking a sip of the tea and quickly putting the bitter thing away, the demi-wolf crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Anyways, if I’m not wrong, there should be another ocean separating the kingdoms. So I’ll have to tag along, I’m guessing?"

Taking a moment to consider everything, Raven sank into his chair and drank from the cup. His eyes narrowed at nothing, and a ripple of frowns took over his forehead. In silence, everyone awaited his word, and when he gave it, their fears were finally confirmed.

"We need everyone," setting the cup on the table, he looked up. "We need everyone because I can feel that we’re close to the very source of the corruption. Only halfway to the end of the world, sure. But with those flying vessels Mono is working on, we could cut the climbing of mountains and uneven terrain entirely. The only reason it took us so long to pass through the desert was the sand and the water. Traveling by flight in an inexhaustible vessel shall be far more efficient."

For a moment, everyone hated how right he was. Every step of the way, the party has not only been fighting monsters but also the change of terrain and the problems that it brought along with it. At an accelerated pace, it would take them less than three months to close the rest of the distance to the end of the world, but that meant no stops and no help provided to those who desperately needed it.

"When you say, everyone... Do you also mean people like the Mistress? And what about me or my daughters, and the army in training?" Helga’s hushed question rang low in everyone’s ears. They knew that whatever help they could get was necessary, and although people could be instantly brought onto the vessel by teleportation, they still had to be ready to join the party at a moment’s notice.

"You will stay in your cities until I call your name through the necklace," looking around, Raven hoped that he was making the best possible decisions. "Same for the Mistress and everyone else, but we’re still going to need some folks on board so that I’m not too busy calling on everyone to deal with any present threat."

"And..." Bringing attention to herself again, Regalia asked. "How quickly are you hoping to finish this?"

Considering the question and everything that it entailed, Raven tried to imagine what their future could hold as they made their way towards the end. More corruption, more powerful keepers, and even more mysteries like that of Inktaus. There were too many variables, but even still, he had a rough idea of when everyone would be over.

"A year at worst, half of that if everything goes as planned."

"Are we not rushing it a little?" Asked Amedith, visibly nervous.

But answering him wasn’t their leader, but the priestess.

"The demon lord grows stronger every day, and given some recent developments, I think it’s best we deal with it as soon as possible." Keeping her mouth hushed about the details of the development, Erika glanced around with a smile to ease some worried looks shot her way.

"So... it’s decided then, huh?" Having not even touched the tea, Aria just stared at the cup. "I guess it’s as good a year to die as any."

As ominous as her words were, nobody dared contest them. They always knew that some of them might die fighting this fight, but for that time to come so soon, nobody could’ve expected. Eventually breaking the silence, Raven diverted from the dire point.

"Weirdest of all, it seems that all demon generals except the nun have gone into hiding." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a folded map and laid it on the table. "While trying to find Inktaus, Lumine scouted a few interesting dark spots in the region surrounding the wall."

Pointing at many such crossed sections on the map, Raven looked around at everyone.

"They had traced a few generals who had been there, but we found nothing–not even a single horror. The retreating corruption was the only clue that the place was overtaken, along with a few flesh thrones and relics of a hierarchy within the ranks to suggest that this was more than just a keeper."

"And you think they’re retreating, but why?" Helga asked, having never seen a pattern like this even before the previous holy war.

Nodding back at her, Raven closed the map and leaned back.

"Whatever the reason may be, it’s safe to say something crucial happened. My guess," taking a deep breath, he said what everyone feared. "The demon lord is already reborn, and his army is gathering at the end of the world for one hell of a welcoming party."

Little else was left to be said, and everyone had plenty to think about, some in bed, the others while strolling the city, and at last Helga, while having sex with Raven, to try and take things off her head.