Chapter 165

Albedo sat primly on the bed while the kneeling elf told the Guardian Overseer everything. Had Albedo not disguised her demonic nature with magic, her wings would have been fluttering with excitement.

The elven woman was beautiful as a statue carved with beauty itself in mind, a perfect representation of elven beauty at its greatest height, with almond eyes of bright blue, golden hair that hung to her waist, the pale skin of one who lived indoors and seldom saw the sun. It was a little different than the normal wood elf light tan, but was easily explained by her occupation.

Her long ears twitched as she spoke in the melodic way of elves, and secured to her ears were little golden hoops attached to tiny silver chains that passed beneath her taunting excuse for a dress where they obviously ended up attached to the nipples beneath the cloth.

At the very least the demon woman had to admire the human's taste in enticing clothing. She made mental notes to have something similar fashioned for herself, but her chief focus was on the matter at hand.

And what she found was… 'This one knows everything I need.' It was almost laughable.

She raised a hand with her palm out to stop the babbling elf woman. Illyana immediately snapped her mouth shut.

"How could you possibly know as much as you do?" Albedo asked with a terse little smile that was only vaguely polite and threatening at once, just the tightest movement of the corners of her lips and nothing more, spoke volumes. "How could you know how the economics of the city flow, its important people, its politics? Are you not a mere whore, one of the many playthings of the wealthy?"

"I am, Mistress." Illyana confirmed with a bow of her head, but she looked up at the mistress she was assigned to and had a tiny little smile on her face when she said. "But many men don't know what a tongue is for, so they babble. They think talking to me is no different than talking to a dog, but they forget my ears," she flicked her fingers against the long tips, "work fine, and so does my mind. I remember everything. And I will never forget. Never."

Illyana's bitter hatred was a beautiful thing to behold, Albedo's general loathing for humans saw no challenge in the elf woman on her knees, and who clearly shared that loathing to her core. 'She probably assumes I'm a foreign spy… which is true, if a great underestimation.'

"You're not the least bit curious about why I'm asking these things, slave?" Albedo cocked her head a little.

Illyana shook her head. "My absolute loyalty is to whomever rents the room I am assigned to, until the guest checks out and a new one arrives. My task is to please you in any way you desire." Illyana explained with lowered eyes, but when she finished she asked, "My Lady, you are dressed so richly, forgive my impertinence, but… have you never had a personal slave to attend you as I am set to do?"

Albedo thought that over, it was a complicated question, the maids of Nazarick were technically under her, as they were under Sebas, and he was under her. But they were not directly responsible for her care and had never taken that role.. After a brief thought, Albedo shook her head. "No, slave, I never have."

Illyana took that bizarre statement in, and chose to explain. "That is one of my 'functions' aside from any pleasures you wish in the bed, I will attend to your every single need, think of me as your secretary, baggage girl, personal maid, and… when it pleases you, your whore."

"I have no use for the last of those." Albedo answered with a brusque wave of her hand, and said, "Instead you will guide me around this city, you know it very well, I assume? Show me all the places you spoke of, including the houses of the great leaders of this place. Serve me well, and you will be rewarded."

Illyana's face was very neutral when she said, "I am not permitted anything of my own, but thank you for the sentiment, reward or not, I will obey. Another day of life is the only reward I can accept, Mistress."

Albedo's smile became cruel and cold when she looked the kneeling woman over, "I think my Master would be disappointed with me if I didn't do a little better than that. Now, lead me out and show me everything you've seen on your little outings."

---------------------------

"Withdrawing from humans. How absurd!" Olasird'arc snarled as he left the noise behind, where exactly he planned on going was beyond even himself. He had no plan, perhaps by some subtle inclination to return home somehow, he flew to the north east, toward his mountain range. His wings ached within an hour, everything felt sluggish, but he remained aware enough to recognize things. Even if he'd never seen it before, he knew the wall that barred the path between the Holy Kingdom and the Abelion Hills. It was a towering wall of white and gray stone, as old as the Holy Kingdom itself, where five men could walk abreast across the top, high towers every ten meters held ballistae and catapults. It was not impregnable, but no one tribe alone was going to get through it. More than that, the bulk of the Holy Kingdom's defensive budget had to have gone into maintaining it. The encampment on the human side was more like a fortress city, nothing would get through that with ease.

Down below, Olasird'arc saw the humans scrambling when they caught sight of him. They were like ants from his great, soaring height. A few of their numbers tried to fire arrows, but the projectiles arced and fell to the ground again without ever coming close enough to even consider dodging. Under other circumstances he might have retaliated anyway, but for now… 'I need a place to land…' Somewhere they wouldn't chase him.

Then he spotted in the distance, a long range of hills amidst deep valleys, where he saw no tribes or evidence of movement, 'Nobody on the north side wants to live close to the wall.' He concluded, and made for the possible safety of the place. With the sea not that far away, he could think about supplying himself with food while his body healed the rest of the way, but he was not looking forward to landing.

But it couldn't be helped, the vast green beneath promised at least a soft place that wouldn't hurt too much if he came down gently and went to his side. He did his best to do exactly that, the cries of the humans on the wall became distant and then even that great cacophony vanished into silence even to his sharp hearing.

The wind was at least cool against his scales, though not as comfortable as the mountain city he left behind, there was something to be said for the great open space of the endless horizon, and it was with some regret that he left it behind, beginning his slow descent to the ground again. His wings were spread out as far as they could go to catch the air and slow his touching down. Even with his best effort however, no sooner than he touched the grass than pain shot up his still splinted legs and he let out a roar of agony so great that the earth around him trembled with the force, and then tremored beneath him when he flung himself to lie on his side.

He closed his eyes against the pain, and remained unconscious for a long, long time, until he was awakened by a familiar smell far closer to him than it had any right to be.