A Witch And Her Kin Pt 03

The heavy storm still had not let up, punctuated by the heavy pattering on the roof of the library and the occasional clap of thunder following a brief flash that illuminated the dimly lit room.

Franka watched from her sleeping bag the heavy rain from outside the libraries broken windows, then staring at the flickering flames of the scavenged firewood, the embers glowing and fading in their own mesmerizing way, putting the open letter in her hand along with the first in her satchel again. She looked back at the figure on the floor in front of her, multiple thoughts and emotions flying through her head.

Looking back to the brightly lit and flickering hearth, Franka heard a small noise - a distant and faint creaking. At first she thought better of it thinking that it was the manors foundation settling, until she heard the same noise emanating upstairs.

Swiftly moving to the flames in the fireplace Franka quickly muttered an incantation, nearly in seconds the once radiant, popping fire had been reduced to low-dying out embers. The creaking was getting closer; she could even begin hearing three distinct sets of "Clicking" footsteps now emanating throughout the manor.

Two were definitely on or outside the second story of the manor and one set nearing the wooden hallway in the foyer. Frowning to herself and deciding on a quick plan of action, Franka closing her eyes, uttered one final incantation. Disappearing along with her sleeping bag and satchel into the now growing shadows of the dark library.

Closing her eyes she melded into the shadows of the now dark library. It took her mere seconds to sense their presence. There were three figures each giving off miniscule pings, one on the roof of the manor, one close to the hallway nearing the library's entrance from the foyer, and one pair of footsteps upstairs, farthest from the rest of them.

Listening to the three's movements by their sound alone Franka decided to bide her time drawing up a plan mentally of how she would play her hand, until she heard what sounded like gravel and grass crunching quietly outside.

Breaking her concentration - she quickly turned her head, now watching a new shadowy figure silently approaching outside on foot near one of the broken windows of the library. The room was Illuminated by a flash of thunder then a rolling "BOOM." The boy's slow breathing was the only sound in the library, his rising and falling chest under the green cloak. The only person in the dark room illuminated by the dim orange embers.

Franka kept her closed eyes trained on the shadow of the figure near the window, she heard the flapping of wings, and then the faint but presently encroaching smell. She did not need to open her eyes to see who would try to attack the sleeping boy in front of her. All the while the wooden floorboards creaking and the "Clicking" footsteps grew closer.

Maena, a low ranked succubus could only faintly smell the scent that her leader Jahi had, due to how little she had hunted, and her newly established ranking as a succubus - she was not yet skilled enough to see the gossamer trail higher ranked succubi sweared they could.

But even she did not need a trail to see the green figure sleeping in front of the dim stone fireplace. Using her wings she quietly flew through the broken window, landing softly on the polished wood floor beneath her. Shaking some of the water off herself and having seen the object of their hunt, Maena looked around the room she was in carefully. Satisfied with only seeing the figure in front of her she whistled as Jahi had taught her- alerting the other succubi of her pack to her location.

Succubi - " The Demon King's proud assassins'', Franka scoffed at the one in front of her, who began whistling a signal to alert her pack. Growing slightly irritated that the rest of this woman's pack had yet to arrive, Franka would not need to wait long; soon three more pairs of soft "clicking" footsteps could be heard coming from the right hallway and then through the open doorway.

Opening her eyes Franka now clearly observed the four succubi's features, "Some things-" she thought "never changed"

The long or short well kept hair with their small or long - black or pinkish-red horns poking out from the sides of their heads, the soft various coloured fur plumage around their necks denoting their rank, The black or pinkish - red leathery wings and the adjoining tail, humanesque female bodies that any mensh or woman sought after, beautifully sculpted faces and long-elf-like ears, the smell that could drive both man or woman crazy overtime with lust and need, the leather boots, and the scantily-clad soft-fabric outfits or the evening gloves that hid their sharp, straight talons... listing off the things she remembered about denoting succubi, Franka continued to wait in the melding shadows.

Watching all four, quietly sneaking up to the sleeping boy. Franka was filled with a sense of dread but rather interestingly she had noticed that the four succubi were being cautious, "perhaps just a bit more time until I clean up this mess." she thought to herself.

Instead Franka busied herself looking for the leader of the pack zeroing in on one of the scantily coloured canaries in front of her "Found you" with her sights set, she melded the shadows around her hands and body now choosing to watch the sleeping wolf-kin far from her.

Jahi, the leader of the succubus pack heard Maena's whistle from the hallway near the foyer, almost just as quickly she heard Teke and Ala quietly flying down to the foyer from the rooftop and second floor. Meeting up in the hallway entrance, the three succubi quietly walked through the cracked wooden hallway turning right into a large dimly lit library, quietly walking through the open doorway the three saw Maena silently from afar pointing to a breathing green lump of fabric near a dying fireplace.

Walking swiftly to surround the sleeping figure in green the succubi closed in whispering amongst themselves. Jahi quietly asked the brown-haired Maena ``Did you notice any other items that would suggest a second person was present?"

Maena, shaking her head, spoke in a hushed tone "No, ma'am there was only this mensh Jahi."

looking at the sleeping figure Maena motioned to, Jahi lazily began to drink in his features. The smell alone emanating from him was intoxicating, her eyes flickering she saw the same rich gossamer dark ebbing mana, noticing with raised eyebrows the distinct dark haze of purple silvery vapor congealing from the mensh, despite the clearly masculine scent the boy gave off - sleeping in front of her, he looked more feminine and soft than any of the men she had ever feasted on.

But to that end the smell was only that a smell, nothing about this mensh appealed to her, the black wolf-kin ears and hair, the thin, small frame, this boy was no fighter he would not struggle in vain, for a few moments maybe but he would be too easy to consume. No constant struggle or fight, he would be feasted on by her pack and then traded for high coin in Rantel and perhaps made to be some high-end concubine or breeding slave.

Sighing, Jahi looked to her subordinates, slightly amused the three younger succubi were positively drooling at the mouth staring hungrily at the wolf-kin meer inches on the ground in front of them.

Yet still something to Jahi did not sit right with her. Frowning slightly, she looked at the boy in front of her who somehow, had such a high mana signature and yet, at least to her, he was still fast asleep. Completely, utterly defenseless and still somehow unaware of the four demonic women now standing around him. Even if the boy was of mixed race, wolf-kin did not generally give off such strong distinct mana signatures in fact, they were thought to be much weaker in the arts of magic according to the texts she had read in Malcroth all those years ago.

Mana signatures like the boy's in front of her were observed to be in older more seasoned mensh but rarely on occasion were traits of gifted younger mensh yearning to be wizards or gifted swordsmen.

Maena had swore to Jahi that this sleeping boy in front of her was the only one in this abandoned building and yet they had not picked up on his mana/or scent at any other point during the week even while they slept.

"Jahi, can we please have our feast now? " shaking herself from her thoughts, Jahi looked at Ala who had been staring at her "waiting for her answer..." Jahi thought about her decision. "Maena, had found him first after all" and Jahi was in no mood to devour a mere-boy. However the twins, Teke and Ala had not tasted a mensh in months and were due for a rank change despite joining her pack after it was established.

Mentally assuring herself on her decision. Jahi turned to address the three succubi "You three will draw sticks" she said. Now withdrawing from a small pouch on her leg, a bundle of thin coloured wooden sticks. She chuckled upon hearing small groans and tired sighs from her subordinates.

Pointing the succubi to a remote corner of the library, Jahi stated "I will watch over him, whoever has the highest number will have their first go with this boy, and from then on descending in order."

Nodding solemnly the three succubi grabbed the thin bundle and went off to their corner, and minutes later began the game. Jahi, slightly smiling, heard all manner of whispers, curses, and finally acceptance. Finally the three succubi returned to her, each one holding the amount of sticks in their receptive order,

"Is it decided then?" Jahi asked, The three succubi looking at one another nodded their heads in agreement, "It is decided" the three said quietly in unison.

Teke was to have her meal first, looking at the sleeping boy smiling softly she began to undress all the while her tail swayed behind her letting her clothing softly fall around her. Using the foot of her high leather boot, she lightly tipped the wolf-kin on his stomach before crouching over him and slowly feeling the soft green fabric of the cloak he was sleeping in, feeling his soft flesh beneath the fabric rise and fall.

Oddly enough Teke with a quizzitive look in her pink eyes noticed she was not eliciting any quiet gasps or moans from the boy under her, not even the slightest bit of bodily movement "Is he some kind of rock sleeper?" Teke thought to herself. In fact the boy's expression had not changed at all... "Hey Jahi?What gives?" Teke said, turning her head to her pack's leader in confusion.

"Mayb..." Jahi did not finish her sentence, there was a quick resounding "Crack!" causing Jahi to close her eyes and open them quickly. When she looked back at Teke she noticed she was not crouched in front of her anymore, looking around Jahi and Maena heard a nearby shriek ""Aaaaaah!"

Turning to her right looking wide-eyed at a screaming Ala, then followed by another loud resounding"Crack!" Blinking her eyes Ala who was right next to her on right was now missing, grabbing Maenas left hand and turning to her Jahi screamed at her "Maena?, where is Teke? Where is Ala? " she screamed at the now shaking brown-haired succubus "Maena!" looking away from her Jahi continued "For Malcors sake, what are you looking at?!" noticing that her subordinate was not looking at her but rather at something in the distance behind her, Jahi turned her head looking at what the now shaking Maena was seeing... Jahi's demon blood ran cold, the two people that Jahi had just talked to no more than a few minutes ago were now slouched over - bodies embedded in the far back of the library wall.

But the worst part was not their beautiful faces frozen in a now silent scream, but it was the splatter behind them, the frayed hair black hair, the spider-web like cracks in the stone work. The sounds were not from the two being hit, it was the sound of their heads slamming violently into the stone wall.

Wrenching her hand from her leader, Maena flew into the hallway, turning the corner attempting to fly out into the foyer.

Her escape lasted only seconds before she slammed into the wall on the left side of the library's open doorway, gasping for air as she was looking at something in the hallway that Jahi could not see. Her lungs must have been crushed due the force of impact as no scream seemed to come out only gargled groans.

Jahi then heard them, hard metallic "clacks' ' on the wooden floor, looking at Maena she saw only then saw a distinct black arrow embedded in her chest, Maena looked at Jahi one final time watching the life drain from Maena's yellow eyes.

All the while those rhythmic metallic "clacks'' echoed off of the stone wall, a figure of a shadow she could not make out clearly was approaching in the dimly lit hallway, in a frenzy Jahi grabbed the sleeping wolf-kin, holding up his limp body and attempting to hurriedly orient him to where her left gloved hand showed only the faintest of her straight talons slightly poking into the boys neck - while her other hand supported his limp torso.

The boy was still in deep sleep, and despite how much she tried to make it look like a hostage situation the boy was a head shorter than her. Jahi found herself having to readjust her left hand near his neck.

"Show yourself!" in exasperation, Jahi screamed at the approaching shadow of the figure. The "Clacking" from the hallway was growing louder! until the person, a elf-woman turned the corner - a pitch-black, empty bow in her left hand aimed directly at her and the boy.

Jahi was scared, but her anger more than anything eclipsed that of any raw emotion. Standing in front of her was a tall silver-haired elf woman. Her long straight silver hair in a messy pony-tail - she wore a close-fitting decorated gray robe under a small, black shifting angled piece of chest armor. Only on the woman's right hand was a single brown-leather half-glove while her left was currently aiming an empty pitch black bow at her.

This elf woman in front of her, who had systematically executed her pack as if they were nothing but roaches stood feet in front of her. Perfectly calm and poised, her blue eyes under her half-rimmed glasses glinting softly in the moonlight were locked into Jahi's yellow manic and frightened yellow ones.

"Who are you!?" Jahi shouted at the silver-haired elf. Rather than issuing a response she saw the elf take a step closer.Then another step and another, gradually closing the distance between them all the while keeping her empty bow hand trained on her,

"NO!, NO!Not another step! you elf wench!" Jahi screamed "One more step and I swear on Malcors grave, I will skewer this boy's thin neck right here!."

The elf unfettered continued to slowly step toward her. Her "clacking" boots echoing again in the open library, "I will do it!" Jahi screamed "You think I'm joking elf!."

Noticing the elf in front of her stopping momentarily, at the same time Jahi slowly pushed her talons through her gloved fingers into the boy's neck now starting to slowly bead with drops of purple blood. "Purple blood?" Jahi thought, she quickly stared in confusion at the boy's neck.

Then Jahi heard a "Crack!" so close to her it elicited her to jump, closing her eyes and opening them quickly. At the same time she slowly noticed her left gloved hand was gone from the elbow down.

"AAhhhaahaaaa AAAAAHHHHH!" Jahi silently and then loudly screamed, dropping the boy Jahi turned to try and flee through the broken window behind her before some unknown force slammed into her from her right side. Jahi found herself being violently propelled into a series of wooden bookshelves colliding into what must have been a stone wall and blacking out.

Rounding the right corner of the hallway Franka looked quickly at the small sleeping wolf-kin now held hostage in the blond-haired, high-ranking succubus's right arm. Franka now tried to draw up a plan to safely get the boy out of the succubus's grip. "Crap, I was being too careless" thought Franka biting her lip, quickly on the fly deciding to try to still play into her cold, and silent appearance.

Deciding to slowly approach the Succubus, who began screaming obscenities at her before she told her she would kill the boy right then and there if she continued walking up to her. Franka, knew better the more collected she was the more likely her enemies would slip-up make a mistake that she could exploit. Already though this woman in front of her was angry and scared, pushing her too far to the edge could end up severely harming the boy, "I as a father am entrusting my son to you. "You must protect my son-" Philips' words reverberated through her mind, "that is my goal to you, whoever you are, take him from this place, finish raising him..."

Franka thought back to the boy's late-father's words. It was then she noticed the small beads of blood pooling near the boy's neck where the succubus's talons of her left hand were. In those few seconds that Franka registered, she let loose a pitch black arrow, the succubus's left hand was instantly blown off slamming into the stone wall near the window behind her. Franka saw with slight satisfaction the woman had thrown the boy down, turning her back to flee as she did so. Melding into the shadows Franka caught the boy with a disembodied shadow of a left arm gently lowering him to the ground. She then turned her attention to the fleeing succubus, jumping out of the shadows near the window, Franka punched the fleeing person in the right side, the blow sending her careening into a series of bookshelves.

Franka heard a dull "Thud!" echo throughout the dark library, before running to the sleeping boy's side. Checking him for any other bodily injuries, She noticed his neck where there had been blood showed small seemingly darker than pure ichor, purple droplets pooling on his skin.

Quickly wiping them away and deciding that the matter of the boy's seemingly purple blood would have to wait, Franka cursed herself putting the boy in danger was not her intention. But with relief the small boy in front of her was still breathing and peacefully sleeping, Franka reassured herself and once again carried him to the large hearth gently placing him a few inches from the stone opening, scavenging for any broken wood for a new fire.

Jahi came to slowly, pain instantly searing all over her body and ear's - quickly causing her to wince, blubbering out pained cries, she found herself splayed out on top of what she believed to be multiple broken bookcases. Attempting to stand was only one of her problems; she slowly noticed the feelings in her left arm and wings were numb.

Jahi finally managed to stand only to then tumble down the small pile of books and scattered wood that she had landed on. She ended up resting on her stomach at the foot of the pile, hacking up blood and bile.

Then she heard it, the metallic "clacking" of that person's boots on the wooden floor again, gradually getting louder and louder. Blinking her wide yellow eyes. Jahi found herself looking up and attempted to scream, but only a pained gurgling noise came from her throat. Standing in front of her stood the silver-haired monster that had cut down her subordinates, and who was now here to finish the job. Jahi watched with dread as those eyes, "The monster's" calm and focused blue eyes through her glasses were trained directly in her now frantic yellow ones.

The crippled heap in front of her began crying profusely. It began blubbering out broken- pained apologies "Im sowwy, Im sowwwwy, I'm sooooowwwwyyy" the succubus in front of her whined repeatedly, begging for forgiveness, salvation?

Barely intelligible to understand, and yet Franka understood perfectly fine. Lifting up the now struggling, broken succubus with her left hand Franka looked the husk of the former proud demon warrior in her eyes staring deep into her frantic yellow irises, all the while the succubus supported in her left hand pulled desperately from her body.