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,
