BXBX NOVEL Chapter 248 247: New Regimen
"That wasn\'t too bad there Bluey~! Seems like the Marquess managed to whip at least some semblance of a technique into you. Though, you have a piss poor execution of her style..."
Rubbing her jaw, the Djinn stared down at the panting Demoness, her eyes narrowed as she muttered "Hmm, that might work... though..."
Sighing, Nirinia frowned as she asked "Have you killed someone before Bluey?"
Snarling slightly, Jahi staggered to her feet as she glared at the Djinn, her golden eyes shining with hate as she spat out a raspy "Yes..."
Nodding, Nirinia glanced at the sword grasped in Jahi\'s clenched hands, making the woman nod some more.
"Well, at least you\'re not some talentless, trash second generation playing at being something that the Marquess is... You really do have the same kind of talent as her; maybe even more. Problem is, you hold yourself back slightly... for some reason or another..."
Shrugging, Nirinia sheathed her blade and hung her shield on her back again, turning her jade like eyes towards us, her serious expression swiftly transforming into a lust filled one as she licked her lips.
"Heya flowers~! Say, what do you think about spending a night with me instead hmm~? Or maybe you\'d like to be one of my personal flowers~?"
Anput snarled in disgust, whilst Leone narrowed her crimson eyes, which shimmered with a dangerous light.
As for me, I felt the same disgust and anger as they did, but I remained as stoic as I possibly could, mainly because...
Nirinia barely ducked under a heavy handed punch, a pale blue hand gliding just past her cheek.
Glancing over her shoulder, Nirinia\'s frivolous attitude retreated as her seriousness returned, her eyes locked on the golden eyes of Jahi.
"If you even think of touching a hair on their heads..."
Stepping closer to the now crouched Djinn, Jahi brought her face down to Nirinia\'s as she growled out "I\'ll fucking tear you limb from limb and deliver your corpse to my parents..."
The Djinn finally had a small trace of fear flicker in her normally cocky eyes as Jahi finished her threat, making even me shiver at the fate she would give Nirinia.
"And let Ka\'Hondi feast on your blood and bones. Are we clear?"
Keeping her eyes locked on Nirinia\'s, Jahi only backed away when the Djinn gave a small nod, making the Demoness stand up and approach us, her eyes still a liquid gold.
Nirinia shivered as she too got to her feet, licking her lips not in lust, but in fear this time.
To let Ka\'Hondi devour her body, at the very least a fresh corpse, would transform the woman from a mortal soul, free to pass and drift away to the afterlife, into something we had grown far too accustomed too...
Something that we had taken for granted and forgotten...
A Banshee, the lurking guardians and former hated enemies of House Asmodia.
Trapping their souls into a suit of unfeeling armor for all of eternity, forced to serve House Asmodia until they either perish, are set free, or Ka\'Hondi releases their magics.
A fate worse than death, and one that would make any afraid; it would be far worse then that void that I once inhabited years ago...
So, Nirinia bit her lip before nodding again, her tone slightly respectful as she said "It seems you really are the Marquess\' child after all, Lady Jahi."
Gone was the joviality and free spirited Djinn from moments prior, and in her place was what I had expected of a Knight\'s Squire.
A serious, respectful, talented woman who aspires to become something larger than she could imagine; a woman who would occupy a position that many dream of, few can hope to achieve, and even fewer reach.
A Knight of Cinder, one of the Empress\' hand selected warriors with such skill and martial prowess that they could be considered rulers of their own countries, should they wish.
Peering back over her shoulder, Jahi stared at the Djinn for a moment before nodding, the deathly constricting aura around her body finally dissipating slightly as she turned her gaze back towards us.
Seeing her eyes flicker back to their normal amethyst, we all let out a small sigh of relief as she gave us each a swift tap on the cheek, a warm and gentle smile on her face.
"Now, when did Mom wish for us to leave for the Western Kingdoms? Should we begin packing now or..?"
The Demoness\' tone was back to being neutral, which made the Djinn relax a little more as she rubbed her jaw, glancing upwards for a moment as she contemplated her orders.
"The Marquess wishes for me to deliver you to the warfront in a few days time; apparently Romagi has received more supplies and soldiers from the other Kingdoms, Queendoms, Nations, and more that lay further west, and the Romagi King has officially declared war on the Empire.
As such, we have a few days before the Marquess wishes for you to our Western Border, where we will all join up with the Empress\' Legion to defend our home. Since we have a few days..."
Looking at each of us, the woman narrowed her jade eyes as she said "I\'m going to whip you into as best of a shape I can before we reach the border. Personally, I like my head where it\'s at, so nothing can happen to any of you. Therefore..."
Pausing, she pursed her lips before smiling slightly, her previous cocky attitude returning as she finished.
"A new training regimen starts from here on out! Combat drills with proper weapons mainly, but I\'ll also take you all down to the Caverns to see how you work as a team. Now, let\'s go inside first; I need to get an idea of what to beat into each of you..."
Nodding at Jahi, Nirinia strode towards the door before gesturing inside, holding it open for each of us.
Sitting down at the table, everyone accepted the tea I laid before them as Nirinia began asking questions.
"Begum Sera, you fight with..?"
Taking a sip of the orange mint tea, Anput flashed me a small smile before turning towards Nirinia, a faint hint of anger still lurking in those deep obsidian eyes of hers.
"Anything really, but I prefer a longsword. Besides that, I have a decent grasp of my Earth and Metal Magic, but my Fire is lacking slightly."
Nodding, Nirinia then turned to Leone, asking "Princess Presa-Ash, you are a mage, correct? With an almost Arch Mage level amount of mana capacity and purity?"
Narrowing her eyes at the Squire, Leone remained silent for a moment, her regal aura cascading around her as a serious, noble expression appeared on her features.
Nirinia shifted in her seat slightly at this sudden shift, surprise very briefly becoming evident on her face before she awaited Leone\'s answer.
"I do indeed have Arch Mage level magics, though I would definitely place myself above that..."
The surprise returned to Nirinia\'s face as Leone pulled her collar down slightly, letting the Djinn see the magical tattoo that adorned her cleavage.
Not a hint of lust appeared in the Djinn\'s eyes as she stared at the tattoo with awe, an almost reverent tone in her voice as she asked "I-Is that the Empress\'..?"
Giving Nirinia a swift nod, Leone released her collar as she spoke.
"It is indeed, and you should know what it means."
Leaning back into her chair, the Djinn pinched the bridge of her nose as she muttered "Aye, I do. An insane mastery over your element in exchange for a fraction of your life, but..."
Gesturing at the Vampire\'s stark white skin and ashen hair, which sparked with embers, the woman sighed again as she said "Even half of your life would amount to millennia easily..."
We all gazed at Leone with wide eyes, not knowing that the tattoo she had given herself so early on was something that serious.
Just like that, the regal and respectable aura that surrounded our royal lover dropped, returning her to her normal shy and easily embarrassed expression as she shifted around under our eyes.
Jahi was surprised and also angry, not enjoying the idea that Leone had sacrificed some of her life for a \'mere\' spell, and that anger threatened to spread to me through our bond.
As for Anput, she was simply surprised, though respect also graced her gaze, the Jackalkin finding it admirable that Leone would risk herself for more power.
After all, we all knew the reason she did so.
Letting out a sigh, Nirinia turned back to Jahi and said "I know what you have; your really are just a younger version of the Marquess, though with more finesse and less brute force. Honestly, fighting against her is more akin to facing a force of nature rather than a woman."
Jahi smirked slightly at that, though Nirinia raised a brow as she said "And respectfully, that doesn\'t mean to get complacent, Lady Jahi. Just because you are \'good\' doesn\'t mean you can relax. The Marquess doesn\'t want \'good\' or \'great\', she wants-"
"Perfection. I know."
The Demoness clenched her fist for a moment, a mixture of worry, anxiety, annoyance, and anger seeping into me, before it was washed away by confidence and assurance.
Fixing her with a hard stare, I gave her a small nod as Nirinia asked "So then, little Maid, what oh what am I meant to do with you?"
There was a slight dismissiveness in her tone as she spoke to me, and I could tell that she wasn\'t truly interested in training me.
Before the others could speak, I said "A little of this, a little of that... I dabble in daggers and the arcane with similar results, Lady Radhi."
Resting her chin on her hand, the Djinn stared at me as she asked "That magic of yours; Ice, correct? You\'re the little Maid that made a small uproar around the Empire a few years back correct?"
Seeing me nod, Nirinia pursed her lips as she said "Well, I\'m sure you\'ll benefit from the training as well, but-"
Raising my hands, I gave her a small smile as I said "Oh, please don\'t concern yourself with me Lady Radhi! Focus instead on Lady Asmodia and her two fiancees!"
The other three frowned slightly at my words, before sighing as I added "I\'ll be able to keep up as best I can on my own, trust me!"
With another nod, Nirinia gazed at me for a few more moments before a grin appeared on her lips.
"Well, how about something to eat before we begin, hmm~? This\'ll be a rather..."
Leaning forwards, the Djinn gave off a frightening aura as her grin widened, looking more and more sadistic with each passing second.
"Intense training session..."