Rebirth of the Nephilim

One of the most important preparations that needed to be made before Fortune’s Favored could depart for Volto was sorting out everyone’s equipment. Weapons and armor had taken a beating during the turbulent fights in Glanum, so repairs, replacements, and upgrades were due. Some were lucky enough to have escaped the battles without losing anything, but Jadis was not counted in that number. In fact, she had suffered the worst, and the work needed to re-equip her was extensive.

Jadis’ armor was the first big issue. While her Dys and Syd sets of plate armor had been damaged, her Jay self’s armor had been basically obliterated. Almost all of it needed to be replaced, which wasn’t something Sabina could do while also working on everything else that needed to be done. The half-elf had her limits. Even with her father, brothers, and assistants helping her, there just wasn’t enough time in the day. So, to expedite the work, Jadis hired High Priest Doru to remake her armor.

As a High Priest of Svaroga, the God of Craftsmen, Doru was capable of crafting at a level of supernatural speed and precision that Sabina could only dream of, at least at her current level. He was also incredibly busy, as he spent a lot of his time training other craftsmen and priests, and a lot more time smithing and enchanting important items and equipment for the imperial military. Getting him to do work on her armor on such short notice was, in all honesty, something that shouldn’t have been possible. Fortunately, her status as the last Nephilim, and her record of good actions out in the world, plus her connections within the temples in general all combined together to give Jadis an advantage that most nobles didn’t have when it came to engaging Doru’s services.

It didn’t hurt that she had given him a literal ton of Demon Prince bones, either.

Jadis’ remade and refurbished cold steel plate armor came with several enchantment upgrades that had been applied to all three sets. The first being one that strengthened the armor, making it more capable of withstanding blunt force trauma. It still probably wouldn’t survive a hit from a giant possessed crab, but her armor would hold up better overall. The second enchantment was a dampening effect that lessened the noise of her clanking armor. Jadis wasn’t sneaky, and she would never even try to be stealthy when wearing her full plate, but the din of metal on metal that came just from walking around when fully armored up was obnoxious. The extra enchantment that had been added at Doru’s suggestion made the armor sets significantly easier on the ears. The third and final enchantment that Doru was able to apply to the armor was a twenty percent resistance to fire and heat damage. Explaining to Doru why she had wanted that enchantment above all others had been fun.

Unfortunately, three enchantments of the high quality that Doru had crafted were the limit that Jadis’ plate armor could take. While cold steel metal was great for holding enchantments, which was a big part of why Sabina had chosen the material to begin with, the metal could only take so much magic power running through it before it would start to suffer from burnout. If Jadis wanted more enchantments, she would need entirely new armor crafted from a better, though assuredly rarer, material.

Aside from armor, Jadis had also lost her giant maul. The huge metal hammer had never been recovered from the pit of Demons she had almost been smothered by, which was a major disappointment. The silver lining, however, was that losing the maul gave Sabina an excuse to get creative with a replacement weapon.

Jay’s new two-handed hammer was made from the bones of Demon Prince Vinea. More specifically, Sabina had carved the piece of solid bone out of the giant jawbone that she had recovered from the colossal monster’s corpse. Aside from being an off-white ivory color, the new maul didn’t look like it was just a piece of bone, since it didn’t have a shape like a femur or anything of the sort. Since Vinea’s jaw had been so huge, Sabina had been given the freedom to carve the weapon like she would have done with a block of wood and had made a hammer head that was significantly different from what she had previously made for Jadis. The new maul was double-headed and had a shape that reminded her of the traditional Thor’s hammer design she had seen artistically depicted back on Earth. That meant that the ends of the twin heads were slanted down slightly, while the midpoint was raised. Sabina’s version of the design was more curved and smoothed out compared to the images Jadis remembered, but the resemblance was strong. After seeing the partially completed weapon in Sabina’s workshop, Jadis had tried drawing a few designs she recalled, including the Celtic knots that were typically patterned on top of the hammers. Sabina had liked the designs so much that she had ended up including her own take on the completed hammer, giving the ivory weapon a uniquely textured look. Those pretty designs weren’t just cosmetic, though, nor were they solely made from the bone of the Demon Prince. Sabina had used eleria and several other crystals to fill the channels, causing the maul to shimmer in the light. Combined with the black leather wrapping she had used around the handle of the maul, and Sabina had created a truly beautiful work of art.

The maul wasn’t just pretty, either. Other than an enchantment to increase the overall durability of the weapon, Sabina had taken instruction from Doru and imbued the item with a truly amazing effect. With Aila’s help, a single spell could be saved inside of the maul that could then be triggered at Jadis’ will. The enchantment had been keyed to Aila’s magic, so no one else could put a spell inside of the weapon, and it only took one spell at a time, but the magic wouldn’t activate unless Jadis wanted it to. That meant she was free to swing away at lesser enemies without worrying about wasting the spell against a foe who didn’t need the extra magic to be taken down. Plus, the spell wasn’t limited to Aila’s trap-style spells. She could put anything she wanted into the maul for Jadis, and it would last so long as a small amount of magic was fed into the weapon on a daily basis. That meant Jadis could have a potent force bolt saved in her melee weapon for times when she needed a ranged attack, for example.

Overall, Jadis was thrilled about the new maul and was eagerly looking forward to trying it out on the battlefield.

There were a few more mundane additions to Jadis’ battle kit as well. Taking Noll’s advice, she requested a ranged throwing weapon that she could carry on her persons for situations where she couldn’t easily get to her target. In response, Sabina’s father, Gallo, had smithed a unique throwing weapon that he called a hurlbat. It was a solid steel axe with a short metal grip. The head of the axe was small, the back side and the top both had spikes, and the base of the handle was also sharpened to a spike. The hurlbat was designed so that no matter how it hit the target when thrown, some part of it was going to stick. They were small, relatively light, and didn’t take much practice to learn how to wield. Jadis could use them in melee combat if she needed to, so they served as a decent backup hand weapon as well. Plus, since they were Jadis sized, the throwing axes were basically war axes when compared to an average sized person. Gallo made three for each of Jadis’ bodies, so she was able to carry nine in total, attaching the hurlbats to her belt.

The final addition to her standard war equipment were tracking charms that Jadis bought directly from Vraekae. They were intended for criminals who were undergoing reform punishment, like Sorcha’s armlet, but Jadis was copying Noll’s use and had purchased them to make sure that she never lost one of her valuable weapons again. Hammer, axe, and sword staff each got one magical tracker attached to it, which would allow her to more easily locate any weapons that might get lost in a chaotic battlefield.

Of course, as soon as she had thought to buy the tracking enchantments for her weapons, she had thought of some things that were far more valuable that she wanted to be able to track if they ever became lost. So, Jadis had spent a truly ludicrous amount of money on buying tracking enchantments that all of her lovers could wear, as needed. Since they were something typically used by law enforcement, none of them would wear the trinkets regularly just so they could avoid being tracked by nobles who had purchased the accompanying trackers that were used to follow those who had the tracking enchantments equipped, but otherwise they were all going to keep the trinkets close while they were on their trip to Volto.

Looking at the reflection of her three selves in the huge, floor-to-ceiling mirror that they had bought for their shared bedroom, Jadis nodded with satisfaction. Her upgraded armor had an ethereal shine to it that paired well with the new maul and her sword staff. Her giant war axe was falling behind a little bit in terms of power, but it was still more than capable of doing the job that was needed of it. Besides, she would be getting a better version of the axe soon enough, if Sabina’s plans for the near future panned out. Overall, she was pleased with her look and her preparedness.

“You look very nice,” Thea murmured from where she watched Jadis a few paces away. “Very, ah, imposing and beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Syd turned and lifted her visor so she could grin at the brunette. “You look great, too. I really love the new shield Sabina made for you.”

“T—thank you,” Thea shyly dipped her head, blushing at the compliment. “It is, um, very strong.”

“And it suits you,” Syd added. “Definitely matches your armor and spear. Totally badass.”

“I still struggle to see how calling something ‘badass’ is a compliment,” Aila commented as she pulled her boots on nearby. “But I agree. Thea’s new shield is one of Sabina’s best works.”

“Thank you!” Sabina shouted from the other side of the room where she was helping Bridget get her newly upgraded armor on. “All of that Demon semen really helped!”

As weird as the ingredient might be, the potent seed that Sabina had harvested from Vinea’s corpse and managed to barrel and transport back to headquarters had proven to be a powerful reagent for crafting enchantments. Sabina was basically able to use the goopy liquid as a replacement for a lot of the base oils and ingredient mixtures that often required rare and expensive plants and minerals to produce. The seed couldn’t replace specific materials that a particular enchantment might require, but it did work as a stand in for the more basic stuff. Since they had hundreds of gallons of the substance, Sabina was able to cut down on a lot of her enchantment costs, as well as time spent on the mixtures she would ordinarily have to prepare by hand.

Thea’s new shield was what Jadis believed was called a heater shield. It was large, nearly to the point where it might be considered a type of kite shield, and it had a curve to the surface that would help attacks glance off rather than catch hold. The shield was also made from Vinea bone and was absurdly thick, with a solid heft to it. Sabina had worked an enchantment into the material that made the shield lighter for the wielder, so Thea wouldn’t tire her arm out carrying the thing, but it retained its weight against anything or anyone else. More importantly, the shield had an enchantment that reduced elemental damage from all sources by a tenth, which was a significant increase to Thea’s already stellar defenses. The shield had been painted black, so it didn’t look like ivory the way Jay’s new maul did, but Sabina had made sure to put the Fortune’s Favored symbol on the front.

“Honestly, I’m jealous,” Kerr said as she walked up to Thea and ran her fingers over the shield’s smooth surface. “I think I’m going to have to commission some new armor or something.”

“Your armor l—looks very nice,” Thea replied to the therion. “It always has.”

“Thanks, mon chou,” Kerr grinned before giving the blushing brunette a kiss on the cheek. “Coming from a connoisseur like you, that’s high praise. But I know my leathered-up ass isn’t the one you want to look at right now.”

Taking hold of Thea, the teasing therion went to the back window and pointed towards the training yard where two figures could be seen moving around in the early morning light.

“Meli sure looks good in her new armor, doesn’t she?”

“Y—yes…”

Jadis couldn’t blame Thea for practically drooling as she watched the Dryad practice with her new equipment. She was tempted to join her. As it turned out, Violetta had a far more creative and, frankly, suggestive style when compared to her teacher, Sabina. Jadis never would have guessed, considering how strait-laced the purple half-elf behaved, but her armor designs leaned more towards the exotic and relied on enchantments to fill the gaps where leather and steel would have done the job normally.

 Meli’s armor was made from wyvern leather that had been alchemically treated to increase durability. Enchantments had been sewn into the material, giving it increased defensive attributes as well as giving the Dryad resistance to magic effects that would slow or restrain her. Meli’s best defense was dodging, and the armor Violetta had designed for her was meant to help with that goal, while also giving her some padding so that if she was struck, she wouldn’t be knocked out of the fight in one hit. However, in her effort to make sure Meli’s movements remain unrestricted, a lot of skin had been left exposed as well.

The chest armor looked more like a form-fitting sleeveless shirt with a high neckline. Overlapping reticulated leather armor plates covered Meli’s shoulder and ran down her arms, but the undersides of her arms were exposed. A thick belt was wrapped around her midriff, wide enough that it covered her waist completely, but the wyvern leather below her waist was just a dangling loincloth that left a lot of hip and thigh exposed. The leather knee and shin guards Meli wore were also reticulated where they went down to her ankles, but other than a few straps the Dryad’s feet had been left bare.

The look was, honestly, almost unbearably sexy. Jadis had half a mind to ask Meli to put the armor on the next time they made love. She was pretty sure her plant-like lover would be happy to oblige. Plus, Jadis was hoping their next encounter would be with the whole group, and she was pretty sure Thea would have a glorious melt down if she got to see the Dryad in that armor doing lewd things.

“Hey!” Sorcha walked up behind the two women gazing out the window. Jabbing Kerr’s butt with a finger, the goblin glared at the therion. “I know you can’t resist teasing Thea any more than you can stop thinking about sucking Jadis’ cock, but I know for a fact that you haven’t packed your second pair of boots yet. Go!”

“Ah, fuck,” Kerr cursed as she hurried over to her dresser. “I knew I was forgetting something.”

“We all knew you were forgetting something,” Bridget laughed as she tightened the straps on her vambraces. “You’d leave your bloody tail behind, if you could.”

While the orc’s comment brought a few laughs and additional light-hearted teasing, it also drew Jadis’ eye to the new armor she was wearing. Since her old armor had taken its fair share of damage, Jadis had insisted on Bridget upgrading to something newer and enchanted as well. Bridget hadn’t taken much convincing, and she had spent a lot of time in Svaroga’s High Temple picking out different designs to get something that suited her.

Bridget’s new armor still sported the classic sallet helmet that the warrior favored, but the upgraded helm had full face and neck coverage that her old set hadn’t had. The steel breastplate and pauldrons gave the already muscular orc a lot more bulk, and the thickly padded gambeson under the plate provided protection to the weak points that were previously exposed. The thick coat that fell around Bridget’s waist from under the plate had been dyed blue to match the color of the warrior’s flaming lantern, though the leather straps and belts had been left brown and undyed at her request. Bridget had also added more of the little symbols and trinkets to her new armor that she favored, items meant for luck rather than any tangible purpose, so her overall look was still somehow a little wild despite how well-kept the armor was.

Enchantments to keep the armor light and durable had been worked into the new equipment, but an oddly specific spell effect had been added that Jadis had not expected her lover to ask for. The armor had been given an enchantment to keep the inside cool. It wouldn’t protect against fire-based attacks, but it would keep the orc inside from getting overheated in hot weather. It was a sensible addition that Jadis wished she had thought of, considering the climate of the land they were about to travel to. Other than that piece of comfort, Bridget’s new armor had a defensive boost against lightning magic that equated to about a fifteen percent reduction in damage. With all of the spells that had been thrown around in Glanum, the warrior wanted something that could protect her from electrical shock and potential paralysis in battle.

Jadis thought Bridget’s new armor looked great on her, though since it hadn’t been made by Sabina or Violetta, she expected that it would be replaced by them sometime in the future. The smith respected the priests of the high temple and had no trouble letting experienced professionals make her friend and loved ones’ armor, but she still had a drive to be the one to make the weapons and armor that they all used in their group.

“Vikwas has just reported that the last of our travel supplies have been loaded onto the Leviathan,” Eir announced as she walked from the door that led out of their bedroom. “If anyone has any more bags, please remember to bring them with you.”

“Already on top of it,” Sorcha told the elf as she passed by her while tying up the laces on a small pack. “Kerr’s looking for her boots.”

“Oh dear,” Eir winced. “I had best go help her.”

Jadis scanned the room as her lovers busied themselves with their final preparations before departure. Doing a mental head count, she wanted to make sure nothing and no one was being overlooked. Severina wasn’t there since the Seraphim had left before dawn so she could visit her own estate in the capital and finish up some last-minute business. Alex was downstairs, her armor and other supplies already packed up. The Demon mother was making sure they had everything they needed to bring with them to care for and protect Hope, whose attendance on their mission to Volto was not without its own controversy. Jadis wasn’t sure where Maeve was, but she was almost certain that the Fetch was using what little time was left to make some final adjustments to the plan she had put in place to catch the spy who had been infiltrating their compound while they were away. Noll was in the training yard with Meli, and the two were already packed and ready to go.

Everyone from Fortune’s Favored who would be coming on the initial flight to Volto was accounted for, as were all of the supplies they needed, so far as Jadis could tell. She had everything she was supposed to have on her, and she was all but certain that she had done everything she was supposed to do. And yet, there was a small sliver of doubt sticking at her brains. Had she remembered to do everything? Was she sure she hadn’t forgotten an important detail?

“The Hero and his group are here,” Aila called out, her gaze focused out of one of the windows that faced the street. “We should get downstairs to greet them.”

“Right,” Jay nodded, her brow still furrowed as she headed for the door.

As she did, the others moved with her, multiple voices chatting in congenial serenity that was tinged with the excitement of a coming adventure. Jadis had no trouble keeping track of all the different conversations, though one in particular caused her ears to perk up.

“I wonder what it’ll be like to see the Hero and his companions fighting,” Sabina excitedly rambled to Sorcha. “They have to have so many amazing spells and skills! Oh, and rituals, too! I bet Jocelyn has powerful rituals, and maybe Amarantha too, though I don’t know if she does rituals or not, but she seems like she would have a few. And Tiernan has to have rituals! Do you think if he and Aila both do magic at the same time, they’ll combine together into some kind of super powerful spell? I wonder how they compare. I bet his rituals, if he has any, are very different from ours—”

“Shit!”

Multiple sets of eyes turned to look up at the three Nephilim who had just stopped in their tracks, hands flying to their foreheads.

“What is wrong?” Eir asked, her face full of concern.

“I forgot we needed to change all of your Salacious Transpositions from Follower of Jadis to the passive skills that will actually empower you!”

Jadis watched as a variety of expressions washed over the group. Some were shocked, others dismayed. At least one was delighted, and Jadis was quite certain as to why.

“Hello Jadis!” Amarantha’s squeaky voice came from the stairs below. “We’re here! You better not still be naked in bed with all those gorgeous ladies!”

“Amarantha…” the Hero’s hushed voice carried in the silence. “Don’t be rude…”

“Ammy, please!” the Oracle’s embarrassed voice echoed at the same time. “That’s vulgar!”

“Should we ask them to wait for a couple of hours?” Kerr grinned wickedly. “Or should I get a few chairs so Wilhelm and Jocelyn can watch and take notes?”