Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 847: Where Are They? - Part 1[SKIPABLE!]

Note: These Chapters will recount what everyone has been upto while the party was away. A catching up with them and to jog everyone’s memories, feel free to skip over them if you’d prefer. Otherwise, enjoy!

Well, well, well, here we are. At the precipice of absolute knowledge, ironic for it to be so ill-illuminated. But allowed me to move the shades off the lamps and shed some light on your questions. Where are they? What are they up to? And–what? Who am I? Hmm, I wonder if you’re ready yet. Maybe or maybe not, but this isn’t about me now, is it? So let’s take this one step at a time.

In the heart of Athenia, Moxy and Choux–the girls with fluffy fox tails have started working in the Boartooth Inn again. The grieving for her father was finally done, and with a young girl whom she’d taken as her younger sister, Moxy ran the inn alongside a handful of other servants to expand on her father’s life’s work.

The fox-girl ran the kitchen, the management, and the assignment of work, and the arctic fox, along with her young drake Daema, stood by the newly installed bar counter and did tricks with magic ice with an utter lack of any enthusiasm. However, it didn’t take much to entertain the drunks, and a drake and an arctic fox were far above their threshold for what was considered enjoyable.

As for the streets of the town, the horses have retreated to the farms. In their place stood tall Coppalicons, their mane now a burgundy red to reflect their superior genes, which Aerin had worked quite hard to push out. It helped that the bird laid eggs in the dozen, and each flock had a few with the reddish hue before, but now, after much experimentation, she’d managed to spread that gene throughout the flow.

Proud and regal, the bird stood twice as taller than their ancestors, but required little to no feed at all. Preserving their energy and soaking up the sun through the spot in their chest, they’d reverted to their long-lost subspecies–one that barely required any food or water. Unfortunately, however, not all animals were as fortunate as the bird. For the young dark yak had left behind calves, but was himself dead. A loss that had affected Aerin quite a bit, but that was exactly why Rose told her not to name it.

As for her mother, she lived in the castle and remained by the queen’s side. Markus insisted that she remain sentry, in case the spirit’s water broke; he wouldn’t want to go out and search for her, and his demon servants were far from trustworthy, yet to entrust such an important task to them. Getting pregnant herself might’ve changed some things around, and with Viola no longer keeping her child in limbo, her pregnancy was being timed by her to bear fruit around the same cycle as the other trio.

But of course, the herbalist was against the idea as it could prove dangerous if all of them gave birth at the same time. Ignoring her advice, Viola did what she felt was best, and to her surprise, Lady Gray took her side as it was time for them to see the heir to the kingdom.

Speaking of an heir, Darius and Aelin were quite troubled these days. Their many nightly adventures had put some weight on the succubus’s legs. Being pregnant with a human child, Aelin and her husband often had to visit the only other succubus that they knew of–the mistress. She gave them the best advice she could and even provided them with some aiding supplements. But of course, she didn’t do it for free; in return, she wanted Darius and Aelin to put in a good word for her in Raven’s ears. Not for anything nefarious but to win over the hero’s favor.

In their eyes, it was a small price to pay. Besides, their friend was far from someone who could so easily be swayed by the words of a succubus. Speaking of a small price and gentle words, it didn’t take much for Tanya and her sister Aura to win over Helga’s little pup. Guarding its master’s house in her absence, Cerberus sat outside the valkyrie’s house day and night, and without taking so much as a wink.

In passing, the two often saw him sulking by the house’s entrance, and so they offered him food, some treats, and a few scratches here and there. Growing ever so fond of the two, he followed them from time to time and guarded them during their shopping trips. But what is a boon for one can be a curse for another, and that was the case with Lincy. A puppy girl herself and a friend of the other two women. Every time the dog was with them, she would cower behind the two.

Maryline would often try to show her that the dog meant no harm by petting him in front of her, but even the words of his brother’s lovely girlfriend weren’t enough to soothe her unease. Keeping her distance from Cerebus, she was the first to run into the houses of their other friends. But even in the house of Mako, Maedo, and Kurei, the dog was welcomed.

Few places had gone unchanged in recent years, and the shop of Red Madam was one of them. Tailoring clothes for royalty had been her job for the longest time, but she scarcely enjoyed that bland taste with pretentious embellishment sprinkled throughout. Thus, as the young butler Tan came to her with the news of the duke’s return, a smile took over her face, and she offered to stitch something for his infant daughter as a gift.

Tan tried not to impose, but a demi-human child was just the sort of inspiration that launched her imagination through the skies. A raccoon girl with a demi-human father and a human mother, what would suit such a special child? She wondered, and she wondered for the rest of the night while working on countless articles of clothing for that little child.

It was a time of peace in Athenia. Even the master of chaos, Princess Tia, enjoyed the calm with her friend Robin and her pet Tweety. Sipping tea in their fiancé’s garden, they awaited his return with their heart at ease. Keeping them company were Elana, the prince, and the sisters of the djinn, Riyanzah and Seraphim. And for once, the girls were seated in calm–a fact that surprised even them, but there was simply nothing for them to fight over at the current moment.

Such were the days of the people in Athenia, with their days spent living, some praying at the church as part of the holy order, and others enjoying the moment and waiting for their hero’s return.

A period so perfect could be shattered by a gust of wind. But will it shatter or remain sturdy? Who knows, really? Onto the islands, ready to know what’s happening there, curious observer?