I focused my eyes on this blonde foxkin, who, unlike the midnight-furred Yoruha, seemed to know how to act properly evidenced by the respectful distance she exited her veiling spell from as well as her apologetic bow in my direction. Yoruha made her appearance by immediately moving to molest Kitsara's tails, while this newcomer was more than a meter away from everyone in the room.
"Celeste…" Silver growled with a great deal of hostility. I couldn't help but wonder if he was seething at these Nine-Tailed Sorceresses because they refused to marry him, marking him as an incomplete leader of the foxkin people.
Just like her presumed mistress, the blonde foxkin also ignored Silver's bitching. Instead, she looked at me before pointing at the fox sleeping in my lap and asking, "May I?"
The last thing I wanted was to have this age-old monster close to me, so I nodded.
Celeste approached and stopped beside me. Then, she reached down and grasped Yoruha's fur with practiced ease, as though she were picking up a spoiled house cat. There was no hesitation in her grip, no fear, only familiarity. This wasn't the first time she'd dealt with Yoruha's antics, that much was certain.
The sudden movement snapped the midnight-furred fox from her slumber. Accompanied by a sharp hiss, she lashed out toward Celeste's face. But before her claws could land, Celeste's eight tails moved forward in unison, snapping into place in front of her like a defensive wall. The sound of claws raking against dense, silken fur was the only thing that followed.
Yoruha blinked blearily, still caught between sleep and wakefulness. When she finally registered what had just occurred, she made no effort to apologize. Instead, she let out a long, exaggerated whine.
"… What do you want?"
I can't believe this monster truly entered deep slumber in my arms. I knew she was carefree, but just how incredibly strong one must be to be allowed such a nonchalant attitude?
Celeste's perfect poker face remained unbroken. "My Lady... With all due respect, I believe you didn't abandon your spot just to molest a young girl's tails like a creepy granny and then nap in an unknown man's lap." Her tone was crisp and matter-of-factly, only the slight tilt of her head conveyed her evident disapproval.
Yoruha blinked again before letting out a lazy sigh. "Oh... You're right."
With that, she finally turned her attention toward the necromancer. Her nine tails unfurled and rose in unison with the tips converging into a single point, forming a looming, mystical array. An ominous aura began surrounding her as arcane energy gathered.
Once the spell was ready, she intoned, "[Severing Embers]."
A pulse of dark fire shot forward, enveloping the necromancer. For a brief moment, nothing seemed to happen, until glowing sigils suddenly flared to life across her skin. The markings, that were hidden up until now, twisted and writhed, fighting against the foreign magic invading their structure. But their defiance was meaningless. Yoruha overwhelmed all resistance they offered.
"What?!" The necromancer cried with bewilderment as one by one, the sigils began to melt away, distorting and unraveling like wax beneath a flame. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the last remnants to disintegrate into nothingness, leaving behind only bare, unmarked skin.
"Happy?" Yoruha yawned lazily before slipping out of Celeste's hands only to jump right back onto my lap. "Make sure you listen to what they discuss here and give me a 20-word-long summary..." she instructed her maid and resumed her slumber after another bout of lazy stretching and yawning.
God damn it.
I could only curse my primordial vessel, for that was the sole explanation I could offer for her behavior. She somehow sensed my unique being and was instinctively drawn to it. Not in a sexual manner, but a deeper, existential one.
"I sincerely apologize for my master's actions," Celeste said after another bow, but to my great dismay, she made no moves to get her out of my lap this time around. Instead, she walked behind me to stand next to my girls with her emotionless poker face. From that moment until the summit concluded, she would not make a single further motion. ʀ𝖆ΝȮ₿Ë𝒮
While I was battling an existential dread thanks to the lazy monster that seemed to be strangely attached to me, the necromancer was going through a great deal of emotions.
"W-w-what is this?! H-how?!!" her panic was palpable, especially once she felt the numerous high-level predators smirk at her. The temperature in the room dropped as both Rajah and Skarn, the tiger and wolfkin leaders, licked their lips with satisfaction. Their bloodlust wasn't aimed at me yet I still felt a bad premonition. The target of their emotions, however, was now having a full-on meltdown.
"The little rabbit has lost her burrow… Now she's out in the open, bare and oh so defenseless…" Skarn whispered in a low, threatening tone.
"Indeed… reminds me of a newborn baby…" Rajah replied with the same mannerisms, causing the necromancer to hyperventilate, snapping her head wildly around the room, searching for any way to save herself. She knew that the brand was her last chance at getting out of this situation alive, with Yoruha cruelly taking it away from her, she had no option but to…
"My sons, bring out the 'singing aides,'" Vargis instructed with a lick of his lips in extreme satisfaction, showcasing that despite his elderly age, he was still a relentless predator at heart.
At his words, the two princes acting as her guards reached into their rings, bringing out horrible torture devices one after the other. They came prepared.
They did so with deliberate slowness, letting the woman observe each tool to her heart's content. By the time the tenth item was placed in front of her, she stuttered weakly, "W-wait, I'll talk. No need for torture…"
"Aww… Are you certain, little rabbit?" Rajah asked, more than happy to spend a few minutes of his life watching her get tormented.
"Yes…" she replied with a slow, weak bob of her head. The realization she wasn't going to be alive for much longer was visibly sinking into her heart, and it scared her.