Headed by a Snake

Chapter 195 Smells Like Home

?Tycondrius held up his cutlass, observing the divine energy. Sasha's Sacred Flame Spell coated the blade, dripping silvery wisps onto the tile.

It was also very hot.

The heated blade would not be pleasant to touch directly.

"Mister Lone, are you mentally prepared for this?"

Barza Keith, the blue-in-the-face Shadowdark, shook his head frantically as if he had a choice.

Tycon smiled with chagrin as he pressed the flat of the blade against the blackened leather atop Lone's thigh. The thigh area had fewer nerve endings. The inflicted burn should have a limited effect on Lone and his fighting power-- once he got over the pain, anyroad.

Thankfully, the black-leather skin writhed in... discomfort? It loosened its deadly grip, allowing Lone to take a deep breath...

With that breath, he chose to loose a blood-curdling scream.

Tycon frowned at the unpleasant noise. Though the reaction could have been physical and involuntary, the young man had a habit of yelling both during combat and upon injury. Tycon could not measure whether Lone was in excruciating pain or whether he was overreacting.

...Not that it mattered, for the task at hand.

Flipping the cutlass blade, Tycon pressed it against Lone's opposite thigh.

"BAWWW-HAW-HAW-HAAAWWSSSSSS!!!" Lone choked pitifully on his sobs.

"Kihihihhihi~!" Lulu grabbed one of Lone's wolf-hammers.

"Tres Lunas, howl for me," she whispered sweetly. The dark-iron weapon blazed alive with a green-colored flame, easily twice the size and thrice the fury than if it were in Lone's hands.

She pressed the hammer against the still-entrapped Warrior's chest.

"LUUUUUU~LUUUUUUUUUU!!!" Lone sobbed harder.

The chocolate elf Sasha approached with amusement and excitement on her face. She pressed her tiny elven hands against Lone's stomach and began to channel her Sacred Flame, "Ehehe~"

"WHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!???"

The Flayed Beast's skin released Lone, squirming and shriveling up in multi-colored flames.

Scraps and bits of the skin remained on Lone's person, embers still burning dimly. He curled his body, holding himself and sobbing like a spurned lover.

Lulu rubbed the fallen man's crotch with her bare foot, dousing one of the larger embers with a sizzle, "Pleasure and pain, cutie~!"

"Wh-hah-haah-hyyyyyyy~!??" Lone placed his hands onto his face to muffle his mewling.

Tycon groaned at the demoness, "Ughhh... Let him be, Miss Lulu."

"Awww, come on, Boss!!" The blonde girl grabbed at Tycon's arm. Unlike with Margeaux, he could not simply pry the woman off. Sasha mimicked Lulu, embracing Tycon's other arm.

"At least let me spit in his mouth~!" Lulu begged.

Tycon narrowed his eyes to disapproving slits, "Is that... is that a sexual fetish?"

"It totally is," she confirmed.

"...Right. Do whatever you want. Just fix... that," Tycon gestured towards Invictus' Weeping Warrior before rolling his eyes and walking away.

...

Tycon flipped Levi Wolfrider onto his back, facing the ceiling. It appeared the poison's effects were diminishing, as the boy's ragged breathing had begun to normalize.

"Mister Wolfrider, congratulations. You appear to have survived a hard-fought battle. You were instrumental in Guild Invictus' success."

The young dog-wolf-boy groaned in pain, his body convulsing sporadically.

Tycon smirked as he leaned over and offered his hand, "It would be a shame to die here, wouldn't it?"

[Inspirational Surge conditions met. Activate? Y/N?]

« Yes, I suppose Mister Wolfrider has earned it. »

[Activating...]

Wolfrider hacked out a glob of blood and phlegm. He reached up to clasp Tycon's offered wrist.

Tycon pulled the boy up, "Not comfortable on the floor, I take it, Mister Wolfrider?"

The miserable-looking boy cracked a smile, "D-dying is for cowards, Boss..."

"Very good," Tycon started to turn away but hesitated... "Was there something else?"

Wolfrider's mouth twitched, "Y-yeah... Thanks, Boss."

Tycon found the weretouched boy's gratitude peculiar... "And to what exactly are you referring to, young man?"

The young boy coughed again, hanging his shoulders and looking miserable. He bent over and picked up his halberd, "Just... thank you for believing in me."

Facing the floor, the boy turned up his eyes and ears, "I... I just want to make you proud."

Tycon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "What garbage. I advise you to never seek another man's approval as your goal."

Taking a bundle of bandages from his belt pouch, he tossed them up for Levi to catch, "Take some time to realize what's truly important to you... then grasp that goal by its figurative throat. Realize your own ideals-- not mine."

Tycon shrugged as he turned about, "That's the type of person I can be proud of."

"Y-yes, Boss!" Wolfrider shouted as Tycon walked off.

"I'll be waiting."

...

After a short break for some food and a few casts of Sasha's divine healing spells, Guild Invictus was prepared to ascend to the fourth floor of the Wizard Tower.

Margeaux led the way with Lone following. The latter gazed longingly at the maid girl's behind as they walked.

She stepped back from the door, biting her upper lip in frustration, "The key I have doesn't seem to work on this door..."

Lone tried his hand at pushing and pulling the door handle, "Door's locked, Boss."

Tycon nodded, "Mister Wolfrider, go ahead."

The white-furred dog-wolf-boy scratched his cheek, "Wh-what do you want me to do, Boss?"

"Pick the lock?"

"I... I'm a Warden, not a Thief, Boss..." Wolfrider averted his gaze, looking embarrassed.

"I am aware... I was just..." Tycon trailed off. He had assumed (incorrectly) that the young gentleman had practiced other low skills, considering the boy's penchant for stealing, "Nevermind. Lulu, the door."

The woman hopped up the stairs and mashed her bits against the door, pressing her nose against it and taking a deep breath, "OoohhHHHhh~! Sevennnnn hells! It smells like hoooome!!"

Smells. Like. Home. Those 3 words triggered every blaring warning signal in Tycon's brain. He immediately turned around, grabbed Sasha's hand, and began guiding her down the stairs, "We can find another way to get materials."

"What? Boss, come on-- we're almost at the top?" Lone argued.

"Sir Tycon, please. You're my only hope!" Margeaux whelped in her weakling-voice.

Tycon ignored the pink-haired maid and glared at Lone, "Mister Lone, what did Lulu just say?"

Lone's eyes widened in realization, "Oh, shite. Yeah, nevermind. Let's leave."

"Oh, come on, you guyyyys! Don't be such big babies," Lulu scolded. With a wave of her hand, a magic circle burnt onto the wood of the door. The door clicked with the sound of the mechanism magically unlocking and popped open a few ilms.

It would have been more inviting, had it not been for the acrid stink of sulfur and burning metal.

"It's a super-friendly part of the Eternal Battlefield. Plus, everyone knows me! There won't be aaaaany problems!" Lulu insisted.

Tycon's mouth twitched. Concerning Lulu's companion devils Invictus had previously met, they had bashed with hammer, sword, and pistol back into the hell from whence they came.

Lone, ever the exemplar of chivalry, had released Margeaux's hand and was already halfway down the stairs, "Are you guys coming?"

Both Wolfrider and Sasha showed blank stares of uncertainty. Neither of them likely understood the gravity of the floor ahead.

...But still, Lulu did appear to be particularly confident.