​Demoness 2 - Chapter 51 - Respite (Part 2) (Patreon)

Keswick let them step inside first.

Elania felt confusion and shock hit her as she scanned the opulence that surrounded her, and Yolani’s breath hitched in a mirror of the emotion.

The space was vast, with high ceilings and plush furnishings that spoke of wealth and power. It was nicer than the lobby and offices of the Magister herself. Or at least it seemed like it. They’d never seen Keswick’s personal quarters.

It was a far cry from the modest accommodation they were both used to.

Keswick led them through the main living area, pointing out the various amenities. “These rooms were once reserved for high-ranking Magistry officials,” she explained, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. “But given the current circumstances, we felt it was best to allocate them to you and Yolani.”

Elania nodded, feeling a tinge of unease. Wasn’t there a better use for the space than just housing them?

As they moved further into the quarters, Keswick gestured to two separate bedrooms, each one as luxurious as the last. “You’ll have your own private spaces to rest and recharge,” she said, a hint of a smile on her lips. “I know how important it is to have a place to call your own, especially at times like these.”

Elania glanced at Yolani, who seemed just as overwhelmed by their new surroundings.

An internal door led to the workshop. As they stepped inside, they found staff members were already unpacking and unloading their belongings using a freight elevator that was built into the back. It was large enough that they had brought up the entire carriage.

The reason for that was self-evident; there were four cannons sitting waiting to be serviced, and against the back wall stacks of muskets were lined up neatly. It almost made the few armfuls they’d salvaged from the shop a joke.

Actually, they’d probably need all the weapons for the war, so maybe not.

Keswick turned to Yolani, her expression serious. “Your skills in artificing will be crucial in the days to come,” she said, her voice heavy with the weight of responsibility.

“We need you to focus on creating and maintaining firearms for the city’s defense. Every gun, every bullet, could mean the difference between life and death.”

Yolani nodded, her eyes already scanning the workshop with a critical eye. Elania could see the gears turning in her mind, the calculations and designs that were already taking shape.

Keswick turned to Elania. “I will let you two get settled in. In the morning, we will apply your excess [Divinity] to the engine.”

“If it’s critical, shouldn’t we do that sooner?” Elania asked.

Keswick shook her head. “You’ve just experienced a heavy conflict. It would be much better for you to settle and rest your soul to make the transfer easier. On both you and the engine. It isn’t so critical that we can’t delay for long enough for you to rest, and if something changes, the engine is not far.”

Elania nodded and Keswick showed herself out of the workshop while the workers continued to unload and unpack.

“Are you going to supervise?” Elania asked, looking at Yolani.

The other girl nodded. “Really should. I’m sure we can trust them… but I’d hate for something to go missing.”

Elania nodded, but if that was a concern, the carriage had been out of sight for a while.

It took almost an hour before they were finished, and then they sent the staff away. The foremen informed them that Yolani would be expected to accept a dozen apprentices and lower-ranking artificers into the workshop to help her.

“It’s a bit much,” Elania mumbled.

“It’s fine,” Yolani replied. “I can manage them. We never had really large operations, but I know how Ranolf handled things.”

“I can think of better role models,” Elania said.

“Even if he wasn’t a nice man, his methods did work to run the shop and keep it going. There is no way I can do everything alone in this workshop, anyway,” Yolani replied.

Elania grunted and nodded. With everything unpacked, they turned back into the living space. She made a straight line toward one of the comfy looking sofas.

She sank into it and let out a sigh and closed her eyes. It felt perfect and even if her body was never going to really give her the normal aches and pains of a rough day, her mind was another matter.

Yolani plopped down beside her, a weary expression on her face as she leaned back against the cushions as well.

“That was too close,” Elania said, breaking the silence that had settled over them. “If it hadn’t been for your pistol, I don’t know if I would have made it out of there.”

Yolani turned to face her, a flicker of concern in her green eyes. “I’m just glad it worked.”

Elania reached out, taking Yolani’s hand in her own. “It was a good bit of teamwork.”

Yolani’s eyes went to their hands, and she managed a small smile and squeezed. “We did.”

The moment didn’t last long, though. Yolani looked back at the workshop with a frown. “The Conclave, they’re not going to stop, are they? They’ll keep coming after us, after you.”

That was one truth that they couldn’t avoid. Elania nodded. Even if the Magisters tried to somehow make peace, she didn’t think her existence would be allowed.

The same could be said for the Lightbringers, but she didn’t think…

This was a war of extermination. She didn’t think there was any way for a peaceful resolution. Either the Conclave would be destroyed, and the Lightbringers wiped out, or the Magistry and Guard would be wiped out.

That was an unsettling thought, and her estimation of how things had been developing…

It seemed like their side was losing.

Elania sighed, the weight of their predicament settling heavily on her shoulders. “I’m afraid so.”

They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Elania spoke again, her voice heavy with the weight of their situation.

“We need to be prepared for anything,” Elania finally stated.

Yolani nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. “Agreed. We’ll need to fortify the city’s defenses, and I’ll need to focus on producing as many weapons as possible.”

Elania’s gaze drifted to the workshop, her mind already whirring with ideas. “I can help with that. My knowledge of Earth’s technology could come in handy.”

Yolani’s eyes widened, a glimmer of excitement breaking through her serious expression. “That’s right! If we can combine your knowledge with my artificing skills, we might be able to create some useful weapons.”

Elania felt a surge of determination, a renewed sense of purpose in the face of the challenges ahead. “How many mana shards do you think the Magistry has in stock? Maybe we could implement the automatic rifles if we changed them to use those? With dumb projectiles and a single input source?”

Yolani nodded quietly. “And the explosive cannonballs… I need to think about how we can maximize the shrapnel.”

“We need to finish finding the correct formula for the gunpowder, so we don’t need to rely on so much [Power] from the shards and crystals,” Elania muttered.

“They should have what we need here. I’m not sure how we could get a big enough supply with the combat going on and the Conclave having control of the Artisan district,” Yolani said.

Elania let out an annoyed sound. “Ugh. That’s going to be a tremendous problem. I didn’t think about it, but if we’ve lost the entire district… we’re surrounded. That’s really not good. Do we even have enough supplies to hold things?”

Yolani bit her lip. “They should have a lot here. There are likely underground stores and stuff. The Magisters wouldn’t be less prepared than the Elders for this…”

Elania looked at her sharply. “Are you sure about that?”

Yolani shook her head silently.

“It isn’t like we can get away or even negotiate with them, so I guess we just have to hope they are more competent than… what we’ve seen,” Elania muttered. “At least for me, maybe they’d consider letting you…”

“No,” Yolani said, her voice serious. “We’ll destroy the Conclave and push out the Lightbringers. Or die trying.”

It was Elania’s turn to nod silently.

They talked about different projects for almost an hour before Yolani let out an enormous yawn.

Elania rose from the couch, stretching her arms above her head. “We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

Yolani nodded, stifling a yawn. “You’re right. We’ll need all the rest we can get.” As she stood up, she eyed Elania with a sly look. “So, where are we sleeping?”

Elania blinked. Suddenly, it felt like she’d been dumped into a tense situation. “What do you mean?”

“There are two giant bedrooms for us,” Yolani said. “But no one said we had to use both. Do you want to sleep together?”

Elania swallowed. “Yes?”

Yolani smiled and let out a little laugh. “Are you going to transform out of your Seraph form?”

Elania blinked, still recovering from the earlier question. “I am not sure how easy it would be while my [Divinity] essence is so dominant.”

“Hmm. Alright. Maybe I won’t find myself pinned underneath a giant paw and a hundred pounds of fluff then,” Yolani replied.

Elania blinked. “That only happened… that only happened… uh!”

Yolani laughed.

Elania realized she was being teased and reached out to tickle Yolani’s sides, which resulted in a satisfying squeak.

Somehow, they managed to get a good night’s sleep.