The city of Feinhdall was a very large one, with tens of thousands of buildings spanning over multiple districts, with 3 access gates into the city, all surrounded by multiple walls, the same way the first one was. Completely surrounding the city, thick stone walls were towering over the buildings inside.
In the very heart of the city, elevated on a tall hill, a massive castle was situated, with two rows of walls surrounding it as well, and fields between them. The castle, looking more like a fortress than not, was one of the two most imposing buildings in the city.
In the south western side of the city, close to the place where the outer walls would form a curve to change direction, was the second imposing building. A massive Colosseum, at least two times taller than all the buildings around it, only second to the castle itself...
After walking for some time, they finally reached the western districts. The sun was setting, painting the sky in a warm orange glow, darkened by blue clouds hovering close to the ground.
Despite the late hours, people were still all around the city, and the stalls were more filled than ever, music being heard from everywhere around. The smell of food was in the air, pulling the travelers closer to all the colorful stalls, with all kinds of sweets and dishes.
The sun disappeared completely from view, as the sky turned dark, lit up by the stars and the many lights in the city.
Wanting to try out some of the sweets, Ili stopped at a few stalls, pulling Zephyr along with her.
After Ili had her fill of sweets, nearly puking once, the two decided to try their luck in a nearby inn. The inn's name was in Dornohian and had a mountain goat carved into a wooden plate, right over the entrance. The two decided to check it out, not having anything to lose.
As soon as they entered, they were hit by a strong smell of food, music and laughter. Ili covered her mouth, gaging, getting outside in a hurry. But soon, she returned, looking much better.
"You good...?" Zephyr asked, looking at her confused.
Ili nodded, smiling sheepishly. Zephyr looked at her for a few seconds, before shrugging it off and walking to the counter, where a large, older and kind looking man was sitting, waiting for them.
"Welcome, kids! How can I help you?" the innkeeper greeted.
"We would like to take a room for the night, if possible." Zephyr spoke, getting at the counter.
"We're pretty full at the moment, but I'll check what we still have available, alright? Just give me a second."
The innkeeper got below the counter, searching through the available keys. After a bit, he gets back up, putting a few keys on the table. "Well, these are the last rooms we have. We have a double room and two single ones."
Zephyr turned to Ili to ask her opinion, before turning back to the innkeeper.
"We can take the double room."
The innkeeper nodded and took the key from the counter, putting the other two back where he took them from.
"How much?" Zephyr asked, counting the coins in his pouch."
"Eight silver pieces for the night."
Zephyr rummaged through his pouch, taking out the money and placing it on the counter.
"Well, everything seems in order. There you go."
The innkeeper gave Zephyr the key to the room, which has a number tag on it. "Room 13, right up the stairs and down the corridor." the man spoke, pointing towards the wooden stairs to the other side of the counter, opposite to the restaurant. "We also have a hot bath available for 5 pieces, if it catches your interest."
Ili's eyes widened instantly as she heard that. Before Zephyr could even process the question, Ili's hand darted towards the counter, putting five silver pieces on the table without even thinking twice. "Bath. For the bath!"
The innkeeper laughed, taking a small key from below the counter, handing it to the girl. "Well, there you go. Enjoy!"
Ili smiled excitedly, taking the key in her hands, waving back to the old man as they went up the stairs, towards their room.
They soon made it to the room, unlocking it with the key and stepping inside. The room wasn't too big or special. It had wooden walls, with two beds, and a window barricaded with steel bars, through which only the cold wall of the building next to it could be seen.
Ili seemed to hardly notice the contents of the room, though. Her mind seemed to be in one place, and only one place.
"I'm so excited! I can't wait to get in the bath! It's going to be amazing!"
Zephyr chuckled, looking at her amused. "Is it really that big a deal? It's just some hot water…"
Ili shot Zephyr a teasing glare, pretending to be insulted.
"Just some hot water? It's not just some hot water! It's warm, bubbly, relaxing, and most importantly, CLEAN water! I haven't had a proper bath since I left the Secluded Castle! I don't think you understand how much I'm looking forward to this!"
Zephyr chuckled again. "Alright, if you say so..."
Ili continued to grin, clearly amused by Zephyr's teasing. She set her pouch down on the bed and looked around the room.
"Well, how about it? Are you excited about the bath too, or are you going to be an uncouth barbarian and go to bed dirty?"
"Well, I suppose I could take a bath once you're done, since you've already paid for it... I'll have to see what this 'hot water' is all about…"
Ili seemed incredibly overjoyed by Zephyr's admission.
"Yes! I knew you would understand! I guarantee you won't regret it. You'll come out of that tub feeling like a new person! Just you wait!"
"Alright, alright..."
Ili continued to smile, happy that she was able to convince Zephyr in the matter. She went over to her pouch and began to rummage through it, pulling out a change of clothes and a washcloth.
"Alright then, I'm off to the bath! I'll come get you when I'm done, alright?"
"Yeah yeah, alright... Have fun! Don't take the whole night, though!"
"Don't worry, I won't! I promise I'll save some good water for you! See you in a bit!"
With that, she grabbed the key and left the room excitedly, closing the door behind her.
With Ili finally gone, Zephyr went to her pouch. He looked a little through it, trying to find her master's journal. He wasn't particularly interested in it, but he thought it would be a good way to pass the time, even with all the jiberish in it. But to his surprise, he couldn't find it anywhere, no matter where he looked.
After a good bit of searching, he finally gave up, shrugging it off, thinking that maybe she lost it when they got captured by the mercenaries, and didn't put too much effort in finding it.
From the outcome of Rainer's battle with the white orc, if the journal was anywhere near that, it was now probably just dust on the ground in the forest.
With that, he went back to his bed, getting comfortable in it and closing his eyes to rest a little. Zephyr slowly drifted to sleep in bed as he got more comfortable, losing touch with reality.
But not long after, he was woken up by the sound of the door opening. He got up in bed, rubbing his eyes. From the other side, Ili entered the room, wrapped in a white towel, holding her clothes in her hand.
"Well, you sure took your time." Zephyr said with a yawn, chuckling.
"Oh, hush! I was just enjoying myself, that's all. I promised I would come get you once I was done, didn't I?"
"Well, too late. I ain't getting out of this bed anymore. Got too comfortable to move anywhere anymore. Besides, I'm not dirty or anything. I know how to keep myself clean while I travel."
Ili rolled her eyes again, playfully shoving him in the shoulder.
"You're such a lazy oaf! How are you not at least a bit tempted by all the warm, bubbly water waiting for you?"
"Nope. Not in the slightest." Zephyr smirked with his eyes closed, getting more comfortable in bed, with his hands under his head.
Ili chuckled, shaking her head in amusement.
"Oh, really now? You're just going to stay in bed all night?"
She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, still wrapped in her towel.
"Yup, that's the plan. And I'll sleep like I haven't done in ages!"
"You're stubborn, you know that?"
"Yup, I do." Zephyr smiled. "But this bed is too good to be true, and I ain't leaving it for no hot bath whatsoever..."
Ili chuckled, her smirk widening. She leaned in closer to him, a playful glint in her eyes. She lowered her voice to a whisper, a tease in her tone.
"You know, there is something that might convince you to get out of this oh-so-wonderful bed..."
"Not a chance..."
Ili's smirk widened as she saw his determination to stay put. She leaned even closer, her face now inches away from his.
"You sure? Not even if I told you that I'd give you something you want really, really badly..?"
"And what would that be?" Zephyr asked with a chuckle, keeping his eyes closed.
Ili got even closer to him, slowly running her fingers on his chest. With her other hand, she slowly pulled the towel off. She brought her lips to his ear, speaking in a soft, intimate tone. "How about myself…"
Zephyr's eyes widened immediately. Before she could react, Zephyr tripped her to the ground and got on top of her, holding a crystal knife at her neck.
Ili was caught completely off guard by Zephyr's sudden movement, and she yelped in surprise as he tackled her to the ground, the crystal knife at her throat. For a moment, she lay there, stunned and speechless, her eyes wide with shock.
"Woah, hey! What are you..."
But her words were cut short as she felt the cold edge of the knife against her skin.
"Who are you? And what did you do to Ili?"
"What are you saying, Zephyr? It's me! Let go! You're hurting me!"
Zephyr's grip tightened at her back, making the girl wince in pain once again.
"If you were Ililith, then I would have now been in the wall with my nose broken. So speak! Who are you?"
The girl struggled a little more, but finally saw that she couldn't overpower him. "Alright, you're right… I'm not Ili. But I'm not here to do any harm, I promise! Please, just let me go and I'll explain everything!"
Zephyr loosened his grip slightly at her pleading words, but still didn't let go of her.
"Explain, and I might consider letting you go."
"Alright, alright... I'm not Ililith. That much is true. But I'm not here to hurt you, I swear..."
She paused, taking another breath as she saw the doubt still in Zephyr's expression.
"Then what do you want? And where is Ililith?"
The girl took another breath, knowing that her words would have to be very carefully chosen to avoid being cut by the crystal knife.
"I don't want anything, I swear. I'm not here to cause harm. And Ililith... she's..." She paused for a moment, considering her next words. "The real Ililith is... still here. She's just... unconscious right now. I put her to sleep when I... copied her body. She's still in the bathtub, unharmed... She'll wake up thinking she just fell asleep in there, nothing more..."
"And stop the illusory magic, for god's sake! It's really off-putting to see you in this form..."
"R-right..."
She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on her own form. As she re-imagined her own body and features, she began to shape back into her natural succubus form. Pale skin, horns, wings, the works. She looked quite young, even for a succubus. But even in this form, she still seemed quite... pretty?
Once the transformation was complete, she exhaled and opened her deep purple eyes, looking up at Zephyr. She still looked nervous and a bit scared, her wings fluttering slightly behind her.
"Is... is this better?"
"Much better."
Zephyr sighed, loosening his grip slightly on her hand once again, seeing her scared expression.
"You… You won't kill me, right?"
"No, I won't kill you..."
He let go of the girl's arm, freeing her from his grip. The succubus exhaled, relieved. She moved a few steps away, looking either at Zephyr, either at the door. "Can I...?"
The kalzraak sighed again, looking at the door as well. "Yes, you can go. Just wake Ili up and you're free to go."
"She will wake up soon... The spell only lasts a bit after I change my shape back..."
"Alright..."
The girl moved hesitantly towards the door, still looking back at Zephyr, holding the towel around her body with her hands, as it began to slip slightly because of her wings. "Sorry for everything... We aren't allowed to stay in houses anymore... The back end alleys got raided by the city soldiers... I..."
"It's alright... I know the things your race has to do to survive, so I won't hold it against you. Us 'demons', as they call us, must look out for each other, no? You never asked to be born this way, so it shouldn't be held against you."
Zephyr smiled softly, getting out the way from the door, letting her pass through. The girl looked up at him, not knowing what to say anymore. She simply bowed her head, walking towards the door looking at the ground.
"Th... Thank you..."
"I'm Zephyr."
"I'm Vella... Nice to... meet you."
The girl walked outside of the room, closing the door behind her and walking away quickly.
Zephyr sighed, standing at the door a few moments, before getting back in bed. He couldn't help but feel pity for the poor girl, but there was nothing he could really do about it. He looked up at the ceiling, letting his eyes close once again, and drift back to sleep.
After a few minutes, the door to the room opened once again, as Ili walked inside the room on her tiptoes, trying not to make any noise. She was dressed in her sleeping clothes, holding her normal ones in her hand. She looked at Zephyr apologetically, feeling bad that she fell asleep in the tub and got too late to the room. She wanted to shake Zephyr awake and tell him that he could go to the bath, but finally sighed and decided to let him sleep in peace. Not long after, she got in bed as well, stopping the candles. She went to sleep as well, as silence took over the room...