Assassination Through the Netherworld

That day had finished without any recursive events aside from the troll issue, that night, as usual, they had their bout of passion like newlyweds in honeymoon but once again Valentine remained awake to make sure that troll wouldn't come back again. 

The moons shone brightly in the sky with their yellow hue. 

He didn't have that much visual of his girls, his mind is focused on the future, plans... Warcroft and what he would have them do, how they would prepare themselves for that, so on and so forth. 

It was then that he felt something tickling from Vera's side, she had been laying against his chest with her leg above his crotch, crashing with Fayette's. 

'...'

initially, he thought she just moved and let her be, however, this proved to not be the case when he felt something else fondling lightly against the leg. 

'W-What' his thoughts were too ridiculous to express and hence, he tried to stand up and see what was going on, doing it lightly just so they wouldn't wake up from their slumber. 

But he found himself locked in place! 

"Girls..." He called for them and struggled, only now he noticed there is something binding him! 

Vera continued to snore and smile to the side, he couldn't see her face but she looks as if she was getting more and more comfortable against his skin.

"Vale? what's wro-!" Fayette felt his rustling and intended to wake up a little annoyed in fact since her sleep had been deep, but finding herself unable to move her lower body, she immediately panicked and looked for her knife. 

"VERA!!"

"I-I can't move, it's like some rope or something!" 

The two of them struggled frantically, laying no results to their rustling, whatever this is, it's tight! 

Valentine resigned himself to die with them without even knowing what the fuck is going on, he used all his strength just like Fayette to released themselves from the binding! 

*CRACK!!* 

Whatever was holding them cracked slightly producing the noise of wood breaking. 

"AHHHHHH!!!"

!!!

Vera yelled in pain at that moment, like the despaired wail of a beast whose heart is being mercilessly squeezed. 

"Vera!" The two of them struggled harder, thinking that someone is doing something to Vera but the latter kept wailing harder! 

"P-Please stop!!" 

!!!

Valentine gaped and signalled Fayette to stop and it was then that Vera stopped yelling in pain. 

"W-What's going on!?" The blonde didn't understand anything, but Valentine recalled the girl's sacrifice to save them and his heart immediately jumped in trepidation. 

'It can't be, can it...?' 

"Vera, how are you feeling!?" He immediately asked, trying to bend his body as much as the roots allowed him.

Yes, the roots of a tree. 

A Mahogany tree. 

"I-It hurts, just now when you..." Vera spoke from beside him, when the moon shone upon her body, he saw it... 

She still had that skin of hers, but several roots protruded from her body, the roots of a tree... they ran all over the entire foundation of the house trapping them also within their clutches, it's madness. 

She's a Mahogany Tree. 

"Calm down... Faye, it's happening now... the cursed thing that Volna turned her into." He caressed the crying girl's face and told Fayette to relax, at least they're not under attack. 

"What will we do now? I-I don't want to stay in one place like a tree!" Vera started to panic at the sight of her own body. 

It looks horrible how those roots protrude from her skin, is this how she's going to look now?! Let alone those roots keep spreading and spreading as if they're desperately trying to clutch her to a single spot for eternity. 

"Vera... this is what you are now, try to control it!"

Valentine's yells contained hope, believing that Volna hadn't played them for fiddle, she hadn't mentioned that the girl would be stuck in one place for eternity, moreover... Vera still has that seed that the tree wants her to drop somewhere, she can't do so if she can't move! 

Vera also thought about this and tried to remain calm, but the dark thoughts kept coming, however, an unexpected entity came for the rescue. 

'It's a mutation and can be controlled... just focus on your own body!' 

!!!

The Rose Eagle Thorn! 

'W-What should I do!?' Perhaps believing this ancient entity would have the answer to her current perchance, she started to ask for more assistance into how to control this thing while Valentine and Fayette waited expectantly. 

'Those branches are your body... control them as if you were to control your own fingers to hold me and slaughter!' 

'Can't you explain it better!?' 

'...' Obviously, it can't. 

She cursed inwardly. 

"The Rose Eagle Thorn told me that it can be controlled, please... give me some time, it called it a mutation" she reassured them first. 

"What did it tell you?" 

"That I can control it as if it is a part of my body, but... it's difficult."

"Take your time and focus... like this." Valentine, in order to assist her, started to touch her roots. 

!!!

"Y-Yes, please keep doing that!" If she can feel something touching her actively, she might be able to sense it further. 

Valentine and Fayette started to touch whatever root they could and as a response, after an entire morning of practice, Vera rejoiced in happiness when she was able to bend some of her roots slightly to release them from their confinement. 

"This is incredible, i-it's as if you're a tree..." They touched her skin and the girl blushed, her normal skin still has its softness but the roots were similar to that of the Mahogany Tree they encountered before.

"I don't understand where are those seeds coming from?" She said and touched her own root, a weird feeling indeed to control her hands and the roots at the same time, but she felt them like sort of limbs on their own accord, a tree is not only encompassed by roots, she wondered if there was anything else she could do.

"Let's continue sleeping, that was sort of an unnecessary worry." Fayette sighed and lay back down, it was already time to wake up, but after such a frantic morning, none of them desired to do so.

The bears were growling, clearly hungry.

"Teddi, Miki, you go and hunt on your own!" Valentine and Vera yelled, today is one of those days where they won't do anything and just stay in bed, the only thing needed is some relaxing rain, better not now.

**

**

"My lord, do you need me for anything?"

"The time in which Sinclair will send the weapons to the Soultorrent Trench is near, shortly I'll need you to go to the Bloodmaiden Forest to speak with those mad lads about the mission, purchase some bombs and equipment for them." Warcroft sat on his desk, if one looked closely, there are several veins still popped from their 'joke'.

"Are you sure you want to send them off by themselves in this mission? their numbers are great, were they to be captured..." Sandmortelle in his gree fire holographic self, warned his lord of the flaws in this endeavour... to a greedy demon like him, preserving the golden soul is paramount, nothing is equivalent to the value those mortals have, but... Warcroft has a vision.

"They won't, they're strong enough to know what to not meddle with if it's a mission they know they can't accomplish, they won't even try regardless of what I think about." He snickered, that bunch, aside from his foregone woman whose frame hung in front of his office, are of the most remarkable humans he has seen in his long life filled with wrath, scourge and war.

"I understand, when should I depart...?" Aware that words wouldn't deter him, the demon went straight to the main topic, his own mission which he's already informed of.

"Two weeks at most, we don't have accurate info of when he's planning to deploy the convoy, but, we know that he's at least thinking of doing it." 

Sandmortelle didn't bother asking the precedence of this information.

"Is this to draw out Noble Faust?" Still, intentions were still within his realm of curiosity, greed for materials and greed for information encompass the self of a 'greed' skinned demon.

"You know it, that bastard won't depart by himself, we must get 'daddy' to recall him away if he sends Lot in this convoy and Valentine slaughters him, it's going to give ups the edge we want to pressure Sinclair, I don't desire any more of their disgusting influence in my city." He growled, this is his city yet there is a foreign influence in here, not only that, were he to go and directly slaughter the bastard, it would cause a political situation that would likely end with the end of his dynasty and reign in this city... moreover, there are some under his command that he can't even trust...

"A human, bearing the brunt of the strife between two Marqueses?"

"He can bear to, he's that strong and independent, otherwise, why else would I have chosen him as my city's protector?" Warcroft sat comfortably, he's not an Earl yet despite having the piece in his grasp, but... having between his claws an individual that two duchesses would fight to the death for, the feeling is certainly not far off.

He doesn't know what else Valentine Wagner has as even a golden soul is not enough to warrant two duchesses and even Lady Jezebel to involve themselves with him and even fight.

However, he will know soon... this is no longer just about a golden soul, the key piece that he desires as arrived.

And as he regards the picture of his late wife, he can't help but sigh in expectation.