Let’s get to work.

Johana dusted herself off and let out a drawn out sigh. All eight men she’d been fighting were on the ground, either fully **** or rolling around in pain. None of them were dead. They were barely competent enough to know how to use strengthening magic to keep themselves from dying in one punch.

That said, she did get a lot rougher by the end there. When she realized the woman had disappeared, she looked towards the cave and saw her in front of Will. These mercenaries might have been weak, but they were still eight bodies in the way. She couldn’t get there in time. Regrettably, neither could the incubus and succubus.

The incubus was on his knees, cursing and punching the ground, leaving big dents and cracks on the hard, dry earth. Before going to them, however, Johana went to check on the man originally being pursued.

Will was right. The man was indeed a mirrorkin. After the beating he got, his shapeshifted form began to crumble. It was a little unsettling, she’d admit. Like watching jelly move underneath his skin until its form changed into a slender figure of gray, mirror-sheen skin. His face had no features, no ears, no eyes, no hair. His fingers and limbs were long. Johana had heard about them, but this was her very first time seeing one.

She kneeled down next to him, confirming that he was still alive and conscious, if bruised all over.

“I’m sure it’s been an awful day for you, but you’re still alive. I’ll see what I can do about these wounds of yours, but I’ll need to keep you with me, at least until I get you to agree to help me with something. Consider it payment for saving your life. After that, you’ll be free to go.”

“...” The mirrorkin didn’t say a word, but it did manage a slow nod.

She picked him up in her arms in a princess carry. He was awfully light, even more so than a normal human. She looked back at the group of mercenaries. They wouldn’t be going anywhere in that state, or at least not far. Knowing that, she finally went to see the two Sex Demons.

“Enough, Azazel,” the succubus said, her voice firm yet surprisingly gentle. “We haven’t failed yet.” She turned around and saw Johana approaching. “We have someone we can ask questions to.”

“And I’ll be happy to answer if you at least tell me who you are,” Johana said.

The incubus, Azazel, rose to his feet. His expression hardened and he looked up at Johana. “I’m Azazel, chief of a tribe of Sex Demons under the protection of Lord William Sawyer and Lady Ishtar. This is my second in command, Ariana. We… We came here to find our benefactors.”

“We found them,” Ariana said, arms crossed and with a bitter expression on her face. “Then lost them immediately.”

“Well, seems we’ll be working together, then. I promised those two I’d help them get back and I royally screwed up. I’m Johana, an amazon. Been working with your lord and his ladies for a bit.”

Azazel nodded. “Is this a mirrorkin? Lord William was looking for one.”

“And it’ll be great when he’s back to have a chat with this one,” Johana said. “If we can stop him from dying, that is. I’m not good with healing magic.”

“Give him to me. I’ll take care of him,” Ariana said before letting out a little chuckle. “That is, if he doesn’t mind getting a succubus’ special treatment.”

The mirrorkin perked up, and though again he didn’t speak, he didn’t manage another nod. “I’m sure he’ll survive,” Johana said, resting a fit of laughter.

There was once a time where a succubus’ treatment would cost you a fortune. If this mirrorkin was native with memories of the old world, he knew he was in for pleasure beyond just getting his bones fixed. Actually, did mirrorkin have bones?

Regardless, Johana gave the mirrorkin to the succubus. Despite her smaller frame and thinner arms, the woman received him without struggling. This one was strong. Her control over her aether was top notch. An elite.

Ariana carried the mirrorkin back into the cave, leaving Johana alone with Azazel.

“Lord William was carried into some sort of portal,” the man continued. “Would you happen to know what that was?”

“Either she knows how to create portals to the real world, which I doubt, or it was a Spell Crystal,” Johana said. “I’ve been working with humans for a while. They’ve learned to store spells in crystals for a single use. You break it, the spell comes out. You don’t need to know how to cast it. She seemed to be in the middle of a job pursuing the mirrorkin, so I’m sure she was given one by her employer.”

Azazel nodded. “The woman. Who was she?”

“Someone your lord isn’t very fond of, apparently. I don’t know much else. Fortunately…” Johana gestures with her thumb towards the eight mercenaries still on the ground, “...we have some people who I bet will be more than happy to answer our questions.”

Again, Azazel nodded and began to make his way to the group of mercenaries. Johana approved. She was worried for a bit when she saw him frustrated, but the guy had a good head on his shoulders. He knew panicking wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

“Did you defeat all of these men by yourself?” Azazel asked.

“Yes. Surprised?”

“Yes, but I know I shouldn’t. It’s my first time seeing an amazon’s handiwork.” He shook his head. “It shows we’re still lacking.”

“I don’t mean to brag, but comparing your fighting skills to an amazon’s is like comparing your swimming skills to those of a fish.”

That got a short chuckle out of the guy. “I guess the stories about your pride are true as well.”

Johana shrugged. “Just saying it like it is.”

Still, he wasn’t wrong.