Day 26: Un-untouchable

Dream / Latex

Her father was a Champion of the Chief God. As was his father, and his father before him. Then, her father had eleven daughters with four different women, but no sons.
They thought that would be the end of the Alba heroic line.

Yet there Madeleine was. Deep in the Bright-Green Demon Realm of Dorthore, fighting for dear life.
“HUAAAH!” Her sword sniped at the Dark Elf behind her. The knife scurried from the dark-skinned maiden's hand. Her attempt to sneak up behind thwarted, the assassin slunk back into the passageway from where she came.
That Dark Elves lived their hedonistic lives in decadence and indulgence was nothing new, but their architecture was ripe with hidden entrances and secret tunnels. She couldn’t let her vigilance falter. Not for even a second.
Not that their ambushes worked on her. She sniffed them out from a mile away. Yet she could not afford to be complacent.

More of them leapt out. From behind alleyways. Out of windows. Quickly they moved across the block by kicking off walls, jumping from building to building so as to pelt the Champion with knives from above.
The barrage of blades rained down. Most missed her. That was by design. They had drafted their fighting style to take the target alive. As such, they deliberately aimed away from their core. The weapons of Dark Elves were laced with a powerful paralytic toxin. It would only take a scratch for Madeleine to fall limp on the ground. Completely at their mercy. But she barrelled through, her shield raised against those blades which could pose a threat. They clattered against the bronze, off to the streets.
She afforded herself a smirk. Their elven accuracy allowed them to make up for their low hit-chance by peppering their target with a flurry of blades. But that wouldn’t work. Not on her. As long as they didn’t fight seriously, with intent to kill, they had not the faintest chance to so much as touch her.
But the tricky part was up ahead. If they encircled her, she wouldn’t be able to shield herself from every angle.

That’s what they were going for. It was clear from the way they moved.
As if she’d let them. She leaped forward, meeting the nearest one high in the air by slamming the rim of her shield into her midriff.
“Uuuahhggh…” The Dark Elf shrieked, launched butt first into her comrade. Down to the street they fell. They writhed together on the ground, **** to regain their bearings. One of them recovered, just long enough to notice the shadow drifting over her.
It was the Champion. Dropping from the sky like a guillotine. Sword glistening in the afternoon sun. Out of the way the Dark Elf rolled, just in time not to be spitted by the blade, which plunged into the spot she was a split second ago. Rubble erupted from the road as the hero crashed with a shock that made the ground itself tremble. The Dark Elf swiftly slid back into a secret trapdoor hidden in a tile, no longer wanting anything to do with the battle.

The hero passed the rest of the unit, towards the large manor. The goal of his whole excursion. Humans were imprisoned all over the village, but the lingering scent of spirit energy was stronger by far in that direction. She hurried over there.
One Dark Elf readied her crossbow from a turret in a house. She levelled it with the running Champion, and squeezed the trigger.
Madeleine sniffed the air, twitching her nose.

A wide slash cut the air. Her sword split the bolt with a wide arc before could get near, keeping her speed up without missing a beat.
She flipped over the fence, rushing over to the salmon coloured wall. There they were. On the other side. She sliced three times. One horizontal by the top. Two vertical. She kicked in the wall-segment. With a slam it toppled over into the house. The triumphant Champion jumped in with a heroic pose.
“Fear not, citizens of humanity! For I am a Champion of the most venerated Chief God! You are now liberated from your oppressive debasement. Come, and I shall lead you all back to freedom.”

The men did not seem amused. They were in the middle of lounging casually in the bar, dressed in bathrobes of warm colours. Some were having a drink. Others were playing pool.
“Miss, please. Clients are not allowed here.” One of them informed her.
“But… But… “ She stammered, stepping forward, “Do you not wish to be rescued from this den of debauchery and lecherious pleasure?”
One of them shook his head, “No thanks.”
“Nah, we’re good.”

Madeleine was no fool. She knew the devilry mamono could inflict on unsuspecting men. They must be under the fiends’ charm.
“I beseech you, come to your senses!” She cried, “You are under the spell of monsters to do their bidding! They are ruthless beings! Every single one! Void of compassion and remorse, obsessed only with the gratification of their own base desires!”
The men in the bar shared confused glances with one another.
“Uhhhh,” One of them started, “But… You are a monster, right?”
“...Th-that is entirely beside the point!” The kobold yelled, “I am on a sacred mission to rescue the lot of you. And you are coming with me THIS INSTANCE! Whether you like it or not!”

One of them stood up from his seat and strode forward. A man with tanned skin, in his late twenties. His hair was kept short, but not quite cropped. He had broad shoulders with slim waist. And his physique, from what she could tell, was densely toned without any muscles bulging. His body seemed hard in exactly the way a woman like her would want, and soft in the way a woman like her would want.
“Th-that’s more like it!” She asserted, followed by panting. She reflexively backed away. She had faced many monsters without relenting, and clashed blades with formidable warriors. And yet the handsome confident mask of that unarmed man intimidated her something awful.
“Tell me, what is your name?” He asked.
She **** a smile, jutting her chest out as she rested her paws on her hips, “The name is Madeleine Alba! Holy Warrior of the Order of the Chief God!”

“Pleasure to meet you, Madeleine Alba, Holy Warrior of the Chief God. You can call me Cecil.” He knelt down, “Now, tell me, miss Alba… Did you come all this way just for me?”
Her face turned tomato red, “Of– Of course! I… I mean– Absolutely not! I uh… No, I mean… That’s to say…” Her eyes shifted nervously. She looked as if she was about to melt.
Cecil clasped both his hands around her paw, and helped her slink her sword back into her sheath.
He rose to his feet, “Then I cannot in good conscience let you leave without a drink. Come on, it’s on me.”
He led the armed and armoured kobold off to the bar as she stuttered and spluttered all the way there. He helped her get seated on the barstool, before he waved towards the bartender.

“Vyria! A Virgin Blitz’s Brew for our brave young lady here!” Cecil shouted.
“Clients aren’t allowed in here.” The Bartender snapped.
“No. She’s not a client.” Cecil stated, wrapping his arm arm around her shoulder, turning her face even redder somehow, “She’s a buddy of mine! Treat her as my guest.”
The bartender cocked her brow, then shrugged, “Your funeral.”

Another Dark Elf peeked through the hole in the wall. A tall and muscular one, with a short white tomahawk haircut. She dressed in a metal bodice armour with black spikes, which showed off her massive cleavage, along with a pair of black leather panties with spikes in the belt.
“Hey! Gots any trouble ‘round here?” She shouted, taking out her morningstar flail.

The Bartender shook her head, “Nah. Cecil got it. Just take care of that hole in the wall, will you?”
The goth guard grumbled under her breath, “...Not your bloody carpenter.”
Nonetheless, she waved her hand, and the rubble rose, fusing together to reforge the wall. The goth dusted off her hands, chain slung over her shoulder, and waltzed off.

In the meantime, the drink had been prepared for Madeleine. She clasped it with her paw, staring down her reflection on the surface. She sniffed it. It smelled good. There was honey in it. And gin. Pepper and ginger too. And some herbs she didn’t know. But more importantly, there were trace amounts of demonic energy swirling in the liquid. Granted, demonic energy didn’t have the same effect on her as it would a human woman, but what if the demonic energy meant it contained magic? She had no intention to be made victim of their spell.
Her eyes shifted about nervously.
Cecil mimicked a drinking motion. She let out a sound, which was like a mix between a growl and a yelp.
He then sighed. He picked up the glass, pouring a sip of it into his own.
“There. Now, if it’s spiked, I’ll be getting whatever you’re getting. Is that fine?”
She narrowed her eyes, looking down at the drink. She gave a nod to him, and picked up the glass.
They both picked up their respective glass, and chugged it down.

She lowered her paw to put down the glass slowly, yet it landed on the counter with a resounding click. The Dog Girl exhaled contently. She looked at Cecil as if she had just come up for air, after being under water for a lifetime.
“Wow…” She uttered, “That was… Good. I think?”
He chuckled, “Glad it had an impact. You’re a bit of a mystery, aren’t you? So strong, yet always worried. Never able to relax.”
She sneered at him, “I am a Champion of Justice. When I relax, the world starts falling apart. I must be at the forefront of the unknown. Always vigilant. Always ready for the unexpectable.”
He nodded, “Sounds lonely.”
“It… It is.” She admitted, “It really is. But it’s a low price to pay to guide humanity to a better tomorrow.”

“You sound like the real deal.”
“I am the real deal!” She barked, “Many brave heroes have been born from the Alba Lineage. Since long before the current Demon Lord. And I am honoured… No, I am proud to carry that tradition with my name!”
He looked back at the wall where the hole once was. She stormed through some of the most proficient Dark Elf warriors in Dorthore. Even if she was a mamono herself, it would scarcely be possible. Not without divine ordainment.

“So daddy was a hero?” He asked.
“Yes!”
“Who bedded a mamono?”
“Y-yes.” She cleared her throat, “He is human, after all. But even so… I love him! And I refuse to let the dream of his… Of my family die out!”
Kobolds were meek and peaceful by nature. And as mamono, they were adverse to serving the Chief God. However, if prompted by an impactful experience, or being persistently exposed to a reinforcing experience for a duration, they may indeed choose to take up the mantle as a Champion and Hero.

“Yeah. Good for you.” Said he, looking at her with a smile, “Can’t imagine the hero training to be easy on you. Not to mention finding a priest to baptise you. I heard the clergy of the Order don't even go near mamono these days.”
She scoffed, “ I didn’t waltz into the Sacred City, obviously!”
“But you were baptised?”

“I was.” She said with an eager nod, “But by no human medium. I was baptised by an angel.”
Cecil cocked his brow, “You just happened upon an angel? While taking a stroll in the wild, I presume?”
“Indeed so” She flashed a grin, “In a manner of speaking, yes. Or… I sniffed her out.”
“Ah. Now it’s starting to come together. And you made her baptise you?”
“It was not quite as simple as that. At first, she absolutely refused. I had to follow her around. Whether it was tides, or mountains, I was there with her. Just wouldn’t leave her alone. In the end, she performed the baptism, just to get rid of me.”
“So nagging your way to hero-dom?” He scoffed, “That must be a first.”
“Yeah? Well, I did get the blessing from the Chief God. That must mean it is her will! And I intend to serve her with the full of my conviction!”

The kobold looked around. She was indeed in a bar in the Demon Realm enjoying herself.
She kicked herself away from the barstool, “Thank you, sir Cecil! But I simply must be getting on my way now!"
Cecil sighed, “Yeah… You’re right.”
He scooted himself off his own seat, and shot her a smirk, “We really should grab something for dinner. I know a great restaurant downtown.”
“Wahh!?” She shook her head violently, “Sir Cecil, with all due respect…”

Cecil laughed, “Miss Alba, it’s fine. I can assure you, your church will be happy if you just make your way out of the Demon Realm alive. What’s a few hours here and there?”
“Y-yes. Be that as it may…”
“Miss Alba…” He squeezed her paw, “It would mean the world to me if you could accompany me to dinner.”
Cecil hit her with his very best sad puppy dog eyes.

She lapped it all up. Dammit! That face shouldn’t work on her! Her species were the ones who invented it! And yes, looking back at him, saying ‘no’ seemed like the hardest feat in the world.
“...I suppose. I did earn myself a bite.” She sighed lingeringly.
“That’s the spirit.” Cecil took her by her paw, and slapped a bunch of silver coins on the counter, “I’m going out for dinner. Tell Victoria I’m taking the day off.”
“Sure. Want me to tell her about you taking the Champion with you?”
“Go ahead.” He answered, “Your funeral.”