The Eldritch Realms Pt. 05

A month had passed since I struck alliance with Admiral Jean and Count Alexander. We set up camp in a plateau north of Yeva proper. Every day more and more loyalist soldiers and nobles came out from hiding, swelling our number. At the eve of the war I had no less than 15,000 men under my command, discounting the six thousand succubi still in the enemy's midst. Loyalist fleets ruled the seas while Eris' fleets were in shambles.

Phantasma's forces arrived a few days prior; six divisions of ten thousand each and a seven thousand strong royal guard with cavalry and airship support. However, we wouldn't help each other; we each had an enemy to fight. I took a moment to review strategy with Count Alexander and the other commanders while Admiral Jean was in the sea, tearing apart Eris' fleets.

"Very well, folks, we'll be marching tomorrow, so let us review our strategy once more," I said. "Our attack will be done in three phases. First, we will attack a 5,000-strong border guard; with a 3:1 advantage, I expect very little problem here."

"Then, we will face Yeva's main army: about 36,000 men--this is where our hidden succubus allies will be pivotal. The final phase is destroy the remnants and capture the vital Teyla Harbor in the south to completely cut off connection between Yeva and Lasha."

At noon the soldiers marched out in orderly lines. Knights with broadswords; the common soldiery with pikes; archers with their bow and arrows; war constructs of white marble; a squad of vampires Caitlyn lent. I took my small cavalry--only a hundred horsemen or so--with me as Eliza, Nana, and I moved against one of the strongest border defence points.

The border skirmishes only lasted two days; scattered enemy units were mown down mercilessly. Elsewhere--Karl and I communicated regularly--things have gone as well. Phantasma's airships and vampires ruled the skies whilst its armies smashed that of Eris'. Our early successes drew much newfound support from the common folk; supplies began flowing and militiamen rose against the dwindling forces of Eris.

I reunited my forces to face Eris' main army, which have camped near the Yetera River, very close to the heart of the duchy, the capital Yelvanna. Yetera River was a massive river, stretching from Yelvanna in the relative north down to Teyla Harbor in the south. Agnes supplied vital information; the army led by Lord Catherbrown (how the hell did he go from a host of gladiatorial games to commander-in-chief? Beats me) was reluctant to face mine.

I issued a flurry of orders after consulting with my officers. Two thousand men under Count Alexander would march near the river, baiting Lord Catherbrown to attack and have his army positioned so that its back was the river. A counterattack by my whole army and the succubi's betrayal should suffice to win the battle.

"March at once, Count."

"Yes, Lord Treville!"

Lord Treville. I had to say it sounded quite regal. I nodded at the count as he rode out with his troops. I went back to my tent in the war camp; Cassy, Eliza, and Nana were preparing.

"This... Master, you've truly grown," Cassy said with a tense smile. "This is far greater than anything we've ever done."

"Stay by my side, Eliza," I instructed Eliza who was spinning her blades.

"Of course, Master," she replied. "They'll have to get past me before they can lay even a single finger on you."

"Nana, take care." Nana would lead a part of the army. The Seresian woman grinned.

"Don't worry," she replied with a smirk. "There's a difference between a competent army led by good generals and rabble masses led by bumbling idiots. They'll see it today."

"You seem awfully confident," Cassy noted.

"Not the first battle I've been in. I regularly fought off pirates and bandits back in Seres."

An hour later, vampire scouts came to report the situation: the trap had been working splendidly. "One sharp blow and the war is over," I muttered. A few sparks I shot to the air, and the whole army advanced silently under the cloudy sky.

On the flat battlefield where Count Alexander was maneuvering a fighting retreat, I let out a war cry, followed by the army. Sword faced sword, spear faced spear, and arrow faced arrow as the entire line smashed themselves against the panicking foes.

The clouds were torn apart by sunlight and now the whole battlefield was illuminated. "Trolls!" one man shouted; the line began to waver as gigantic trolls with clubs sprung forth from Lord Catherbrown's lines.

"Heah!" I struck one of the trolls with a mana blast. Nana lifted it with a great wind and threw it to the ground. I peppered another one with a flurry of bluish swords and spears. Eliza summoned a powerful thunderbolt, frying another one alive.

At that same moment, Agnes and her succubi finally revealed their new allegiance. Orderly battle lines collapsed as Agnes' forces crushed the enemy flank and rear. "Grah!"

A blade struck my horse. With a desperate neigh, its legs flung to the air before collapsing. I jumped out before it died. An elven woman stood before me. Her eyes were sharp; her hair short and colored like emeralds.

"Slyvia Vanhel!" I roared.

Before I could plunge my blade unto the wicked elf, a great trumpet sung. The scattered orcs and cultists tried to withdraw, only for their pontoon bridges to be burned down or blocked by the succubi.

"Hmph!" In my moment of inattentiveness, Slyvia drew her razor thin blade that gleamed green, slicing my thighs.

"Argh!" I fell to my knees. Before Slyvia could land the killing blow, Eliza in turn shoved her back with a strong punch to the heart. Slyvia retreated.

My wound wouldn't close and the blood wouldn't stop flowing. I felt my strength sapped from me. Eliza brought me to our rear camp, where Cassy and the other healers resided. "Oh dear, oh dear!" she squeaked as she worked on my wound.

"Shit... a cut this shallow shouldn't bleed so much!" I said.

"There's poison on whatever cut you, Master," Cassy explained. "It's thinning your blood--quite severely!"

"Don't talk too much, save our Master!" Eliza barked. A blood thickening potion and a shitton of healing energy later, I felt much better.

"Master!" Agnes' high-pitched voice startled me. The succubus was carrying a bloody Nana.

"Nana!" I screamed. Half a dozen healers were harried out. Nana coughed blood almost constantly while her body had no less than four deep gashes.

"That--damn--elf!" Nana cursed. "I swear I'll have her head thrown to the dogs when I get to her!"

"Don't talk too much, Nana, focus on your recovery," I said as softly as I could. I turned to Agnes.

"What happened?"

"An elf--Slyvia her name, I think--ambushed Nana while she was leading a pursuit on the retreating enemies. I fought the elf afterwards." I noticed several bruises and thin cuts on Agnes' arms and face.

"What happened to Slyvia?" I asked. My heart was torn; on one hand I wanted her dead... on the other hand I wanted her dead by my hand, not any other's.

"She managed to flee," Agnes admitted ashamedly with her head bowed down. Half my heart cheered; the other half cried. I glanced at Nana. The energetic and bashful woman laid almost helpless as the healers bandaged her and stopped her blood from flowing out.

So that was the price of war.

"That little bitch!" Nana still cursed.

When all was said and done, all but a small handful of enemies managed to escape. But a third of my army had been killed or wounded--7,000 men, no less. I symphatized little with the robed cultists, the orcs, or the chumps of metal of ruined war constructs, but the good men, elves, and succubi....

I helped bury the dead and carry the wounded to the field hospitals. The stench of blood was thick in the air. The next day, we took the capital Yelvanna to the cheer of its population. I seized the mansion of the late Duke of Yeva for the centre of my operations. Count Alexander and I arranged for a small force to be sent to retake Teyla Harbor.

A week later, the war had entered its waning phase. The last strongholds of Eris were strangled either by local militia or units of my army and the last ships captured or sunk by my navy. Despite Eris' occupation, Yeva had not suffered too heavily; it was, after all, a breadbasket, too precious to mindlessly destroy.

Elsewhere, in Lasha, Eris' deranged cultists and their mutated creations suffered blow after blow at the hands of Phantasma's highly capable army. Goblin poison darts, elven arrows, pikes and swords, vampire flight, durable war machines, and boulders dropped from airships prevailed. Every minor setback was repaid threefold. Count Alexander came to me while I was reviewing reports from various military operations throughout Yeva.

"My Lord?" the old noble asked. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, Count. What news do you bring?"

He handed me a large piece of parchment. "What is this?" I asked.

"There has been a popular petition to make you our new Duke of Yeva, Lord," Count Alexander said. "This petition has been signed by surviving members of the old nobility, peasant leaders, admirals, generals, respected scholars and academicians, heads of mage guilds, and many other persons of note."

I was silent for a few moment? The Duke? Me? A mere young man who has killed a few cultists and won a few battles?

Could I really do it?

Becoming the Duke did come with its own benefits, though. I would live a much more comfortable--borderline decadent, even--life. And I would have more resources at my disposal--resources to bring Slyvia to her knees. Nana's family would likely approve our marriage with this title in hand. Also, had I not taken the offer, who would? The struggle for power might bring adverse effects to the newly liberated nation.

But could I do it? Could I take on such a role?

Seeing my wavering figure, the Count told me, "Lord, our dukes are different in comparison to perhaps others. The tasks of the Duke of Yeva are limited to international relations and defence--the rest, such as economical and social tasks, are handled by a special council. Your burden needs not be too cumbersome."

After another long silence, I said, "Leave me to my thoughts for a while, Count."

"As you wish, Lord."

I summoned Cassy, Eliza, Nana, and Agnes and contacted Karl. The four women arrived rather quickly and I explained the petition. "So, what do you think?"

Cassy smiled meekly. "It'll be prudent to take the offer, Master. If not you, who else? The people need an icon of stability."

"Yeah, I agree," Eliza added shortly.

Nana was smirking and fidgeting--the former was normal, the latter wasn't. "And you, Nana?"

"That's wonderful! Take it, take it!" she squealed. "If you become the Duke of Yeva, my family will definitely approve our marriage!"

"Wait, you're actually planning on marrying? I thought that was just a jest!" Cassy gasped.

"Of course not!" Nana replied with a smirk. "Well, it doesn't have to be a very serious marriage--just a little legal thing to keep us together. I'm not a jealous woman--I'll allow my husband to keep his sluts around." She patted Cassy and Eliza's buttocks.

"That's fantastic!" Eliza said. "More members in the harem are always welcome, aren't they, Cassy?"

"Of course," Cassy said happily.

"And you, Agnes?"

"A cum dumpster shouldn't speak their opinions, Master."

"I'm your owner and I'm ordering you to speak," I said sharply.

"You should take the offer, Master," she said simply. "My kind has been at odds with humans for long... if you were not to protect them, I fear more blood will be spilt."

"Fair." I nodded several times. "Yes, I will-"

"Will what?"

The magical connection to Karl was finally established. "Rare for you to call me. What is it?"

I explained Count Alexander's offer to Karl. "Hmm, I see," Karl said. His eyes closed and he fell into deep thought.

"I do need your permission, don't I?" I asked. "I'm still under your command, after all."

"Yes."

A few deep breaths later, he said, "What about you?"

"I intend to accept."

"You realize I cannot--officially at least--lend you any more assistance."

"Yes, I fully realize that."

A jovial grin formed on his lips. "Very well then. I will release you from my service. I prefer a trusted friend on the throne rather than any other."

"Thank you."

"Good luck."

And so I shed my previous life. The following fortnight, I donned the regal, purplish cape of the late duke. In a very simple but auspicious ceremony in front of a moderately sized crowd, I signed my signatory upon a parchment alongside my personal seal.

"All hail His Grace the Duke of Yeva!" Count Alexander cried, followed by jubilant cheers from the crowd.

I stayed for a few minutes, awkwardly raising my arms and thanking the crowd. After that, I withdrew to my new residence: the Aquaville Mansion, the previous duke's residence. It was located just outside Yelvanna and surrounded by a giant lake. An ancient but very durable bridge connected the Aquaville Mansion and Yelvanna.

The mansion itself seemed quite humble by royal standards; a three-floored mansion. The land itself was around 1600 metres square and the mansion proper was about a third that. Servants--cooks, maids, butlers, and others--manned the first and second floors, but the third floor was exclusively for me and the women of my harem. There was a massive bedroom, twice the size of my previous one. There was even a sex room, judging from its contents; clearly the previous duke was a like-minded person.

"Robin!" Nana called as I strolled through the mansion's hallways. "Good timing! My father wants to speak with you."

I disrobed my purplish cloak. Nana's father was a tall and bearded man. "Greetings," he said somewhat curtly.

"Greetings," I said.

"Well, let's get straight to the point, shall we? When will you and my daughter marry? She has been quite head over heels for you, judging from her letters."

"Father!" Nana gasped with a slightly blushing face.

"As soon as possible-or so I'd like to. But my duchy is still recovering and it needs me to maintain order," I replied. "I think we should marry a year from now. What do you say, Nana?"

"I agree," she said, though with a disappointed note, "in the meanwhile I can also teach you Seresian-nobody speaks Continental Standard in Seres."

"Prudent," Nana's father said. "Well, we will speak again later. Farewell."

The connection was cut. "Your father seems a bit, uh...."

"Uncaring?"

"Not uncaring, precisely, but rather cold or distant."

"Yeah, that's cause he's the Vice Minister of Rites. You can't be too friendly with people when you work in the Ministry of Rites," Nana said. "But really, he's super stoked about our marriage behind closed doors. Not only does his promiscuous, slutty daughter gets someone to marry her, it's the leader of a decently influential country-my family can't get any better."

"Truly? That's good to hear."

Nana nodded a couple times with a smirk. "Come on, now, don't be too tense! You just got appointed Duke of Yeva-let's celebrate!"

Nana clung onto my arm and whispered, "your sluts are waiting."

"Well, let's not allow them to wait any longer."

Nana and I walked almost impatiently to the sex room. I could hear loud chattering from Cassy, Eliza, and Agnes-Nana and I stopped to eavesdrop.

"Oh wow, your tits are even bigger than mine!" Cassy exclaimed. "Is this just you or are all succubi this way?"

"Most of us are, though mine is large even by succubi standards," Agnes, with whom I just bonded permanently using the spell, replied.

"How lucky...," Eliza said. I could almost hear her frown.

"That's what I wanted to say to you, honestly. Succubi with small breasts are rare-many would gladly pay a small fortune to sleep one night with them."

"Huh. That makes sense," Eliza said.

"Er, there's something I want to ask you two," Agnes said. "Er, yeah, so, Master has a pretty large cock, yeah? Us succubi have natural affinity for sex and lust magic, so I could handle it, but how could you two?"

Nana smirked. "This is the most perverse harem I've seen!" she told me in whispers. "Granted, I haven't seen many, but still!"

"It's a bit embarrassing, honestly," Cassy said. "Before I was Master's slave I was slave to another; I was made to whore myself... so experience, I guess. I also specially trained my ass so he doesn't need to use lube."

"Ah lube, the one thing I hope will never run out in this household," Eliza said. "Anyway, to answer your question, us dark elves may not have the same proclivity to lust magic, but we're made of stern stuff. Besides, he's very gentle with me-has been that way since he took my virginity." Eliza giggled. I gestured Nana to go inside with me.

"Master!" Cassy greeted me. "Has the ceremony finished?" I nodded.

"And I see you all are ready for our celebration," I said. I scanned my sluts with lust in my eyes. Cassy wore a simple pair of white panties while Agnes had a pair of sensual black ones. Their large tits dangled freely. Eliza quickly undressed.

I threw myself on the massive bed. "Come here, Cassy, Agnes!"

Four massive tits blocked my view. My hands wildly took hold of them while I sucked on their nipples. Eliza and Nana took off my pants-one of them began stroking me off, the other licking my balls.

"Give me a double titjob," I ordered.

"Of course, Master!" Cassy and Agnes juggled their tits skilfully. While the bulk of my cock was buried inside Cassy's softer breasts and Agnes' firmer ones, Eliza's tongue licked the head of it. Nana, having undressed herself and tossed her underwear, placed herself on top of me.

The smell of her pussy was intoxicating. I dived in. Her sweet cunt was wet. "Aah! Yes, yes Robin! Keep on licking my cunt!"

"Master's cock is twitching!" Agnes gleefully said.

"I'm coming!" Nana and I moaned at the same time. A burst of juices came forth from. nana's crotch while my cock shot out globulets of sperm, landing on Eliza's hair and Cassy and Agnes' tits.

"Alright, the three of you, on all fours and spread your crotch."

They obediently did so. "You sure like this, huh. Your fetish or something?" Nana asked while casually jerking me off.

"Truthfully, I like seeing my mark on their buttocks," I said. My seal, branded with hot iron, was entirely visible.

I caressed their pussies for some time until Cassy cried out, "Please, enough, Master! Shove your cock in one of our holes already!"

"On top of me, Eliza."

I laid myself on the bed again. Eliza gladly got on top of me. After half a minute of grinding her pussy against my cock, she thrusted down in one swift motion.

"Aaah!" she groaned loudly. Without another second of pause or hesitation, she rode my cock. Her pussy was humid and tight. Nana began running her tongue all over Eliza's nipples while Cassy, having taken a large dildo, gave me a good show by penetrating her trained ass with it.

Meanwhile, Agnes was idle. I grabbed her by her hair. "Hey, cumslut," I said mockingly. "Make yourself useful and lick Eliza's anus."

"Ahn-yes, Master!"

With Agnes working her tongue in Eliza's anus, the dark elf's sheathlike pussy hugged my cock even more lustfully. I felt myself poking the entrance of her womb. "I'm near, Master!" Eliza warned.

"Me too! Let's cum together!"

I unloaded my sperm inside the petite dark elf's womb. I pulled out my cock as Eliza slowly limped away. Laying on the bed, she spreaded her privates; my sperm was flowing. "You gave me so much, Master," she giggled. "It's going to waste."

"Now, now, I'm sure a certain cumslut could prevent that," I said while glancing at Agnes. The succubus, on all fours, obediently drank the sperm flowing out.

Without mercy or hesitation, I plunged my cock into Agnes' unprepared pussy. "Aaaah!" Agnes half-screamed. She climaxed immediately when I slapped her bouncing ass.