Cassandra had never been so thankful for anythng as she was for how the night proceeded without incident.
True to Elizabeth's word, the bedroom prepared for her was absolutely splendid, covered in the kind of fine tapestries and golden decor that one would expect from a royal bedchamber. She hadn't really cared about any of it when she plopped down on those silk sheets, having grown too tired between her transformation, her time with Elizabeth, and the tussle with those... god, she didn't even want to think about those freaky undead abombinations. Her succubus servant had followed her inside, attending to the removal of her armor and tucking her in for a long sleep.
By the time she was finally stirring, she could tell that the sun had risen, its light shining in through a window high on the wall. Groggily she rolled out of bed, finding her chambers empty, save for her armor and sword assembled neatly next to the large, comfy mattress. The redhead yawned as she strapped on the bracers, boots, shin armor, and skirt, deciding to not even bother with the repaired breastplate. Going topless had proved far more comfortable, and quite frankly, anyone who didn't like seeing her massive endowments on full display could go ahead and kiss her divinely toned ass.
The halls of the temple were far more busy as she made her way outside. Dozens of women now bustled about, attending to various duties, all of them giving affectionate looks to Cassandra as she passed. She made sure to give each one of them a friendly smile, groggy though she might have been. Never had she expected to be surrounded by so many beautiful women, giving her so many longing stares, but god knew she wasn't about to complain about all this attention.
Outside the steps of the temple, she found that the battlefield had been cleared of corpses, and quickly transformed into a lively camp. Around tents and campfires a whole host of women had gathered, enganging in feasting and revelery complete with song, dance, flowery decor hung everywhere, and more than a few couples unafraid of showing their affection publicly. Even amid a crowd of so many gorgeous women, however, her eyes quickly fell on Elizabeth, and the succubus' on her. "My Lady!" she shouted as she ran over to give Cassandra a hug. "I do hope we didn't wake you with our festivities?"
She shook her head. "Slept like a baby." She put an arm around Elizabeth as they headed into the crowd, her attention drawn in a dozen different directions by all the excitement. "What's the occasion?"
"You, my Lady! It's customary, when we have a new Protector, to hold a week of celebrations in their honor."
"A whole week?" She raised an eyebrow. "And it's like this, that whole time?" Her companion nodded, and Cassandra let out a little laugh. "Christ, and I thought I had some party girl friends back home."
Elizabeth bit her lip. "About that..." She looked around before tugging Cassandra off to a private tent. "I... don't wish to distract you from your festival, but... there is a matter that we should discuss."
"Oh yeah? Is this gonna be another demonstration?"
"Oh my." She rolled her eyes playfully as she shut the tent flap behind them, giving the pair some privacy. "Unfortunately, it's nothing so simple." She motioned for Cassandra to sit down, only proceeding once she had done so. "You arrived yesterday, via a crashed boat, correct?"
Cassandra nodded, her curiousity growing as Elizabeth continued. "I sent a scout out this morning to locate the crash, and collect what they could. She returned an hour or so ago, with... troubling news."
For a moment, the succubus paced back and forth, as if she was having difficulty parsing out how to explain this. "There was... a second vessel. It looked to have crashed not long before our scout arrived, with the name Sea Queen painted on the side. Would that be familiar to you, at all?"
"Sea Queen...?" Cassandra's eyes went wide, and she shot to her feet. "That's Melody's boat! She's my best friend - shit, she must have come looking for me! Was she there?! Is she okay?!"
"Well... therein lies the issue, my Lady." She winced slightly. "There was no soul to be found nearby... but there were signs of a struggle. And in the area of that crash... there are several tribes that may have taken her away."
Instantly the amazon's hand was on her sword. "Where are they? Whose skulls have I gotta knock around to go save her?"
The blonde held up her hands. "We cannot be so hasty, my Lady. There are four potential tribes, and we maintain... tense relations with each. If you were to simply barge in there, swinging your sword around-"
"So I have to fight a bunch of random assholes, whatever! My best friend is out there!"
"-you will have to fight several small armies, my Lady. And more importantly, the Fountain would be at risk. Surely you must understand, the danger of letting forces such as those you battled last night potentially take it for themselves?"
She wanted to keep arguing, but the reminder of what exactly she had go protecting the place from the previous evening was too strong a point to argue. "Fine," she growled, "But we need to do something."
"Of course, my Lady. There is an agreement in place - the Protector alone is allowed to enter the lands of the tribes for urgent matters. There is, however, a... condition."
"Of fucking course there is." She reached up to rube her temple. "What, have I gotta kill a Nazi Zombie who's also a vampire werewolf?"
"Not quite." She couldn't entirely hide her amusement at Cassandra's frustrated joke. "To enter the territory of the Mermaid, Centauress, Fairy, or Naga tribes, you must first take on that tribe's form." She held out her hands towards Cassandra. "I have the means to grant you such a form temporarily - you need only tell me which tribe you'd like to investigate first."