While Linkle was jumping between two possibilities, Raven had taken a more steadfast approach. He wished she would do the same as he'd done for Maria and instead of trying to fight the devil head-on, would rather figure out an alternative method to solve her problems.
But for now, as he teleported back to the 'Phordite mansion with Lana and Shamisha both in tow, he decided to get to the maze as soon as possible first.
However, the curious others wanted to know what he was planning to do, and his guests from a different kingdom were also suffering in an unexpected manner. Bringing Shamisha and Lana into the shade, Raven ordered some of the maids to bring out ice packs to cover the eyes of the two women. Neither of them had seen the sun being so bright in Elenaris, causing the duo to suffer a sensory overload.
Sneezing with their hands covering their heads, the girls stayed under the gazebo trying to get used to the sudden change in their environment. The pollen in the garden didn't help much either as the city of Elenaris knew no greenery and pastures.
"Why is it so bright?!" Screamed Shamisha, sneezing right after.
"Athenia plateaus over Elenaris, so your kingdom's mostly in its shade, maybe that's why..." Explained Melicia, although not entirely sure herself either.
"Ughhh..." With a nose as red as a rose, Lana leaned back into her chair and looked to the ceiling of the gazebo. She'd never been too far from Elenaris, and since even the forest surrounding it was mostly shaded by Athenia, she felt like she was in a place where that wasn't for elven living.
"The air...It's heavy..." Athenia's bounty was too much for her fume-poisoned lungs. Every breath she took felt like a stab in the gut. "I'm di-dizzy~"
The very next moment the left lost consciousness and as everyone's attention turned to Shamisha, it turned out she too had fallen asleep due to the heightened level of oxygen in the air.
"What happened to these two?" Walking under the gazebo as well, Erika looked around bewildered.
In the meantime, as the carriage arrived at the Inn, the Elenarian girls had to cover their eyes and put their trust in Raven to lead them inside. Once they were in, their eyes opened up to a fox-girl curiously staring at them on the counter.
"Did you get dirt in your eye or something?" Asked Moxy.
But before the two could say anything, Raven jumped in and told the fox-girl of everything that was happening. They needed a place to stay until the night and what better place than a familiar inn? It also gave Raven a chance to talk to Moxy and convince her to join in the mansion once it was done rebuilding.
Taking Shamisha and Lana up the stairs, Raven helped them settle into a room. The windows closed shut, and the door as well, he stayed inside with them both while Mel and Erika were downstairs–ready to bring up food the moment Moxy was done preparing it.
"So many humanoids but no pure demis..." Baffled by the lack of animalistic faces in the city, Shamisha truly felt like she was in an unknown territory. "We were planning to trade with this kingdom soon, but I don't know if our messengers can handle going back and forth."
"Just rest up, worry about everything else later!" Raven advised, a bit ticked off that his plan to visit had to shift over to the night.
'It's not their fault but still, I don't want to give another moment of peace to the Mistress without answering some question...' His anger was directed not at the girls, but at the Mistress who'd sold young girls to Rowalt, Raven sat rocking in a chair–waiting for the night to arrive and for his confrontation with the succubus to begin.
Before any of that, however, he shared a warm and hearty stew made of fresh ingredients with the visitors–neither of whom knew what even the word fresh meant when it came to vegetables. Beaming a bright smile and their eyes twinkling with gastral joy, Lana muffled a moan after the first spoonful all the while Shamisha tried to pretend she wasn't enjoying the meal as much as she was.
Looking over the girls and their smiles, Raven couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to bring the rest of them to Athenia and show them the best his hometown had to offer.
'Maybe another time...' He promised to himself.