While the Blood Dancers ran into the house to inquire about the location of the Spa Day that they were promised, King Aggramor gave Cain a long-suffering look. "If I had known they were going to be that uncontrollable I would have told you to raise them yourself and bring them to me later."
That made Cain and everyone around laugh, knowing just how much chaos ten identical demon children were capable of causing, especially when they were already as strong as most raid bosses. The Mana level had been rapidly increasing their level, with their body trying to drag their level up to match its requirements at Ancient Quality.
"They will calm down eventually. Remember that though they are half grown, they were Puppets, so they are only a few weeks old. Everything is new to them, they haven't personally experienced anything at all, so every second that they are sitting still feels like torture to them." Cain explained, but Aggramor didn't look too relieved.
"If it was just that it would be tolerable, but the combat skills they have are crazy, and they're learning even more from Carnage. If they decide to do something I either need to step in myself or have one of the Generals do it because nobody else can stop them by force. Plus, Carnage is Carnage, he only loves fighting, so as long as they're up to no good, he's all in. They spend ten hours a day in the tower and it isn't enough to wear them out."
The Demon King was just whining at this point, so Cain escorted him inside and brought out a selection of the Mythic fruit juices for him to sample, as well as some Frost Giant Vodka that he had 'obtained' during the attack on the Demon Kingdom's borders.
"The girls will take care of them for a while. Just sit and relax. You can bring them to visit as often as you want, but I think you would do well with a babysitter."
Cain stopped and thought about that for a second. He still had a [Commander] summon that he could call. Surely, a Commander and two Lieutenants would be enough to take care of the girls most of the time? It should be enough to give King Aggramor a bit of a break anyhow and alleviate his worries about the little hellions getting loose and causing chaos in the city with Carnage at their side.
"I still have one more Commander that I can call for, a permanent summon at my level and Mythic Quality. I was going to have it oversee the Southern Continent, but it looks like I need to start taking responsibility for the children that I have set loose on the world, so I will grant her to you to help with the Blood Dancers.
I will also have a small clutch of baby Lamia, or Lamia hybrids anyhow, coming in not too long. Miss Cyrene here had a successful heat, and they will also need the assistance of an experienced demon at some point, though Cyrene will likely want to raise them through the baby phases." Cain offered up a solution that would help everyone involved, with the caveat that the Commander would be a very busy demon.
"A baby Lamia is adorable. They're the size of your finger, and thirty centimeters long. They love to give hugs and sleep while wrapped around wrists, I think we can find more than enough demons willing to take care of them, as long as they don't come out Ancient Quality and bloodthirsty." King Aggramor joked, thinking of all the baby demons he had seen over the years.
Cyrene was asleep around Cain's waist, something she had been doing a lot lately, as her body worked to adapt to growing eggs. Thinking of her schedule, Cain decided that maybe he shouldn't leave for the South just yet. They had issues that needed to be taken care of, but the Echoes could do a lot of it, with the assistance of the Transfers there, so he could hold up here in Long Fang Valley until Cyrene had recovered and decided where she wanted to set her nest.
The sound of cheering reached their ears from across the house, and then a frantic shout to close and lock the doors to the spa.
"I thought they wanted the Spa Day?" Aggramor asked nobody in particular.
"Oh, they do. They wanted to try out the herbal baths, and well, you know, they're in the common area of the Spa." Cain explained the scene he was seeing through the eyes of the Puppets that worked at the Spa.
"I see. At least they're enjoying themselves. Now, I need another drink." Aggramor laughed.
It took three whole hours for the Blood Dancers to be finished in the Spa, and they came out in brand new Princess dresses, each one slightly different from the others. Their hair had been trimmed and styled, and their nails were freshly polished on both their hands and feet.
"Check it out Uncle Aggie, don't we look great?"
"You all look amazing. The dresses were a nice touch. A gift from the Guild's tailors?" The Demon King asked and the girls nodded.
"Now, if you will excuse us, we must attend to our subjects. Or, go loot the brisket that we smell smoking somewhere nearby." The one in a light yellow dress with silver trim declared with great dignity, right before they abandoned all decorum to run out in search of food.
"See, all they need is more distractions. Nothing will hurt them here, and they can explore all day and still keep finding new things. Plus there is a training tower, in case they get bored with exploring and want to go for a fight. Neffie is in love with the one we built for her." Cain laughed.
"Oh, don't I know it. She has been complaining that I don't come to visit often enough, even though I was there twice last week. I should bring the girls with me next time, so they can harass the dinosaur cavalry, I'm sure they would love it."
"If you want a new generation of Blood Dancers, you will have to let them meet some boys eventually as well. I know I made them young, but they're going to grow up fast thanks to the extra mana, so they will be looking for boys soon. Well, most likely. Wanting them to want a family life doesn't guarantee anything, for all we know they might all go for girls and you'll be spending ages looking for the spell to help them conceive." Cyrene woke up just in time to hear Cain's last remark and burst into laughter.
"What did I wake up in the middle of? Is Nila looking to start a family?" She asked.
"No, just teasing Aggramor about the Blood Dancers. They're a bit of a handful, but they seem to be doing well here in Long Fang Valley. But what you woke up for was mentioning that if there was going to be more of them in the future, he would first have to survive their dating phase." Cain explained.
"That should be easy enough. As soon as they find a handsome young Demon who can actually beat them in a fight they will change their mind about them." Vala joked, bringing in a round of drinks and barbecue with her.
"They have found the smokehouse, by the way, so don't expect to see the girls anytime soon, they're up to their elbows in grease eating ribs while trying not to get their princess dresses dirty." The second copy of Vala added, bringing the side dishes.
That should be enough to keep them distracted for a while, Cain thought. If he was lucky they would wear themselves out exploring the city and King Aggramor would get an evening off.
"Vala, I'm thinking of calling the last Commander to help with the kids. Both these ones and Cyrene's once they hatch. Can you keep the girls in line, as an Elder Blood Dancer? Or is there another type of Demon that could? Aggramor here is about at his wit's end.
"Any Wrath Demon stronger than them should do it fairly well, though an Obsession Demon like the Succubus Maids would enjoy the job more. But as we saw with Neffie, they're not infallible and they can still give their guardians the slip if they're confined and bored. You're thinking of the theory that Kone has that focusing on what you want helps shape the summoning spells even when they say they are random?" Vala's estimation was spot on, that was exactly what Cain was thinking.
"Why don't we try in the morning, right about the time that they are at their most energetic? That's about the time that they will want to go to the tower for a morning fight, so it should help influence the spell to give a strong and capable Commander?" Nemu suggested, unwinding the sleeping Cyrene from around Cain's waist and slinging her over Vala's shoulder so she could steal the spot in Cain's lap.
"You're going to make a babysitter? How about another Carnage, but cuter, and not busy with other stuff, so he can play with us all day?" The girls asked in a jumble of words as they entered with what looked like a quarter hog carried on a platter.
"We realized that people were busy inside, so we're bringing everyone meat. See you soon." They called, continuing through the house while King Aggramor shook his head.
"At least their heart is in the right place." He sighed.
