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Location: ???
Date: ???
You look down in horror at the thing you once called your daughter, her every feature twisted in a horrible mockery of everything she once stood for. Certainly, on the surface she looks just lik…… …… is now a parody of love, one final insult from her wretched……
…… really, what did you expect?" She asks, her eyes alight with sadistic glee. "Did you really think a single generation was enough to remove…… …… of course, you could always just end it. But we both know you don't have the heart."
She's right, and you know it. Even if it's the best way, even if not doing so would cause a thousand times the suffering, you don't have the heart to kill your own daughter. So you do the only other thing you can……
…… is the only one to realize what you're doing, and it tears your heart in half to listen to the raw despair in her voice as she screams at you not to go through with it. Doing your best to tune it out, you……
Your eyes flutter open and you're greeted by the adorable sight of your third daughter twitching her wings in her sleep, her limbs sprawled out erratically as she lies on her back, hogging a disproportionate amount of bedspace. Sybil is already awake and watching the same scene you are with a wide smile on her face.
"You do the same thing." She whispers, having noticed you waking.
"No I don't!" You whisper back.
"You do." She giggles. "It is even worse in your case. Your wings are much bigger."
You huff and get out of bed, pausing only to plant a kiss on both your lover and child, then go about your morning duties. You also make sure to inform Sybil of what Sera promised to do today, and ask her to make sure that your shared daughter knows how loved she will always be.
As usual, the cottage field goes from open and calm to surprisingly cramped and frantic as soon as your girls wake up and begin causing a ruckus. True to her word, Sera takes a moment to apologize to each of her sisters in turn, and to your relief none of them seem to hold a grudge.
Seraphiel ends up spending quite a bit of time playing with Soniel, of all people– you gather that, since they're both sort-of-not-really only children as far as their mothers are concerned, they've found some sort of extra kinship in one another. This, in turn, means she spends a good deal of time around Fenri, who happily accepts the new duo's attentions.
The lycanthrope is getting kind of spoiled, actually, if her face as they rub her ears is any indication. You'd think she had always been as tame as a kitten with how she practically melts at their affections.
Merin walks over to you as you watch Ava try for a running takeoff for the sixth time in half as many minutes, a smile playing at her lips. "They're a handful, aren't they?"
"They are," You acknowledge. "But they're my handfuls." You notice that she's fully geared, meaning she intends to go somewhere. "What's up?"
"I'm heading into Latchky." She replies. "It's been a while since we checked the inn or tavern for a job. I figure it can't hurt to check, and I need to get my sword looked at anyways."
"Do you want company?" You ask, and she shrugs in response.
"I won't say no to it, but it won't hurt my feelings if you want to watch the kids."
You could head to Latchky with Merin to look for a job, if you wish. She's not likely to make a decision without you, regardless, but she'll be unavailable to spend time with if you stay home.
"I'll go with you." You say, standing and stretching your wings. "Actually, now seems as good a time as any to give it a go…"
"Give what a go?" She asks, curiosity mingling with suspicion. Smart girl.
A few minutes (and several protests which you cheerfully ignore) later, and you've got Merin strapped into your new flight harness. Luckily, whoever made these things takes into account the variable sizes of passenger and flier alike. A few tightened straps here, a few loosened buckles there, and she's fitting snugly against your front, her ample ass perfectly nestled against your crotch.
"This is humilitating, Ariel!" Merin hisses as the rest of the field gathers to look at the two of you. Fi's snickers are unmistakable, and you don't need to be able to actually see Merin's face to know that she's redder than Eluvi's scales right now.
"You'll get over it." You reply, spreading your wings wide. "Ready?"
"Not reallyyyYYYYYYY!!!"
You see Fi heaving with laughter on the ground as you take off, Merin flailing wildly as you ascend. "Stop that, you're going to throw my balance off." It takes a moment, but you manage to wrap your arms around her and prevent her from struggling.
"See? You're fine." You say, hovering in the air to give her a chance to acclimate. "Just hold still and let me do all the work."
"You're an ass." She mutters back, then shrieks as you let yourself drop a few feet.
Your trip back to Latchky is punctuated by laughter from you and impotent shouting from Merin.
The inn is as it ever was. One thing about Latchky that you find simultaneously fascinating and frustrating is how little it actually changes. Sure, the faces are different sometimes, and the little settlement is slowly but surely expanding… but the overall atmosphere endemic to a town frequented by adventurers remains constant.
"Oh, there's that ranger from before." You note, though Merin doesn't respond. You thought you'd gotten away with your teasing during the flight, until one of the guards made a comment about her being a little too old to be delivered by stork when you touched down in town. Now she's firmly in "pout" territory, which makes her normally sharp features look surprisingly adorable.
A swift glance over the rest of the inn shows you that there's only one other woman currently looking for aid, a capable looking blonde with a thin blade resting beside her chair.
The blonde seems interesting. You make your way to the table, Merin not far behind, despite her pouting. The stands and pulls out a seat for both of you, and you take it gratefully.
"Thanks." You say, holding out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Ariel, this is Merin, and you look like a woman in need of a helping hand."
She laughs a little, then nods. "You have good eyes, Ariel. I am Leona Silverwell. Does my surname ring a bell at all?"
You shake your head, glancing to Merin. After a moment she shakes hers as well, and Leona sighs. "I thought not. Most who know the name are historians, and specialized ones at that."
"Oh?" You ask, intrigued.
"You are aware of the purpose of Latchky and its sister settlements around the mountain, correct?"
"Of course. They're basically staging grounds for adventurers, an easy spot for us to rest and recuperate for trips into the dungeon." Merin says.
Leona smiles. "Indeed. Most such settlements are relatively small, since the only ones who really pour money into them are well-off adventurers themselves, though some of the magic academies have been known to provide funding as well."
The blonde reaches into her satchel and retrieves a small silver emblem depicting a well. "No points for guessing the origin of my family name." She cracks. "The Silverwell family– my family– put forth the first serious effort to colonize the dungeon over a century ago. My ancestors discovered an artifact which could transmit one deep into its depths, and, after some serious effort and haggling from which I will spare you the details, managed to secure funding for an estate to be built around it."
"Is the artifact a silver well?" You ask, dryly.
"We were apparently the Hollinder family prior to its discovery." She replies, equally dry. "Access to the Well garnered us quite a few advantages in our colonization efforts, but as things often go, it was too good to last. One day, something came out of the Well. None of our records are clear what it was, exactly, only that it took a serious intervention from the church to get rid of it. It had more than enough time to wreak havoc while we waited, and most of our family in the estate and dungeon were dragged into the Well itself, never to be seen again."
"Goddess," Merin intones. "That's horrible."
Leona nods. "No-one wanted to stay near the accursed thing after that, and we abandoned the estate entirely. But I'm a curious woman, and I've seen enough horrors in my own time that I'm willing to risk investigating it myself."
"So you're looking for someone to go with you to your old family estate, then." You say, and she nods.
"I have already scouted the area, and unfortunately a number of monsters have taken residence in my family's absence. A good number, if not all of them, are composed of spawn and wyverns. I simply require someone to go with me to clear the area."
You tap a finger on the table idly. "Would we be allowed to keep any spoils from their slaying?" Stronger male monsters can provide decent materials, you're well aware, and you could always use some of those to make better gear.
"Of course. You are also welcome to anything worthwhile left in the estate–I've made plenty of money from my own adventuring, I have little need for more. My sole interest is the artifact."
The three of you discuss small details for a while, then you tell her you'll get back to her.
The ranger nods as you sit down next to her. "Well, if it isn't my favorite angel. I'd shoot a prayer your way, if it wasn't blasphemy to do so."
"I won't tell anyone if you don't," You joke, and she grins in response.
"Best not to risk it, I think. I've no wish to spend the night with an inquisitor any time soon." She taps a finger on her chin. "Though, I did meet one once who had the greatest ass… ah, but I'm distracting myself. You're looking for work, aye?"
"We are," Merin confirms. "Has something happened in the dungeon again?"
The ranger's grin morphs into a grimace. "Aye. How much do you know about slimes?"
Slimes? You shiver. Most of the time, even male monsters have some sort of… something to them. A sense of protectiveness for their young, a fondness for a particular type of meat… slimes are just things. They eat whatever non-breedable creature they get their sticky selves around, attack women to multiply, and that's it.
"Not much beyond the basics." Merin says as you squirm internally. "They're made of slime, surprisingly sturdy, and some know a weird form of magic."
"Mm. Well, that's about as much as I know, too. Thing is, they've been popping up more frequently in the dungeon– every week we get reports of at least one of the things slithering around, when before we'd see one every couple of weeks or so. Nothing terrible has happened yet, but we'd like someone to take a look just in case. If they're just more critters that have been displaced by that Nael monster, then we're probably fine, but if something else is going on we'd like to know before it gets out of hand."
A bit of back and forth with the ranger commences, and you eventually break to discuss your options with Merin.
"Do you know anything more about slimes?" She asks, her commitment to pouting forgotten, and you shake your head.
"I hate the things." You admit. "One of them got on my wings once, and it's hell to clean them out of feathers, so I always tried to stay away from them."
"Well, it sounds like we can either help clear out that estate with Leona or look into the slime problem. Since it sounds like you're not too fond of slimes, I'll let you make the call."
Leona's description of the fall of her family, and the church's decisive response, makes it sound like something you don't want her accidentally repeating. It'd probably be wise to keep an eye on her, just in case. There's also the potential reward to keep in mind– you're painfully aware that your little leather harness isn't much protection against the sort of things you can tussle with now.
On the other hand, the slime thing could easily get out of hand, if they send the wrong people to deal with it. They're normally pretty predictable, but they reproduce very fast, even by monster standards, and are born with their full capabilities. If they get going, the sheer number of them will present a serious threat.
"Let's help Leona. That Well sounds interesting, and we could honestly use some new gear."
Merin grimaces and eyes her greatsword, which, despite still being functional, has clearly seen better days. "That we could. Alright. Could you tell her we'll accept? I'm going to go get this thing looked at, just so I know it won't snap in the middle of a fight."
You assure her you'll handle it, and sit back down next to Leona. "We'll take the job, if you'll still have us." Once more you offer your hand to her, to seal the deal.
"Wonderful!" She smiles brightly, shaking your hand. "I have some preparations to finish and friends to visit. Meet me tomorrow afternoon, if you would, and we will depart then."
"That sounds fine." You reply. "See you then."
It takes a little while for Merin to finish her business with her weapon, and even longer to convince her to strap back into the harness, but eventually you manage to fly your way back with minimal fussing from the warrior.
You're tackled to the ground by a flock of little winged monsters as soon as you land, and you milk it for all the drama it's worth as Merin squeals beneath the flurry of feathers.
"Back, creatures! You will not fell Ariel the Radiant this day!" You cry as a litany of high-pitched voices demands that they be the next to fly with you in the harness, pushing and pulling you to and fro. When they all work together like this they're actually frighteningly strong.
"It's all they've talked about since you left." Liane comments, lifting Zaphi off of you with a laugh as Fi helps free Merin from your harness and the pile of tiny bodies. "They're probably not going to let it go."
You wrestle Tianshi into a hug as she giggles and tries to fight free, her sisters valiantly aiding her efforts by hanging off your arms as you stand back up. "Alright, girls. Give me a minute to rest my wings first." An octet of cheers sounds as they all scurry off and away from you, each of them buzzing with excitement.
Zaphi, Mary, Sera, and so on get a quick aerial adventure in order, each of them requesting some special trick or maneuver from you. Liangyu in particular delights in daredevil antics, to a degree that makes you genuinely worried for when she can start flying on her on.
It's hard enough keeping an eye on your kids as-is, the last thing you need is for one of them to crash into a tree while they're trying to somersault through the air.
"Alright Zaphi, come on." You hold your arms out for your eldest daughter, and she excitedly squirms free of her mother's embrace to fly (not literally) into yours. "Now hold still while I get you strapped in…"
It's hard enough to keep track of the kids as-is, the last thing you need is for them to start trying to do aerial somersaults and smash into a tree or something.
The flying is over all-too-soon for your personal devil horde, much to their disappointment. "I can only take so much, girls." You laugh. "You'll understand once you start flying yourself. Wings get tired just like everything else."
A chorus of awwwwws follows, but they obediently disperse. It was, admittedly, incredibly fun for you too. Every little dip and swerve you've grown used to over the centuries was a brand-new, magical experience for them all, and you can't help but let some of that pure joy rub off on you.
"Alright, I think I want to sit down and do something that doesn't mean I have to move." You say, and Liane hip checks you.
"Come sit down with me for a while then. Zaphi wants to show you her magic, and Mary's drawings are getting very good." You follow her and your eldest daughters to their little spot of the clearing, chosen both for its relative isolation and scenic appearance.
"Look, mama!" Mary sits in your lap, thumbing through the journal her mother lent her. Liane was right. She's actually a pretty good artist, especially considering her age. What's more impressive is the sheer quantity of things she draws– you'd noticed she was basically always scribbling in this thing, but didn't realize how much she'd really gotten down.
"This one's my favorite from yesterday." She shows you what appears to be a drawing of… a spiderweb? "I saw it on a branch." She explains. "I thought it looked neat, so I drew it."
"They're all lovely, sweetie." You say, kissing the top of her head. "Just be careful and don't go into the forest, okay?" Some of these already look like she's been edging her way into the treeline.
"But I'm running out of stuff to draw here." She pouts, cutely puffing her cheeks. "I wish I could fly already, the ground is so pretty from up there. Oh! Sera let me draw her mommy earlier, see?"
A smile forms on your lips as she shows you the picture, and its clear that Sybil herself actually went through the effort of staying still for the it. "OH! Look at that, mama!" Mary excitedly points at a lizard that's currently crawling up a tree, and hops out of your lap.
"Sorry, I need my book!" She snatches her book and utensils up and dashes over to draw the reptile. You're about to follow, but Asteria has her in sight and nods to you, confirming that she'll keep an eye on her.
Liane chuckles as her youngest bolts away. "I was mortified when she got into my journals, but thankfully she didn't get to any of the more explicit drawings. As soon as she saw that first picture I drew of you, she was begging me to teach her how to do the same."
You remember the exact drawing, actually. It's the one she made just after you'd consoled her that first time. It feels ages ago now, not a few short weeks. "Were you as interested in drawing, when you were younger?"
She shakes her head. "I learned how to do it for documenting details only. That image of you was the first time I ever drew something just from inspiration."
Your face heats up, and she takes the opportunity to steal a kiss. "Mmm… I never get tired of your tast–"
"Mama!" A bright flash of light catches both of your attention, and Zaphi turns towards both of you. "Look, I'm doing it!" Her magic missile is an actual missile now, a rapidly rotating orb of condensed energy that needs only a focused will to send it flying.
"That's great, Zaphi!" Liane claps her hands. "Now just think about where you want it to go."
Zaphi frowns, unsure of where to send it, and you helpfully provide a target. "Here, I'll throw this rock in the air and you shoot it, okay?" She nods, and you send it flying across the field, though you take care to make sure no-one else is in that direction. If Zaphi lost focus, or someone wandered in the way of the missile, she could actually hurt someone.
In a seconds your eldest daughter's first spell has rocketed after the rock and pulverized it in midair, causing a rain of pebbles to fall on the empty ground below. Liane swoops Zaphi up in her arms, jumping up and down excitedly.
"You did it!" She yells, rubbing their cheeks together. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Zaphi returns the affection and you decide to get in on the fun, taking both of them in a big hug.
Once everyone has celebrated appropriately, you split up and Liane lets Zaphi back down. "I remember my first real spell." She says, a little nostalgic melancholy in her voice. "Mom insisted I learn defensive magic before anything else, so the first thing I ever cast was this."
A few quick motions and focused will later, and Liane is surrounded by a shell of magical energy. "What was your first spell, Ariel?"
"Relief." You reply instantly. "It's the first thing every angel learns. Magic missile was the first non-Divine magic I learned, though, so I guess we've got that in common, sweetie." Zaphi looks positively ecstatic that she's sort-of learned the same first spell that you did.
"It's a pity you can't learn Draconic magic." Liane says, dropping the spell. "I've always preferred it to Infernal, personally. It just feels different, like you're gathering up energy and throwing it out. It's very… cathartic."
"I can, sort of." You reply. "Eluvi gave me a…" You frown, glancing at Zaphi. "Special toy that lets me cast a little bit of Draconic magic, but I've never tried it."
"Oh?" Liane's eyes light up. "Oh, right, that toy. She told me how it works." The mage snickers and takes up a position behind you, placing both hands on your shoulders and massaging them. "Alright, take a deep breath, and hold it."
You do so, breathing in as deep as you can and holding it in. "Alright, now focus all of your magical energy into that breathe. Feel it fill your lungs, and let it build up until it feels like it's going to burst out of your chest."
Magical energy burns through your veins to settle in your chest, flooding your core until, like Liane says, it feels as if it's going to explode out of you. Liane can apparently tell you're ready, because she excitedly continues providing instruction.
"There! Now imagine the shape you want it to take, and let it go!"
The shape you want it to take? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Your first though is of a fiery dragon's breath, but you don't want to burn down your home or accidentally catch one of your daughters in the blaze. Instead, you focus on your hands, on the tips of your fingers, trying to isolate the energies you feel to as small an area as you can manage.
You gasp in shock and surprise as the proverbial dam breaks, sending all the power you gathered directly to your fingertips. They light up in a brilliant green, your nails elongating slightly as they do so.
"Oh, Acid Claw!" Liane exclaims. "You can put that on your daggers too, you know."
You frown, scratching the dirt with your new talons experimentally. A sizzling noise erupts as they tear clean through it with ease, and you shiver, dismissing the spell. You really don't want to accidentally scratch someone with that active.
"How does that work?" You ask, and Zaphi makes her own curiosity apparent as well. "Normally you have to learn the principle behind the spell before you can cast it."
Liane nods. "Normally. But Eluvi said those rin– er, toys she gave you have a sort of mind of their own. You got the spell that would most fit you, somehow. Eluvi wasn't very sure on how exactly it works."
Huh. Well, it beats having to memorize spell law.
"Can I try?" Zaphi asks, and you shake your head quickly.
"Not until you're older, okay?"
She pouts, predictably, but there's no way in hell you're budging on that.
(Ariel has learned Acid Claw and Elemental Spurt. These will remain available for as long as she has the Frozen Fire Rings attached to her.)
You continue to hang out with Liane and the twins for the remainder of the afternoon. Liane is an insatiable flirt, constantly teasing you when the girls aren't watching, and by the end of it you think you've been kissed more in the past few hours than you have in the past week. She really wants you, and it shows.
Still, eventually you have to give your other children and lovers attention, and she reluctantly parts with you. How do you spend your Evening?
You recall what Liane said yesterday about Soniel, and figure now's as good a time as any to check on her, seeing as you'll probably be busy for the foreseeable future.
Sure enough, you find your youngest riding on Fenri's shoulders, gleefully shouting commands to the hound. It doesn't really seem like Fenri minds serving as her steed, especially when the little devil lavishes her with headpats and tells her she's a good girl. Eva watches from the sidelines, her expression unreadable.
"Hey." You say, sliding in next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "How's my favorite elf?"
She cocks an eyebrow. "Do you even know any other elves?"
"Plenty." You respond.
"Let me rephrase then– have you ever actually spoken with any other elf for longer than a few minutes outside of your angel duties or shopping?"
Damn, she's got you, and the cheeky grin she shoots your way shows she knows it. "I'm fine. Just watching Soni be herself."
"You say that almost like it's a bad thing." You say, noticing the tone of her voice shifts slightly.
"It might be. I don't know. I worry about her." She sighs. "I know your pet likes the attention, but I think that's why Soni loves her so much. She knows all she has to do is pat Fenri's head or rub her ears a little and she'll fall all over herself to do whatever Soni wants."
That is a little concerning, you have to admit. You haven't really had the opportunity to watch the two interact much up close, but now that you're here you can sort of see what she means.
"It's not just that, either. Just a couple days ago I found out that she'd been shirking her morning chores by telling one of the other girls she'd do them, then getting another of her sisters to do those chores, and so on. She always managed to come out of it without doing any actual work herself, and when I confronted her she claimed she'd never promised to do anyone else's chores in the first place."
The frustration is evident in her voice. "I have to keep a constant eye on her now, and it feels terrible to constantly suspect my own daughter of plotting something. I just…" She goes silent, then shakes her head. "I never had to deal with anything like that with her sisters. I don't know what to do."
You squeeze Eva closer and she nuzzles her cheek in the crook of your shoulder, spilling more of her worries to you. "I know that it's not like she's convincing people to sell their souls or anything, but I worry about what will happen when she decides she wants more than just a piggyback ride, or when she realizes she can force people to do what she wants with that contract power you all have."
That is a sobering thought. Right now, she's basically just a little girl with some manipulative tendencies who wants to play and have fun instead of doing work. The worst thing she's done so far is lie to her mother. Her actions are mostly harmless, but if the attitude solidifies as she grows older… well.
It sounds like it's time for a bit of a talk with Soniel. You kiss Eva on the forehead and make your way to the two playmates.
Soni's eyes light up when she sees you approach. "Fenri, carry me to mama!" She commands, and sure enough your loyal puppy does so, tail wagging the whole way.
"Good girl!" Soni coos, rubbing the lycanthrope's ears and making her positively melt in happiness. There's a spark of satisfaction in Soni's eyes that you only just barely catch now that you know to look for it– Eva is right. She knows exactly what she's doing.
The only question is how you curtail this behavior. Parenting is difficult, but at least last night taught you a bit more about how to handle your kids.
"You've been riding Fenri for a while, Soni." You say, reaching out to lift her from the wolfgirl's shoulders. "How about we take a walk together?"
Soni flails a little. "Can't I ride Fenri while we walk?"
Your voice goes from gentle to firm. "She's been carrying you all evening, Soni. You can use your own two feet for a little while."
Soniel pouts, but does as you say regardless. Making sure to clasp her little hand in your own, you set off walking around the field to visit the other children.
"What are we doing?" She asks, her voice sweet as honey. "Oh, can Fenri come too?"
"She can." You nod to your puppy, who excitedly takes up a position on your opposite side. "And we're going to talk to your sisters, Soni."
"Why?" She asks, more curious than questioning.
"I heard that you told them you would do their chores." You reply, setting a reasonably walking pace for her little legs.
You feel her lag behind a moment. "Mommy told you?" Her voice is wary now, but still sweet.
"She told me you said you didn't do it. We're just going to make sure that's true."
She's clearly not happy, and she makes it known. "Don't you believe me, mama? I didn't do it, I promise."
You sigh, continuing to gently tug her along. You're almost to Zaphi and Mary now, and her denials and protests are getting more frequent and insistent. "If you didn't do it, then I will apologize for not believing you."
Panic fills her eyes as you get closer and closer to the twins, and she sputters, looking for another excuse. "What if they lie, mama?" She asks, fear in her voice. "I don't want to get in trouble because they lied!"
"Why would they lie about that, Soniel?" You ask, looking back as your youngest desperately tries to drag you back and away from her oldest sisters.
"Because…" She freezes, clearly not able to come up with a suitable lie on the spot. "Because, um, they…" She opens and closes her mouth, then, seeing no other way out, begins to bawl.
It's surprising how quickly she does it, too. One second she's fine, then the next she's sobbing like you just spanked her. Fenri moves to console her, but you hold a hand out. "No, Fenri. And no to you, Soni. I've faked my own share of tears, you're not getting out of this that easily."
That sets her off. Like a switch was flicked, Soni is suddenly no longer crying, suddenly all calm, though you can see anger in her eyes. "Why does it matter who did my chores? They got done. Everyone's chores got done."
You're reminded of how eerie Sera's stare was yesterday as a shiver crawls up your spine. "It matters because you were the one who was supposed to do them, Soniel. It matters because when you got called out for it, you decided to lie about it to myself and your mother, and even tried to claim your sisters would lie about you for no reason."
Her face twists in frustration. "I wouldn't have to lie if you and mommy didn't get mad at me for dumb reasons."
You're not getting through to her, you can see. It's probably going to take a bit more of a definite argument to put a stop to her attitude.
"Soniel, do you know about your aunts?" You ask, kneeling down to look her in the eye. Confusion paints her features and she shakes her head no. "I didn't think so."
You grab her and lift her up, carrying her back to where you started so that you can lecture her in peace. "Your oldest aunt, Asmodeus, is a Goddess." You begin. Her eyes light up with wonder, which rapidly replaces her confusion and wariness.
"Like the one Sera's mommy always talks about?" She asks.
"No, that's your grandmother. My mother," You explain, seeing that she doesn't recognize the term. "Asmodeus is my big sister. A long time ago she got in a fight with our mother and got kicked out of our home. Ever since then, she's made a very big family, which has done many terrible things."
Soniel frowns, no longer liking the direction of this story, but you keep going. "Her daughters all had many daughters of their own, and they go around constantly lying and tricking one another. When one of them gets tricked too much, she gets made into a…" You cringe, realizing you can't spell out exactly what happens to a devil who is outplayed by her sisters. "… servant, who always has to do what her sisters want her to do."
Soniel shakes her head. "But I wouldn't do that to my sisters."
"No? You were perfectly willing to fool them into doing your chores earlier, and to claim that they'd lie about you to avoid punishment." Her face turns red from embarrassment and shame, and you can tell you've struck home.
"I know you think this isn't a big deal, Soni. But if you get it into your head that it's alright to make other people do things for you, one day you're going to start making people do things they'd really rather not. That's how a lot of our family acts, and they end up absolutely miserable because of it."
In fact, you can think of one recent example in particular. "Your aunt Tamael tried to trick an entire city into getting rid of monsters because she didn't like them. She felt like what she was doing was fair, because she'd been treated badly by some other monsters, but she still hurt a lot of people who didn't deserve it, and she would have hurt a lot more if she hadn't been talked out of it."
"Mommy says there are more people than I can count in the city, even if I counted all day." Soniel says, and you see the scale of what Tamael almost did is just barely registering to her young mind. "I don't want to do something like that."
"I know you don't." You kiss her on the forehead. "None of us do, at first. But every little step you take down that path makes it easier and easier, and eventually you turn into the sort of monster that people write stories about."
"Like a dragon?" Soni asks, and you realize that, as the daughter of a bard, she's likely heard more than a few such tales already.
"Like the meanest ones. Fafnir, or Vritra." Truth be told, you only know the absolute basics about Tiamat's most notorious daughters, but Soniel has apparently heard enough that she flinches at the thought of being like them, and the tears you see well in her eyes are the sincere variety this time.
"Oh, sweetie." You brush the tears from her eyes. "I'm not telling you this because I want to hurt your feelings or scare you. I'm telling you this because I love you, and I don't want you to ever end up like them."
She sniffles a little, but nods her understanding. Seeing that she gets it, you switch tact a little. "I don't think it's wrong for you to want to be a little clever in dealing with your problems. But if you always have everyone do everything for you, you'll never be able to do anything on your own."
You whistle, and Fenri settles her head in your lap next to Soniel. Soni smiles through the few tears that have leaked down her face, patting the lycanthrope affectionately. "Fenri had to work very hard to get as strong as she is. So did Asteria, and Eluvi, and every other adult you know. Your mother and I have both been all over the world and done more things than you can imagine, and if we'd ever relied on everyone else to do them for us then we might never have met and had you."
You poke her nose at that last sentence, making her giggle. "And I don't even want to imagine a world without you, or any of your sisters. So when we tell you to do your chores, it's not because we want you to do something for no reason. We want you to get used to doing things yourself, so that when you have to do them without help, you can. Do you understand?"
She nods, more enthusiastically than before. "Yes, mama."
"Good. Now, in the future, if you want to make your chores easier? Instead of tricking your sisters into doing them, why don't you all work together to get them all done faster?"
"I'll try." She replies, uncertain.
"That's all I ask. If that doesn't work, then just be sure you do your chores yourself from now on, okay? And no more lying. If you do something wrong, come to me or your mother right away and tell the truth. You might get in trouble, but we'll be very proud of you for doing the right thing."
She nods again, and you give her a few more kisses on her cheeks for good measure. "Alright. Let's go find your mother, before she gets jealous of me for hogging you to myself."
(Your deep dive into the price of temptation has pulled Soniel away from the path of Sin. Sloth and Lust no longer have their hold on her, and she will never again walk that path without a significant shift in her perception of the world.)
(Elaborating on temptation and its cost to your daughter has improved your own ability to tempt others. Your Temptation is now Rank 4.)
Eva takes Soni from you, cooing affection into her ear.
"Mommy? I did make my sisters do my chores." Soni says. "I'm sorry I lied."
Eva kisses her cheek. "I know, baby. Thank you for telling the truth."
"She's already been told not to lie any more, and to stop making others do what she's supposed to do." You inform Eva.
"Well, I'll just have to hold her to that then." Eva says. "But I think she'll be good. Won't you?"
"Yes, mommy." Soni nuzzles into her shoulder in much the way that Eva did to you earlier. She really does take after her, so much so that you can't help but wonder whether Eva herself might have been a manipulative little elf herself back in the day.
"What are you grinning at me like a dope for?" Eva shoots you a mock glare.
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
It's time for bed, and your various lovers and daughters are retiring to their rooms. You may choose a bedmate for the night, decide to simply cuddle some of your family, or sleep alone.
A whistle is all it takes for your faithful puppy to hurry to your side, her blue eyes filled with excitement and lust. You laugh and rub her head, paying special attention to her ears, then lead her to your bedroom.
Instead of getting right into things, however, you seat yourself near the head of the bed, resting your back against the headboard. Fenri looks at you, confused, but you pat your lap and she eagerly places her head in it, immediately realizing your intent.
"Good girl." You tell her, causing her to let out a happy whine as you begin to pamper her in earnest. "You've been very good all week, Fenri. Thank you for playing with my daughters."
Her tail wags. "I like them. I like all pups." Her eyes close as you caress her ears lovingly. "Had several pups when I was pack leader. They're always cute, but then they grow up." She sighs. "Then they fight for dominance, and they are not as cute."
You wince. "That's pretty common among gnolls?"
She nods in your lap, taking advantage of the chance to cover herself in your scent. "Most pups are like yours. Some problems, some fights, but most of it is play. Like Ju's litter. They fight, but do not try to hurt each other." Her ears twitch. "When we grow, the play stops. We fight for power, for the right to lead."
"It sounds exhausting." You say, voice soft, and she nods after a moment.
"I evolved, so the challenges came less. But still, always had to watch my back. Some of the pack strikes from behind, when you are distracted. If I ever showed weakness, the pack would turn on me." She goes silent as you move your hand to her belly, stroking her with what is surely only affection and not an intense attraction to her well-toned body.
"I like it here more." She says eventually. "No more worrying about sneaky siblings or daughters. No more worrying about how to feed the pack. Pups to play with, and a strong mistress."
Your heart swells at hearing her preference for her new life. Truth be told, you had felt a little bad about taking her from her pack before. "Well, we like having you here. Soni in particular."
"She is sweet." Fenri smiles. "Maybe sneakier than I thought, but still cute."
You continue to stroke your puppy, the silence only broken by the happy little whines she lets out when you find a spot she particularly likes to be rubbed. Eventually, you break it yourself.
"Do you want to make pups with me, Fenri?"
Her entire bottom waggles along with her tail now, telling you all you need to know even before she speaks. "Can we?" She asks, and the hope and excitement in her voice is almost heart-melting.
"Yes," you laugh. "Come on, let's get you out of–" Before you've finished confirming your intent, she's already squirming out of the simple shirt and shorts that replaced her loincloth when you brought her into your home. Shrugging, you similarly slip out of your nightwear, and in moments Fenri has planted her face in your crotch, breathing deeply.
"Mistress's scent…" She moans into you, making your crotch vibrate and your cock stand at attention. "Let me taste it, please? I've been a good girl!" Her butt wiggles from side to side without her tail's lead this time, clearly trying to entice you.
"Hmmm…" You faux-ponder, making her whine plaintively beneath you. "Open."
She obediently opens wide and lets her tongue loll out, welcoming you like a red carpet. Her reward for her display is the head of your cock being planted on her tongue, making her shiver in arousal. "Does it taste good, puppy?"
She whines, wanting to nod but not wanting to accidentally dislodge her treat.
"Go on, then. Work for the rest of your reward." You nearly double over when she immediately throats your length, moaning in bliss all the while.
"Good– ah! Good girl." You wince as she rocks her head back and forth, but still manage to rub her ears affectionately. Her ice-blue eyes stare up at you as she works your rod with her mouth, her hands reaching up to grip your own on instinct. She really does have beautiful eyes, especially now that they're not the malice-filled orbs she had when she was still leading her pack.
Fenri isn't that skilled at oral sex, but what she lacks in experience she more than makes up for in enthusiasm and the apparent absence of a gag reflex. Over and over she pulls almost entirely off your length, only to immediately impale herself completely again, the tightness of her throat around the tip of your member making you gasp every time. Her tongue is still lolled out, allowing her to lap at your balls when she throats you as well, which she does with almost feral enthusiasm.
"Here it comes, puppy." You warn her, making her redouble her efforts to earn her treat. Your drugged cum pours down her throat and her pupils dilate as they amplify her arousal and pleasure both, her tail wagging as she greedily gulps down as much of your seed as she can. Remembering that she enjoys your taste first and foremost, you pull out just enough so that the last few splashes of semen end up in her mouth instead of her belly, and she takes the chance to savor your taste happily.
The sight of her, almost literally drunk on your cum, surges you back to full mast in moments. You lift her bodily and spin her around, planting her on all fours in front of you. Her butt wiggles back and forth. It's got just enough heft to jiggle slightly as she tempts you, and it's all you can do not to claim her immediately. Instead, you get a devious little idea on how to reward your puppy.
"You've been such a good girl," You begin, reaching out to squeeze her ass with both hands. "That I think you deserve two treats." Your magic causes your cock to twitch and spasm, and you're suddenly endowed with two members of canine origin. A couple experimental strokes makes you shiver. The knots are surprisingly sensitive, responding to a bit of pressure by sending pleasure surging through the rest of the shaft.
Fenri whines impatiently and you spank her in response, turning the whine into a yelp. "Hush. You'll get your treat when I'm ready." Despite your admonishment, she doesn't have long to wait. It takes you but a moment to line both of your now-pointed tips with both of her holes. If she has a problem with you taking her anally she does not voice it, and you reward her by copiously lubricating her magically before taking the plunge.
Once you're satisfied that this won't be a painful experience for her, you drape yourself across her, reaching down to caress her breasts with one hand and her thighs with another. "Are you ready to be a mother, my Fenri?"
She shivers at the implicit claim you just laid on her. "Yes mistress." She presses back into you, and you use the hand currently caressing her thigh to press the tip of your cocks into her, making her gasp.
"Good girl." You begin to slide into her, gently at first so as not to hurt her. Judging from the insane tightness of her ass currently clamping down on one of your cocks, you're guessing she's never taken anything in this particular part of her before.
She whimpers and moans as you drive yourself deeper into her, her breathing coming harder and harder as you stuff her full of more cock than she's ever taken before. You continue to assure her that she's a good girl, and can feel her tail try to wag, though it doesn't do more than tickle your belly a bit, trapped between you as it is.
With a yelp of your own, you realize you've nearly completely hilted yourself in her. The only thing left outside of her are your twin knots, each pressed tightly between her tight entrances and your body. The pressure surges through both cocks and you nearly collapse atop her, though you manage to brace most of your weight beneath you and stay as you are. A few experimental prods confirm that, though you can probably fit them in her, you're going to need a little more force than you've used so far.
Deciding that you've given her enough to acclimate to your intrusion, you grit your teeth and slam your hips forward. She cries out in shock as your knots penetrate her with a pair of loud pops, and the feeling of her reflexively clamping down on them is heavenly. You take a moment to enjoy the sensation as she squirms beneath you, then pull them free with a happy moan.
"Are you alright, puppy?" You ask, fucking her in a steady rhythm. You leave your knots free for the moment– you can tell letting her squeeze down on them for any length of time will make you cum well before you want to. Instead, you enjoy the slight tingling surge of them being pressed against her holes.
"I'm– ah! Fine, Mistress!" She manages to gasp out as you plumb her depths.
Satisfied that you have not harmed her, you reposition the two of you, kicking her legs further apart to grant you greater access to her body. An idea strikes you, and you reach down to lovingly tease the marks you put on her during your last encounter, making her jump and moan in response.
"I almost forgot how sensitive these little gifts I gave you are…" You say, rubbing circles around the heart-shaped brand in her skin. "I wonder what happens if I do… this?"
Collecting magical power in your fingertips, you release a small jolt of electrical energy into the mark, making Fenri howl with surprise and pleasure as you supercharge her mark, sending raw lust and electric magic surging through her body. You wince and grit your teeth as her grips become vicelike around you, and manage to endure her sudden orgasm.
"Miiisssttrresss!!!" Fenri whines, her body bucking and spasming beneath you. "Again!" You blink in surprise. You thought you hurt her, at first. Maybe you did, and she's just into that sort of thing? Whatever the case, you're not one to deny a lover pleasure for no reason. In fact, you've got an idea to take this even further…
You pull out of your puppy with a wince as her walls greedily try to hold you in. It wouldn't due to cum quite yet, not without first making it as good as you possibly can. Ignoring her plaintive whines, you hop off the bed and find your Sheathe. A little finagling gets a droplet of venom on one of your nails, which should be enough to safely play with.
Fenri watches you approach her with a mix of heavy arousal and curiosity, the scent of the former rich in the air. You tug her over to you, placing your envenomed nail into her mouth. Hopefully ingesting this stuff works the same as… oh, it sure does. Fenri yelps in surprise as her breasts swell, her tail wagging furiously as she reaches down to play with herself.
"Misstttreesssssss…." She whimpers as milk begins to dribble from her breasts. You laugh and shove her back onto all fours, watching as her newly-swollen breasts bounce and spray milk all over your sheets. It'll be a pain to clean up later, but then again it almost always is. You pop yourself back into her with relative ease, whispering sweet nothings into your puppy's ears as you drape yourself over her.
"Pretty soon you won't need my help to leak like that." You tease, reaching down to pinch one of her nipples and roll it between your fingers. She writhes beneath you and you're rewarded with a thick stream of cream. Curiosity takes hold of you, so your ring your fingers to your mouth for a taste. Sweet, but a little… wild? It's hard to describe.
The time for foreplay has well since past, however, and you quickly get back to fucking her brains out. Her walls clench and unclench around you as reach around and literally milk your pet. "I think I'll keep you like this." You whisper. "My own personal milky puppy, always ready to give her mistress a treat." She pants, tongue lolling, and you swing one of her heavy breasts up to suckle on for emphasis.
It's even better from the tap, as it were, and the way she squeezes down on you makes it even better. You were kind of joking before, but you might actually end up breastfeeding from your puppy pretty frequently from now on. The tip of your tongue swirls around the creamy nub in your mouth and Fenri's high and sweet moans drown out almost all other noise in the room.
You feel your seed building just behind your swollen knots, and prepare for your grand finish. This time, though, you make sure to knot yourself in her first. You lift her upright, holding her tightly against you as you gently tease her and thrust up into her, making her whimper as your knots slide into her once more. Even just sitting here like this and teasing the crest causes her to milk you wildly as you do the same to her, so you don't have time to enjoy the sensation. Readying yourself mentally, you once more fill your fingertips with electric magic and send it directly into the heart-shaped mark and swollen breasts.
The feeling that follows nearly causes your mind to go blank. Her muscles around you and the pleasurable pressure on your knots immediately exceeds what you can bear, causing you to all-but explode with her. This has the side-effect of making your knots inflate within her, amplifying said pressure exponentially as the already-vicelike grip of her insides becomes tighter than anything you've ever felt before, making the pleasure assailing your cocks a thousand times more powerful.
Fenri herself goes limp as your knots expand within her, and you dimly realize that between the pleasure of the mark and your inflated knots she's been overwhelmed entirely. Her tongue lolls out and her eyes lose their focus as her mind becomes nothing more than a haze of ecstasy as the two of you fall onto the bed, your hips bucking and jerking as the sensations assaulting your crotch cause you to lose control.
By the time you've come back to your senses, Fenri's tummy has inflated enough that she looks pregnant even without actually being so. Actually, given the sheer amount of cum she's filled with, it wouldn't surprise you to find out she is already with child, and the thought fills you with happiness. She herself has fallen asleep, the erratic and heavy breathing she displayed before replaced with a calm, steady pattern.
Petting her head happily, you move to pull out of her and wince in surprise. Your knots, as it turns out, have yet to deflate, and you can't remove yourself without some serious effort. Not wanting to disturb your sleeping puppy, you instead resign yourself to your fate and spoon her, following your lycanthrope lover to the land of dreams.
Your cock has shifted back to its normal state as you slept, and you sheepishly realize that changing it back manually would have let you free yourself from Fenri's depths earlier. Still, it was a nice position to sleep in, so it's not like you regret it.
A little examination with Sybil confirms that your puppy has puppies– or angels, rather. Twins. The lycanthrope's delight at the news is infectious, and Soni in particular seems fascinated by the idea of a pair of sisters growing in her second-favorite member of the household. Her first favorite is apparently both you and Evara, because she couldn't decide who she liked more.
You'e got plans for the afternoon and you need to set off soon if you want to grab your erite and get it affixed to your dagger. Still, should you wish, you could instead spend that time training or learning magic…
"Hey Fi, you wanna try out flying with me for a while? I've got to go to Skask to grab a package." The halfling blinks up at you for a moment, before nodding carefully.
"Dunno why you need me in particular." She replies.
"Can't I just want to hang out with you?" You ask, all smiles. She knows you well enough by this point to know you've probably got more in mind, but she shrugs.
"Sure." She rolls her eyes. "We leavin' now?"
You confirm that you are, and pull on the flight harness. "Now, if you'd just step up next to me? There you go…" The buckles and straps, while complex, are becoming familiar to you after having taken each of your daughters on a flight yesterday.
"Isn't…" Fi says suspiciously. "… isn't this sort of low?" She's currently hanging with her head pressed against your breasts, and her ass at crotch height.
"Maybe because you're so short?" You say, false ponderance in your voice.
"I watched you strap your kids in, Ariel, I know how– wait." She realizes far too late what you have planned, and with the rapid beating of your four wings the two of you are lifted into the air before she can safely struggle out of the restraints.
It's easy enough to hook a finger in her shorts and tug them down, revealing her bare ass to you. It's a bit more of a struggle to free your cock from your leather pants, but you manage it. The entire time Fi is shouting something at you that you choose to ignore. Something about how you'll regret this later.
"You know, from how you were laughing at Merin earlier I would have thought you'd have seen this coming." You say.
"How are you even supposed to fuck in this thing?" She shouts back. "It's not like you can move all that much and still fly straight, idiot!"
"Who said anything about flying straight?" You ask. Truth be told, you'd been pondering that exact question since the idea of getting this flight harness first entered your brain. The answer you came up with was simple– don't.
A little bit of lubricating magic gets her nice and wet despite the air rushing past you both. "I wonder what our kids will say if they find out they were conceived in the sky?"
"Don't you dare– eee!" A little bit of maneuvering sees your cockhead glide into her channel with relative ease. She's still sinfully tight, but despite her protests you know she's actually quite eager to get fucked in all sorts of fun ways.
Now that you're in her, however, the real fun starts. Flapping your wings rapidly, you ascend. Gravity naturally tugs down on Fi in the harness, forcing her further down on your shaft. You actually loosened the straps just a bit so that you could pull this specific thing off. You halt suddenly, sending her gliding back up your cock, then back down it again as gravity reasserts itself.
"You're kidding." She looks back at you with a mixture of fear and arousal, both of which amplify when she sees the malicious grin that lights your face. "You're not going to fly like a maniac all the way there just to fuck me like this?"
"At first, I was just going to let you sit nice and snug on my cock for the whole trip, but that didn't sound like much fun." Your wings stop flapping and she shrieks as you dive down, holding her in your arms to at least reassure her that she won't fall.
The entire trip goes like that. You unleash a dizzying array of aerial maneuvers that force her to bounce around in the harness, making her fuck you without any real say in the matter. Her screams go from mostly fear to mostly arousal in record time, as she realizes that you'd never do anything to put her in any real danger, horny or not.
You can feel your seed building, so you stop in the air for a moment to give both of you a chance to breathe. As you told your daughters yesterday, flight like this does take a certain amount of stamina, so you're beginning to feel a little worn out.
"Having fun?" You pant.
"You're a bitch." She manages to gasp back. "A bitch who's lucky I love her."
"Mmm…" You pull her up just enough to lock lips with hers, exploring her mouth hungrily. "Love you too. I wasn't kidding about earlier, by the way. I'm going to knock you up on this flight, even if I have to fly circles around Skask until you're nice and swollen."
Her pussy tightens around you suddenly at your words, telling you exactly what she thinks about that particular mental image. "To that end…" You reach around and engrave your crests into her flesh, making her shudder as your power marks her. "There we go. It's about time I gave you one of these."
"Right, Eva told me. They make it easier to knock us up?" You nod, and she tentatively moves herself up and down. The bulge of your cock inside her brushes against the crest and she shouts in surprise. "Ffffuck!"
Her walls clench down on you once more, rejuvenating your heart, if not your body. "That's enough rest, I think."
Down you go once again, looping back into a series of maneuvers that would be incredibly artful, were they not made for the sole purpose of fucking the halfling strapped to your body at the moment. Every once in a while you tire yourself out a bit, and swap to just grabbing her and forcing her up and down like a masturbation aid. Just to hammer home how utterly at your whim Fi is, you use a little bit of draconic magic to shock her nipples as you simultaneously tug at them, making the little masochist squeal and milk you even harder.
You cum in her more than once during the trip, causing your flying to become jerky as your muscles seize in ways that make it hard to soar.
Her belly is beginning to bulge slightly as Skask comes into view, and you decide to finish things with a literal bang. With mighty wingbeats you send yourself rocketing forwards, the rogue sliding up your shaft only to be forced back down as you propel yourself forward once more.
It's a very rough fucking, and one you wouldn't have done if you hadn't already confirmed that Fi can take a lot of punishment. You feel yourself almost literally hammering at the entrance to her womb with each impalement, making her gasp and sob each time. Your opiate cum is almost certainly making the experience that much more vivid for her, making her writhe around you and egg you on further and further.
The inevitable happens and you wrap your arms around Fi as you dive low and your final orgasm takes you. You aim for a convenient pile of leaves and other cushioning detritus as you fan your wings out to slow your final descent. It's almost more of an experience than an orgasm. The only things you can feel are the rush of the wind, the excitement of the descent, and the ecstasy of filling your lover, all mingling into a single thrill that vibrates through your whole body.
You don't crash so much as land messily, still clinging tightly to your halfling cockslave lover. She breathes heavily, still restrained by the straps that held her to you the entire flight. Undone restraints, lovingly whispered affections, and a thoroughly patted head are Fi's reward for enduring the trip so well, and she nuzzles against you as she regains her faculties.
"… still a bitch." She mutters, pulling herself up to give you a peck on the lips. "Still love you, too."
The two of you get cleaned up and walk the rest of the way to Skask, your wings thoroughly exhausted by the flight. You find yourself wishing you'd brought the Tome, but you didn't want to pry it from Eluvi and figured you'd be able to handle a bit of aerial fun. You do at least get some satisfaction in seeing Fi wince a little every so often. She's not going to be walking normally for a while yet.
Khazi's shop is actually a little more busy than you're used to seeing, though fortunately she sees you and waves you past the crowd. "Here fer yer rock, Ariel?"
You nod in confirmation. "I've got it right… where'd I put the blasted thing?" Khazi ducks beneath the counter, swearing to herself as she looks for the erite.
Khel the kobold nervously taps your shoulder and holds out a cloth-wrapped object roughly the size of both of your fists.
Did she take it from her mother so she could specifically give it to you personally? That's kind of cute, actually. You wonder if your girls are going to be this awkward when they start getting crushes. "Thank you, Khel." You reach out to take the package from her, accidentally brushing your fingers against her own in the process.
She nods quickly, face crimson, and dashes off to the back. You notice an orc slap her on the back as she passes, laughing encouragement to her. Khazi resurfaces, and catches sight of the erite in your hands.
"How did ye…?" She catches sight of her daughter's tail disappearing into the back. "That girl. Ach, she's a right handful these days. Ah well, ye got the delivery well enough, aye?"
A quick glance beneath the wrappings confirms that this is indeed erite, and you cover it with a nod. "Thank you again, Khazi."
"Aye. If ye need somethin' else, ye know where ta find us. Or jus' visit fer fun, Goddess knows Khel would like ta see more o' ye. Now if ye'll excuse me, I've got a line ta deal with."
That's that. Now all you need is a blacksmith. You recall seeing one in Gobtown, as it happens, and so make your way there.
Tilly's Weapons and Armor and Other Stuff is not the most awe-inspiring name for a blacksmith you've ever heard, but it's better than nothing, and the weapons on display behind the counter seem good enough at a glance that you're not terribly concerned about quality.
Fi immediately begins pointing out the various knives with something akin to awe in her voice, and you find yourself worrying about any children you end up having with her. You've seen her twirl those things around for fun, and if they inherit that particular fascination…
"Heya!" You're interrupted by a red-haired girl only a little taller than Fi popping her head over the counter. A pair of ears twitching atop her head and the massive bushy tail behind her are enough to identify her as some form of squirrel Beast. You don't know the specific names of the individual species, as very few of them are any form of aggressive, and thus were never a problem you needed to deal with.
"Hello." You respond, Fi waving noncommittally in her direction as a greeting. "You're Tilly, I take it?"
"Nah, she's dead." The girl somberly informs you. You're about to stammer out an apology for assuming and digging up what is clearly a painful memory, when her face shifts into a bright smile. "I'm kidding! Of course I'm Tilly. What do you need, hot stuff?"
You cough, the emotional whiplash of the moment taking you off your rhythm. "I, ah, have some ore I'd like worked into a weapon. If you've got some armor that might fit me, that would be great as well."
"Hm. Got some stuff I could maybe slap on you. Most wing-havers don't have normal arms, but I got a couple sets that might fit. I'll toss 'em out for you to look at while I work on your weapon. Speaking of?" She gestures towards the counter, which you respond to by plopping the erite down.
"Erite. Huh." She eyes you up and down. "Nasty stuff if you don't know how to deal with it. I can do it for… eh, this much. It'd be more if you didn't provide the ore yourself."
(Upgrading an erite weapon or creating an entirely new one will cost you 2 Wealth.)
"So what do you want done?"
Curved Erite Dagger: A dagger with a thick, curved blade. Does more damage than an its fellows. Forged of erite, allowing it to inflict Lust with ordinary attacks. Forged of erite, allowing it to inflict Lust with ordinary attacks, or double that if the owner took Lust damage prior to the attack. The sheer amount of erite allows it to channel even greater amounts of Lust.
Accuracy 2, Damage 3, Lust 3. 19-20x2 (x2 Lust)
Gotcha. Gimme a sec to look at my armor…" She disappears for a while, then returns with a frown on her face. "Don't have anything that'd fit you. I can slap some new stuff on what you've already got, if you like."
"Here's what I can do as far as your armor goes."
Reinforced Leather Harness: A bit of metal in the spots where it counts makes this armor more sturdy than your current harness. 4 AC, 1 Allure.
You pass over the pay for both items. "Alrighty. I'll get you squared away, if you wanna stick around for a little while."
Grateful for the chance to rest, you flop into a nearby chair. Fi immediately hops into your lap, cuddling up to you affectionately. The two of you spend some time caressing one another just enough that you can still be seen in polite company as you await your new equipment.
"Not half-bad, if I do say so myself. Wouldn't want to get cut by this thing, I'll tell you that for sure." She tosses you the dagger, which you fit into your magic sheathe. She passes the modified harness over next, and you slip back into it with practiced ease. It's a little heavier in spots, but not noticeably uncomfortable or anything.
"Right then, come on back if you need anything else."
You assure her you will, then take your new gear and your halfling and prepare for the flight home. You could probably fuck Fi a bit more on the way back, but you don't really have the energy for a full fuck session. She'll have to be satisfied with just acting as a cock warmer for the trip, if you choose to use her that way.
Fi doesn't protest all that much when you take her back out of the city and slot her back into the harness. "I'm surprised you still have the energy for this." She says.
"I don't." You admit. "You're just here to keep my cock warm."
She laughs, and you happily hilt yourself in her as you take off. It's a smoother trip than before, more… relaxed. You rub her new crest teasingly to excite her, making her milk you just enough that you don't really feel the need to put much effort into fucking her.
In the end you only really manage to cum once more, but the more intimate flight was enjoyable enough on its own.
Your little angels swarm you when you return home, begging for another chance to fly with you. "Not right now girls. Mama has a job she has to go to." A chorus of disappointment sounds from them, but they disperse nonetheless. All save Tianshi, who wants you to carry her around before you leave.
"You're getting too big for this, Tia." You say sadly as you cradle her against your upper body.
"Just carry me when I get big." Is her response. You laugh, then tickle her viciously.
"Maybe I'll make you carry me, you brat." She giggles under your assault, which continues for another dozen seconds or so. You take the opportunity to look around your home, and take in all the changes of the past week.
Sybil, despite struggling with Sera a bit, has prevented any major conflicts from arising between your children.
Evara managed to help Asteria a bit in her spare time, and you note with some pride that Soni is actually lending her admittedly limited capabilities to the effort as well.
Ju has taught her girls that odd little art about where certain items should be placed in a home. It has apparently been working, as many of the other women of your home have been praising the improved energy of the place.
Asteria's work on the new Library is proceeding apace. She looks to be about a third of the way done to your admittedly untrained eye.
Fenri complains that she can't find any good prey around here, which is probably to be expected with Asteria so close by.
Liane drags you into her room excitedly, shooing out your twins and stripping you of your armor.
"Wai– Liane, I have to get going soon, we don't have time to–" She hushes you with a finger to your lips.
"Firstly, I haven't gotten a good lay with you for some time now, so if I want a quickie you'd better put out, missie." She gives you a look of mock-sternness. "Second, that's not why I want you here. Watch."
She pulls out a scroll and unravels it. A bright flash of faint blue light illuminates the room, and she gently presses the scroll to your harness. The scroll ignites into azure flames which seep into your armor and spread throughout its entirety.
When the flames fade, your harness looks a little less… there? It's still visible, still solid, but you get the feeling if you look away from it for too long it will disappear.
"What did you do?" You ask, putting the harness back on tentatively. It's cool, and airy, like you're wearing a cloud.
"I made it ethereal. It took me some time to get the enchantment down, but after last week's failure I figured out how to do it. Just focus on it a bit and you'll vanish from the world for a few seconds, which should hopefully be long enough for you to avoid any danger."
You blink at her in surprise. "You came up with that on your own?"
"Well, no." She admits a little sheepishly, her cheeks red. "It's a known enchantment, but it's a little hard to make."
"How hard?" You ask. You haven't ever seen an enchantment like this, and you've been around little centuries.
"Mmm…." She frowns, thinking. "Hard enough that I could probably get tenure at one of the top academies in the world for pulling it off."
Is she… what do the youths call it? Humble-bragging? "That's very impressive."
"Maybe. Just remember that next time you decide to sleep with someone, hm? I really do miss being intimate with you."
A pang of guilt stings you, and you nod. "I will. Thanks, Liane." You bring her close for a long kiss, which she returns eagerly, and the two of you stay locked together until Mary decides she's tired of being locked out of her room and barges in.
It takes some time to convince your second eldest that no, you cannot hold that position for her to sketch, and no, she is not allowed to use her tongue when she kisses until she gets older.
You're ready to depart, and have just enough time to make it to meet Leona at the appointed hour. The only question is, who do you take with you? You're not 100% certain how long this trip will be, so whoever you take may not be able to contribute to the homestead this week, depending.
You decide to take all the non-mothers with you this time around. A part of you feels like you should maybe get the girls used to not having their mothers around, but it feels just a tad early for that. Each of the girls and their mothers gets a kiss goodbye, and you set off to Latchky.
The trip is blessedly uneventful save for the minor ruckuses your two monster companions get up to. Fenri wants to chase every other critter she sees, and Eluvi seems to have an almost pathological need to fly instead of walk nowadays.
The guards are as wary of Fenri as you might expect, considering she's obviously a variant of gnoll. It takes some assurances, explanations, and a promise that you can both handle her and take responsibility if you lose control of her before you're allowed inside. For her part, Fenri seems sort of sad that she's caused trouble for you accidentally, but you assure her that it's not her fault.
Leona awaits you in the inn, as expected, brightening as she sees your troupe. "Ah, are these your companions? A rogue, a warrior… a pterosaur, perhaps?" She asks Eluvi, who nods excitedly. "I thought as much. Wings that large don't tend to develop until full dragonhood outside of that particular species. And this one is a lycanthrope! I've never seen one so amicable."
"She's a good girl." You say, and Fenri's tail predictably wags in response.
"I can see that." Leona replies. "Well then, if you're all ready to go then we can get moving. The estate is a little over a day's journey unless something has seriously changed in the past week or so."
The road to the Silverwell estate is not a road so much as it is the suggestion of one. While it's clear there was an actual path through the forest here at one point, disuse and neglect have long since allowed it to be overrun by the natural world.
"If you think it's bad now, imagine what a nightmare it was even finding the damned thing. All I had to go off of were some writings left behind by a few ancestors who absolutely did not want anyone finding the place again."
"From what Merin told me it sounds like they probably had the right idea." Fi quips.
"Perhaps." Leona admits. "I believe, however, that if the Well is still capable of producing such fiends as it already has then it should at least be confirmed. What would happen if a monster or intrepid adventurer were to stumble into it and let loose some horror upon the face of Gaea with all the world none the wiser?"
Fi shrugs. "That's fair enough. Goddess knows that I've stuck my nose places it was better off not being and caused trouble by it."
"Exactly. Better that someone aware of the danger, backed by the aid of several other capable women, were to examine it first."
Your group continues on in silence for a while, the sounds of nature echoing around you during the trek. At one point a small, feathered head pokes out of the brush, but it immediately retreats upon seeing your group.
"A puk." Leona explains. "Roughly equivalent to a kobold or a goblin, but not nearly as smart as either. The only time you really need to worry about them is if they swarm– they won't eat women, but I've seen them reduce larger spawn to bones in less than a minute, and they breed with the same ferocity."
You shiver at the mental image. That thing head quite the vicious set of teeth, from what you saw.
"On the bright side, that does mean we're getting close. It's harder to tell since the estate isn't actually in a clearing, but… ah."
The estate is large, its ivory walls still standing proud amidst the dense foliage that encroaches upon it. A small stream runs off into the forest beside it, originating from somewhere within the estate itself. Here and there you spot little critters not dissimilar to the one you saw earlier darting across the grounds, and in the distance you hear something large stumbling around…
You wretch and collapse to the ground as you feel something disgustingly familiar surge through you. Pink and black dance along the edge of your vision, much like when you wandered through the foul chapel in the dungeon, but this time you are aware enough to realize something more.
That little ball that sits forever in your chest is writhing in excitement, reacting to the presence that you now know lies within the estate.
It would appear that Leona's ancestors managed to drag something Eldritch from the Well, and worse? It's still here. An image surges through your mind of something large and almost lupine in shape, though the tendrils writhing along its silhouette make it clear that it's something much more.
It knows you're here, you can tell. You can feel it looking back at you as look at it, empty eyes turning to glare at you with a mix of hate and delight–
"Ariel!" Merin's voice snaps you out of it, and it's followed by her arms bracing you. "Are you alright?"
You nod, slowly, as you get the sensation under control. It's a bit surprising that you actually can get it under control, considering how it constantly afflicted you last time. Maybe your recent evolutions have something to do with that? Who knows.
"I'm fine. Whatever your ancestors let loose is still here, Leona. That or something similarly evil."
She frowns. "That's unfortunate news. Shall we pull back?"
"No. It felt me too. I don't think it's going to sit around for much longer." You stand, brushing errant foliage and soil from your clothes. "It has to be dealt with now."
"If you say so." Leona grips her sword and swipes away some of the encroaching plants. "I suppose I'm overdo for a homecoming."
Glancing over the estate once more, you take in your possible avenues of approach. The manor door has been bashed off its hinges, though whether this was a recent architectural adjustment is unclear. Large scratch marks litter the once-pristine white walls near the door, hinting that there may be something more dangerous within…
There's an open window on the second floor that you and Eluvi could easily access. A large number of nests in both it and a few other spots hint at there being an infestation of aerial monsters, however. You'll likely face some degree of harassment from them if you try that route.
A little fight never scared you before, and after what Leona said about how those little scalekin swarm, along with the number of nests you see, you're not really eager to fly through a potential flurry of them.
The only question is exactly how you'll approach. Stealth has typically served you well so far, and it remains an option now. There's enough foliage that the
"open" field doesn't present much of a challenge on that end, but even if it did you've recently learned a few tricks to deal with that. Of course, if something goes wrong it'll be you and maybe Fi against whatever is in there until the others can rush in.
You could also just charge in. The whole group can come with, but you won't have any chance to surprise your foe or figure out what their weaknesses are beforehand.
As usual you are nigh-undetectable, tucking your four wings around you like a cloak and vanishing into the overgrown weeds that strangled out their better-looking rivals somewhere around three decades ago. As you approach the door to the manor you can hear something that sounds like wood being ripped to shreds, along with deep grunts and something hitting the floor.
You clamber up the porchway that leads to the manor door, and you're immediately hit by a wave of masculine scent. It's almost like slamming headfirst into a wall of musk, and a quick peak inside shows you the source of the smell.
The entrance hall is a mess. What was once clearly a proud testament to the Silverwell line has been reduced to wood chippings and torn tapestries. Whatever color the tapestries once had has long been bleached by sunlight that pierces through little holes in the ceiling above. The stairs directly across from the door once led to the floor above, but someone– or something, more likely– has pulverized them utterly, leaving the land-bound no way to ascend without some talent in climbing.
More distractingly, four lumbering walls of fur and muscle have turned the entrance hall of the manor into a personal den, or perhaps some sort of contest ground. The bearlike heads atop upright bodies make it clear you're dealing with some of the ursa spawn.
Two of the ursa are currently wrestling one another in the center of the hall, just below the stairs that lead to the next floor. The other two watch them with mild interest, and one of the spectators in particular catches your eye. It's bigger than its fellows, with odd blue marking running down its fur that remind you of some of the Sullundr tribeswomen. The markings are interrupted as they trace down its chest, where a serious burn scar of some sort marrs its fur. The other spectator is currently sharpening its claws on the walls as it watches, which is clearly causing some of the noise you heard earlier.
You can try to glean more about the creatures, though that would require a moment of examination which might give them a chance to spot you. Still, information is key in a fight, and it could be worth the risk.
Staying deathly still, you continue to observe the ursa's bizarre wrestling ritual. The two in the center duke it out for a while before the smaller spectator suddenly charges the large one. The other two immediately break from one another to attack the big guy as well, and he bellows in fury as the three all descend on him.
The first one to strike him is immediately struck with a vicious backhand, and the next two fare no better. The lumbering beast is a machine of violence, responding to their attacks as quickly as they can make them with surprisingly fast blows of its own.
When the little contest for dominance ends, the largest stands victorious, though the other three don't look particularly worse for wear. You gather this was more a probing maneuver than anything else, and from the fact that the big guy didn't use his claws, it's not one he takes particular umbrage with. In fact, if they wanted to tear him down they could probably manage it right now. He's looking pretty winded.
Maybe they're just trying to keep him on top of his game? It's hard to tell when it comes to creatures that can't actually communicate the reasons for their rituals.
Like a bolt of ebon lightning, you descend on the Ursa Major. Once, twice, you strike at its neck and shoulders. Your first blow bites deep, the heavy erite of your main blade surging with energy as it tastes the spawn's blood. The creature roars in pain and swipes at you, but you cartwheel clean over its head, stabbing down with your other dagger to remove one of it's eyes.
It's roar turns from pained to furious, but you ignore it for the moment to flick the blood from your daggers. The nearest Ursa Minor is either terrified beyond its wits or incredibly aroused by your martial prowess and falls to a heap on the spot. The Ursa Major, even more incensed at the ineptitude of its ally, blindly swings a brutal claw downwards in your direction as its other claw clutches at the bleeding remains of its eye. With a flap of your wings you soar a good few feet away from it, leaving wood to crack and splinter as the beast's claw rakes against ground where you stood moments before.
A fervent howl reaches your ears and moments later Fenri is on the spawn's back and digging her claws deep into the wounds you left. Her legs brace on its body and with a terrifying display of strength your puppy rips the monster's head clean from its shoulders, flipping off its back to land on her feet a short ways away.
There's a loud crack and a mournful whimper as one of the beasts manages to get itself stuck trying to flee. Merin grips the blade of her sword in a maneuver you recognize from some knightly manual or another, bashing the remaining spawn across the head with the pommel of her weapon. It stumbles dumbly, but manages to stay upright.
The final ursa staggers away from Merin, attempting to flee the carnage it just bore witness to. Unfortunately for it, Eluvi spreads her wings wide and slams into it with enough force to shatter bone– which does indeed shatter. The maneuver is hardly elegant, but you can't fault the results as Eluvi pulls herself free from a newly-made hole in the wall where the fresh carcass of the ursa sits.
Leona finishes the two other ursa off, and you note with some approval that she's fairly merciful. A quick jab to the back of the head with the sharp end of her weapon sends their souls back to the cycle of rebirth. Hopefully they'll end up as something less in-need of execution in their next life.
"That was impressive." Leona notes, cleaning the tip of her weapon.
"I had the element of surprise, and it left its eye wide open when it tried to strike back at me." You reply, striding over to your puppy. Fenri wags her tail excitedly as you approach, standing a little straighter and leaning forward in hopes of a good ear rub.
It would be cute, were she not absolutely caked in blood. You give her a quick ear rub regardless, and mentally make a note to toss her in the stream outside before you head back. Hygiene aside, the smell is bound to attract predators at some point.
Fi winces at the carnage, then takes a quick look around the manor. "Where to next? I don't suppose you know where this artifact of yours is?"
"I do, actually. It's supposedly beneath the grounds, so there's probably a basement somewhere." She frowns and looks at the destroyed stairway. "I'm curious about what might be upstairs, though."
You frown and examine the ruined stairs a bit more closely. "These aren't claw marks." You note, glancing back at the carcasses that Fi is currently expertly skinning. She's a little scary sometimes.
You have obtained a pile of Ursa Minor fur, as well as several Ursa Minor claws. The fur can likely be sold or traded, or made into decently warm armor, while the claws can be made into a dagger or added onto a weapon. The more interesting gain is the Ursa Major fur and claws– a skilled craftsman could probably make some armor that simulates some of the BEARSERK Ability, while the claws can be made into an even larger weapon.
"They look more like a lot of little somethings chewing on the wood." Leona notes, moving up beside you. "A little larger than the puks, though. Maybe an archaeopteryx? They're basically evolved puks."
"Maybe." You say. "If so, then it's odd that they'd do it to this area specifically. It seems almost… deliberate. Like they were cutting the ursa off from the top floor."
Leona frowns and nods. "If so, then there's a larger, more evolved creature leading them. Another scalekin, more than likely."
That leaves you with a couple of options. You could go for the scalekin upstairs now, if you like, or try to track the Eldritch first.
"We better deal with the scalekin then. If it was competing with the ursa for territory, it may decide to move in while we're dealing with the Eldritch. I don't want to end up in the middle of a monster pincer maneuver."
"Fair enough." Leona replies. "What's this Eldritch, though?"
"The name for the creature below. Like scalekin, or beast. They're evil." You put a good deal of emphasis on the word. "Moreso than even the devils."
"Hm. It would appear my ancestors really managed to make a mess of things." She sighs. "Very well. I don't suppose I could ask you for a lift? I have climbing gear but it's a bit slower than flying, I'd imagine."
You and Eluvi ferry each of the non-fliers to the second floor. You can hear little claws scurrying about all over the place, though you can't see any of the little beasties making the noise. They might be in the walls? That's an unpleasant thought.
You listen carefully as to the little claws raking across the floor. They're not running about randomly, you realize. They're following a definite path of some sort.
It takes you a moment, but you quickly get the hang of judging where they're going. It will be pretty easy to follow them to what you assume is their primary nest. You can even try another sneaky approach, should you wish.
With a gesture you signal the others to stay behind as you begin to silently trace your way through the upper floor. You're quite gratified as you note that the scalekin scurrying about don't make any significant change in their pace that would indicate that they realize your presence.
In no time at all you stumble upon a room that you're sure would upset Liane and Sybil both. What was once a library has been absolutely ravaged by hordes of little wyverns that resemble the one you saw outside, if a bit larger and with brighter plumage. The books that once populated the shelves have been torn to shreds to serve as soft filler for myriad nests, leaving behind only empty bindings.
The shelves themselves are nowhere to be seen initially, though the large hole in the roof gives you enough of a hint that you spot them eventually. They've been broken down into a much larger nest on the roof, which is currently rocking a bit. The unmistakable sound of a woman being taken against her consent can be heard from the nest, and you see a flash of movement as a multi-colored feathered wing that rivals Eluviendis's own pair in size flutters into sight for a moment.
You could try and get a closer look at the creature above. As before, it might give you more of a hint as to its capabilities. On the other hand, the woman currently being raped by it would probably appreciate a more rapid rescue.
There's no time. You signal the rest of the group and immediately take off towards the creature on the roof.
It's a little larger than a grizzly bear, big enough that the woman it's currently railing is not even slightly visible beneath it. The scales from which scalekin take their name are just barely perceptible beneath the bright feathers that cover its entire body.
It takes you maybe a moment to take in this information, but once you have a solid idea of what you're dealing with you make an elegant dive towards its long neck, seeking to separate its head from its shoulders like its erstwhile rival below.
Your erite dagger sinks deep into its neck, but the immediate jerk of its head in response throws off your aim enough that your other dagger misses entirely. It turns towards you, hissing furiously and opening its maw wide, but you rapidly ascend back above it.
It swerves its head around in confusion, apparently not used to fighting other aerial opponents, and you fall upon it once more, this time digging both daggers into either eye. It jerks and spasms, but it turns out to be little more than residual impulses as it flops lifelessly out of the nest and into the library below.
You don't have time to check on its victim, however, as a veritable swarm of feathers and teeth descends upon you. Fortunately, you have enough of a wingspan that you're able to keep them away by just flapping your wings rapidly, and you take care to stand defensively above the prone woman.
Merin simply cleaves her greatsword from side to side, chopping up the creatures as quickly as they can come at her. Eluvi laughs with mad delight as she skyrockets past you and high into the sky, the archaeopteryx being entirely unable to catch up to her and her powerful wings.
Fenri, on the other hand, isn't as lucky. She fights valiantly, but she lacks flight or a large weapon, and her claws can only deter so many. Anger surges through you as you hear a yelp sound from her. One of them got a solid bite in, it would appear. She attempts to retaliate but fails, her claws fumbling slightly. Her reddened face tells you all you need to know– she's been poisoned.
Eluvi descends as quickly as she rose and you hear numerous splats as the sheer momentum she possesses slaughters the creatures in droves. She pulls out of the dive just before hitting the ground, and the spread of her wings sends another half-dozen of the fiends bouncing off the walls.
Merin twirls her greatsword ahead of her like a baton, blending the remaining fiends into a fine paste. The library falls silent, save for the whimpers of your puppy and the sobs from the woman beneath you.
Now that the thrill of combat is over, you have some time to take in the sight of the woman you saved. Her tattered tunic barely covers anything any longer, and if she wore pants before they've long been torn off and discarded. If you had to guess, she might be a farmer or other such workhand. If she weren't in the state she's in, you'd say she's rather cute, in that farmer's daughter sort of way.
She's still crying, but in more of a hiccupy aftermath sort of way. It's also a little worrying that she has completely failed to acknowledge your presence. You get the feeling a little magic might help her out, but you might want to save your energy for the fight ahead…
You lay a hand on her shoulder and invoke the laws of calm and comfort. Her breathing becomes less erratic almost immediately, and she slowly turns her head to look at you.
"Whu- who?" She manages to splutter.
"Relax, dear." You say softly. "Hold still for a moment, please? I'm going to make sure you don't end up carrying a wyvern."
She shudders, but your calming magic keeps her from panicking. A simple pulse of divine law later and any chance of her bearing a mini-Atvaras is eliminated. "There we go. Can you tell me your name?"
"…'s Talia." She mumbles, still confused. "Are you an angel, miss?"
"I am." A white lie is still a lie, but some lies are necessary. There's a little awe in her eyes, but you hurry past it. "Can you tell me what happened to you, Talia? Where are you from?"
She takes a deep breath and nods. "I'm from Holbreck." She sees you don't recognize the name. "'sjust a little rancher's village." She explains.
You nod your understanding, and she continues. "I mostly take care of the goats n' pigs, while m' sister deals with the chicks n' horses. Our moms do most of the harder field work. Told 'em they don't need to, that we're old enough now to do it ourself, but… sorry." She blushes and looks ashamed when she realizes she's rambling.
"It's alright." You rub her back soothingly. "You're still in a bit of shock, I'm sure. Take your time."
She smiles a thankful little smile. "I, um. Well, some of our pigs've been up and vanishin', and I told mama about it but she said it was prob'ly just wolves or such. It didn't make sense t' me, 'cause if there were wolves round the ranch we'da seen tracks or some such."
Her smile vanishes and her face falls. "Thought I'd be clever an' catch whoever was snatchin' our porkers up. I set me up a little watch at night, and sure 'nough, I caught 'im. Then he caught me."
She gestures down at the atvaras' corpse. "Figure he came lookin' for food, but he got my fool self in the bargain. There was other girls here, too, but…" She shivers violently, and for a moment you think she's going to break down despite your spell.
"Somethin' took 'em. Didn't never get a look at it, but I could hear the girls screamin' when it grabbed 'em. I just…" Tears well up and pour down her face. "I just went real still, hopin' it wouldn't take me next. That one down there didn't ever fight it over us. Never did figure why. Maybe he was scared of it, I don't know."
You hug the girl close, rocking her back and forth. "It's alright. I'll find the others, and get rid of whatever took them. Hold on a minute and I'll see if we can't find you some clothes and something to eat."
Leona, luckily, travels well-prepared. Not only has she applied an antivenon to your still-whining puppy, but she also produces a spare set of clothing from her pack for Talia. You return to the girl and hand her the clothes, then carry her down to the library. You're sure to warn her of Eluvi and Fenri's presence, just in case, but your calming magic should see her through any such issues. regardless.
Fenri's whining is incessant at this point, and she wriggles around on the ground with teary eyes. There's a bite mark on her thigh, but no other visible wounds. If you didn't know any better, you'd think she's playing up her injury for sympathy from you…
"Poor Fenri." You coo, reaching down to rub her belly. "Did the wyverns get you?"
She whines louder and nods, wriggling around on the ground like she's trying to itch her back. You laugh and cast Relief, sealing the wound completely. a little bruise remains, but she was already exaggerating the pain anyways. "There you go."
A little extra headrub is enough to satisfy her need for your attention, and you turn your attention back to Talia. "Alright. We need to deal with the thing below now, and I don't want you going near it. We'll leave someone outside to watch over you until we make it back, is that alright?"
She nods. "Thanks for everything, miss angel."
"Don't mention it." You smile. You kind of mean it literally, too. "Leona, can you stay with her?"
She nods. "As much as I'd like to see the Well, it can wait for the moment. If you do not return in due time I will assume the worst and retreat to get stronger backup."
It's a sobering thought, but it's a wise course of action. "Alright then. Find some place safe and we'll deal with the rest."
It doesn't take you too long to find the basement, despite the ancestral Silverwells' best attempts to hide it. The Eldritch has actually worked against itself in that regard, as it clearly broke the trapdoor off its hinges some time ago.
The basement itself makes you feel that familiar purple-pink sickly-aroused feeling, but you push it down. Dust that was recently disturbed fills the air as you descend the stairs, the creak of the wood setting you on edge as surely as the knowledge of what awaits you below.
As before you can attempt stealth, but you know for a fact that this thing know you're here. It will be more difficult to sneak up on it than the spawn and wyverns.
You gesture for the others to wait, and descend into the dark alone. The air feels thick and heavy with something you don't recognize, but you trek on regardless.
The basement itself is slick with fluid of a dubious variety, which is the sort of thing you're trying really hard not to think about too hard. You hear moans of pain and pleasure from somewhere in the room, and concern overwhelms your common sense for a moment.
Your halo lights the area around you with a scene straight out of one of Mikael's horror stories. The basement floor is empty save for a few key features. The first thing you notice are the women attached to the wall by some thick, viscous substance, their bellies swollen with young. The well from which Leona takes her family name sits at the far end of the basement, and atop it sits something you almost fail to describe.
'Canine' was a simultaneously accurate and inaccurate descriptor. This thing is more like a bundle of fleshy tendrils forced into a lupine shape, but as awful as that is, what comes next is worse. The fiend's face splits into three segments, and what you initially took for a tongue fills out and stretches into the shape of a woman.
A six-eyed, betentacled woman attached to the mouth of a monster, but still a woman. She blinks her six eyes in your direction and smiles wide, almost-but-not-quite too wide.
y̵o̵u̵
Her voice makes you shudder. It's so similar to the last one you fought, almost uncannily so. "Can't say I know you. I think I'd remember a face like yours."
She laughs, and it would be cute if not for the odd reverb that makes it sound like she's all around you and in your head a̶n̷d̴ ̵i̴n̷ ̵y̴o̴u̸r̵ ̷s̵o̶u̴l̸
d̷o̶n̴'̸t̸ ̴y̷o̴u̶ ̸r̵e̴m̸e̸m̶b̸e̵r̶?̷
̷y̶o̷u̵ ̷k̶i̷l̷l̷e̸d̴ ̴u̶s̴ ̵b̸e̵f̵o̵r̷e̸
̶b̵u̴t̴ ̶w̶e̷ ̷f̴o̵r̶g̷i̸v̸e̶ ̸y̴o̵u̵
Is she implying what she thinks you're implying? "You're the Eldritch from that chapel in the dungeon?" You ask, an edge of terror in your voice.
y̵e̸s̸
̵w̶e̸ ̶d̷o̴ ̸n̸o̷t̷ ̵d̵i̶e̵
̴w̴e̴ ̶a̵r̴e̶ ̴i̵m̵m̷o̴r̸t̵a̵l̷
̷t̶h̵e̸ ̴h̸e̸r̴i̶t̷o̶r̷s̵ ̸o̷f̶ ̸d̵i̷s̵c̶o̶r̸d̸
̶f̵r̷o̷m̴ ̸t̶h̷e̸ ̶f̸l̵e̵s̶h̶ ̴o̴f̴ ̶o̴u̵r̵ ̸s̵o̴n̷s̷ ̶a̵n̷d̸ ̸b̶r̶o̴t̷h̸e̷r̶s̶ ̸w̶e̶ ̷a̸r̶e̸ ̵b̷o̴r̶n̵ ̴a̵n̸e̴w̸
̷a̸g̸a̶i̴n̶ ̷a̷n̸d̴ ̴a̸g̴a̶i̸n̸ ̶a̵n̴d̵ ̶a̸g̷a̵i̴n̷ ̵a̷n̸d̷ ̸a̶g̵a̷i̶n̵ ̶a̵n̸d̸ ̴a̴g̶a̵i̸n̴ ̵a̷n̷d̸ ̶a̶g̶a̷i̵n̶ ̸a̶n̸d̷ ̷a̶g̷a̶i̷n̵ ̴a̸n̸d̶ ̸a̸g̵a̷i̶n̴ ̷a̷n̵d̷ ̶a̷g̶a̷i̷n̴ ̶a̵n̷d̷ ̷a̶g̴a̵i̷n̶ ̶a̴n̷d̴ ̸a̴g̴a̴i̸n̴ ̶a̶n̴d̷ ̷a̴g̷a̷i̶n̴ ̴a̷n̸d̶ ̸a̴g̵a̶i̸n̸ ̸a̷n̸d̶ ̵a̷g̸a̵i̷n̵
(Category Aspect Discovered!)
(Heritor of Discord: Eldritch, due to the horrible secret behind their origin, are incapable of producing other Eldritch. Instead, any children they sire are always abominations, their male counterparts– and they produce these very rapidly. When an Eldritch dies, and after a random amount of time based on her Tier, her being takes command of the strongest abomination that does not exceed her Tier, rebirthing herself from its flesh. The resulting Eldritch is not entirely the same being, but possesses many of the same memories and attitudes as its former incarnation.)
y̵o̶u̵ ̸s̴h̷o̶u̴l̵d̴ ̷h̸a̵v̵e̴ ̴t̶o̷l̸d̷ ̵u̶s̷ ̴y̴o̵u̵ ̴w̸e̸r̷e̷ ̶o̶u̵r̵ ̶s̴i̴s̶t̸e̷r̷ ̴i̴n̸ ̶m̵a̸d̶n̶e̶s̴s̸
̴w̶e̴ ̵w̴o̸u̵l̴d̴ ̶h̵a̴v̸e̶ ̴w̵e̶l̶c̵o̶m̸e̵d̵ ̷y̶o̷u̸ ̸w̷i̵t̴h̸ ̸l̴o̸v̵e̶
̶b̶u̷t̸ ̶t̶h̷e̴r̸e̷ ̵i̵s̵ ̴n̵o̵ ̷n̷e̵e̵d̴ ̷t̶o̵ ̴h̴i̸d̶e̶ ̵i̵t̷ ̸a̵n̷y̴ ̸l̶o̷n̴g̵e̴r̶
̶w̴e̶ ̶f̷e̵e̶l̷ ̸o̷u̸r̵ ̶m̵o̴t̴h̵e̵r̵'̶s̷ ̶g̸i̶f̷t̶ ̵i̵n̶ ̵y̷o̶u̸
̶t̸h̸o̴u̴g̵h̷ ̸i̴t̵ ̸b̵r̶e̷a̷k̷s̸ ̷o̶u̴r̴ ̴h̴e̵a̸r̴t̴ ̷t̵o̷ ̴s̵e̴e̷ ̶y̴o̴u̷ ̸d̷e̴n̴y̵ ̷i̵t̴
̷l̴e̷t̶ ̸u̵s̴ ̵h̸e̴l̸p̷ ̴y̷o̵u̸ ̸t̸o̶
Her tendrils whip out at you and you leap back in surprise. Combat, it would appear, is joined.
You're ready for her, at least. It's not like you expected an Eldritch to monologue at you all day. You diveroll forward and avoid the whip-crack of her tendril, forcing power into your sheathe to infuse your erite dagger with Lucia's potent venom.
You come out of the roll swinging, your two blades snapping left and right at the abomination. Her tendrils literally split apart to avoid your blows, but the heavy erite blade manages to sink into her arm regardless. She jolts back as if, well, struck, and you watch as her breasts swell and begin leaking a sweet-smelling pink fluid.
She looks down at her leaking breasts curiously and pokes at them with a tentacle. A shocked moan escapes her lips, sending waves of dull pleasure that reverberate through the room. The women on the walls shiver and cry out in response.
w̷h̴a̴t̷ ̸i̷s̷ ̶t̶h̶i̵s̵?̸
̵i̵t̵ ̸f̷e̴e̴l̶s̵ ̶o̶d̵d̵
̶a̶ ̷g̵i̸f̴t̸ ̶f̴o̸r̸ ̶u̷s̶?̴
̵y̸o̷u̶ ̵a̶r̴e̸ ̵m̸o̵s̸t̷ ̵t̴h̴o̶u̶g̶h̷t̶f̴u̴l̷,̶ ̸s̷i̴s̷t̸e̴r̷ ̸o̴u̴r̶s̷
̴b̴u̸t̷ ̶w̴e̷ ̶a̵r̴e̷ ̶s̴u̴p̶p̵o̷s̵e̶d̴ ̸t̸o̶ ̷b̷e̵ ̸g̴i̵v̷i̸n̶g̴ ̴g̴i̴f̸t̵s̴,̵ ̷n̴o̸t̵ ̵y̷o̸u̴
̵l̶e̵t̸ ̴u̸s̸ ̸s̶t̷a̶r̷t̴ ̶w̵i̶t̴h̷ ̸a̶ ̶s̸o̴n̶g̶
"A song– aagh!" You clap your hands to your ears as she releases what can only vaguely be approximated as the cross between a lovely opera soprano and what you imagine a drowning dog would sound like. It echoes around in your skull and you see pink and black sparks at the edge of your vision, but a bit of willpower pushes the feelings away.
Just in time, as it happens, as one of the split maw-things snaps down at you. She's surprisingly fast, considering her bulk, but you're faster. Your new armor helps a bit too, as you feel her teeth slide off your reinforced greaves partway through your dodge.
s̸t̷o̶p̶ ̸r̶u̴n̴n̸i̵n̸g̵!̴
She slams her fists down against her hips and puffs her cheeks in a gesture that would be cute if it weren't on a living nightmare. This is a very severe mistake on her part, as it gives you enough of an opening to cartwheel over her feminine body to land on her canine-ish back.
a̷ ̶r̸i̷d̶e̷?̷ ̷w̸e̸ ̸d̸i̷d̷ ̵n̸o̵t̷ ̷t̴h̸i̶n̸k̸ ̷y̵o̷u̴ ̸o̷n̶e̵ ̴f̷o̴r̶ ̶s̵u̴c̵h̷ ̸c̴h̶i̶l̶d̴i̷s̷h̵ ̴g̷a̷m̶e̴s̶
b̴u̸t̶ ̵y̵o̷u̵ ̶a̵r̵e̷ ̷v̸e̴r̶y̴ ̶s̵o̵f̶t̶
̷w̷e̴ ̵l̵i̷k̶e̵ ̴h̵o̶w̸ ̷y̶o̸u̷r̴ ̸b̴o̸t̵t̷o̵m̶ ̷f̷e̶e̸l̶s̴,̵ ̶i̷t̶ ̶i̶s̴ ̵v̵e̴r̸y̵–̵
̷s̷t̸o̸p̸ ̵t̵h̸a̸t̶!̸
You've reached around her body and groped her breasts in both hands. She's not actually as disgusting to touch as you might have thought. It's not like touching a tongue so much as touching a woman that just also happens to have been covered in oil.
The noises she makes are surprisingly cute as you begin to milk her. Sweet-smelling pink fluid gushes from her breasts to coat the floor, and she bucks wildly to dislodge you.
s̸t̵o̵p̷ ̵i̷t̶ ̶s̵t̸o̴p̴ ̷i̷t̶ ̴s̴t̷o̷p̷ ̶i̶t̸
̶w̴e̷ ̴c̵a̷n̷'̴t̸ ̷t̵a̸k̸e̷ ̴i̶t̶
̴i̷f̴ ̴y̷o̶u̴ ̴d̷o̸n̸'̵t̸ ̴s̴t̴o̶p̸ ̵w̷e̷ ̵w̵i̶l̴l̷
̵A̷A̸A̴A̷A̶A̶A̶A̸A̷A̸A̴A̷A̴A̵
Her whole body, humanoid and bestial alike, collapses to the floor in a heap, her tentacles flailing about limply as she whimpers on the ground. You immediately regret your choice of assault, as your hands are now coated in sticky pink fluid of dubious quality.
"What the fuck?" You look up at the sound of Fi's voice to see that your party has just arrived, all riled up and ready for a fight that… isn't happening anymore.
You stare at the group, and they stare at you. Part of you feels like maybe you've done something wrong, like you should feel guilty for denying them the thrill of a fight, but that's crazy.
Merin sighs and sheathes her blade. "I shouldn't be surprised at this point, honestly." She glances around the room and shivers. "We'll need to help these girls. Goddess, to think… nevermind."
Your party gets to work freeing the women from their prisons, and you give them a quick warning. "Abominations spawn quickly. You might want to keep your weapon ready."
Their faces stern, they set about their grim duty. Sure enough, a few ecstatic moans precede the birth of several tentacled abominations, which are put down with relative ease. Abominations may be born more or less fully-grown, but they're still not a match for your group.
b̸o̸o̵
̴o̴u̶r̴ ̵s̴o̵n̷s̸ ̸w̵o̶u̷l̵d̸ ̵h̶a̴v̸e̴ ̴b̶e̴e̴n̷ ̶o̴f̶ ̸g̶o̴o̶d̸ ̶s̷t̴o̴c̴k̵
She's still panting and squirming on the ground, but apparently has enough sense to speak. "Cry me a river." You mutter.
w̸e̶ ̶d̸o̸ ̴n̴o̵t̸ ̷p̶o̷s̶s̷e̸s̶s̵ ̵e̵n̴o̵u̴g̸h̸ ̶t̸e̸a̶r̸s̸
"Are you being sarcastic?" You ask. "Whatever. What did you mean when you called me your 'sister in madness?'"
w̷e̷ ̶m̸e̴a̴n̶ ̴w̷h̵a̵t̵ ̷w̶e̵ ̶s̷a̸i̸d̷
̶y̶o̵u̶ ̴p̵o̵s̷s̴e̶s̶s̴ ̴o̶u̵r̸ ̵m̶o̷t̸h̸e̴r̴'̶s̵ ̴g̸i̶f̷t̴ ̷w̴i̸t̶h̶i̷n̵ ̷y̷o̷u̶
̴t̵h̷o̷u̸g̷h̵ ̶i̸t̵ ̸i̶s̸ ̸r̷e̴s̵t̵r̵a̸i̶n̷e̵d̴ ̷b̷y̷ ̷t̴h̴e̷ ̴h̵a̸n̸d̴ ̵o̶f̵ ̶a̵n̷o̸t̷h̵e̴r̶
̵a̴ ̷p̸i̴t̸y̶
̶w̴e̴ ̶p̶r̵e̵f̶e̷r̷ ̴y̴o̸u̸ ̸t̷o̷ ̶o̷u̸r̴ ̶o̴t̵h̵e̵r̷ ̸s̵i̵s̴t̸e̸r̴s̸
̶t̸h̶e̵i̴r̸ ̸n̴e̷e̸d̴ ̴f̵o̵r̴ ̸d̵i̴s̸c̶o̴r̵d̶ ̶o̶f̴t̵e̶n̶ ̵c̶l̵a̵s̸h̶e̵s̶ ̷w̶i̸t̷h̷ ̶o̴u̷r̵ ̴o̷w̶n̶
You shudder as you realize what she means. That little ball of hate and ecstasy locked away in you that churns at you very being, that nearly overwhelmed you when you Fell, is apparently a "gift" from Eris. The implications of that are… not good. Not good at all.
"What do you mean by gift? How did she give it to me when she's sealed away?"
w̴e̴ ̸d̵o̶ ̸n̸o̷t̸ ̷k̵n̷o̵w̵
̴w̵e̵ ̴d̶o̴ ̴n̴o̴t̸ ̵k̸n̶o̸w̶ ̷o̷u̵r̷ ̸m̴o̸t̶h̷e̴r̷'̷s̴ ̸m̶e̶t̵h̶o̵d̵s̷ ̵a̸n̷y̵ ̵m̸o̵r̶e̶ ̴t̵h̵a̴n̵ ̴o̶u̴r̸ ̴s̴i̷s̶t̷e̸r̷s̸'̵
"That doesn't make any sense." You respond. "I'm only a few centuries old, she's been sealed away far longer." The Eldritch is silent beneath you, either unwilling or unable to argue this logical flaw in her theory.
You sigh, and feel a twinge at the edge of your mind. The price of the power you brought to bear against her is due.
"You've got two choices." You tell her. "I can either kill you now, sending you out to start this whole mess all over again."
w̶e̸ ̶d̸o̴ ̶n̴o̸t̶ ̷l̷i̸k̷e̷ ̵t̷h̷i̶s̵ ̷c̸h̴o̸i̶c̶e̵
"I thought not. Your other choice is to accept a Contract from me. You will swear to follow the rules I set forth, and try to make up for… everything. Every terrible thing you've done."
w̷e̸ ̴d̸o̶ ̴n̴o̷t̸ ̶l̷i̸k̷e̴ ̶t̸h̶i̵s̶ ̸c̶h̴o̵i̶c̴e̷ ̸e̴i̸t̵h̵e̸r̷
"I'm aware. But this is all I can offer you. A chance to stop this cycle you've trapped yourself in. A chance for change, and maybe a new life free of the evil that plagues your kind."
She's silent for a long while, and Merin takes the opportunity to speak her piece. "Are you sure, Ariel? She's… well, you know what she is."
"I know." You reply. "And I also know that if we just kill her she'll find a new body to inhabit, and this whole mess just starts over again."
c̴h̶a̶n̸g̸e̷ ̶i̸s̵ ̵i̴n̵t̸e̴r̶e̸s̸t̷i̷n̵g̷
̵c̸h̵a̶n̷g̷e̴ ̷s̶t̴e̵m̴s̴ ̵f̴r̶o̵m̶ ̶d̷i̷s̷c̷o̷r̴d̵
̵a̷n̴d̸ ̵w̷e̶ ̴l̷i̵k̵e̶ ̷y̷o̷u̴,̷ ̶s̶i̸s̵t̸e̴r̵
̷n̷a̸m̴e̸ ̸y̸o̵u̴r̸ ̴t̶e̵r̵m̸s̸
You name your terms, and the condition under which the Contract may be fulfilled.
h̶o̴w̴ ̴q̸u̴a̸i̶n̸t̵
̶s̵e̵e̸m̶i̵n̷g̷l̷y̶ ̶s̵i̶m̶p̴l̷e̸,̶ ̷b̸u̸t̴ ̵d̷e̶c̷e̴p̷t̶i̸v̸e̵l̷y̸ ̶d̷i̴f̸f̷i̵c̵u̷l̸t̶ ̷f̶o̷r̴ ̶u̸s̴
̴y̸o̵u̸ ̵a̶r̵e̴ ̴m̴o̶r̸e̴ ̷a̷ ̸d̶e̴v̵i̸l̶ ̶t̷h̴a̴n̷ ̵y̷o̶u̸ ̷p̶r̶e̸t̴e̴n̶d̵,̸ ̵s̸i̴s̵t̴e̵r̴ ̸o̶u̸r̵s̵
̶b̷u̴t̸ ̸w̶e̷ ̶s̷t̵i̵l̸l̸ ̷l̸o̸v̷e̴ ̴y̶o̸u̷ ̵m̵o̵r̶e̵ ̶t̸h̴a̶n̷ ̸o̵u̵r̴ ̵o̵t̸h̷e̷r̸ ̴s̶i̶s̵t̶e̶r̶s̷
̴f̸o̷r̷ ̷c̶h̴a̷n̸g̸e̵
She shivers as the laws of existence snap shut around her, binding her to your terms for the specified time period.
A few notes and leaflets catch your attention next to the Well, along with a tome that looks distinctly like one you once saw an inquisitor carry.
t̸h̷o̵s̸e̵ ̵w̷e̷r̷e̸ ̷h̴e̸r̵e̸ ̶w̶h̶e̸n̶ ̶w̶e̴ ̴a̵r̷r̷i̶v̵e̸d̸
̴w̷e̸ ̶d̸i̴d̶ ̶n̵o̷t̷ ̸f̸i̷n̸d̴ ̸t̶h̶e̷ ̴w̷o̵r̸d̷s̶ ̵i̷n̴t̶e̸r̶e̸s̵t̸i̴n̶g̴
̷t̸h̸o̶u̷g̷h̸ ̵y̷o̷u̷ ̷m̴a̴y̸ ̵d̸i̸s̴a̵g̷r̸e̸e̷
A quick glance through the notes reveals them to be detailed exploration logs of the dungeon. The information within is useful, at a glance, but you'll need more time to examine them in-depth to really get much out of them.
The tome, on the other hand, is immediately useful. Liber De Caelo et Inferno is a title you recognize– there are only a handful of copies, and each was designed to hold a specific Greater spell. If you had to guess, you'd say one of the inquisitors sent to stop the original outbreak here dropped it. Speaking of…
"Wait a minute. How long have you been here?" You ask the Eldritch.
She blinks her six eyes unevenly, swaying her womanly torso as she thinks.
s̷i̵n̵c̶e̷ ̸y̴o̸u̷ ̶k̴i̸l̵l̴e̸d̶ ̵u̵s̸?̵
̵w̸e̴ ̸d̴o̵ ̵n̴o̸t̷ ̸f̵o̶l̵l̸o̸w̸ ̷t̶i̴m̴e̸ ̶w̷e̷l̶l̷
̴b̷u̶t̷ ̷w̵e̴ ̶k̵n̴o̶w̴ ̴t̷h̷i̸s̷ ̷m̷u̴c̵h̴
That doesn't really line up with the timeline Leona gave you at all. "Were there Eldritch here before?"
She stops swaying and nods.
i̸t̸ ̶i̵s̵ ̴p̴o̵s̵s̶i̵b̸l̷e̴
̶w̶e̶ ̸w̴e̴r̵e̴ ̴r̵e̷b̸o̸r̸n̸ ̷h̴e̵r̵e̸
̵l̴i̶k̷e̸ ̷a̷ ̸p̵i̴t̸ ̷o̶f̵ ̶w̶r̷i̶t̷h̵i̶n̸g̴ ̵s̶n̵a̶k̵e̷s̸ ̸t̶h̷a̴t̷ ̴i̴s̷ ̶a̶l̷s̵o̷ ̴h̴o̴m̸e̶
̴w̴e̶ ̶r̴a̷t̸h̷e̵r̴ ̸e̶n̸j̴o̷y̸ ̷i̵t̶
"Hm." Her way of putting things is a bit odd and unnerving, but from what you gather she feels naturally drawn to the Well. "I guess Leona will get a chance to satisfy her curiosity after all."
You turn back to the book, your brief timeline conundrum temporarily put on hold. What spell lies within, you wonder? There's only one way to find out…
Winds of Chastisement. You once saw Mikael use this to blow away some demons that were threatening a paladin. She doesn't get out as often as she used to, so the few times she did stick out in your mind. The poor dumb brutes never even hit the ground before she incinerated them.
Your companions are currently rounding up the women and giving them some cursory mental care. "I think you should leave." You tell the Eldritch. "I don't want these women freaking out at the sight of you when they get their wits back."
a̴s̴ ̶y̸o̴u̴ ̸l̷i̶k̵e̷
̶w̶e̸ ̵w̴i̷l̴l̸ ̸r̴e̶t̶u̴r̴n̶ ̸h̵e̵r̸e̷ ̸i̸n̶ ̴o̴n̶e̴ ̸w̸e̴e̴k̶,̶ ̴a̴s̶ ̶p̴e̶r̷ ̶o̸u̵r̶ ̵a̸g̴r̵e̴e̴m̷e̵n̴t̸
You sigh as she slinks away and collapse against the Well, glancing into its depths as you take a moment to rest.