Blood Ties, Part 41
Your informal council discusses many possibilities for your next moves, many ways in which to use your limited resources. Many good ideas are proposed, by Lily, by the corrupted heroines, by Kelissa. You know you won't be able to do all of them, not right away.
There is, however, one thing that you know you want to do. An imposition that you now have the ability to rectify.
"We have a bit of time before we need to move on Nevati," you say at last. "Let's take a few days to think about our options. But right now..."
You turn to Lily. "When we first met... you took a chance on me. You used your last summoning slot to help me save someone you didn't even know. I'm very grateful for that. But it also put you at greater risk. And with the power I gained on this most recent mission... I think I can help with some of that myself now."
Lily frowns in puzzlement, cocking her head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that we can transfer Rysanial's summoning bond over to me, so that you will have a free slot available again," you explain. "Nothing would change in terms of our service to you, of course. You would simply have more options at your disposal. Just in case something goes wrong here, while I'm not around."
Of course, a suspicious mistress might see this as a further ploy, a way for a demon to turn the tables on their master, bringing those around her more under his direct control. But Lily doesn't even consider that. The fear and hesitation about your requests that she showed on your first meeting is gone now. Especially after the dream you shared, when you held her at her lowest, her most vulnerable, without taking advantage. It's clear from her warm look that she trusts you implicitly, without reservation.
"Oh, I see," she says. "If you think it's important, then we can certainly do that. How would we make such an exchange?"
"We'll need to work out the details," you say. "It may be a bit tricky, since my demonic power functions on different principles than mortal spellcraft. Still, with a bit of effort I'm sure we can make it work."
"I'd be interested in assisting as well," says Ceriss. "It seems like an interesting problem. And it might give me more insight into that curse of yours as well."
With that your informal council adjourns. And for the next few days, the three of you begin a study of the different ways to pierce the veil between the Material and Spiritual planes, and how they might interact. You call on your newfound intellect, analyzing your options, even as Ceriss suggests others. Lily also pipes up nervously from time to time, with questions and occasionally even her own ideas.
It's clear to you from the start that Lily—as the current holder of Rysanial's bond—is the one who will have to do the actual casting for this to work. As such, you work on instructing her in the theories that you yourself are cobbling together from the vast oceans of knowledge that you've achieved such tenuous access to. The new vistas it represents are exhilarating... and also a bit frightening.
Lily is eager to please. Eager to prove herself under your tutelage. Eager to earn your praise. When you give it, you can tell her heart soars. Ceriss, on the other hand, is a stricter teacher. Still, you can tell that it's out of a hidden concern for the younger girl, knowing the burdens she will have to bear, and wanting her to be ready to bear them.
Your tutelage continues for days in this obscure use of magic, transferring a bond across two such different systems of Summoning. But Lily proves to be a quick study, and before long you deem that you're ready to make the attempt.
Rysanial, of course, joins you for this part. The demoness is as flirty as usual through the process, winkingly assuring Lily that (even with you as her true master) if Lily ever wants to do some master-servant play for old time's sake, that she'd be more than up for it.
And when the time comes to start the ritual, and the three of you link hands in a triangle, Rysanial is able to wiggle her interlaced fingers in a way that promises so much sin for such a tiny, subtle action. Lily's blush is certainly incandescent... though she doesn't pull away.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she begins to recite the incantation. The runes you taught her to draw on the floor between you light up, and you can feel arcane power rushing through the room, rushing through your souls. In that moment, all three of you are linked at the deepest, most intimate level, and for the briefest fraction of a second you feel as though you can see the other two in a way you never could before. Their very essences open before you.
But then the moment is gone, vanishing before you could properly comprehend it as Lily pushes through to finish the incantation. There is a flash of light, the runes disappearing, and a small pulse of displaced air rushes outward from that central space through the rest of the room.
And with that, it is done.
You can feel Rysanial's bond now attached to your own soul, your command over her established. She looks over at you fluttering her eyes. "Well. Now you really are my master..." she purrs. "Not as though you weren't before, though."
You smirk, than turn back to Lily... who to your surprise has a single tear running down her face. She doesn't even seem distraught, exactly. She just... looks at you, an expression of sadness and wonder on her face. You frown. "Lily?" you ask, worried. "Are you alright?"
She nods, running a hand across her face. "I... yes..." she says, stumbling over the words. "I... I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I... don't even remember it very well. Like a dream that... fades when you try to catch it. It's... it's just... I... I don't know."
The experience seems to have left her a bit unsteady, though there is no obvious harm. You eventually suggest that she get some rest, and idea to which she readily accepts given that the hour is already getting late. After handing her over to Kelissa to get her settled, you then turn your thoughts back to the decisions that can no longer be put off for further consideration.
How will you allocate your resources while you're off pursuing Nevati? Which opportunities will you address?
There's Lady Mykra's power play taking place in the Underworld, which provides you the opportunity to either seduce or assassinate (in any combination) three of the faction leaders down there at once. Lady Mykra might be a particular boon to get on your side given her prowess in the drow political game, but you're also pretty sure that she'd be the hardest to actually subvert, likely beyond the abilities of Verika alone, even if you did give her a Corruptive Boon.
The drow heroine has enough sexual experience that, with a taste of demonic aphrodisiac she could probably handle the neophyte figureheads of House Cendiath and Ravahorn. But if you want a real chance at seducing Lady Mykra to your service, you suspect you'll probably need to send Rysanial along with Verika as well.
Then there are the options for helping with your food supply. If you used your corrupted orcs instead of the regular army, you're confident they could fuck one of the smaller villages into blissful submission without much risk of casualties. Which could help keep you afloat in terms of your reserves.
There's also what you learned from your investigation of the genial Lord Kovar during your last mission. You could have your corrupted orcs raid the warehouse you learned about, which would probably result in more immediate food taken than from a village... though it would also probably result in Lord Kovar being removed from his post, using up that advantage in one go.
Alternatively, if you sent one of your agents to seduce him, the immediate gains might not be as great. But if he starts smuggling food to you without raising attention, the result might be more a bit more steady.
Since your corrupted orcs are currently only one platoon strong, sending them directly against the elf village would likely result in many casualties, even with some of their leadership on your side. The prowess of those immortal beings makes them a considerably harder target than a tiny border village. But you could also send a seducer there as well, to take advantage of the inroads already present and soften up their resistance even more.
Of course, you could ask any of your allies to accompany you on your attempt against Nevati. And allocating resources to guard Kovora may prove to be important as well, to help react to any events that happen while you're gone.
There's also Ceriss' new abilities thrown into the mix. From her own significant charms in the sexual arena (which you could enhance even further should it be necessary) to her impressive combat prowess to her ability to weave and craft magic and magic items, there are any number of tasks you could set her to with that skillset.
Finally, there's the much simpler question of who you're going to sleep with tonight. After all that you've accomplished—and all that you've endured—you definitely feel the need to indulge. And you should be able to make your selection from any combination of the women you've already seduced.
