Blood Ties, Part 25


For a few minutes, you watch Sylea sleep, her naked body curled up amidst the sheets tangled by your passion, her features at now peace, her nightmare dispelled for the moment. Eventually, though, you put your hand on her shoulder and gently shake her awake.

Her eyes blink open, her awareness fuzzy at first. Then she sits up. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to fall asleep like that. It was just..." She blushes, looking down into her lap. "...just so... amazing..."

You smile and wave off her apology. "Don't worry, I needed to take a rest myself," you lie. "But... are you alright? It looked like you were having a nightmare for a while there. You were tossing and turning."

Sylea tenses, seeming to shrink in on herself. When she finally speaks, it's slow and barely audible. "I... I was just... remembering a time when... when someone I really cared about... someone who had helped me a lot... needed help herself. And I... I didn't do anything."

"You mean... when that killer attacked?" you ask. "I... did hear some people talking about it."

She nods miserably. You shift closer to her on the bed, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her against you, letting her feel your comfortable warmth. "You know there wasn't anything you could have done," you murmur softly, running your hand soothingly up and down her arm. "I'm sure she would have felt even worse if she'd had to watch you die alongside her. I'm sure it brought her comfort to at least know that you were safe."

Responding to your touch, the girl nestles tighter into your chest. Her eyes brim with tears, and she sniffles, confused and vulnerable. You wait a few more seconds to establish yourself as a source of solace, before making the next suggestion. "In fact... because you survived... you might be able to help save other people."

She blinks through the tears, turning her head to look up at you. "W-what do you mean?"

"They say there's a suspect now," you explain. "Someone they think might have done it. It looks bad for him... but I have my suspicions about some of the evidence. And if he has really been framed... then it means the real killer might get away, if he takes the blame."

You try to impress upon the girl the chance she's been given. "But you've seen the killer, haven't you? You could tell if he's the same man or not. If he is, you could confirm it. And if he isn't... you could save an innocent man, and ruin the plans of the real killer."

Then you truly bring it home to her. "In fact... his plan would fail because he attacked your friend that night. That means you and your friend would beat him after all. Together."

Sylea looks up at you, listening with rapt attention as you re-frame the despair in her thoughts into a different narrative. A narrative with a hope for redemption. She's swept up in the conviction you project, wanting to believe what you're offering her. "But... but how would I...?"

"Go to Ceriss Zylnerios," you say. "You know her; she helps out at this brothel, doesn't she? Just tell her your story. She can do the rest."

You can feel the girl take a deep breath against you... and then she gives a small, timid nod. You smile. "That's good..." you say. "Now, in return for your courage... here's a little gift. You know how good the sex was just now? Well part of that was a little pleasure charm I know. And I can give it to you as well. Just promise me that you'll stay safe. Don't let that killer get his hands on you, okay?"

Sylea nods again, looking at your hand in wonderment as it starts to glow. You bestow your boon, its lustful corruption sinking into her body. She draws in a sharp breath, her eyes lighting up as she feels the rush of temptation, the thrill of ecstasy as you hone both her own sensitivity to pleasure, as well as granting her the sexual enhancements that your boon can provide, such that her very touch can now arouse her clients should she so desire.

You let her try out her new powers, as the two of you engage in yet another round of furious fucking. She does do much better this time, pushing her newfound abilities to the limit as she explores them... though they're still no match for an actual incubus. In the end, she's once again left curled up in her bed, a womb filled with cum and a blissful smile on her face.

A fine night's work, if you do say so yourself. A soul once trapped in pointless misery, now freed to pursue—and spread—carnal pleasure and delight. And a murderer who is about to find a rather noticeable hole blasted into his oh-so-carefully-constructed scheme.

Of course, that raises the obvious question. What will he do in response? You don't yet have any way of finding him unless he makes a move, and while Ceriss resuming her investigation may put pressure on him... you may be fast running out of time as well.

You pull the bedsheets over Sylea's unconscious form, tucking her in. Then you depart, heading back toward Janessa's manor. You shift back into Niko's form as you approach... but before you slip back in, you see Meska emerge from the shadows.

"Greetings, master incubus," the ratfolk says, bowing. "I am bringing you word of our investigation into the magic-heroine's past."

"Excellent," you say. "What have you found? Did you learn what the Madame meant? When she said she hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself?"

Meska nods. "We have been learning much. And we think we are knowing what the Madame meant. There was a killer once before, who the dwarf hunter was completely failing to catch. Striking with impunity. Kidnapping prostitutes. Taking them for the cruelest rape and torture."

Now that does sound familiar. "Was he stopped eventually?"

"Yes," Meska says. "But only because one of his victims was more resourceful than the killer was expecting. After a few days, while he was away, she escaped the secret lair he was holding her in. Then, right after getting away, she was leading the dwarf—and many others—back for an ambush."

The ratfolk spy begins to pace. "The fighting was terribly fierce. The killer was even lighting his own lair on fire, which was then spreading to many other buildings nearby. But the dwarf was following him into the inferno regardless. To be making sure that the deed was done. And in the end... the dwarf was putting three crossbow bolts straight through the killer's chest, just before the entire building was crashing down."

"For such a noticeable event, Ceriss didn't seem to know anything about it," you say. "When I asked her before, she told me she wasn't aware of any other killer who had given Kolfinn much trouble."

"This was... before her time," admits Meska. "You see... the prostitute who escaped the killer's lair... it was the magic-heroine's mother. All this took place before she was born."

Ah. So that's what the Madame truly meant. The history she didn't want to repeat was the cost that Ceriss' mother paid for stopping a similar killer.

No... for stopping a practically identical killer.

Your eyes narrow as your suspicions mount. Several different pieces of the puzzle are coming together. And the picture that they form is not a pleasant one. It's looking more and more likely that these "coincidences" may be anything but.

"Tell me, Meska..." you say quietly. "You said this took place before Ceriss was born. How long before Ceriss was born, exactly?"

The ratfolk hesitates. "The... times would be matching..." she admits hesitantly. "But the killer who died in the fire... he was said to be human, by all accounts!"

"Oh, I'm sure he looked that way..." you say darkly. "I don't suppose they found the killer's body after all that destruction either?"

Meska shakes her head. Your mind is already racing, putting together everything you know so far. Considering how one would lead inexorably into the next.

A killer terrorizes the capitol. Kidnapping, torturing, murdering... and raping. He's only stopped when one of his victims escapes, and brings the wrath of the city down on him.

Then, around nine months later, that victim gives birth to a tiefling child. One that grows up to be a phenomenally strong sorceress. Her natural gift allowing her to achieve fame, prominence... even reaching the level of the most powerful heroines.

Like she was the offspring of something extremely powerful.

Now the exact same kind of killings have returned to the capitol. And what did you find upon examining them? A supernatural, shape-shifting killer. And not just that... but one whose response to the threat of discovery was to fake his own defeat, rather than risk revealing his true nature and power.

Ceriss clearly doesn't know any of this. Most likely, her mother and Kolfinn eventually realized what had truly happened in that lair. But they never told her. You imagine it was to spare her from the burden of knowing just how painfully she came about.

After all, even if the killer had been a demon... he was dead now, right? What did it matter?

Except now it matters a great deal. If Ceriss were to learn of this, then combined with what the prostitute is soon going to be telling her about the killer's face not matching, you're confident she could put the same pieces together as you have. You can't be the one to tell her, though. Not as things are right now. You have no way of explaining how you know any of this.

However... if you were to convince Kolfinn of what is going on... if he were to learn about the prostitute's testimony, and realize that the same killer he faced all those years ago is still alive... he could admit the truth he'd hidden from Ceriss. And if he did, then she would finally understand what she's truly facing.

As well as its significance to her.

Either way, you're convinced that your foe is another demon. But the question remains... what kind of demon? From which circle does this murderous interloper hail? The Fifth Circle, for Wrath? Or perhaps the Seventh Circle, for Violence?

You can't be sure. If only you knew more about his exact nature, you might be able to predict more of what to expect when the time comes to face him head-on. Not to mention that you still need to find some clue to where he's hiding... or a way to get him to reveal himself.

Or you could focus on Ceriss. You could ply your case with with words, trying to get her a bit more intellectually disposed toward either demons or Kovora... or you if you wanted to try and progress your seduction directly, you could try to innocently tempt her into some sex right in between her duties. That would allow you to make direct progress on your seduction, even despite her wards... though there might be some slight danger of being seen.

There's also the imprisoned Lord Hastrik, who you could interrogate for any information you might be able to get out of him. Perhaps he's seen something during this frame-up he's gone through that might give you some subtle insights.

And of course, there's your host, Janessa. You could bring her with on whatever lead you choose to follow, which would allow you to make some brief, passing conversation along the way. Or, if you wanted the conversation to have a more focused effect that would progress the topics discussed even further, you could spend the time with her alone.

Finally, you could also make a defensive move, by spreading rumors about your impossibly-fast run. Using your shape-shifting, you could propagate the story that "Niko" was seen running through the streets at an unnatural rate, propelled by the divine radiance of Selal's miracle, or some such excuse. It wouldn't have to be perfect, but it could buy you some time and plausible deniability if anyone were to actually look into the rather damning clue you've left.