Blood Ties, Part 27
Janessa and Kolfinn follow you, trailing a bit on either side, as you walk toward Ceriss' home once again. The flying carpet landed far enough ahead that you expect the newly-arrived heroine to be inside the manor by the time you get there. But, as you walk through the small garden on the grounds, you see that she's still waiting outside the door. Shifting her weight—what little she has of it—anxiously from one foot to the other, as though working herself up to knock.
She's a tiny little thing. Even on her tiptoes she'd barely come up to Niko's waist, and against your true form she wouldn't even manage that. Her fiery red hair sticks out from either side of her head in a pair of short, simple pigtails, and you can see similarly-colored freckles dotting the young gnome's face. Her wrinkled archmage's robe hangs loose about her... though it clashes a bit in aesthetic with the battered goggles she has pushed up onto her forehead.
Upon deducing Nevati's attraction toward Ceriss, part of you had wondered how a person so in-tune with sexuality and temptation could have so completely missed that one of her friends had a crush on her. However, after seeing the gnomish wizard in the flesh, you can make a pretty good guess why. From the look of her she's probably in her early nineties. Which is certainly into adulthood for a gnome, albeit not by much. But between her diminutive height and her less-than-impressive bust, it would be easy for members of the larger races to subconsciously write her off as a child. Even if (intellectually) they knew otherwise.
That alone wouldn't be insurmountable... but Nevati clearly doesn't understand how to address the problem. Your perceptive eyes can tell, by closely studying the way her robes hang on her hips, that the overall shape of her body underneath is, indeed, the figure of a small woman, not a child... and yet those same loose robes ruin any chance of that being apparent to anyone not carefully looking for it.
Not to mention the pigtails. You suppress a wince. This poor oblivious girl really is her own worst enemy.
She is also, to your surprise, not alone.
In the brief glimpse you caught as Nevati descended on her magic carpet, you only saw her. But now four other figures stand close around her. All of them female. None of them mortal. One is a lithe, energetic young woman with reddish-orange skin, her veins glowing nearly white, leading to a head of hair that is a true, living flame. One is tall and generously-figured, with pale blue skin and what appear to be gill slits down her neck, though she does not appear to have any trouble in the air either. Her hair runs down her back to her shoulders, continuously wetted and reminiscent of seaweed.
One floats inches above the earth, hovering there as the air quivers around her. She's pale and ethereal, her skin so white it's almost translucent, and in the place of hair a wispy white cloud-like mist flows out behind her and around her as she moves. And the final one is stocky, stout and muscular, her gray skin looking rough and weathered, her hair gleaming and metallic, molding in short curves around her face.
Elementals. Nevati is a summoner, and these are clearly her familiars. Long-term persistent summons, much like you and Rysanial are to your mistress. The carpet didn't have room for all four of them, but a mage of Nevati's level clearly has other ways to transport them with her regardless.
Even powerful mages rarely attain the ability to hold more than three summoning contracts bonded to their soul, and it's generally considered wise for summoners to always leave at least one of those slots open, in case a quick, tailored-to-the-situation summon ever becomes necessary. Though... given how consistently ridiculous these heroines' abilities have been, it honestly wouldn't actually surprise you all that much to learn that Nevati did have enough spare capacity for a fifth.
The fire elemental is whispering encouragingly into the gnome's ear, her tone rapid and exuberant, but the volume low enough that Janessa and Kolfinn probably can't make it out. "C'mon! You got this!" she's saying. "Don't worry so much about it; just let her know that you're here. This is a chance to really help her out. To show off for her! This kind of thing is what you're brilliant at... and it just goes to show how much she respects you that you were the first person she asked for! This is a great chance!"
The earth elemental, by contrast, doesn't say anything. Just silently lays a large, reassuring hand on Nevati's small shoulder. In fact, all the elementals clustered around her are regarding her with affection, something that surprises you. Elementals are not usually considered the most... reliable of summons, with interests that seldom coincide well with mortal affairs. Yet it seems that Nevati has earned the obvious loyalty and dedication of all four of them.
The gnome herself is simply staring at the door, timidly chewing her lower lip, working up her courage. And even though the evidence of her absurd power and skill is technically right there in front of you, she herself doesn't look much like a mythic heroine of legend right in that moment. Just a painfully shy young woman. A mortal just like everyone else, when trying to figure out how to approach her crush.
"Ceriss isn't home yet," you call out helpfully as you approach. "She had some tasks at court to take care of, but she should be back soon."
Your words cause the elementals to whirl, and Nevati to jump with a yelp. The summons instinctively cluster around their mistress, but upon seeing that you're no threat, the air elemental zips curiously up to you, even her casual movement taking place at a dizzying speed as she gets right in your face, then flits around your group, taking the three of you in from every angle. "Oooh, hello! Who're you? Are you Ceriss' friends? What's your names? Is one of you the person we're here to—?"
"Aila!" blurts out Nevati frantically. "Aila, remember, Ceriss said we're s-supposed to keep that—!"
"Oops!" The air elemental's eyes widen a bit, and she clamps her hands over her mouth... but then she giggles, continuing her circuit of the three of you, her cloud-like hair leaving long trails in her wake. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. But... you all must know Ceriss, don't you? Don't you? How did you meet her? How long have you known her? Has she said anything about Nevati? Has she?"
You give a warm smile. "If you're the one she sent for... then as I recall, she said that you were the most knowledgeable and brilliant person she'd ever met." Hearing Ceriss' praise—even second-hand—causes Nevati to blush and stare down at her feet... and you take advantage to steer the flow of conversation. "So you're really Nevati Wrancyne? I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would go to all this trouble to help with this."
But turning up the friendly charm just flusters Nevati even more, and she shrinks back almost imperceptibly, as though to put her summons more between her and the three of you. "I-it's nothing," she says, her voice barely above a whisper, still not meeting your eyes. "It s-sounded like an interesting problem anyway. So r-really it's no b-bother! N-not at all! I'm... I'm sure I'll learn a great deal from the e-experience..."
Interesting. The more you see of her, the more it looks like it's not just her beloved Ceriss that she has trouble with. You already knew she spent most of her time hidden away in her remote wizard's tower... but it seems that may be from more than just a love of her research. It seems that, for all Nevati's unfathomable power, she has a near-crippling anxiety about interacting with most people in general, which can leave her paralyzed and unsure of herself.
As a result, it turns out to be even easier than you expected to subtly guide the conversation, drawing it out and stalling for as long as you need. The mismatch in social skill would outright comical... if it weren't so depressing to see someone as trapped as this shy young gnome is, utterly unable to act on her desires and lusts.
You've got your work cut out for you, that's for sure.
You dance between multiple topics, drawing Nevati into all manner of digressions. It is, predictably, Ceriss that's the easiest topic to distract her with. Give her a chance to go on about how amazing the tiefling sorceress is, and it's adorable how much her eyes will light up. When she does get caught up in that excitement, she can sometimes forget herself for a while, even to the point where her persistent stammer will noticeably recede.
History and magical theory are two other topics that also produce a similar result. You, however, know very little about this world's history beyond the brief bit that you crammed with Iskro, so you definitely try to steer the conversation away from the former. And as for the latter subject... you find that you're simply not intelligent enough to keep up with what she's so excitedly saying, not for any length of time.
You can tell that the genius wizard is actually making a serious effort to simplify the concepts, dumbing them down in order to get across even a vague sense of the wild theories and discoveries and possibilities that she so enthralled by. But even then, almost all of it goes completely over your head. And you probably know more about magic than the average mortal.
How isolating must that feel? To be simply unable to convey the things you're so passionate about to nearly anyone else?
As the evening draws on, Ceriss finally returns, walking up to your little group in the garden. She's accompanied by Sylea, the prostitute, who has evidently made good on her promise to approach Ceriss. From the look on the sorceress' face, you're pretty sure that the two of them have already confirmed that Hastrik doesn't look anything like the man she witnessed attack her friend. The seed of doubt you had Meska plant earlier today is growing fast.
Now all that remains is for her to hear what Kolfinn has to say.
However, it's her fellow heroine—surrounded as she is by her colorful elemental companions—that catches her eye first. "Nevati!" she says, relief in her tone. "You're here!"
Ceriss' arrival produces a radiant smile from Nevati, and the gnome rushes over to her. "I... I came as soon as I could!" she said earnestly. "I mean... I d-did make sure to bring all the books and reference material I thought might be r-relevant to what you asked about, so I had to get them together first. But aside from that, I came as soon as I could!"
Then she hesitates, looking down as she grows more bashful. "A-and I... I also brought that scroll we were talking about last time I was here. You know, about the way they used to map aetheric fluctuations, back during the Merrivan Empire? I mean, it... it sounded like you were interested in that? Maybe? And... and I d-don't really need it right now, so..."
Seeing them together like this, all the pieces fall into place. It's obvious why Nevati fell so very hard for Ceriss. She's not just heart-stoppingly gorgeous. She's also probably one of the vanishingly few people in this entire world with whom Nevati can hold something even approaching a real conversation on the passions she's dedicated her life to.
Not to mention that Ceriss is also effortlessly amazing at the very sort of social interaction that so terrifies Nevati, creating its own sense of awe and wonder in Nevati, when she sees what the tiefling can do.
You can see that Ceriss, for her part, clearly understands some of this. You can see that she cares deeply for Nevati as well. But it's just as obvious that—as you guessed—she's completely missed the romantic aspect to it, subconsciously placing the small gnome in something of a "little sister" role. Which has given her the most unfortunate blind spot imaginable, from Nevati's perspective... who doesn't dare try for more, for fear of ruining what she does have.
It's agonizing to watch. These two should have been fucking years ago.
However, it's at this point that Ceriss notices the dwarf. "Oh, uncle Kolfinn!" she says, delighted. "It's so good to see you again. What brings you... out..."
But her voice trails off as she sees the pained, ashen look on Kolfinn's ancient face. "Is something wrong?" she asks, all levity disappearing. "Did something happen?"
Kolfinn shakes his head. "No..." he says. "No, it's... There's... somethin' I have to tell ya, girl. I never wanted ya t'have to bear this, but... if what yer young friend told me about this killer is true, then there's something ya need to know."
Something in the old dwarf's tone makes Ceriss realize just how serious this is. "What is it?"
"I..." Kolfinn hesitates, glancing at everyone else. "We... oughta do this in private. It isn't for tha ears of others."
"If it's so important to hunting this killer, won't they need to hear it anyway?" Ceriss asks, frowning. "I don't want to keep secrets from my friends."
The dwarf exhales, then nods. "Yer right. Yer right, girl. But... still, we oughta go inside, at least."
The mood suddenly somber, your group heads into Ceriss' manor. Nevati, in particular, is bewildered by the sudden turn of events, and worried for Ceriss. Once inside, those actively participating in the investigation split away, with Nevati joining in as well. In addition to her, that makes it you, Janessa, Kolfinn and Ceriss, all sitting in her drawing room. The elementals agree to stay outside, though they're loathe to leave Nevati's side, even briefly.
And then there's nothing but the explanation you already know is coming. "Tha boy tells me yer thinkin' this killer might be some kinda shapechanger?" he asks. When Ceriss nods, he continues. "Well then... ya should know that this exact shit has happened before, nigh on thirty years ago now. Kidnapping an' torture an' rape, just like now. Targeting prostitutes, just like now. And just like now... I couldn't find him. Couldn't do anything to bring him down."
He takes a shaky breath. "Tha one who did it... was your mom, girl. Goddesses, she was so brave. He caught her. Took her to his lair. But... she was more clever than tha bastard gave her credit for. She escaped while he was away. She came to me... and I got together everyone I could for an ambush."
The dwarf clenches his fists. "I... thought I killed him. Swear it on Selal's Honor, I thought I killed him! Put three bolts in his chest, one of 'em right through where tha heart should've been. And then a whole damn burning building came down on top of him! Demon or no, that... that should've killed him!"
"...demon?" asks Ceriss, her grip tightening on the armrest of her chair until her fingers are white. You can tell that she's putting things together. "The killer back then was... a demon?"
Kolfinn nods, not meeting her eyes. "We... we didn't know it at first. He looked completely human. Only realized that he was a shapechanger when... when nine months later, yer mother..."
Ceriss stares straight ahead, eyes wide, trying to come to terms with what she's just heard. "Y-you're saying..." she whispers, her voice unsteady. "You're saying I was born because... because my mother was...? That this killer I've been chasing all this time is... is really my...?"
She can't finish. You can see the anguish in her eyes, the incomprehension as she tries to cope with this revelation. And the mirrored dismay in Kolfinn's face for causing that anguish, just as he'd known would happen.
And yet... despite all that anguish... Ceriss Zylnerios refuses to let her composure break.
After several deep, shuddering breaths, the tiefling sets her face like a stone mask. Ruthlessly locking away any sign of weakness. You know it's only a front, that the pain is still tearing her up inside. But time is of the essence. And giving herself time to properly grieve would take that same time away from what she's determined to do.
"So," she says, her voice rough, but still cold as ice. "We're hunting a shape-shifting demon. How can we flush him out?"
The sheer rage contained in each word sends a small shiver down your spine. Ceriss was already invested in catching this murderer, of course. But now that she knows what he truly is to her... now that she knows what he did to her mother... she would be willing to chase her quarry to the very ends of the earth if it meant even the slightest chance to kill her father.
Everyone is silent, unsure of what to say... until Janessa speaks up. Perhaps she uniquely understands what it is to throw yourself into duty to deal with pain. "We talked with General Raxien," she says. You can see compassion in her eyes... but her words stick to simple business, something that Ceriss seems very grateful for. "He thought the killer might be intending to flee the city and continue his murders elsewhere. That might also be what he did back then, after he faked his death in the fire."
Nevati is the next to speak up. You can see how desperately she wants to comfort Ceriss... but the socially-challenged young gnome just simply doesn't know how. In the end, all she can do is offer her knowledge.
"The g-general's idea makes sense if you're thinking of a mortal madman who murders because of uncontrollable u-urges," she says quietly. "But if this truly is a d-demon feeding his Vice instead, then it... might not be so simple. He w-wouldn't necessarily need those kind of extremes to s-survive. Less noticeable acts could probably sustain him... even if they wouldn't be as e-enjoyable."
She isn't wrong. You could certainly sustain yourself on ordinary sex that no one would bat an eye at, bland though that would be. Might brawls or more ordinary assaults be enough to feed this sort of demon? You don't have much personal experience with the denizens of the Fifth or Seventh Circles... but it seems plausible.
Ceriss' eyes narrow. "So this demon may just be assuming the personas of these killers to indulge himself," she bites out. "They let him hunt and torture and terrorize, without the slightest worry or restraint. And then, when a guise has run its course? He can simply discard it and move on."
"But this time he miscalculated," you interject. "He wasn't counting on drawing the attention of a heroine. And Ceriss almost caught him. After that, he probably wanted to make sure that he threw you off his trail. To make sure you thought he was caught, so you would stop digging."
The five of you discuss strategy long into the evening, albeit without coming to a definite conclusion. Nevati, in particular, is pulling out book after book on demonology (from a satchel that looks too small to contain even one of the books) until she has a teetering stack next to her that is taller than she is. She buries her nose deep in each one... but the more she reads, the more perplexed she seems to grow.
Your mind is also racing... though in your case you're making private plans which include your own unique abilities and resources that the other four don't know about just yet.
Finally, Ceriss rises to her feet. "We can continue this in the morning," she says. "But it is getting late. For now, I offer all of you the hospitality of this house."
Janessa also stands, giving Ceriss an unsure look. After everything that's happened, she doesn't know what Ceriss would like right now. "Ah... where exactly do you want us to...?"
But Ceriss' hands shoot out, lightning-fast, grabbing both you and Janessa by the sleeve. And for the first time since the strategy meeting began, you see a crack in the stone mask she's been wearing all this time. Revealing the desperately hurting woman underneath, in need of comfort. "Please..." she whispers. "Stay with me."
You need no second bidding, placing a comforting hand on Ceriss' arm. Nevati, however, looks like a kicked puppy as she realizes what is going on between the three of you. It's obvious that she would give anything to be the one to comfort Ceriss in the way you're about to.
And yet she can't. She can only watch you do it.
She opens her mouth... but then closes it, looking away. She clearly feels terrible about the aching jealousy she can't help feeling, even in a situation like this. As—right in front of her—you take the place she's yearned for all these years.
Little does she know the plans you already have for her. Even if tonight probably isn't a good time to try and open that whole can of worms, considering everything Ceriss is already dealing with.
Either way, tonight you'll get another chance to make love to the demon-blooded sorceress. Comforting her in her emotionally vulnerable position. Carving yet another chink in her armor, even without your aphrodisiac. You sense that you're nearly there, as she becomes more and more attached to you. Your seduction nearly—but not quite—complete. Not quite ready for that final push.
Still, it will all be for nothing if you can't catch her demonic adversary. If it wasn't obvious before, it is now. There's no enticing her back to Kovora before that. The only way this can end is with one or the other of them dead.
So the question remains: what will you do? Now that the prostitute has told her story to Ceriss and been accepted into her protection, the chance of using her (or pretending to be her) to bait the killer into attacking the witness is slim. You'll have to find some other way to either figure out more about the killer's current location, or force him out into the open. There's still so much you just don't know about the nature of your foe... and going into any confrontation blind to the demon's exact nature and powers could hold its own dangers.
You could sneak out to interrogate Hastrik, to see if you can get anything further from him that he noticed during his framing by the killer. Or you could see if Nevati is still awake after you're done fucking, and inquire about that research she was so perplexed by during the meeting.
Alternatively—while it might not help with the immediate needs of the investigation—you could start to make more long-term inroads with the genius gnome. Either through conversation, or through trying to subvert one of her familiars. You can already tell it will be very difficult to do anything suspicious with the genius gnome with so many concerned protectors constantly hovering around her.
You could also just focus on working to convince your current lovers that their attitudes on either Kovora or demons in general aren't the whole picture. Janessa, in particular, you suspect is only one more concentrated push away from being convinced to work against the war effort.
And of course—it being night again—it's also one more opportunity to use your dreamwalking power to investigate the psyche and memories of anyone you've encountered... whether friend, foe, or any of the myriad shades between.
Either way, with all the competing needs and priorities, you'll need to figure out the best way to use this time to achieve your aims.
