Love's Labors, Part 15


Nevati stares down at the ground, unable to meet either of your eyes after her timid admission. Ceriss wastes no time in pulling smaller woman into a comforting embrace, while you reach down and pat her on the head, ruffling her red, pigtailed hair.

"Don't worry," you say, infusing your voice with conviction. "You can still trust Ceriss, just like you did before. Trust her that she wouldn't ever lead you into anything you'll regret. Trust her that she would never hurt her friends, no matter what."

Your reassurance seems to work. Nevati sniffles, then looks up at you hopefully, while Ceriss holds her. You give her a roguish grin, before continuing. "But for right now... let's make some magic."

It doesn't take long for the three of you to finish up the spell. Just Nevati is about to cast it for real, however, Ceriss leans in and makes a flurry of minor modifications to the runes. You raise a curious eyebrow... but the sultry tiefling sorceress just smiles back. "Trust me."

Of course, with enough analysis you could easily figure out what she just did. But you decide to let her have her surprise. Nevati does the honors, saying the incantation and channeling her magic into the glyphs you've drawn into the parchment. Much like before, they light up and begin to release magic out into the air. The scale is far wider this time, though, sweeping out across the entire chamber.

Not to mention the one other difference.

Before, the spell had released simple, utilitarian motes of light. But as it activates this time, the effect of Ceriss' last-minute change becomes clear. Instead of featureless specks... this time the glowing markers are intricate illusions, images of tiny sprites, pixies and faeries. They swoop and flutter around you, then fly out through the library on beautiful, diaphanous wings, leaving sparkling trails behind them.

In terms of the spell's effectiveness, the change in imagery makes little difference. But in terms of the spell's beauty, the result is astounding. Nevati watches with delight as she takes in the display. Not just the display of Ceriss' magical skill, but the display of her artistry. The way she keeps working to make the world a more delightful place. Even in the smallest of ways.

Reaching down, you offer Nevati your hand. She hesitates, looking up shyly at you through her bangs... before finally placing her tiny hand in yours. A small gesture, but a meaningful one. You can tell that she's just one gentle push away from giving in to you entirely.

Her water elemental, on the other hand, is quite a bit more agitated. You can feel her glare burning into you from behind as your group starts to walk between the shelves. It's clear how fiercely protective the elemental is of her mistress... even if there's nothing she can do about it at this point, outnumbered as badly as she is. Which is causing her no small degree of anguish.

Your group makes its way through the cavernous archives, moving between the shelves as you search for concentrations of the swirling figments. Nevati tweaks the spell a few times based on what you observe, her nose scrunching up in adorable concentration as she studies the effects. Deeper and deeper in you go, occasionally perusing books with large enough clusters of faeries around them. Until eventually, you reach an even more restricted section of this already-guarded archive.

Fortunately, you're able to convince Moghi to have the two towering zombie ogres guarding the entrance to stand down, and she has the keys to open the heavy iron doors. Your group continues onward, spreading out to cover more ground... until you come across a particularly promising volume, and call the others over to have a look.

The ancient tome has far more frolicking fairy illusions clustered around it than any you've seen so far. In fact... the frolicking images seem to have begun an all-out orgy. Nevati blushes a deep crimson when she sees how Ceriss chose to indicate a particularly strong match. The gnome is torn between averting her eyes from the lewd scene... and stealing the occasional quick peek. Ceriss watches her with fond amusement, clearly enjoying the chance to tease Nevati while the gnome is still clinging to her innocence.

You dispel the wards on the book, then pull it off the shelf, handing it down to the shorter heroine. Nevati accepts it carefully, sitting down cross-legged as she opens it to check the contents. You and Ceriss kneel down, leaning in from either side to read over her shoulder, curious to see what your hard work has uncovered.

Nevati controls the pace, her eyes darting rapidly across the words as she carefully flips from page to page. "It looks like some k-kind of ancient historical text," she says, quickly becoming engrossed. "C-chronicling the founding of the Kovoran Empire. Exactly what we were l-l-looking for!"

You study the text as well. Even at a glance, the author's motive in writing the account is plain to see. This was clearly written by a zealous devotee of Melca, probably with a high position in her Church. It's a worshipful record of the goddess' achievements, but it begins far enough back to suit your purposes. Your eye catches on one paragraph in particular:

...and so, along with her husband, nearly all the tribe's warriors were killed in that fateful ambush. But those foolish champions of the accursed bitch Selal little knew the doom they had brought upon themselves. For now Aedilhild truly had nothing to lose. And, consumed by wrath and grief, the witch of that insignificant little tribe employed a rite known only to her, to strike a bargain that would change the face of our world forever...

Beside you, Nevati is utterly absorbed in the text. Some of this she must already know from other sources, but you doubt that many of the specifics have been available, especially not from the Kovoran point of view. With any luck, this will shed new light on the situation. Both for you and for the little heroine.

Your eyes scan down, looking for any detail that might be useful as the story progresses. It's a few pages later that you see something particularly interesting for your own purposes:

...came to pass that at the end of the sixth day, even as Aedilhild was near to collapse from the previous trials, her supplication was answered. Dread Melca herself descended in bodily form upon the shrine Aedilhild had constructed, to seal a compact with the vengeful witch. A compact unlike any other, granting her unmatched power. Endless youth. And total dominion over that land. All in exchange for her very soul. A compact that would be repeated on those unhallowed grounds, for each new Witch Queen, until the end of time. The Rite of Investiture...

It isn't the first time you've heard those words; Lily also mentioned the Rite of Investiture when talking about her kidnapping. The ritual that the High Priest Nergan performed to infuse her with Melca's power. And presumably, the curse as well.

But if this text is accurate... then it may also be tied to this "shrine" that it mentions. Even at best, it's only implied, and you can't say for certain. But the way the text phrases it, it sounds like that shrine itself might be a necessary component to passing on that ancient pact to the next generation.

In fact, according to the knowledge you've gained from your brand, a requirement like that would be quite expected. For powerful rituals such as this—rituals tied to sovereignty, to rule over a certain specific realm—it's usually necessary to incorporate some kind of link to the land itself.

And for the pact that Lily's ancestor formed, the shrine may just be that link.

Of course, the Rite has already been administered to Lily. Even if you razed the shrine and salted the earth tomorrow, it would be too late to help your mistress. However... if Melca wants her curse to continue on past Lily, it may be a weak point that the dark goddess would be deeply invested in protecting.

According to what you just read, Melca was willing to incarnate into the moral world—however briefly—in order to create this lineage of cursed champions. It was that important to her, obtaining pawns that she could vent her sadism on to this extent. And it's enough to make you wonder: if making that pact in the first place was important enough for her to incarnate once... might a threat to that shrine be enough to bait her into doing it yet again?

Something to consider, at least. At the moment, you don't even know where that shrine is. Still, if you wanted to ambush Melca on a battlefield of your choosing, instead of on her home ground... putting that shrine in danger might be one method to lure her out of her Divine Realm.

Nevati, meanwhile, has continued to read. And while the hints have already been building up in what the text has recounted so far, you can tell that she's almost reached the revelation that you've maneuvered the small wizard here to face, as the tale of that first Witch Queen winding toward its inevitable conclusion.

...pierced her from behind in the thick of battle, the traitor's blade bringing an end to seven hundred years of Queen Aedilhild's rule. And though she had served Dread Melca well—better than any of her other servants before or since—our fell goddess' perfection is far too great for any contemptible weakness to impinge on it. Aedilhild's long service did not engender even the least scintilla of mercy, instead earning her the penalty deserved by all who fall short of Dread Melca's expectations in any way!

And so, our goddess at last claimed her rightful prize. The Queen's soul was finally hers. The deal to which she had consigned her lineage so long ago. An eternity of torment, ceaseless agony that will continue to the end of time! The perfect, pure expression of our goddess' judgment against the wretched weakness of such pitiful creatures! May it fall upon us all! May we all burn as the Witch Queens burn, in ceaseless, hopeless torture, all for the glory of Dread Melca!

The unknown author continues to rant and rave... but you've had your fill of such fanatical zealotry for the moment. Your stomach turns at the revolting view of the world. It's incomprehensible to you how anyone could come to see the world like that. How they could have their view of Pleasure so warped that they would welcome its antithesis so readily. Out of some indoctrinated belief that they deserved it.

Glancing at Nevati, you see that her fingers are white from gripping the book's edges. You can see her putting the pieces together. Connecting what she's just learned with the mission that her leader, Lady Alicia, had given her. Connecting that to the reluctance that the paladin had seen in the young Witch Queen's actions, while still being unable to surrender.

The young wizard can see exactly how all of it fits together now. And it horrifies her.

She looks up at you, eyes wide. You return the gaze, you expression grave and level, understanding passing between the two of you without any words. Ceriss squeezes Nevati's shoulder, prompting the gnome to look back at her as well.

It probably wasn't strictly necessary, what with how much progress you and Ceriss had already made. But at this point there's no real question left. Nevati is not escaping you. Not with everything you have to draw her in. You've methodically cut away any rationale she might have had to resist.

Not to mention that the fate she was resisting against was her heart's desire from the very beginning.

All that's left is to get her back to the surface and seal the deal. You rise to your feet, reaching down to help Nevati up again. "I think you've fulfilled your mission," you say quietly, to which Nevati can only give a shaky nod as she stands.

But before you can do anything else, your inhuman hearing catches a barely-audible hint of movement, rapidly approaching your location. Your eyes narrow and you turn, tensing as you watch for danger. You gesture to Ceriss, who nods and brings up her defensive enchantments. Seeing this, Nevati does the same, while her elementals also ready themselves against whatever is coming.

A moment later, the large doors to this restricted section of the archives are flung open with a loud boom, and a tall, regal figure strides through. Her long black hair trails down behind her, guided by the thin crown of bone that she wears. The plunging neckline of her rich robes shows off an impressive amount of cleavage, her unnaturally pale skin like alabaster. Her every move—her every glance—all of it radiates power and imperious command.

And yet...

And yet, there's something hollow about it as well. She hides it well, with enough cold composure that it isn't easy to detect, even for you. But not even she can completely conceal it from your perceptive gaze. There's something... performative... about what she's doing, beneath all the pomp and intimidation.

Something born of guilt.

The two huge zombie ogres outside follow her in, moving to stand behind her on either side in mute obedience. "Intruders..." she bites out, shadowy power gathering at her fingertips as her glowing red eyes sweep across your small group. "What are you doing in my domain? What have you done with my servant?"

"Your majesty!" Moghi rushes forward into view from behind one of the shelves, then kneels. "They are agents of the current Witch Queen, your majesty. So... that makes them allies, of a sort... doesn't it?" Now that she's actually face to face with her mistress, she sounds a little less confident in her rationalization for giving into your temptation.

The Vampire Queen turns to Moghi. And, while she tries to hide it, you see relief flood into her eyes. It's the first emotion you've seen from the vampire ruler that seems truly genuine. "I see. They did not harm you?"

Moghi hesitates, looking away from her liege's inquiring gaze, clearly embarrassed. "No! Well... I mean... we did have a scuffle at first. And then... when they captured me, I... I... accepted a challenge from him..."

She squirms in place, nervously twisting her fingers. "But... it wasn't really so bad. Not that I enjoyed it, I mean! But... but... I didn't not enjoy it either! I... I mean... he was... he was a worthy opponent, you might say!"

The Vampire Queen turns to look straight at you, her red eyes narrowing. As she does, it feels like the temperature in the room drops precipitously. In life, the woman whose memories this vampire inherited was a mage. And you're pretty sure that any mage worth her salt could guess what kind of "challenge" an incubus would be likely to give a captive. Especially considering how bashful her subordinate is now acting.

Suffice to say that the Vampire Queen does not look happy. She flexes her fingers, and you can see the shadows start to swirl and writhe ominously around her.

It's then that Moghi speaks up, anxiety in her voice. "Are you... angry, your majesty? Did I do something wrong? I... really don't think they're our enemies, not really..."

The undead queen hesitates... then exhales. "I am not angry," she says. "Not with you. You have done well in facing these... interlopers. But they must still answer for their trespass. They will come with us as prisoners to our royal palace, where we shall... discuss... the actions they have taken in my domain. At length."

She's looking at you in particular as she speaks, her crimson eyes flashing. It's clear she intends to interrogate you on exactly what you did to Moghi. As well as why you came down here in the first place.

Moghi, for her part, just looks relieved that her mistress isn't angry with her. She rises from her kneeling, moving over to stand next to the other vampire in a classic bodyguard position. Looking so happy. So content to be in her rightful place once again, where she belongs.

The question now is, how will you react to the Vampire Queen's ultimatum?

Even just from looking at her, you can tell that this ancient progenitor vampire is extremely powerful. And Moghi would no doubt aid her mistress if it came to a fight. You haven't done enough work on her to convince her otherwise. Combine that with the two zombie ogres, and they have a very formidable force.

Of course, your side has two heroines, four elementals and a demon who can summon tentacle monsters in a pinch. And—thanks to you detecting the queen's approach—Ceriss and Nevati had time to prepare defensive enchantments. You could have a solid chance if you wanted to make a fight of it. You're not entirely sure how it would go... but depending on your tactics, you might well be able to defeat and conquer the Vampire Queen, much like you conquered Moghi earlier. Fucking them both into blissful submission.

Alternatively, you could acquiesce to the queen's demands, letting her take you back to the seat of her power as she has demanded. It would limit your available options, putting you more at her mercy... but it could allow you to work on your captors through a less-confrontational approach.

Finally, analyzing the situation with your enhanced intellect, one other possible tactic presents itself. From your careful observations of the queen, you've already noticed that she seems to be hiding a deep-seated guilt of some kind.

Combining that guilt with what you know about her history from your inquiries... you speculate that sometime over the centuries she's been down here, she might have realized the terrible mistake that she made so many years ago. It's possible that she now understands what she did to the original Moghi.

If she has realized it, then she's clearly hiding that terrible truth from the vampire serving her now. You can understand why she wouldn't want to burden this Moghi with that knowledge. Instead, she's created a miniature replication of their original kingdom down here. An undead world where her most loyal servant can—in some small way—hold onto the unlife she most desires.

And if your guess is correct, then you have leverage. You could subtly hint that you know the truth as well. And that she should refrain from harming any of your group if she wants you to keep your silence. That could buy you significantly more freedom in terms of your actions.

You might even be able to use it to escape outright. That would probably be the simplest and safest in the short term... though if you wanted to subvert the powerful vampire as an actual ally, you'd need to play along at least a little, rather than leaving right away.

Still, using that leverage could keep you out of the dungeon, at the price of making things a bit more acrimonious at first. Then again, a few sparks along the way probably aren't anything you can't deal with. It could even make the ultimate victory all the more satisfying.

Really, it all comes down to what kind of approach you'd prefer to use.