Love's Labors, Part 31


Heeding your suggestion, the council adjourns for the evening, the various members departing in different directions. Verika goes to spend some (most likely incestuous) time with her sister Velaria in their quarters, while Nevati and Ceriss similarly head off together. Khaytala continues to stick close to Lily, alert for any danger.

"Rysanial," you say. "Could I speak with you in your quarters later tonight?"

The succubus tenses slightly. But then she nods, that false smile still on her face. "Of course! You can call on me any time you want. I'll be waiting."

She gives you a flirty wink, to which you nod. You just need to make a few preparations first.

Fortunately, they don't take long. Soon enough you're knocking on the thick wooden door to the room Lily assigned Rysanial. "Come in!" the succubus responds, almost immediately after the knock. You open the door, slip through and then close it behind you.

Rysanial is lounging on her bed, looking up at you with a sultry look. Though only someone as perceptive as you could tell how rehearsed that sultriness is. "Well... up for a little tumble?" she says, extending her hand. "After everything we went through today, I know I could stand to get my mind off of things..."

It is tempting. With almost any other problem, you'd consider "trying to fuck it away" as the top contender for a solution. A thousand curses on that bastard parasite, for actually creating a rare situation where that won't work.

At least... not yet.

But for now, you just walk over and sit down on the bed next to her. "We need to finish our conversation from before," you say quietly.

Rysanial flinches, then pulls her legs up to her chest, not looking you in the eye. "Why?" she asks, in a small voice. "It doesn't change anything. It's just... me being stupid and afraid. That's all. You'll probably fuck all these worries right out of my head a couple minutes in. And that'll be good. Because then I won't have to think about them anymore."

You don't reply, sensing that she still has more to say. You just quietly give her space.

After a while, she continues, still unable to look at you. "It's... it's not like I'd mind being turned into your needy little slut," she insists, earnestly. "I know how much fun submission can be! If you're good enough to give me Pleasure I can't resist, then it's the most natural thing in the world. Who would even object to that? It's just..."

She curls in tighter on herself, her hands gripping her knees as her eyes clench shut. "I just want to know it was me," she repeats, with even more desperation this time. "I want to know it was me, losing to your Pleasure, because I wanted it that badly. Not a stupid old spell affecting who I am. Not some ancient monster who only cares about pain. I don't want someone like him to have any part in the wonderful things you showed me."

Now she does turn her head to look at you, and you can see the hint of tears in the eyes of the proud seductress. "I want my soul to be stained in your colors," she whispers. "Your colors. And no one else's."

"You will be," you promise her, letting her see the raw passion, the fierce desire for her in your eyes. "I promise. By the time all this is done, we're going to eradicate this geas. Along with the shitstain who created it. The Lust Queen was right. That thing has been twisting the Second Circle ever since it was put in place. It's been limiting all the possible expressions of Lust we can share, between our two kinds."

Then you rise to your feet. "But until we finish that, there's no shame in those fears you have," you say. "I don't know if this will help, but... I did have an idea. Even if this weakness to an incubi's touch is part of what he did to the succubi... I thought of something that might help put you at ease."

Walking over the door, you disappear back into the hallway for a moment. Then you return, bringing a naked Kelissa with you, your arm around her waist. She walks over to Rysanial, putting herself on full display as best she knows how. The maid is clearly nervous at being put in such an aggressive role. Yet she doesn't stop until she's on the bed, straddling Rysanial's lap with her arms around her neck.

"Please..." Kelissa breathes, looking into the demon's eyes with a mixture of hope and longing, their faces barely an inch apart. "Please Rysanial, let me serve you. When we first met... you helped me when I was lost. You showed me what sex could really be. Please, let me help you now. Let me prove to you that... that love can overcome anything."

Those... weren't exactly the words you suggested to her. Still, you can tell that the simple, heartfelt sincerity of her words has a power all its own. Rysanial leans in, kissing the maid deeply, even as you move in behind. When Kelissa finally comes up for air, she wastes no time in turning back to you, passing the kiss along to your lips with equal fervor.

Soon Kelissa's hands are moving, undoing what little clothing the succubus wears, freeing Rysanial's perfect breasts. You slide your hand over the maid's, your fingers atop her fingers, guiding her motions so that you are moving through her as she feels up the demon's entire body. Even indirectly, the sense of Rysanial's familiar softness is unmistakable.

The succubus moans, squirming under your combined touch as she gazes longingly into your eyes. You slide your hands down Kelissa's body, now guiding her hips as she moves in, grinding herself against Rysanial. Soon the three of you fall back onto the bed, Rysanial beneath the two of you. She and Kelissa hungrily kiss some more, before the maid once again obediently passes it back to you.

Your lovemaking is, by necessity, a slower, more methodical affair than it usually is, each movement carefully measured in unison. You cannot even use your usual aphrodisiac, not on your true target, which removes even more of the raw, supernaturally-charged eroticism that you usually create.

Yet... you discover that those limitations matter less than you expected. Those limitations do not take away from what is truly being expressed between the three of you, in the gentle tenderness of the act.

Kelissa throws everything she is, everything she's learned into her movements, serving as a conduit for both her feelings and yours. Once again, she finds herself pressed into a delirious embrace between two demons of Lust. But this time she's an active participant with all her heart, seeking of her own desire to help assuage Rysanial's fears. Just as Rysanial once helped assuage hers.

And Rysanial...

She's crying.

Not much. Just a slight tear-track sliding down one side of her face, one she tries to keep out of sight. But it's not something she can hide from you. In that place of utter vulnerability... knowing that you have complete power over her, like nothing she could have even imagined... you and Kelissa instead enfold her with warmth and safety.

Due to the relatively restrained nature of the sex, you end up going late into the night. All time and thought are lost to the three of you, your world dissolving into a steady rhythm of body heat, touch, and intimacy. In the end, though, it's still Kelissa who finally does give out. After so many shared orgasms her mortal body simply falls asleep, nuzzled tight between the two of you.

Rysanial looks down at her, and you catch a moment of completely undisguised affection in her gaze as her tail coils around the human's leg, pulling her even closer. Then she looks up at you. She can't find any words to convey her gratitude... but you don't need any such words to understand what she wants you to know.

She glances down to where your hand lies on Kelissa's hip. And then she makes a decision. Despite her fears, she slides her own hand down there. First just touching at the very fingertips... but then slowly, slowly intertwining them, until her fingers are fully meshed with yours atop the warmth of Kelissa's body.

Rysanial still doesn't say anything. She simply gives you that display of absolute trust, baring her soul to you once again. She falls asleep herself not long after, leaving you to watch over their sleeping forms.

Even in her dreams, Rysanial still holds tight to your hand.

And so, in the silence of the night, you are left with your thoughts. Left to plan your next steps forward. What strategy will you choose, that will protect everything that you've found here?

One option would be to send Ceriss to subvert Lord Kovar and secure a longer-term supply of food, while you sent your orcish commandos to capture Greta's caravan. Khaytala could bring the orc girl to the uncorrupted heroines, hopefully putting her out of Nergan's reach.

Nevati could research the information she's gathered on the succubus geas, while Rysanial investigates the heroine cleric, Elianna, in hopes of learning something useful for a future seduction. The drow you captured could guard the fortress, while the harpies focus on alluring new converts among the holdouts in the orc army.

Finally, Verika could accompany you. Not only might her knowledge of the forest—and of Fallhazel—be helpful, but bringing her along might allow you to visit the elf village on your way. It's one place you could look for information on Fallhazel. And, while they may not know as much as the dryads, you and Verika could potentially try to subvert the village yourselves in the process. That could cut into the time you have to hunt Fallhazel a little bit... but it might be worth it to deal with the elves personally.

A second option, if you wanted to make extremely sure that the fortress was secure against any further attacks, would be to have Khaytala, Ceriss and the seduced drow all guard the fortress together. Rysanial could subvert Lord Kovar, and Nevati could research a way to allow your forces to move through the Shadowgate to the Underworld. The orcish commandos and the harpies could work together to claim Greta's caravan, while the main army could undergo special training in preparation for the Underworld attack.

Verika could still accompany you, but she could bring the orc girl along with her as well, instead of delivering her to the heroines. Perhaps Fallhazel might know something about her strange gift. At the very least, it might be a way to justify searching for the druid, depending on how you play your cards.

A third option would be to have Rysanial subvert Lord Kovar, Khaytala take the girl to the heroines, and Verika lead the orcish commandos to claim the hidden elf village. The drow could handle Greta's caravan, while Nevati researches the weaknesses of the succubus geas. Ceriss could guard the fortress, while the harpies work to win over hesitant orcs, and the main army trains for the Underworld assault.

Finally, a fourth option would be to have both Verika, Nevati and the orc girl accompany you, allowing Nevati to study the girl as you travel, learning what she can about the girl's powers. Rysanial could subvert Lord Kovar, while Khaytala could lead the orcish commandos to the hidden elf village. Ceriss could obtain the phoenix feather necessary for your weapon against the Incubus King, while the drow could guard the fortress.

And while this is going on, the harpies and the corrupted part of the main army could make a yet deeper foray into the Alliance territory, taking one of the fortified border towns and subverting it to your side. That will very likely prompt a move from the Alliance forces in response, creating an extra threat that you'll have to deal with, whatever that move turns out to be. You'll have to weigh that against the chance to increase your food reserves, army and territory at the same time... and how that factors into the different long-term strategies you could pursue.

In the end, the possible variations and alternatives are endless... but you'll still have to decide on an overall plan out of all of them. Which plan will you suggest enacting?