Tooth and Claw, Part 16


Looking away from Lord Edrach's forces as they set up their camp, you glance back at Verika. "I'll need you to keep watch over Juri tonight as well."

The drow ranger nods. "Of course," she says without hesitation. "I've been enjoying my time with her. In fact, she even taught me a children's game from her village. She said the queen liked to play it with her."

A fond smile traces the heroine's lips, as she looks back in the direction of your tent. "It feels... good. To be able to protect someone like her, in person. It helps me remember what we're doing all this for."

"Good," you say. Then you flash her a devilish smile. "Meanwhile, my task will be a bit less innocent. The young Lady Edith and her retinue seem to be in quite the despondent state. I think they could use some comfort right about now. And having them firmly on our side could open up quite a few opportunities."

Verika chuckles. "Lucky girls..." she says. After all, she knows from firsthand experience the fate that will soon befall them.

You wait a little while longer, allowing night to fully fall before you make your move. This grants you the cover of darkness as you creep with demonic stealth across the clearing toward the small group of tents. Soon you've reached the largest tent among them, opening it slightly to peek in.

The interior is barely illuminated by a single candle. Lady Edith sits on her bedroll, her cheek now bandaged. She's leaning against her bodyguard for comfort. And it's obvious she needs it, after being so savagely struck by her own father.

The female knight, for her part, has removed her armor. She holds her charge close, stroking her head as she tends her. Seen in this unguarded, intimate moment, it's even more clear just how much the naive noble relies on her protector for emotional support.

You watch for while, until eventually the young woman sniffles. "I'm... so sorry, Ana..." she mumbles miserably. "I failed. None of this worked out the way I thought it would. I was... I was so... stupid to think that someone like me could help. And now... now I've gotten you in trouble with father as well!"

"Hush..." replies the knight, continuing to stroke her. "I knew full well what the cost might be when I agreed to this, milady. You weren't in the wrong. The way Lord Edrach is playing games with our allies is sheer folly. And I was so proud of you when you decided to take action against it. That will never change. No matter how he punishes me."

Lady Edith just buries her face against the older woman, lost and unsure of herself. In their current fragile state, it's almost laughably unfair that they've been pitted against a creature such as yourself.

Still, that unfairness matters little when weighed against the bliss of what you're about to teach them.

In fact, you don't even bother with a disguise this time. No, the direct approach will be best here. You silently part the flap of the tent and enter, angling yourself so that you're visible to the young noble first, not to her protector. The girl tenses, sucking in a fearful breath as you announce your presence.

"It isn't over yet, Lady Edith..." you assure her, in a rich voice that promises all manner of dark delights. "True, your futures may look bleak at the moment. But I have come to offer you a way to avoid that fate. A way for both of you to have everything your hearts desire."

Lady Edith's eyes go wide in mute shock. Ana, however, whirls to her feet, snatching up her sword and swinging it around to level it at your throat. In the meager light from the flickering candle, your winged, demonic form blends with shadows. Your blood-red eyes gaze back into hers, completely unafraid. The knight's breath catches in fear, as she realizes just what manner of creature she's facing.

But before she can do anything else, you hold up your hands in a gesture of peace. "I am not here as your enemy," you say, infusing the words with weight and undeniable truth. "I am here as your last chance. Our goals here are aligned. I want to protect the Forest. I want to protect the loggers. I want to protect you... if only you will allow me."

"Be silent!" Ana hisses. Though you notice that the point of her blade quivers almost imperceptibly against your skin. "We will not listen to your lies, hellspawn! You will not tempt us from the righteous path with your false promises!"

You just shake your head. "Why would I need to lie to you?" you ask the knight. "You already know what lies at the end of that 'righteous path' of yours."

She flinches. But you do not relent, continuing to speak. "It ends with Lord Edrach righteously punishing his loggers for trying to survive the situation he put them in. It ends with him righteously punishing you, for allowing his daughter to come here. It ends with him righteously making himself even richer than before, on the back of all that death and suffering."

Then you look deep into Ana's eyes, calculating each word for the most devastating force. "It ends with the brute doing everything he can to crush Lady Edith's spirit for defying him. Just like you saw him do today. And after he's dealt with you, for your own part in this? You won't be able to do anything to protect her from him."

You probably could have stabbed the knight through the heart with less effect.

Ana's mouth opens, struggling for words. But none are forthcoming. You don't give her the chance to recover. "Go ahead," you demand, keeping up the pressure. "Tell me any of that is a lie. Look me in the eye, and tell me that isn't exactly what he'll do. Unless you're willing to break a few of those 'righteous' rules that he hides behind."

You step forward. And the bodyguard reflexively shifts her blade, so she doesn't cut you. She flinches, realizing too late how the action has betrayed the doubt that you've already sown in her heart. You reach up to gently take hold of her wrist, your skin pressing against hers. She lets out a shuddering gasp, her body clenching up as your allure starts to seep through her. You reach up your other hand to caress her cheek, your faces now only inches apart.

Ana trembles in your arms. She's afraid of the pleasure you're making her feel. But she's also afraid of what you've told her. Afraid of what will befall Lady Edith, should the knight stick to her principles.

She's been taught that she ought to resist fiends like you. And if it were only herself at risk? She probably would already have tried. But the carnal temptation coursing in her veins is now combined with her fear of what would happen to Edith if she rejects your help. And so she finds herself frozen, unable to respond.

Worst of all, she doesn't even know that she could kill you, even if she did try. Most demons could defeat a mortal like her, even without the disadvantages she's already under. And while you're no fighter... she doesn't know that. You certainly haven't shown even the slightest hint of fear through this entire encounter.

Behind her, Edith watches with wide, rapt eyes, unable to look away. Then, after a few long seconds, Ana finally speaks, her breathing ragged.

"Milady..." she says, her voice nearly breaking on the words. Tears start to run down her face. "There... isn't anything more important to me than you. If you want me to... If you give me your order... I'll stop him. No matter what. No matter how much stronger than me he is. No matter what witchcraft he's worked on me. No matter what happens to us afterward. I won't let him touch you. But... I need to hear it from your own lips. I need to hear that you want me to do it."

Edith kneels there, transfixed. You take a long look at her agonized knight. Then look down at her, before deciding on your response. "She's right," you admit, surprising Ana with your agreement. "Few mortals would be willing to reject the pleasure I can provide. But she is one of the ones who truly could. No matter how it would hurt her. No matter what your father would do to her afterward. She would still do it... if you asked it of her."

You reach up, gently wiping away the tears from the knight's face, while keeping up the flow of your aphrodisiac. Then you look down to where Edith kneels, and show her your kindest smile. "She loves you that much."

Edith draws in a quick breath. Then, slowly, the meek girl rises to her feet. "You... can really protect Ana from my father?" she asks you in a small, timid voice.

As soon as Edith says those words, her devoted knight knows that all hope is lost. You can see it enter her eyes. The knowledge that they're both yours now. Still, you answer. "I can."

The noble girl swallows, then takes a step closer to you. "And... the loggers? You... said that you'll save them as well?"

"The loggers and the forest both," you say, using your honeyed words to reassure her. To draw her in closer and closer, with exactly what she needs to hear. "I only need you to trust me."

As though mesmerized, Edith takes another step closer, until she's right behind her bodyguard. You step up your molestation of Ana, your hands sliding beneath her jerkin to grope and knead at her flesh. The knight lets out an immodest moan, writhing in your grasp as her young charge watches, awestruck, from mere inches away. Any thoughts of resistance have long since vanished from either of them.

Soon you are expertly undressing Ana, letting her clothes fall to the ground beside her as she does her best to speed the process, putting her naked body on full display. The knight looks up at you wondering what you will do to her next. But instead you turn her around to face Edith. They both blush furiously, even as you lean in to whisper right into Ana's ear. "Now... you strip her for me."

Before, that would have been unthinkable to the knight. But in this moment her desire is so inflamed that she doesn't even hesitate. With trembling hands, she reaches up to feel the body of her beloved charge, touching the girl in ways she has never before been touched. And Edith offers herself up eagerly to be despoiled, gasping as she feels Ana's hands on her.

It's a sign of how impressionable the meek girl is that she didn't even need any aphrodisiac to get her to offer herself up to a demon like this. All it took was the desperate situation, your mesmerizing, inhuman charisma... and her own genuine love for her protector.

Of course, just because you didn't need it to get her this far doesn't mean that it won't make the experience even better for her when you do use it. Soon Edith's nightclothes lie in a pool around her feet, and you grab hold of her bare arm to pull her even closer, giving her a taste of your allure as you touch her.

In response, she practically throws herself into Ana's arms, their naked bodies intertwining as she looks breathlessly up at the older woman. They want each other—want each other so desperately that you can taste it—but Edith is to innocent to even understand what to ask for.

So Ana takes charge, pulling the girl who was entrusted to her care into a fierce kiss. Edith simply melts into her, whimpering as she eagerly surrenders to Ana's every touch. Her soft noble's body presses against the firm, muscular frame of the veteran soldier, as the more experienced woman teaches her things she never even imagined.

You're more than content to let the two of them warm each other up for you, before the main event. You massage them, guide them, subtly steer their lovemaking to reach even greater heights than they could manage alone. Soon you've maneuvered them over to the bedroll, lying there in each other's arms as they grind their cunts together, lost in a haze as Ana kisses her mistress even deeper.

Edith is completely inexperienced, of course. And even Ana doesn't seem all that practiced at lying with another woman. Still, what they lack in skill they make up for in desperate affection. And between your aphrodisiac and your guiding hands, they're soon feeling it even more.

Their first orgasm isn't anything extraordinary. Not by your standards, at least. But for them it's world-shaking. The two of them lie there in the afterglow, Ana on top of Edith as they cling together, their curves pressing against each other, gazing into each other's eyes. They probably think that they've reached the very pinnacle of what pleasure can offer.

They're about to find out that this was just the opening act.

Still, before you enter the fray yourself and teach them what pleasure truly means, there are a few things worth taking care of in this brief lull. Edith is still injured. And while she could easily ignore any pain in the heat of her sexual awakening, it would be better for her to get that healed sooner rather than later. You were planning on giving them a Corruptive Boon anyway, and this seems like the perfect opportunity.

With a wound this fresh, you could probably have the regeneration wipe away all trace of the injury. It would take a little extra effort when you bestowed the boon, perhaps some tricky manipulation of the demonic energies. But if you do it right there shouldn't even be a scar on her cheek beneath the bandage. Your healing would be complete and total, giving her a compelling example of the power of gentleness and compassion.

Then again... you also understand that sometimes mortals can find great meaning in such scars. If you just gave her a normal boon (along with some inspiring words about how to look on that scar as a reminder of the courage she showed) it could serve to bolster her determination and self-confidence. She would keep a small-yet-noticeable remnant of her defiant choice. The first time she truly stood up to her father.

More importantly, before you finish seducing Edith, Ana and the rest of their party, you'll also need to decide what you'll ask them to do once they've been subverted by your influence.

If you wanted them to be successful long-term agents on your behalf in Nelin, it would be best to avoid an encounter between them and Lady Alicia, whenever she arrives. While the paladin does not seem to be harming those, like Janessa, who have been ensnared by your seduction, it would likely compromise their effectiveness if her investigation made Alicia suspicious of them. You could simply ask them to leave the rest to you, breaking camp and heading back to civilization. Depending on how you dealt with Lord Edrach, that could give you a source of corruption among the Nelin nobility.

On the other hand... Fallhazel is by far the more important target, with much more at stake should you fail to seduce her. And you are likely running out of time. It may be worth risking their long-term effectiveness as agents in Nelin to instead have them assist you in handling the current situation, so that you can focus on the druid herself.

That still leaves the question of where they would go. Given their current position (and their established role as an attempted intermediary) you could probably justify them seeking shelter with any of the three factions... where they could start to spread corruption themselves.

You could have them return "penitent" to Lord Edrach's camp, seducing his men and limiting his ability to cause damage by bringing the very knights he depends on over to your side. Or you could have them "surrender" to the forest, putting them in position to corrupt the nymphs and the dryads. You could even send them to the loggers... though by now their "captive" dryads have probably corrupted a great many of them already, so there may not be all that much left to do there.