Tooth and Claw, Part 20


You smile apologetically at the ancient druid. "Sorry, but this is the best we can manage," you say. "Unless... you would be willing to carry us there yourself?"

Fallhazel gives you a flat look. "Do you truly think me so foolish as to allow you onto my back for such an extended time, little demon?" she asks.

But you hold your hands up, the very picture of innocence. "Oh, I promise you, I will refrain from any attempts to take advantage. After all... you've already told me yourself how futile my attempts are against one such as you. I only thought that, in the interests of time... and considering the threats pursuing us..."

Your smile is positively cherubic... while at the same time carrying the undercurrent of a teasing challenge. Fallhazel grimaces, waging a brief internal battle with her pride, her urgency to learn more about Juri, and the lust she already feels toward you. Until finally, she exhales in annoyance. "Very well," she says. "But I offer you no promise that I will not break you in half if you distract me overmuch."

"I will be the very soul of discretion," you say. Fallhazel scoffs. But without any further words she shifts into a horse herself.

However, there's clearly no comparison between what the druid becomes and your original horse. It almost seems wrong to consider them the same kind of animal. By the standards of mundane horses your mount was the pick of the Witch Queen's stable... but even so, the difference is like comparing an ordinary town guard to Khaytala. Juri watches the transformation in amazement, her mouth hanging open.

"Come, then," Fallhazel says impatiently. "We must depart to lay down our new trail, if we are to lead our pursuers away from this place and into our ambush."

You nod. Then you reach down, taking Juri's hand. "It'll be okay," you say quietly. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll be with you the whole way, and I won't let anything happen to you."

For a moment the orc girl just continues to look at Fallhazel. Then she shakes her head, coming back to reality. "No, it's alright," she assures you. "I'm not afraid. I mean... I was afraid, before I saw her. Back when all I knew was what you'd told me about her, and how she wanted to take me away. But... actually meeting her for myself... I don't understand, but... somehow it's..." The child's voice trails off, as she continues to stare up in wonderment, unable to express what she's feeling.

Fallhazel trots close enough for you to lift Juri onto her back, and you swing yourself up right behind her. Looking down, you nod to Verika. "Be careful," you say. "Keep a close eye on Edrach. I'm sure he's going to try something. And we've seen how stupid and reckless his plans can be, even back when he wasn't this desperate."

Verika grins back up, cracking her knuckles, then her neck. "Don't worry, Tal," the drow says, clearly relishing the chance to finally flex her skills. "Espionage is my specialty, after all. And he doesn't even know I'm here. Whatever he's planning, I'll make sure it fails."

With that taken care of, Fallhazel wheels about and takes off at a dizzying gallop. You clutch Juri tight as the druid dives fearlessly into the forest, trees flying past on either side, far faster than any ordinary horse could ever manage. Juri shrieks in a mixture of excitement and delight, as her small arms cling to you in a deathgrip, the wind whipping at both your faces. Fallhazel weaves and bounds effortlessly through the terrain, not slacking her thunderous pace, moving with an assurance that could only come from a knowledge of the wood more intimate than any mortal could ever hope to attain.

Only much later, after the druid has settled into a comfortable gallop, do you start to make conversation. You start with innocuous questions, circling toward your true objective only slowly. Until at last, you feel that it's the right time.

"...and anyway, with Verika there, we shouldn't need to worry about Edrach getting out of hand," you say. "But... I did want to ask you something. Aside from shutting down this one logging camp in the short term... what do you want to see from the mortals? What would make you less concerned about them in the long run?"

Fallhazel is silent for a while, and seems to be seriously contemplating what you asked. "I... would not take away from them that which they are," she says at last. "And I suppose that they are creatures of 'civilization'. Even if I understand little of its appeal."

Then a note of frustration enters her voice. "Still, I do not believe that I have have been over-demanding in the boundaries I have enforced. Nor do I have the power—or the inclination—to concern myself with everything they do beyond those boundaries. I require only that this one sanctuary be held inviolate."

"But still..." you press. "If there was one thing we could teach all of them... what would it be? One lesson that might help them understand. One lesson that might make them less inclined to trespass, as they are so prone to doing."

Again the druid falls silent, for longer this time. "If... they were to learn a measure of contentment..." she says at last. "A measure of perspective. Perspective on their place in the flow of the world and its cycles and seasons. Then... even if they do insist on building their silly towers ever-higher... and sillier palaces ever-larger... they might still do it all with some degree of... restraint... in their endless consumption."

You nod. "And if they are content enough that the resources of their own lands are sufficient for them, then they wouldn't need to make these kind of encroachments into your forest," you say. "I couldn't agree more. Especially since—of all those unrestrained projects of theirs—it's this war with Kovora that is by far the most costly. Now... if we could just teach them a better way... teach them to work out their differences in a less wasteful, more enjoyable manner instead..."

Fallhazel snorts, clearly skeptical. But she's still listening.

Truthfully, you're not even trying to convince her of any particular course of action. Not yet. No... you're merely trying to interact with her as an ally. To scheme with her, as two souls pursuing a similar end. That kind of bonding is your true goal, that closing of the emotional gap. Positioning yourself as someone who can actually share a similar perspective on the mortals.

A kindred spirit.

Soon the minutes flow into hours, even as you continue to race through the forest. The conversation helps the time pass faster, the two of you trading countless observations on mortal idiosyncrasy. Until eventually you notice that darkness is falling, even through the thick canopy above.

But aside from a few breaks to eat and drink, Fallhazel does not relent. It soon becomes clear that she intends to ride straight through the night. Not only does the druid's speed entirely surpass that of any natural horse, but her endurance as well. Though part of it is simply how driven she is to reach her destination, now that the mysterious answers she seeks are within her grasp.

Juri eventually falls asleep in your arms, her head nuzzling into the crook of your shoulder. A sign of how safe she feels with you. But sleep is not a luxury you can permit yourself, not as the main rider. Deeper and deeper into the woods you go, making you realize anew just how huge the Great Forest truly is. And as Fallhazel takes you deeper, you begin to notice changes in your surroundings.

The trees around you grow increasingly older, far more gnarled and densely-packed than they were before. Their large, overgrown root systems twist out from them, making the path all the more unstable. Even the very air itself seems thicker here, the weight of countless centuries hanging heavy in this ancient place of power.

Unfortunately, even with all that ambient power, you can tell that it's not true holy ground. No actual deity opposed to Melca has staked their claim on this place through consecration, and so there are no protections that would restrain her from observing whatever you learn here. And while you already consider it a safe practice to operate under the assumption that the mad goddess is watching... taking into account how obsessed she is with Juri, right now it's less of an "assumption" and more of a "foregone conclusion".

Whatever you learn here, she'll know it. And she'll know that you know it.

Still... even if it's not devoted to any particular deity, there is definitely power here. A subtle sense of the sacred, of the numinous that permeates this place. Not anything that would impede the use of your demonic powers, or even cause you pain. But... it is there.

As a new dawn breaks, Fallhazel has the two of you dismount, before resuming her dryad-like form. Juri yawns, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before looking around, blinking at her new environment. The canopy above is so thick that only the barest hints of the morning peek through, stray fingers of light reaching down, catching on motes of dust that hang silent in the air. It feels like a different world here. Isolated from the petty, mundane bickering of corrupt nobles and conflicting ideologies. As though Creation itself has slowed to a halt, preserving this tiny slice of strange, otherworldly beauty from the ravages of everything outside it.

"We have almost reached our destination," says Fallhazel. Then she turns to you, giving you a strange, surprised look. "You... truly kept your word. You did not attempt any further use of your demonic allure on me. At any time during the ride."

You chuckle and give her a knowing smirk. "You almost sound disappointed."

The druid scowls back. But she can't outright deny that there's at least a hint of truth to your words. As sexually charged and near to the breaking point as things had gotten between you from your repeated seduction... there had to be at least a part of her that was expecting to feel more. Some part of her that was anticipating an escalation of your sensual struggle.

Still, the sense of trust that you did establish with her instead could be even more useful in the long term, depending on how things turn out. Still so many unknown factors, so many potential pitfalls. But there's nothing for it but to forge ahead as best you can, and adapt to any surprises as they come.

Rather than respond to your teasing, Fallhazel instead indicates a narrow path through the gnarled trees. "The Old Mothers are just beyond here," she says. "If anyone can provide answers about this orc-child, it will be them."

You can see the urgency of her desire. Wanting, needing to learn the truth about Juri, for reasons you still haven't been able to entirely figure out. And you can't shake the uneasy feeling that there's still some crucial detail that you don't have, some missing piece of information required for it all to fully make sense.

Still... if you wanted, you could try to slip in one final action, albeit at a cost. Now that you've reached the end of your journey—and the end of your promise—you could make another attempt to make the sexual tension between you boil over, playing on all your work on her up to this point.

Of course, while Fallhazel herself has been significantly tempted, these "Old Mothers" have not. You don't exactly know how they'll feel about you seducing the forest's guardian on their doorstep. They might be less than approving. Which could itself color your subsequent interaction.

You could also ask Fallhazel to wait for just a bit, enough time for you to check up on Verika with a willing Dreamwalk using your Synergy. See how events progressed overnight, and factor in any new developments with your own plans. Of course, depending on how it did go, it could also be spending a notable amount of Lust for an unknown return. You'll need to determine how regularly you want to keep checking up on matters there... and how fast you'll be able to burn through your reserves to keep doing so.

Or you could just go directly to these Old Mothers without any further delay. If you do, then instead of those other actions, you'll have the chance to take a few last plans or precautions instead. Whether things to be on the lookout for in the coming conversation, strategies to follow, or anything you think Fallhazel should be aware of. Up until now you've been playing it fairly cagey with your own knowledge and suspicions, focusing instead on seducing her... but this would be your last chance to set the stage with her, before you enter the forest's Heart and face whatever it holds.