Tooth and Claw, Part 34
After mulling over what you've learned from Janessa for a while, you turn in for the night, deciding to finish off the last of your dreamwalking endeavors tomorrow when you're fresh. You spend that night with a few of Lily's maids, replenishing your reserves of Lust completely through a passionate orgy, as you teach them a few new ways of using the gifts that your boon provides.
When the morning comes, you greet it feeling refreshed and ready. You immediately contact Filathia through a willing dreamwalk, requesting that she prepare the ritual for communion with Havti. You discuss the details for a while, and you also confirm just how rare and hard-to-find the components required are. Filathia does have enough for one such ritual on hand... but this definitely isn't something she does lightly or without cause.
Still, she doesn't hesitate to do so at your request. Though she does tell you that your dream-presence won't be necessary for a few hours yet, not until she gets a bit further into her preparations. Which allows you one final willing dreamwalk while you're waiting.
Rather than anything confrontational or intense, you decide to use this brief window to check in on Essme, the widow from the village you saved, who you impregnated while seducing Khaytala. She accepts your call, appearing opposite you in a wide-open field. You can see that she's starting to show, her stomach swelling a little from the new mortal life growing within her.
"Talavar?" she says, looking around her at the dreamscape, then up at you in confusion. "What... is this?"
"Don't worry about it," you reassure her, placing your hands on her shoulders. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Are you well?"
She nods, still trying to take all this in. "Yes!" she says. "Yes, and... I did as I promised you! I found someone to share my life with. I... was afraid at first. Especially since I knew the child was on the way. But... the gifts you gave me... the desires they awoke in me, and they way they make others feel when I touch them... it's so incredible! Like nothing I ever experienced before I met you."
You grin as she fumblingly tries to explain the glories of Lust, the delicious sins and temptations that she's discovering for her own. "I take it this new lover of yours appreciates those gifts?"
"Yes, he does!" Then she blushes, glancing away. "And... his wife does too."
Raising your eyebrows, you let out an impressed whistle at how quickly this mortal is progressing. She blushes even more. "They're a young couple," the widow explains hastily. "He... wasn't as experienced as you, or even my husband. So he didn't know how to make it enjoyable for her, and they were having some hard times. But the three of us have been... working on that."
"Not bad..." you say. "You're going to be an excellent role model for our daughter."
The thought of that embarrasses her more than anything up to that point. But you don't give her the chance to dwell overmuch on it. Instead, you make the most of your limited time here, advancing toward her and lifting her to pin her against a tree, one that you conjure into the dream at the same time. Her breath catches, and you show her a demonic smirk. "Let's teach you a few new tricks, then, to pass on to your other bedmates..."
You pass the next hour or so in some extremely pleasant revelry, with a few pauses to listen to her describe her partners and their issues in more detail. You do make sure to give her some extra training, which you tailor specifically toward that threesome, using your expert knowledge to give her some next steps that will guide them even further down the path of temptation.
Still—unfortunate though it is—your time with Essme is particularly limited. All too soon, you need to bid her goodbye, wishing her well in her new adventures. That dream fades, and you return to where Filathia waits for you.
It's time to face your second goddess.
By the time you re-enter the priestess' dream she's already completed the parts of the ritual that are exclusively physical, burning the incense and making other propitiation back in the physical world. What remains are a set of invocations, prayers that need to be completed with the participants involved. Even with that, you get the feeling that the elven priestess is also improvising a little, adapting the incantations of her request to this unique situation. But you say nothing, trusting her to carry the ritual through to completion.
She wasn't exaggerating when she told you that it's an involved process. Hour after hour goes by, both your eyes closed as Filathia recites the words required to bridge the gap between the mortal and divine, even in this small way. You can feel the deific energies slowly coalescing into the dream, in preparation for the vision that is soon to come. Soon it manifests visually, in motes of light that rise up around the two of you, their soft radiance increasing as more and more flecks of radiance ascend.
As Filathia's prayers reach their climax, the motes of light swirl around the two of you, smearing like golden paint until your entire field of vision is filled with warm light. When it fades, you find that the dream has shifted. You are standing in a tiny, cluttered cottage. The cramped space is illuminated by stray traces of late-evening sunlight filtering in through the small, circular windows, as well as by the crackling flames of a warm hearth.
A large metal pot hangs suspended over the hearth, its bubbling contents tended by a short figure whose back is toward you, her features hidden by a rough, simple headscarf. Stepping closer, you determine that the pot is brewing a healing salve. Not a particularly powerful one either. Certainly not any kind of legendary divine brew. No, this is the sort of simple remedy that would be a common staple of any decent herbalist or hedge witch, all across the various nations.
You bow your head in a gesture of respect. "Thank you for allowing us to speak with you, goddess."
The figure stirs the pot a few more times with a wooden ladle, then turns to look at you. Compared to the towering, grandiose form that Melca used to speak in the previous dream, what you see now could hardly be more different. The figure is that of a middle-aged woman, perhaps in her sixties. She is stocky, with hands weathered and cracked from much work. Her clothes are as simple and unassuming as the rest of her appearance. She looks you up and down with a piercing gaze, before turning to Filathia.
The poor priestess already cannot meet her eyes, staring down at the cottage floor, flinching in shame over what she fears her beloved goddess will say about her fall into debauchery. "I promise, I... I never intended to do anything to displease you," she stammers out in a small voice. "I... It just... It... really felt like the right thing to do, and..."
Havti walks the distance between them before Filathia can get any further, placing her hands on the elf's shoulders. "Hush now..." she says, her voice soothing as she pulls Filathia close. "Do not fear, child. I am not angry."
She pauses, shooting you a sidelong glance. "...or at least, I am not angry with you. This demon, on the other hand... he certainly has nerve, seeking an audience with me after what he has done to my faithful."
"I have done no harm to any of them, goddess," you protest, putting as much sincerity as you can into your words. "If you know of even one of your worshipers who is experiencing any suffering from my actions, you need only tell me, and I will make it right."
Havti's eyes meets yours for a long time, as though she's searching your very soul. Then the goddess sighs. "You truly do believe that you're helping them, don't you?" she says wearily. "Typical demon. So damnably convinced that the one part of Life they champion is the only part that really matters. And not nearly concerned enough with the methods they use to champion it."
With an effort, you swallow the retort you want to make defending the primacy of Lust itself. Instead, you make what you gauge will be a more effective response. "Perhaps. But look me in the eye and tell me anything I've done even approaches what you and your sisters have stood by and allowed Melca to do, in that never-ending torture chamber she keeps for the souls of all her Witch Queens across the ages. No one deserves to suffer for an eternity like that. No matter what they did in life."
The goddess of Healing flinches, and it's obvious that barb struck home. "You speak as though we could have done anything about it," she says, looking away. "Most of us are not warriors. And once Melca killed Feyal and stole her power... it has been all we could manage to simply keep her in check."
You can see the grief in her eyes as she speaks of Feyal's loss... and it tells you that you have yet another lever at your disposal. "Then if you cannot deal with Melca..." you say. "...at least don't get in the way of someone who can."
Havti's eyes narrow. "Don't you serve Melca, demon?"
"I serve Lily," you fire back, with more heat entering your voice than even you intended. "I serve a kind girl, who was abandoned by the righteous goddesses the instant Melca exerted her claim on her. But she hasn't been abandoned entirely. Not as long as I'm here. And if saving her requires luring that bitch down from her Divine Realm and finally killing her for good, then that's what I'm going to do."
The goddess studies you, trying to determine whether she should trust your words. You continue to press her, making the most of your advantage. "Earlier, you claimed familiarity with the nature of demons like me. Whatever your opinions of our methods... do you really think that someone from my Circle wouldn't hate everything Melca stands for?"
"You truly believe that you can get Melca to leave her Divine Realm?" asks Havti, her tone skeptical. "To incarnate? To take on mortality, however temporarily? It is not a thing she does, except with the utmost reluctance. She despises weakening herself, even in exchange for the freedom to act in the physical world."
You show the goddess a toothy, shark-like smile. "Yes," you say. "And that fear of weakness is exactly how I plan to get her down here. Just as you said, she's built her entire position on the power she took from Feyal. But if that power can be taken... then it can also be taken back."
Havti shakes her head. "Impossible..." she says. "The only one who could do that would be..."
But her voice trails off, as she sees the look of absolute confidence in your eyes. "You're right," you say, with the utmost confidence. "There is only one being who could do that."
For the first time in this entire conversation, you see Havti completely taken aback, shaken to her core. "No..." she finally breathes, the word barely audible. Barely daring to hope. "No, no, no, you lie, demon. My sister is... She was... We all felt it when..."
You say nothing more, letting her come to terms with your claim. Finally, she looks back up at you, her expression a conflicted tangle of emotion. "If... if what you say is true... then you walk a dangerous tightrope indeed."
At that, you chuckle humorlessly. "Believe me, I'm well aware. But that's the nature of the game. What matters is that I can create a threat to that power that Melca is so very desperate to protect. A threat that will force her into action. And when she takes that action... we'll be ready."
Though just as Havti says, it's very much a double-edged sword. If you provoke Melca to take that action before you're ready... If the dark goddess acts before you've had the chance to seduce as many heroines as possible... before you've had the chance to grow your armies... before you've had the chance to take advantage of all the myriad ways you've found that could weaken her... before you've had the chance to fully deal with the threat of your brand...
Well. That could be very bad.
Havti is still looking at you like she's trying to decide whether to believe you or not. But you can see actual hope starting to creep into her expression. Hope... along with a very old, aching grief now freshly unearthed. "Tell me true, demon. Are you really claiming that you can... return her to us?"
"She is... not what she once was," you say carefully. "But that may change as she regains more of herself. As she remembers what she has lost. I believe that she is willing to try, at least. We just need to somehow find a relic of her former self, and use it at the appropriate time. Only then will we know for sure."
Havti lets out a shaky breath. Even now, she isn't sure whether she can trust you. But you can tell that the possibility you offer is tempting her beyond anything she could have expected you to say.
Filathia speaks up as well. "I believe in him, goddess," she says. "You needn't be angry for our sake. It was... a lot to get used to at first. But now everyone in the village is enjoying what he taught us. It really is wonderful to... experience each other so deeply. None of us regrets welcoming him in."
A sigh escapes the goddess' lips. "He may mean well," she admits to her priestess. "But whether that makes him less dangerous... or far more so... that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, with things as they are now, I can only accept the choice you all made... as unduly influenced by his demonic charms as that choice may have been."
"It was still their choice in the end," you insist. "I have no interest in making them other than themselves. Only in making them see the Pleasure that they've been missing."
The goddess turns back to you, her face impassive. "And what of the future? To how many others do you intend to spread this revelation of yours, hmm?"
"Right now, my foremost goal is to save Lily," you say, not exactly answering her question. "How many people I need to sway in order to do that will depend—in large part—on how much opposition I face. If you wish to keep that to a minimum... perhaps you could help convince your sisters of my intentions?"
Havti is silent for a long time, considering all you have told her. "I doubt I could convince them not to oppose you, even if I were to try," she says at last. "Especially not Selal. She is far too committed to her honor and her principles to deviate from them. It is who she is."
Then she sighs again, as though this is all against her better judgment. "But... I may be able to convince her that you represent a lesser, misguided evil. One poised to strike a blow against a far greater one. It will not cause her to relent against you herself... but it may make it easier to convince her not to take away the power from her servants, should you 'sway' them to your cause as well."
You nod. Not as much as you would have liked. But this could still be crucial to any efforts to sway heroines such as Elianna or Alicia, who otherwise might find themselves stripped of all their divine power upon being corrupted. "Thank you," you say, bowing. "You will not regret it."
Havti snorts. "I haven't even done it yet, and I already regret it just looking at that smug face of yours," she says. Though her words are more acerbic than her actual tone is, and you're quite sure any smugness she sees is imagined on her part. Your control over your expression is far to good to allow anything like that through, not in a negotiation as delicate as this one.
Then she turns back to her priestess, her voice softening even more. "Even if you do choose to follow him... still think for yourself, child," she urges the elf woman. "Challenge him if you think he is going too far. He may even listen. Be my voice of reason, in the middle of it all. For his sake as well as yours."
"I will!" Filathia assures her, clasping her hands together earnestly. "I will never abandon your teachings, my goddess! I swear to you, my love and devotion have not diminished in any of this!"
Havti gives the elf a tender kiss on the forehead. Then she turns back to you. "One last thing..." she says, her expression growing even more serious. "You said that you needed a relic of Feyal, didn't you? For your efforts to..." Her voice breaks off, choked with emotion, not even trusting herself to voice the tiny, flickering hope that you've returned to her.
"Yes," you say. "Do you know where one might still exist?"
"Of all the places where my sister was worshiped long ago... it was in your own Kovora where her Church had its deepest roots," Havti says. "The old orcish shamans were once her greatest servants. But Melca has done everything in her power to hunt down all who remained devoted to her."
Now that is fascinating... and sheds new light on why Melca targeted Feyal, out of all her sisters. It wasn't just in an attempt to acquire her control over Nature. It was also a move to solidify her grasp over Kovora, targeting the strongest rival to the theocracy she would eventually impose. "She didn't succeed," you say. "Not completely. We found an orc girl who still remembered a fragment of a prayer to Feyal, passed down from her mother. One that actually worked."
Havti nods. "The child's family probably migrated north from the Nuati Wastes. The vast desert that lies between the more habitable parts of Kovora and the mountains. The nomads there have long resisted any rule other than their own clans. And they've been a thorn in Kovora's side for untold generations."
You raise your eyebrows. "And Melca allows this?"
The goddess chuckles. "Oh, not willingly. Every so often she will order one of her Witch Queens to wipe them out. But while Kovora's armies may far outnumber the nomads, the nomads are masters of guerrilla warfare. The desert is their strongest ally, and they know its harsh ways far better than anyone else. To Melca's great frustration, every attempt so far has ended in disaster."
Then Havti looks you right in the eye. "If anyone would be stubborn enough to cling to a relic of their dead goddess for all those centuries... they would be the ones."
You nod thoughtfully. If Havti's theory about where Juri's family came from is correct, then it seems the inhabitants of the Nuati have indeed preserved their ancient veneration of Feyal. This might be the best lead you could have asked for. "Thank you," you say. "I will do everything in my power to make use of this... and to restore your sister to you."
A muscle in Havti's jaw tightens involuntarily. But she does not say anything more. Instead, with a wave of her hand, she dismisses you from the dream, the cozy cottage dissolving around you as you fall back into the waking world, left to grapple with everything you have just learned.
You spend some time considering all the new options that this information has opened up to you, all the critically-important tasks that are vying for your limited attention. With your dreamwalking complete, you still have some time left to pursue an activity in your downtime, before you'll need to meet with the other members of your council and discuss your next moves.
Most obviously, you could strike while the iron is hot, and make the exchange with the Lust Queen for the component you need. If you do go that route, you'll need to decide who the intermediary will be. You carefully consider the three options that were brought up during the dream, along with the effect each might have on the situation.
Then again... the exchange doesn't need to be made immediately by any means. If there's something more urgent that might give you the edge in your current situation, you could put it off for another day. There is the one remaining improvement to the seal on your brand. The Incubus King was dormant for a large part of your last mission, due to the damage he sustained from what the succubi did to his artifact. But as his fierce resurgence in the dream showed, he is recovering.
Not to mention the possibility of summoning a new demon to assist in your endeavors. If there's a type of ally that you think could be of particular aid in your current situation, it might well be worth delaying the other tasks to obtain their assistance sooner. It all depends on what your plans are.
What will you do with your downtime?
