Out of the Shadows, Part 20

You and Verika look on, as Belan works tirelessly to heal Ioni's wounds. Finally, Verika speaks. "You really went and stole their Oracle right out from under them..." she says, clearly impressed. "Did you learn anything interesting from her? Anything that could help us save Syvel and her students?"

"She... did tell me some things," you say, thinking not just about what Ioni herself said, but also what Melca let slip about Verika's relationship to the woman who wants her dead. "She told me about the plans Lady Eshosi has set in motion. And... she also told me about the Matriarch. And her reasons for doing all of this."

Verika's mouth sets into a thin line. She's quiet for a moment, and you don't press her. Finally, she makes a quick motion with her head toward the cave exit. You follow in silence, leaving behind the flickering illumination of Belan's spell-light. Both of you navigate the dark passages in silence, until you're once again at the tunnel mouth, with the drow capital visible in the distance.

Only then does Verika speak, piercing you with her gaze. "How much do you know?"

"Not much," you say. "I wasn't even trying to pry into it. It just... came up. That you were the current Matriarch's true target... and that you're her younger sister."

Verika nods, turning away from you to look out at the underground city. Her gaze traces the walls and spires for a while, before she finally speaks.

"I'd hoped this damn place would feel less familiar to me after all this time," she says. Then she shakes her head. "But it's like I never left. This city doesn't change, Talavar. Not really. The power trades hands, the players come and go... but the twisted game they keep playing might as well be set in stone. I'd hoped I would never have to see it again."

"Bad memories?" you ask.

"They are now." Verika lets out a bitter chuckle. "People call me a 'heroine', you know. But... whatever stories you've heard? Whatever Khay told you? Don't let it fool you into thinking that I was any less vicious or cruel than any of the other drow you've seen down here. I would have been even worse, eventually. Because... even as young as I was back then... I had the skills to accomplish so much more."

"It was the life you grew up with," you observe. "You never knew anything different."

"Neither do any of them," says Verika, gesturing out toward the city. "The only difference is I got lucky. They're stuck here in this rotting cesspit, while I got thrown together with people like Relis and her mother. People kind enough to give even someone like me a second chance."

"Maybe," you reply. "But you did take the chance, when it was offered. That has to be worth something. Not every drow captured by their enemy would have done that."

"Mmmm. Was it Relis who told you that story?" A look of regret crosses Verika's face. "Goddesses above... what I did to her. She showed compassion to a vile girl, one who would have liked nothing better than to kill or enslave her. She helped to tend my wounds. Welcomed me into her family."

Then Verika exhales. "And in return for that kindness... she's had to spend most of her life trying to fight her way out of my shadow. Even with her own mother."

"From what she's told me," you say. "I don't think she regrets her decision."

The look of regret is replaced by a fond smile, though it's still pained. "You're right," Verika agrees. "She doesn't. That's just one of the reasons she's so much more amazing than she gives herself credit for. I don't think I would have left behind the person I used to be, if she hadn't been there."

Another silence falls, as you contemplate the tangled relationship between the two women. But eventually you decide to steer the conversation back toward areas of more immediate concern. "That 'person you used to be', though... can you think of anything she did to your older sister? Anything that would cause the Matriarch to hold a grudge for this long?"

Verika considers that for a moment, then shakes her head. "No..." she admits. "Honestly, Velaria was always trying to have me assassinated, even back then. But even though she was technically closer in line to be the head of House Ravahorn, I was too damn useful for the House to give her any backing in it."

She gives a rueful smile. "And her own attempts were pretty amateurish. I mostly treated them like a joke—cocky kid that I was. I only retaliated a few times, just to make a point. At the time... well, I actually liked having Velaria there as a more visible target for the other Houses, since I wasn't ready to make my own move yet."

You ponder her words, trying to discern from them what might prompt the Matriarch to pursue her sister to this extent. Surely from a political point of view, any realistic threat to her position that Verika might once have posed would have ended when she defected to the surface?

It doesn't make sense... as though there's still a crucial piece of the puzzle that you're missing. But you have a hunch that if you could put it all together—if you could figure out exactly why the Matriarch is doing something that seems so unnecessary—it could provide an invaluable edge against her.

Meanwhile, Verika continues to talk. "It doesn't matter, though," she says. "Whatever her reasons for starting this, I have to end it. I can't let her hurt Syvel or her students on my account. I can't let her drag the village into our problems. I just hope that after it's done, we don't end up replacing her with someone even worse..."

You chuckle. "Well, I don't think you have to worry about Lady Eshosi for a while, at least," you say lazily. "I had some spare time while I was at the Shrine... so I instigated a bit of a feud between her and the Melcan Church."

Verika whirls toward you. "What?" she says. "You... you can't be serious. The alliance between House Thesolan and the Church is crucial to both their power bases. If they had a falling out, it would be devastating to both of them!" She searches your gaze, until she realizes you aren't joking. She swallows, then continues. "How big a 'feud' are we talking about?"

You make a show of considering it for a few moments. "Well... when I left it was at 'open bloodshed in the streets'. Not bad for an afternoon's work, I have to say."

Verika's jaw drops a little. She knew you were formidable before, of course... but for the first time, you see a tiny hint of fear flicker through her eyes. No doubt she's wondering anew just what you're truly capable of. Wondering what she's gotten herself into by accepting your aid. And wondering what aims you have for her and those she cares about.

You respond with a knowing grin—equal parts warm and mysterious. Calculated to reassure her just enough, while still preserving the thrill, the game of cat and mouse. But never letting her be quite sure which of you is really the cat.

Verika bristles, but then rises to your challenge, refusing to back down. She walks toward you, her deadly, sinuous grace on full display in each step, until the two of you are tantalizingly close. She looks up at you, those mesmerizing black eyes searching your own.

"Why are you really doing this?" she asks quietly. "No more bullshit. I know you're not just a tiefling. I even have a pretty good guess as to what you really are. But... why would something like that do so much to help us?"

She takes a shaky breath. "Is this all just some twisted trick? A way to get us to lower our guards, to steal our souls? If it is, then... if I promised you my soul, right here and now... would you swear on your Name to leave the others alone?"

By now your faces are mere inches apart. She shifts her body enticingly, using her cleavage-baring armor to quite good effect. Your lip quirks up in a tiny smile as you watch one of the heroines trying to seduce you. And granted, she's doing a commendable job of it... for a mortal.

It's clear that this is born of desperation. She knows that she has little chance of pulling off the rescue without your help, let alone if you start to oppose her. She knows that Khaytala is smitten with you already. She knows she needs to make a deal with the devil.

She's just trying to make the best one she can, despite her terrible bargaining position.

You suspect that she personally considers herself deserving of it anyway, given her guilt over her past participation in the rampant cruelties of the drow. And if Hell is her destination one way or another... then why not sell herself to your particular Circle for a chance at saving her friends?

Of course, in this case she completely misunderstands the true scope of your goals. That said, you will still have to give a response. How do you decide to answer her?