Blood Ties, Part 34
As the torrent of unholy power dies down, you look up at the wreckage of the room around you. The changes this time are less obvious than when your perception expanded, but as you recover, you feel far more clear-headed, your thoughts quicker, more acute. Your mind is able to analyze far more angles simultaneously, to run calculations in your head with an ease you never could before.
You look down at your brand, with its glowing runes... and you suddenly realize that you can now decipher for yourself many of the things Nevati deduced about it this morning. It's not just that you're smarter, there's actual knowledge about magic, knowledge that wasn't there before. Not something you can call forth at will, exactly... but fragmentary remembrances still emerge when looking at things that are associated with the memories.
Memories that are not your own.
You also feel a new power that you didn't have before. A connection back to the Celestial Realms from which you came. You have the sense that you could call forth your own summons from there, though the breadth and scope of it still remain to be explored. At the very least, you're quite confident that you could bring forth the mindless tentacle monsters of the Pleasure Pits without any difficulty, and near-instantaneously.
You close your fist, then glance back to where Ceriss is kneeling, naked. She managed to erect a curved magical barrier that mitigated a great deal of the damage, though there was still a large part of this room that was trashed. Glancing up, you can see a hole blown in the ceiling... through which a half-elf prostitute and her human client are looking down at you with wide eyes. Cursing under your breath, you dart out of their view, then shapeshift back into Niko.
Moments later, the Madame comes rushing through the door, and the sight of the explosive damage puts a crack in even her usually composed expression as she boggles at the sight. Ceriss glances around for her clothes... but they were already ragged from the damage they'd taken in the fight against the demon, and the explosion destroyed them entirely. She can only stand there naked, in the remains of the ravaged room.
It's enough to fluster even her a bit.
"I... I'll pay for the damages, Renethe!" she assures the Madame, holding up her hands. "This was... I... I didn't realize this was going to happen!"
A crowd of patrons is already gathering, and bystanders in the street outside have seen the smoking hole in the brothel wall. More and more attention. "Ceriss, we need to get out of here," you urge quietly. "You can send someone to handle the repairs, but if you're caught up in this..."
The Madame looks between the two of you then makes a decision. "He's right," she says, her tone clipped. "I'll handle the situation. Get out of here, girl. I don't know what you've gotten yourself into, but... stay safe."
Ceriss nods. Then she picks up her wand and staff, using the former to cast a spell on herself. Soon her naked form disappears from sight entirely as she becomes invisible. Then you hear her casting it a second time, and you fade from view as well.
The cover provided by her spell allows you to slip away. It's late into the evening by this point, the city streets darkening as the sun starts to sink below the horizon. Ceriss conjures the illusion of flowing, diaphanous clothes around her body, and the two of you make your way back toward her manor, talking quietly as you go.
No longer quite as caught up in the thrill of the moment, she does have a few pointed questions for you about your aims. Most of all, she wants to ensure the well-being of the other heroines you've claimed. It's an opportunity to tell her some stories about Khaytala and Verika, and your adventures—sexual and otherwise—together. Stories that not only reassure Ceriss... but further entice her as well, as you flesh out what your alternative to war will truly look like.
You also share your worry that Nevati might soon figure out that you're a demon, if she hasn't already. Between what she learned from studying your brand, the testimony of the girl you rescued, and even just what her own familiars witnessed, she has enough information to make you very nervous.
Part of you wants to just pack up and leave for Kovora, immediately. But... no. There's too much unfinished here to do that quite yet.
Ceriss, for her part, offers to try and smooth things over with Nevati, if and when she does realize what you are. And, while you're not sure how much luck she'll have, at this point she probably has a better chance than you. She's impressively charismatic herself... and more to the point, she has an overwhelming advantage while dealing with the gnome, as opposed to the crippling suspicion you'd be under.
Still, the more you ponder the situation—the more you reflect on just how much Nevati knows—the more you're convinced that going back as Niko is too much of a risk. At least not until you see whether Ceriss can convince the other heroine or not. Instead, as the manor comes into view, you shapeshift into one of the staff. A maid that you recall seeing on your first visit.
Normally, replicating her form so accurately would be a tricky feat for someone you only noticed in passing several days ago. But you find that your powers of memory and recall have also been vastly improved along with the boost to your intellect, allowing you to pull even that fleeting image to mind with startling clarity.
You suggest that you go in first, before Ceriss tries to approach Nevati. The sorceress agrees, hanging back while you walk toward the manor. The first thing you notice upon entering is the small wizard, waiting in the foyer, pacing fretfully. She pays you barely any notice as you walk past, as she waits anxiously for Ceriss' return.
You notice that she has her unique collapsible staff with her, extended and ready at hand. Stealing a closer look, you notice a glow from the enchantments that she's cast on herself. And your new well of knowledge allows you to identify them. In addition to some physical enhancements, there's also a spell of personal defense. Not as subtle as Ceriss' ward, that protected against aphrodisiac specifically. No, this is a barrier meant for use in combat, designed to repel others from even touching the subject.
Not technically unbreakable... but you almost certainly don't pack enough of a punch to get through it. Nevati is playing it as safe as she can for the showdown that she's anticipating.
As you walk deeper into the manor, you find that the other members of the manor are where you'd expect them to be. Janessa is tending to the girl you rescued from the warehouse, who lies curled up in one of Ceriss' guest rooms. Nevati's summons are gathered outside the foyer, waiting just out of sight of their mistress. They seem anxious themselves, tense and alert. Waiting for a command.
To your surprise, as you observe Nevati's summons, something bubbles up from from the foreign knowledge you've so recently acquired, allowing you to glean a peculiar tidbit of information. You didn't realize it before, due to your own personal inexperience with elementals. But now you see that these familiars—though still easily strong enough to wipe the floor with a demon as weak you—don't appear to be nearly so powerful as you would have expected from an absurd prodigy of Nevati's level.
It's... odd.
You file that away for later, though, as you hear the main door open again from the other room. Ceriss is making her move. Time to see how this all plays out.
"H-h-hello, Ceriss..." you hear Nevati say from the other room. Her stammer is far worse than usual. "Y-you were... g-gone all d-day. I w-was..." She swallows, and continues in a smaller voice. "I w-was w-w-worried about you."
"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, Nevati," replies Ceriss kindly. "Niko and I ended up having a lot to take care of."
"Umm... wh-where is Niko?" asks Nevati, with painfully forced nonchalance. "Did you c-come back alone?"
"He had something he needed to take care of," Ceriss explains, without actually explaining much of anything. "We're going to meet up again once he's done."
"No!" Nevati blurts out, now that she thinks you aren't nearby to overhear. "No, Ceriss, you don't understand! He isn't who he says he is! He hasn't just been cursed by a demon, he is another demon! I'm c-certain of it! He's an i-i-incubus, Ceriss! He must be trying to g-get you under his c-control! He's too d-dangerous to be alone with, and... and... a-and..."
Her voice trails off, the worried urgency in her tone slowly giving way to crushing, devastated dismay. Probably because Ceriss isn't showing any shock or horror. "...and y-you... you already knew that."
"It's not what you're afraid of," Ceriss tries to reassure her. "He isn't malicious, Nevati. I promise. You saw what he went through to help us stop the other demon. To save that girl. And he's helped us in other ways too, at great risk to himself."
The wizard hesitates before responding, conflicted. "T-that doesn't mean he isn't d-d-dangerous in his own w-way!" she protests, though there's an uncertain note in her voice now. "We don't even know who s-summoned him! Or what his true g-goals are! He l-lied to get c-c-close to you, and... and then he... th-then he t-tricked you into... i-into..."
Her voice breaks off in anguish. Unable to say aloud what she knows you did with the woman she's infatuated with.
"Niko told me why he couldn't tell us the truth at first," the sorceress says. "I understand what he's been trying to accomplish. And... it really will be better for everyone if he succeeds. You have to believe me on this. Please."
"I... Th-that's not..." The gnome doesn't know how to respond. You can tell that part of her is worried that Ceriss might be right. She saw with her own eyes what you've done to help stop the killer and protect his victims. And she truly doesn't want to jump to conclusions. Not even against the person who stole away the one woman she's desperately in love with.
But at the same time... she also knows full well what a lust demon could accomplish with the degree to which Ceriss has left herself vulnerable to you. She knows you haven't been honest with her. She knows that you probably have some kind of scheme going on.
And she's terrified for her friend.
Even from the other room, you can hear her breathing faster as she tries to figure out the right course of action. All the other heroines you've encountered so far have been cool under pressure... but it's clear that Nevati is far more used to a supporting, background role. Which means she's completely out of her depth in this situation she's been thrust into.
She has no idea what the right answer is. And it's driving her increasingly toward panic.
"Just... just... just s-stay with me! And d-don't do anything else with h-him until Lady Alicia a-arrives!" she finally stammers. Her tone is frantic. Pleading. "I... I sent out l-letters on m-messenger birds to her and all the other h-heroines. Just in case something... h-h-happened to me. She c-can figure this out. She'll know the right thing to d-do!"
Shit. Nevati was cautious enough to spread the word as soon as she figured out what was going on. Not surprising, you suppose, given the crippling sense of self-doubt you've seen from her. Which means that—depending on how long ago the birds went out, and how fast the nearest heroines can cover ground—she could be getting reinforcements very soon. And if you don't get out of here before they start to arrive, you'll very likely be captured for good.
You've officially running on borrowed time for this foray.
Well. You'd already suspected that Ceriss would probably be the last heroine for whom you'd have the element of surprise... and this just makes it official. The heroines know about you now. From now on, they'll be on their guard.
Still, thanks to your own caution, you do have a little bit of time while Ceriss keeps Nevati occupied. You have the feeling it won't last for long... but you should be able to take care of at least one more thing before you have to flee.
You could use the element of surprise to reveal yourself and join the conversation between Ceriss and Nevati, trying to make some extra headway on the wizard herself, before you need to flee. It's pretty clear that you won't be able to convince her to give in to you today, not in that worked-up state she's in. Still, even a small amount of progress could end up being useful in the future, when you decide to target her directly.
On the other hand, rather than going after the heroine herself, you could spend the time Ceriss is buying you by leading away one of Nevati's elementals. If you can successfully subvert one of them, that also might give you an advantage in the future.
And of course... there is Janessa. You never did finish convincing her that Kovora could be trusted. Nor does she even know your true allegiance... yet. How will she feel when the truth comes out? When she realizes that she unknowingly helped subvert one of her nation's heroines to the side of the enemy she'd endured so much to oppose?
You could use this time to finish the job of convincing her, bringing her fully on board with your true agenda. That might allow you to bring her with you, if you wanted. Though you do suspect that convincing her to leave all her ties and responsibilities behind and come to a place with as many bad memories as Kovora would be... difficult. It would probably take more than just words alone, even for you.
Alternatively, you could have her stay here in Vekmar. You could ask her to be your agent here, having her aim for a higher position in the war effort. Especially considering how much the loss of General Raxien is likely to destabilize things. Or you could ask her to take a more open stance, becoming a voice for the possibility of peace, using her influence to shift public opinion in Vekmar directly.