Blood Ties, Part 36
As you ride back toward Kovora, you take time each night to cast your consciousness into the realm of dreams, searching for signs of the particular souls whose slumber you wish to visit. You're growing more confident with your power now, and it isn't long before you have your first success.
Relis is dreaming of recent events when you enter. Slipping through the forest, on the hunt, much like she was when you first saw her. Looking at her, however, you get the distinct impression that, in actuality, she's hunting very different game this time.
Glancing behind her, you see that her mother—captain of the rangers for this hidden elf village—is following her. And you can see the guilt and distress she's trying to hide, as her eyes follow the strong, lithe form of her daughter up ahead. You can also see the hidden smirk on Relis' face as she subtly shows off in a not-quite-sensual way, turning and kneeling and bending in ways that could only just barely be considered provocative.
Only barely... unless the one watching her had been steadily seduced over a long period of time with the aphrodisiac touch granted by your Corruptive Boon. You can see the guilt in the captain's face, unable to take her eyes off her daughter's display. And you can also see the satisfaction in Relis' expression... as finally, finally it's her that commands her mother's complete attention.
You can tell this memory must be recent, that Relis' campaign of seduction has been going on for quite some time now. Steadily wearing down the resistance of her mother, day after day. The captain is nearly beside herself with desire, even if she also hates herself for having such "impure", incestuous thoughts.
Eventually, Relis halts her advance, hiding behind a bush and gesturing for her mother to come closer. With a delicious mix of hesitation and desire, the captain obeys, until she's looking right over her daughter's shoulder at the deer that Relis has spotted. Then, without warning, Relis turns to look back at her, "innocently" contriving to put their faces, their bodies, tantalizingly close.
"What do you want do, mother?" she asks, her words no doubt taking on double meanings in her mother's ears. "Should we make our move? She isn't aware of the danger she's in."
The ranger captain opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Relis frowns. "Mother?" she asks, affecting confusion as she reaches out to caress her mother's face. "What's wrong? You seem... distraught, somehow. I don't understand, but... but if there's anything I can do..."
Even as she speaks, she's releasing aphrodisiac through the skin contact, causing her mother's eyes to dilate, the nearby deer forgotten. For a few moments she tries to talk... but you can see it's too late for that. Too late for words, too late for escape. Still, she tries. "Relis..." she somehow forces out, a single tear falling amidst her pained trembling. "Relis, I... I'm not... You should... you should..."
But Relis reaches up with her other hand as well, wiping the tear away before cupping her mother's face. Then she slowly leans forward, pulling the older woman into a long, tender kiss.
And with that, any trace of resistance is broken. The two elves pull apart briefly, the mother staring shocked into her daughter's eyes, the daughter smirking impishly back into her mother's. Then the captain drags her daughter back into another kiss, this one far fiercer and more insistent, as their hands start groping their partners' bodies in earnest, yanking off clothes and flinging them this way and that. Soon they're both entirely naked, their bodies grinding against each other as their kiss grows even more desperate.
Relis is in her mother's lap, her legs wound tight around the woman who gave her birth, her smaller breasts pressed against her mother's larger ones, their tongues intertwining in groaning, moaning ecstasy. The deer has long since fled, entirely forgotten, as the two women pleasure each other.
On and on it goes, the positions changing, as Relis pushes her mother to the ground before going down to eat her out to a screaming orgasm. Only for her mother to return the favor by wrapping Relis in her arms and finger-fucking her from behind as her daughter leans back into her. You watch in appreciation... until finally the memory of their carnal pleasure winds to a close.
Only then do you intervene, making your presence known and dispelling the fog of dream-induced unawareness, bringing Relis into a fully lucid state. She lights up with joy upon seeing you, immediately asking how Verika is doing. You, in turn, assure her that her adoptive sister is settling in fine to her new role.
After that, the two of you have some quick fun of your own, leaving Relis in an utterly well-fucked state, relaxing in your arms. It's only then that you get around to asking for the status report that was your ostensible reason for this venture.
"Well, you... uh... just saw how things are with my mother," Relis explains, a little sheepishly. "I did what you asked me to." Really, she went above and beyond what you'd asked... though you suppose you should have known that such things would be difficult to stop once set in motion. As someone so desperate for her mother's attention, having finally found a way to achieve it—in a more extreme way than she had ever imagined—was far too great a temptation for Relis to resist.
"You could come and pluck her yourself, anytime you want," the young elf continues. "She won't resist you. And she could help arrange the fall of the rest of our rangers. With them subverted, and Syvel and her students on our side, most of our defenses would be yours."
That's something Rysanial could probably handle, you reckon. Possibly even Ceriss or Verika, if you were to give them a Corruptive Boon. And if you followed up on that with a broader-scale takeover once their defenses were down, there could be the chance to not just remove the hidden elf village as a threat, but outright bring it over to your side. Their forces, while small in number, would be a powerful boon, and they might even be able to help a bit with Kovora's food situation as well.
Alternatively, you could just send your Corrupted Orcs straight in without bothering to set the stage, having them fuck the rangers into submission directly, perhaps using the captain to lead them into an ambush. That might be more dangerous, with the likelihood of taking at least a few losses on your end... though you expect that the chance to conquer the elf village would make your orcs more than eager to take that risk.
"And how are Syvel and her students doing?" you ask.
Relis grins, as she nestles a little deeper into your grasp. "Having a grand time," she says. "They're researching a way to restore Ioni's sight. Including incorporating some tantric magic that they never would have considered before. They've been keeping it all secret for the most part... except for Esile. As close as they all were—and as much of a crush as she had on Belan to begin with—bringing her in was only a matter of time. Inevitable, really. They couldn't have kept it from her forever, even if they'd wanted to. And all four of them together are just the cutest thing you ever saw."
You grin at the mental image. Then you congratulate Relis on what she's accomplished, telling her to keep up the good work. After lingering a while longer with her, you say your goodbyes and cut the connection, returning to the physical world.
The next night, it's Annabeth whose dreams you manage to connect with. This time there's no immediate depravity in the dream. In fact, it's a bright, fanciful landscape, with quilted hills that look like the cover of an immense bed, surrounding a tea-table at which Annabeth sits opposite a well-worn, human-sized stuffed bear. You're not entirely sure how he's supposed to be holding the cup without any fingers on his stubby arms, let alone how he's supposed to be drinking without a mouth. But the hazy illogic of dreams smooths all such things over for the slumbering Annabeth.
"Why yes, Sir Bearsly," she's saying regally. "I do think that it was simply awful of mother to punish us like that, just for speaking our mind." She takes another sip, then pouts a little. "And now it will be that much more difficult to keep meeting with Alec and Cyrentha. We shall have to apologize to them once mother relaxes her vigilance again."
You watch with amusement for a little longer, before snapping her out of the dream-fog as well. The young woman immediately blushes, her face turning incandescent red, utterly embarrassed that someone has witnessed this treasured vestige of her childhood, still lurking in the subconscious corners of her affections. You just smile, distracting her with your charm, and soon the two of you are chatting eagerly.
Well, the three of you. Though Sir Bearsly contributes mainly with silent gestures alone.
You quickly catch up on what she's been doing in the days since you opened her horizons to the pleasures of the flesh. She's disappointed that she never got the chance to try any of it out with Ceriss herself, but it sounds like she's already started to make new connections of her own—the afformentioned "Alec" and "Cyrenthia"—who you learn are childhood friends of hers. Or at least, as close to childhood friends as her mother's controlling attitude allowed.
You also learn that the two had been engaged to each other for political reasons from a young age. A situation they had merely tolerated up until now... but which Annabeth has turned into quite a bit more than just mere toleration by inserting herself into the middle of it. From her description, they're both quite a bit more enthusiastic about the idea than they ever were before.
What's more, Alec's father is a noble of fairly high standing, and Alec has his ear. It's a bit indirect, but you do have a channel for influencing him now, one that can nudge opinion against the war, even if only in a restrained sort of way. Annabeth even things she can accomplish more if she can seduce the father as well... though you caution her to take it easy, and not take too many risks too fast.
You also suggest that she might do well to pay Lady Janessa a visit. You don't want to leave your host lonely, after all, now that both you and Ceriss are gone for the foreseeable future.
Then—with the practical business now concluded—you proceed to tear off Annabeth's clothes and force her down, utterly dominating her again, to her effusive delight. Another nudge to the fabric of the dream even brings Sir Bearsly into it, as you sandwich the girl tight between the two of you, her stuffed animal's cock taking her in the ass while you take her in the cunt.
She screams her exhilaration to the heavens as both of you come in her. Then, without any pause, you immediately bend her over for a spit-roast. By the end of it, she's a cum-covered, utterly satiated wreck, looking up at you with a mix of exhaustion and adoration.
That's where you leave it for now, breaking your connection to the dream. Then, with that taken care of, on the following night you turn your attention to Nevati.
It's here that you run into more difficulty. Even when you're about to finally make the connection... your incredible perception notices something unusual, something slightly off about this dream. Looking closer, you realize that there are protective wards around her dreamscape of incredibly intricate design. Nevati has prepared defenses against the possibility of what you're attempting.
Is this the result of further studying the notes she took on your brand? Did she determine that you had gained this power from it? Or is this simply a precaution, born from a general knowledge that Dreamwalking is a power that incubi have been known to exhibit?
Either way, it slows you down. You spend most of the night analyzing the ward in all its layers. It's clear that Nevati spent a great deal of effort crafting this. If you're being honest, you actually get a bit distracted studying its intricacies with your newfound intellect, seeing all the subtleties that you never would have been able to appreciate before. In a way, studying her spellwork is a glimpse into Nevati herself, showing off the genuinely brilliant—as well as creatively unconventional—way she thinks.
Studying the ward distracts you enough that by the time you figure out a way through it, most of the night has been used up. Rather than try something with what little remains, you decide to return the following night. Once the following night comes, however, you're able to manipulate the ward enough to slip past without any reaction or alert, giving you full access to the gnome's dream.
The scene that greets you upon entering is clearly drawn from a recent memory. Nevati stands in Ceriss' manor, looking shamefacedly down at the floor. Her elemental familiars are clustered behind her, trying to lend their support. Janessa is there as well, standing directly to Nevati's right.
However... it's the woman they're all looking at who commands your immediate attention.
She's clad in heavy steel armor emblazoned with the symbol of Selal, carrying a large shield strapped to her back and a longsword sheathed at her hip. Her shoulder-length blonde hair flows loosely behind her, as does the vibrant blue cloak she wears, and even without any exertion on her part, the very air around her seems suffused with an aura of holy power. Her piercing blue eyes are alight with a steady, resolute intensity that is arousing, exhilarating and intimidating... even when seen only secondhand, through this dream-image replica.
It makes you wonder what facing the real thing in person would be like.
There's only one person this can possibly be. The Paladin, Alicia Silverstone. Leader of the pact of heroines.
The first person you hear speaking, however, is Nevati. "I'm so s-sorry, Lady Alicia..." the gnome manages to say. Her voice is barely audible, and she's still staring at the floor. "I... I screwed up again. I should have r-realized what was going on! Wh-what he was. If... if I'd just seen through him in t-time... I might've been able to... I... I might have been able to save...!"
She clenches her eyes shut, tears appearing at the corners as her tiny form trembles with grief and self-recrimination. Alicia walks over to her, dropping to one knee and gently wrapping her arms around the utterly miserable gnome, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
"Shhh..." she murmurs consolingly. "Don't condemn yourself so. You exposed the demon and forced him to flee. And you did this without succumbing yourself. Thanks to you, we now know far more about our adversary than we otherwise would have. And that knowledge may prove invaluable when we rescue our friends."
Nevati looks up at the paladin, blinking through tears. "R-rescue...?" she says in a small voice.
"Yes." Alicia nods, then gives the gnome's shoulder a squeeze before standing once again. "You mustn't give in to despair, Nevati. This is not the end. If you keep punishing yourself, it will only leave you with less strength for what comes next. This fiend hasn't won yet. I don't believe that he will be able to keep Ceriss his slave forever. I have faith that she will come back to us one day. I have faith that you can help us free her."
You raise your eyebrows, impressed by the sheer charisma that this woman is exuding. The heroines you've seen before have been exceptional, reaching the uttermost limits of mortal potential. The likes of which only come a few times in a generation. But this...
Even just from this brief glimpse, you can tell that Alicia Silverstone's abilities transcend mortal limits entirely. Charisma is your area of excellence. Even before the brand manifested, it was the one skill that you yourself had honed to a level no mortal should have ever been able to match.
But as you watch Alicia do everything she can to console her friend... you find that you are genuinely unsure which of you has the greater mastery of it.
Nevati sniffles, wiping her eyes, then nods. "If there's a ch-chance to save Ceriss, I'll do anything," she says, clenching her fists. "Anything."
"For now... I think it would be best if you focused on studying the notes you took on the demon's brand," Alicia suggests. "We must learn the true nature of this threat. So far his advantage has been secrecy... but the more we know about him, the greater our chances of turning the tables when he makes his next move. And once we have him, we may be able to learn what he did to our friends. As well as how to undo it."
From the way she's talking about "friends" in the plural, she's probably learned of Khaytala's seduction at least. Possibly Verika's as well. But it's obvious from the unflinching determination that you can see in her that she has not given up on any of them. She trusts them implicitly—as comrades, as friends dear to her heart. And so she cannot see this as anything other than foul bewitchment.
Nevati, for her part, looks highly distressed that the response won't be immediate. It's clear that she doesn't want to leave Ceriss to your tender mercies any longer than necessary. But you can see the paladin's strategy.
Rather than charge headlong into a battle they're not ready for—where they fear they might end up having to fight or even kill their own friends—the heroines are going to try and use their new knowledge to try and bring you down when you're vulnerable, out on your own. Will you still be able to seduce a heroine, even when your quarry knows to be on the lookout for you?
You suppose you'll have to find out.
That still leaves the question of what to do here in this dream. It's clear that Nevati is distraught, torn between her desire to help Ceriss and the knowledge of how bad an idea it would be to make a reckless attempt. You could attempt to tip that balance. But in which direction?
Of course, one option would be to make no attempt to influence Nevati either way. It would leave Nevati's ultimate response to these events much more unpredictable, up in the air... but it would allow you to watch the rest of this dream without interruption until it ends, potentially learning more about what transpired after you left.
Alternatively, you could use a dream-image of Ceriss to try and influence her. If you had the image reassure Nevati that everything was going to be alright, it might incline her toward staying the course like Alicia suggested. Or, if you wanted to goad her toward an ill-thought-out action on her own initiative, you could have the Ceriss-image beg for her help.
Either could be useful, depending on what you wanted to do. If you wanted to get Nevati out of her tower, into a vulnerable position, and you wanted to target her immediately, then prompting a foolhardy rescue attempt might work. On the other hand, if you didn't want to deal with her next, then riling her up could result in whoever you next leave behind in Kovora to guard having to deal with the attack of a frantic archmage.
Not to mention that—depending on exactly how you want to pursue her—you may not wish to flush her from her tower at all, even if you do target her next. It all comes down to preferred tactics.
If you wanted to take the bolder, more direct route, you could forgo the image and talk to Nevati yourself. This would outright reveal to her that you can pierce the wards on her dreams... but if you wanted to make a stronger play, then that may be a price you're willing to pay.
That could take the form of either straightforward conversation or straightforward temptation. As with the other options, which one you prefer will likely depend on how you wish to pursue her, if and when you decide to focus on her as your next target.
Whichever approach you favor, you'll have to make your decision. It is in the nature of dreams to be ephemeral... and this one is not likely to be an exception. What action will you take in regard to Nevati?