Chapter Four:

Love's Labors, Part 1

Despite your assurances, Ceriss is crestfallen as your small group finalizes their plans in Lily's chambers. It's obvious she's still kicking herself for leaving Nevati to pine after her all this time, when Ceriss could so easily have given the anxious young gnome what she wanted if only she'd realized.

And now that they're—temporarily—on different sides of the war, that distance must be all the more painful.

In an attempt to take her mind off of it, you put just a little extra flamboyance into your explanation of the details for what the two of you are about to do. "You see, we won't even need to worry about her usual defenses, or infiltrating Nelin like we normally would," you say, offering your women a confident grin. "For once, we won't have to go to the heroine. I poked around in her dreams a bit on our way back, and I'm confident that Nevati is about to make a move against us. Which will be an opportunity... if we're ready to take advantage of it."

"All on her own?" Ceriss says, frowning. "What is she hoping to accomplish?"

"I nudged her in the direction of something your paladin friend had already asked her to look into," you explain. "Gave her a dream that reminded her of it, stressed how important it could be. Some information that could be crucial to how the war plays out. She'll be coming to Kovora to try and learn if there's anything Melca is holding over Lily to force her into obedience. To force her into continuing this conflict."

Lily tenses, her face going pale, and she stares down at the floor. Of course, you know exactly what Melca is threatening her with, the fate of her soul, and the tortures the sadistic goddess could inflict after death. Still, you haven't had the opportunity to discuss it with Lily herself. You're still not sure exactly what you could say, since you know Melca is keeping an eye you. And if there's ever a time her attention would be highest, it would be when you're talking with her Chosen One.

The corrupted heroines also flinch. They know all too well what you told them while on holy ground. You continue talking into the strained silence, pushing things forward. "So we know what her objective is. Which means we can stay one step ahead of her. If we play our cards right, she'll come right to us. And Ceriss and I will show her such a good time that she'll never want to leave."

Of course, it'll probably be more involved than just that. Nevati is a heroine, after all, and the wizard will have more prep time than the previous time you faced her. Still, your scheming has contrived to have the contest be on your own home ground for once, depriving your target of her home field advantage, leaving her isolated and exposed.

You do like your odds on this one. At least compared to some of your other attempts.

"Then how do we approach her?" Ceriss asks. You can see that she's already considering the possibilities herself, her inquisitive mind weighing the advantages and the dangers of different tactics against each other as she compares them in her thoughts. But she hasn't come to a firm conclusion yet.

"I can see three broad avenues of attack," you say, lounging back in your chair as you begin to tick off the different plans on your fingers. "First, there's the direct approach. You and I could try and track down where she plans to infiltrate Kovora, and play a little game of cat-and-mouse. The villainous—yet oh so tempting—sorceress and her corrupter hunting Nevati, as she tries to escape us and fulfill her mission without falling into our devious clutches." You give Ceriss a wink, and she responds by rolling her eyes fondly.

Of all your plans, that would allow you to work most directly with Ceriss, and probably put you in the least direct danger. Though it would also leave you unable to exert the kind of subtle influence on Nevati's decision-making that you were able to do with the other heroines when you worked your way in under their guard. It'd be a bit more difficult to tell exactly what the gnome might do in reaction to your moves.

You raise a second finger. "I could also try to join up with her as an ally, either someone she meets along the way, or as a guide to assist her. Being part of her group would allow me access to work my charms along the way, while Ceriss applies pressure from the outside."

That approach would allow you to gain her trust and work on her that way. Though it would also put you in the usual position of having to hide your identity and conserve your lust reserves until you find an opening to feed. Especially since Nevati knows about your threat, knows what signs to be on the lookout for. You would have to be very careful and discreet about your temptation... at least at first.

Finally, you raise a third finger. "Or, as another variation, instead of joining her as a disguised ally, we could let her 'capture' me along the way. She's here for information, after all, and I doubt she'd pass up the chance to interrogate the one who knows the most about your corruption."

Using that tactic wouldn't give you the opportunity to build trust, per se. But unlike the direct pursuit, it would keep you close to her. And unlike a disguise it would allow you to be a great deal more overt in your seduction. The downside, of course, is that it would put you in a much more limited and vulnerable position, your actions and options constrained, to say nothing of your feeding opportunities. Conserving your lust reserves would be more critical there than in any other approach.

Ceriss mulls over the options as you've presented them, uncertain of which sounds the most appealing. You weigh the advantages and disadvantages yourself, trying to determine which is the best approach to stealing the awkward little gnome's heart.

And, of course, there's still time for coming up with tactics other than those three, if any last-minute brainstorms happen to strike you.

Either way, you're going to need to decide on an approach that will determine the overall tenor of how you respond to Nevati's desperate, against-all-odds foray into Kovora, to save the woman she loves. And how you're going to turn that foray into her own delicious downfall, right alongside Ceriss.