Chapter Five:

Tooth and Claw, Part 1

Upon securing Lily's agreement to your plan, you set out to make your preparations as quickly as possible. Khaytala is an easy first stop, close by as she is to the queen at all times. You pull her aside to speak privately for a moment.

"I'll need to entrust you with Lily again," you say quietly. "Be careful. I'm sure Nergan isn't going to stop with just this. But it's impossible to say what his next move will be, now that you foiled his attempt at a surprise assassination. In fact... I think you should add the drow we captured to your guard detail as well. Just to be safe."

Khaytala nods. "Don't worry, Talavar," she says, her honest eyes full of conviction. "We won't let anything happen to anyone in this fortress. Just concentrate on bringing Fallhazel around. We'll handle everything back here on the home front." She hesitates... then pulls you into a close embrace and simply holds you for several moments, before releasing you, embarrassed.

You give her arm a reassuring squeeze. Then, with that reassurance, you set out to pass on the rest of your instructions. The fortress' inhabitants bustle around you as you move through the courtyard, briefly intersecting with countless busy lives as you search the area for the people you need.

The newfound presence of the harpies contributes even more to the chaos, as they still haven't fully worked out their new nesting arrangements. You can see dozens of them soaring in circles through the air above, and when you go just outside the fortress, you note some of Lily's maids trying to shoo away even more of them from perching on the poles from which they are hanging laundry. Their efforts are meeting with little success, and some of the bird-women even start to circle the maids flirtatiously.

Soon you've delivered nearly all the assignments to the respective parties. Nevati is fairly bouncing with excitement when you tell her that her first task will be to investigate deeper into the ancient arcane puzzle of the succubus geas. Likewise, Ceriss licks her lips in anticipation at the prospect of bringing Lord Kovar under her spell. You also tell her to take some time while she's there and catch up with her former student, Annabeth—a suggestion she seems quite amenable to.

Your next stop is to inform Verika that she'll be accompanying you on this excursion. She immediately understands the wisdom behind having a guide and bodyguard so familiar with the Great Forest, and agrees with what you're planning. She says a quick—steamy—goodbye to her sister, then leaves with you as you complete your circuit and head back toward the throne room.

It's here that you finally pick up the final member of your group. The young orc girl who inherited that strange, partial ritual. Lily has been keeping her close, especially since the attempt on her life, so that both she and Khaytala can protect her.

Now, however, it's time for a more permanent solution to the threat.

Lily is the one to explain it to the girl, kneeling down so they're closer to the same level. "You'll need to go with them now," she says gently. "They're going to take you somewhere safer than here. To someone who might be able to help you understand what it is you can do."

The girl stares at the floor, wringing her fingers for a bit, before looking up timidly. "Will I... see you again?" she asks, barely audible, as though the temerity of that simple question to her monarch is something she barely even dares to entertain. But she asks it anyway, making it clear how close the two of them have grown over this brief period.

"Of course!" Lily assures her. Though you can hear the worry and uncertainty in her own voice that she's trying not to let the child hear. "We just have to... take care of some things first. But once they're done, you can visit me any time you want."

Hearing that, the orc girl's face brightens in a tentative smile. Now Verika approaches the girl, kneeling down as well. "I'll be helping to guard you," she says. "My name is Verika. What's yours?"

"Juri," is the quiet reply from the girl. "My name is Juri."

Knowing time is of the essence, the three of you quickly move to secure your horses and provisions. You ride on one horse, while Verika rides on the other with Juri. Before long, you're standing at the gate of the fortress, with Lily and your closest partners. You take the opportunity to ensure that everyone who might be going into combat is granted a new Corruptive Boon, with all the latest gifts that it can now provide.

"Watch out for yourself, Verika," says Khaytala to her old friend, a wry smile on her face. "I won't be around to pull your cute ass out of trouble like I was in the Underworld."

Verika grins right back at her. "Don't worry, Khay," she says. "We'll be back before you know it."

Lily, Nevati, Ceriss, Kelissa and Rysanial also say their goodbyes. You notice that Rysanial, in particular, is staying close to Kelissa, her tail curling around the maid in an affectionate manner. Possibly without Rysanial even consciously realizing that she's doing it.

And while such a deep attachment to a mortal is probably the last thing your feisty demoness would ever want to admit out loud, you can still catch the occasional unguarded moment when she looks at Kelissa with a deep well of gratitude in her eyes. This simple, ordinary human was there for Rysanial at her lowest point. And it seems that the act of consolation has sparked a reaction in the succubus.

Finally, the three of you set off. The road rushes past as you coax your horses to a respectable speed, making for the nearest passage through Melca's Wall. Once you reach it, the guards on duty raise the huge iron portcullis, and then open the enormous wooden gate, allowing you to head out into the lands beyond.

You watch Juri's reaction as your group leaves behind the blighted wasteland that is all she's ever known. She's risked so much, using a power she doesn't even understand. Just to keep her village—and the people she loves—barely ahead of the ever-present threat of starvation. Just to coax a bit more life out of the cursed soil, by carrying on the remnants of tradition that were passed down to her.

But now, the more you leave behind Melca's domain, the more the world becomes awash in green.

The young orc girl can barely even comprehend what she's seeing. Her eyes go wide, as she looks from one lush, impossibly verdant sight to the next. At least... to her it looks lush and impossibly verdant. Even if no one born in these lands would likely look twice at these commonplace things that are nearly reducing her to tears.

Finally, she turns to you and Verika. "Is this... what everyone else has?" she asks, in a heartbroken little voice. "Is this what it's like? For everyone else who isn't... us?"

Verika responds by wrapping her arms around the girl from behind. "It's what everyone deserves," she insists vehemently. "And if what we're doing works... maybe Fallhazel can help us find a way to give it to them."

The three of you continue on, eventually making camp for the night. You and Verika alternate on watch, with you taking the lions share given how little sleep you need. You also technically have sex with her, though it's a quick, furtive fucking. There's a growing tension in the air. An expectation of trouble that doesn't allow either of you to drop your guard.

Not long into the following morning, just as you're starting to see the first signs of true forest, you catch sight of what you've been expecting all along. Off in the distance behind you, a group of well over twenty riders. Cloaked in black, and riding hard in your direction. From Kovora.

You exchange a quiet glance with Verika, who has also noticed them. Neither of you mentioned this possibility out loud... but neither of you needed to. With the girl out in the open, it was practically a given that Nergan would try to make another play. And he has a bitch of a goddess spoon-feeding him information, doubtless through another Oracle in his Cathedral. Another victim like Ioni was, before you rescued her from the Underworld.

You knew this was coming, one way or another. The question now is how to respond.

"Think you can take them?" you murmur to Verika, switching to the drow language so as not to worry Juri. "They'll be Nergan's elite assassins, with strong caster support. And they'll know who they're facing."

"If it were just me, I wouldn't be worried," the ranger murmurs back. "But killing me probably isn't what they're here to do. They'll be trying to swarm around me and get to her. All it would take would be one of them to get past. Making sure that doesn't happen might make for a bit more... challenging... of a fight than it would normally be."

"I can stay with Juri," you offer. "Keep her moving, keep her out of their hands as best I can. And I might be able to send some help your way as well."

You could summon some tentacle monsters to throw their ranks into disarray while you protect Juri, possibly giving Verika more breathing room. You'd probably have to burn through multiple such beasts, which could eat into your Lust reserves pretty significantly. Still, it might well be worth it to tip the scales more in your favor.

Alternatively, if you really wanted to tip the scales in your favor, you could try to keep ahead of your pursuers, and reach the hidden elf village before they caught up. If you could lead these bastards into the path of one of the elven ranger patrols, then you could fight them with Verika and a group of other rangers, along with any supernatural help you could send their way.

Of course, following that course would commit you to visiting the hidden elf village first. You still hadn't made up your mind whether going there or to the dryads was the better move. The elf village was full of longer-term opportunities, and you'd like to see if you could get them to release Relis and the others. On the other hand, the dryads would probably know more specifics about Fallhazel meaning you might be able to get somewhat better information from them.

Not to mention that orchestrating the elves' aid would mean that you and Verika couldn't do any stealth actions at the village them, without them realizing you were there. Though, granted, it wouldn't be any great loss if you intended to take a more above-board approach anyway. And if you are planning to go above-board, it might establish some of your credibility to have agents of the Church of Melca trying to kill you.

Finally, instead of leading your pursuers into any kind of trap, you could just try to lose them completely. If successful, you could head for any destination you wanted without fighting at all. Though you doubt your pursuers will give up so easily, and you expect you'll probably see them again before this is over.