Tooth and Claw, Part 23

You look down at your hand, at the runes glowing blood-red in your palm. Then you exhale a quiet, almost-laugh and look back up at Fallhazel. "Believe me..." you say, the words heartfelt. "I know what it's like. To feel like you might be losing yourself."

Then you step forward and place your hand on Fallhazel's shoulder. "But any memories of your life as Feyal that you might recover, if you reclaim what Melca took... they're not from some other soul that wants to erase you. They're a part of you. A part that was stolen from you. I'm not promising that it won't change you at all to remember. But... all living things change and grow with new experiences. It's what makes us alive."

A faint, wry smile flits across Fallhazel's face. "You are... correct, of course," she says at length. "To think that I would need a demon to lecture me on this."

You give her shoulder a squeeze. "It's your choice," you assure her. "If you wanted, I'm sure we could do it in a way that any old memories would be sifted out. But that would mean you could lose important experiences and wisdom that you've already lived. Anything you regain from taking back the power won't erase anything you've experienced during this part of your life. And I genuinely believe that if you're willing to take the risk... you won't experience it as death, but as growth."

For several long seconds, Fallhazel just stares at the vague image that still lingers in her memories. The fragment of a memory, still persisting within her. This tenuous link to what she once was, so very long ago. A thread of connection, so faint as to be almost undetectable, but hanging on all the same. You give her all the time she needs, as she decides what this means for her.

Then she turns back to you, determination as firm as a mountain in her gaze. "So then..." she says. "How will we do this thing?"

The grin you give her in reply is fierce and toothy. "I have a few ideas already..."

You take the opportunity provided by your Dreamwalking to scheme with the druid, looking for the best way to exploit the weakness that Fallhazel's very existence creates in Melca. If it had been your old self, you would have needed to assign Nevati to work this out. But your recent boost in intellect and magical knowledge, combined with Fallhazel's own deep understanding of nature magic, allow you to brainstorm together right here and now.

Soon you're exchanging ideas at a rapid pace, altering the dream to draw magical sigils in the air. And then redraw them. And then redraw them again. Even with the two of you working together, it's a stupendously intricate task. This will be a ritual designed to attack a deity.

But at the same time... it cannot be overstated just how great an advantage it is to have another divine being with such a deep, indelible link to the power Melca has absorbed into her very soul. The mad goddess is right to fear her.

The spellcraft involved is still daunting, of course. But having Fallhazel is enough to shift this idea from the realm of the outright-laughable into the realm of the just-possible. The hours fly by, your plan slowly taking shape... until at last you feel that the two of you have captured the core of the idea. It's not completely done, not yet. You'll still need to refine it some more, but you can adjust the finishing touches in your spare time. For now, you're pretty sure that you at least know what it will require to accomplish this.

"Between Nevati's stash, Ceriss' stach, and the magical supplies Kovora can provide, we should be able to get our hands on most of what we need," you muse, stroking your chin in thought as you study the glowing magic circle that the two of you have sketched out. "Still... there are a few items that will require special attention. We'll need a holy relic that was used in Feyal's worship, paired with an unholy relic that was used in Melca's. The more powerful each is, the better."

Fallhazel nods. "This ritual will also require the heart of the highest cleric of either Feyal or Melca to serve as its catalyst. Though if we had both hearts, the effect on Melca would be far more severe."

"The highest cleric of Melca is probably Nergan back in Kovora," you say. "Whereas the highest cleric of Feyal is... well, up to you, really. But for right now, at least, it's probably Juri."

"Indeed," says Fallhazel. "And I presume, based on your actions thus far, that you do not intend to sacrifice the child."

"Considering that we'll probably have to kill Nergan anyway before this is over, he seems the obvious choice," you say. "Although... strictly speaking, nothing about this requires a sacrifice. We only need their heart, not their life."

The druid raises an eyebrow. "Most mortals tend not to retain the latter for very long after losing the former."

"Most mortals don't have demonic regeneration," you say, flexing the fingers of your hand with the glowing sigil branded into it. You haven't given Juri a Boon yet; she's still too young for its corrupting allure to be good for her, long-term. Still, for a matter of life and death like this, it shouldn't do any real harm to give one to her, very briefly. Especially since she'd have to be put to sleep for the duration of such a surgery anyway.

That said, your Boon alone will not be anywhere near fast enough to regenerate an entire heart before Juri dies. She would need some kind of extra help to ensure she survived long enough for the heart to fully reform. Extra help such as—just to pick a purely hypothetical example—the healing invocations of a heroine who was the most powerful holy cleric in this entire world.

Whether you ultimately go down that route or not, it's at least worth keeping in mind that—with enough effort—you could obtain both hearts. Even without the tragedy of an innocent young girl dying... and doubtless consigning her soul to some bland, tepid heaven before she's even had the chance to lose that innocence and damn herself with sinful Pleasure.

The relics, on the other hand...

The Melcan one could doubtless be found at one of her cathedrals, either in Kovora or in the Underworld. You could send someone to steal it. Or you could just take it by force, if and when you take direct action against either stronghold. That would kill two birds with one stone, since abolishing Melca's worship in both of those nations would also serve to weaken the deity in advance of the final showdown.

An artifact of Feyal, however... that could be much more tricky to find. You'll need to investigate for where one might be. Either by tasking someone to look into it, or by Dreamwalking into someone you think might know and discreetly asking them yourself.

You consider your options for a while, before glancing up. "There's one other thing," you say to Fallhazel. "Once we're back in the waking world—and after we finally fuck—I need you to insist that you need to stay here. I'm worried Melca might suspect who you really are, and if you're in easy reach of her agents if could provoke a straight-up civil war before we're ready to strike at them ourselves. But it's best if it sounds like your idea, not mine. Since things will also go downhill fast if Melca suspects that I know who you are."

Fallhazel gazes down at you imperiously. "You seem quite confident that I will fuck you, little demon."

"Yeah," you grin roguishly back up at her. "I am confident. Because we're on the same side now. And because I know you're not like the other heroines, wrapped up in all their petty hangups of civilized society, getting in the way of having sex. But you and I? We both know better than to let any of that pointless shit get in the way of what we want."

Then you lean in closer, tantalizingly close. "And I know we both want this."

A hint of a smile tugs at Fallhazel's mouth, though she quickly suppresses it. "We shall see..." she says. "After Melca's incursion has been dealt with."

"Of course," you say, inclining you head in a small bow. "And on that note, we should probably check on their progress. It's been quite some time now." And with that, you dispel the dream.

You awaken in the real world to find that dusk is already falling. Though given how dark and dense the canopy is, it's difficult to tell. You stand and stretch, giving no outward indication of what you've just accomplished, as you continue to play out your dangerous dance of constant misdirection.

It isn't long before Fallhazel flies into view, returning in the same owl form she left in. "The beasts have picked up speed," she says, her voice clipped. "I will intercept them now. This has gone on for too long already."

With that, she takes her tall dryad form and strides off. You follow after her, once again jogging to keep up with her long strides. She pays you little heed, focused on the task ahead as she moves to the defense of her Forest.

It's subtle at first... but you can feel the wind pick up around you as you go, the air pressure starting to drop. Soon the trees themselves are leaning, their branches pulled by the growing gusts. And upon reaching a small clearing, you can see that the sky above you is blanketed in ominous storm clouds, converging on your location from every direction.

Fallhazel halts here, her arms crossed impassively as she watches the treeline on the other side of the clearing, never taking her eyes off it for even a moment. You hear the approaching enemy long before you see them. Inhuman shrieks and howls that echo through the trees, screams that would be bone-chilling to someone with less mental fortitude.

Eventually you see shadows approaching through the trees, at least a dozen of them. Their misshapen forms lurch with a speed that is erratic and menacing, difficult to predict. And as they emerge into view, you catch your first direct look at the creatures Melca has chosen as the symbol of her divinity.

The Divine Beasts are a travesty, a mockery of any natural creature. There is something human-shaped about them, although they are more than twice the size of a normal man. They also crawl on all fours, their neck and joints twisted in unnerving angles. Their fingers are long, with jagged nails, while their heads are shrunken relative to their size. And instead of eyes in their eye sockets... you can see only twitching thorns poking through. The same thorns that run around—and through—their entire body.

With every single move that the creatures make, they shred their own flesh on those thorns they carry, black blood seeping out to fall in a long trail behind them. Only for the wounds to immediately heal. Only to immediately tear themselves open again. It's a ghastly, nonsensical madness, one that would never survive as a natural animal. It's only by the goddess's divine power bending the rules of reality that it somehow works. In fact, you sense that somehow, these beasts are actually empowered by their constant state of suffering. Pushed on to even greater acts of violence, by the warped imperative under which they were created.

"This is an abomination..." you say quietly, your jaw clenching at the sight of Melca's latest blasphemy against Pleasure. To your left, Fallhazel nods once in agreement, her own priorities leading her to a similar conclusion about this crime against Nature.

Then she steps forward, advancing toward the Thorn Beasts. Her golden eyes flash with wrath, and the wind picks up around her. The fell creatures screech a reply, their heads twisting about their necks. They gather themselves for a charge, spreading out to come at the druid from multiple angles.

"I am not known for my kindness..." Fallhazel intones as she walks. She does not show the slightest fear, only grim determination. "But since I offer no greater torment than your mistress has already bestowed... just this once, I suppose I will say this to an invader. Come. For today I will grant all of you mercy."

In but a moment, the battle will be joined. The question now is what role you will play in it.

Fallhazel certainly seems confident, although you have yet to see the full capabilities of these monstrous opponents. While you certainly won't be able to defeat any of them yourself, you could at the very least occupy some of their attention by throwing yourself into the battle alongside her, giving Fallhazel some extra breathing room while you dodge and distract as best you can.

Alternatively, you could play it safer, hanging back from the frenzy of the fight itself to use your summoning with surgical precision and tactics. Or you could simply trust Fallhazel to handle it all herself, only intervening should things start to go truly dire.

And, in addition to the tactical situation itself, you also know that how the battle plays out could have an impact on the mood for what happens afterward, and what options you have for interacting with Fallhazel in the wake of the fight.