Tooth and Claw, Part 39

Once you settle on your next course of action, you allow yourself to join your heroines in sleep. Despite all the threats surrounding you, it's a restful slumber, surrounded on all sides by the warm flesh of women who have learned the delights of sin from you. When the morning comes, you awaken refreshed, full of purpose.

The heroines waken as well. They, however, are a bit more groggy and spent, not quite as upbeat as you are. For a while they simply lay there, savoring each other's touch, while also giving you looks full of gratitude, for helping them to experience their friends in this way.

You allow them the respite for a while. But eventually you do bring up the tasks ahead, explaining the plan you've chosen to go with. It's a slightly edited version of your actual rationale, as you have to make sure not to speak aloud anything that would give any divine eavesdroppers a hint to your true designs. Still, for most of the errands that you need performed, any such omissions are extremely minor.

The heroines all agree to your plan. Soon they're getting dressed, rushing off to take care of last-minute business. Nevati heads to her workshop to assess the status of the Thorn Beast corpse. Khaytala goes to instruct the drow royal guards about security for Lily in her absence. Verika and Ceriss each leave to prepare for their journeys... and for the pursuit of their respective prey.

Finding yourself alone, you dress as well, then head off to talk to Rysanial. So much of this hinges on getting your possession from the Second Circle. You need to confirm that she's willing to go back there for you.

You find the succubus sitting, smugly satisfied, at the center of a pile of blissfully unconscious maids, harpies and orcish warriors, all entangled with each other, the satiated remains of an orgy of considerable size. She looks up as you enter her room, giving you a wicked grin. "Come to join the party?"

"Maybe later," you say, returning the grin. "Right now, I need to talk to you about our next steps."

Rysanial nods, growing more serious as you explain what you need her to do. Once you finish, she lets out a nervous laugh. "Well..." she says. "I... never thought that a nobody like me would ever get to meet the Lust Queen herself. And sure as Hell not like this..."

"She has no reason to harm you," you reassure her. "I'm the only one it would benefit her to kill. And I don't even think she wants to kill me, if there's truly another way. If it reduces the chance that the Incubus King will break free, it's in her own interests for you to bring that item back."

"Right!" Rysanial says, her voice still a nervous squeak. You get the sense that she's talking to herself as much as to you. "There's nothing to worry about, then! They wouldn't do anything to such an important messenger. Even if I did sort of betray my oath to the queen by siding with you..."

"You'll also be bringing them Nevati's counterspell to the Incubus King's geas," you remind her. "A counterspell you were essential in creating. I'd expect a hero's welcome, myself. This is the first real chance they've had in millennia of actually ending this nightmare. And none of it could have happened if you hadn't taken a chance on me back then."

The smile that Rysanial gives you in response to that is a little less nervous, a little more genuine. She exhales. "Okay. Okay. Yeah, you're right. I can do this. Just... go back home and do a trade... with the Lust Queen..."

Once you finish calming her down some more, you suggest she swing by Nevati's workshop to pick up the wizard's notes on the counterspell, and also suggest that she ask if there's anything else she should tell the succubi while she's there. Once Rysanial has departed, you find a quiet, out of the way nook to sit down in.

And then you proceed to contact the other party involved in this exchange.

The Lust Queen responds quickly to your request for a willing Dreamwalk, and soon enough you're speaking to her in the same dreamscape of your old Pleasure House, where you met before. "Have you come to a decision, then?" asks Lehatial, with stately, regal composure.

"I have," you say. "We're going to undo Rysanial's summoning, to send her back with the spell. Our mage is giving her all her notes, and trying to explain the theory as best she can. You should be able to work it out based on that. Then... once you have it ready..."

You hesitate for a moment, old memories washing over you. "...I request that you give Rysanial the portrait that was in my home. The portrait of the human that was hanging on the wall. If I have that, it will strike a grievous blow to the Incubus King's chances."

"Of course," the Lust Queen says immediately. "Such a request will be simplicity itself to fulfill. And... we may be able to provide other gifts to Rysanial, while she is here. I already have my servants looking into additional ways we can aid you in destroying our common enemy."

"Thank you," you say. "And take all the time you need. I'll be occupied with another matter over here, so it may be a while before we summon her back. We may as well use that time to our advantage."

Lehatial hesitates, and you detect a brief flicker of vulnerability behind her austere facade. She slowly reaches out a hand toward your face... stopping just shy of the touch that would bring her into contact with you. You know why she stops. The same barrier that has separated incubi and succubi for milennia now. Her fear of what the Incubus King's geas could do to her, should she take that last step.

That moment stays frozen in time, as the two of you look into each others' eyes. Then, reluctantly, she retracts her hand. "If you can accomplish this..." she says, her husky voice barely above a whisper. "If the old king dies... you will repair so much that has been broken for so long. You will bring deliverance to us all. A deliverance that I had lost all hope of seeing."

"He will die," you assure the queen, putting every ounce of conviction you can muster into the words. "What we're doing now will ensure it."

With that, the Lust Queen steps back, her regal demeanor reasserting itself once more, as though that flicker of weakness had never been. You likewise step back. Then with a respectful nod you exit the dream, returning yourself to the mortal plane.

You waste no time in hurrying over to Nevati's workshop. The gnome is already rattling off rapid-fire magical jargon at an utterly bewildered Rysanial, even as she loads the succubus down with stack upon stack of scrawled notes. Occasionally Nevati pauses in piling up the papers to scribble down even more notes, as another thought strikes her of something she thinks the succubi ought to know. Though even while writing, she never once stops her excited torrent of speech.

Rysanial looks helplessly over to you for assistance. With a grin you intervene, distracting the genius wizard's attention long enough for your succubus to catch a breath. Once you've calmed Nevati's excitement a bit, the three of you go through what Rysanial will need at a slightly more relaxed pace. And by that evening, you decide that she's as ready as she'll ever be.

Your succubus stands in front of you, Nevati's notes now packed into the bulky satchels that she wears slung over her shoulder. She's still nervous... but not nearly so much as before. You take one more look at her, cupping her face in your hands. "I'll see you again soon."

"I'll be sure to get all the help I can from my sisters," is Rysanial's eager reply. "I won't let you down."

"I know," you say. And with that you release your summoning. You continue to hold her face in you hands even as she fades, returning home to the Second Circle on her mission.

Even after she departs on her task, however, you still have quite a bit that needs to be done, more agents who need to be informed of their tasks. Rokaviel doesn't look particularly impressed when you approach him, clearly not expecting much. "So. Have you decided to stop fucking around and actually do something with me?" he rumbles, sounding bored. "What's the plan? I hope it's something at least a little bit interesting..."

"That depends..." you say. "How do you feel about slaying dragons?"

It's almost comical how fast the huge demon's eyes light up. "I take back everything bad I said about you," he says, driving one fist into the palm of his other hand. "This could be some of the best fun I've had in decades. When do we start?"

"Soon," you say. "I just need to contact everyone who will be involved in the battle."

Khaytala, of course, already knows. But you need to inform Fallhazel as well. And so once again you send out a feeler for a willing dreamwalk. It isn't long before you're standing in a dream of the Great Forest, talking to your most recently seduced heroine and explaining your plans.

As you expected, the thought of fighting a legendary dragon doesn't even faze her. You continue to explain, laying out how it all fits together. "If you can obtain this pearl, and if Verika can take a phoenix feather, and if Rysanial can get one of my possessions from the Second Circle... then we should have everything we need to create the dream weapon."

Fallhazel frowns. "You sent one single succubus into the Second Circle to obtain this possession for you? What if she is discovered by their guards?"

"It isn't a theft," you explain. "We made direct contact with the Lust Queen, and managed to convince her that no one needs to die except the Incubus King. Now that she realizes that there's an alternative, she wants to work together with us now, rather than trying to kill me."

"And you believed her?" Fallhazel demands, her tone even more urgent now than before. "I told you once already, when we spoke in the forest! A mother bear will never accept any danger to her cubs! Much less a mother bear who has suffered the horrors you say this 'Lust Queen' has, and who now faces the return of those same horrors! If you give her an opportunity to kill you, and end this threat with less risk to her daughters, then she will take it. And if she told you anything else, then she is playing you."

You frown, thinking back over every conversation you've had with Lehatial. You never once detected any indication of deceit from her. Never once noticed even a hint that she wasn't acting in good faith with anything she said.

Then again... would you have noticed deception from someone like her? An ancient demon, who has spent millennia protecting the Second Circle against the schemes of the other Demon Lords? With little else but her guile to use and hone as a weapon?

For several seconds you hesitate, considering the possibilities. Is Fallhazel right? Could her suspicions be correct? Or is it just her cynical outlook on the world coloring her perception?

At length, you speak. "Even if you are right... it's not as though I went back to the Second Circle myself," you say. "So she still doesn't have any way to strike at me directly. Not yet, anyway. And no matter how protective she is of her succubi, she's also smart. She has to know that going along with the deal and sending the painting back with Rysanial increases her odds the most. At least... out of all the options she has available to her right now."

"Perhaps," says Fallhazel, her expression still dark. "Or perhaps she has more options than you think. But either way, I caution you. Pay close attention to her every word, to her every action. Do not simply take them at face value. Do not let her lull you into lowering your guard. And do not underestimate the lengths to which her desperation to save her succubi may drive her. It could be the difference between life and death."

On that unsettling note, the dream ends. You're still not sure what to make of Fallhazel's concerns. The druid has never once met Lehatial herself, of course. Fallhazel has only her own assumptions and preconceptions about what she thinks the Lust Queen must be like to work from. She's never met her in person like you have, never seen the vulnerable sincerity with which Lehatial speaks.

But... does that really put her in a worse position to make such judgments? Might it, perhaps, even put her in a better one?

You can't know. Not for sure.

You spend most of the rest of the day distracted, arguing the question back and forth in your own head. And by the end of it all, you feel no closer to an answer than when you started. Still—distracted or not—you convey the rest of the tasks to all the appropriate agents. Soon everything is in place for you to depart.

The night is spent fucking the heroines again, building up your reserves of Lust for the journey to Nelin. Then, at daybreak, you gather together in the courtyard as you each prepare to go your separate ways.

Lily is there to see you off as well, along with Kelissa. The young Witch Queen's face is flushed, and she's still fidgeting in place as she watches you. It's clear that she wants to say something. And you're pretty sure from how she's struggling that it will be an admission of her own lust, asking you to quench the flame that you've so carefully nurtured within her.

The heightened urges from the corruptive essence that you shared with her are giving her an extra helping push... though her worries and uncertainties are still fighting back. You don't try to force her, letting her figure out her desires for herself, at her own pace.

Instead, you simply say your goodbyes, bidding farewell to all the heroines as they set out on their various missions. Then, at last, you come to your mistress. "Stay safe," you urge her, giving her a kind smile. "I'll be back soon."

That does prompt Lily to finally speak. "I..." she begins, uncertain. "I just... I really, really wanted you to know... before you leave again... that... that I..." Lily starts to speak, before looking down at the ground, her face red. She's struggling to put her feelings into words. And for a moment you think she won't be able to.

But then she looks up again, fresh determination in her face. And says exactly what she wants to say.

"I... love you. I love you so much."

You blink. That... wasn't the admission you were expecting. It blindsides you with its utterly earnest innocence, as rather than chase her immediate desires, she tries to convey what your presence by her side has meant to her. And in that moment, you give the only answer you can.

You pull your mistress in close, her young body pressing against yours, as you give her a searing kiss.

Lily moans against you, her arms sliding up inexpertly to wrap around you, to pull herself even closer into your embrace. In that moment, for that long, passionate kiss, you are her entire world. You block out all other fears or worries, as you respond to her tender feelings as best as you are able.

When you finally release her, she slumps back into Kelissa's waiting arms, her hair disheveled and her eyes glazed over. The maid gives you a long, knowing look, clearly happy beyond words to see her beloved mistress slowly falling into your sinful clutches.

"Don't stay away too long..." Kelissa says quietly. "I know she'll be counting the hours until you return..."

With that the maid backs away, Lily's form still slumped against her, overwhelmed by sensation. You turn and, with one last look back at the two of them, you take to the air, soaring through the skies.

On demon wings you fly toward Nelin... and toward the very heart of the Imperial Capitol.