Where the Heart Is, Part 31
You spend some more time leisurely cuddling with Lily, letting your touch seep into her as a comforting balm to her fears. Still, eventually you do hear a knock at the door. Then you hear Kelissa's voice. "Your majesty?"
"Come in," you call out with an impish grin. Kelissa enters... then stops short, her eyes widening at the sight of Lily's nude body curled up against you. It does not escape your notice how Kelissa's gaze roams over the slender curves of her beloved mistress, only for her professional demeanor to snap back into place a mere moment later. Lily blushes a little... but makes no effort to cover herself up, letting her trusted maid and confidant look all she wants.
"Your majesty, it is almost time for your meeting with Spymaster Iskro," Kelissa says, her poise and decorum now back in place. She knows you did this to tease her, and she isn't giving you the satisfaction of giving in so easily. Her pride as a maid, you suppose.
"Oh!" Lily says, surprised. "Already? I hadn't realized it was so late. Please, help me clean myself up, and we shall meet with him as soon as possible."
Reluctantly, she pulls herself away from you, and goes to get dressed again. You gracefully depart, leaving the queen to her preparations. Indeed, you have tasks of your own that require your attention.
You find a secluded room in the fortress where you can have some privacy, and you begin to reach out with your willing dreamwalk, using the synergy formed within your brand. Kelissa's comment about Iskro put you in mind of the other ratfolk you so recently met back in Nelin, and you decide to check on what happened after you left. Forming the image of Rifek in your mind, you reach out through the Plane of Dreams to touch his soul with your own.
It takes him a while to accept. But eventually he does, materializing in a dreamscape version of the Griffon's Feather tavern, the very place you first met him. He regards you with a measuring look. "A pleasure to meet you again..." he says. "...if, indeed, it is you."
You smile. "When last we met, you told me to give the enemy incubi hell. And I told you that was exactly what I intended to do. We were the only two people there. Which means that either I am who I appear to be... or else I can pull information right out of your memories without you realizing. And if I could do that anyway, you have nothing to lose in answering my questions."
Rifek inclines his head, as though conceding a point, but otherwise says nothing. You continue. "I'm curious to know what happened after I left. Particularly with the heroines."
"Both Alicia and Elianna have left the capitol," Rifek says. "Alicia set out first, traveling alone. Then the Holy Mother left a few days later, accompanied by a small group of honor guards. Both were headed east. Though what paths they took after they left our sphere of influence, I cannot say."
Interesting. From the sound of it, the two of them are heading out to assist their remaining comrades. Most likely, one of them is heading to where the Lyra Orilana is holed up in the Bard's College along with her wife and daughter, behind ancient defenses and protective wards. Meanwhile, the other heroine is probably heading to join forces with Emiko and Torild.
But which heroine is going where?
Either way, this probably means that whoever you target next will have the support of powerful divine magic on their side. Not ideal. But you can manage. And of course, so long as you have the tracking invocation Alicia planted on you, even if you pick the heroine that Elianna is helping, Alicia will still show up there before long.
"What about your people?" you ask. "Did you encounter any problems or suspicion after everything that happened?"
"Nothing we can't handle," replies Rifek with a wave. "We're lying low, for now, like you told us. Only the most necessary of operations. But I don't think we attracted much attention. Especially since Mockingbird was the only one to really connect us... and you took care of that."
"I'm glad to hear that," you say. "What's the mood in the capitol?"
"People don't know what to think," Rifek says. "The huge battle that lit up the sky is all anyone can talk about. No one is sure what happened, and the gossip is raging out of control. Some people are saying that Alicia saved them all. Some people are saying she was killed, and the royals are covering it up. Some people are saying it's the End Times, and Hell is coming to devour them all."
He gives you an appraising look. "As information brokers, we could lend weight to a particular theory. We've been playing it down up until now, but if you wanted to nudge public sentiment in a certain direction, we could give it a push ourselves."
The idea has intriguing merit. You and Rifek spend a while discussing the benefits and disadvantages of each option, before settling on a course of action. Then, thanking the ratfolk once again, you end the dream and move onto the next one.
You next check in on Mother Yvette, who answers your call almost immediately. This time you make the dream deliberately unconnected to anything in your history with the other dreamer, not wanting to risk stirring up memories of her abduction. Instead, when Yvette appears in your dreamworld, she sees only an opulent bedchamber that you deliberately crafted to be as generic as possible.
She laughs with joy as you pull her down onto the bed. With her, you abandon much of the restraint that was holding you back in your time with Lily, giving Yvette the sort of raw, carnal fucking that you used to shake up her humdrum life in the first place. She responds with exuberant delight, and the first half-hour or so of your reunion is spent without any words, just your cock thrusting into her over and over again, in countless different positions. When you finally relent she is gasping for breath, and it takes her a while longer to recover from the pleasure overload.
Eventually, though, she does become responsive once more. "You... came back for me..." she whispers, clinging to you. "I... thought I might never see you again."
"Oh, there's no way I'm done with you," you reassure her. "This Pleasure is something that everyone needs to experience. And not just once or twice, either. One day, sex like this will be a regular part of your life, even if there are obstacles right now."
"Is there... anything I can do to help you?" Yvette asks earnestly. "Lady Alicia, she... put me under arrest after she questioned me. I'm being held under guard in the house where she was staying. So I can't do much. But... if there's anything I can do..."
Together, you search back through Yvette's memories. You immediately recognize the building that she and the prostitutes are being kept in. It's the very same place where Janessa is living, as well as the escaped dryad Elysandria, and the leader of the loggers, Ragath. You notice quite a few more guards than last time you spoke to Janessa, however.
Unfortunately, considering that her association with you has been exposed—and the fact that she doesn't even have a corruptive boon—there probably isn't much that Yvette will be able to do from her current position. You do ask a few more questions, though. "What about the prostitutes that Mockingbird and I rescued along with you? How are they doing?"
Yvette blushes a little. "They've been... taking solace with each other," she says diplomatically. "Lady Alicia has guards watching them at all times. And there are several mages who have been studying them as well. I think they're trying to understand more about how you... changed them. And how it might be undone."
"I see. I trust that their examinations have not caused any harm to those women?" you ask. "They've already suffered more than enough."
"No, Alicia strictly forbade anything like that," Yvette says. "And she made all the mages swear to abide by her decision, with an oath to Selal herself."
Normally, you wouldn't put much stock in such an oath. Not without knowing the character of these researchers. But in this particular case, if any of them had sworn falsely, you're certain Alicia would have known.
On that note, however, there is one other person whose input on this you'd be interested in hearing. And so, with a thought, you invite Janessa into the dream as well.
She responds just as quickly as Yvette, and soon you see the familiar form of the veteran soldier materialize in your little love nest. She walks toward the two of you with confidence, pulling off her clothes as she approaches. Yvette lets out a cute little noise, her eyes widening at the sight. Despite all that you've done with the priestess in your brief interactions, you've never gone this far. Never had her with more than one woman at a time.
Not that Yvette looks unwilling, mind. Just out of her depth.
Even without you saying anything, Janessa can tell what Yvette needs. With the decisive demeanor of someone who once commanded troops into life-or-death battle, the older woman sits down on the bed, right next to her more insecure partner. You can tell from how Yvette is staring at the other naked woman that she has never before felt this kind of attraction to another female. But with the intoxicating rush of your demonic aphrodisiac running through her, any such hang-ups are swiftly fading into the past, replaced with growing excitement.
Janessa starts out slow, moving in for a loving kiss with you. Then she pulls away, sliding her arm around Yvette to nudge her into doing the same. They alternate back and forth, each time drawing closer to each other, until finally they're both making out with you at the same time, their bodies rubbing against each others just as much as yours. This goes on for a while, until Janessa tugs on Yvette's shoulder, guiding her down to kneel at the edge of the bed with her.
You roll over to sit at the edge of the bed, spreading your legs so both women can nestle between them. Janessa starts patiently showing Yvette how to do a titfuck, and soon the two of them are going at it together, licking at your shaft while their nipples press together, their breasts rubbing against your cock.
Resting a hand on each head, you ask a few more questions of the more military-minded Janessa. "Do you have any idea where Alicia or Elianna might be heading?"
Janessa looks up briefly, and shakes her head. "No," she admits, while still helping the less-experienced woman titfuck you. "She didn't say anything to me. And there have been noticeably more soldiers watching me than before. I'm... pretty sure that she suspects I've been feeding you information."
You can detect a hint of anxiety for her future in her eyes. But Janessa doesn't let that interfere with what she's doing. Neither in sex, nor in her report. "She left a few days ago, but she didn't take any of us with. The entire building has been under heavy guard since then. Especially the prostitutes. They're always watched by multiple guards, who aren't allowed to get close. And even those guards are rotated frequently, never allowing any one person to spend too much time watching them at once."
Such drastic measures makes sense, given that the prostitutes are the ones who have your corruptive boon. If they want to limit the further spread of your influence in their city while they search for a "cure", that much caution is a given. That said, it seems that Janessa—and particularly Yvette—aren't being treated with quite the same level of paranoia. If you could arrange for them to get an unexpected corruptive boon, there's no telling what they might be able to do in their current position.
Before long, the efforts of the two women kneeling in front of you pay off, and your cock erupts, coating their faces and breasts with your seed. At this point neither of them has any hesitation in cleaning each other up, the two of them meeting in an intimate interplay of tongue on skin as they each lick the cum off the other while holding each other tight.
"Don't worry," you reassure Janessa. "Everything will be coming to a head soon. And once we fully prevent the war between your countries and Kovora—once the heroines understand this Pleasure that you're feeling right now—I'll have Alicia release you from that house arrest as well. I won't let anything happen to you."
Janessa looks up at you, profound gratitude in her expression. You can tell that you've eased much of the worry inherent in her precarious situation. From there, you have the two women climb back up onto the bed, Janessa laying on top of Yvette as they continue to kiss. You proceed to fuck both of them, starting with Janessa, your cock thrusting into her needy channel as it clenches around you. The rapturous moans of both women mingle and intertwine in your ears, soon becoming outright screams of the most transcendent Pleasure as you fuck them into each other.
This goes on for another hour or so, until finally even their dream-selves are worn out, their psyches taxed by the sheer sensory weight of what they've just shared. You allow them to drift off into a dreamless sleep together, their naked bodies wrapped around each other, clinging unconsciously for support. Only then do you summon your next visitor.
For the Vampire Queen, you shift the dream to a view of the Underworld, the very place where she's assisting your subverted agents. She joins you on a balcony overlooking that dark and ancient city, from which you can observe its winding streets, and the eerie green haze of spell-light from all the arcane workings that the drow have used in its construction.
It's obvious from the moment she appears that the Vampire Queen desperately wants to ask about the status of her request concerning Moghi. But she also doesn't want to pressure you. And so the elegant undead simply walks over to join you at the balcony. "Was there something you wished to discuss?"
"The distraction you and the new Matriarch provided worked perfectly," you say first. "We were able to take a Nelin town without repercussion, while their forces were occupied with the threat of your saber-rattling. Thank you."
The vampire inclines her pale head in a gesture of acceptance. You, meanwhile, continue. "Which means our forces may be making a play for the Twilight Fortress itself soon, as a prelude to striking at the Underworld soon after. Is there anything you could do to support that move?"
"Perhaps." The Vampire Queen considers this. "We could arrange a distraction to pull away some of the defenders. That would leave them open for your strike, and reduce the difficulty of conquering the fortress. That said, we could also spend that same effort subverting the defenses of the Underworld capitol as well, reducing the difficulty of that battle when it comes. If we help with the Twilight Fortress, that will leave us with fewer opportunities to soften up the defenses here. It all depends on which battle you most wish us to prepare for."
You nod in agreement. You'll have to consider the tactical situation from every angle, and decide what to prioritize. That will also include consulting with your military advisors. For now, though, it's enough to confirm that the option is indeed available.
Now you turn to more personal matters. "I've also found a possible lead on Moghi," you say. "It's a long story, and nothing's certain yet, but... we think she might have become a demon of the Sixth Circle. In hopes of one day returning here and striking back at Melca."
The Vampire Queen's eyes widen at the revelation, and she sucks in a short breath. For a stretch of achingly long seconds, there is only silence. Then, finally, she speaks. "Was Melca the only target of her vengeance?" she asks, her voice barely audible. "Did she also seek—"
But then she breaks off. "No," she says. "No. It matters not. Whatever her designs toward me, she deserves the chance to carry them out. I... ask only that you give her the chance. Please. If she is against Melca, then... then she could be of great use to you as well, in the situation you are in. If you summon her..."
The queen's voice trails off, her desperation outstripping her logical arguments. You can tell that the uncertainty is twisting her up inside, not knowing what manner of fate she has unleashed by going down this road. Yet she is determined to see it through to the end. She is determined to face the "real" Moghi. The "real" Moghi that she knows only through the "real" queen's memories. The "real" Moghi that she herself killed.
"Please..." the vampire says again. It's the only thing she has left to say. "Please. Help her find what she seeks."
Your business concluded on that heavy note, you release her back to the waking world. As a respite of sorts, you summon Edith next, the young daughter of Lord Edrach, who you left with the dryads in the corrupted Great Forest.
With that in mind, you shape the dream to match the forest clearing where you first met her. And when Edith arrives in the dream she immediately rushes over to you, a beaming smile on her face. Her time with the dryads has clearly affected her. There's a healthy exuberance to her that is far beyond the cringing young woman who could barely look anyone in the eye. The scar from her father's blow is still visible on her face, but it has faded noticeably from its original state, and now accentuates the beauty of this new vitality of hers quite well.
That's not to say that her gentleness is gone entirely. Merely that it no longer feels crippling. Like she's a bird that's come out of her shell, now able to fully experience more of what life has to offer. You give her a roguish grin. "It looks like you've been having fun."
She returns your grin with one that is only slightly shyer. "It's been wonderful," she says. "Spending time with the dryads every day, having sex with them... or with Ana and my maids... or with the loggers... or with the satyrs... or with the caravans that come through on the road..."
"My! You have been broadening your horizons..." you say approvingly.
"I... never even knew life could be like this," Edith says. "Thank you so much for what you did. We're all ever so grateful."
You continue to talk with her for a while, drawing out more details of the situation in the forest. Your decision to focus on increasing the potency of the aphrodisiac pollen has turned the entire area from one that induced a mild pull toward Lust, into a veritable garden of debauchery. Anyone passing through will be heavily tempted for the entire trip. Those caravans Edith mentioned will no doubt be spreading the word far and wide about the carnal delights they've witnessed. And you're also confident that, should Vekmar or Nelin try to send reinforcements along that path to assist in any attempts at re-conquest in the other's territory, those soldiers will be left extraordinarily vulnerable to Lust from their trip. Enough that their support will be kept minimal, if not negated outright.
Once she's filled you in on everything that's happened since you departed the forest, you then fully turn your attention to enjoying one another. For this part, you also summon in her loyal bodyguard Ana, savoring the both of them in a protracted orgy as they both show you everything they've learned in your absence. Their growth is really quite impressive. Far from the hesitation they showed before, they now throw themselves wholeheartedly into the act of sex, with you and each other, taking position after position.
If you had to guess, you suspect that the extraordinary growth is due to the wild nature of their surroundings. Even in a Pleasure cult hidden in a city, initiates would have to learn more slowly, hampered by the need to keep up a public face and civil proprieties. But in the place that the Great Forest has become, sex is now woven through everything, with no need to hide or relent for any such concerns, only to indulge to their heart's desire.
It brings a proud smile to your face to see what the Old Mothers have accomplished with the tools you've given them.
This tryst ends with the three of you in a tangled, sweaty heap, both women clinging to you. You kiss them each once more, then bid them farewell, turning your attention to the final visit on your agenda.
When Rysanial answers your summons, you feel no small amount of relief. Not that you actually expected that the Lust Queen would harm her directly, but there was still that lingering fear. The succubus looks positively radiant, leaping into your arms right away. You chuckle, running your fingers through her hair. "I take it the negotiations went well?"
Rysanial nods eagerly. "I can't believe that I was so worried to do this at first," she says. "The Queen... she's so kind and wonderful. And she understands what we've both been going through! She has the portrait prepared, just like you asked. But even beyond that, she has other gifts for us as well!"
"Oh?" you say, allowing no suspicion whatsoever to show in your expression. "Can you show me?"
You shift the dream to search Rysanial's memories, scanning back through her time after returning to the Second Circle. It doesn't take you long to find what you're looking for: a scene of Rysanial and the Lust Queen herself in the royal training grounds. You look closer at the curved knife Rysanial is wielding. Then your eyes widen. "Wait... is that—?"
"Passion's Sting," Rysanial says, as the dream-memory of her goes through a series of intricate practice slashes under the Lust Queen's watchful eye. "Her majesty is lending it to us, out of gratitude for everything we've done to end the Incubus King's threat! Can you imagine?"
You don't reply immediately, your eyes tracing the memory-Rysanial's movements. It's clear that the blade is enhancing her abilities in a powerful way. Just as you'd expect from one of the legendary treasures of the Second Circle. Rysanial is moving faster than you've ever seen her move, and with a deadly dancer's grace that is entrancing to watch. You've never seen Passion's Sting yourself before, but you know that even a tiny nick from it will deliver an overwhelming surge of aphrodisiac, and you also have heard rumors that it can enhance demonic powers in some way.
As you watch, the Lust Queen steps forward to correct Rysanial's technique, her fingers sliding around the body of the other succubus as she leads her through the moves. And while Rysanial may herself be a seductive fiend who can lead most mortals into depravity... when faced with this far, far more ancient and experienced succubus, she's practically a kitten in her hands.
"Yes... yes... just like that," the Lust Queen murmurs encouragingly, which prompts a giddy, adoring smile to cross Rysanial's face. "You're acclimating to the weapon quite well. Don't try to move like you used to; the power that the blade gives you requires its own approach, and you need to practice how to best use it."
Rysanial is clearly smitten, as the Lust Queen works to seduce her. That much doesn't surprise you. Of course that's what she's doing. That's what everyone does back home, succubus and incubus alike. No matter what—regardless of her ultimate intentions—it was essentially a given that the Lust Queen would try to ingratiate herself to Rysanial as best she could, to give herself as many cards to play as possible.
But lending you Passion's Sting, though...
True, by helping them destroy the Incubus King's artifact and ending his ability to infect other demons, you have provided an immeasurable service to the Second Circle. And yet Fallhazel's warning still echoes in your mind. If the Lust Queen is still trying to target you, she would need a way to strike remotely. And an artifact of that power... if she could arrange to put an enchantment on it to attack you in some way... that might well be enough to do the trick.
You think back to the enchanted knife that the drow Matriarch tried to use to target Verika. That was a fearsome enough weapon... and that was merely at the behest of a leader of a single mortal nation. The Lust Queen has access to cross-planar contacts and resources that absolutely dwarf the Matriarch's. What degree of enchantment could she have arranged for? Even on such admittedly short notice?
It's impossible to say for sure. The Passion's Sting you see before you right now is but a figment of memory, which leaves you unable to study or interact with it in any way that Rysanial hasn't already done. You can't tell what the Lust Queen might—or might not—have done to it. And without more insight into the exact nature of what to prepare for, your options are limited.
You could just tell Rysanial to drop the knife right before you summon her back, and try to set it up in a way that the Lust Queen doesn't suspect until it's too late. If you're watching with your scrying, you could summon her immediately afterward. That would, of course, deprive you of a powerful artifact. But that approach would ensure that if the Lust Queen has cursed it, the blade would never get anywhere near you.
Alternatively, you could ask your allies—particularly Nevati and Ceriss—to prepare magical defenses and countermeasures as best they can, based on sheer guesswork and intuition of what might have been done to the knife. If the knife is a genuine gift, then you can all laugh about it. And if it isn't...
Well. You'll get to see how the heroines' magic compares against whoever the Lust Queen might have contracted with.
You could also increase their chances in multiple different ways. Allowing them more time to prepare could only increase their chances... though that would mean not taking them off-task with things like helping with the tracking invocation that Alicia put on you. And of course, any further information you can gain regarding the specific nature—or lack thereof—of this supposed trap could increase the effectiveness of any countermeasure even more.
The memory, meanwhile, continues to play out. That Rysanial practically has hearts in her eyes as she looks up at the far older succubus who is teaching her. "Thank you," she says. "Thank you so much for helping us like this! I... know that you have no reason to be so merciful, after I disobeyed your orders and let a fugitive escape..."
"Hush now," the Lust Queen says, raising a hand to caress Rysanial's cheek. "You need not speak of that. I understand what you were going through at his touch. And I do not blame you for it. Nor do I blame him. I know full well that you are both victims in this. And if nothing else... believe me when I tell you this. You are precious to me. All of you. And I will do everything I can to keep you safe."
Rysanial fairly melts at the combination of the Lust Queen's touch and her caring words. You, however, are able to observe it from a more objective vantage, and must make a decision on what you will ask her to do.
Also, now that you've finished contacting people with your willing dreamwalk, you'll need to decide who to target during this downtime with your full-scale dreamwalk, which does not require the target to be willing or aware.