BXBX NOVEL Chapter 413 412: Contemplation
The sounds of lust around me surprisingly left me unbothered, my mind more occupied on my circumstances then the idea of letting loose and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh.
What Sla\'Caligo was offering was... tempting.
Then again, she is a Fiend, and the \'apple\' that she placed on the table between us may look succulent, but I have no doubt that its poisoned.
There is something that I am missing from her terms, something that will definitely come back around to bite me in the ass - and not in a good way.
So, as I spun my dagger around expertly, I asked \'This needs to be addressed first. How was she able to... sense you? Is that even possible?\'
[Yes... and no. See, I\'ve mentioned before that I am from a set of Gods and Goddesses, correct? I believe THAT is what she could sense; the lingering divine power of the one who created me and gifted me to you. Reincantra is the name of this Goddess; she rules over New Beginnings and Storytelling, and a part of \'New Beginnings\' is reincarnation. Sometimes, she finds souls that she deems interesting enough to warrant holding portions of her power, and that... that would be me.]
\'Alright, so she\'s sensing divine power inside me - you - but doesn\'t know exactly what you are, just that you came from this Reincantra?\'
[Indeed. To sense divine power one needs to reach a certain strength, and I think the only reason no one else has sensed it from you was because your strength is still in its infancy. It\'s... ah, like a lingering scent around you, but before - and still now - it\'s covered by your \'normalcy\'. I believe that if you had been around Ka\'Hondi for a little longer, or if you were there now, they would be able to sense me as well... And going forwards, normal Fiends and even stronger mortals - like the Marquess and those stronger than her - would be able to sense it as well...
In all honesty, this \'scent\' around you isn\'t a big deal, even when you get stronger - like to the Marquess\' level - it would still be seen as little more than you being \'watched\' by a God or Goddess, given a small blessing for your devotion or how you interest them]
I nodded, still pacing the room.
\'Well, as nice as it is to know that others won\'t really care about this... \'scent\' that you give me, that wasn\'t the most pressing part of what just transpired. Her deal...\'
[It\'s an interesting one, alright]
Nodding again, I began to flip the dagger around as I bit my cheek, thinking.
\'Despite me feeling like I am so far in my journey, I really am only halfway; the next stretch will be another month or three before I reach the border of the Empire, and that can still be increased depending on the amount of problems that I run into across the deserts...
A large swathe of land covered in Fire Mana, filled with strong, hidden creatures like in the Gobo Desert... A people that revere strength over everything, and believe in might makes right... Her deal is really appetizing at first for that warp to the March Asmodia. Considering her mentions of Ka\'Hondi, I imagine she has something she needs to do with them...
At first look, this is such a beneficial deal, since I get to reunite with the Asmodia\'s quicker and I would get more power, but...\'
[It\'s an Arch Fiend offering this deal]
\'Exactly. There MUST be something hidden inside what she wants. She wants me to be her \'Masque\'. Her champion, in other words. She wants me to be her champion... but for what? If she\'s to be believed - and I don\'t doubt this - the Fiends are coming back. So... a war? Her hatred for her kin seemed real as well... Does she truly want to whittle down the number of Fiends and \'reset\' them? Why?\'
I walked over towards the open window, looking out onto the almost empty street - a few men and women could be seen here and there, enjoying themselves - and I let out another sigh.
\'Perhaps she wants a... leader for her mortal followers? Some kind of shepherd to lead the flock? What would I be required to do? She explained so much, yet so little at the same time...\'
[If I had to wager a guess, her real desire for you was already stated. She said \'perfect power source for me\'. She wants you to be her... battery. A cup that constantly fills up with lust and pleasure for her to drink from. Hidden Twisted Pleasures is her domain, and your \'twisted\' love for Jahi, Anput and Leone could be the perfect nectar for her. As for hidden, well, forgive me but you seem to be exploring more extreme sources of pleasure in this life then you did in your last one...]
My wry chuckle filled the room as I nodded, my mind latching onto the words of the system.
\'A battery... How would she drain that power from me then? Would she try and force herself on me? And how would I manage to not go insane thinking about when she might just do something to me or my loves?\'
More questions arose from this train of thought, and I began to pace around once more.
\'Is there a way to make her swear - an actual binding swear - that she wouldn\'t do anything to me or my loved ones? Would she even accept that?\'
[Maybe..? I don\'t know if she would accept it, but there is a way to swear to a God or Goddess directly and make it binding - even for a Fiend. See, the hierarchy of the world is Mortals / Monsters, Fiends, Gods / Goddesses. The divines might not interfere often, but they are still present and looking down upon the world. A Fiend is born OF the world, which the divines have full power over, so... yes, there is a way to bind you both to an oath]
\'So it all just comes down to more of what she wants? If what she wants is terrible, what chance do I even stand to say no?\'
[I... don\'t know that either.]
\'Great... just great... well, we still have a good bit of time left; let\'s look over everything else for the time being, see if we can get a group of questions to ask her... I can only hope that she continues to be reasonable...\'