"It wouldn't be impossible. There's a lot of people who enjoy wars simply for being wars. They aren't concerned with actually standing for anything." Larisa wasn't sure who she was more inclined to listen to. She wasn't about to completely buy into everything a demon was saying, but the evidence was overwhelming and she was no friend to any group of crazed religious knights either. But what she heard painted a worrisome picture. "Red Cross...sounds possibly like the Knight's Templar. Those people aren't a laughing matter. You all probably heard the horror stories about them if that's the case. Special forces of special forces and all that." But she shook her head. "Black armor doesn't sound like it, however....though "Cult" doesn't lead me to belief that they aren't in anyway involved. While the demon was focused on the monk, Larisa could actually feel her own hands quietly ready themselves to cast and purge the succubus in a bout of irony. She hadn't decided on what to do yet, but this was different from grown men with nothing better to do than harass and bully people for not blindly agreeing to the same things without asking questions. This was an actual demon, and Larisa had serious doubts about just letting one go on the promise it might not be a problem later and she should just take her word for it.
'Could be but the Templars were excommunicated decades ago,' Angelo replied to the teacher. 'A cult? But they don't worship the devil? And Lucifer will be dead?' Angelo still looked confused at the demon's explanation, 'Heavens, what is this world coming to. Dies Irae. We need to tell the Inquisitors about this.' He shook his head, 'No, I won't harm you if you won't harm us. There's been enough bloodshed for today, I think.' 'Let's call a truce,' he held his hand out to the demoness, 'I am Brother Angelo from Mantua, may I know who you are, demoness?'
Lukas sighs. "Fair enough. Be a bastard peasant if you want. No skin off my back." He pauses. "Unless uncle decides to flay me, that is." The young lordling thinks for a moment. "I'm not sure how we get the drought. It should be in the baggage, so we might be able to just snag it while he isn't looking. And yes, your father does want to see you, desperately. He really did send men to find you and bring you to him. We waylaid them, and claimed to your mother that we were the ones your father sent. Uncle Darius was your father's friend when you were conceived, so your mother trusted him." Lukas gives a sardonic grin. "We really were going to see your father at Trakai castle. We were just going to make you marry me first. Since we're skipping that step, when we run from Uncle Darius, we'll just head to Trakai to see your father. He should be there, eagerly awaiting the chance to meet his daughter."
Benacio looks at Larisa. "Templars? Aren't they wiped out? Still, mother did say that they were devil-worshippers, which is why good King Phillipe destroyed them." She looks at him with an expression that's quizzical, grateful and nervous. She takes his hand, and he feels that it's warm, a pleasant but non-sexual feeling washing over his body. "I'm not doing anything, that's just what mortals feel like when they touch me. Don't worry, I can't take your energy unless you lay with me." She looks at him for a few moments more. "I'm Sarva."
"Look. I said I listened to you, and your uncle's chat last night. If you need some help defending your land, I'm sure my father will listen to your request. Even without the marriage bit." Allune replied, "Well... that is if he's as kind as mother said he was." She added. "Now... we just need to find a way to get that drought, and slip it in their wine." She sighed, thinking of ways she could do that.
Angelo looked at his hand after the handshake with the demon, curious at the strange but pleasant feeling. His blue eyes looked at her eerily pale silver eyes, a faint smile on his lips, 'Sarva, that's a nice name. You're a lot different than what I imagined a succubus to be like.' He blushed a bit at the last part, 'Ehm-uhm, yeah, that's a relief that you can't drain people just by touching. And don't try to hypnotise us... we have a truce, right?' 'I would like you to repeat your story to the Inqusistors, but... they probably would send you to the Abyss to join your sisters afterwards,' he scratched the back of his neck and looked around the carnage, 'Do you, uhm, need help laying your people to rest? Do demons even have burial rites?'
He thinks. "We could maybe... I don't know, cunning isn't exactly my strong point. Maybe we could call a false alarm of an enemy attack? We couldn't do seduction, Darius would never believe that you were into him." He puts a hand to his chin. "Unless... You could pretend to be angry with me for what I did to your mother. He might believe that you were coming onto him as revenge against me. Once I'd taken the drought, I'd interrupt you two, and give you a chance to back out of doing anything with him." He stands a bit straighter. "Your choice. Do we handle this by screaming about fake tatars, or by seducing uncle Darius?"
She shakes her head. "We never use...never used hypnosis to get mates. The men and women of the nearby town are...were more than willing to come here of their own accord. My sister always said that only a fool fights humans when they're so willing to give us what we want. I swear by Lilith herself, that if you do not intend any harm, I will not harm you in return." Sarva looks at her sisters, and then back to Angelo. "We do, of a sort." She kneels down between the dead, chanting in an unknown language. Sarva lets out a gutteral roar, and her sisters burst into flames, ashes sinking into the ground. "You're with Mother Lilith forever, sisters." She stands and faces Angelo. "You are kinder than most of your faith. Thank you."
"Guh..." The choices given to her made her choke, specially since seduction wasn't her strong suit. "I... don't know, he might not believe it. I mean, I kissed you on the lips when we broke away from the camp. He'd definitely think something is up by then." Allune sighed as she spoke, trying to make sense. As she avoided having to tell him she had never seduced anyone before. "And if we scream about fake enemies... I think that'll put even more suspicion on us. Unless we drug them immediately..."
'Oh, I see,' Angelo said at the revelation what the nearby villagers were doing. He wasn't a zealous idealogue, so if there was no harm done... there was no real reason to punish the villagers for consorting with demons. He was a little scared by the display of demonic burial. He nodded to her, 'And you are far less... uhm, y'know... evil than I had thought a demon of lust would be. I'm sorry for your loss, Sarva.' Angelo sighed, 'Well, we probably ought to part ways. The others probably wouldn't look kindly on us not killing each other on sight. You should lay low, with those black knights and... well, us around.'
Lukas thinks silently for a moment. "I have a solution for both, though you'll be saddened to hear that they both involve causing me harm. I think that we could probably sell the seduction route if we make it look like you were just leading me here to hurt me. If you slap me around hard enough to leave a bruise on my face, you could head back to camp, and I'd stumble past a few moments later, clutching my groin as if you kicked me there. Uncle Darius pretends like he doesn't care, but he wants you. If you show him attention, he'll believe that it's genuine, because he wants to believe that a beautiful young woman would want someone like him." "If we go with the fake enemies plan, maybe you could hit me with one of your arrows. Darius thinks I'm a coward, so he'd never believe that I'd allow you to shoot me. I just hope that you're a good shot. You're right, though. Darius and the men might not be willing to drink after that, so we might be better off to forget the drought and just free the horses. You come back, with me limping from my wound, and then we just mount our horses and make theirs bolt. Darius scares me, but even he can't keep up with horses when he's on foot."
Hmm, I wonder if this is why Miroslava goes out on her own? Maybe she too is... enjoying the company of some demons? Ophelia wondered as she remembered what Felina had told her earlier. “Yes, I think it is time to part ways – and to keep this encounter to ourselves, at least until we know more.” The noblewoman agreed with the monk. “The three of us should go back, but I get the feeling we might meet again later, especially if there are more demon attacks or more sightings of black knights with red crosses.” She gave Angelo a friendly smile.
@Auraicide @moonblack "I will. Than-" She turns around sharply, as more voices sail through the trees. "There! You see her, a young 'un, all alone!" A half dozen men, clearly brigands, walk out of the trees into the clearing. They wield axes and spears, and are clad in gambeson armour. The leader, a man wearing a kettle helmet, walks forwards. "God be with you, father." He crosses himself. "We're just going to, uh, take that there succubus, so if you'd please step aside?" He looks lecherously at the succubus, and then at Ophelia, Larisa and Volenca. "Ladies, I'll get this little demon whore out of your way." The bandit licks his lips, before drawing his axe, and approaching Sarva.
'We might, it was a pleasure meeting you three, I didn't even get your nam-,' Angelo wanted to say goodbye before bandits came out of the woods. Angelo glared at the brigands, and stepped in front of the demoness, between the bandit leader and her. He crossed himself as well, 'God be with you too, though I suspect you have forgotten your commandments.' 'The "demon whore", as you call her, is a witness to more pressing matters for the Inquisition, she's not to be harmed, and under our protection,' Angelo bluffed, his hand on his mace, ready to draw it, 'You wouldn't happen to have seen knights clad in black armour with red crosses?'
"Uuuuh." Allune racked her brain, trying to come up with some other way to do it. She only hoped the others wouldn't peek on them, thinking they were having sex... wait, that's it! Her eyes widened, "W-wait... I think I have a better plan." She gulped, "They think we're... having sex, right? T-that means we'll be nude. And... we're in a forest, with deers, hares... and maybe more tatars." Allune takes a deep breath, "So... what if... while we we're... finishing up. A hare suddenly nabbed my undergarments, and ran off with it. And you... being the gentleman you are, would go and chase it... I mean, you can yell, because you tripped and fell... or because you're engaged in battle."
Larisa had been getting ready to dispatch the succubus, but her targets had changed with the bandits already emerging from the trees. They clearly were more confident than the last band of bandits she had met, but she had to assume they were probably just as cowardly. She didn't have the full form of guards, but she had to assume the inquisitor was going to do things the hard way anyway, so she already acted assuming there was going to be a fight on their hands. Larisa wondered how much the amulet would improve her other non illusion spells. Her other spells still needed to do a bit of catching up to her growth with magic, but they were still what she had to work with. Larisa's face didn't really change to look concerned due to the bandits. She was more worried about revealing what exactly she could do in front of the inquisition, but standing here and doing nothing wouldn't be an option. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about that thing behind you?" The dark shadow seeped across the ground, underneath the bandit's feet reaching the ones farthest back until it began to bubble and surprise strike one from behind.
He thinks for a moment. "I could do that, yes. How does that get us out of here safe, though? Do we draw them into the forest and then circle back to camp?"
"Yeah, we could do that. Or... I could return while you chase the hare. Telling them we heard some strange noises. That should make them think there are more Tatars for when you yell." She replied with a sigh.
"Ah, I see." He nods. "We'll do that, then." He nearly turns away before an idea comes to his head and he grins again. "Well, if, in our story, you lost your undergarments, you'll have to take them off, won't you?"
@moonblack "Father, your duty is to protect the innocent. For now, we only want the demon, but we'll leave those lovely ladies you have with you unscathed. Irritate me, however and I swear that I wil-," He faces Larisa. "What do you mean behi-, AAH!" An archer bandit at the back screams out as a mass of shadow smashes through his unarmoured chest, the man falling to the ground. A blob of shadow lingers in the air behind the bandits, who are split between it and the group of humans and the succubus. "C-Call that fucking thing off!" The leader holds his axe towards Larisa, Angelo and Ophelia, unsure who among them created it.
