Caizarlu cries out in pain as he is bit, burned, and shocked. He steps away from Snow and casts a spell, protecting himself with a trio of mirror images. "Argh! Get them, zombie guards!" he shouts. A moment later, a trio of rotting corpses burst through a door across the room, groaning and shambling up to attack Snow!
Thanara gasps as the dead start rising! She instinctively raises her hands and sends a gout of lightning over as many of the undead and their master as she can!
Snow circles around the zombies and attacks the wizard again!
Two zombies fall to Thanara's lightning, while the third is gravely injured. Lisavet tries to dispel the necromancer's mirror images, to no avail. Nevertheless, Snow lunges at the man. She only succeeds at destroying his images.
Caizarlu raises a magical shield and risks another spell.
He avoids Snow's fangs and reaches toward her with negative energy!
The last zombie stumbles after Snow, pummeling her again.
Thanara is surprised when not all the zombies fall to her spell. And seeing Snow appear to have the life literally sapped from her was even more unsettling. She pointed the new staff she has at the remaining threats and sends another wave of lightning over them.
__________
Snow growls as the bad man hurts her with his hand. She attempts to detach said hand from the rest of his body.
Thanara takes down the last zombie with more lightning. Lisa's second fire ray is a bit off its mark, but Snow tears into the necromancer, leaving him badly wounded!
Still, the old man refuses to surrender. He refreshes his shield spell and begins casting another one.
Snow slashes him as he does so, but he blocks some of the impact with the shield, causing it to shatter. He powers through the pain and completes his spell, blasting the shifter with a lightning bolt!
Seeing him on the ropes, Thanara sends another sizable bolt of electricity at him hoping to bring the villain down!
__________
Snow ducks under the worst of the lightning - the man has nothing on Thanara - and goes for the throat...
Which she tears out with her mighty teeth!
Burnt and gurgling on his own blood, the necromancer dies!
You can claim a scroll of spectral hand and a wand of gentle repose from his body. The only other item of interest here is a map of the Sandpoint hinterlands that Caizarlu had been using to track what he calls “ghoul activity.” The necromancer gathered this information over the past several days, and has noted in particular that there’s been an increase in ghoul sightings around the southern farmlands and along Foxglove River.
Caizarlu’s current research is concerned with developing a method by which one could track a ghoul’s lineage back through several “generations” of ghoul attacks. His research has stalled, and he’s hoping that Grayst Sevilla will succumb soon so he’ll be able to dissect the body to gather more data before it rises as a ghoul and becomes much more difficult to study. One takeaway from his notes is the very strong possibility of what he calls a “ghoulish source” having risen to prominence in the region.
Thanara flips through the notes, herself not very well versed on the academic side of magic and arcane theory. ”We should take this stuff back to town. After we learn what we can from this Grayst fella. And inform Habe his villainous tenant has been dealt with.”
Lisa nods in agreement. When you head back upstairs, there is no sign of Erin Habe. It appears that his office has been quickly rifled through, as if he grabbed some things and left in a hurry!
Upstairs, you find the sanatorium's cells are unoccupied, save for the one holding Grayst Sevilla. Grayst’s skin is pale and looks gangrenous, his hair wild and eyes milky white. It's clear that he is quite sick and close to death. Grayst is mostly nonresponsive, wrapped as he is in a straitjacket.
However, when he sees Thanara, his eyes bulge. "He said. He said you would visit me. His Lordship. The one that unmade me said so. He has a place for you. A precious place. I’m so jealous. He has a message for you. He made me remember it. I hope I haven’t forgotten. The master wouldn’t approve if I forgot. Let me see… let… me… see…
"Ah! Yes. He said that if you came to his Misgivings, that if you joined his Pack, he would end his harvest in your honor."
At the climax of his speech, the message delivered, Grayst collapses and issues a low moan. He twitches feebly as he loses consciousness.
Thanara recognizes “the Misgivings” as a local name for a rundown and abandoned estate further south—Foxglove Manor.
When the stranger recognizes her and begins his spiel, Thanara backs away nervously. Then he says something that rings a bell…
”The…Misgivings…oh…oh no…”
She looks to Snow, a look of concern and nausea growing in her stomach. She then turns to Lisa and says ”We were wrong…so wrong. It wasn’t this necromancer.”
”It’s Aldern.”
"Mine!" Snow growls at the message. "My pack! She stays!"
Even as the man lies twitching and unconscious on the floor Snow continues to glower at him!
The feelings Thanara was feeling inside made her too preoccupied to notice Snow’s possessive proclamation.
She staggers out the front door and slumps to her hands and knees in the grass outside, and actively begins throwing up!
"Aldern?" Snow asks Lisa as they follow Thanara out. "Foxglove? But not dead...?"
Lisa gasps. "Aldern Foxglove? But he seemed so nice! How could he be capable of these atrocities?"
The priestess follows after Thanara, holding her hair back as she vomits. "It will be okay. We will stop him. We must."
She turns to Snow. "I know not if he yet lives, or if he has been corrupted into an undead monster. Either way, we will enact justice."
”We…we just m-murdered that man in the name of justice. And we weren’t even right!” Thanara stammers as she looks at the grass in front of her earnestly. ”We deserve to go to jail ourselves. N-not to mention what Aldern has or is going to do…”
"Caizarlu did not murder Harker and Katrine, but he was guilty of plenty other heinous crimes," Lisa says. "I do not regret purging the world of his evil. We are the righteous ones, Thanara. And I promise you, I will not let Aldern Foxglove touch a single hair on your head." Her blue eyes blaze with conviction.
Once Thanara has calmed down somewhat, you mount up and ride back to Sandpoint. Of course, word of Harker's and Katrine's deaths have spread like wildfire through the town, and everybody seems on edge. But the three of you know that the true danger is not in town, but to the south in Foxglove Manor...
”We…we just m-murdered that man in the name of justice. And we weren’t even right!” Thanara stammers as she looks at the grass in front of her earnestly. ”We deserve to go to jail ourselves. N-not to mention what Aldern has or is going to do…”
"No." Snow says firmly. "We protect people. Don't deserve it, but we do. Not murderers. No jail."
Snow sweeps Thanara up into her arms and mounts Snowfire, before reaching down to pull Thanara up to ride with her. A whistle has Varshti, Snow's own mount, following placidly behind. She and her rider have been together a long time and know each other's quirks well.
"We are Pack." Snow says softly to Thanara, just as they reach the outskirts of Sandpoint. "Will always protect my Pack."
Protecting her pack doesn't mean following them though, so when Thana dismounts at the stables and asks if Snow would mind dealing with Snowfire she simply nods and sets to work on the horses.
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanara makes her way to Savah's shop, the turmoil of her thoughts permitting only one possible form of release. Despite Savah sticking to her word and not allowing Thanara any physical pleasure of her own the mental peace of surrender and obedience is exactly what Thanara needs right now.
Savah is busy, something intricate to do with leather based on her hunched over posture and frown but her face brightens up when she sees Thanara.
"Hello Pretty One!" She says, setting her tools aside and coming across the shop to give Thanara a hug that engulfs the sorceress in a waft of leather and sweat. "I'm very pleased you're here. It's going to be a while - I have to finish this piece now, but you're welcome to make yourself some tea and sit with me for a bit. Tell me what's going on with that air-head Vinder girl and the twins at the bakery. That's always good for a laugh!"
After ensuring that Snow and Thanara will be okay, Lisa parts ways with them and heads to the cathedral. She kneels in the alcove dedicated to Sarenrae, the stained glass windows facing east so that the rays of the rising sun shine through in the morning. Even though it is late afternoon, she prays to the Dawnflower, giving thanks for the strength to defeat evildoers like the necromancer and the power to protect her friends.
When she is done, she heads to the Rusty Dragon, where Orik Vancaskerkin has been staying the past few weeks. She smiles when she sees him. "Hello. It is good to see you after such a difficult day," she says, smiling.
Snow scooping her up so easily was a shock to Thanara, breaking her sadness. Then she handily lifts her up onto her own horse to straddle the saddle in front of Snow, who proceeds to wrap her arms around her to take the reins.
For the next couple hours, the rhythmic rolling of her hips on the saddle, the feel of Snow’s strong arms around her, and her lean torso pressed into her back had Thanara quite a flustered mess.
Then she whispers her claim into Thanara’s ear, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Is…is she trying to claim me too?
__________
Thanara entered, her body already on edge from the proximity to Snow reminding her of Savah for a couple hours. Then the apprehension of what was to come…
Then Savah asked about Kat, or maybe Shay. Either way, the name caused Thanara to recall the girls horrific fate, and she immediately tears up and clings to Savah tightly. ”Kat is dead. Murdered by…an unloving monster. Sheriff Hemlock has tasked us with dealing with it…” she whispers into Savah’s shoulder as they embrace.
__________
Hearing Lisavet’s voice behind him, Orik smiles and turns from the bar as he says ”Priestess Ambra! Lovely to see you h-holy s+*$,” the man trails off and his pitch changes as he takes in Lisavet in her armors new look!
”Damn. I mean…wow. Sorry, just…you look amazing…” he replies, tripping and fumbling over his words as he openly gawks.
Lisa blushes and clasps her hands in front of her. "Oh, that's right! You hadn't seen it yet. Heh, well, based on your reaction, I'd say it suits me well." She giggles.
He blushed. ”Suits you?” he comments as he takes her hands and gently raises them out to either side of the pair as he appreciates her body with his eyes. ”Priestess, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen…”
He lets her hands go and adds ”I’m sorry. I’m here gawking and stuttering like a kid.”
"Oh, go on! You're just saying things to embarrass me, now!" Lisa laughs. "So, are you going to invite me to join you for dinner, or what?"
"You poor thing Pretty One." Savah says, tightening her grip slightly around Thanara. "There, there. Let it all out."
The smith shows enough tact to not ask Thanara for any more information, avoiding any need for Thanara to prevaricate and risk breaking 'The Rules'. She simply waits, holding the sorceress until she is able to regain her composure.
"You can talk to me about it if you want to Pretty One." She says, guiding Thanara to a chair. "But you don't to. I understand that Sheriff Hemlock will want this kept under wraps. You sit down there and calm yourself down a bit. Would you like a cup of tea?"
She doesn't wait for an answer but bustles off to her kitchen and returns a few minutes later with a steaming mug.
"Now drink this and you'll feel better." Savah says with a smile. "I've put some honey in and a few herbs that will help relax you. Drink up while it's hot."
The smith returns to her work while Thanara sips her tea, which does taste pleasantly sweet. Some time later Savah looks up with a grin. "How do you feel Pretty One? Think you could run a message down the street for me?"
He half panics and says ”Y-yes. Please,” but then pauses and turns back to add ”Actually, I hear the White Deer would be a bit more…private?” he asks hopefully.
Thanara drinks the tea quietly on a stool. After a few minutes, she could indeed feel her muscles softening and her concerns melting away. By the time she finished the cup, she was leaning back against the wall in a near jelly-like state.
At Savah’s question, she answers hazily ”Yesss, Mistresss.”
"The White Deer it is. Let's go!" Lisa takes Orik's hand as they head out to the other inn.
Savah grins and steps over to the lockbox which forms her till to extract paper and pencil from under it. Scribbling a short message she folds the paper and seals it with a tiny droplet of molten metal.
"Take this over to Rynshinn for me Pretty One." She says with a smile. "Then you can go upstairs and prepare yourself for me. I have something special planned today. I want you kneeling by my chair, there is a cushion there for you, and once you get back you aren't going to make any sounds without my permission. Do you understand me Pet?"
”Yes Mistress,” Thanara replies lazily. She takes the letter and wanders out of the store and heads lazily to Vernah’s. Once there she walks straight up to Rynshinn and hands her the letter with a hug and smile before turning and walking back out, strangely without a word.
Once back, she heads straight upstairs and lounges languidly on the floor, her robe on the floor in front of her and her knees tucked delicately beneath her. Her hands rest on her knees and she sits there, her eyes half closed.
__________
Orik leads Lisavet proudly through town, the pair drawing looks and the muttering sound of Sandpoint’s gossip wheel can be heard kicking off. Once inside, Orik looks around and says ”Nice place!”
The two sit in a corner table and says ”So…I think I need to get a job. If I’m going to be sticking around here a while. Especially if…I’m going to try and treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
”Well, Orik Vancaskerkin! Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Lisa asks, smiling. ”You want to stay here in Sandpoint because of me?”
Floating in a blissful state of relaxation Thanara doesn't notice the passage of time until a tread on the stairs rouses her from her trance-like state. The bedroom door opens to reveal Savah leading a blindfolded Rynshinn by the hands. The seamstress is wearing a familiar set of bracelets, although hers have a short chain connecting them, which allows for a little more motion.
"What a good pet." Savah says, her eyes on Thanara, although her free hand gives Rynshinn a pat on the shoulder. The seamstress is completely naked and her rounded breasts are pushed upwards by her bound arms. "Lie on the bed Precious. Trust your mistress. I'm going to take my time with you today."
Easing the half-elf onto the bed Savah swiftly unlocks and reattaches her cuffs around the headboard as Rynshinn obediently raises her arms to help her mistress. Even in Thanara's state it is clear that this is a well-practised ritual between the two of them.
Once Rynshinn's hands are fastened Savah moves to the chest in the far corner of the room and produces two lengths of rope which she uses to secure Ryn's legs, spreading them wide so that Thanara has a clear view of her friend's arousal.
Then Savah pulls out a short handle with a series of leather strips hanging from it. She whirls it through the air a few times and then, keeping her gaze on Thanara, brings the implement down with a smack on one of Rynshinn's round breasts.
Orik smiles. ”Maybe. You girls have all done so much for me. I’m appreciative. But…yes…I like being here with you,” he says as he reaches for Lisa’s hand across the table.
”Do you have any ideas for work? Anyone need a bodyguard?” he says with a half chuckle. ”It’s about all I’m decent at.”
_________
Thanara dutifully watches in silence, her eyes still hooded but wider as she is seeing her close friend in this aroused state for the first time ever. Her eyes wander appreciatively over her body: Ryn was always considered one of the most beautiful women in town.
She knew she wasn’t allowed to touch herself, so she sat and watched, chewing her lower lip and squirming as she is absolutely entranced.
”Well, you could ask Thanara or her father,” Lisa suggests, taking Orik’s hand. ”The Scarnetti family has a lot of wealth. Certainly they could use somebody to protect it.”
Savah wields the flogger for some time, leaving red marks across Rynshinn's pale skin and drawing heavy breaths from the half-elf, which only makes her chest heave more. Savah works her way across Rynshinn's stomach to trail the leather tails across the inside of her thighs, clearly enjoying the involuntary shivers her actions cause.
Then she pulls the leather away, ignoring the soft moan that follows and steps over to Thanara. She spreads her legs, grips the back of Thanara's head and pulls her forward, pressing the sorceress's nose and mouth into her hot center.
When she releases Thanara again it is with a satisfied smile on her face, which grows wider when she looks down at Thanara's face covered in her juices.
"What a good Pet." She says aloud, and then takes two swift steps across the room to bring the flogger down between Rynshinn's spread legs. The seamstress lets out a strangled yelp and then gasps "Please Mistress, more! Please Mistress, please!"
Savah seems only too happy to oblige, laying blow after blow down until Rynshinn screams out her pleasure. Then Savah muffles her by the simple expedient of straddling her face and cutting off the noise with her own body.
Ryn seems to settle to her new task with a will and Savah is soon rocking gently back and forth with a delighted look on her face. Then she catches Thanara's eye and crooks a finger, pointing down the bed towards Ryn's spread legs.
"You're such a good pet Precious." She says, reaching down to tug on Ryn's nipples. "A good pet gets rewarded." Savah looks back up to Thanara, making it clear that the next words are for her. "A good pet gets the licking that she wants so much."
Orik nods. ”Maybe. I’ll have to look her old man up and see.”
He then asks ”What about you? You planning to stick around here a while too?”
__________
This isn’t right.
But Mistress wants it.
She’s my friend.
Mistress wants her to be more.
This inner debate wages on even as Thanara dutifully crawls across the floor and gently up onto the bed. She trails her tongue up from Rynshinn’s bare foot all the way up her calf and thigh, until she sets in on Mistress’ declared destination for her, where she works with all the training she has been given in recent days.
”Yes. I am committed to my role as an acolyte at the cathedral. But, more than that now, I’ve managed to become one of Sandpoint’s heroes. I’ll stay by Snow and Thanara as we continue to battle evil and keep the town safe.”
Savah rises a few moments before Thanara's lips make contact and she stands by the side of the bed, watching intently as the sorceress sets to work on her allocated task.
Rynshinn is clearly worked up already, to judge by the evidence Thanara finds and it doesn't take much work before the half-elf is whimpering and moaning her pleasure once again. Savah allows the noise for a little while before swooping in to press her own lips over Ryn's to silence her.
Thanara can tell the exact moment Rynshinn realises that there are two sets of lips on her because the woman's legs clench around her head and she dimly hears a rhythmic banging sound, as though Ryn is smacking her hand against the wall.
"Please Mistress, stop! Red, red!"
"Back away Pretty One." Savah says calmly, moving to remove Ryn's blindfold. "Don't worry Precious, you don't need to be afraid. It's only my other Pet. She's still earning my forgiveness for misbehaving and I thought it was time for the two of you to meet. It's all-right Precious, no-one is going to give away your secret."
Thanara looks up, the look in her eyes still hazy but her face is definitely blushing. She wipes her arm across her lips as she rises to her knees in the bed.
_________
Orik squeezes her hand. ”Then it sounds like I’m thoroughly trapped,” he replies with a playful smile.
”There is no escape!” Lisa says with faux menace. She laughs, then leans across the table to press her lips against Orik’s.
Rynshinn is clearly freaked out by the whole situation and despite Savah's ministrations is nearly in tears when Savah unlocks her bracelets. She flees without a word, leaving Savah looking rather put out.
"Don't worry Pretty One." She says, stepping over to run her hand through Thanara's hair as though stroking a household pet. "You did very well. So well that I'm going to give you a reward. Your punishment is hereby over. The next time you come here I will ensure you get your fill of pleasure. Not until then though. You are not to touch yourself. I am not giving you permission for that."
She pulls back the blankets and tucks Thanara in with swift efficiency. "Go to sleep Pretty One. You look exhausted."
When Thanara emerges to leave the smithy an hour or so later she finds Savah sketching on a piece of paper in her workshop and muttering about "Apology... gift... next time." She looks up and blows Thanara a kiss.
"Goodnight my Pretty One. I'm looking forward to the next time already."
Orik returns the kiss happily. As the awkward position complicates things, when they break away he slides around the booth until they are seated directly beside each other. He then resumes the kiss, his hand dropping down to Lisavet’s armored thigh.
Lisa closes her eyes and leans into the kiss. After dating Orik for a few weeks, she is becoming more comfortable with his touch, and her a warm feeling washes over her as he touches her leg.
Orik likewise was growing more accustomed and involved in their dates and make out sessions. Though he has always refrained from anything too forward. It’s not clear what the change is tonight, though, as he lowers his lips from hers and drops them to the side of her neck as his hand drifts up and slides along her exposed midriff.
A whole new wave of feelings washes over Lisa as Orik's lips and hands begin to wander. "Mmm... Orik, maybe... Maybe this isn't the right place for that..." she whispers, noticing the other patrons looking at them.
Orik pulls himself away. ”I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
He scoots away embarsssed. ”I’m not used to trying to…court someone so far out of my league. And you are a priestess to boot. I’ve heard what happens when priestesses…” he pauses, trying to think of the most polite way to say it, ”lose their virtue. And if I caused you to lose your powers just from being intimate with me…I’d never forgive myself.”
Lisa laughs gently. "I'm not sure what stories of priestesses you have heard. I have taken no vows of celibacy. I will not lose my powers if we lay together. I... I do want to be with you, Orik. You have nothing to fear."