Dinner in the manor was a bit awkward for Nicora. Lancelin was being a bit over-attentive to Ysabel-as-Mave, and Lord DuValle was also apparently completely enamored of Mave-as-Ysabel. That put Nicora in the position of being largely ignored and still a bit sore, but at least the chairs where padded. The shadow-belly trick let her join in the meal, but the irony of it all was that the more she 'ate' the hungrier it was making her feel - that little 'bite' for kenning purposes didn't exactly bring in much nourishment. Having the shadow devour everything she eats does have the advantage of not having anything in her stomach to turn when the Chevalier and the disguised Mave start making lovey-dovey baby-talk to one another.
Nicora has been trying to stay in a reasonable mood, given the cuteness and closeness around her while she's still in a fair amount of discomfort from her Aunt's blessing. It's also probably good that as a Yodhsunala, she's expected to be a bit dour, so feeling alone only helps keep the disguise. Still, the bit about being hungry is a little worrisome, so when she reaches a part in her meal she can rest her hands in her lap, she tries to get a quick look at the orb embedded in its wrist.
The fur and skin peel back to expose the dimly glowing orb. The charge is at maybe a third - enough to change Mave and Ysabel back to normal, at least.
Nicora's brow furrows a bit. Why is she feeling hungry if the orb is fine and consuming food reasonably well, she has to wonder. She tries not to think about it for now and instead takes a moment to sip from her wine glass. "I assume you are pleased with the results, Chevalier DuValle?" she finally asks the poodle, half-wondering if he'll even notice the question or if he's too focused on his 'bride'.
"Hmm?" the distracted poodle replies, only turning half-way towards facing Nicora. "Oh yes, I think you've improved her. And with Priestess Mave conveniently here, I see no reason to postpone the wedding!"
This causes the real Ysabel to choke slightly on her wine.
Nicora blinks. "Wedding? That is a bit outside our usual duties," she claims. "Well, at least my duties. I am not sure what useful part I could play in a wedding." Her eyes narrow a bit and she glares briefly at Mave-As-Ysabel.
"I'm sure I can convince the priestess," the faux-poodle woman says with a smile.
"Perhaps you can, but I am not sure we have the time," Nicora says evenly, "Nor the proper attire to attend a fine wedding."
"Oh... of course, I will need to gather the guests.. or perhaps take a trip to Gallisia to have it there?" Pierre suggests, looking to poodle-Mave for approval.
"Everything must be proper, yes," the fake Ysabel replies. "You are wise to think of such things, My Lord."
The real Ysabel seems a bit speechless, but doesn't blow her own deception.
Nicora shifts a bit in her seat. "Dagh-taken itch", she thinks. She looks to Ysabel-as-Mave and asks her, "Do you agree they should return to Gallis for it, or do you wish to perform the ceremony? You are, of course, my elder, and your choice stands."
"A Lord and Lady should be married in view of the court and their families, I think," Ysabel replies, sounding a bit relieved to be given a chance to say something.
With her hands in her lap, Nicora starts to silently extract her shadow from her intestines and stomach since the meal seems over. "Ah, well, then the wedding will not be in the next few days," she says and dips her head in a short nod. "I understand it is wise to not rush into such unions between man and woman. But, such are not concerns for my Sisterhood, as we do not have families. My Sister, Mave, is the expert on such matters."
"Very well then!" DuValle says, standing up. "Lancelin, come... we must arrange suitable transportation," he commands, snapping his butler to attention. A few more orders are called out, so that other servants arrive to tend to the women as the Lord and his retainer leave to get to work.
Nicora seems to relax a bit now that the Lord and his butler are gone, leaving her with the other two women and the general staff. The only twitch that comes from her is when she feels the last of the shadow 'pop' out of her navel. As useful as it is, it always feels odd when it squirms about inside her. "I trust all are satisfied with the resolution?" she asks, trying to sound formal and detached from it all.
Ysabel still looks a bit shocked, but Mave says, "If you two could attend me in my chambers, there are somet things I would like to discuss with you?" Ysabel just nods to the request, especially when she realizes she is the only one that knows how to get to her chambers.
Nicora rises up and with a flick of her hands, smoothes out her robes. She walks over to Ysabel-as-Mave and offers her arm to the faux-Priestess first. "Honored Elder?" she offers.
Arm-in-arm, the trio makes their way to the Maiden Tower, which only has one entrance and few windows, to prevent would be suitors (and probably the lord himself) from sneaking in. The room itself is nice, and perhaps a bit less feminine than the fancy room Alptraum broke into during his first encounter with the Chevalier. Once the maids are dismissed and the door closed and locked, Mave sits on the bed and says, "I have seduced the Lord DuValle for you, Ysabel. With some instruction, you will be able to wrap him around your finger and still do whatever you wish."
"But he was always so distant.." Ysabel protests, and it seems odd coming from Mave's body. She looks to Nicora and asks, "Is it really possible to control a man as pig-headed as Pierre?"
Nicora goes and sits on the bed as well. She has to shift her robes a bit so she can keep her legs slightly spread; it helps with the itching and burning, less pressure. The question comes as bit of a surprise, but then she nods slightly. "Men are easily controlled. If you keep them 'wanting' of you, then they will do what you desire. You must give a little, but never everything," she explains, realizing that as Alptraum he has fallen in the same trap with certain women.
"And I can learn this?" Ysabel asks, showing more interest.
"Mave can teach you this, yes," Nicora agrees and glances toward her transformed companion.
"It will be a simple matter to do so via demonstration," Mave notes. "Nicora can transform you - temporarily - into a man. Then I will show you, directly, how to manipulate the mind via the body."
"And I need to stay here for this?" Nicora asks, not sure given her current condition, being exposed to more arousal will be remotely pleasant. "And which male form do you wish me to use? Lapi? Eeee? My selection is limited," she admits.
"I think a Lapi would be most similar to the Lord DuValle, in a variety of ways," Mave says. "And you only need to be here for the transformations, of course, Nicora."
"But ... transformations always carry risk so it is best that I remain," Nicora admits to herself. She motions for the transformed Ysabel to come over to her and sit in her lap again. "Please, sit here and I will change you again," she offers.
"Very well.. but you should be careful not to join in, no matter the temptation," Mave says. It's weird coming from a poodle in a corset though. "First, we need to get out of these clothes.." she notes, and has Ysabel actually help her again with the complicated Gallisian underwear.
"Why should I not join in?" Nicora actually asks, though she had no plans to. Instead, she sits back a bit and tries to keep her weight on her tail so that it doesn't squirm too much while the women undress.
"Because, this is a formal lesson," Mave explains. Soon enough, Ysabel is ready for transformation, having shed Mave's clothing.
Nicora pats her lap. "Sit here," she instructs Ysabel.
"In your lap?" the temporary Eeee asks, but does sit as requested. "Is it because I'm going to be a bunny?"
"Because doing this is very distracting and i don't want you, or myself, to fall over," Nicora explains as she curls her arms around the temporary Eeee. She reaches up and lightly urges Ysabel to close her eyes, telling her, "Now, relax and keep your eyes closed. This will feel strange."
The girl complies, breathing shallowly and keeping her eyes closed, while trying not to move either.
Nicora nods once, then holds the girl close and closes her eyes. Her focus goes to her right arm where she nudges the shadow out. Since the act of shaping feels so good, it doesn't take much to get the shadow oozing out and enveloping the poodle in its inky darkness. After a few minutes, the former poodle in completely encased and Nicora begins the shaping. Her expression, from Mave's perspective, is one of pleasure; and so are the soft sounds she makes as the shadow in her lap ripples and twists as the girl within is slowly and gently reshaped into that of a young lapi buck. Minutes stretch out to close to an hour before Nicora is withdrawing the shadow; looking extremely satisfied from how wonderful it feels when she does that. And with any luck ... the tremendous pleasure from the shaping won't further aggravate her already inflamed loins.
Since the pleasure wasn't intercourse related, it doesn't trigger Gorphat's curse. The curly-haired buck in Nicora's lap blinks a few times, licks his nose, and says, "So this is what a boy feels like? I want to.. do things.."
Nicora pats the lapi's backside. "Not with me, Mave is your instructor now," she tells him, even though she would like to do things with him too. She has learned an appreciation for lapi, after all. "Get up and go to her."
"Good! Because your first lesson will be in lust control and redirection, to ensure that you have a man's undivided attention while still maintaining control of the situation," Mave says, still in Ysabel's poodle body. She pats the bed next to her, and Ysabel-bunny crawls onto the bed next to her. Mave then shows how to command a male's attention - through simple touches, glances and other subtle, apparently non-sexual body language. At least it isn't too painful for Nicora to watch. In fact, none of the lessons involve actual sex! But the buck responds automatically to most of them, and then Mave has to explain why to him, until Ysabel understands.
Nicora slips off the bed and goes to lean against the wall. As she leans there, watching, she does reach one of her hands around and rubs the scaly base of her tail through her robes. "And you had best behave while I watch this," she thinks.
There's something.. not quite a voice, but a sense of complaint from the tail. Mave's lessons move into what can only be called outright mind control. Getting the man into a certain state of mind, and planting the seeds of ideas that he should think are his own once he's back in his right mind. It's all rather.. devious. It treats the man a bit like some sort of machine or trainable animal. But Ysable is soaking it up and asking for more.
"If it gets too much ... you can go back inside me. Just don't move around too much or it'll hurt," Nicora thinks to herself and her tail. Her attention, though, is more on Mave's lessons. The thought of controlling someone in this way is strangely alluring. More than once she finds herself thinking about manipulating some poor male into doing whatever it is that she wants; then thanking her for allowing him to do exactly what she had suggested that he do. Mave's techniques seem extremely ... empowering.
Ysabel certainly thinks so too, even as Mave manipulates the Lapi body's emotions. Of course, there's only so much teasing that can happen before Mave reaches the final lesson, which covers the most dominant positions for intercourse. She can cover quite a lot, given Ysabel's Lapi stamina.
Nicora's stance shifts a bit, as watching this does arouse her a bit and that naturally aggravates her already irritated insides a little. Still, she does continue watching, making mental notes of all the positions of dominance and control. Part of her even recognizes some of them as ones Mave and Rose used on Alptraum, but with her male aspect contained, it doesn't seem to bother her so much ... it fascinates her.
Finally, the lessons end in exhaustion and sprawled, curly-haired bodies. Mave is still active enough to tell Nicora, "I think it is safe to restore us to our own bodies now."
Nicora shakes her head and nods. She feels slight disappointment that she won't get time with the lapi; but it is for the best. "You first, then," Nicora says as she goes to the bed side and places her hand on Mave's side. "Are you ready?" she asks.
"It was interesting to become a Gallee, but I miss my Inala-given form," Mave says. "I am ready."
Nicora nods and out extrudes the shadow to envelop Mave. The sensation of control and pleasure she feels ripple through her make up for her inability to join them when they were ... practicing. Like before, the reshaping is slow and careful, with Nicora only making a few pleased sounds as Mave's shape is restored. When she finally withdraws the shadow, Mave's lithesome Eeee body has been fully restored. "You look much better," Nicora notes in Babelite to Mave.
Different people seem to provide different flavors of pleasure when transformed, Nicora realizes. Mave is very pleasant, even when simply restoring to her normal form. But others have been more intense, and it seems to be age-related, with the younger subjects being more intensely pleasurable.
Mave stretches and checks herself over. "It is good to be back," Mave says, and pats the passed-out Lapi next to her. "I find the process rather stimulating too."
Nicora flexes her right hand and checks the orb. "I don't want to hurt her by being too low," she thinks. "I envy you for that lesson," Nicora admits softly. "I wish I could have taken part in it; even with Gorphat's blessing upon me."
The orb is very dim now. There may or may not be enough charge to fully transform Ysabel, but Lapi-to-Gallee is less complicated and energy intensive than Gallee-to-Eeee.
Nicora flexes her hand and thinks, "If I get it most of the way there, it should revert the rest on its own. I do not have time to recharge and come back, someone might discover her." So, she places her right hand on the unconscious Ysabel and extrudes her shadow once more to reshape her back to a poodle. Even with the pleasure, this one she does not linger on, to try and be sure and safe she has enough energy left to complete it.
It's hard not to get lost in the pleasure though. Ysable is young, and still filled with the energy of the romp with Mave. So it isn't surprising that Nicora loses track of energy usage momentarily, and feels a sudden stab of pain as the hand runs out. At that point, it's a question of resisting the hand's hunger and the urge to devour Ysabel! There's also a chance of pushing forward and finishing the transformation, since Nicora can feel another source of energy available to draw on for the small amount that's needed for completion.
Nicora tries not to panic. She can't leave Isabel half-transformed and risk the time to find food and restore her before she's discovered, and possibly in pain. Her jaw sets as she decides to try and finish this by tapping that energy and using it to placate the hand long enough to finish the transformation and not devour Isabel in the process. She can panic afterward, and worry afterward, where this energy comes from. Right now it is probably a greater risk to stop...
The burst of extra energy is enough to complete the transformation, but Nicora staggers back after the shadow is retracted. Her vision is blurred, ears ringing and stomach growling; that extra source of life-energy must have been herself, and she's feeling the loss. The starved hand is also showing its condition: throbbing, aching and shriveled under the exposed exoskeletal ribs - there's no energy to hide it now. Mave is saying something, but Nicora can barely hear over the beating of her own heart. And it's hard to think past the dual hunger for blood and energy now.
"Forest," Nicora thinks as her right arm hangs limply at her side, shriveled and throbbing in pain, and her metal-skeletal hand slightly curled up in a claw. "Hunt," comes the other thought as she staggers towards one of the windows in the room. The forest is calling to her to hunt, to sate her hungers. It is far better to hunt out there, than in here ... and even in her clouded state, that much she realizes. The window is thrown open and the Eeee half-falls out of it, her wings spreading. Little sight, little hearing ... and the Eeee disappears into the darkness.
Hunger lends itself to speed, but it also makes decision-making harder. There is the forest ahead.. but there are also farms and fields and pens. And the Chevalier keeps hogs, apparently, as Nicora can smell them; penned in, confined, squealing at one another and all right there in a nearby barn.
And Nicora heads towards those pens in a daze of confused hunger, her wings flapping awkwardly as she goes. When she is a few feet from one of the pens, some clouded part of her mind seems to make her change course. The bat jerks to the right and heads towards the forest again. Something about being near a house, near other people, has triggered a fear of being caught eating. Perhaps it is remnants of gorwing up and having to often hide her digestive needs.
The forest is.. quiet. Apparently, game also has instinctive drives to stay away from people's houses, especially big noisy well-lit ones. There are small creatures; lizard, rabbits and other burrowing creatures, but nothing large.
Small animals may be enough for the moment and the Eeee starts stalking them instinctively as she heads further and further away from the well-lit house herself.
Small animals are also very good at running and hiding too, especially when Nicora is in a less-than-ideal state of performance. It's hard to move silently, especially when her stomach is also making noises. One rabbit dashes away - then stops in its tracks and turns to run in an entirely different direction, as something large makes is presence known further ahead.
Nicora's lips draw back in a feral snarl, fangs glinting in the procession-light. "Mine," is all she can think as she heads towards the unknown presence without even trying to figure out what it is ahead of time.
There's a figure ahead, one hand fumbling to close its fly while the draws a sword. It barks out something threatening in a foreign language. It's noisy, and some of that noise is from the heavy leather-and-stud armor it wears.
Nicora growls as her mind registers the threat. Part of her still really wants to attack and devour it, but self-preservation kicks in and her wings snap wide as she tries to launch upward and escape the trees!
The guard is still barking out commands, and swinging his sword up at the air and banging it against trees trying to find the one Nicora fled to. There are answering calls, presumably from more guards spread out around the outskirts of the estate.
Nicora's ears flatten back. More threats. Coming. Must flee. All small thoughts her clouded mind manages, but only barely. Her wings beat hard as she tries to fly and fly, hopes of putting distance between herself and that horrible estate.
The lights fade with distance, but the ache in her wings becomes more pronounced: her muscles aren't going to last at this rate. She needs to feed or at least stick to the ground.
With the lights fading behind her, her wings fold in and she glides downward towards the ground. Her landing is far from graceful, though; it ends up a scattered and rough landing using her legs and one good arm. There she rests for a moment, her ears flicking about as they seek out the sounds of any wildlife.
Her landing has scattered or convinced the local critters to flee or hide. But if they're so skittish, there's probably something for the be skittish about other than a starving bat.
And there Nicora curls her wings about herself and breathes lightly. She waits, listening intently to the world around her; listening for potential prey.
There are hints of something moving out there, but it's trying to be stealthy. She can tell that it's either circling her or that their are several of them.. but the sounds are isolated enough to suggest a single creature - stalking her.
And Nicora smiles for some reason. Her withered hand twitches a few times, anticipation breathing life back into that limb for the moment. "Yes, yes, come to me," she thinks, her mind still a cloud of hunger instead of what should be fear for being stalked. There she still waits, trying to entice it to come out for its 'meal'.
When she doesn't move, the stalker seems to be emboldened. It circles in closer, until it's behind the Eeee - then it charges!
Nicora rolls to her back, lips drawn back and fangs bared! "Dinner!" she thinks. For her hand or herself, it doesn't matter. It is food.
The creature that bursts out of the underbrush is like nothing Nicora has ever seen. It's head is a giant, three-part mouth - like a gooshurm, but with hardened beaks lined with teeth. It runs on four legs, and has a hairy black body, but worst of all is that it attacks with its long, barbed tongues first!
Nicora instinctively raises her withered, hurting, right arm. If the tongue attacks and she can latch on with the shadow... she'll have it! She really ought to be afraid, but the hunger over-rides it. This beast is a meal, and she intends to eat.
The attempt to grab them the tongues fails, but that doesn't mean the shadow can't still react: two ropy spikes launch out to pierce the monster's throat, even as its own tongues strike against Nicora's chest and knock her back!
The sound that comes from Nicora is high-pitched and feminine, yet somehow more like the cry of a beast than of a civilized Eeee. Her right arm remains extended, hoping the shadow sinks deep ... while free left hand sweeps up to try and strike away the tongues from her chest as she lands on her butt! The landing doesn't feel particularly great, at that, given what appendage is attached there!
Two of the tongues are yanked free - albeit painfully - and the monster's pained roars are nearly deafening. Nicora's tail actually gets the third tongue, biting down and shaking it until it comes free! The pumping sensation starts in her right hand, as it begins to suck out the monster's life - although that would leave Nicora without any blood for herself!
And that concern seems to not matter to her. The shadow must be fed; its desires are near overwhelming. Or, perhaps it is being effectively crippled when the shadow is weakened drives her to ignore the call of blood right now. "You are mine," she hisses out in broken Sylvanian and Babelite as she rolls to her knees, right arm still outstretched and the fleshy, black, tendrils along its back pulsating wildly.
She can feel the energy from the beast, and it is.. different! There's more power than usual. And the creature is changing instead of just shrivelling up; becoming smaller, it's mouth pulling back and becoming something like a face! Soon it's become a human, but by then the orb is glowing bright red with energy and more of it is bleeding out and back into Nicora herself, just as it was drawn out by the depleted orb before.
"Grrgh," Nicora rasps as she feels some semblance of sanity returning to her as the hunger is sated. "What have I done? she rasps to herself, uncertain now if she really devoured a beast ... or if she devoured a person. Her eyes wince shut, then reopen, as the Eeee crawls towards the changing creature.
The surge of power hits the bat's brain, and for a moment it's like making love to Melusine. It's enough of a shock to clear her head though, and stop the shadow from continuing - but not enough for it to retract its tendrils from the fallen man's neck. The human looks old, with papery skin and almost no hair at all. His spine and ribs are very pronounced as well. He's still got blood in him though, Nicora senses, even as her own blood seems to fizz from the energy she's taken.
Nicora's expression goes to immediate horror. She grabs at the tendrils coming from her right hand with her left and tries to yank them out. "Dagh take me, what have I done?" she whispers.
The tendrils pull out, trailing blood, and the old man shudders and his breath rattles. "Gone," he rasps. "Demon.. finally.."
"Demon? What demon?" Nicora asks of the man as she gently slides closer and lifts his head into her lap. "What are you?"
The man is nearly out of teeth, and his eyes are milky. "Demon.. demon.. so long.. free now.." And that's it - he stops breathing!
And Nicora does something she may regret later. She grabs her dagger and plunges it into his chest. If he is to die, then perhaps there is enough left in him to free at least one spirit in the dagger. Perhaps it is also a way to make herself feel better that she just killed someone for food.
The dagger goes in, and there's a pulse of light through the man's body.. and something shoots out of his mouth, licking Nicora on the nose as it passes and vanishes into the night sky. It only seems to be one though.
Nicora draws her dagger out and sighs softly. "I killed a demon," she thinks, "A demon. Not a normal person. It is a good thing. Right?" She looks down at the dead human as she pulls her dagger out. The trickling blood makes her stomach rumble, and yet she can't brind herself to bite the body of the dead man. That seems just ... wrong. But then everything about what just happen feels horribly wrong.
The blood takes some of the fizziness away, at least - although the orb on her right hand is still glowing bright red instead of it's usual pale white. But then, she's never fed it demonic energy before.
Nicora sets the body down and rubs her forehead. "I should burn the body. It's the proper funeral for Sylvania," she mutters to herself weakly. She slots the dagger into the back of her hand because she knows Kaira will want to come out and yell at her, then struggles up to her feet to gather some firewood to burn the corpse with.
"Hmmm," rumbles a draconic voice from behind her: deep and masculine. "This is interesting," Vorgulremik comments, as the humanoid Steel Dragon looks over the scene. "Did you miss me? And.. did you know that your eyes are glowing red, my dear?"
"Go rot in some hell," Nicora grows rather darkly, "Where is Kaira and why are you here?" She does, however, hold up her left hand to see if any .. redness reflects from the dark fur to indicate that yes, her eyes are glowing.
edit: growls
There is a definite red tint reflecting back at her from the fur. The dragon chuckles, and says, "You summoned me. I wasn't sure you could do that, but ah.. I see now. Just as in Worms, there is demonic energy involved."
"Why would I summon you? It is not like I enjoyed being rutted by you in Worms," Nicora hisses at the steel dragon and even pokes him in the chest with a claw tip.
Getting so close may have been a mistake, as the dragon throws an arm around her and pulls her in close against him. "Oh? Is that a challenge then?" he rumbles. "I see a dead man here. Are you still claiming to be too pure of heart for the likes of me?"
"He was a monster when I killed him," Nicora claims rather angrily, though if it is at the dragon or at herself is uncertain. "So, yes, I am too pure to be sullied by the desires of a steel dragon," she claims as she tries to push herself out of his grip.
Surprisingly, the dragon lets her go, but still grins. "And monsters are fair game, beneath consideration, right?" he purrs. "They deserved to be slaughtered. Isn't that the Gallisian excuse?"
"He attacked me," Nicora asserts and crosses her arms over her now very sore chest. "It was self defense. I was hunting for game."
"So, you were both hunting," Vorgulremik says. "And you decided to confront him rather than avoid him? Or did you want him to come after you?"
"I didn't run," Nicora admits, "I needed food. But that is beside the point. What is it that you want? To torment me some more? Hoping I'll let you ravage me again? Try and convince me to save you?"
"You opened the way for me, and called me with demonic power," Vorgulremik notes. "That power is running through you now; sustaining you. It makes you a monster, Nicora, just as it did the dead man at your feet. Would you like me to leave - or do you want my help in dealing with the situation?"
Nicora's eyes narrow. "Exactly how do you intend to help me?" she asks. She then rolls her tongue around in her mouth, checking both her teeth and tongue for shape differences or, say, barbs.
So far, her teeth are those of an Eeee. "Well, first I might try to calm you down," the dragon offers. "You seem.. full of anger. And you think you are angry at me, although I have done nothing to you. But you are likely angry because the demon is making you so. Do you want to return to your companions this way?"
"No, of course not!" Nicora snaps. She holds out her hand next and takes a few deep breaths, trying to, in fact, calm herself down.
"Continue," she says a few moments later, sounding calmer, if a bit forced.
"Well, you can't hold on to that energy," the dragon points out. "Not unless you want to embrace the monster within. I'm sure Melusine would not mind, and there are things you can do as a monster that you can't imagine could feel so good."
"Are you saying I'll turn into the same thing that he was?" Nicora finally asks and looks directly into Vorgulremik's eyes.
"Oh no, you'll turn into something specific to yourself," the dragon says, stepping closer. "Perhaps a demonic, voracious blob of some sort, hmm?"
"You're saying I will turn into a shadow dragon, then?" Nicora now asks, trying to mask the creeping fear she is starting to feel. "So, how do I get rid of the energy?"
"You infect someone else with it," the dragon suggests. "Or you could keep me around until it's exhausted itself. I'm sure your friends won't mind my presence."
"How long until it exhausts?" Nicora asks, "And can regular animals get infected? And ... when will I start to change?"
"Ah, I'm not certain," the dragon notes. "Regular animals might become monsters, but it would take many of them, I imagine, to replace a proper person. So.. a horde of monster animals or just one poor - or deserving - soul. As for when you start to change.. well, I imagine it will depend on how long you hold on to that energy without burning it up. I could draw more of it off, by say.. becoming full sized, and solid, and ravaging the countryside a bit.."
Nicora looks ill at both the thoughts. Then even more ill when she asks, "Would engaging in ... carnal activities with you burn it off faster as well?"
"Oh, I suppose so," Vorgulremik notes, tapping his chin with a claw. "Is that how it worked with Kaira?"
"I have no idea," Nicora admits as her face seemingly grows longer. Any activity like that out here will also likely invoke Gorphat's curse, which means she'll be in pain. Perhaps that is fitting, though, since she feels terrible she killed the poor man. "Come, let us walk and find shelter as we discuss solutions that don't involve torturing someone," she notes and waves for him to follow her.
The dragon follows.. and even rests his hands on her shoulders - then starts rubbing them. "You put too many burdens on yourself," he tells her. "All of your boundaries are self-imposed - you can shed them whenever you wish."
"My boundaries keep me civilized," Nicora claims. She doesn't move to brush his hands off her shoulders either. " ... and given how you act towards me now, I think you prefer me female."
"Was I neglecting you as Alptraum?" the dragon purrs in the bat's ear. "I may be biased. I hoped to show Alptraum the joys of power. For you, perhaps, the powers of joy are equally important."
Nicora just snorts at that. "My biological urges may be slightly different, but I still see you for what you are," she claims as they walk. She keeps a look out for anything that might be a cave or a large, felled, tree that could act as a den and shelter in this disturbing night.
There are dense areas of wood, and giant trees scattered about. One incongruous and out of place tree rises up on a cage of exposed roots, as if a giant and tried to pull it out but gave up half-way.
"This way," Nicora tells Vorgulremik and guides him to the tree roots. She squeezes herself between them and into the cage, then waves for him to follow. "This will do for a shelter for now," she says.
The dragon squeezes through, and drops to all fours to avoid having to duck under the low ceiling. "It seems cozy enough. Although I would have suggested a mid-air tryst, setting the night ablaze.."
Nicora smirks. "I don't breathe fire. I'm not a steel dragon," she points out. "Now, are there other options to use up this energy other than what has been said so far?"
"Well, you could go on a rampage of destruction and violence of course," the dragon says - and actually sounds a bit excited by that prospect. "I know you have it in you."
"Having the ability doesn't mean I will," Nicora notes and reaches over to flick Vorgulremik's nose. "And don't get too excited that I'm undressing, I need to check myself," she adds, then starts removing her robes to look for any other 'signs' of demonic energy on her body.
Nothing seems out of place.. until she gets to the tail. The head looks a bit.. meaner. Less cute, perhaps, now that it seems to have glowing red eyes and the beginnings of horns.
Nicora feels over what may be the start of horns. She doesn't say anything, though, lest it encourage Vorgulremik.
"An improvement," the dragon suggests anyway.
"Debatable. At least I don't have them," Nicora remarks ... then can't help but feel her own forehead.
There isn't anything growing there yet at least.
And because she is paranoid, she checks her tongue one more time. "I bet you're loving this," she remarks to Vorgulremik when she can.
Is it becoming forked at the tip, or is it just her imagination? "Not yet, but I hope to be soon," the dragon says. "I owe you for Worms. And since I need to burn all this energy, I will be sure to be slow and thorough.."
"Does my tongue look forked?" Nicora asks the dragon, then actually sticks it out.
"No," the dragon says, flicking his own forked tongue out to lick Nicora's nose.
Nicora rubs her forehead, feeling rather sick to her stomach. She did this to herself; she pushed too far and became lost in hunger. It's her own fault, she decides, and the punishment of being Vorgulremik's ... nest mate, is possibly deserved. As is the pain she expects when Gorphat's gift likely makes itself known. "I may as well try to enjoy this as much as possible," she admits as she gives Vorgulremik a rather defeated look. Her hands come up, cup under his chin, then she kisses him.
Vorgulremik does take his time, though, and is disturbingly tender about it. And even more disturbingly - Gorphat's curse doesn't kick in. Because the dragon isn't real, or because Nicora is trying to not enjoy it. Either way, it takes a long time to exhaust the demonic energy, which enables both of them to continue for some time. And unlike with Mave's magic potions, there are no bizarre hallucinations - it's all very physical and real. Outside the tree, the day comes and goes, until night falls once again.
Nicora finds herself experiencing more positions than she ever had in one day, from the classic, to those more befitting of quadrupedal dragons. There's no real enjoyment in it, even with the occasional times there is physical pleasure from the act. It's degrading and more than anything, feels like a punishment. She's having to be a monster's concubine and that aspect hurts more than anything physical. With a break and the oncoming night, Nicora takes a moment to look at the orb of her right hand, her tail, and her tongue again, checking if the energy is burning away, or if she's becoming more demonic.
The orb is fading, only a dim red now. So soon the energy should be gone - but the hunger will be back! Her tail is also looking more normal now, if a bit confused. A lot of energy has gone into healing the various bite and claw wounds she's received over the course of the adventure, but at least the dragon is starting to run out of steam finally.
"Where are you when I should be hurting, Gorphat? Tonight I deserved pain," Nicora finds herself thinking at one point. She shakes her head, then grumbles. "I need to feed soon before I fall victim to the desires again," she tells Vorgulremik. I can't risk going ... feral again.
"Well, I hope you'll come to me again then, on your own," the dragon rumbles, and licks the back of Nicora's ears, before fading away.
When Vorgulremik is gone, Nicora pats her stomach and mutters, "I hope I don't get pregnant from you." She signs now and makes her way out of the tree-cage to look for rabbits or other small creatures to catch, shape, then devour, just to burn off the remaining energy, then recharge. Rabbit to small hog is a thought that lingers as a good outlet.
She's able to scrounge up enough critters to at least keep the hand from throbbing, and after a few more she can disguise it again. But it will need something more substantial before changing anyone into someone else.
Nicora continues hunting until she can disguise her hand again (and that she's quelled her regular hunger again, too). The Eeee then spends a near hour checking herself again for signs of change and red tint, just in case, including sticking out her tongue and looking at it cross-eyed.
There aren't any signs of demonic influence that she can make out (although a decent mirror would help, certainly). It's nearly dawn again, and she's been away from the manor for over a day now.
Nicora doesn't have to try and look disheveled, she does. So, it's time to head back and she does so by walking. This gives her time to think of a convincing reason she ran off ... and as the manor nears, she believes she has one.
"Halt!" someone barks at Nicora as she gets close to the manor. An armored (and armed) guard hurries towards the bat, saying, "I-dent-eeee-fi you-ah-self!" in rather broken Sylvanian. The Gallah's primary language must be Gallisian.
"Nicora, the exorcist who freed your Lord's wife-to-be from a demon," Nicora states with a rather curt tone to her voice. She just spent a day being the sex slave to a dragon, she's not precisely in a good mood. "It tried to escape and I have spent the better part of a day and a half hunting it. And I am still hunting it."
"Demon?" the guard asks, looking around nervously. "Here?"
"The trail leads to the hog pens," Nicora claims, "Allow me to pass and vacate the immediate area. If I can corner it, I can destroy it."
"Hog.. pen?" the guard asks, and then makes an hoggish 'oink oink' sound to verify that he understands the request.
Nicora nods. "Let me pass and deal with it," she states.
The man doesn't block her, but seems determined to provide escort. He also barks out things to the guards they pass - and a few of them head for the manor. Maybe they were told to watch for her return? "Hogs," the guard says, holding open the door to the barn. Apparently the beasts haven't been let out yet into their yard.
"Close the door and wait outside," Nicora tells the man, then marches into the barn. Her right hand clenches and flexes now. One hog should be enough to get back to a safer charge, surely. She can just claim it was possessed and she had to destroy it.
The animals are worked up and rowdy, wanting to be let out and fed no doubt. A few are even upset enough to bite at their fellows. There's enough noise to suggest that maybe there is a demonic presence at work.
Nicora looks back to make sure she's alone.
The door is securely closed behind her.
The Eeee now approaches the hog pen. When she's close enough, she flexes her right hand again, then reaches in and tries to grab onto the back of one of the hogs. She needs to shadow-devour it, to remove all evidence, of course...
Her hand isn't entirely starved, or else she wouldn't be able to do things the slow and thorough way. But in a few minutes the hog is gone and the orb shows a half-full charge.
Nicora ponders grabbing another, then decides this is good enough. She doesn't have the desire to shape anyone right now, not after what just happened. The memory of .... Vorgulremik is just too fresh, and too nauseating. So, she takes a deep breath and heads back to the door. When she reaches it, she raps upon it and says, "It is done. Please open the door."
The guard opens the door a few inches and peers in. When he doesn't see any (officially recognized) monsters, he opens it the rest of the way for the bat.
Nicora exits and tells the guard, "Thank you." after looking back towards the house, she asks, "IS my companion still here?"
The guard takes a moment to parse this, then nods. "White one, yes," he replies.
"Thank you. I would like to return to the house," Nicora says, then just starts walking towards it, keeping the air of one who just expects to be allowed to do things.
The guard trots along beside Nicora, trying to look like he's escorting her to the Manor. Just inside the door, Mave stands waiting. "You look terrible," she notes.
"I feel worse," Nicora tells Mave, "It has been a long two days. I pray that everything has gone well here?"
"The happy couple are mired in wedding and travel preparations," Mave notes. "And the butler keeps flirting with me. Are you ready to travel, or did you wish to freshen up first?"
"I wish to freshen up and I need you to check certain areas on me for problems, or worse, pregnancy," Nicora says tiredly, "Its's a long story and one I don't want to tell right now. It was horrid."
"Very well," Mave notes, and nods to the guard to dismiss him. "Let's get you cleaned up and sorted out then. And.. pregnant? Really?"
"It is unlikely, but I prefer to be certain," Nicora remarks. She then heads towards the stairs, assuming Mave will just follow her.
"I will prepare a divination to find out, if you really want to be certain," the Yodhinala says, following behind. "Did you at least enjoy it?"
"Only at times," Nicora admits, since it's hard to completely prevent physical pleasure. She lets out a long breath as they climb upwards. "I really need to be more careful."
"Recklessness can be fatal in Babel," Mave agrees. "You must embrace your role as a Yodhsunala."
"I am aware of that, I did live in Babel," Nicora notes as they reach the room and she opens the door, then steps inside. "How long will the divination take?" she asks as she heads straight towards the bathroom.
"Not long," Mave promises with a smile. "I will need to draw on your nethers though."
"Then give me half an hour to get clean and we'll check it," Nicora promises as she disappears into the bathroom. Even if the water is cool, it's better than feeling grimy and as if he was still touching her. The bath is more like forty-five minutes than half an hour, but when she finally leaves the bathroom, she at least has a glossy coat again and looks far less battered. Looking very much like a prisoner heading to an execution, she walks over to the bed, flops down on her back, and positions her legs to allow ... drawing on sensitive areas.
Once the ritual is completed, Mave assures her that she is not even in the running to becoming pregnant - as according to the Yodhinala, there's no sign that she's even had intercourse recently.
"That's the first good news I've had in a few days," Nicora admits as she scoots herself up the rest of the way onto the bed. "Let me get some sleep and we'll then leave. Sorry for running out like that ... but had I stayed, one of you would have died," Nicora admits when her head finds the pillow. She stares towards the wall instead of directly at Mave.
The white bat rubs Nicora's back between her wings. "Rest well then," she says. "I'll be right here if you need me."
"Please just lay with me," Nicora requests, "I don't want to feel ... alone."
The Yodh does so, and Nicora feels her presence at her back, and one arm draped around her.
Nicora interlaces her fingers with Mave's hand, then draws it up to her chest and holds it warmly against her starburst scarred cleavage. This may be the first time Nicora feels like Mave really cares. It's an odd feeling given she always suspected Mave didn't. That's when the harshness of the past days hits her hard ... and just how close she came to becoming something far worse, and what she had to endure as a punishment after it. And perhaps this is one of the times Nicora acts truly female ... because before sleep finally finds her, she finds comfort in quiet tears as she cries away the pain and humiliation she suffered. Good preparation for Babel, perhaps; far worse probably waits for her there.