I was caught. There was no realistic way for me to escape this woman’s trap. I was still in human form, so most of my abilities were sealed. Of course, given Elenore was an instructor she was almost certainly going to be a high level mage, so even if I could use them they probably would not work. My only real option was to cooperate and hope things work out well. However, I felt like if I just complied with everything she said, I would have lost somehow. So I opted to put up a token resistance in the form of asking a question or two first, rather than immediately dropping the disguise like she had asked.
“Alright, since you’ve clearly somehow guessed I’m not exactly what I seem, I’ll stop hiding. But before that, I need to know a few things. First, will I be allowed to restore my disguise before I leave this room? And second, will my identity be revealed to anyone else aside from you?”
The old mage grinned at my questions. She clearly saw my attempt at resistance as nothing more than one would view a stubborn child refusing to eat their dinner.
“You can relax, I’ll let you hide yourself before you leave. As for telling others, that depends on your answers. If I decide you’re innocent, I’ll keep your identity secret from the guards. I assume that’s who you’re most worried about. Now get to it or I’ll assume you have something to hide and call for help.”
Yep, she saw right through me with this one, and cut off my route to continue dragging my feet. With no real choice left, I let out a sigh and released my disguise for the first time since I left that basement yesterday. My wings unfurled and stretched outward for a moment before folding themselves comfortably behind me. Likewise, my tail swung around slightly in annoyance. A lot of the movement of these extra limbs was automatically done without any thought or intent on my part, particularly with the tail. I could will it to be still, but if I wasn’t doing that it would move about on it’s own in reaction to my emotions and actions.
The old woman continued smiling as she saw my transformation.
“As I thought, you were a succubus. It’s pretty rare for one of you to be walking around freely.”
“I have to ask, how did you see through the disguise? You were quite confident about it after all, so I assume it wasn’t just a lucky guess.”
“Ah, that. I suppose you deserve to know. When working the greeting desk here, we have a few safeguards in place to protect the association. There have been cases of people attempting to infiltrate our association to steal dangerous items sealed away or other nefarious reasons. We obviously can’t have that, so we ask each applicant their reason for coming, and a few basic identifying questions. That crystal ball on the main desk displays any words said near it in writing, and the glasses I had on are enchanted with a spell that allows the wearer to see falsehoods.”
Ah, so that’s why she remained staring at that crystal ball while talking with us. She was checking everything we said for lies.
“Anyway, when you went and said you had a talent for Mind Magic, I was quite surprised to see it was the truth. That’s an extremely rare talent to have, and is only present in a few very rare races which most people will never encounter in their lifetime. In my surprise I glanced up at you, and saw in the glasses that your entire body was a falsehood. That was something I’ve only seen once before, so I was able to guess your situation was similar to that case.”
Elenore lowered herself into a chair behind the desk and resting her chin on her hands stared hard at me.
“Now then, it’s my turn to ask the questions. To begin with, where did you come from and when did you reach this city?”
Hmm, how am I supposed to answer this one. I, like all the players, have no history in this world, and I’m not sure I want to try to explain that this is all a game to us and we live in another world in reality. Thankfully, the NPCs accept that people suddenly appear, and these people are a bit different than they are. They don’t find it odd that we vanish for long periods of time only to reappear, or that we can resurrect in town if we are killed. I just don’t know if they expected a summoned demon to be one of those strange immortal newcomers.
“That… is a difficult question. As you are aware, a lot of people recently started appearing. I am one of those, but I ended up appearing as a summoned demon rather than one of the local races.”
“Wait, are you saying you were summoned in the last day and a half? That would mean you had to have been summoned in this city. There’s no way you would have had time to travel here between when people started appearing and now.”
“That’s right. I was summoned in a basement of a house in the eastern district. And before you ask, no, I can’t take you there. I am not confident I would be able to find the place again. But you may be able to find the general area from a guard named Jared. He helped me find my way to the central district after I got out.”
Elenore nodded and grabbed some paper and a quill to take notes. Sorry Jared, you’re probably going to be getting a visit later. Hopefully he’ll remember me. Most likely he will. It seems strange to say it about myself, but I am quite memorable after all.
“So, how did you escape the summoning?”
“Ah, that. I don’t know if there are multiple rituals, but the one the people who summoned me used had two stages. The first summoned me, and the second was supposed to enslave me. I managed to interrupt them before they finished the second.”
“That’s the standard arrangement for a demon summoning ritual. But you interrupted the ritual? How?”
From there, I explained how the magic circle that created a barrier around me was imperfect, so I was able to use my abilities on one of the cultists, and with his “assistance” escape. I figured she wouldn’t be interested in the details, so I glossed over the fight. I also chose not to mention draining the cult leader to death. I did tell her about the grimoire that was in the basement.
“Hmm, that’s surprising. It seems that the group that summoned you was careless. Given how expensive and rare the required materials to perform that ritual are, one would expect them to be more thorough to getting it right. But I’m more concerned with that book. Do you remember what the title was? What happened to it?”
“I don’t remember what the title is, but I have the book right here.”
As I said that, I pulled the book from my extradimensional inventory space. The old woman watched with eyes wide.
“You newcomers sure have some convenient abilities. Immortal and you don’t have to carry your equipment on your back. There’s no reason for you not to travel. I’m a bit jealous. Now let me see that book.”
I still don’t really feel like I have any choice but to be obedient with this woman, but at least I’m fairly sure at this point that she doesn’t intend to do me harm. I handed over the book to her.
“Hmm, as I suspected. This the Octavo of Horicre, a book written in the demon language that details a number of rituals related to them. This is a book that most people believe doesn’t really exist. Perhaps it would be better if they were right. I hope you are willing to give this book to me, but we will discuss that later. For now, let’s get back to my questions. I am aware of a succubus’s need to feed on the life of others. If you’ve been here for nearly two days now, how have you sustained yourself?”
I was afraid of this. It’s that necessity that is most likely to get me in trouble, after all. I suppose I can only be honest and hope that the fact that I haven’t killed anyone will work as an excuse.
“To begin with, I drained the life from the final cultist when I was escaping. That was enough to completely fill me for a while yesterday. After leaving the basement I went out hunting some wild rats in the fields outside, and found that while they aren’t very filling, they can be used to sustain me for a little while. Early this morning I encountered a drunk on the street who I fed off of, being very careful to leave him with at least half his life remaining. He actually walked away with a little more than that because I was full. I don’t intend to feed off of anyone past half of their maximum life.”
The woman narrowed her eyes.
“And that’s the last meal you’ve had. You’ve gone without feeding since then?”
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“That’s right. I found some companions to fight wild dogs with and I haven’t told them about what I am yet, so I’ve been refraining from feeding. Once I have some trusted companions, I intend to keep my feeding to them as much as possible.”
“I see. I suppose I can accept that, as long as you don’t start killing your victims. It would be best that you get willing donors quickly, though. The death of the cultists can be overlooked, as attempting such things is considered punishable by death anyway and it could be looked at as self defense. Until you have companions, I would also like you to make sure to leave your victims in a safe location as well after you feed off them. Even if you leave them half their life, they are still weakened. And of course if people start turning up completely drained, you will find yourself suspect. Depending on the circumstances I may even inform the guards about you.”
Geh, I really needed to be careful when I eat. And get some players I can feed from instead of finding NPCs as soon as possible. Well that was already my plan. In fact, I was going to have to feed from players when I leave town anyway.
“For now, I believe your story, and will teach you a class you can use. It’s actually the same class my master taught another succubus a long time ago. She and I were something like co-apprentices for a while. Usually, applicants are required to perform a challenge before being taught a class, but if you’re willing to hand this book over to the association I will accept that as proof of completing the challenge and teach you now. What do you think?”
Oh, I hadn’t heard about the challenge requirement. It seemed rather convenient that I could skip that. She said something I found much more important, though.
“I don’t mind that, but before we proceed could you tell me about the other succubus? From what I read in that book, it should be extremely rare for us to be summoned.”
The woman leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling with a slight smile on her face as she reminisced.
“Ah, that. I suppose I can tell you. If I’m correct, it’s actually related to your situation, after all. It happened back when I was just an apprentice, learning under my master. This was in the early days of the association, and the guards would occasionally come to us for help with difficult cases involving magic. These days they have their own magical units, but back then they had to rely on us.
“That particular time, the guards had discovered a group of cultists who were preparing for something in the sewers beneath the city. We only discovered later they were attempting a demon summoning, but in general when a cult is doing something secretly, it’s probably nothing good.
“My master and I were sent to assist the guards dealing with the cult. As we approached we could hear chanting. There was a strange flash of light ahead, and then the chanting changed. From what you’ve told me, I suspect the strange light was the actual summoning, and the new chanting was the enslavement ritual.
“We assaulted the ritual and were forced to kill most of the cultists, but a few escaped and fled into the town where the guards lost them. I suspect these people, or more accurately those they indoctrinated and trained later, were the ones that summoned you.
“Afterward, the only people left in the ritual chamber were my master, myself, the guard captain, and the newly summoned demon. The other guards had been sent to return to their posts or were searching for the escapees.
“To this day, I don’t know why he did it, but my master convinced the guard captain to let him take in the demon, rather than execute her. He had done some studies about the summoning of demons, and had suspicions about how it works, which he was able to confirm with her help, and which you confirmed for yourself. The demon had no memories, but was not naturally aggressive toward other races. It seems it’s only when they are enslaved that a demon will lose all reasoning.
“Because she had no memories, she didn’t even know her own name. In that you seem to be different, but that may be because you are one of the newcomers. They appear with no knowledge of the world, but still have a name. Perhaps that overwrites the memory erasure of the summoning. That’s something that we unfortunately will probably never be able to confirm.
“Anyway, we gave her the name Orinana and brought her back with us. She disguised herself as an Astoennian and studied magic alongside me for many years. We only revealed her true identity to a few highly trusted associates, mostly so that she always had access to someone who she could feed off of without attacking citizens at random.
“Eventually, she decided to leave town and travel. It was becoming more and more noticeable that she didn’t age, and even if she continued to change her disguise slightly, it wasn’t going to hold up much longer. I occasionally get a letter from her still, but I don’t know where she is now. She doesn’t stay in one place more than a few years in order to avoid suspicion.”
I see, that makes sense. And as an added bonus, it looks like I’ll have eternal youth. Although I don’t think player characters age anyway. Actually, now that we exist, it might make things easier on Orinana, too. She can just pretend to be a “newcomer” and no one will question her agelessness.
“Anyway, that’s enough of this old woman’s reminiscing. I’ve kept you long enough already. Let me teach you the class before putting back your disguise. It’ll be easier for you like that. I’ll also arrange with one of my apprentices to get you something to ‘eat’. As long as I’m here to monitor it and you use your natural abilities so they do not remember, I will allow it if she doesn’t mind, and I’m quite sure she won’t. She will be told about you first, however. While I can’t make you accept that, it would be preferable to you hunting randomly in the city.
“As for the class, it’s called the Enchantress and as I mentioned before it’s the same class that Orinana was taught when we first brought her here. At the time, we had two reasons for giving her this class. The first was because she naturally was talented with mind magic. This class relies mostly on that school of magic so it was a natural fit, but we did have a second reason. The class has very few spells and abilities that cause real harm to your opponents. When we taught her the class initially, we were still not certain she wouldn’t go berserk one day and turn on us. My master knew theoretically it shouldn’t happen, but she was the first demon he knew of that had reason and was not a slave. We chose to be cautious, something that she accepted and understood.”
So, a class that focuses on manipulating enemies, rather than harming them directly. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem as long as I have a party. I’ll just have to be focused on support rather than damage. Not a big problem, really.
“That should be fine. I do have a few friends who can finish enemies. It sounds like this Enchantress class will make their jobs easier, which is perfectly acceptable to me. Actually, It might even make things more interesting.”
At this point, I was beginning to smile while thinking of the possibilities that could come with this.
“Very well. Stand here and I will teach the class to you. This will drain half of your energy, which is one of the reasons I had you remove your disguise earlier.”
Oh, so that wasn’t just to confirm my identity. It was a test, but also a necessity even if I passed the test then.
I moved over to Elenore’s side as she stood up from the chair she had been resting in during our discussion. She reached out her right hand and pressed it against my forehead and closed her eyes.
“I, Elenore, associate archmage of the Eridell Mages Association, grant you, Lilith, the class of Enchantress. In accordance with the association’s regulations, I request that you use it’s powers with responsibility, and in a way that will not bring trouble to users of magic world wide. Magic is a great power that is already surrounded with suspicion. Do not use your powers in such a way that it will bring harm to the rest of the mages community.”
Wait, "archmage"? Before I could react, her hand against my head began to glow and a window appeared in front of me.
Class Granted: Enchantress
Using magic to bend your opponent's mind and will to your own, this class has very little direct damage. Instead, it specializes in manipulating your enemies into doing your bidding, even if that would cause them harm.
Initial Class Abilities
Fortified Mind Magic
Passive ability. Your mind magic spells are more likely to affect your opponent, and are more powerful when they do.
Wide Influence
Active ability. You can affect more than one opponent with your Mind Magic spells. Costs energy equal to the mana cost of the spell for each additional target, in addition to the mana cost to cast the spell.
Inspire
Mind Magic spell. Boosts the abilities of a targeted ally slightly.
Migraine
Mind Magic spell. Causes sharp pain directly to the target’s mind. Does a small amount of damage causing them to flinch and may slow their reactions for a period of time.
Finally, I’ve gotten a class. In SWO, all classes start with a few unique abilities and spells, and as you level up with the class, more skills, spells, and abilities are unlocked.
“Thank you Elenore. And I will take you up on that offer of a meal. As long as the apprentice is trustworthy and won’t go reporting me.”
“You are welcome, and you don’t need to worry about that. The girl I will be calling is fascinated by demons and demonology for some reason. She’ll be overjoyed to meet a real demon. Honestly, you’ll have to be more worried about her doing something strange than calling the guards. Before I call her, there is one more thing. First, after you become stronger and begin reaching the limits of your class, I would advise you to seek out Orinana if you can find her. She created her own advancement for the Enchantress class, and is the only one who can teach it to you. And secondly, I have a request...”
At that, Elenore trailed off for a moment, and her eyes turned downward.
“If you do find her, tell her to come back here. I am getting old, and don’t know how much longer it will be before I leave Ariloth. I won’t ask you to promise, as I know finding her will be difficult. But if you can do it, I would really like to see her one more.”
I nodded to Elenore as she turned her eyes back to me, making eye contact for the first time.
“I will try to find her for you and pass on your message.”