Caeileera

As the man with the pouch approached us I was trying to position my palm in a way that would let me burn away my bonds. I would likely get hurt in the process, but it was preferable to being drugged and at Kojiro's mercy.

Just as I was ready to use [Flame Tongue], I heard Akh'ret's voice.

‘Wait.’

I was going to protest but then the room got cold and the shadows grew taller. I noticed that I could actually see the man's breath misting up. I don't think I ever was that cold. And then… the temperature plummeted even further and I felt a massive magic spike from where Lilyth was.

What has she done this time around?

‘What she thought was necessary,’ Akh’ret stressed. ‘Be warned. She may not survive it.’

No. No. No. No!

The man with the pouch stopped and was staring at Lilyth. I looked there too and saw my wife glowing with black light. I saw liquid darkness spreading on her arms and face, dissolving her bonds. She raised to her feet and I saw her hair was now long and white and her eyes turned ice blue. Four wings that looked like void-made-manifest sprouted from her back and a mortuary sword of pure shadow appeared in her right hand. The final touch was the dark halo over her head.

‘And lo’ my sweet sister got herself an angel again,’ Akh’ret sighed in a tired voice.

Ereshkigal is your sister?

‘It’s complicated. But yes. Now, hush. Once the room is clear, free yourself and Ren. The more you help Lilyth the shorter she will need to maintain that form.’

Lilyth pointed her sword at the bandit.

‘Caryl of the Red Masks,’ she said in a voice that sounded like crackling snow. ‘Your time has come.’

The man tried to run, but my jelly was faster. In a blink of an eye, she was past him, her weapon held to the side in both hands. Caryl whimpered something, tried to take a step and then fell to the floor in two halves.

‘Now!’ Akh'ret shouted.

As I cast [Flame Tongue], agony spread across my arms but I didn't let go. Soon my bonds were gone I cast [Soothe Pain] followed by [Lesser Heal Wounds]. The relief was instantaneous. I pulled my arms in front of me and saw a web of white scars on my forearms.

A small price to pay.

I took out my gag and started to untie Ren’s hands.

‘Quick,’ I told her, as we started hearing screams from the rest of the cave. ‘We need to help her.’

Rennie nodded.

Kojiro

‘Godsdammit!’ he shouted to his men. ‘It’s just one woman. Fucking kill her!’

It was a shame, but it couldn't be helped. This Lilyth was too dangerous to be left alive. At least he could keep Leera as a consolation prize. Still… Halveck would likely have his head for this. This whole mess cost Kojiro nearly thirty men, and something told the man that the number could easily rise.

Then all hope turned to dust when the fucking elf batted aside the incoming crossbow bolts with one of her wings.

FUCK!

Lilyth then almost pounced at the two men who shot at her and beheaded them with a single slash of her sword.

FUCK!

Maybe they could salvage this. Two men were sneaking up behind her. Then there was a flash of something red in the air and a lance of blood impaled one of them through the neck.

What the?

Leera and his whore of a sister ran out of their makeshift prison. The Sanguine was holding a glaive that also looked to be made of blood, while Ren was holding a sword she must have stripped of Caryl’s body. With a downward slash, Leera cut off the hands of the other man, while his sister finished him by running him through with her sword.

FUCK!

He had only four men left. Though a scream cut short a heartbeat moment later told him that that number dropped to three. Technically, there was Aldvil, but the innkeeper would be useless in a fight.

Time to run, Kojiro thought as dread filled him. This wasn’t supposed to go like this.

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His decision to retreat was further reinforced when the cave was filled with the smell of burning flesh and Daclir’s screams of agony. Kojiro involuntarily looked his way and saw that the man was running towards the water. While on fire. He made it, but it was far too late for him.

Hoping the remaining two men would buy him enough time, Kojiro turned around only to see Lilyth already standing there.

‘Kojiro,’ she said in a voice sounding like the grim spectre of death.

He tried to raise his sword but Lilyth grabbed his wrist and squeezed with enough strength to splinter every bone there.

The traitorous son of Kenji Yamaoka screamed in agony. Then Lilyth grabbed the back of his neck and sunk her sword into her stomach. She pulled it out only to stab him again. And again. And again. Once for every man that raped her, he realised as his consciousness slowly faded away, but whatever foul spell was on the sword - it didn’t let him die until Lilyth plunged the blade into him for the last time.

He found himself standing on a platform of pure white surrounded by an infinite void. A white-haired woman was standing in front of him.

‘Hello, Kojiro,’ she said with sick satisfaction in her voice.

Ren

While Lilyth was “busy” with her brother, she and Caei took care of the final two men from Kojiro’s group. If not for the circumstances, Ren would have been ecstatic about having made level one. She actually had a perk point to use too! There would be time to celebrate later, though, for now, they had to get away from here. The only other person in the cave with them was Aldvil. He slowly emerged from one of the side chambers.

‘Is it over?’ he asked in a trembling voice.

Ren felt no pity for the man. He sold them to Kojiro, but she had no idea what to do about him. The same couldn't have been said about Lilyth who began slowly walking towards him, like a predator would do to a cornered prey.

‘Aldvil of Denyr,’ she said in that terrifying voice of hers. ‘I almost forgot about you.’

The innkeeper dropped to his knees and began to beg.

‘No! You don’t understand! Kojiro! He threatened Gerra, said they would do unspeakable things to her if I didn't comply.’

‘But you were willing to let him do the same to everyone in the village,’ Lilyth retorted. ‘Just to save her.’

‘Don’t you think I know that? Wouldn't you have done the same?’

And that's the wrong question. You are quite literally talking to someone who, if I understand Nyxie correctly, willingly sold her own soul to Ereshkigal to save us.

‘No,’ Lilyth shook her head. ‘Because I know my loved ones would never forgive me if I did that. Do you think Gerra will do so for you?’

And that's the other part of it.

All fight went out of Aldvil who simply stared at Lilyth, now standing in front of him, pleadingly and whimpered:

‘Please… Please… Please don’t…’

Lilyth raised the hand in which she was holding the sword. Then something flew through the air.

Caeileera

I barely managed to tackle Lilyth to the ground before she executed Aldvil. That man disgusted me, but I realised that Lilyth likely wouldn't forgive herself for that after she came to her senses. If she came to her senses.

‘Enough, my love!’ I shouted at my wife as I wrapped my hands around her. ‘That’s enough! We’ll punish him differently. Come back to me please!’

The weird cold aura surrounding Lilyth disappeared and her hair returned to normal, and most of the liquid darkness receded from her body, leaving only the complicated web of snake-like lines on her arms, stripes under her eyes and three small triangles of it running from her jawbones to the middle of her checks. Her wings and sword also dissipated from existence. Unfortunately, Lilyth's eyes remained blue.

I liked the green, dammit.

‘Caei?’ Lilyth said weakly. ‘What… What happened? The last thing… I…

She looked around and saw the carnage all around us.

‘So it wasn't… a dream… what… what… have… I… d-’

Lilyth didn't finish the sentence and went limp in my arms.

‘Lilyth!’ I screamed and shook her. ‘Lilyth!’

‘She’s still alive, my child,’ I heard Akh'ret once more. ‘Just unconscious. Get her in a safe place. That took a lot out of her.’

Oh, thank you! I thought as relief filled me and I began to sob. Thank you.

Ren went to the village to get some men to help us carry Lilyth back to the estate. I stayed in the cave guarding my wife and Aldvil. It didn't surprise me to see Aki with her, once Rennie returned. She wrapped her hands around our jellybean and began to weep. Giving her some privacy I walked up to Kojiro's badly mangled corpse and kicked it in the head. More than once. Once I took out my pain and frustration I walked up to Rennie and asked:

‘What are we doing about him?’

‘I thought about it and confirmed it with Mom and Baial.’

She whispered the solution into my ear to ensure that Aldvil wouldn't overhear us.

It wasn’t the best idea, but ultimately not my choice.

Once the cave was clear of others, Aki went along with Lilyth, we approached the traitorous innkeeper.

He looked at us with fear in his eyes.

‘Aldvil of Denyr,’ Ren began,’ by the power vested in me by Elder Baial of Mer-Cas and Ireela of the Bloody Perch Clan, I find you guilty of treason and sentence you to exile. You are to leave immediately. Should you be seen again in Mer-Cas you will be executed.’

‘But… food… water…’ the man sobbed. ‘My wife…

‘I am sure your new friends had supplies with them. You are welcome to them. As for your wife… given your allegiances, you are too much of a threat to be allowed to roam free. Elder Baial is with her, explaining the situation. But to show some mercy… Do you have any destination in mind?’

He thought for a moment.

‘D-Denyr, I don’t know where else to go.’

‘Very well then. I will pass this on to her. Should she wish to join you there, that's up to her.’

We stayed in the cave to ensure Aldvil would take nothing of actual value, we did find a lot of Divines on the bodies, and then once he was away, we started heading home.

Home. What a nice thing to have.