Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Deal with the Demon

With cold temperatures setting in and more snowfall throughout those weeks, the people of Ciricu huddled up for the ensuing season.  But though the town as a whole enjoyed a torporous serenity on the surface, the happenings just beneath were anything but ordinary.

At the request of Lyon and the elders of Ciricu, construction on the canal project had been halted through the end of the year.  There were some questions about the exact specifics of where the future Lake Ciricu would be built, as well as who would be responsible for maintaining the new infrastructure long-term.  And while many villagers were excited, a chorus of grumbles had grown from people who needed more time to adjust to the major change which would be coming to their hometown.

The final harvests were completed just before Lysette had left for the Spire Mountains.  In the days following her return, she churned the soil with her plant manipulation technique and mixed it with gathered manure to properly aerate and fertilize the soil for the following season.

She also took the opportunity to chat with Dani and Kristil a couple of times.  They were both making rapid progress through their training and each had been recruited into special forces units.  Kristil was being trained for intelligence and interrogations, and Dani as part of a team specializing in operations behind enemy lines.  Both complained about the brutal training regimens they were subjected to, although each had reported pride about their assignments.  And both expressed gratitude for the continued assistance from their three divine friends.

Lysette also contacted Saffron about the military situation in Domaria, though she dared not mention meeting with Karchek’s will, nor what he had asked from her in exchange for his assistance.  Unsurprisingly, international relations were deteriorating by the day.  More and more, forces were massing along the borders of Elithria, Solise, and Domaria.  Open hostilities were a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’.  The only real question was whether Terea and Valdora would also get involved.  And thankfully, Lysette had been able to report that the northern front was quiet.  For now, at the very least.

And so, in the lull of winter’s embrace and with war imminent, ten days of quiet unease passed.  Lysette continued to Cultivate and train as she acclimated to the unique sensations that came with keeping track of two bodies.  And it was an equally difficult adjustment for the other people of Ciricu, now that Lysette was now walking around with an avatar made of the corpse of one of the town’s ancient folk demons.

Lysette had no plans for her avatar to remain in Ciricu for too much longer.  Most of its time was spent indoors, Cultivating, gathering strength, coalescing the Divine Essence of the people’s prayers into itself, and preparing for battle.  Though her main body would remain behind in Ciricu and continue to watch the northern front, she had more to offer her friends, the people who looked up to her, prayed to her, called her their goddess.  The people who lived under her sacred protection.

And yet, she understood the risks.  Not just the strategic ones Karchek had mentioned either— losing her avatar in battle and giving up valuable information to the enemy.  But the moral considerations as well.  She had developed a new technique to drain Essence without killing a person, and yet, it was tempting to use it on people who might not deserve it.  People who would see it as a fate worse than death.

Lysette had had an idea for a few days.  And with the full moon now less than a day away, it was finally time to implement it.  She and Nicholas headed back to the jail hall, and greeted a bored-looking Kiarra standing guard in the front hall.

“Oh, hey Lyse.  Time for another interrogation?”

“Something like that.  All alone today?”

“Usually am.  Today’s my day to keep an eye on the captives.  Other than that, if I’m not doing whatever task I’ve been assigned, I’m alone in my new home, Cultivating and waiting for… whatever”

“I see.  You don’t spend time with anyone else?”

“It’s hard, Lyse.  I’ve spent most of my life sequestered away, surrounded by maids working for my family.  Other than them, the few members of my family, and the occasional visit from other families or state events, I don’t really know anyone.”

“You and I have a lot more in common than you think, Kiarra.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not exactly a social person either.  Back before… all of this.”  Lysette waved her arms around as she said the last part.  “I lived in a quiet home just outside the small town where I grew up.  I spent my time in the forests, gathering herbs, compounding medications, sometimes serving as a lay doctor when needed.  Sometimes I’d go days at a time without talking to anyone.”

“But you’re so social.  You’ve got so many friends, people looking up to you.  Why did things end up so differently for the two of us?”

“If I had to guess, it’s that I didn’t grow up thinking that I was better than anyone else.  Or, perhaps, taught to believe that much.”

Kiarra’s embittered expression softened a bit with the second sentence.

Lysette continued.  “Obviously, I made some enemies along the way, present company included for a time.  But I made plenty of friends too.  Just by talking with them and getting to know them better.”

“But what if they can’t forgive me?  Even now?”

“Then, you have to accept it.  But in that regard, I think coming here to Ciricu will be good for you.  Lots of people who have never met you and know nothing about your history.  A clean slate, if you will.”

Kiarra smiled a bit. “Thank you, Lyse.  I hope you don’t mind if I take the rest of the morning to think about that some more.”

“No worries, Kiarra.  And thank you for everything you’ve done to help us out these past couple of weeks.”

“Not like there’s–”  Kiarra shook her head.  “You’re welcome.  And thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

Kiarra walked off, seemingly lost in thought, leaving Lysette and Nicholas alone, staring at one another.  The two shared an unspoken moment of bemusement, Lysette at least not sure exactly what takeaway Kiarra had had from their conversation.  But Nicholas changed the subject before she could ask.

“Lyse, you said you wanted to try something.  But you didn’t give any specifics.  I trust you’re not going to do anything I’m going to get upset about.”

“I won’t do anything beyond what I’ve been doing, unless our captives knowingly agree to it.”

“Somehow, I’m even more worried, Lyse.  Maybe it’s just part and parcel of interacting with the divine, but your penchant for defying the established rules and order of Cultivation is… unnatural.  Otherworldly.”

“Please trust me?”

Nicholas took a long breath and silently nodded before leading the pair down the back hall to where their chief prisoner remained holed up.  As they entered the room, Captain Potani looked up at Lyse, then over to Nicholas, then lowered his head down.

“You’re back, Lyse.”

“I am.  How are you?”

“As well as I can be, considering I’m still your captive.  The food is adequate, our treatment is far better than I’d expected, and I’ve been actually treated graciously by our captor’s leader.”

“Still not willing to tell me any information I can use to defend my people here?  My previous offer is still in effect.”

“I’m afraid not.  While I admire your generosity, I cannot betray my homeland, my kingdom, and my people.”

“Would you like to leave?”

“Is that even a question?”  Captain Potani looked away.  “That is all I’ve ever wanted.  All anyone in captivity thinks about, just wasting the days away either trying and failing to Cultivate or waiting for some sort of outside intervention for our imprisonment to end.”

“I would be willing to let you go today.”

Captain Potani was motionless.  “I cannot believe that.  At least, you would not let me and my men go alive.”

“I would let you and all your men go this morning.  Though, there would be one catch.”

“And that is?”

“I would have to ensure that you could never again raise arms against us.  I would drain you of your Essence with my own abilities.  You would be alive, but no different from an ordinary human.”

“So a deal with the devil?  My power for my life and freedom?  Any other conditions?”

“None.  Naturally, I will offer the same to the other captives.”

“You would really let us leave after revealing that you have that kind of power?”

Lysette turned to Nicholas and messaged him telepathically.  “Does some sort of ability to erase memories exist?”

“It does, but it’s an advanced technique.  My sister has been working on the ability, but I don’t possess it myself.  Even so, it’s not foolproof, closer to suppression than deletion.  Someone with sufficiently advanced techniques or artifice can pierce through the ability and restore the suppressed memories.”

“I’m not too worried either way.  But thank you.”

“I would let you leave.  And I don’t think you would reveal that ability to your superiors.  Nor do I believe they would believe you if you told them.”

“You raise a fair point.  Two conditions, if I may.”

Lysette nodded.

“First, that you give the same offer to my other comrades, and allow any of us who accept your offer to leave together back to Terean lands.”

“I agree.”

“And second, you do not take away all of our Essence.  The journey back to the next town is going to be several days in these unforgiving conditions.  Food will be scarce, and I fear for myself and my men.  Ordinary humans with little protection from the elements may have trouble surviving for so long.”

Lysette stepped out of the room and looked through the town for the signs of civilians in their homes.  Though the readings of Essence were faint, nearly imperceptible from even a couple hundred yards away, she could still faintly make them out.  And it gave her some information to determine how much strength she could siphon while acquiescing to another reasonable request.

She returned a moment later and nodded.  “I agree.  Now, I cannot promise that my draining technique will be painless, though I will do what I can to make it as painless as I can.”

And so Lysette did.  Captain Potani and three of the four other captives ultimately accepted her offer, while the final remaining soldier chose to remain a prisoner for reasons he declined to elaborate upon.

For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, Lysette worked her Essence Siphon technique.  It was, unfortunately, more painful than Lysette had envisioned, not unlike having a collection of tattoo needles poking at her target’s back and shoulder.  Slowly drawing Essence out of their Sparks not unlike syringes drawing blood from their targets.  But Nicholas was able to use a technique of his own to distract their minds from their pain, to use his term.

Each captive expressed a feeling of fatigue and weakness upon being subjected to Lysette’s ability.  Of having a torrent of power coursing through them slowed down to a trickle.  And all four of them expressed interest in staying in their cells for a couple more nights to acclimate to their new weaker bodies and limitations.  One which Lysette also granted.

As she finished her task in the late afternoon and headed back to her place, she was unsure how to feel about her actions.  She had used her demonic powers, willingly, and though she had considered the cause to be moral, in agreement with her Reciprocity, discomfort still nagged at her.

The temptation to use her demonic powers further— in less morally agreeable ways— was ever-present.  Those Hedonistic impulses, ones which informed her that they were her prisoners, that they lived or died at her whim, were treated with comfort and dignity only because she allowed it.  The same words that Karchek had spoken before echoed in her mind.  There was no pact between them, no resonance in Domains, and yet, the kindred demonic spirits still remained.

Though, the sun’s setting in the evening sky and the rise of the full moon to the east signaled a far more nefarious and immediate concern.  A blood moon was near, and though there was no sign of an impending attack, neither could she ignore the probability that one lay in wait.

In the final hours before the moon’s ascent reached its apex, she Cultivated and readied for battle.  The people of Ciricu were praying for peace, for protection, for the chance to live their lives unperturbed by the war that outside forces sought to deliver upon them.  And if any tried, Lysette knew deep down: she would not hesitate to stop them at any cost.

Chapter 201: https://www.patreon.com/posts/111625039

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 203: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112051718