“Are you okay, Sionann?”, Helvia asked, as they made their way out of the temple and towards the east gate. 

“I’ve never felt better!”, she replied, more enthusiastically than intended. 

“...you look a little red. Are you sure you don’t have a fever?”

“I was… exercising earlier!!”

“...okay. Just don’t overdo it, I guess.”

Overdo it? She could take on the entire city without breaking a sweat! The power gained from the blood she’d absorbed just kept increasing!! There was no way she wasn’t going to be drinking blood every night from now on!!! 

 

She was sprinting circles around Fírinne and Dellia as they made their way towards Kin-Galud’s temple. Dellia was clearly scared of her, and even Fírinne seemed strangely concerned, but she didn’t care. She felt amazing! Being in the Fey Wood, the enhanced sensations compounded with the overflowing power she was experiencing, making every movement feel like she was running through sparkly honey-flavoured smoke that was tickling her skin with tiny bites every second and it just keptfeelingbetterandbetterand-

 

When Sionann collapsed face-first onto the forest floor, Fírinne was initially frozen by shock. Dellia actually beat her to Sionann’s side, rolling her onto her side and placing a hand on her chest. 

“shes stil brething, but her hart is beeting way 2 fast”, she concluded, somewhat shaken herself. 

“...FUCK!”, Fírinne shouted as she recovered from her immediate shock, diving to Sionann’s side. She tried to shake her awake, but Dellia pulled her back before she could rattle Sionann too much. 

Dellia conjured a small sphere of water, which splashed onto Sionann’s face. 

“Wzzhzzpz”, Sionann said. Or buzzed. Not even Fírinne could tell if she was trying to say something, or just making noise. 

“i guess its cus of the blood”, Dellia said, as Sionann’s eyes darted around so fast her pupils were just a blur. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Kin-Galud will know how to fix this! We need to get her there fast!”, Fírinne panicked.

“u cn carry her, cant u?”, Dellia pointed out, comparatively calm. 

“Right! Come on, let’s go!”

With Sionann in Fírinne’s eldritch-enhanced arms, they hurried through the forest, Sionann occasionally making increasingly high-pitched buzzing noises. 

Fortunately, once they crossed the barrier, Kin-Galud was able to partially resolve the issue from a distance. Unfortunately for Fírinne, this involved Sionann projectile vomiting blood into her face. To her addled mind this was evidence that Sionann was dying, and she promptly passed out. 

Perhaps it would’ve been kinder to inform her what was about to happen, but this was more entertaining, and that was what really mattered (to Kin-Galud, at least). 

 

Again, elves prove more susceptible to eldritch magic than humans. Live and learn. 

[It’s my fault, I should’ve agreed to share the burden], Fírinne despaired. 

[Ah, it’s all fine. It felt great until I fainted], Sionann assured her.

Dellia didn’t say anything- she was curled up in a corner, recovering from the sight of Sionann regurgitating the rest of the blood. Said blood was now contained in a basin set in the floor, bubbling away as it absorbed whatever eldritch magic Kin-Galud was infusing it with. 

[So, two questions. First, what is this blood for, second, is there a way I can keep drinking it without passing out?] 

Absorbed in moderation, blood wouldn’t be acutely harmful, although gathering it without raising suspicion might pose a challenge. As for the purpose of this blood, it will be used to put the ‘divine’ spirits to sleep. If they are indeed servants of the gods, they wouldn’t be able to resist an offering of blood- and wouldn’t notice the spiritually-soporific effects it was infused with until they were all knocked out for a good week or two. 

[You’ll help me gather more blood, right Fírinne? We could both drink it. Oh, I wonder if it would improve the taste of wine?]

[Hmm. I do want to try it. What about you, Dellia?] 

“aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

[She’ll come around.]

Inscribing the blood-absorption rune without consent isn’t feasible. Dellia needs to be convinced if she wants to try it.

[I promise, it’s like drinking wine, but a hundred times better.]

“...rlly?”

[Absolutely. And if you really don’t like it, you don’t have to try more than a little taste.]

“...i dont hav a choice, do i?”

[You do. I won’t force you.]

“no, i dont hav a choice. ur gonna force me. id nvr agree 2 it.”

[...do you want me to force you?]

“ur a bully, ur gonna do it anyway.”

[...Dellia, I’m forcing you to choose to drink blood with us.]

“fiiiine”

Incredible negotiation skills, you two. 

 

Their new diet plan organised, tasks were assigned. Dellia was set to excavating a specific area of the clearing around the temple, where in theory a stash of treasure and eldritch artifacts lay buried. Sionann and Fírinne, meanwhile, were directed around the Fell Wood, carving/scorching runes into the bark of trees, strengthening Kin-Galud’s presence throughout. 

Interestingly, they could sense spirits observing them as they did so- keeping their distance, but not fleeing either. Kin-Galud explained the changing attitudes when they returned to the temple.

They fall victim to corruption as mortals do- though they require a more slow and steady approach. The malevolent spirits imprisoned in this forest are eager for an opportunity to get their revenge, a motive that it can exploit to lower their guards and convert them to its cause. Given a few more weeks, the entire Fell Wood will be under its control. 

[I guess it was a bad idea to fill your prison with potential servants], Sionann thought.

It worked for hundreds of years, and saved them having to make another barrier. They couldn’t predict the events that led up to its partial release. On that topic, you should lay the groundwork for the more mortal converts. There’s no huge rush, but if you bring two more willing Vestals to the seal, it will provide a suitable reward. 

[What kind of reward?]

If the seal were weakened further, it would be able to empower someone as one of its priests, granting power and skill leagues above what it has already provided. 

Sionann thought of the rush she experienced whenever she gained power, concluding that it was probably her second favourite feeling in the world. And given she would need more allies later on regardless, there was truly no reason to decline. Well, it would probably further stain her soul, further eroding away what vestiges of normalcy she still possessed, but who cares about that sort of thing?

 

Dellia was digging. It was a simple task- at least, with her earth affinity and some excavation practice it was. She didn’t need to think about the fact she was doing it on behalf of a demon, or that she had been- ahem- ‘forced’ into a commitment to drink human blood. Or, you know, any of the other medley of horrors that now dominated her life. NOPE. Just digging. 

Up and down the pit she went, shifting earth and stones in an activity that required just enough thought to focus on, but was repetitive enough to not demand much from her stressed mind. 

She’d hit bedrock after a while, but the demon conveyed that she should keep digging. The bedrock was a ruse, apparently. Digging through it, it didn’t feel like a ruse, but she had nothing better to do. And, after chipping through a meter of solid rock, she broke through, revealing earth and rubble again. 

Also a miasma of eldritch energy so thick it was practically visible, though it quickly dissipated into the air. 

She steeled herself, and removed the last layer between her and a large chest, made of the same black stone as the temple above. This was presumably what she was looking for. She should return to the surface and report her task completed. 

…but maybe she’d just take a quick peek inside the chest first. She was a tiny bit curious what it was she’d spent so long digging up. 

The heavy lid, which looked like it would take herculean force to move, slid off like it had been greased as soon as she touched it with the intent of opening it. 

Gold. Silver. Polished bronze. Gemstones of every cut and colour. 

Coins. Rings, bracelets, hairpins, necklaces. Cups, bowls, decanters. Daggers, swords, spearheads. Other objects she couldn’t identify, but looked intricate.

Dellia didn’t think of herself as a greedy person. She never really wanted to be wealthy- not that she wanted to be poor, but the comfortable level she’d grown up with was plenty. She had not been green with envy whenever she saw others walking around with fancy jewellery. 

But this incredible trove still made her heart skip a beat, and her fingers itch. Surely nobody would miss a single ring from such a vast hoard? Her hand reached forwards unbidden, towards a gold ring set with a small emerald. 

That one is cursed. 

She yelped in surprise, yanking her hand back. “y didnt u say somefing?”

It just did. 

“...u couldve sed it sooner”, she grumbled. “wat r u gonna do with all this?”

Not a lot, right now. There’s only two items it needs currently. Which leaves plenty of un-cursed items for the taking, if you want.

Dellia took a deep breath, steadying herself. “No, I shouldn’t touch any of it. How would I even explain having it?”

The silver bracelet there turns invisible to others when worn, and lets the wearer see through solid objects at will.

She looked up, to make sure neither of the others was looking down at her, then quickly snatched the bracelet and slipped it on. It shrank to fit her better, although she could make it expand again with a thought. It turned a shimmery translucent as well, presumably indicating its invisible-to-others status. A very convenient piece of jewellery, this. 

And as promised, she found that by focusing, she could see through various things. Her hand, some (but not all) of the treasure, and a short distance through the rock walls around her. She experimented with the ability for a minute, before she heard Sionann and Fírinne climbing down the pit.

[Oh, wow. That’s… a lot of treasure], came Sionann’s thoughts into her mind. 

[No shit], she thought to herself. Then realised she had accidentally projected the thought when Fírinne giggled and Sionann looked embarrassed.

[Aaanyway, we need to find a bronze necklace with a silver pendant, and a golden cup set with black quartz], Fírinne cut in. [And we really can’t take any for ourselves?]

What have you done to deserve such a reward?

[Fine, fine. What about Dellia, though, she dug this pit, shouldn’t she get a reward?]

“I don’t want any of your cursed artifacts”, Dellia replied, in what she hoped was a convincing tone. 

Fírinne shrugged, and she and Sionann started to dig through the chest for the required items. She watched over their shoulders, and noticed their hands brushed up against the ‘cursed’ ring from earlier without adverse effects.

True servants are unaffected by simple contact with cursed items, Kin-Galud conveyed directly to her. They could not safely wear them, however.

The items were quickly located and the chest was closed. They climbed out of the pit, left the temple, and returned to Reme (leaving the items behind, as they wouldn’t need them until next week). Several times she ‘casually’ shook her wrist in full view of others, and not once did anyone even glance at the bracelet. 

She also enjoyed looking through things occasionally. And only a few times were those things the robes of her fellow Vestals.