[b][u][center]Perks of Desperation
Part 8
for a-lycotonum
by Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]








As they followed Neena through Westcrown, the complications of the assignment only got worse. Not only was there the issue of finding a way to kill her - something that Vitus was desperate to avoid - or kidnap her - something that her total devotion to Brundir made dangerous - but there was also the fact that she was not...as evil as he was expecting. He had assumed that there would be more to despise with the human woman, but there was less of it than one devoted to someone so devilish should have had. 

If anything, he felt guilty about what they were going to have to do. Someone like that deserved a better chance in life, and as much as he wanted to just remove her from Brundir, he was too afraid to give Melchiresa a reason to take his free will away. The memories of what it had been like to be completely under her control in the past were still vivid, and he shivered just thinking about them. 

"What's the plan?" Robin asked. 

Vitus shook his head as they leaned around one of the market stalls on the south side of the city. There were a few Hellknights patrolling the area, but nothing too extreme. They were off-duty, as far as he could tell; their helmets were off and tucked against their waists, which implied that they weren't going to chase any criminals too hard. At least, he hoped not. That was a force he didn't want to contend against if he didn't have to. 

Other than them, there were no guards or watchmen that might cause any issues. Neena was in the process of walking through the market, passing out copies of the parchment of their wanted posters to everyone that was willing to accept it. She was earnest enough to convince most of the merchants to at least take it and put it under their carts, and those few that weren't so interested were at least willing to listen to her before waving her on. She had a charm that seemed to enchant them, though there was no magic needed. 

Vitus knew that sort of charm. He had seen it with a number of people in the Arcanamirium. They always had this sort of eagerness to please, and it was hard to say no to them when they were that willing to begin with. He knew more than a few teachers that had given a student a pass when they really didn't deserve it just because they were that keen. 

"Vitus?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking."

And more than that, he was suppressing the hellhound inside of him. The constant burning of its instincts and desires did nothing to make the situation easier. The great hellish hound was always eager to find someone to add to the pack, and it was somewhat enamored of the human woman making her way through the marketplace anyway. He could feel that it was partially the lust for a new partner - and that lust twinged at him regularly down below the waist - but there was something more, something that had been lacking since his loss of - 

He shook his head. He wasn't going to think about his half-elf friend. Not since she had been seen to be...doing other things...with other beasts...

[i]She didn't want me. She wanted -[/i]

Once more, Vitus stopped that thought. He couldn't focus on her for the moment. He needed to focus on Neena before he wasted so much time that Melchiresa decided to step in. So long as he kept his free will, he might have a chance to make things better in the future, but if she decided to take over, then he could say goodbye to any chance to make good on his mistakes. 

"Okay...okay, I think I have a plan."

"I'm listening. Hope it's better than some of your other ones."

"To be fair, the other ones were only bad because we didn't have all the information," he muttered. 

"And we have all the information now?"

"...Point."

He nodded down the street, gesturing to an alley just past a fountain plaza on the other end of the marketplace. It was a slender passage, too small for any carts and probably built more to allow the coastal air to sweep through the town rather than any other function, but it was just large enough for a person at a time to move through. So long as they weren't armored, at least. 

"You still look - more or less - like yourself. If you can act as bait -"

"You're using me as bait? Really?"

"You have a better idea?"

"Yes. You as bait."

"Oh, really, you want me to run around like a dog in the middle of a devil town?" he hissed. "Sure. Great idea. We'll call the local kennel to set up a boarding cell for when the Hellknights catch me."

"And you think I want to be caught? Do you know what they do to women in prison?"

"Probably less than what I do to you on a daily basis," he muttered before thinking about it. He slapped one hand over his forehead. "Forget I said that."

"...Least you make it feel good," she muttered. 

The number of things to unpack there were too many to be considered at that moment. Instead, he tried to get them back on track. 

"Look. Neena can't actually call on the guards to arrest you. She'll have to make sure that she actually saw you, right, before risking getting the Hellknights involved?"

"...That's true."

"And if she's got a way of talking to Brundir, then she would want to make sure that she [i]actually[/i] saw you rather than someone that just looked like you, right?"

"He wouldn't be one to accept mistakes..." Robin sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I hate the fact that you're convincing me here."

"Look. It's the best I got. You let her get a glance, just enough to make her curious, then make your way to the alley. But don't look like you're trying to lure her in. Just...you know what I mean?"

"I've pulled enough sting operations on rogues to know how this goes. Just don't leave me hanging when she follows me in."

As if he would do something like that. He might have been half-demonic, but that didn't mean that he didn't have a conscience. In fact, it would have been markedly easier to do what Melchiresa was asking him to do if he had one, and it was one reason that he was still a bit iffy about Robin's little change of heart. 

[i]You should be hating this,[/i] he thought as she moved out from their hiding place, pulling a hood up and over her face for the moment. [i]You should hate what we're doing.[/i]

But the former Guardswoman was doing nothing of the sort. She only objected to the practicality of the plans rather than the morality. Something had happened, and he would need to find out just what it was so he could fix the fucking thing. 

But for now, he needed to get to the alley. 

Vitus swept around the marketplace, heading down one of the open streets on the coastal side of the market. The sea breeze was a surprising comfort considering the heat beating down on his head, and he savored it while he could. The illusion made it look like he was a well-dressed human, but that didn't mean much when he was all too aware of every real sensation just under it, and how much the black and red fur his hellhound body was soaking in the heat. 

At least it wasn't as weak to the heat as his human form had been. It wasn't immune, but he could tolerate it better, even if the rough rocks underfoot were occasionally painful to the pads along the bottoms of his feet. He winced every now and then at the impact of the hot stone, and he bit off a yelp when one particularly sharp rock nearly stabbed into the flesh. 

Regardless of the distractions, he hurried on. Soon, he was in the alley, and he cast a second illusion spell. It came quickly, utilizing the hot air to create a mirage of an empty alleyway, something that hid the various bits of trash and other debris that had been tossed down it. The hellhound stepped inside it, dropping the illusion over himself for the moment and curling into a ball. The smaller his shape, the easier it would be to hide. 

Then, he waited. The seconds passed, and he hoped that nothing had gone wrong. He told himself that there would need to be a small delay, some time allowed for Robin to let herself be seen and then gradually lead their target back to the alley. Unfortunately, waiting in said alley meant that there was no way to tell how much time had passed. Vitus clenched his teeth in anticipation, hoping against hope that things were going to work out. 

Finally, Robin poked her head around the alley corner, moving faster than he had expected. She looked slightly out of breath, her eyes wider and mildly panicked. Had something - 

A ball of light followed her around the corner, and he realized that Neena was more than just a follower of Brundir. She had some power of her own. 

The young woman followed after, obviously following the tracker light that she'd put on Robin, and stepped into the alley. Vitus remained where he was as Robin passed by, and only shifted his position once Neena had moved past him as well. He kept one hand pointed behind him, a spell on his lips to seal the alley with a quick wall of stone, while the other was poised and ready to snare the young woman from behind. 

Robin stopped, spinning on her heel. Neena stopped at the same moment, and he could all but smell her smile as their tracker confirmed her suspicions. 

"So, you are here," Neena said as Vitus snuck closer. "Then [i]he[/i] must be here as well. You must tell me where he is. The master, the master is so displeased."

"You must be mistaken," Robin said. 

"There's no mistaking it. Robin Adair, traitor of the Absalom City Watch, adulterer and whore, consorting with the foul likes of the demons. You must be arrested and brought back, but perhaps my master will give you mercy. If you have the good sense to lead me to your associates, then perhaps he will grant you some measure of clemency."

"I don't think that you need to go anywhere," Vitus said. 

She started to turn, but he was already in position. The wall of stone rose behind them, sealing the alley off from the plaza, and he wrapped his other arm around her throat, cutting off her air and keeping her from screaming for the Hellknights. He squeezed her close, immediately grateful for the strength of the Hellhound as she started squirming against him, trying to pull free. There were several moments when she almost managed it to his shock, and he had to squeeze tighter and tighter until she went limp in his arms, unconscious from lack of air. 

Robin shook her head as their enemy sagged in his arms, moving forward to help support her. She looked up, and the question went unspoken: kill or keep?

He looked down at Neena. Despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to kill her. He didn't want more blood on his hands, and she was not dissimilar from anyone else in their situation. She had been deceived by Brundir, probably believing that he was offering power and opportunity in a way that no other could. To kill her would be to admit that he deserved death for the same mistakes. 

He couldn't do it. He wouldn't. 

"What do we do?" Robin asked. 

"...Back to the mansion. We'll keep her illusioned, and figure out what to do when we get back."

"That's not a plan."

"It's the best I have, okay?"

As they wrapped her up, Vitus glanced back at the wall. He'd need to take that down, but it had been a good idea at the time. He was just lucky that nobody had come running when it had gone up, considering all the noise it had made. 

#

The mansion was quiet when they arrived. Katya mentioned that Piers had come in while they'd been out, but that he hadn't mentioned what he had been up to. Vitus planned to talk to him later, but Robin was already off like a shot, clearly meaning to have a word with him. He waited until she was out of earshot before turning his attention back to the former professor. 

"You did something to her."

"Nothing more than was needed."

"She doesn't have the same conscience anymore."

"Does that make her less effective?"

"...Not entirely."

Katya shook her head, slowly unfolding her legs. She had taken to wearing less in the hot climes of Westcrown, and it was more than a little distracting, particularly considering that she had a lot to show off. Her furred legs were exposed all the way up to her thighs when she stood normally, the tops of her legs barely covered by the nightdress that she wore around the mansion. When she sat in her meditative positions - and in other ones - it went up further, exposing everything between her legs. 

Vitus deliberately looked elsewhere as she shifted position, not sure if she was deliberately showing off or not. Either way, he didn't want to get caught in something more lewd. She had a way of - 

"If I wanted that, Vitus, all it would take is a word."

"Don't remind me."

"I could, but I will save that for later. I assume that you made your decision regarding...this one."

Katya gestured at the unconscious Neena. The topic shift didn't escape his notice - they were already leaving Robin behind for the sake of the current mission - but he let it pass. He would come back to it when there were less pressing things in the immediate moment. 

"I...couldn't kill her."

"Melchiresa gave you a choice, so you know what you have to do."

"Yes, but..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Do you know any way around it? Any way to..."

Her raised eyebrow carried more judgment than any number of glares and frowns from a stern congregation, and he didn't know how she did it. It must have been something that she had learned as a professor, because academics seemed to be able to summon such expressions at will. He winced, looking back down at the unconscious female. The human didn't stir; he knew that she was living, but for all the animation that she'd displayed, she might as well have been a corpse. 

"Our master has made it clear that you are to either kill her or convert her. That is the only way to ensure that we are safe here."

"But she's innocent."

"There are no servants of that one that are entirely innocent. Fooled, yes, and bedazzled by the things that he has given them, but none are innocent. Not even you, Vitus, for all that you have greater innocence than most. You still played into what he wanted, and that means that you carry at least some responsibility for it."

He gritted his teeth. That wasn't where he had meant to take it. All the problems in Absalom right now could, technically, be traced back to him and the things that he had done for Brundir. The documents that he had taken from place to place, the meetings that he had facilitated, the various little bits and bobs that he had helped the Aasimar accomplish: however much it had been done without knowledge or intent, it had still be aided by his efforts, and he had to bear that guilt. 

"Be that as it may -"

"I'm not finished."

"...Go on," he muttered. 

"Whether you see it as something that she deserves or not doesn't matter. It is a command, not a request. It is an order, not a test." Katya knelt down at Neena's side, resting her hand on the human's head. "You're thinking of it as a puzzle, something that you have to solve to avoid the consequences of failure. If you keep thinking about it like that, then you really are doomed."

"I can't just -"

"You can, and you will have to, Vitus. You aren't free anymore. None of us are," Katya said, looking up. "We serve a Demon Lord. There is no freedom for us. We follow orders. You're lucky in that you have some flexibility in how you follow orders, and luckier still that Melchiresa believes that you are more useful with that bit of free will. Melchiresa is better than most Demon Lords, but only by comparison. The pack that the Demon Lord runs means that there's some room for freedom of thought, but not if it threatens the rest of the pack. You will follow Melchiresa's orders...or you'll be made to."

There was some grief there, he realized, some sympathy. Whether it was for him or for herself, he didn't know, but it was a stark moment of humanity from his mentor. He knelt down on Neena's other side, running his hand along her cheek. She tilted her head against his hand, almost like some sleeping lover seeking out the touch of her paramour. It sent a guilty spike right through his heart, and he sighed. 

"Katya...I just..."

"You've decided not to kill her, so turning her is your only option."

"...But not here."

"Hmm?"

"Not here," he said. "Not in the city."

"...You're stalling," she said, and there was no missing the note of warning in her voice. "Melchiresa won't like that."

"Only partially. But think about it. There's no hiding the magic that goes into changing someone, even the way that I have to do it. It's basically...It's basically rape, but there's still a magical transfer of energy, and that's not even thinking about the spirit that Brundir probably jammed into her. That will have to come into play and be considered. And what if there are wards on her, spells that would activate if we tried doing things to her beyond simply knocking her out?"

He was just bullshitting at that point, and he knew it. Everything that he said was a what-if worry that probably had no bearing on the situation at hand. Yet, at the same time, there [i]was[/i] a real possibility that Brundir had actually gone through with marking his servants with more than just idle spirits and creatures of the other planes. If she [i]was[/i] marked with runes and sigils, with warding spells and other protections, then it would be better for them to have space and isolation to work on her. It would keep the pack safer and ensure that they wouldn't be interrupted while inducting her into it. 

Despite Katya's warning, she still smiled. The older woman leaned back, shaking her head in...admiration, he realized. 

"You might actually make our master believe that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a sound rationale, and it still protects the pack. Melchiresa won't be happy, but he will accept that sort of answer."

"You think so?"

"I think it bears some possibility."

He didn't know why, but he felt rather proud of that. He just hoped it panned out. 

#

Robin returned to her quarters to find Piers waiting for her. The one-armed guard commander looked up as she entered, arching an eyebrow. 

"I'm surprised you bothered going outside," he said. 

"I'm surprised that you were out all night. You must have found something...very engaging," she said, cocking her head to the side. 

He shrugged, and Robin let it be. If he wanted to talk about it - or about anything that wasn't her - then she would welcome it. Otherwise, she was tired enough of their fights that she didn't want to start another one. Too many of them had drained her energy for contact with her husband, and she would welcome to silence over conflict. 

She sat on the other side of the bed, and for once, they were almost back to back. Out of long habit, her hand reached back for his, and they brushed their fingers together. For a moment, they were about to grip each other, to pull each other close again, but the moment passed, and their fingers slid apart once more. She wondered if she should have grieved for that, but the moment for that passed, too, and she sighed as she looked up at their ceiling. 

Before she could say anything, Piers sighed, too. He leaned against her back. 

"I miss when things weren't so complicated."

"Were they ever simple?"

"They were. Sometimes. Find the criminals, punish them, and make life better. That was all that we had to do."

"It was never quite that simple. Sometimes -"

"It should have been. When we were softer, when we tried to be understanding, they just ignored us. They thought we would never actually follow through with the punishments that they deserved." Piers shook his head. "Maybe they have a few good ideas out here. Maybe..." 

He sighed, and Robin bit her lips. She'd never expected to hear him praise [i]anything[/i] in Cheliax, let alone something so harsh as the laws out here. She looked over her shoulder slowly, fixing him with a quiet stare. 

"You believe that it's better out here?"

"...I don't know."

"You think slavery is good?"

"...No," he muttered, but she could hear that he didn't entirely mean it. "I don't know. I don't know anything right now."

Whatever he had seen while he was out must have done a number on him. Something in her stirred sympathetically to him, and she turned, slowly pressing her chest to his back and wrapping her arms around him. He leaned back against her, and for the first time in too long, they actually felt right in one another's arms. There was something soft and warm and...and comforting, and Robin tried to sink deeper into that. It reminded her of what life used to be, of where she had been before everything had gone to hell, and it felt like a lifeline to better times and better memories. 

Then, it ended as he pulled himself away from her. She bit off a whimper, knowing that he hated the animal noises. He started getting to his feet. 

"Where are you going?"

"I want...I want to see something. Understand something."

"You just got back."

"I won't be long."

"You -"

"I won't be long."

And just like that, Piers walked out the door again. She slumped back against the headboard of the bed, watching him go, and wondered if she'd ever have something that she understood back again. 

#

It had been something to be held by his wife. Something good, something comforting, and something that nonetheless wracked him with guilt and disgust for what he had just done. The memory of the tiefling's body pressed against his, of that harsh, firm pleasure that she had brought out of their coupling, had been worth it at the time, but now that he was reminded of what his oaths bound him to - 

[i]She broke it first. She broke it first.[/i]

That was the only thing that mattered. He might have gone out and found someone rather than someone finding him, but that - no, no, that was not his fault. He had not sought it out entirely. But he hadn't denied it either, had he? He'd gone along with it, while she had been - 

She did it first. That was all that mattered. In the eyes of any law in the land, she was the one more greatly at fault, which meant that anything that he did was barely more than just taking his fair dues in response. Piers told himself that, and believed it. 

As he returned to the greeting hall of the manor, he saw the freak of slime slipping away, leaving the Hellhound and his infernal mistress alone. Piers tried to avoid them, making his way to the door, but -

"Piers."

The Hellhound called him back. The former commander gritted his teeth as he turned around, facing the pretend-human with his head tilted back and as much pride as he could summon. It seemed to make a dent, because the creature paused for a moment. It gave him some small measure of satisfaction to take the wind out of the beast's sails before his captor continued. 

"We'll be leaving for a more private location later today," Vitus said. 

"...Leaving?" he asked. 

"Yes. Pollius has secured us a wagon for transport, so we should be able to maintain some privacy on the journey. It's...important that we get there without being seen."

"...I see."

"So, you need to be here when we depart. We can't be searching the city for you. Do you understand?"

"...I understand."

"...Just making sure. And -"

"I'll be here."

Turning before the Hellhound could say something else, he stepped out the door, trying to hide both his shock and his discomfiture with the news. 

Leaving Westcrown already? They had scarcely arrived. Either something had happened - perhaps something to do with that odd female that the Hellhound had pulled into the house, likely as some plaything for the beast - or they were on the hunt for something greater. His guilty comfort, barely a day old, might be lost to him. And the offer that she'd given, while hardly something that he could accept, would be taken from him. 

He had no right to feel hurt, but he did. It felt like the world was constantly ripping him away from the things that gave him comfort. Absalom had been replaced with this blister-boil of Hell at the edge of the desert, but at least there was still law, still some semblance of order that restrained the monsters he had to associate with. They were not able to do as many evil things as they wished due to the presence of law around them, and that, at least, had to be praised. 

And now, they wanted to leave. Just what did they have planned that required them to leave even this cesspool behind? He didn't know, but it didn't feel right. 

He was off the grounds of the Cinnas's estate in short order, and wandering the streets blindly. Piers didn't know where he was going, but eventually, he stumbled into a bar at the center of town. A few coins changed hands, offered blindly, and he had a drink in front of him. The burning taste of the first sip called him back to the moment, and he coughed and sputtered for a few seconds as the alcohol seared his throat on the way down. 

"Ugh...who did I piss off?" he muttered. "What divine of law did I piss off to get me into this mess?"

"It must be great, indeed, if you're talking about it publicly."

He whipped his head around. It was the tiefling Onoria, and she had her helmet pressed to her waist as she sat down beside him. She looked at the drink in front of him, and for a moment, he debated offering to buy her one, but he had no idea if she was on-duty or not. Instead, he bowed his head in greetings, trying not to remember how she had looked just that morning, and how...how desirable it was to think of her in such situations again, despite his promise. 

"You complain very loudly," she said. "I would imagine that the world would know of your woes if you were allowed to talk long enough."

"I have much to complain about."

"Anything I should know, officially?"

There it was. Piers looked her in the eye, and for a moment, he was able to ignore the fact that she was in the service of devils rather than the service of gods. He could ignore the fact that she served a world of slavery and tyranny. He ignored all that for the sake of the fact that she, unlike everyone else he knew, served the [i]law[/i], and the law had power here. Piers looked down at his drink, taking a long gulp of it before nodding. 

"Perhaps."

"Is this an official report?"

"Not...yet," he admitted, shaking his head. "Perhaps something more like an informant passing on a possibility."

"I'll take it under advisement, then."

"There will be a wagon leaving the Cinnas' estate later today, and it will be heading off to somewhere further inland. The people onboard will be me and several others...others that are less bound to the rule of law than I am, and might be a threat to your rules."

"Interesting...and you know this, how?"

"Because..."

"...Because you are their slave?" Onoria offered. 

"...Yes."

Thus far, he had managed to avoid holding that title over his own head. In bed with her, he had managed to feel like a great commander again, and the feeling his manhood being in her had been nearly as good as feeling like a man once more rather than some wounded creature that had to be cared for. Hearing her say it, however, reminded him of all the things that were [i]wrong[/i] out here as well as all the things that were right. He looked down at his cup, staring at his blurred reflection as he shook his head. 

"Why..."

"Hmm?"

"Why slavery?" 

"Why not?" Onoria asked, cocking her head to the side. "Slavery is hardly a new invention of the civilized people."

"But to have it legal -"

"It is a practice best kept officiated, regulated. Otherwise, there would be those that would enslave others and take advantage of them without the oversight of the system to keep it in check," Onoria said. "Surely, you have seen that? When someone of greater power takes someone of less, and no matter what they do, they cannot escape? Slavery by illegal means is no less slavery than by legal ones, but it has far less protections."

He thought back to his wife, thinking of the first moment when he realized that she had been taken. There had been that erotic spark of excitement, that hunger of humiliation, but that had faded quickly when he realized how much less he was getting in return. Perhaps, perhaps, if there had been something else there, something for him as well as for the Hellhound -

But there never had been, and he doubted that would change so late in their little game. His wife, no matter her affection for him from time to time, had been utterly enslaved by the Hellhound, and there would be no getting her back. Not without getting rid of him. 

Perhaps Onoria might be able to help him with that. Perhaps, just perhaps, there might be a way to secure his safety out here, and Robin's, as well. 

"Anything else I should know about this unofficial report?" Onoria asked. 

"...Not yet. I'll let you know if I find out anything else."

"Do you have time before you have to go back?"

"...Maybe."

"Enough time for something short, then."

"You're -"

"Off-duty. Come on. Upstairs will suffice. You are due a 'finder's fee' for this."









[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]

Summary: Vitus and Robin go through with capturing the girl, and Piers has a moment of conflict. 

Tags: F/solo, Nudity, Implied Sex, Human, Hellhound, Erection, Fantasy, Magic, Need, Illusion, Humiliation, Angst, Seriess,