Amdirlain’s PoV - Culerzic

The flat plains stretched for thousands of kilometres; only scattered patches of gravel dropped haphazardly by the powerful winds disrupted its wind-polished surface. Far from her hidey-hole, Amdirlain took each item from Lorrella’s storage bag and listened for unexpected elements.

Though she was positive she’d caught all the tracked items from her mind, it was best not to be taken unaware. When nothing more turned up, Amdirlain stopped and considered her plans for the materials and alchemical creations.

Quarantine station.

Reaching into the stone through Inventory, she collected slabs from far underground, doing the usual exchange with bursts of air, and quickly created a small six-metre cube hidey-hole. Carving out a workbench in the small chamber, Amdirlain dropped the storage bag on it before completing tighter wards than she’d managed a year ago. After notching a number 1 into the wall to provide a reference for future teleports, Amdirlain returned to the training circle.

“Erwarth, Lorrella and I spoke. She’s returned to the compound with payment, and I’m back at the circle if you’ve time to talk.”

The Spell’s energy had barely faded when a Gate ripped open and Erwarth came rushing through, her elven form clad in a similar loose garment to what Roher usually wore. The speed of her motion caused the cloth to give a whip-like snap, and her bright white hair streamed behind her. “Spill. How did things go?”

“Oh! Impatient much?” teased Amdirlain, but she could only keep her composure a moment before smiling ruefully. “I might have overdone things.”

“Why am I not surprised?” laughed Erwarth, relief brightening her silvery gaze as she looked Amdirlain over. “What do you want to cover first: the prototype, the town, or Lorrella?”

Amdirlain nodded and opted to start at the beginning. “The prototype worked for about the first hour. I started at the mangrove’s edge and used line-of-sight teleports, checking for trouble after each hop. The dissonance that started didn’t sound like it was inside the gemstone or the runes, but more around it, and I felt an increase in Abyssal Heat. I extracted the gemstone, and things settled, so I switched to an Alu-Demon shape,” explained Amdirlain.

Retrieving the prototype, Amdirlain passed it over.

Erwarth took it and carefully turned it over before tucking it into a belt pouch. “What happened in town?”

Amdirlain’s recount of her trip through the town stirred amusement from Erwarth, especially at the procession. “Thoughts?”

“Dominion training sounds like a priority. It seems the techniques you learnt from the monastery aren’t enough for the Charisma strength you possess without more work,” declared Erwrath, clicking her tongue thoughtfully as she considered the options. “I’ll ask Nûr to help you.”

“Why Dominion?”

“If you can’t pull your Charisma in completely, you can deliberately set up a Dominion field about yourself to project unease or disinterest to counter it. That way, you have control over their reactions instead of your presence randomly influencing them based on their mindset,” explained Erwarth.

“Oh, I like her, but I don’t want my throat ripped out,” quipped Amdirlain.

“Please, with a Demon that’s just being playful,” retorted Erwarth. “After she’s helped you for a while, we’ll get some of the weaker celestials, or even a Mortal or two, involved to help you test it.”

Amdirlain wrinkled her nose at the suggestion. “I’m not comfortable involving a Mortal in the Abyss.”

“Other mortals come here of their own accord,” countered Erwarth. “We’ll need to sort out this chamber’s air—I don’t think a Mortal would find it breathable.”

“I wasn’t going for quality, and most of it is from Disintegrate releasing dust and vapour,” explained Amdirlain. “What’s the deal with unnamed demons? The Dretch I named acted weird.”

Erwarth pulled a sour face. “Weaker breeds rarely have names, especially within the Least Tier. Stronger demons claiming them into their service name them, or they come out of the Ascension fires with a name for themselves. I can’t believe you named a Dretch of all things.”

“It’s almost like Gideon was bored and took my calling the Dretch 'useful' as a chance to play,” replied Amdirlain. “Or he was trying to tell me something, and I missed it. I find the Dretch disturbing, and I had expected little intelligence from them, yet that fellow reacted faster than the others.”

“Your viewpoint on a Concept’s Aspect is strange, you know that?” asked Erwarth, smiling at Amdirlain’s shrug. “As for the Dretch; they’ve got a keen instinct to know when other demons are dangerous to them. Though most bullies know to bow when a greater predator is present, the Dretch aren’t smart enough to have egos or the pride to slow them.”

“I had to humble Lorrella a bit,” offered Amdirlain.

“Did she try to pull one over on you?”

“Of course she did,” laughed Amdirlain. “Do you want me to give you the highlights or share the memory?”

Erwarth paused thoughtfully. “Highlights are fine.”

Amdirlain’s summary of events elicited dry laughter from Erwarth until she mentioned her reveal as a Fallen

“You were supposed to make that offer without tipping that you’re a Fallen,” grumbled Erwarth as she idly began to nibble on a strand of hair.

“She knew something was up. With my Charisma not behaving, it had her trying to figure out what would hide as an Alu-Demon. Better to give her something more rather than have her go digging,” explained Amdirlain. “After I told her I enjoyed breaking things, she grew disappointed that I wasn’t suitable. Her standing would have jumped by giving them a lead to recruiting a Fallen. How many strongholds were you thinking about giving them the details on?”

“There are only two Sisterhood fortresses we want ourselves, though I’d suggest we keep back at least ten to keep them guessing,” suggested Erwarth, waving the strand she’d been nibbling about in a way that tempted Amdirlain to snatch it from her. “That will still let them have the vast majority if they want to act. Given that the Sisterhood hires out to enable the strongest demon lords to help them stay in power, they’ll likely see it as a chance to increase infighting in the Abyss. Which honestly isn’t that hard with the right leverage.”

“Demons are more likely to consume each other than to fight against external forces,” agreed Amdirlain. “When did you want me to start lessons with Nûr?”

At her question, Erwarth gave her a crooked smile. “Sounds like it should have been weeks ago. Nûr’s mainly been helping establish the administrative aspects of the Domain, so stirring her out of the paperwork will be good for her. Just because you have these tools and skills, I hope you’ll avoid using them‌ until you’re free of this plane.”

“This was an exception,” protested Amdirlain. “I’ve been good.”

“Good at what?” teased Erwarth. “How is Torm’s work going?”

“They freed a bunch of prisoners the other week. I’ve been trying not to peek at what they’ve been up to in advance and just listen to what he wants to share afterwards,” admitted Amdirlain, but she grumbled as Erwarth lifted the strand back to her mouth. “Please stop chewing on your hair; it's driving me nuts.”

Erwarth looked down absently at the hair she’d brought to her mouth and released it to settle back in place. “What happens if something goes wrong?”

“He always leaves a memory crystal with details in his room before he heads off, but I’ve not had cause to look at it.”

“I’m glad he’s careful enough to leave a safety line in place,” stated Erwarth.

“Are you kidding me? If he didn’t, I’d be tagging along every step of the way,” huffed Amdirlain. “Stupid fucking paranoid lizard arsed fuck wit not wanting me working in his cell pisses me off.”

“Lizard arsed?” asked Erwarth. “Seriously, you need to take lessons in cursing; you repeat fuck a lot.”

Amdirlain stuck her nose in the air in a mock huff. “Under the weird pseudo-spider guise that Caltzan uses, they’re more reptilian.”

“Try to relax,” suggested Erwarth.

Amdirlain exhaled sharply and flexed her shoulders to release the tension. “I know it's Torm’s choice, but the possibility of my presence in the Abyss got him involved in this work. That Caltzan obstructs me from guarding Torm’s back makes me see red. Since Torm’s too dutiful to whatever commitments he makes, to him, it’s reasonable that the person in charge has the last call in who is involved.”

“Why do you feel he’s too dutiful?” asked Erwarth, and she smirked at Amdirlain’s raised eyebrow. “Yes, Sarah’s given me tips on what to focus on with you.”

“I’d prefer Torm just leave than work for someone that won’t take my help. Yet it would be petty for me to insist he leave with beings here to help. I’d even be okay with him working with someone more flexible than Caltzan. It’s Caltzan that does my head in; I’ve headed off Brel’s corruption, supplied the cell with funds, and prevented them from getting ambushed,” Amdirlain said, ticking off the points on her fingers. “Yet I’m a disruption he wants to minimise the cell having contact with. How does that make sense?”

“It doesn’t unless you respect Caltzan’s concern about omens and figures of bad luck. Need to vent more?” asked Erwarth.

Tossing her hands in the air, Amdirlain let out a full-throated scream of rage. “There, I’m good now.”

Pretending to clear her hearing, Erwarth gave a tight smile. “Don’t bottle it up so much.”

Catching the Spell start, Amdirlain waited Erwarth out and heard the contents to Nûr.

“Going to leave me to Nûr’s tender mercies?”

Pulling Amdirlain back into a hug, Erwarth rubbed her back. “Remember, we’re all broken in different ways. You’re concerned because you care for him and worry that he’ll come to harm because of you. With your emotions roiled up, it might be the best time to work on applying control to what you project.”

An increase in light beyond the Gate prompted Erwarth to release her, but Amdirlain gave a last squeeze. “Thanks for the hug, Erwarth.”

“You and Torm have to play things carefully, but sometimes physical contact helps even us,” replied Erwarth before stepping through the Gate.

When Nûr glided through, it was with a liquid grace rather than Erwarth’s raw speed. The glow of the circle’s runes reflected off rainbow-hued eyes that glistened like polished fire opals. Tight-fitting purple leathers clung to her elven form’s voluptuous curves, reminding Amdirlain more of Nûr’s Succubus body than any Elf she’d met.

Blowing a stray black lock from her face, Nûr gave Amdirlain a beaming smile. The pleasure in it was especially ironic, given the meaning of Nûr’s name.

“Well, you don’t give the sad vibe anymore,” observes Amdirlain.

“I’ve kept the name, regardless. I should have the reminder that reality can be a sad place,” replied Nûr moving to hug Amdirlain tight. “Erwarth is being greedy and rationing your time out to people, but I know it's more because of this place rather than either of you.”

“I wasn’t sure any of you would be comfortable with the reminder,” offered Amdirlain. “It’s not just Erwarth’s choice.”

Giving her a last squeeze, Nûr released Amdirlain and held her out at arm's length. “We don’t have to be comfortable to be happy to come here and help. Now relax your control; I want you to let all your Charisma out to play.”

“Play?” snorted Amdirlain. “What it does isn’t playing.”

“But it can be, and maybe the issue is that you need to find a visualisation that lets you control the intensity. You used water before, but that no longer seems to work, so set it free, and we’ll experiment,” prompted Nûr, and at Amdirlain’s apparent scepticism, reached to tweak her nose. “My willpower is up around what yours is now. You won’t drown me.”

Directing her intention inwards, Amdirlain dissolved the insufficient barriers of the mental water park. The Charisma didn’t wash out; instead, it exploded. As it rippled across her skin, Amdirlain felt a tight constraint within her ease, and the golden light from her gaze grew brighter.

Giving a nod of satisfaction, Nûr looked her up and down. “Now that’s more like it. The way you stand, the glow in your gaze, and your skin tone all improve when you let it out properly. The attribute’s power nudges things about you, enhancing what you have to elicit favourable responses.”

“It mentally mugs them, you mean?” corrected Amdirlain, and tension crackled in the surrounding air.

“You can certainly have it do that by focusing on someone, especially if you’re trying to project a particular mood. Like being a grump as you are now,” teased Nûr, and she tweaked her nose again. “You projected peacefulness through Dominion for those women you rescued, right?”

“Yes,” acknowledged Amdirlain.

“Think that was Dominion alone doing that?”

“No, I had to focus Dominion on what to project,” argued Amdirlain.

“Not what I meant; I’m talking about synergies. Dominion and Charisma work together all the time. There are other powers you can link in with them, as you did with Stimulation, but it's always Charisma and Dominion hand in hand,” countered Nûr. “Now you’ve controlled the mood you’ve projected with Dominion. The only difference with raw Charisma is that it's limited to people who can see or hear you, convincing them of the message you’re conveying.”

“I didn’t want that procession following me,” protested Amdirlain, wrinkling her nose at the memory.

“Erwarth said you’d had some fun with demons tagging after you,” said Nûr. “You set your Charisma loose, or did it get free?”

“One swaggered up to me asking what brothel I’d be at; I cut him in two and set it loose to scare the other menial demons that had encircled me with him,” admitted Amdirlain. “They ran, but it didn’t affect those further away.”

“Oh, you went for tough and scary,” Nûr said, clapping happily. “Did you try to pull your Charisma back in afterwards?”

“Yes,” snapped Amdirlain.

The waspish tone didn’t faze Nûr; instead, it elicited a smirk. “Okay. Did you think about projecting a different vibe before you did?”

“No, why?”

“Since you didn’t kill them all during your lesson, I take it you were going for restrained violence, predator at their throats,” stated Nûr, and when Amdirlain nodded, she gave a tight smile. “Charisma lets you influence others, but it's always an emotional reaction based on their mindset. Know your audience, and keep that in mind. Demons are predatory, but they’re also scavengers that will take scraps from another’s table.”

Amdirlain groaned at the explanation. “The air of violence. They were following to see who else I was going to kill.”

“Then, if you just walked away, as you did with the menials, they would have fought over their possessions,” explained Nûr. “They weren’t following hoping to fuck you. They were after your leavings. What did you get from them?”

“I caught their excitement, but I didn’t dig deeper. I was listening for ambushes ahead, and then I got caught up with the collars of servitude used to control those in the brothels,” admitted Amdirlain.

The admission had Nûr’s gaze narrowing with suspicion. “What did you do?”

“I severed a few hundred of them, and most of the brothel workers fled,” explained Amdirlain with a tight smile.

Tilting her head back, Nûr let loose gales of rolling laughter that echoed around the chamber. The good-natured laughter niggled at Amdirlain infectiously, but she just fixed Nûr with an incredulous look. “Oh, Amdirlain, only you would worry about the freedom of demons.”

“I can’t control how they’ll behave, and I’ll gladly kill them if they attack me or another, but it doesn’t mean someone else equally bad, if not worse, should profit from their enslavement,” objected Amdirlain. The memory of the vow being forced on her by Balnérith had the last words chewed out.

The anger washed Nûr’s amusement away, and she gave a thoughtful nod. “Let's work through some exercises with Charisma. Isa said you and Ilya had some fun with acting and dancing. So let’s start there, and then we’ll work to switch up what you’re projecting as smoothly as you can dance.”

“Erwarth suggested working on Dominion,” countered Amdirlain.

“I’m the expert on Dominion, not Erwarth. It lets you extend your influence beyond a being’s line of sight or hearing but still doesn’t stop you from needing to control your Charisma,” declared Nûr. “I’d like most of your time for a few months. Likely, you’ll need to unlearn some habits, and we’ll mix up the day by trying different exercises.”

“I need to practise my singing,” warned Amdirlain.

Nûr waggled a finger reprovingly. “You don’t think you can incorporate Charisma into your singing practice? Never heard music that made you cry or laugh, even without words? Emotions are energy, and True Song can manipulate or control energy in every imaginable fashion.”

“There are projects I’m working on that I don’t want to interrupt,” insisted Amdirlain.

“Well, I said most of your time. You spend a third of a day on private projects, so have three or four hours between magic and weapons practice. That would leave me half a day to work with you,” suggested Nûr. “I want to get you to where you can chat with someone like Eivor, Elleth, or even a junior Priest without melting their brain.”

“That’s a gruesome way to put it,” grumbled Amdirlain.

“Given what I felt when you pushed out, I think you restrained yourself at the town,” commented Nûr. “Even if you’re not projecting a particular intent like confidence, or allure, you’re going to be appealing to their mindset.”

“But Ilya’s lessons,” protested Amdirlain.

“We’ll work them in by getting you to practise exercises while being drilled on Ilya’s information or weapons,” countered Nûr. “Projecting violence or confidence while fighting can unsettle enemies, but it can also be dangerous if you distract your allies. If you can’t control it, you could have that effect regardless of your intentions.”

Nûr said nothing at Amdirlain’s nod of acceptance, so she spoke up. “Alright, how do we begin?”

“Let’s begin with something calming. I want you to do that empty mind meditation Farhad talks about with the others. Properly controlling Charisma isn’t about restraint—it's about acceptance, understanding your emotions, and directing them. Comfortable emotions are easy to work with, uncomfortable ones you’ll need work to master, and that will push your Dominion high, along with control over your Charisma. Eventually, I’ll look to bring a Mortal in, so practise hard.”

Starting at the thought, Amdirlain grimaced. “I don't want to go near a Mortal and risk gaining a different Mantle.”

“You think one of them would accept you as divine?” enquired Nûr and paused at Amdirlain’s nod. “Then maybe we should use someone like Moke, since he’s hardly religious. He could compose more verses of the Ode to the Dawn with such a muse as yourself.”

Mention of the Bard made Amdirlain groan, and Nûr’s laughter rang out again. “Now I might have to speak to him, after such a reaction.”

“You can go right ahead. I’m sure Moke would pass on ever returning to the Abyss.”

With Amdirlain not rising to the bait, Nûr offered her a smile. “I know finding acceptance for this won’t be easy; you see it as stealing another’s will. It’s not!”

“It sure seems that way.”

Nûr shook her head. “Charisma equals the strength of reaction; the viewer's mindset and perceptions determine the reaction itself. Some Mortal species consider your current Anar form hideous. They'd likely attack or run away if they saw you now, projecting the raw look-at-me vibe of unfocused Charisma. Get seen by your average Elf, and they’d drop to their knees if they didn’t want to swoon at your feet.”

“It’s not just an amplifier,” protested Amdirlain.

“Why do you say that? Because of all the attention you drew in Eyrarháls and other places? All those people wouldn’t have been paying attention to you for the same reason. Sexuality, beauty, grace, and the rareness of elves in the area are just four of hundreds that come to mind,” explained Nûr. “Did you go reading their minds?”

Sighing, Amdirlain shook her head. “No, I didn’t want to know.”

“Because you put yourself in the temptress Succubus box, you didn’t need to find another reason,” teased Nûr.

“Pretty much.”

“Well, we have a lot of work to do,” declared Nûr. “Do you mind if I speak to Sarah and Isa about your life before the curse?”

“Why?”

“It’s obvious that you’ve some history regarding people that found you attractive. I could feel the energy you’ve let out reacting in ways I found weird,” observed Nûr.

“I’ve dealt with that stuff,” objected Amdirlain.

“Emotions aren’t things you handle once—they strangely linger on for emotional reasons,” Nûr said softly.

Letting out a huff, Amdirlain motioned to the Gate. “Fine, go speak with them.”

“You don’t get off that easy. I’ll speak to them, but you’ve got some exercises to do first. Consider this an extension of the acting lessons Ilya’s been giving you,” suggested Nûr.

“More dancing?”

“Not dance classes. We’re talking raw emotional context: fear, love, hate, despair, and all the rest; we’ll work through emotions big and small, pushing them out into your surroundings through Charisma,” Nûr said and threw her arms out wide. “It will even let you practise Resonance by listening to that energy. If nothing else, you’ll at least be able to learn the emotional music to separate what you’re hearing better within someone.”

“Alright, what do we start with?”

Nûr shrugged. “An old crowd control favourite. Fear; raw, mind-numbing fear.”