He isn't the enemy

“...he's not the enemy. Not really.”

My head itches, and **** answers, “Ah. Huh. I never thought to look up what he thinks of my sister. Hold a minute…” I wait patiently for a bit, and he continues, “...I see.”

“Yeah. He hates her.” I pause, “He also mentioned something that didn't make sense to me: That he'd drop dead of old age if he renounced his patron. But his blessing is luck, not immortality. What's going on there?”

“All true prophets have their aging put on pause while they're serving…” **** explains, “...but that would not explain dropping dead. That said…” he pauses, “...rules are rules.”

So I didn't need to pick a naturally ageless race… good to know… “She's lying to him, or at least bending the truth, and he thinks the years will catch up and he'll drop dead of old age if she breaks it off.” I hazard a guess.

“Correct,” **** confirms, “he wouldn't though, he'd just start aging normally.”

I nod, “He also mentioned something about me renouncing you. That suggests he could break it off?”

“Oh yes,” the chill voice whispers in my ear, “Dad's a big fan of free will. If the prophet - any prophet - clearly tells their patron that they're breaking it off, the deity must abide by that, no matter the specific phrasing. So yes, if he tells my sister to go away… she will.”

“So all I need to do, really, is convince him of that,” I smile, “hence talking to him.”

“You realize…” my patron begins.

“Lying to him won't work,” I confirm, “I doubt leaving out pertinent details will either. Because he'll always see through any Bluff. That's ok. Good, even. I want him to see right through me: I'm NOT being deceptive.”

“Not what I was going to say,” the voice sends a chill up my spine, “a blessing is only as absolute as we make it. My sister is quite capable of leaving anything she likes out of that luck blessing: She doesn't have to make him win everything. Do you really think she hasn't rubbed that in his face a few times by, say, NOT making him win something he wanted as a punishment?”

I purse my lips… ugh, these things are too fat… “Well… I'd still have trouble living with myself if I didn't try. I'll keep in mind that he might not believe the truth, though. Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” he chuckles, “be seeing you…” his voice fades from my head.

Talking to him is quite straightforward: Greater Communication from the Mind Sphere allows the use of Project Thoughts across any distance, including across planar boundaries (95% of the time, although admittedly The Drift runs by it's own rules… but on the plus side, it is not magic when I cast). One of the options in Project Thoughts allows for a proper two-way conversation. I have to be familiar with the target, but I met him in person and that satisfies the requirement well enough. Much better than the Vancian equivalent, Sending.

I cast the spell and greet my killer, “Hi. I'm not sure if…”

“Yes, Oras let me know that the Devourer's blessing upon you means you don't stay dead,” he growls back. Good to know what names he has for my patron and his sister. “Which is particularly odd, as you also have magic I've never seen, and Divine Blessings are limited in scope… who else is backing you?”

Their mutual adoptive father as I understand it, but I haven't spoken to Him directly, “Does it really matter? There's a set of things I can do, and it's not in my interests to say everything. Yes, I have access to stuff you've not seen before, including this conversation channel… and a way to make you ageless that does not involve maintaining a divine blessing or any deals with infernal powers.”

“How do I know you're not lying?” Hmm, yeah, I think I have him hooked.

“Logic,” I chuckle, but don't let that aspect through the link, “Suppose I'm lying. You'd be able to see through it thanks to Oras’ blessing if she chooses to exercise it, so you'd know in that case. But why would she choose not to? If I am lying and she's not making it possible for you to tell, then she risks losing you when you fall for it, and you're clearly one of her strongest pieces on the board.”

“The strongest,” the man on the other end of my telepathic communication spell interrupts. Oh, the way he says that makes my lower lips ache to be filled… ugh, stupid curse…

Ah, pride, such a seductive sin, so much so I even fall for it myself regularly, “Okay. If I'm lying, and she permits the trickery to fool you, she loses her leverage on you when you fall for it. She has a lot to lose by letting that happen, so why would she?”

I give him a few beats to answer, and he remains silent, so I continue, “So we can rule out ‘I'm lying’: If I was, you'd know, because your patron isn't about to let you go so easily when it's trivial for her to stop.”

“You killed my crew…” he begins to object.

“After you destroyed my ship,” which I've already replaced, “I'm thinking we're even there, or close enough.” Also, I've met your type before: You don't really care about anything outside of your own skin. That's a token objection.

“I get a lot of power from Her churches…” The real objection… also, he knows she goes under multiple names. Good.

“Oh, I can set you up with a ship and a robotic crew loyal only to you,” it doesn't cost me anything but a bit of time: Pilot sphere can do both, but in my case a summoned crew is better, “admittedly it won't be as nice,” he's 20th, so he'll end up with a tier 18 ship, “but what's her patronage costing you? Is it worth it?”

“You just want me out of your way,” he has Sense Motive, I see.

“Yes, but that doesn't mean the offer isn't genuine.” I shrug, not that this has a visual attached, “I'm not going to beat you in a fight, but any fight with me will cost you, and I don't stay down when you beat me. When we fight, we both lose. But if I help you slip out of that choker collar she has on you, we both win.”