It can wait - you have a meeting to attend

What you have to talk about may take some time, and could do with some extra preparation. With that in mind, you invite Violet to share a meal with you and the girls this evening. She is quite openly suspicious of the invitation, but accepts it nonetheless. Then, Scarlett arrives with the dire wolf. The bird woman helps her sister up onto the creature’s back, then leads it through the doorway again. Once both of your monster girl agents are gone, Lia slips back in through the front door and promptly sits down next to you on the bed, mirroring Blythe on your other side. The three of you speak briefly about what just transpired, before you all agree to go have lunch.

…

After your meal, you finally head over to have a chat with Roy. Since you’re going to be removing his gag temporarily, you bring Lia along just in case; between your magic and the catkin’s reflexes, you should be able to handle any funny business the rogue might try. The tree house holding the leader of the adventurers is currently being guarded by two harpies, who both bow to you as you approach. As has been your policy thus far, you praise the guards for their diligence before heading up the rope ladder to the balcony. Once you and your catkin companion are standing at the web-sealed entrance, it takes the many fist-sized spiders no time at all to open up a hole for you to step through.

On the other side of the hole, you find the man you’re looking for sitting against the far wall. Like Rowena, he greets you with a **** glare. Unlike the elf, however, Roy’s angry eyes quickly disappear when he sees your escort. He watches Lia with curiosity as your catkin companion lights a mana crystal, jams it into a high spot on the wall, and then stands at attention by your side. You use his wandering eyes as an opportunity to check on the thick coating of spider threads binding his wrists and ankles. They appear intact at a glance, but upon further inspection, you see that he has loosened them.

Just as I would expect from a rogue, you think, smiling at the thought. It always feels good when your knowledge of fantasy tropes comes in handy. “Good afternoon, Mr. Londmire,” you say.

On your cue, Lia kneels down to remove the man’s gag. You watch him like a hawk, just waiting for him to throw off his bindings, grab your catkin companion, and try to use her as a hostage. But he doesn’t. Instead, he sits awestruck by the beautiful woman in front of him. Roy holds his tongue as Lia takes away the silencing strip of cloth and retakes her place at your side. It’s only when you speak again that his eyes leave the face of your lovely escort.

“Are you enjoying your stay?” you ask. You gesture to the room, the interior of which seems mostly intact. Although both he and Rowena tried to escape last night, his method was clearly less destructive than hers. You appreciate his consideration in that regard.

“Is that meant to be a joke? Where are the others!? What have you done with them!?” His voice starts out low, but quickly rises along with his temper. The man puffs out his chest and glares at you again, trying to look big despite his position on the floor. You take note of the fact that he keeps his loosened bindings carefully concealed, even during such an animated outburst. Such professionalism tells you that his angry words are nothing but bravado.

“Your girlfriends are safe,” you say. Although his angry act is masterfully controlled, the use of the word ‘girlfriends’ is enough to throw him off temporarily. The facade drops for less than a second, but you don’t miss it. “You have my word that they will stay that way while you’re all in my care. I have assigned one of my agents to see to your meals. You can expect to meet her within the next couple of hours.”

“You’re crazy if you think you can keep us locked up in here,” says the man. “It won’t be long before the Guild sends out a search party. Once they find out that the Demon Lord everyone’s talking about is in the Dark Forest, this place’ll be swarming with brave heroes aiming for your head!”

“Everyone’s still talking about me, are they? I thought the buzz would have cooled down a bit after a whole month without any leads.” You grin mischievously at the rogue, hoping to taunt him into elaborating on how popular you are in town. He doesn’t take the bait, though, so you move on, saying, “You’re right, Roy.” The man cringes at your use of his first name, but he’s going to have to get used to it; ‘Mr. Londmire’ is too much of a mouthful. “Whether I kill you or keep you here, these woods will burn within the week. In all that chaos, I expect that you and your lovely companions will not come out unscathed. However, there is a way to guarantee your safety. If you tell me everything I want to know, I’d be willing to let you all go in a few days.”

“I’d rather die than—”

“You’d rather die than help a Demon Lord,” you say. “I’ve heard that one before, so don’t bother. Look, you and I both know you’re not as straight-laced as your mage.” You actually don’t know that about Roy, but you’re willing to bet it, based on his acting thus far. “Just think about it. I’m not asking much: just a few honest answers to my questions, and you can guarantee the safety of yourself and the women you care about. You could all head back to town, warn the Guild, then sit back and watch the carnage unfold, knowing you did the right thing by getting your party out of here.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Roy says, without any hesitation. He then slumps back against the wall while maintaining his indignant glare. Like Rowena, he is determined to give you nothing.

Damn, you think. I was really hoping this guy would be more reasonable. Didn’t Blythe say she got him to talk, at least a little bit? I’m pretty sure Rowena was the only one who she couldn’t crack at all. So how did she do it? You glance sideways at Lia. Despite the focused demeanor displaying her readiness to kill should Roy move a finger out of line, her lithe, feminine figure remains as attractive to you as it was in your shared bed this morning. Based on that observation, it dawns on you that perhaps it wasn’t any interrogation technique of Blythe’s, but was instead her womanly charm that allowed her to glean some honest information from this guy. If not, then it seems he’s strengthened his resolve after failing an escape attempt. If that’s the case, then there’s probably nothing you can do. If he’s made his mind up to deny you at every turn, then you’re just wasting time here.

But you have to bet against that. You have to bet on the only remaining path forward.

You turn to Lia.