The witch's brew

"I'm well-versed in the magic of tonics, elixirs... potions. A bit of magic bottled up with the right ingredients can cure any poison, capture the heart of your desire, or even turn back the aging process." She winks at you at the end. Magic does take ages to master, so you've been told, and yet Indra looks to be around your own age. Perhaps she's drinks the years away, literally. It would be rude to ask how old she actually is, though you wouldn't mind keeping your own youthfulness...

The witch smiles with understanding. What woman wouldn't be intrigued by the possibility. Thankfully, she changes the subject. "I can think of three that may be of use in this particular case. But of course, I've never heard of a case quite like yours, so even I cannot entirely predict the results."

She begins to move around the cabin, fetching different ingredients from shelves and cabinets. You follow her around, curious as to what you might end up drinking, but you can only identify a few of the items. One jar is filled with a clear liquid that looks like water but is obviously more viscous. It has a label that absolutely does not say "water", but she moves onto the next item too quickly for you to get a clear look. She plucks what must surely be bat's wing from a ceramic jar before stoppering it. Well, that's super. When she approaches a clear jar filled with eyeballs suspended in jelly, you turn away entirely.

"I'll do whatever I must, of course," You gather up your courage and try to steady your stomach, "But I'd know what you're offering me before I drink any odd concoctions."

Indra looks over her shoulder at you, amused by your reactions. "My dear, some things are better left unsaid. However, I will tell you what the effects of the potions are and whatever side-effects they usually carry:"

"The first is a tonic that can be added to a beast's food to aid in domesticating it. It will dull your emotions so that you can more easily resist the daemonic lust. It may also dull your wits to some degree." You grimace at the idea of drinking a potion that -might- slow your mind, but if it wards away your daemon master's influence, you can't write it off entirely.

"Second, a potion that enhances your desire and affections, and directs unwaveringly onto a single focus."

Your eyes narrow at the suggestion. "A love potion?" She nods. "How would that be useful in my condition?" You hold your suspicion, but she'd better have a good explanation for this one.

"You're going to feel those desires no matter what. But if they are directed onto a person that isn't the spawn growing inside you, it might disrupt that link. At the very least, if you're going to be driven to submission, better a person you trust than a daemon that wants to enslave your soul, don't you think?"

Okay, that isn't the most terrible reasoning. "And the person that I trust would be...?"

"Me, of course." She winks at you again. "Unless you don't trust me?"

You opt not to answer that question. "And the third?"

She steadies her gaze. "A potent concoction that disrupts magic. Think of it like a solvent that unbinds mystical forces." You're still confused. Apparently she can tell, so she continues. "The babe in your womb is physically present there, and we cannot so simply reverse that. However, there is daemon magic binding your minds together, expressed by the mark on your belly. As long as the daemon is growing inside you, the link cannot be removed, but this potion might interfere with his ability to influence you."

You perk up at the explanation. "Well, that sounds like the one! Why didn't you mention that one sooner?"

Indra's gaze turns somber. "It may be the most effective, but I also believe it to carry the most risk. Your pregnancy is unnatural, and tampering with the mystical connection could prove disastrous. Imagine a tiny rage monster with razor-sharp claws. That's what's inside your body. Right now it feels safe and secure. Replace that feeling with a sensation of being trapped."

Oh.

"I believe one of these three potions may be your best option, but we could attempt other means as well..."