A Devil on Your Shoulder?

You sit by the fire as the rest of your party sleeps. Clara had woken you up to take over the watch, having taken well over half the night herself, and you figured you could do the rest and let her sleep a bit more while the rest of you packed the camp. Elves apparently needed less sleep than most species, but you wanted to look out for your friend. You almost kissed her as you woke up to her leaning over you, close enough that you'd only need to raise up a bit, the eye's power filling you with even more boldness than usual.

You thought about having to give up the orb when you reached the Grand Cathedral, and it soured your mood. Would the women you've been enjoying suddenly resent you for taking advantage? Would they forget what happened and believe everything had been a normal trip north? You were certainly not optimistic enough to think they might want to continue such an arrangement when you were no longer empowered, but what choice did you have, really?

You couldn’t abandon the quest without losing the power the eye provided. Could you sneak over to a guild hall in the next city you visited and take some other quest to keep the artifact satisfied? Would your party members still be affected if they hadn’t agreed to the new quest? Could you simply announce that your quest was now to keep the artifact out of the hands of the Church, the Empire, or anyone who might **** it (other than yourself)? Would you be willing to do that even if it worked? You were willing to take the low road sometimes if it got the job done, but never thought you’d choose selfishness if it impacted too many lives.

You realize that being so lost in your thoughts has made you a poor lookout when you see a pair of sharp nailed hands reach over your shoulder, but calm as their red-skinned owner whispers in your ear, "You look awfully dour for a man who just bedded two beauties, Weiss. Did we leave you unsatisfied?"

You smile and lean your head back, "Not at all, Afti."

She strokes your chest, "You know, I have some miniature mud golems I can put out. If they sense danger, they gather the dirt around them to grow bigger and attack."

You groan, "You could have mentioned before Clara stayed up half the night."

Afti giggles and moves around your body until she was seated in your lap, facing you. "Well, someone had me a bit distracted, didn't he?" She gives you a smoldering look and you expect her to lean in for a kiss, but she shocks you by asking, "What exactly does that rock we're carrying do, Alan?"

You tense, wondering what brought this on. Could she have figured out her behavior was affected by the Eye? From what Magada explained, you didn't think that would be possible. "What do you mean? I was told it was inert."

Afti frowns at you, and you're suddenly aware of how close her sharp nails are to your neck. "I'm not stupid, Alan, in fact I'm a certified genius if you remember. Even more, I'm of Infernal blood. I can sense the power of Divine magic, even if it's just a bit. It makes my horns itch. The clandestine mission, the evaded questions, and now I find you looking so sullen after we had such a lovely time with Roana. Fess up."

...Oh. She doesn't, in fact, find the sex unusual at all. While that's a relief, you're reminded of how observant the alchemist can be, her curiosity causing her to fixate on anything out of the ordinary. It gives you an idea.

You slide your hands down to grip Afti's ass and pull her closer against your body. First things first, "I need you to know that it would be a huge turn off for me if you were to try and steal the rock."

"Hmm, wouldn't dream of it, handsome." Afti unbuckles your belt and positions herself over your cock.

You think that phrasing it that way will reinforce the command with the power of the eye. Maybe the eye itself is granting you some knowledge about how to use it. Feeling bold, you slide into her and start to tell her a bit about the eye. "It's supposed to carry a blessing from the God Magada, a boon that can only be used by an adventurer during their quests."

"Mmmm, that's nice..."

"But it can only affect me and those who are considered a part of my party."

Afti moans as she grinds on your shaft, "Well, I'm certainly feeling blessed right now."

"Yeah, it's a good one. I was actually worrying about when I have to hand it over to the church."

"Yeah, that's roug- OH RIGHT THERE! Mmmm, maybe there's a way you don't have to."

You bounce her roughly, wondering what she has in mind but wary of revealing too much. "It would be really sexy to have a confidant who won't judge me for using it, because it can influence people somewhat, but yeah, only for me and my party members."

Afti kisses your fiercely as she has a small orgasm, but she continues her pace riding you. "You've always had a good head on your shoulders, Weiss. I trust you not to go full megalomaniac. That's interesting, though..."

"What's that?"

"Party members. Do they have to be traveling with you? If you, say, had someone agree to be a part of your party but they led a second group elsewhere, would they still be blessed? If you hired a courier, or a porter, or rented someone's house, would that count? Do they have to be willing? If we captured a bandit and tied them up, would they be blessed even though they're a prisoner?"

You can barely keep up with her musings, especially as you climb closer to your peak.

She continues, "What if you recruited a party member from the Cathedral while we there to deliver it, and then have them just say we've delivered the rock? Oh wow, they are so many experiments I could help you run! We've got some time before we get there, let's test some theories!"

Suddenly, you gush into her as you reach climax, and she joins you in her another orgasm of her own. You like to think it was from your performance but feel like the scientific curiosity overload may have been what set her off. "That, but let's make sure we do it carefully, and keep this between us for now, OK?"

She purrs in your arms, "Sounds like a plan, Weiss."

You're feeling optimistic after your earlier troubles and feel yourself drifting off. You barely remember to mumble a request for Afti to activate her mud golem before you're back to sleep.

***************************

The next morning, the four of you are packing your camp, and you broach the subject of your travel plans.

Roana jumps in immediately, "I'd say we just follow the Royal Highway to the checkpoints, we've got the appropriate paperwork, don't we?"

You do, and it would be the most direct route, but there is the matter of the possible thieves the archivist had spoken about which you bring up, "Could be loyalists who found out we're giving away treasure, Martellans who don't want the Church to go soft on us, thieves guild, who knows? They'll likely be assuming we'd head straight north."

Afti suggests an alternative, "We could head east, make our way up through the disputed territories where the blockades have fewer of Martille's soldiers and more local boys."

You look at Clara, before adding, "Or we go west, stick to the woodlands. Probably the safest way, if you don't mind keeping us on track?"

The elf considers your statement. You know she doesn't like being near the Elven forestlands, though she's never told you why. There are enough woods where you'd be able to stay under the radar without technically invading the elves though. You give her time to think and smile at her when she gives you a nod and adds, "I could do that."

You mull over the different options, considering speed, safety, and supplies. You also think about how each path would allow for Afti's "experiments" and smile to yourself.