Izel and Ebbeth have a talk

It was easy for Izel to let her thoughts drift as she scrubbed the floors in the Imerdan manor. As always, she thought of home and her sister. Was she still alive? Would she even recognize her after all the years they had been separated? For a moment, she thought of her parents, and her wistfulness turned to hatred.

Beside her, Ebbeth pushed her own large sponge. The middle-aged woman’s movements hadn’t slowed since they had started just a bit after dawn. She had a look of contentment on her face as she hummed, the tediousness of their work apparently not enough to dim her spirits. Izel couldn’t help but admire the woman’s resilience if not her choice in career. Warm yellow-white sunlight spilled into the hallway through an open entryway that led to the kitchen.

Squish-swish. Ebbeth kept scrubbing, oblivious to Izel’s scrutinizing stare. Her large matronly breasts jiggled and wobbled with her movements. The woman’s body was slightly plump, but well-endowed in the ways that a lot of men found enticing.

I can see why Julian likes her so much. If we hadn’t been pressed for time, he would have had her do a lot more than dress him this morning.

“Is everything alright, my lady? You’ve been staring at me for a while,” Ebbeth said and stopped scrubbing to push herself onto her knees to give her a thoughtful look that reminded her oddly of a Necromancer she’d known when she was younger. T’zall. The woman had served her parents, aiding them in binding spirits to their will. Unlike her parents, the woman hadn’t seemed to mind when a curious young Izel fearlessly and perhaps foolishly visited her chambers to pester her with questions. Thinking back on it, she was surprised the woman hadn’t informed her parents who would have been all too happy to reprimand her.

They did so hate it when I showed any signs of independence. If only they knew that just made me more determined to do it. There’s no greater motivation in the world than spite.

Izel smiled ambivalently.

“I was just thinking I like what you’ve done with your hair.”

Ebbeth’s eyes lit up like twin suns.

Well, aren’t you adorable?

“Oh, you’re too kind, Lady Izel. I only wish I could get my hair to be like yours. I swear by Klaria, it’s like silk!” Ebbeth said and gestured towards Izel’s hair which was still tied into a ponytail. “What do you do to get it like that?”

Izel preened at the praise.

“Oh, that’s just my natural hair. Have you ever seen a Tenlani before?” she said.

Ebbeth shook her head, her eyes glimmering with wonderment. “Not before I met you.”

“I guess Tenlani wouldn’t be common as houseguests in this part of Aemar,” Izel said conversationally.

“I wouldn’t know,” Ebbeth replied with a shrug. “I myself rarely leave the estate nowadays.”

Izel frowned. There was something about the idea of staying in one place she found stifling, to say nothing of doing so willingly.

“Really? Don’t you have relatives to visit?”

Ebbeth shook her head.

“No,” she said. Her voice held an echo of great pain that had long since been dealt with, but the impressions remained, like vocal scars.

Izel pursed her lips, wondering if she should leave the line of questioning be. Ultimately, her curiosity won out.

“I lost my family, too,” Izel said. It wasn’t technically a lie.

A flash of sympathy flickered in Ebbeth's eyes before she nodded.

“Is that so? I had you figured for a runaway,” Ebbeth replied.

Izel only barely managed to keep the surprise off her face.

This woman sees a lot more than she lets on.

“A lot of people think that. A lone Tenlani in the northern fringes of Aemar. My countrymen aren’t exactly well-regarded here, so inevitably people assume the worst in me,” she said and smirked, hoping her attitude would help downplay any suspicions Ebbeth might have.

She’s classless. Why am I even worrying about her? With luck, Julian’ll sink his little mental claws into her and she’ll take any of our secrets to the grave.

Ebbeth’s mysterious smile remained. Izel couldn’t tell if the woman was swayed or not. She was remarkably good at keeping her true thoughts hidden. It was maddening!

“There’s nothing wrong with deciding you don’t like where you are and traveling elsewhere,” she said simply.

Izel shot Ebbeth a disbelieving look. “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

“Oh really? And why is that?” Ebbeth replied innocently, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She raised her eyebrows curiously.

“Well, for one, you said you never leave this place, and you seem perfectly content with that.”

“And I am,” Ebbeth replied simply, a note of finality in her tone.

Izel stared at her searchingly.

“I know you feel like you lucked out serving the Imerdans. And sure, I’ll admit you did, given the alternatives, but what if you’d been born a noble or suddenly discovered you were classed? What if you had the entire world to explore? Would you still be happy where you are?” Izel asked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

The light in Ebbeth’s eyes didn’t dim. “Yes.”

Izel almost recoiled as if struck. Outwardly, she kept her face calm.

She’s a fanatic. A zealot. A fool. No, not a fool. She’s too perceptive and intelligent. She’s far worse than a fool.

“You’re loyal,” Izel said, almost like a curse. The concept had terrible meaning to her. She could stand being loyal to a person or cause, but only so far as it aligned with her interests. Anything else was slavery. Her own service to Julian might have been something that was **** on her, but she would be a fool if she didn’t realize the opportunity having his affection and favor presented. Or the providence of meeting someone with powers bestowed by the god Nethrus. He was the impossible legacy of the long-shattered Omreus made flesh. Someone with Julian's potential was bound to reshape the world to his whims, perhaps even shatter its very foundations. If Izel could be at his side guiding those whims, well, she could stand to gain very much indeed, as well as settle a few scores that she had left unattended for far too long. And it wasn’t as if having to bed Julian was unpleasant in the slightest.

His cock is really nice. The perfect shape and size. Why must so many men be so small and their egos so large?

Unconsciously, she rubbed her thick thighs together. She found herself aching for the day to be over and she could finally be alone with Julian again. She pictured his naked body in her mind. He wasn't tall or overly muscular like some men she had bedded. He was lean, sporting a body built for agility and boasted a surprising reservoir of strength and endurance he could call upon if needed. Her heart quickened as she imagined his intense gray eyes staring into hers - so knowledgeable yet uncertain. He was well-read, but he knew almost nothing of the world from his own perspective. Izel found herself excited by the thought of being the one to show it to him.

Izel glanced at Ebbeth again, conscious of the woman’s own voluptuous body. She’d noticed Julian’s eyes trailing over Ebbeth hungrily, like a slavering wolf. Suddenly, Izel knew what needed to be done. But to lead up to it, she’d have to get the woman to open up a bit more. To get her to be ****. Emotional. Too distracted to realize the absurdity of her request. She chewed her lip as her heart thudded with anticipation.

“What did the Imerdans do to earn your loyalty?” Izel asked.

Ebbeth crossed her arms beneath her huge breasts, which strained against the material of her dress. “They saved my life. Took me in after I had lost everything.”

“Oh, now this I have to hear.” Izel clasped her hands in front of her with genuine eagerness.

Ebbeth’s eyes darted around uncertainly. “I wouldn’t want to bore you with the tale of some classless servant.”

Izel chuckled. “Nonsense. We are both servants of Lord Julian, aren’t we?”

She deliberately avoided mentioning the Imerdans just to see what Ebbeth’s reaction would be and subtly nurture her connection to Julian. If the woman wanted to be a loyal ****, better she did so for Julian than the bitch Maela. The idea of taking something from the woman enticed her greatly.

“Ah yes, you’re right! Sometimes I forget that we both serve the same wonderful master!” Ebbeth’s enthusiastic grin and the odd fanatical gleam in her eyes took Izel by surprise, but she decided she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth in this case. An Ebbeth devoted to Julian was a useful Ebbeth. “Very well then. I’ll tell you my tale of woe.”

Izel leaned forward and listened with rapt anticipation as Ebbeth spoke.

“I grew up in a small town near Serithar. Monster attacks were a fact of life, but with help from adventurers and some clever preparations, we made do. Then the orcs came, burning many farms and villages, abducting people to take back to Serithar as slaves or food or who knows what. Famine and disease swept through my town before the orcs reached it. We would have fled, but the orcs had already encircled us for miles. Of my family, I was the only survivor. There was no hope of escape, so I hid underneath the floorboards of my family’s home. Father had built a hideaway there in case anything ever breached the town walls.”

“And the Imerdans saved you?” Izel asked.

Ebbeth nodded rapidly. “There was a commotion outside, and suddenly there was this great flash that almost blinded me. I’d never seen such radiance before. When I opened my eyes, what little remained of my home was gone. Just gone. And so were the orcs. Their armor and weapons were strewn about the land, but their bodies were simply gone, like they didn’t exist anymore. And every part of me felt cold.”

Izel felt a chill run down her spine. She had heard tales of light magic users so powerful they had unlocked spells that could unmake living beings. Not simply kill; wipe out of existence, as if their bodies and souls had never been to begin with, leaving nothing to even absorb to make progress towards leveling up. As a Necromancer, the very concept of such was anathema to her. She wondered how Ebbeth survived the spell. Perhaps it had been targeted at the orcs and goblins themselves, meant to spare anyone could have been an Aemari citizen.

A small smile came over Ebbeth’s face. “Then I saw him. Krevos Imerdan in his shining armor, at the head of a massive army of Aemari soldiers. He was so handsome and powerful. It was like the world sang at his presence. And Lady Maela with her staff which glowed so brightly it drowned out the sun. As I stumbled towards them, I must confess I half expected to wiped out of existence as well, simply for being in their presence. But then Lady Maela asked who I was, how I had survived. I told her I’d been a coward and hid, but she said I was strong for surviving when so many others had not. I didn’t agree with her and gods forgive me, I still don’t. She offered to arrange for me to be sent to safety behind the front lines, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t just leave when everyone and everything I’d known was destroyed. I told Lady Maela I’d swear eternal service to her family to make up for the crime of living. I could cook well enough and my childhood had taught me the ins and outs of tending wounds. Lord Krevos had been against it, but Lady Maela persuaded him otherwise. I’ve served House Imerdan ever since.”

Izel couldn’t help but nod respectfully. Even though some part of her despised those who were blindly loyal to others, she could at least see where Ebbeth’s loyalty had come from. She didn’t agree with it, but she understood it.

“That’s a marvelous tale,” Izel said, meaning it. “So, after the Imerdans beat back the orcs and you came home with them, did you… oh, perhaps I shouldn’t say it.”

Ebbeth’s eyes widened curiously. Manipulating those who were earnest was always incredibly easy.

“What is it? Whatever questions you have, you can ask them.”

“Well,” Izel began, keeping her face earnest. “I was wondering if you ever managed to settle down with a man deserving of a woman such as you.”

Ebbeth’s face flushed.

“Oh, uh, I never married. Came close a few times, but… I don’t know. Maybe I’m not cut out for that sort of thing. My service to Master Julian and his family provides me with all the fulfillment I need.”

She is lying to herself if that’s what she thinks she actually believes. Ebbeth’s a flesh and blood woman. We can have duties and life goals, but at the end of the day, each and every one of us has to satisfy our carnal needs. With men. Or women, though I certainly prefer the former even though most are dull and boring and only good for one or two things. Let’s see if Ebbeth’s open enough now for what I have planned.

She licked her lips.

“Ah, I see. That must be why you were eyeing Julian’s cock like a woman dying of thirst,” she said, unable to keep the devious grin off her face.

“L-Lady Izel!” Ebbeth snapped. Her face was pure scarlet now. Izel wanted to cackle with glee. “Y-you’re being ridiculous! Cease this line of conversation at once!”

Amused beyond measure, Izel waggled her eyebrows.

“Oh, come on, Ebbeth. We can be adults about this. I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,” she almost sang.

Besides, It’ll be fun to see how long it takes for Julian to man up and take what’s right in front of him. He’s still so unsure of himself, his power. Thankfully he has me around to make sure he grows into man we both need him to be. But will Ebbeth play along?

Ebbeth clenched her fists. Her expression oscillated between outrage and embarrassment. Finally, she heaved a heavy sigh.

“Very well.”

What?

Izel blinked.

Ebbeth continued, seeming to not register Izel’s shocked expression. “But at least keep your voice down.”

Izel nodded seriously.

I can’t believe she said yes, already. I thought I was going to have to prod her all day or longer to get this to happen.

“Alright,” Izel whispered and leaned forward conspiratorially. “Now tell me, and answer me honestly: do you want Julian or not? Is he the sort of man you can picture giving yourself to?”

Ebbeth’s dark eyes darted around the hallway. Once she seemed satisfied that they were alone, she whispered back, “He’s handsome, like his father, but was born with none of the coldness of Lord Krevos. He’s… ****. Hurt. I may be damned for saying this, but Lord Krevos and Lady Maela erred terribly when they discarded him. When they did that, my faith in them was shaken considerably. They should have had the sense to know that the gods were saving Julian’s blessings for when he needed them most. He’s stronger than he gives himself credit for, but I can’t shake the feeling that something about him was lost when he thought his family cared nothing for him. I fear that the friendly, confident boy I helped raise and care for may have died, and something brittle and wounded was born in his place. And I did nothing to stop it!”

Ebbeth clenched her fists angrily as she continued. Izel listened, something about the woman’s words drawing her in.

“I should have been there for him more. Cared for him. Showed him that he was loved. I should have gone against Lady Maela’s commands and allowed him to bed me. Gods, I should have served him every night! If I had, maybe something of the old Julian would have survived. Now, all I can do is hope to help nurture it back into existence, if that can even be done. But godsdammit, he is my master and I’m obligated to try!”

Izel stared at her for a long moment. Ebbeth met her gaze. She seemed surprised at her own words, but she didn’t take them back. It was like she had abruptly had clothes thrown over her, looked at herself in the mirror, and decided that they looked good on her.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Izel said, latching on to emotions Ebbeth had so readily bore in front of her, like a snake. “Lord Julian’s suffered enough. He’s due for a night to remember, isn’t he?”

And many, many nights after that.

Ebbeth nodded firmly. Any guilt or conflicting emotions seemed utterly absent on her face.

“Yes,” she said. “He most certainly is.”

Julian Imerdan (lv. 7 Psion)

HP: 142/142

ST: 53/119

WP: 470/470

Skills...

Attributes…

Effects…

Julian's Skills

[Manipulation] Suggestion (cost: 20 WP) – Telepathically implant a suggestion in the mind of a target to influence or induce an action, thought, or emotion.

[Manipulation] Hypnosis (cost: 30 WP) – Lull someone into a hypnotic trance. Requires the use of a pendant or other foci to draw the target’s gaze.

[Affliction] Mind Jab (cost: 15 WP) – Project a weak bolt of psionic energy that attacks the mind of an opponent, causing crippling mental pain that lasts for a few moments.

[Affliction] Psi-Bolt (cost: 5 WP) – Emit an unguided bolt of psionic energy that inflicts low Psi damage to a target upon impact. It deals moderate Psi damage against targets affected by Mind Jab, but clears them of the status.

[Connection] Detect Mind (cost: 2 WP/s) – Focus your awareness outward to detect the minds of sentient organic beings within ten feet.

[Connection] Connect Mind (cost: 5 WP) – Choose two minds glimpsed with Detect Mind and link them together for a time, allowing a psionic Skill used on one mind to affect the other.

[Matter] Piercing Field (cost: 15 WP) – Imbue a weapon or projectile within range with an impossibly narrow telekinetic field, allowing it to cut through armor. The field dissipates after a single attack.

[Knowledge] Safe Fall (cost: free) – You have learned how to shift your body mid-air to significantly mitigate falling damage.

[Knowledge] Meditation (cost: free) – Clear your thoughts and retreat into an introspective state within your own mind. Your WP regeneration is significantly increased while meditating. Meditation is a viable substitute for the equivalent amount of sleep.

[Innate] Focus (cost: free) – When in combat, enter a state of emotional detachment which allows you to ignore pain and resist negative mental effects.

Julian’s Attributes

Human – As a member of the human species, your body is more resilient than most other sapient races.

Magical Ancestry – Several of your ancestors possessed powerful magical abilities and talents. The barest hint of their talent resides within you, granting you easier use of magical items.

Psionic – You are capable of affecting physical and nonphysical reality through Will alone. You are resistant to mental effects and psionic damage. You can perceive all spectrums of psionic energy.

Fardreamer – While you sleep, you may randomly send your mental awareness to another place in the universe.

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